Fukuhara Kaori: Sister Wars

If there were ever such a thing as a moe song, this is it.

Oh god am I in love with this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y112N-1fw0 btw

Love Attack, Scryed & Haruhi S2

*EDIT* I just noticed I'm posting on this blog less and less as the months pass gradually the post count is going down and with December, it's already mid-way through and this is just my first post. I think I'm going to shift gears a bit, and try posting more in this, and perhaps I'll start putting my thoughts first on this blog rather than first onto GFAQs. That way, rather than wind up just grabbing my different posts on GFAQs and compiling them onto here days after I originally made them I'll hit this first, and this can keep up a relative stream of updates as it had been in August and September.

I'd also like to start reviewing the anime series that I watch. While I've reviewed video games for GameFAQs for many years (since 2003) I have never reviewed anime or manga so I'll probably have some poor footing early on in my efforts, but I would like eventually to get a review out for every series I have seen/read, and then continue to make them for future series that I will watch/read. Whether this goal will reach reality I don't know, if I start on a review anytime soon it'll probably be for Haruhi S2 since that is my most recent completion and it is still fresh in my mind. *END EDIT*




Mostly GFAQs copypasta so some of the series are mixed together. I'll denote spoilers when there are some.


Been reading Love Attack and watching Scryed. Latest LA chapters are funny as hell, Chiemi and Hirata are ridiculously cute, and Chiemi's psycho mode is ****ing awesome, I love her expressions when she's going nuts. I'm approaching the end of vol 5 and then there's just 6 to go. Damn.

Scryed has been good. Protagonist is a likable badass, antagonist is an annoying pretty boy. They have a pretty good dynamic going on right now that I can tell will intensify as the series moves forward. The story itself is interesting and reminds me of the plot of Code Geass, I can see why people draw connections between the two shows. Although I haven't seen Code Geass yet, this one is supposed to be much better than it anyway. Anyway, five eps in.


Scryed will be done sometime tonight probably, three eps left. Best anime ever? Not quite, but it's been a lot of fun. I'll have a bit to post on it when I'm finished.


Finished Scryed. That final episode was ****ing AWESOME. Holy ****. These last eps were ****ing killer.

I don't really feel like detailing on it but you guys should definitely watch it.


Progress continues on Endless Eight. In the process of watching the fourth one. I don't know what the ending is. I don't see what it could be from what the anime's been showing us. Only thing I can think of is that she didn't do her homework, that line's the only one I can think of that would have insinuated a reason to want to repeat/continue summer. But I mean, at the end of the arcs she's always like, disappointed and wanting to do more. So it can't be that, it has to be that she wants to do something else. I dunno what. If the anime's been giving clues then I haven't picked them up.

It's starting to get boring btw. Four more eps...


Finished Endless Eight.

*spoilers*



I shouldn't have marathoned the rest of it 'cause I didn't really enjoy 5 - 7 and most of 8 but I'm happy I did at the same time because now it's done and as 8 was coming to a close, it was just an intense feeling knowing it'd finish, and when he stood up as he always did I was just like DAMN IT THIS TIME YOU DO SOMETHING SO DO IIIIIIITTTT and then it turns out it has to do with homework.

So I was almost sorta right. Although I fail to see the connection to Haruhi, why this would be what Haruhi would want to do to extend the break. Unless I'm still missing possible clues the show left. As it stands I saw none. Well, I guess maybe there was something because I did pick up that it had something to do with homework. w/e. I feel really tired after that for some reason.

The fact that you correctly guessed that, indeed is immense. I still don't know how you could have hit the nail :x



*end spoilers*



*Haruhi S2 spoilers*




Haruhi S2 is finished. Sigh was enjoyable. Overall I wound up marking the series an 8. Even though E8 tried my patience around the midway mark it wasn't a show ruiner and in retrospect I'd say I enjoyed it and don't regret watching it at all. So overall I enjoyed it about as much as S1. Some new things brought to light in Sigh (pointing out not to take Koizumi or Asahina's theories as they're told, bringing up apparently behind-the-scenes warring factions) makes me want a third season. Looking forward to the movie at any rate.




*end spoilers*




--

I apparently didn't post thoughts on the last released vol of Love Attack on GFAQs, so my thoughts here real quick, it was good but it's stupid that it's the last localised volume 'cause there is no closure and in fact the sixth volume is setting something up with a newly introduced character for vol 7. So like, some other company had better pick this series back up >:O

Shuffle!

gfaqs copypasta. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS


I finished Shuffle. It had a rating topic recently on OT, I'm very surprised now that the scores were what they were (mostly in the average range, some negative ones) since I thought it was great. If the series were just the first seven or so eps then I'd understand the scores but when it became srs business and for the most part stayed there, it became waayyyy more interesting and very enjoyable. I only played Kaede's path in the vn so it was interesting to see everyone elses' path. And the way Kaede reacted in one particular one of them... it really strengthened her path.

Although I'm still somewhat disappointed with Rin winding up with Asa over Kaede (Kaede will always be the best of the girls tbh) I'm not like, bothered by it like I was bothered with Ichigo's pairing or Kashimashi's pairing, where I had a very hard time accepting it. Here, though it isn't the ideal pairing I have no problems at all accepting it. I was able to watch their happy scenes and feel genuinely good and not be wishing that he were instead having those scenes with Kaede. The anime really pulled off putting them together, I disagree with it but it feels very right so it's not an issue.

I really enjoyed the last episode. Seeing Primula with more than her usual expression was awesome. Some of her expressions were priceless considering her face is usually so flat. I'd say that made the episode alone, but it still was generally just a feel-good episode, and a great way to end the series. All in all I think Shuffle is a great watch.

Seizon -LifE-, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Link's Logbook, Nil no Koi☆Mahoujin, Byouto Shoujo Kan

Catch-up post. Seizon is GFAQs copypasta


I read Seizon -LifE- in one sitting after finishing Ichigo, I planned just to restart it but I couldn't put it down. Great manga. It really grabbed you for a manga so short and it was lots of fun following the protagonist as he dug up the facts attempting to track down his daughter's killer. Emotionally it wasn't as engaging on a sentimental level as I was hoping, someone regarded it in the same light as Ai-Ren so I was also holding it to high standards (I cried my eyes out on Ai-Ren) but it was still a great read with a satisfying conclusion.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Link's Logbook was great. It was really short, and often times really funny. It just took the source material and made it humerous, which is a lot better than it'd have been were it like the OoT and MM mangas (allegedly, I haven't read those yet.) Really though, a smile on my face for most of the reading. Worth the time.

Nil no Koi☆Mahoujin is a one shot about a young girl in a magic school who winds up getting a crush on this silent, badass type dude who's actually really sweet at heart and doesn't mean to be so intimidating. There's not much to say about it, but it was a really cute read and it could easily have been made into a (short running) manga series.

