Suite Precure♪

As you have probably figured out, I am a sucker for mahou shoujo,or magical girl, anime. When I heard that a magical girl anime was coming out, at the time I was stoked to be honest. It turned out that this anime would combine a few things I really, really loved: Magical Girl, Anime, and music.

Our story follows Houjou Hibiki, an out-going athletic girl, and Minamino Kanade, a girl who likes to cook, and they're both residents of Kanon Town, a town filled with music. Music makes this town thrive, and all of its residents appreciate music to its fullest extent, and it fills the Residents with joy. In Major Land, there is a music score called "The Legendary Score" which can be used to create the Melody of Happiness brings people happiness and joy, but the residents of Minor Land want to drive the world in sorrow with the Melody of Sorrow. Hibiki and Kanade meet up with Hummy, a cat from Major land, and Hummy makes them into the legendary warriors known as the Precure.

The story ine was like any typical mahou shoujo in my mind, though it had its own unique spin. Every episode was episodic and not at the same time. Yes, they do beat a Negatone every episode, and yes it seems they don't really get any where for a while, but the story does pick up half way through the anime. How can this be? A mahou shoujo, aimed at kids, with a story? That can't be possible right? Wrong. It really does get to a point to where you have to watch every episode or else it will not make sense, because new things are revealed about the characters, and they resolve things. It's not Tokyo Mew Mew where everything is resolved in the last four episodes, no, this anime made good use of its fourty-eight episodes and put those to work.


As with long going anime, you have the potential for a huge cast list. Though the cast for the Suite Precure was modestly big, they kept the focus on where is should be: with our heroines. Yes, you do add characters as you go on, and that's to be expected. They do a great job in portraying our heroines friendship and the flaws in it. Our Precure do double in number, so more mahou shoujo for the veiwers. However, I do wish they explained one thing and made it clear: Is Hummy a boy or a girl?

One of the things that always got me about this series is the fact that they portray "happy" music as "good" and sad music as "bad." I think that just because something sounds like it is from the heavens doesn't automatically make it "good," nor does music that has a sad tone to it make it "bad." According to this anime, does that mean metal is "bad," and that mellow music is "bad?" I know this show is aimed at kids, and I am willing to accept that, but still, this message that "happy" music is "good" is a bit old.

The condition of which the girls transform I will admit, is a bit odd. They have to be in "unison" and they have to fight together. They have to be in line with each other, and they basically have to be the "perfect friends." While, yes, this does promote friendship, I think they are over doing it just a bit. Hibiki and Kanade were best friends, until a mistake happened, and then they became Precure and had to do everything unison. Yes, I agree that people should be friends, and best fiends are close, but the extent they take this to, it almost makes it look like they are helpless alone.

The art for anime was really upbeat and colorful. The characters were well drawn, and the Precure outfits were adorable, and very mahou shoujo like. The transformation sequences were all well done, and htey added flair to the anime. Although like all mahou shoujo anime, the transformation sequences are recycles, they still did a good job with them. The end credits were a bit interesting, with having 3D Precure dancing to the end theme.

The musical track was very well done. The opening theme was catchy, and I will admit to humming it under my breath a lot. The end theme was equally catchy, and to boot, it had a well choreographed dance to it. Along with the opening and end themes, the background track was also pretty good, and it fit just about every  mood.

Overall, I will admit that I am sucker for mahou shoujo anime, and Precure was just right up my ally. I do recommend this anime to any fan of mahou shoujo anime like Tokyo Mew Mew and this proves an interesting watch for anyone.

My Take on Sports-Linsanity

In the world of basketball, there has been a rising name among the ranks: Jeremy Lin. He has been in the news ately for his impressive shots in the world of basketball, and to boot, he is a Harvard graduate and a relatively new figure to the basketball word. The world has gone into an uproar over this player, but since this guy was suddenly famous, I had to question why this guy was so famous in a short amount of time.

For those of you who don't know, he is a Asian-American, more specifically Taiwanese-American who plays for the Knicks in the NBA. He stands about 6'3" , which is pretty tall for Asians, and also due to  his parents only being 5'6". Also, he is a Harvard graduate and he came into the league basically unknown, coming in from the lowest of the low. SO what makes this guy so famous? Is it the Cinderella Story behind him? Probably.

