Bakemonogatari 13- secret episode

Title: Bakemongatari "Ghost Story"
Animation Production: SHAFT
On TV: in Japan in October 2009. Episode 13 Exclusively online 11/3/2009
Genre: supernatural, school life, ecchi, romance,
mystery



Konbanwa!! This week I'm sorta taking a break from fall 09 anime previews and instead I am reviewing episode 13 part 3 of Bakemonogatari.

The newest episode which premiered online only on Nov.3 is the third part of the Tsubasa Cat Arc. I thought we would see more development in Senjogahara and Araragi's relationship but for the most part it's more fanservice with Araragi escatic over having such a pretty girl as Senjogahara as his girlfriend in addition to bits and pieces of story relevent information. I gotta say though...when Araragi randomly runs up to Hachikuji and starts talking lolicon-ish things I got scared and alot weirded out! I mean seriously!! You're not supposed to be like that!! Put little Hachikuji down and stop molesting her!!!

But yeah...episode 13 was still awesome and cute but it was also fanservice central. First with Hachikuji and then with Hanekawa in her kitty pajamas and cat ears, attached to her head. I hope the series continues onward and at the moment it seems like another episode is slated to be released. The question is when and if it's going to be an online exclusive or maybe even the premiere for the next season. And right now SHAFT is being extreemly quiet when it comes to answering those questions.

This episode gets 4 out of 5!

Get ready to get Xam'd!

This weeks review is on an anime called "Xam'd: Lost Memories" or Bounen no Zamudo. X'amd was created by studio Bones, the revolutionary animation studio behind
great animes such as Full Metal Alchemist and Eureka Seven. So far I have only had the chance to watc one episode of what looks like an amazing anime and I want to watch more!

The summary behind X'amd is the story about a normal high school boy named Akiyuki and how his life isn't so normal anymore. On the island of Sentan a war is happening between the military and those with the Hiruko called "Xam'd". One day Akiyuki is on his way to school when suddenly a terrorist attack occurs on the busand he is splattered with some glowing green goo. Next thing we know his arm transforms into this huge thing and he later transforms into some monster like thing called a X'amd. With his friend from high school and a Tessikan woman named Nakiami he learns to control the X'amd while also trying to avoid transforming into stone.
X'amd reminds alot of Eureka seven probably because of how it looks and just how it animates. The thing that Akiyuki ends up transforming into has the same color scheme of Renton's Mirvash so I would not be surprised if the creator of Eureka Seven also created this.

Unfortunately since I only was able to watch the first episode I will not be able to rate at this time. But over time I will more episodes and talk about it on this here blog! :) So stay tuned!!!

So in the meantime please watch this trailer which tells us that Xam'd used to be available only to watch on the PS3 network :D

Fall Anime~ Letter Bee- Tegami Bachi

Title: "Letter Bee" or Tegami Bachi
Animation Producer: Studio Pierrot
Premiered: October 2009 in Japan
Genre: Supernatural, Steampunk, adventure
Manga?: is currently being sold in bookstores in the US.

Another great anime that has premiered in Japan this fall season is Tegami Bachi or "Letter Bee" in english. The show is about a boy named Lag Seeing whom it seems was abandoned by his mother. A Letter Bee, named Gauche Suede, finds him and deems him a letter that must be delivered to a town so his aunt can look out for him. The time that Lag spends with the Letter Bee really makes him feel a deep admiration for him and what he does so he decides to become a Letter Bee while also making a promise to himself to find his mother.

So far I have watched the first five episodes online and absolutelutely love this anime. It's funny and the characters are endearing. Especially with the introduction of Niche who is a little girl who has animal like characteristics. She can jump really high and run very fast and her hair also turns into swordlike tendrils that cut into anything. Plus there's a scene where Lag is trying to get her to wear underwear under her dress, because she was running around without it for however long; it's just the cutest/funniest thing.

The music is pretty good also. Not quite memorable but the kind of music you find yourself humming along to when it comes on.

When it comes to how it looks, it really reminded me of .Hack//Sign. Maybe because of how the characters look or even how the landscapes are laid out. I don't know...or it could be the silver haired guys running around that remind me of Tsukasa.

All in all "Letter Bee" is looking to be a promising anime so I will definitely be watching this every week and I hope you guys will watch it too. :) My temporary rating is 4.5 out of 5. Definitely try and watch this!!

The fall season brings new colors and new anime to watch!

Hey good people of the internet! It feels like it's been a minute since I updated and I apologize for that. I've been a bit busy with real world stuff as well as just finding worthwhile anime to watch and share with you guys....

But enough on that! Like the title says, about this lovely season called Fall, it's also the time in Japan for a new anime lineup. Some of these titles that I have watched are Letter Bee/ Tegami Bachi and Seiken no Blacksmith. There are tons more to talk about but that will have to wait until the next update, which I hope to be sooner rather than later.

First!

Seiken no Blacksmith
Genre: Harem-esque, action, adventure and Fantasy.
Now Showing: On tv in Japan as of Oct 2009

The story takes place after a huge war overruns the land. Our main character Cecily Campbell is the daughter of a nobleman but she's also a knight. One day a mysterious man appears brandishing a sword or more appropriately Katana, that cuts through another sword like it was butter. Yeah..it's that serious.
We later find out that the mysterious man has an amazing power that no longer is easily found...

So far I've watched the first two episodes and I was entertained. The thing that really wowed me was how the animators went through all the trouble of animating the foot work of a character losing her balance or a character evading an attack.

The character designs also are cute/cool also and it generally looks like it'll be fun to watch.
I don't want to rush in giving it a rating just yet since I did only watch the first 2 episodes. So as time goes I will post a rating at a later date.