Byouto Shoujo Kan is pretty weird and twisted. Basically, these two lolis who need each other to live, one has to suck the blood of the other for weird scientific reasons that are explained but that I've forgotten already. The story is strange but it was dark and it had my interest piqued. I wouldn't have minded reading a more fleshed out telling of the story, focusing on different characters (given what happens to the two characters in the one shot.) Quite a few of the drawings were pretty suggestive too, I suppose could be a positive depending on what you're looking for. It didn't really match the darkness of the story though. I don't regret reading it, but it was strange.

Haruhi S1, Strawberry (Ichigo) 100%

copypasta from GFAQs


Haruhi is finished. I enjoyed it. Very happy I watched it in broadcast order, that was a way better final episode than the chronological final episode. I also never really felt disoriented story-wise while watching, perhaps because I watched it all in a short timeframe but when people argue in favor of chronological order because broadcast is disorienting, I don't think that's true at all. Of course some things that were happening but at the time unexplained were strange, but I never had trouble following the show.

I think broadcast order is great though because there was somewhat of a build-up due to spreading out the Melancholy arc (which was the best arc.) It felt like the show was striving towards some big happening and indeed that's what happened. So overall I definitely enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to S2 whenever I get around to that.


*STRAWBERRY 100% ENDING SPOILERS*

Ichigo 100% is finished

Though I strongly strongly disliked how things wound up, I still felt "satisfied" with the ending. It closed nicely given the circumstances. Some people said the ending was rushed, I disagree. It was fine.

My big gripe is that Junpei wound up with Tsukasa and not Aya. It had to be Aya, from the very beginning, it always had to be Aya. I don't understand how he could've wound up with Tsukasa. They never had that connection. Junpei always felt pressured around her and it was never a comfortable situation for them to be together. And yet they wind up together? It doesn't make sense. Tsukasa was the pairing that made the least sense. Satsuki made more sense, yet she was basically dropped from the story for the final chapters. It's just bull****. Why did the mangaka pair him up with Tsukasa?

On that same token, Tsukasa's relationship did develop more in the later chapters. And the mangaka did a good job handling Aya's feelings on the matter and given the circumstances I'm happy with how he worked things out for her. That she could remain on good terms with Junpei and mature as she did was great. I just would have preferred that that never have been the case, and that Junpei wound up with Aya and it was Tsukasa who came to terms with this. It just feels so wrong. It's just like, all this time it seems like Aya will have to be the one but as the manga nears its close, suddenly there's more development with Tsukasa and then next thing you know the relationship is actually set in stone. It feels like the mangaka just changed his mind. It's just... wrong.

Overall, I'll agree that it was a good read. I had a lot of fun throughout the majority of it, and though I disagree strongly with the ending, with what there is to work with the ending was definitely a good one. I am extremely disappointed, but overall I'm happy with the manga. Ugh.

Paranoia Agent

copypasta from a post on GameFAQs

Paranoia Agent is done. I'm surprised they were able to have the ending make some form of sense. I wasn't exactly expecting something conclusive but I'm not complaining, I liked the ending. Overall the series was bizarre and very entertaining, although when it sort of lost focus about half-way through and started doing single episodes focusing on a new person/group of people I felt that it sort of lost something compared to when it was following the Shonen Bat investigation. Also episode nine was completely pointless.

--

So yeah, when I first started watching anime years ago (like in 2006 or 2007, before I lost interest for two years before coming back to it) basically the two series that I was digging were Elfen Lied and this. Elfen Lied I bought all the DVDs for and saw in its entirety but I only ever bought vol 1 of Paranoia Agent and so it wasn't until I got back into anime in 2009 that I started on the other volumes. Finally got vol 4 recently and finishing it up was nice. It feels good to finish it since it's been so long since I started it :P

Next up I'm watching Shuffle, and reading Ichigo 100% online/A.I. Love You and GTO in physical format. Also I think collection and mail arrival etc pictures are pretty so I might start making those with my shipments as they come. Won't take a collection pic 'till my collection is more respectable though.

Berserk, Boku no Futatsu no Tsubasa, Otomen, She and Her Cat

Playing catch-up with this post :x for the record the Berserk in question is the anime. Each discussion will contain SPOILERS for that particular series.

Berserk
This one was very enjoyable. It sort of reminded me of a medieval epic, something like Braveheart, or even Gladiator. It seems to take place in that era of time, but there's also a strong mythical element to it, with monsters and such, though the series doesn't really touch on that except for one particular fight in the middle and then the ending. There are basically five or six central characters, with the main ones being Guts, Casca and Griffith of those five. They're all pretty well developed, but especially the three I just mentioned. Since the anime has a lot of story scenes (going into it, I admit I expected mostly just a bunch of hacking and slashing) it's important that the characters are interesting, and Berserk's characters are definitely interesting.

The ending I found was quite powerful, though if it weren't so bizarre it could've had a stronger impact. It was crazy that basically every character we've followed throughout the series died in that one episode, with the exception of Guts and Griffith. It was pretty sick what happened, especially to Caska who did not at all deserve the death she got. It paints Griffith as quite the antagonist, and it sets up the series well for more story with present-time Guts, out to destroy the God Hand. It's unfortunate that the anime ends here, with so much more manga material to cover, but apparently when the anime was made this is how far the manga was so it couldn't be helped. It definitely makes me want to check out the manga.

Overall, a great watch.

Boku no Futatsu no Tsubasa
I've always just called this one "the hermaphrodite manga". Basically it's about this girl's cousin who moves in with her, and while she thought her cousin was a boy, it turns out she's actually a girl... or rather, a hermaphrodite as developments would reveal. The bulk of the story is spent following the hermaphrodite as she (he? it?) goes through school life in the city while trying to conceal the fact that she isn't *actually* a she. As it happens, she also doesn't know anything about sex and this leads to quite a few funny scenes as her cousin introduces her to various things that she now has to deal with, being in a school environment where she desires to have a boyfriend or girlfriend.

So most of the manga is just light-hearted fun with the idea of a hermaphrodite protagonist, but there's also another side to it that isn't very enjoyable. At random intervals throughout the series the group would be attacked by mysterioud men in black, and these sections felt very out of place and for most of the series weren't explained. Then, about 3/4ths into the manga they give an explanation and it's all downhill from there. Making it so that the hermaphrodite is actually an alien was just stupid, and then the plot with the men in black being to capture her for testing or some such nonsense. On top of that, the ending was awful, with her going back into space with her father then coming back to Earth like a couple pages later to have sex with her cousin. Right. Totally random and just a horrible way to end the manga.

It's unfortunate that it took such a dip in quality, but most of the manga was enjoyable.