His story is a simple one: He was at the bottom of basketball ranks, playing in the D Leagues. He never got drafted, and never impressed anyone in his college days either. He eventually got drafted into two other NBA teams, though he got cut. Lin was about to be cut from the Knicks, when injuries forced him on to the playing court, and he scored big time. He then brought the Knick's to a winning season so far, and this has brought him much fame for making the Knicks come together.

First off, I would like to say that I am not really a sports person. Yes, it's O.K. but I'm not a die hard fan for it.

My take on the reason why he is famous is simple: is the fact that he is Asian-American. In other words, I blame it because he is not African-American. Basketball is dominated by African-Americans and since Lin is an Asian-American, people rever him for stepping out side the racial norms. Also, I think it's also because he is a Harvard graduate playing in the NBA (What a waste), and that says that you can be smart and also be good at sports. I do think that it is also due in part to the fact that he scored more points in his opening games than any other NBA player, which a good sign.

Overall, I honestly cannot see why people are so obssesed with Jeremy Lin. Yes, I respect the fact that he cae out of no where and took the NBA by sweep, but the Lin puns are going a bit too far in my mind. Anything from "Lin"sanity, to "Lin"ning; these Lin puns, I hate to say it, are already old. They are utterly ridiculous and they need to stop. He is one guy; you did not see puns when other players came into the big picture, or when any other person, from any other sport became famous. What makes this guy so different, besides the fact he has an easily exploitable name? Give the guy a break. 

Chronicle

Imagine if you and your friends one day come across a giant hole, and then you decided to go in it. All of a sudden, you all find a bright lit up mass, and you all decide to touch it, just to realize that the next day you have telekinesis powers.You and your friends experiment on what you guys can do, starting off small, then moving things as big as cars. Finally, you guys learn to take to the skies.  After a while of using your powers, you start to become cocky due to the influence of your friends, and eventually lead to your doom.

The story of Chronicle follows Andrew, Matt, and Steven who come across telekinetic powers by accident. They then start using their powers, but they have nosebleeds as a result of using it too much, but as they get stronger, they don't have as many nose bleeds. As Andrew begins to delve deeper in using his powers, a question arises: the lion does not feel guilty about killing the gazelle, then why do humans feel guilty about killing other humans? As he tries to struggle with the question, and other events going on around him, such as his violent father, and his dying mother, his friends have to save him from the ultimate weapon: himself.

The story was quite interesting really. I liked how the people who came across the super powers were just average guys, with no ulterior motive in to using them. Often times in super hero movies, the guys who receive the super hero powers are often times the self-sacrificing types, and while they might use their powers for good and try to beat the bad guys, I think that is actually boring at a point because no regular person thinks like that. No, this story is about three kids who find the power, and then try and use it for their benefit, not the world's.

The film its self was done in an odd way. The way the story was told was that Andrew had a camera, and you saw everything from the camera's point of view. Also, when his camera was not in use, you still did not have that many "professional" cameras capturing the action; you still had to rely on the cameras around, such as security cameras and T.V. cameras capturing the news, which made the experience unlike any I have ever had before watching a movie. The way it was presented made it feel like this could have very well happened in real life, and that some one was just there to film it. 

The characters are well done and they actually grow and progress through out the movie. Andrew  is kind of silent, and the kid with a camera, and then as the movie progresses, he starts to come out of his shell. Steven is the out going kid who wants to be student president. Matt, Andrew's cousin, is kind of the popular kid, however, he is less out going than Steven. Given all the diverse personalities, I think they actually got along pretty well, and even had their share of disputes.

The green screen for the effects was very well done. When they took to the skies, it actually looked like they were actually flying and just not on a green screen. Also, the effects of them moving the stuff like cars and such was very fluid; it was like they were actually moving them telekinetically. Also, the wire effects were well done, and it made everything look decently real.

Over all, I say that this is a must see movie. It has action, and it has a unique was of presenting the story through cameras. It also has that coming of age feel that we all love in movies. I highly recommend it to any one who wants to go see it, you will not be disappointed. 

Secret World of Arrietty

For anime movies, there is one name synonymous with good quality movies, and that name is studio Ghibli. In case you didn't know, they did such movies like Howl's Moving Castle  and Spirited Away, and who can forget the lovable adventure of Ponyo. All these movies have been well known to the anime community and has made Studio Ghibli one of the most well known for movies in the anime community. When I came across Kariguarashi no Arrietty or The Secret World of Arrietty, I had problems finding the subtitled versions, so I waited for the English release, which just so happened to fall on the Valentine's Day weekend, I was stoked to be honest.