Next Update: Tegami Bachi

Bakemonogatari-Ghost Story with some romance mixed in

Title: Bakemonogatari/ "Ghost Story"
Produced by: Aniplex, Kodansha, and SHAFT
Animated by: SHAFT
Original Creator: NisiOsin
Runtime: Just finished airing on tv in Japan. Available to watch online.

I came across "Bakemonogatari/Ghost Story" a month or so ago and put a sticky note in my mind to come back and review it when I got the chance. Then I forgot about it. But I went online and seen it up in the ongoing series section and remembered my sticky note and proceeded to watch all 12 episodes in the space of 3-4 days! I love love love this series!!! Ever since watching "Mononoke" over a year ago I became a huge fan of supernatural/ horror anime so I was pleaseantly surprised with "Bakemonogatari".

Taking leave from my absolute gush-fest of this anime the synopsis of this anime is as follows. A boy named Koyomi Araragi is almost back to normal after being bit by a vampire over spring break. Araragi having a close call with an "oddity" himself is very sensitive when it comes to matters of the supernatural. Because of his empathy he comes across several girls who are all victims of demons, ghosts, and a slew of other craziness. And like all other harem anime the girls tend to stick around afterwards and flirt with the main character.

The first thing that caught my eye in the first episode was the way it animates. The way it moves is so smooth! Every step they take even every word they speak is well animated! The backgrounds in every episode are all very dynamic! The anime also has alot of word play in it and that contributes to the cool factor of the show.

My one gripe with the series is that it obviously relies on fanservice a bit too much. Even though I am unfamiliar with the original light series novel so I don't know if it had alot of fanservice but the anime seems to be bogged down by it. It isn't as gratutious as say..."Queen's Blade" but it does hold a presence. In fact in the first scene of the first episode it's there. Then by episode 3 the loli meter starts to go up and by episode 9-10 it hit's the roof! Just...loli...so much loli...

But I'm glad I stuck with it. The twelth episode kinda has a cliff hanger to it as far as the status of the two characters relationship...But I want more Bakemonogatari!! I want stories about crab spirits taking someone's weight away! I want more demons, ghosts, and kami stories!! I don't want fanservice but what can be done...

Trailer to come soon...

Bakemonogatari- 5 out of 5!! Go watch it Noooowww!!!

Crayon Shin-chan's creator dead?!?!

This is kinda a departure from my regular anime review and along the lines of being anime news; so yeah, I'm wearing my newscaster hat right now! This story first broke out 2 weeks ago when a Japanese newspaper called Mainichi Shinbun reported that the creator Yoshito Utsui was reported missing by his wife after he did not return home from hiking.

Over the weekend a body was discovered at the foot of Arafune mountain and was confirmed by authorities to be the body of Yoshito Utsui. So how did he die? Police have confirmed that the cause of the death was from a collapsed lung and other injuries sustained across his body on the day of September 11 which was most likely sustained from an accidental fall while taking pictures on the edge of a cliff.

When it comes to his manga, the editorial staff at Futabasha's "Manga Town" magazine has stated that the "future publication [of Crayon Shin-chan] is to be determined."
As of September 29, the president of TV Asahi network has stated that they plan to continue airing the animated series of "Crayon Shin-chan" after the death of it's creator.
-Anime News Network

Shin-chan has become some of a hit both in Japan and overseas. It's also interesting that when it come to translation it wasn't translated literally like many other animes. But it changed from something that addressed social concerns in Japan and became some random crass, dark comedic thing here in the states. I watched it on tv a few time on Adult Swim and it is the most crass thing I have ever watched! I'm sorry but kindergartners talking about manipulating men to their bidding... just...doesn't sound appropriate to me and I will watch alot of off the wall stuff.

Some of you out there might be shouting "hooray" from the rooftops while others maybe feeling a deep grief...Personally I am not a fan of Shin-chan so a balloon for those who don't care and pat on the back for those who do.

Vacation time is over but summer is still alive in Natsu no Arashi...

Aaawww...I can't believe summer is over... Lazing about in the park enjoying the cool summer breeze, watching anime with wittless abandon, and sleeping until noon; all that is over!....Unfortunately....
But in homage to summer, I am reviewing this cute coming-of-age anime called "Natsu no Arashi".

Title: Natsu no Arashi/ "Summer Storm"
Genre: comedy, romance, slice-of-life, supernatural
Rating: PG
Animation Studio: Shaft
Showing: The first season ended in Japan as of June 2009 and a second season is coming up very soon....in Japan. But it is playing on Crunchyroll.com

I must say that I am a little late watching this but I came across it online again and figured I'd watch and review it instead of reviewing "Soulmate" which is awesome by the way. But back on topic!

Natsu no Arashi is a cute slice of life show about a middle school boy named Yasaka Hajime and how he met this high school girl named Sayako Arashiyama or Arashi for short. Hajime visits a cafe nears his father's house and sees a girl named Arashi working as a waitress. He sees that she is older and is attracted to her boobs and butt and makes a comment about how "looking at older woman makes his butt feel funny." or something along those lines! So a big hulking guy comes in the cafe looking for Arashi and says that he will take her back to her family by force if need be. Hajime, the wannabe hero, makes a promise to protect Arashi and a friendship is born. Later, Hajime learns that he and Arashi, when they hold hands, can travel through time. Oh! And another little secret is that Arashi is a ghost!

My first impression of this is that it's cute and interesting.The people look kinda strange because everyone has this heavy line over their eyes so it kinda gives this weird Tite Kubo(Bleach) look. But as far as the anime goes. I have only watched the first four episodes and I want to find out more about the characters and story revolving around those who are ghosts.

This should definitely be watched at least once and if you start to think that it's an echhi anime. It really isn't. There is a good story intertwined with the madness/randomness. One filled with romance, tragedy, and a spin of comedy.