Otomen (vol. 4)
(copypasta from a topic on GameFAQs)

Best volume so far, by a long shot. I think I laughed more times throughout this one volume than I have over the other three volumes combined. Otomen vols 1-3 I'd rank like 7, vol 4 bumps it up to 8 at least no question. Whereas a lot of the humour in the first three volumes was hit or miss (imo), vol 4 just hits the bullseye every time. The first chapter kicked so much ass too. Ryo's dad is a great character, so to do a chapter on him experiencing girly things was the greatest thing ever, and his reactions are hilarious. Almost even better is that new flower obsessed character. How he'll randomly pop up in frames after he's introduced just putting flowers in people's hair, it's just so funny to read :D

Very very pleased with volume 4. Perhaps the best part of all was the total lack of complicated, bizarre plots that last for all of a chapter and don't seem to accomplish anything other than having Asuka get into a bit of trouble. Chapters like the forced marriage one in volume 2 I think it was, were just very very meh. Doing away with them, and just keeping up the comedy the whole way through is great. It totally overshadows the fact that Asuka still hasn't pushed to develop a relationship with Ryo, that doesn't even matter if it continues just as a laughs manga like this :)

She and Her Cat
I actually finished this one a while ago. It was a short film by the Voices of a Distant Star guy, basically about a cat and its life with its owner, a single woman. It was cute but there really wasn't much to it. There really isn't much to discuss about it. I don't regret watching it, and the animation was impressive being the work of one man but there really isn't anything else about it that's particularly interesting or great that stands out. It's just a short film about a cat :x worth watching since it's so short.

Next up on my list of animu to tackle is either Shuffle or Paranoia Agent, depending on what I wind up in the mood for. On the manga front, Strawberry 100% and Flowers of Evil.

Persona 3

Can I has Persona 3 post?

I started a new game in this like a month ago, and I got so hooked I've dumped like 45 hours into it now. I got stuck on my first playthrough at the Hell Knights which is in like October in-game I think, but this time playing through I went to Tartarus more often and kept my level up so I actually didn't have any problems with the Hell Knights this time. I also maxed out all my stats early on so I could be open for all the s.links.

So anyway right now I'm nearing the end of the game. Some revelationary shit just went down, very spoilery stuff so I won't get into it, but anyway it's almost the end of December and in a couple days my option will come up that determines the ending I get. Since one option closes the game immediately, while the other has it go on for another month, I'll pick the immediate close option first then load my game and play through the rest of it on what I presume to be the "proper" ending.

It is an AWESOME game though. Coming from someone who like only ever plays Guitar Hero and Rock Band this is just addictive and awesome as hell. Very likable characters, this would make a pretty good anime (11eyes is doing a fair job copping some of it's traits right now which is cool.) After I finish this I'm moving right on to Persona 4, which I'll also start a new game in (I think I only logged like 15 hours into my first playthrough so that one's no biggie for a restart.)

I'll probably be blogging more about these games than anime for a bit since most the time I spent watching anime/reading manga has now shifted to playing the hell out of Persona.

Kimera

I finished this a while ago but didn't really feel like making a post for it. This will be short.

The movie was ok. A lot of people bash it and call it the worst anime movie ever (or at least one of the worst) so maybe it was that mindset that allowed me to get some enjoyment out of it. That is, it isn't anywhere near as bad as people make it out to be. That isn't to say that it isn't flawed. It's got very little character development, the plot is strange and isn't very fleshed out, and it's probably too short (it'd need more time if it were to do a proper job of fleshing out plot/characters.) However, it kept me interested throughout and it had some decently done action/fight scenes. I didn't really care all that much about what was happening but it entertained, which is something.

While it certainly isn't something to go out of one's way to watch, Kimera is still a tolerable movie that you might watch if you're very bored one night with nothing better to do. It isn't the worst anime movie ever, at least. I'm torn between giving it a 5 and a 6. It's probably closer to a 5.

Right now I AM following an anime, just haven't been providing updates. Anime of choice is Berserk, I'm 15 episodes in. Manga is kind of a mixed bag right now, waiting on my final Dragon Head volumes to get here and I'm juggling a few series online, but I haven't spent much time on manga at all lately.

Lucky Star

Finished.

The last episode, though abrupt in ending, was great. The dance was awesome. Soooo awesome. Fitting and very well done final episode.

Not much to say of the anime in general. It was very funny and fun to watch throughout, with virtually no poor moments. It had a great cast of characters, and it feels like it's over too soon. I want to watch more. It could go on forever.

Very much enjoyed it. At least as much as K-ON. Probably more, actually. Great show :D

Love Hina

*SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES*

:D

It's over. I am thrilled with the ending. It in a way felt a little abrupt, I mean, when I hit it I was expecting another chapter (also because there were a good bunch more pages left in the manga, that ended up being a lot of sketches and stuff and then the epilogue.) It's still a good ending though. It kinda makes me sad. The way it ends, you really want to see how Keitaro and Naru do at Tokyo U now that they're both finally there, together, as a couple. They're such a great pair, and there's just so much you could follow through with them. I really wish that it were a longer series. I love these characters too much :x

The epilogue was great. Seeing the group four years later was wonderful. Shinobu grew up to be so cute :3 and Keitaro became a Seta incarnate :D. I loved seeing that, he works so well as someone like Seta. I would've loved to have read more with him acting like Seta. The epilogue didn't add a lot to the story but it let you look at the characters years later (and it confirmed that Keitaro and Naru got married, yay :D) and it was a great closer to the series. I am very very pleased with how things turned out.

Best volumes in the series were 12 and 14. 12 because of the KICKASS last chapter, where Naru confesses her love with such emotion and then kisses Keitaro like there's no tomorrow. I had a smile plastered on my face that I could not get off. It was wonderful. The high point of the series. 14 worked as an excellent closer. It felt a little frustrating since it went back to Naru being unsure, but it made amends and it ended the story well. And with smiles :D the final chapter is lovely. It just makes you so happy for the characters. Go Keitaro and Naru!! >:3

Easily this is one of my better manga reads. I'd place it as tied being my second favourite manga (tied with NHK), just behind Ai-Ren. I wish it would continue.

It will though, in anime form! After I finish up Lucky Star and NHK I'm considering tackling Love Hina the anime. My only concern is that it's apparently quite a bit worse than the manga, and it apparently cuts a lot of content (with 24 eps covering 14 vols of manga, it'd have to.) Hopefully it won't be a massive let down. Looking forward to it just the same :D

video games :o

I wonder why this can't be a video games blog as well. Actually I think I intended to write about them as well when I made it but then I kinda lost interest in video games so yeah >_> but hey I'm into them again so now I'll talk some about them.