The story follows Shawn, or Shou in the original Japanese version, who has come to the country side in order to recuperate before his sugery on his heart. Also, we follow Arrietty, an adventurous pint sized girl, literally, or a borrower. Her and her family survive by taking little things that the humans, or being will not miss, like cookies, tissue paper, or sugar cubes. As she goes out with her papa on her first borrowing, Shawn sees her and the whole mission is aborted, and they return home empty handed. Shawn learns later from his folks that there is a legend of the little people, and that his grandfather believed in it so much to even make a fully functioning house for them. Shawn and Arrietty meet, and this creates a problem for Arriety and her family because, because as the humans steadily become aware of their existence, Arrietty and her family have to move, because it is a law among Borrowers that thy have to move if the beings find them due to the beings curiosity. However, before they can get away from the house they borrow from, Haru finds the Borrowers, and then goes to the extreme route of trying to exterminate them. As Shawn and Arreitty try to save her family, it starts to foster a forbidden bond between the two of them.

To be honest, I was expectinggreat things from the movie its self due to the fact it was made by Studio Ghibli. However, since Disney took up the dub, I was a bit scared because they have a tendency to make awful dubs. I will admit however, they did a decent job on the voice acting and each voice fit the character well. The only complaint I have about the dub is the fact they changed some of the named to better fit American audiences.

The characters were each well designed in the Studio Ghibli way, although Shawn looks like a typical harem lead, even though this is not a harem. Arreitty was well designed as well, along with each of her family memebers. I will also give studio Ghibli credit for animation consistency, which always important in movies like this. Also, the sceneries were all well drawn and vibrant and well matched for the tone of the movie.

The music track was also very good. It fit each scene very well, and the opening and end themes also fit the movie very well. The only complaint is the last song for the American version quite frankly plucked my my nerves, however, the music track was also very good.

I will this is a good family film. The film does handle the adult messages very well, and can be an enjoyable film as well. I recommend this film to all ages, from young kids to the elderly adults.

A Few Words on the Passing of Whitney Houston

If you have turned on a new station, or been on the web, then you know that the web is a buzz with the news of Whitney Houston's death. Additionally, if you didn't know, she was a world famous singer who sung such hits as "I Will Always Love You," and "I'm Every Woman," and was well known for her vocal range in the music world.  Her death has startled the world, gaining the attention that the deaths of presidents or other such pop musicians such as Michael Jackson.

First things first, my condolences go out to her family for their loss; she was a great singer. Her vocal range was well known all over the world, even leading to some Korean kids sing her signature song. I respect anyone who can hit that vocal range, and her talents will surely be missed in this world.

Now, yes, I admit I am a bit saddened by her death, and yes, she does deserve some respect, however, I am getting sick of the party the media is having with her death, Every time I look at the news channel such as CNN, its all about Whitney Houston. I can nderstand the party at first, due to her being a well known artist, and a good one at that, but after a couple of day, it's old. They keep saying how they have not released any details about her death, and how she was found dead in a bath tubb, and it's the same story over and over again. If you are going to cover something, please cover something serious, like the trouble in Syria and other news. It is taking up unnecessary space in the news that could be used for other things. I can understand updating us once in a while about any new news about her death, but please, stop driving this into the ground.

Another reason I am not all that enthused with her death is that hit was covered live on the major t.v. networks,like, you guessed it, CNN. It is a bit ironic because there talk of trying to let it be private, but they had to let one camera into the funeral service. And then, it felt like it was everywhere. I couldn't even go to a good Mexican Restaurant without it being there either. I can understand there being a service,such as all people should get one, but televising it? I almost say that's a bit disrespectful because if someone in my family died, I would not want it to be televised, but I guess that is a call on the part of the living.

Also, one thing I have a problem with is the fact that later in life, she was a drug addict, and I don't think that should rewarded with the attention that this is getting. It's like if you become famous, then you can do drugs, and then get rewarded when you die with a massive funeral and publicity. The drugs changed her voice, and thus degraded her singing ability. I guess when you're found dead in a bath tub, I guess that rewards a massive funeral and massive grieving.

Last thing I would like to point out is the fact that people die every day, what makes her death any more special than a soldier's death on the battle field or that poor kid being killed by his mother? I hate to see how her death is getting so much attention that it is ridiculous. Just because in society's eyes she is a bit more important than others does mean she has the right to get this much attention.

Although her death has saddened me and the world, and her and her wonderful voice will be missed, I am sick and tired of the attention her death is garnering due to the world. There are probably more important things going on in the world that need attention, and not just her death. I'm not saying to disrespect it, just saying to tone it down just a little bit

Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun

It seems that androphobia, or the fesar of men, is a common fear in anime, and they sometimes play it up to the fullest in anime. It add for amusement, much to the girl's embarrassment and fear, and somehow when she is running away from the guys, her panties always end up getting shown, or her boobs get grabbed. This situation is gaining speed in the anime world, now even more than ever, and the anime Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun, or Good Luck! Ninomiya-kun is almost no exception.

Our story starts with Ninomiya Shungo, a kid who seems exceedingly good at martial arts, and he lives with his sister because his parents are traveling the world. One day, a girl named Tsukimura Mayu, who, you guess it, has androphobia, and goes to live with Shungo in order to help cure the phobia. As it turns out, Mayu is also a succubus, and thus attracts the attention of males, making her in even more awkward situations. Later on, a rich heiress named Houjou Reika comes to live with Mayu and Shungo, but some how ends up to be their maid. The series mainly follows the three heroes' relationships with each other.

I will be the first to admit, I do like the androphobia situations, however, this anime did not play it off that well. I felt like the androphobia only played into the first three episodes, and that's it; all the rest of the episodes, she seems unaffected by men. Also, they did not have the constant draw from men that they had in the first three episodes. I'm just a bit upset how they didn't have the androphobia going through the whole series, and the eventual point they go to was utterly rediculous.

The important characters were well distinguishable from each other, in hair color and personality. Mayu, the pink haired one, usually is flustered and is usually trying to catch Sungo's attention. Reika, the blue haired one, is a rich ojou-sama, or the character that thinks everything should go her way, and our token tsundere, with more tsun than dere. Shungo is our typical harem lead, though he has the martial arts skills that most harem leads lack, though he is still 2-D as most of them it feels. Our side characters were still rather distinguishable, such as Hosaka, Reika's butler or servant, along with Shinobu, Reika's maid.(They never truly say what they are to her, just that they serve her.) Other than that, most of characters were regrettably forgettable.

The art was alright in my mind, though I was not a bit enthused on how the character's eyes were drawn. Yes, I'll admit to liking the moe eyes, where they take up half the face, but in this anime, it looked tacky and wrong. The eyes also did not have that much detail to them that I'm used to seeing in a moe or harem anime. The animation was a bit inconsistent, but still passable. With that, I just wish for a bit that the eyes were a bit smaller, or just  bit more detailed, though it is a rather old anime, I guess I can forgive that. Also, the designs of the characters were also decent, however I have seen better, and I have seen worse.

Overall, this anime a good harem and/or ecchi anime just to kill time. It is not the best anime I have ever seen, however, it was not the worst. (That honor goes to some of the flash anime I have seen or Aki-Sora) I do recommend people to see it if they're looking for a decent androphobia anime.

Valentine Day 2012

No relationship is perfect, that is a given in life. Some of them are abusive, some relationships have a lot of bickering between the couple, and some of them, although rarely, are just too perfect. However, I have found this valentines day to be especially special due to the fact I have a wonderful person to spend it with. However, it has turned out that no matter how much women may want to think men understand us, they honestly do not. I understand that very well, as most of my friends are guys, and I have compiled a guide to some of the guys' most commonly asked questions.

Question 1-What the hell is with "just friends?" 
For women, breaking up in some cases is not easy. However, we sometimes realize that being in a relationship with some one is not always the best option because let's face it, not every friend is boy friend material. So, when we break up with you in that way, we just mean you are a great friend to me, and I respect you as a friend, but as for a partner, it's not going to work. Also, the other meaning it could have is that Ok, this relationship is over, but let's not talk bad about it to all our friends.We usually mean nothing bad about being "just friends" but it just means that you make an excellent friend, however, we don't want to be dating you just because people change a little bit when they're dating, so keep that in mind.

Question 2-Why don't girls like sex?
You're asking the wrong person for one, I hate to admit it, however, I think that most women do not like sex just because one, we value our virginity. In societal norms, we are taught that your virginity is one of the most sacred things to you, and we sometimes try and hold on to that as long as possible. Also, we don't, we do worry about getting pregnant because if we don't want kids, we don't want them. Other than that, we don't want to have sex with a man we don't love, because whats the fun in that?