Thinking strongly of starting back on achievement hunting on 360. I had intended to leave that behind, but no more! Achievements are fun >=O

So, my next 360 project are:

- Resident Evil 5
- Guitar Hero 5
- The Beatles: Rock Band
- Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
- Forza Motorsport 2

- Aegis Wing
- Braid
- Geometry Wars
- Battlefield 1943
- Marvel vs. Capcom 2

Some of those thougher ones will be on/off as I gradually crack away at them. The lists aren't in any specific order either. My plan is to only allow myself to play those 360 titles, and I can't add another to the list until I 100% one of them. This way, I should be able to restrict what I play to games I actually want to play, which negates the issue of succumbing to playing boring/bad games just for gamerscore. Hopefully.

Various small updates

Haven't blogged in a bit since I haven't completed anything, but I've been moving slowly on a couple different series.

Current anime of interest:

- Umineko
- Book of Bantorra
- 11eyes
- Lucky Star
- Welcome to the NHK
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0079

First three are airing, so I'm following them as they go. Latter three I'm just slowly chipping away at, I'll probably wind up finishing Lucky Star first since I've been watching that one the most. I keep wanting to watch Android Kikaider, but I don't because I don't *actually* want to watch it, I just want to sort of out of obligation. So I dunno when that's coming.

Manga has just been Love Hina pretty much. On vol 11. Will continue with Dragon Head whenever my next batch of manga arrives in the mail.

Haven't really been spending so much time on animu & mango lately because I've gotten back into video games, specifically Persona 3. Picked it up again and started a new game, can't put it down. I'm already just about at September in-game, so I'm making good headway. The spark also rekindled interest in other games, I bought Resident Evil 5 today and I've started it through on veteran co-op with my brother.

Dunno how long that'll last though. I'll definitely be playing Persona 4 after 3, but I dunno if anything else 'cause those three games are really all I want to play. idk.

Kare First Love

Finished. Spoilers ahead.

Absolutely wonderful ending. Kiriya's room of star he created for Karin, was absolutely stunning. I had to flip back and look at that page again to let the impact hit me fully. When he told her to look for the particular star, and I saw it, I knew immediate what it was. And of course it was, and I had such a ridiculously big smile on at that time it couldn't possibly have been bigger. Even though I didn't cry, I did well up, it was the most perfect ending it could've had. Very very good read. I'll definitely have to read a lot more shojo.

Next up though is something very drastically different; Dragon Head. A horror from my understanding, and personal impressions of the first couple chapters. The first four volumes are en route now, should be receiving them soon. Love Hina will be read with it whenever vol 6 gets here.

K-ON!, Voices of a Distant Star

K-ON! is finished. At the moment I have it at a 9/10. It really felt like an 8 most of the time but for some reason now that it's over it just really feels like a 9. Yet, at the same time, that doesn't feel quite right. So, though it's a 9 right now, chances are like in a couple weeks time I'll bump it down to an 8. Maybe.

It was great though. Great characters, and a fun goal to watch them work towards. I also believe I now have a firmer understanding of just what moe is >_> these characters are most definitely very moe. Love Ritsu especially. Don't really see what all the fuss is over Mio either, apparently being the most popular character of the show. imo Ritsu > Yui > Mio > Mugi out of the main four. Added distance between Yui and Mio as well, it's sort of like two tiers really. I could never really connect with Mio and Mugi as I could with Ritsu and Yui.

Great op as well. Having Yui's voice actor do the vocals makes it even better. The first verse is moe as hell, when played with the opening video.

Voices of a Distant Star on the other hand is very depressing. It was a great watch, but it was criminally short. It had the potential to be a tearjerker, but in the end it didn't quite hit that level. It was still very good and very depressing, but it was definitely limited by its length. It really would have benfited from more character development and more fleshing out beyond where the anime leaves off.

Up next for anime, I'm not really sure yet. Still waiting on the remaining volumes of Kare First Love, and Love Hina vol 6.

Azumanga Daioh

It's over ;_;

Very fun series. Ending had more impact than I expected it to. I mean, not to say it was some powerful ending, just that, it really was the end of a time spent with the characters. You can sort of shoehorn yourself into that, and think back to your own high school, you know? It's over now. What fun times they were :) definitely this show was well worth watching. Many laugh-out-loud moments. Though I don't yet own a physical copy of the DVDs, I'll definitely be buying one of the sets in the near future.

My next series is K-ON! I was having trouble deciding because K-ON! is another slice of life and I'm not so sure I'm so ready to just hop on to another right after AzuDai but I started it a bit ago and I'm two eps in and well, I might as well start chipping away at my backlog of started animes before I start yet another one, only to put it on the backburner one or two eps in.

Strawberry 100% vol 10 came out, didn't know it was coming so soon but I bought it anyway. Also bought Love Hina vol 6 from my fourth source now. Crossing my fingers that this one will actually make it to the post office, and when it does that it won't have the misfortune of being run over while en route.

Dear hexrapper,

Hello, we are very sorry to let you know that the book we mailed to you last week just got returned by USPS with a note of damadged parcel, it appears the package got wet and the shipping label was almost missing, and the first several pages of the book were badly damadged. It seems to got runned over by some heavy object in the wet condition. Unforturnately we don't have another vol.6 of Love Hina to re-send you for replacement, we will issue you the full refund to your paypal account after this message, and email you the ebay agreement to cancel the transaction.
We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you in advance for your cooperation.





FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

I dunno guys, I think vol 6 is cursed, there can't be this many places that all conveniently can't actually manage to get the book to the customer. Will I EVER get it? D: Perhaps my collection will always be vols 1-5, 7-14. And 6 will become my mortal enemy, and whenever I think about it, my face will get all serious like I ain't taking any shit >:O

Kare First Love, Higurashi

Finished up to vol 7 of Kare First Love. Very enjoyable. It's my first shojo really, I mean, I've read various first volumes of different shojos but this is the first one I've actually pursued and it was a good choice imo. Great characters, you become really attached to Karin and you can really feel like you're there with her as she goes through the relationship. It's fun to read something that takes relationships more seriously over stuff like Love Hina or Strawberry 100% where yeah, there's relationships but they aren't built the same way they are here and they feel significantly weaker. Final three vols in the mail, dunno if they'll be here by Friday but something next week for sure at the latest. Looking forward to the ending of it.

Higurashi vol 4 also finally came out. I remember some guy said that for this arc, the anime was actually a bit better than the manga. I disagree, as with the first arc the manga was definitely the superior format. The anime did a few scenes better but overall the manga definitely had more of the right cards. In particular the ending, was way more effective than the anime's lolwut sort of sudden, very random ending. The manga made it much creepier. Enjoyed this arc, now another couple months before the next vol ugh.

Up to vol 5 on Love Hina because vol 6 is apparently impossible to get. It's been frustrating accumulating all of Love Hina, JustManga didn't have all the volumes so I've had to hunt around and somehow, most places I bought from wound up realizing after my purchase that they were actually out of stock so it's taken a while but I've *finally* accumulated all but vol 6, which I have purchased (third place I've tried) but that was a couple days ago and they still haven't confirmed that it's shipped so I'm wondering if they were maybe out of stock of it too. Ugh I dunno when this one will get done.