Question 3-Is there an age to know what love is and how do you know if it's true love?
For the first half a question, I think that if you have a firm grasp of being attached to someone, be it your parents or friend or someone special, then I say almost any age can pass. However, I do say kids start getting the idea of love about age seven to nine at the earliest. Now, how to know if its true love? Honestly, I myself am still unsure what the concept of true love is. At points, I thought I understood it, however it always turned out I was wrong. I think true love is when you are attracted to the other person, and they are attracted to you, and you both enjoy being with each other and share a lot of intimate moments together. However, as that case may be, I think there is some deep underlying connection that has to go on between the two people that I cannot explain; I guess that feeling is extreme bliss of being together.

I will not guarantee that these are the right answers to these questions; these are just my insights into these questions.All women do tick differently, and I do tick a bit differently than most, however, I think that's what makes life and romance fun. I will say this also: Just have fun and not worry about what makes women tick; it will only lead to to problems. So this valentines day, just have fun and enjoy your selves to the fullest.

Black Rock Shooter: Why It Shouldn't Be an Anime

If you're an anime fan, then you probably have heard the name "Hatsune Miku." In case you have not, then I should inform you that she is basically  a god among some extremest, but she's basically a program that can generate music. With in a short time, her popularity caught on and she even started having concerts, and then they decided to make an anime about one of her music videos, namely the song "Black Rock Shooter." At first they decided to make an OVA , which apparently did so well that they made a "full" T.V. series. Now i use the words "T.V. Series" lightly because I do consider a full anime series eleven or more episodes, where as Black Rock Shooter is only eight episodes. Now, since that Miku is so popular, and the song was so popular, then why am I complaining about the anime being made? Simply, because the source was not that good to begin with.

I was watching the music video for the song of which the anime is based. To be honest, Miku was drawn awesomely, with black hair and an awesome jacket with a bikini top and practically booty shorts. She has the purest blue eyes, and looks like something I would cosplay as, to be honest. However, with as good as she looks, the art in the original is not that good. The hair concept is like Miku, with the twin tails, but the actual drawing is not that good. I will credit the special effects i the video, but other than that, the video art is ok at best.

Now, the anime shows this epic story about Black Rock Shooter trying to fight for her life in this odd world, along with the slice of life story with Kuroi Mato and her friend Takanashi Yomi. These two story lines seem to be intertwined, however separate at the same time. With that in mind, the execution in the anime for the story was not that good, and I wanted to see if the orginal source executed any better. It did not. In fact, it barely executed a story at all. In the original music video, all the only action sequences are the fact that her hair is waving in the wind, and even that motion is not well done because it looks like tentacles. The animation in the original sucks. Also, there are no epic fight scenes in the original like there is in the anime, and even in the anime, the story mainly focuses on Kuroi Mato, and not about the epic fight that was hinted at.

Also, the music in the original is supposed to be the story, and even so, it does a horrible job at telling a story. I think it's about a girl trying to convey her feelings to someone, but I am not that sure. I guess that could translate into the OVA, and perhaps the anime, but it does not seem like the story in the music video means the same as the story in the anime or OVA. The singing in the original is not that good in my mind. It has a whiney tone in my mind.

In my mind, I think if they wanted to sell Miku as an anime, I think they could at least try a different song. I think "The World is Mine," would have made a good anime. Also, "Triple Baka" could have made for a good one. In fact, I think that SHAFT could make a good "Love is War" anime, because at least that has more of a story than "Black Rock Shooter."

I'm not saying that Black Rock Shooter is all bad, because the anime has potentional. All I am saying is the fact that they could have chosen better Miku songs and the source material is not that good. I do hope for a good eight episodes, and I pray that they can improve upon an original music video.

Winter 2011/2012 Impressions (Half-Way Report)

As always, I usually keep up with the current anime season, no matter how far I can get behind in watching it. This season has actually proved to be exceptionally interesting, with anything from romance stories to tales of demons to tales of piracy. (not that type of piracy).  For the mid-way point in this season, I think the anime that are airing right now are doing pretty decently.


Amagami SS Plus+

This is the second season to the omnibus anime Amagami SS. Each arc starts where the first season arcs left off, and this time, we start with Ayatsuji Tsukasa, the crazy, tsundere class representative (from hell). Although its too soon to tell how well each of the arcs will come out, the two that are complete (with each arc being 2 episodes and there are 6 girls), Ayatsuji's is the best done so far. Now for Sakurai, I think that one ended badly, just because she sort of ends up with the guy of her dreams (Juunichi) but still gets cut short in action, as it was basically: confess love, be happy, end arc. Now for the other arcs, I hope that they are all superb extensions to the original stories.

Black ★ Shooter
After the music video for vocaloid was so popular, they decided first to make an OVA of it. Apparently the OVA did so well that they thought "Ok, let's make  a TV series." Already, the TV series is showing more potentional than the OVA, with a chance at more developed characters, though I am almost not expecting much. I can honestly just hope for better, though I am not really expecting so. The characters are well drawn, I'll give them that, and honestly, I would not mind cosplaying as Black Rock Shooter. However, the other character designs are meh at most; they are not good, they are not bad, just K-On like, and the story line that seems to be driving is ok, just not that interesting.

Danshi no Koukousei no Nichijou 
The Daily Lives of High-school boys in other words. The anime is a lot like Nichjou and Azumanga Daioh, but with boys instead of girls. The humor is about the same, except that it is oriented at guys trying to get girls (and failing horribly). A good watch to kill some time and for a good laugh I will admit. The characters I can actually see happening in real life, and it feels like some of my friends are like that. However, I don't think this one will do to well over all because of the similarity to Azumanga and Nichijou, and the fact that it is guys. Lesson for anime: Moe female slice of life sells. End of story.

High School DXD
Ah, this anime. Every week, twenty-three minutes of  uncensored boobies and chicks...and wait...is there a story? Yes there is in fact. This one is about a guy who nearly gets killed by a fallen angel, and when a Scandinavian Red head names Rias Gremory comes and saveshis life, he becomes a demon, just like her. He has a tool called the  Sacred Gear, which he uses in battle against the Fallen Angels and Exorcists. This anime quite frankly doesn't need to sell to be honest. Every week, we get pure boobies, nipples and all, no annoying light censors, no censors what so ever. In fact, it could be put at Seikon no Qwaser level porn (minus the tit sucking.) Sadly for me, I actually look forward to this anime every week, and not for the boobies.

InuXBoku SS
What to say about this anime? It feels so familiar with the set up, yet unique. We have a young girl names Shirakiin Ririchiyo, a girl who says rude things out of habit to others and in order to get away from people, she moves to the Ayakashi Kan. There, she meets Miketsukami Soushi, a member of the Secret Service, or SS, and he has been assigned to serve her. Now, Soushi is basically a fox demon, and the residents of the Ayakashi Kan are also super-natural beings, though we are not sure on Ririchiyo's. A few complaints I have about this anime are as such: One is the fact that it is kind of like Kuroshitsuji, with the super special butler guy that serves to protect a younger individual, and even the interaction between tow of the characters is the same, and two: that all of the names are hard to remember. The names are older names, however, they could always use nicknames, but I don't see that idea being enacted anytime soon.

Mouretsu Pirates
Since Pirates of Carribean, the world has fallen in love with pirates. This anime is another pirates adventure...in space...and the lead pirate is a girl. The story follows Marika, the daughter of the great space pirate captain of the Bentenmaru. Her fathers subordinates find her, and say that she is the captain of the ship. With this anime, I do feel like it's just something fun for me to watch. The story puts an interesting spin on piracy: instead of traditional pirates that sail on water, these are space pirates that crusade through space. An interesting twist is that piracy in this anime seems perfectly legal, even down to the point of people getting pirating licenses. Marika is the type of person you would least expect to even be involved with pirating, but she must embrace her destiny and become the best pirate she can!




Nisemonogatari 


As you know, I am a major SHAFT fan, and when the sequel to Bakemonogatari came out, I had to watch. Bakemonogatari was the one that got me into SHAFT's style, and Nisemonogatari was a must watch. The sequel follows Araragi Koyomi's sisters, Karen and Tsukihi. The art in the anime is still superb and the story line is still awesome. Although it's a bit shorter than the prequel, I hope that it can tell as good of a story in eleven episodes as Bakemonogatari did in 15. All I pray is the fact that                        SHAFT does not pull a troll move when airing this.