In any case I'm taking some liberties with my next set of manga to look into to make way for a lot of Tokyopop titles under the Kodansha license, figure I should get 'em now while I can buy several volumes at once from a single outlet rather than individual volumes from a mass of different eBayers, which I fear will be the reality once Tokyopop's remaining stock finally dwindles. So I'm not pursuing Eureka Seven after Kare First Love, instead I'm hitting up Dragon Head, which is a horror manga that looked really good. After that I'll be finishing up my GTO collection (which right now stands at a grand total of one volume) and then I'll be picking up what they published of Love Attack.

Anime-wise, I've been on and off with AzuDai. Just haven't been in the mood for anime lately. I did buy vol 2 of Paranoia Agent though, I plan to eventually get 3 and 4 as well, I really want to see that one through sometime soon.

Azumanga Daioh soundtrack = <3

It's the kind of soundtrack that just makes you smile :)

<3

School Days

Rather than posting a detailed recount of events I'll re-post three posts I made on a message board containing my thoughts of the final episodes.

Hexrapper | Posted 9/11/2009 2:12:34 AM | message detail

school days ep 11 spoilers for this post

are you ****ing kidding me. so now he's with her. twice. then a threesome with those three random jerkoffs who filmed the others doing it. you have to be kidding me. anger and frustration isn't even registering anymore. now it's just, **** this ****. this isn't fun to watch.

kotonoha needs to let it go though. i feel bad for her but i mean, you got two-timed by a jerk off who's now sleeping with whoever he can get his sleazy hands on. he was trash, why the hell do you still want him. why are you thinking about spending more time with him. ugggggghhhhhhh

i almost feel sorry for sekai now too actually. i mean, she's a *****, but she isn't like she was in the manga, i mean, while she didn't do anything to stop it makoto made all the advances with the one exception of that first kiss. he pushed things from there, he's the one who wound her up and had some good rides with her while building up her feelings for him, then went to sleep with other girls. sucks for sekai too. she genuinely loved him. he just played her 'cause she was close and willing and easy.

ok so im posting stuff as i watch it. anyway now it's alluding that sekai might be pregnant. i already knew this because i was stupid and spoiled it for myself but i fear for how things will go now with makoto.

well that was a fun scene. **** makoto.

i seriously wonder how many people are actually like this irl. it's kinda sickening to think about it.

**** makoto even more. so otome calls and theres all this with sekai's pregnancy and he jumps at inviting me over, quite obviously thinking it's so he can **** her. happy otome left, made note that he was no longer a nice person (hahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahhahhaa, hahaha, no longer a nice person, putting things a little lightly no?) baka indeed.

kotonoha is creeping the hell out of me now. her face when she runs into makoto, those demented eyes to go with her smile. something is very wrong with her now. that break up was far more damaging than i thought it was.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/2294/creeeeeepy.jpg

on to the final ep
---
Electronic Arts - www.ea.com
http://myanimelist.net/profile/Hexrapper

Hexrapper | Posted 9/11/2009 2:48:54 AM | message detail

school days spoilers for this post

hey makoto, i really hate to break it to you but you broke up with kotonoha, and sekai's pregnant now. i know kotonoha is taking it very hard and she's becoming creepy and she talks on the cell phone when it's turned off now but sekai is pregnant. so what the **** are you doing now with kotonoha, with sekai at home alone with a baby in her stomach.

hey makoto you sure handled that phone call well good job buddy can i stab you in the face yet

they are about to kiss in front of sekai who came storming to his house who is in emotional disarray i have it paused because i know this has to the the sparking point for the grand finale. makoto really is an idiot.

yes makoto ignore sekai standing there and continue to suck kotonoha's face keep going you're so smart

that wasn't the spark? or maybe the aftermath comes later. half way point

she actually walked away? really? considering its sekai that's surprising. **** makoto btw

back to lying to kotonoha huh. just picked her up again because you had no one else. the cycle would repeat were your end not inevitable. i eagerly anticipate it.

throw some touchy, emotional lines at kotonoha why not. churn her heart. we all know you don't mean a word of it you sociopathic bastard. ugggggghhhhh

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/8712/godiemakoto.jpg

i seem to recall you saying those exact words to sekai back when she'd **** you everytime she came over to your place.

oh ****

so she wasn't actually pregnant. yeah, sekai really was a *****. **** i dont know what to think anymore

good bye makoto. good bye sekai. that wasn't really satisfying like i thought it'd be. idk.

wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy different than the manga. way different. way more effective. way harder to watch. i still really like the manga. maybe even more so. it's a lot easier to digest. the majority of the anime was frustrating as hell. so i mean, great anime i guess. what a stupid ****ing show. it was well worth watching and it really got to me emotionally. i'm never watching that pos again.
---
Electronic Arts - www.ea.com
http://myanimelist.net/profile/Hexrapper

Hexrapper | Posted 9/11/2009 2:55:52 AM | message detail

I finally finished the anime. So vastly different from the manga. I don't know which I prefer. Manga was waayyyyyyyyyyyyyy easier to digest, wasn't anywhere even CLOSE to being as frustrating as the anime. The anime I was basically cringing and cursing Makoto out the whole way through. It felt kinda weird because Makoto was ingrained into my mind as a good guy. Now I don't think I'll EVER be able to see him as a good guy again. If I re-read the manga at some point my view will most definitely be skewed, even though in that iteration he really IS a good guy. The anime is too powerful. Too much heavy **** going on. Wow.

Well, I'm glad I watched it. Not for myself emotionally, that thing ****ing my emotions sideways. It was really effective. Several times I actually audibly cursed Makoto out. UGH. Good watch. I ****ing hate it to death.

And that wasn't a creepy final scene at all. Yeah, you're whacked Kotonoha. I knew it from the moment you started looking like this http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/2294/creeeeeepy.jpg
---
Electronic Arts - www.ea.com
http://myanimelist.net/profile/Hexrapper

I'm almost done School Days

It is soooo hard to watch right now. I also made a big mistake of reading a topic on it because I thought it was already all spoiled for me but I missed something huge that's now spoiled for me and damn it that would've been an effective reveal D: I'll talk more about it after I finish it. Two eps to go.

I've also laid out my next bunch of animes I'll be watching because I like wasting time and I liked doing it with the manga. I'll recap the manga too so I can have this list in one post for later reference. In order, after School Days:

ANIME TO WATCH
- Azumanga Daioh
- Kimera
- Berserk
- Shuffle!
- Paranoia Agent
- Android Kikaider
- Miami Guns
- Ghost in the Shell
- Revolutionary Girl Utena M
- Air
- K-ON!
- Mobile Suit Gundam Seed
- Apocalypse Zero
- Voices of a Distant Star

MANGA TO READ
- Love Hina & Strawberry 100%
- Kare First Love
- Eureka Seven
- Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
- Fullmetal Alchemist
- Trigun
- Hellsing
- Tail of the Moon
- GTO
- Gantz
- Love Attack
- Gacha Gacha

All the manga will be purchased when possible. I've already purchased all the anime on that list that's been localized with the exception of Paranoia Agent, which I'll purchase when I get to it.

School starts tomorrow. It's like three in the morning lol, I gotta be up at seven. Plus after I get back around one forty five I then have just 'till four thirty when I gotta head out to work 'till ten. Fun day to go through while running off such little sleep =D I shouldn't ever do this again.

General impressions on recent watches

Haven't really made significant progress in any one particular series, just a bunch of baby-steps in a number of different ones. General impressions:

School Days (anime) is a lot different than the manga. Makoto is pretty much completely unlikable here, so far I've finished up to ep 5 and it's pretty frustrating to watch. Kotonoha deserves so much better than that asshole. What drives my hate for him even more though is that I know people just like him. It's frustrating as hell.

Azumanga Daioh is still funny =D up to ep 12.

Gunslinger Girl is a new anime on my plate, but I'm not pursuing it immediately. First episode has a solid hook on me, so when I finish up some already started anime I'll be getting around to this one.

I've got the remaining volumes of Love Hina coming from a multitude of different websites since no one website had all the volumes in stock, so I dunno when I'll wind up finishing that. Enjoyable though, I'd say it's almost on par with Strawberry 100% so far.

I read vol 11 of Strawberry 100% with the chapters out of order, didn't realize it 'till I was through. Still got the gist of what went on though. Will be tackling vol 12 soon.

Strawberry Panic (manga)

Two volumes now down, finishing the manga. It was discontinued, and the end of volume 2 doesn't provide proper closure, you can tell it was cancelled after volume 2's completion (either that or they just never bothered to give it closure.) It's a shame because it was really picking up and getting interesting, and volume 2 leaves on a note where you really want to know how things go next. Of course, though the manga is incomplete there's still the novels and the anime which tell the whole story, so I'll get around to picking up one of those (or perhaps both?) so I can progress to its proper ending.

For what was there of the manga though, good stuff. Definitely something I would've continued if it weren't cancelled.

Proper Ai-Ren thoughts and purchase splurge :x

Now that a day's past I'm going to go over my thoughts on Ai-Ren in a little more detail. There will be big spoilers.

I'm still thinking about it. Not just the ending, all of it. While at work today it was the most frequent thing on my mind. Yesterday whenever I thought of it tears would start coming up but today I'm fine, which is good, since this is only a manga >_> but the fact that tears came up at all is a true testiment to its effectiveness. When Ai dies, it just hits you like a brick wall. The way it's revealed, too, where in the previous chapter Ai was fine. Then in the next chapter, through conversations of other characters, you realize she's died. It isn't even completely spelled out until it transitions to Ikiru going home, and walking around, its emptiness very evident. A house without Ai. Those scenes now are fighting to well up some tears in me. That was the first point when reading that I cried yesterday. It doesn't stop there of course. Then Ikiru watches the videos he made with Ai... so incredibly sad. Ai was given to him for comfort, he loved her and her him, they lived happy lives and knew of their fates, and now, Ai has passed before Ikiru, and Ikiru is now living a life without Ai. His own condition gets worse, and then he dies in a terrorist attack from the opposing humans from that stupid sub-plot or whatever. His final words, as they extended for pages and pages on a black backdrop, were so hard to read. And then the second to last chapter, Ai's sketches for her diary. And finally, in the end of it all, Ikiru's sensei a year later living in a world without Ai or Ikiru, caring for the child Ikiru and Ai left behind, who's in an irrepairable state... or so thought. At the very end, a miracle happens, and it would seem that the child rivives into consciousness.

That whole last volume had me in tears really. I have never been so struck with emotion when reading anything at all, period. Ai-Ren is a masterpiece. Unquestionably it is my favourite manga of all time. The sub-plots held it back a little and weren't as fun to read as the experiences Ai and Ikiru shared but they had their own sadness to them, and they wound up being an important factor of the story. So, overall, great fucking read.

I also went on a purchase splurge over these past two weeks. Lots of monies down the drain! Here's what I bought;

Love Hina (manga) vols. 2 - 9
Kare First Love vol 2
Strawberry Panic (manga) vol 2
Welcome to the NHK (manga) vols 2 & 3
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Set I
Android Kikaider Complete Series

Love Hina is replacing Strawberry 100% as my light-hearted manga of choice for reading, and is the primary published manga I'll be focusing on. The second volume of Strawberry Panic will wrap up the manga releases for that series, apparently it was discontinued and not actually finished so I'm interested to see how that volume goes. Gundam SEED was kind of an impulse buy because I don't know anything about Gundam, but I want to try a mech anime and apparently that's a damned good one. Kikaider I'm getting because I AM going to watch it eventually, I know I was meh over the first ep but whatever, I'll finish it out at some point.

I just finished Ai-Ren

It is the first time I've cried reading manga. What a brilliant, touching manga.

Candy Boy

That was a cute little series. Basically it's about these twins who're attracted to each other, and they basically agree that they're together and plan to be together forever etc. There isn't much to the story, basically slice-of-life with a little bit of expansion with a stalker-like character who's obsessed with one of the twins and then another character who's the younger sister of the twins. There's some conflict that occurs but it's primarily between the stalker/younger sister and the twins rather than between the twins themselves. Each episode is really short, generally around 10 - 15 mins and at seven eps (excluding the pilot and two specials, though I watched those too) it's a really short series. Definitely worth the watch though, it was fun and cute.

Strawberry 100% & future endeavors

I have now read up to and completed Volume 9 of Strawberry 100%. That catches me up to the official releases thus far, with Volume 10 coming in October IIRC. So, my thoughts thus far. I really like this series. At first, I was sort of indifferent to it, it was the sort of thing I might've dropped. The characters grew on me though. Junpei was frustratingly indecisive, and he still is, but since he's always been that way and since it's a trait that furthers plot development I've come to sort of accept it, that is to say, it isn't so frustrating anymore. Just a slight annoyance. In addition, I really like most of the characters, which makes it fun to follow along with them. I've already determined who I want Junpei to end up with - that'd be Aya. Even though a recent development *potential spoilers here* made apparent that Tsukasa had her eye on Junpei since before Junpei even asked her out, it's clear as hell that the one Junpei's meant to be with is Aya. He seems the most comfortable around her and her personality isn't one which causes any friction with him (like Satsuki's.) So I'll be reading this through and they'd better wind up together in the end. This manga better not pull a Kashimashi and pair Junpei up with Tsukasa >=O

I've also decided that I won't be waiting on the official releases of the series to continue reading. Whenever I feel like hitting the next chapter I'll do so via scanlations, and I'll probably finish the rest of the series that way since it'll be ages before Viz finishes it. I'll still buy the volumes as they're released of course.

I've also decided that I'm going to try and finish out most of the series I started buying in physical manga format. I have a lot of just like, single volumes of different manga so rather than buying more single volumes I'm gonna hunker down and focus on individual series one at a time. So the way I'm working this is I'll be reading several mangas online and then one officially published manga which I'll purchase several volumes of on a bi-weekly basis. Or perhaps that'll become weekly, I dunno. At any rate, I've already set an order of series to conquer via this manner. So, in order, I will continue these series in physical format:

- Love Hina
- Kare First Love
- Eureka Seven
- Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
- Fullmetal Alchemist
- Trigun
- Hellsing
- Tail of the Moon
- GTO
- Gantz
- Love Attack
- Gacha Gacha

Then there are a couple series that I haven't decided on whether or not I'll continue them;

- Berserk
- Bleach
- Dragon Ball Z
- Excel Saga
- InuYasha
- Naruto
- One Piece
- Yu Yu Hakusho

And the reason for that is either because there's too many damn volumes (Berserk, all those shonens) or because I'm just not interested (Excel Saga.) We'll see though.

Progress report! Still reading Ai-Ren, I'm approaching the half-way mark in the series. Picked up Kagijin and Midnight Secretary. For anime I'm watching Azumanga Daioh and Candy Boy on the PC, and then Berserk on physical DVD since I figure it's about time I actually watched the damn series lest my purchase go to waste. Candy Boy is really short and there's only a couple chapters of Kagijin so far so I'll be done with those soon.

Monster, Death Note, Kagijin, Azumanga Daioh...

Monster is FINISHED. This portion of the post will contain SPOILERS, until I state otherwise down this post in caps. So, the ending. I know what people mean when they say it's anticlimatic now. I don't mind though. I think the ending works well for the manga. Tenma couldn't have been the one to shoot Johan, I'm happy he wasn't the one to do it. I'm even happier that he wound up operating on him and actually saving his life again, even after all that effort he put towards hunting him down and killing him... yeah, that really is anticlimatic, isn't it? Great read at any rate, definitely one of the top thriller stories I've ever read, kept me constantly engaged and it's been one of the most engrossing experiences I've had with regards to manga. THAT'S IT FOR MONSTER SPOILERS.

NOW WE GET DEATH NOTE SPOILERS. I read the one shot earlier today, the one that takes place three years after the end of the Death Note story. At first I thought it was pretty horrible, there were some comic moments (Near with his fucking empire of tarot cards that he tells Rester not to knock over, or he will be pissed, when dealing with the new Kira's killings.) Overall though it was weak, the new Kira ended just like that, there was really nothing much to it. However, someone else put it in a different light, and said that the story strengthend (did I spell that right? :x) Light's and L's character by showing how a "normal" person would react to the death note. And in that light, indeed it does work and that's given me a different appreciation of the one shot. So now I don't think it's that bad at all. END DEATH NOTE SPOILERS.

I read the one shot for Kagijin a bit ago and I really liked it, I thought it was great to have someone who seemed like somewhat of an anti-hero, near the end of the one shot when the kills the general or whoever he was the way he did, it rung as very effective, I thought it was great. The first chapter of the serialization, I think is quite a bit worse. Protagonist dude has changed a bit, personality-wise and looks-wise, and he hasn't had a moment yet where we can see how he values the lives of his enemies, as his one enemy thus far has been a mythical sand monster. However, it was still an entertaining read and it's enough to make me want to continue it, so if these next four chapters are just as good as this first one then I'll be following this manga along with Bakuman as far as weekly manga is concerned.

Last on the list is Azumanga Daioh. I'm putting Android Kikaider on hold because frankly I'm not very interested in it, Azumanga is the next anime I'm pursuing. I saw about six of its episodes a while ago and I watched another three today, and I'm right back into it. Funny as hell, of course I knew this before from the first six eps and of course it's to be expected from the mangaka of Yotsuba. 24 or so episodes so I'm a fair ways off from completion, but I'll almost definitely be buying the physical copy of this once I finish the series. This should be a fun watch.

I initially was going to post about Strawberry 100% as well but I've yet to finish volumes eight and nine. When I finish those I'll be all caught up with the current releases and then I'll post my thoughts thus far. I haven't decided yet whether or not I'll continue the series past volume nine via scanlations. It'd mean I'd get to finish the story soon rather than a couple years from now or whenever they finish releasing the manga. On the flip-side, I like nothing better than to get a new volume of manga in the mail not knowing what the contents will be. I'll see, there's certainly plenty of other manga that can take its place should I put it on hiatus.

*EDIT* I forgot, I found this cool site called My Anime List and I've got myself completely set up on it now. Links:

http://myanimelist.net/mangalist/Hexrapper
http://myanimelist.net/animelist/Hexrapper

I know I've read more manga and seen more anime than that, but I can't remember any more specifics than I have listed. I'll add them as I remember them. I'll keep track of series progress there and keep a database of all manga and anime I have an interest in reading/watching on there as well.

Love Attack & Otomen

Another batch of manga arrived today and with it arrived my first volume of Love Attack. I'd heard good of Love Attack from someone who was into romance manga, said that it put a unique spin on the genre with the character's personalities, and indeed it made for a fun first volume. Essentially what it is is this girl who gets into lots of fights is asked to try and stop a guy who is infamous for fighting and skipping class etc from continuing to be a delinquint. She accepts, kicks him in the face, and he asks her out. Begin series of fun happinings =D

For me the manga wouldn't have worked if the characters weren't likable, so it's good that they are. They aren't school bullies, on the contrary, the female lead actually fights for the better of those being picked on, and the guy only fights those who start them against him. He's also got explanations for his absence from school, and the two really aren't what they'd appear to be from the outside, which makes it enjoyable to follow along with them because you can like them and root for them. Overall it was a good first volume, and I definitely have in interest in picking up the next one at some point.


Otomen I started reading a while ago, in some random issue of Shojo Beat, where it was advertised as a new series and they ran the first chapter. The concept caught me right off the bat, manly man Asuka is top of the Kendo club at his school and is everything a guy could want to be... but secretly, his true passion is for the most girly of activities (i.e. sewing, cooking, shojo manga etc etc.) He meets Ryo, who isn't good at all at girly things like sewing and who likes manly men. The dynamic implied there doesn't really go anywhere, pretty much right off Ryo finds out that Asuka's actually really girly but it's a very fun read, with likable characters.

Volume 3 just came out and it's a good volume. It's frustrating that the series continues to keep Asuka and Ryo strictly on friends terms but the third volume sort of makes up for lack of development relationship-wise by further developing Asuka's relationship with the other dude instead. What was his name. w/e, the secret Shojo artist. He's tagged along this whole time but there's been barely anything with him and Asuka besides him coaxing Asuka into being more confrontational about wanting to start a relationship, so it's interesting to read Asuka trying to pry into other dude's personal life, where his secret hobby is at risk of being discovered. This only goes on for one chapter but it's a nice change of pace.

The next batch of manga I have arriving will bring me up to date on the latest releases of Strawberry 100% with Volume 9 (I already have all the previous ones) and it'll also round off my collection of Monster, so those two will be popping up here soon when that package arrives. I have a lot to say about them :x

Yotsuba, Ai-Ren and Android Kikaider

Yotsuba is ridiculously funny, super cute, and something I wish had more chapters than it currently does, because I'm all caught up already. So many hilarious moments, seriously, there is no reason not to read this one. I'm sure anyone could enjoy this manga. It's just this little girl and her dad living in Japan and with Yotsuba's personality it makes for a very entertaining read. I like it better than Azumanga Diaoh as well, not to knock that one since Azumanga is great as well, but Yotsuba, man, funny and feel-good through and through. Can't wait 'till the mangaka gets back to this.

Ai-Ren on the other hand feels like it's gonna become depressing. Well, I already know it is, it was recommended when I was seeking similar series to Bokurano with regards to character circumstance. A guy who's gonna die gets this person who's had their personality modified to be supportive of someone and help them live out their final days. It's kinda sad reading it, it's fun following the protagonist and Ai-Ren through the different things they do but Ai-Ren is definitely artificial and of course for the protagonist to be spending his final days like this... well, we'll see where it goes. Only thing I'm not digging is this futuristic bs they're kinda interweaving into the story, about how civilization has advanced so that breeding is no longer necessary and just all this nonsense that really is not interesting in the least. It could do without that.

Android Kikaider is probably my next anime. I haven't watched an anime through in a while and this doesn't seem like a bad place to start again, it doesn't really have an anime art style but the first episode is intriguing, apparently it's actually quite a sad series so I'm sure depressing times are ahead for me in this one. I'm not totally into it yet, also I'm not huge on robots and stuff so the fact that this centers on one is somewhat of a turn-off but I'm holding out, it's a short series so even if it gets stale it won't be so bad. The first episode at least gives the series promising potential.

Bokurano

I started this a while ago but I just finally finished it after putting it off. For the record this will contan spoilers.

Hmm. Well, it was definitely a good read. At times it was quite depressing. The final battle certainly was quite a depressing way to end it, Ushiro forced to wipe out the entire enemy planet to find and kill the sole enemy pilot who ran... but it was effective. The characters were all interesting but I find that it's very difficult to remember their names, or at least most of them. Some characters stand out more than others (I still remember Kako), but most I just can't remember. I suppose its only natural when dealing with a cast of about fourteen main characters.

There was enough unexpected stuff to keep it interesting. Machi's sudden death at the hands of the stranger caught me off guard, and frustrated me. I'd grown to like her as a character, and especially in that moment, when she was bonding with Ushiro... how terribly unfortunate. Of course for most of the manga I absolutely hated Ushiro, with his constant abuse of his little sister. He won a lot of respect from me after his sister's death though, when he actually started showing some human emotion and when he signed the contact. A fitting final pilot.

Only real flaw is that it gets kind of stale at around the mid-point, not to say necessarily that those characters are less interesting but the manga basically has its routine, and it can really only be repeated so many times before you need something else, regardless how different each character's individual story is. I had to take a break from it, but after the break I was right back into it and ready to plow through to the finish. I'd say it's a good read if you take it like, a couple chapters a week. Not the kind of thing you should read too fast.

I'm happy with it though. It was worth looking into. It wasn't too mech-focused either, which is a personal plus being someone not really into mechs at all. Definitely more a human-driven story. Anyway, if it's ever released in translated physical manga format I'll definitely be picking the series up.

Oh, I have a blog, k.

I forgot I had one of these. It is now my life's goal to pursue this blog and fill it with all of my intellectual findings! One day, one day! It is soon to come, with electricity! And power sockets!

Today, however, I am going to talk about Kashimashi and Welcome to the NHK.

I recently finished Kashimashi. This is going to contain KASHIMASHI SPOILERS BE WAREEEEEEEEEEYYYYYY so! What the FUCK do you mean Hazumu ends up with Tomari. The whole manga up 'till then was pointing towards Yasuna. First off, Hazumu digs Yasuna from the very beginning, even asks her out, I know he's turned down, but um it's because he's a guy and she's gay and then WHAM he gets turned into a girl so problem solved I can't wait to see those two holding each other while in a relationship so roll on the chapters 'till it happens.

But Tomari? Seriously? The way she acted, the way Hazumu acted towards her, it doesn't make any sense! I mean, maybe this is just me seeing what I want to see, because I reeeeaaaalllllyyyy wanted it to be Hazumu and Yasuna, I mean, maybe I just wasn't seeing the development. But there wasn't any! I mean, relationship-wise, Tomari went through a lot mentally but nothing really was going on on the outside between them. It was so gonna be Hazumu and Yasuna. I'm disappointed.

Next up: Welcome to the NHK. My new favourite manga. I love Satou, and I love Misaki. Even if Misaki's a little twisted, and perhaps has the wrong intentions... ok, definitely has the wrong intentions. But I can't help but feel that there's a shred of genuine love in her, for Satou. She needs him not only to feel superior, but because she loves him. Maybe? Maybe I'm just hoping that's the case, because I love her character, and I don't want her to be completely unlikable. I dunno. But I love Satou too. I see a lot of myself in him. Probably that isn't a good thing. He's fast becoming one of my favourite manga characters though.

I'm pretty far into it, on Chapter 31. Just nine more chapters to go, I'm kinda sad that it'll be ending so soon, but I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes. It's been a great read so far.

Infinity Ward sucks

CoD4 consists of small maps that lead to crazy shoot-outs where the guy who hammers on the trigger first wins. That's all there is to it. Run around the map shooting at anything that looks even remotely human, extremely casual fare that gets old incredibly quick. Why the hell is it so popular?

The only people I can see enjoying CoD4 are lazy people who want to put in little effort and yet at the same time achieve victory. In that case CoD4 is exactly the game for them. For anyone wanting some level of substance it's horrible though, CoD4 should've been a small fad that the casuals dug 'till they bored of it and went back to Wii Sports. Yet, it remains incredibly popular. It really doesn't make sense. Do people seriously want video games where all they do is turn their brain off and hold down the right trigger?

I don't get it. It sucks because it means that Activision's pushing its engine on all its other shooters too. Treyarch's CoD: WaW could've been a follow-up to CoD3 but instead it was just CoD4.5. Blah