Papa no Iu Koto wo Kikinasai!
Tragedy is unavoidable in life, no matter how old you are. In this anime, Segawa Yuuta takes in his nieces, Sora, Miu, and Hina, after their mother goes missing while on a trip. The anime follows his struggles to take care of three kids, balance college and work, and trying to make a family balanced. To be honest, i really do like the anime. The art style is vibrant, and each of the characters is distinguishable. Also, even though the scenario is somewhat believable (personally I  don't think that a college kid would take on a kid, much less thre), the results of his decision is somewhat believable; he realizes that he has to work more hours in order to bring in more income to support the children and that he must also get home in time in order to take care of them. I must admit, I await some of the tension between the adults, and even some of the tension between the kids and adults.


Recorder to Randoseru 

This is one kind of flew under my radar at first. Miyagawa Atsuhi is an overly tall eleven year old who gets in torulbe for potentially preying on children because of his height, when in reality, he is just trying to catch the affections of his classmates. His sister, Atsumi, on the other hand is overly short, even though she is in high school. The anime is bizarre in the way that it shows the relationship between the two. As it stands, it appears that the little kid is taking care of a grown man. Also, I don't think that  Atsuhi's case is helped by the fact that his voice also sounds like it has hit puberty. Though I do feel sorry for the fact that he keeps getting arrested for "preying" on little kids, I have to laugh. Now, if only each episode was a bit longer, as each episode is only two minutes long.

Rinne no Lagrange 
This anime is strange. A regular girl names Madoka is called in to pilot the robot that only she could pilot. It sounds just like GUNDAM except with a girl no? Exactly. The plot for this one in my mind is still a bit fuzzy, but they have a bit of a ways to go before this anime finishes, however, I am not expecting much out to this one. It almost makes no f*cking sense what so ever, ad the girl is a spazz and robot outfits are unnecessary; they don't do much to protect the pirate against harm. They mostly just show off boobies.

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes: Dai-Ni-Maku 
Our beloved detectives are back for a second season and they are...lazy? That's right. After getting their toys back in the first season, they basically refuse to use them, and become lazy. Though the adventures of lazy are not all that bad, however, they seem almost boring. To be honest, I wanna see some more of the Phantom thieves, mostly Twenty though. (Propeller nipples are awesome). Whe they said a second season, I wanted it to be somewhat like the first, with Milky Holmes still being somewhat useless, and the Thieves being blissfully stupid, but still, this is not what I bargained for. Oh well, I can hope it gets better.

Ben-to

When there is food on the line, people will do almost anything. People will steal the food just to fill their bellies. When the food is on discount, things can become as violent as a Black Friday sale. In the anime Ben-to, you can see how hungry school students get and how far they are willing to go for a discounted bento.

First, you must understand what a bento is in order to understand the anime. A bento is basically a boxed lunch that you can heat up. You can heat them up if you so desire, but you don't have to. They are sometimes home made and brought to school as lunch, but they can be store made,like in the anime.

The story in Ben-to is that Satou You, a normal high school student, goes to a convience store late at night to get some bento at a discounted price. However, he then is knocked out and doesn't remember a darn thing about the night before. When he finally comes around and a few days later, he learns that people fight for the half priced bentos in all out fights. He then joins these fights as a "dog" or someones that has yet to score a bento, in hopes of becoming a wolf, a person who has scored a bento.

With this anime, I hardly know where to begin. The story in full is actually quite preposterous, and the idea of people fighting for bento is not exactly conventional. Also,the story also feels rushed, such as the major chunk of the story taking place in the first six episodes, and perhaps a bit of a side arc in the last four,of course in between you have the normal "everyday" parts such as the obligatory beach/water episode and other various events. Basically the story was a far fetched idea, and personally,if the Blu-ray/DVD'd don't sell, I wouldn't be surprised due to the fact that for most people, this story line seems ridiculous. However, I will admit, it's so ridiculous that it works, and actually proves to be an interesting watch.

The characters in the story are in my mind, rather bland. It's essentially a harem, with the generic male lead, who looks like all the rest of the male leads, and the girls that are with him, although in the love between  the characters category, this is not a harem. Along with Satou, we have Yarizui, the club president of the club that he joins in order to fight for the half-price bento, who is known by her wolf name "The Ice Witch." As the wolf name may suggest, she is a bit cold at first, and an excellent fighter, even becoming the center of attention later on in the series. Then there a girl who gets dragged into the fights named Oshiroi Hana, a yaoi writer, because those are important too for fighting for bento. Then there is a girl by the name Shiraume Ume, a girl who is over-protective of Oshiroi, and threatens Satou on multiple occasions, but otherwise doesn't contribute much to the story. Last, but not least, we have Shaga Ayame, Satou's half-Italian cousin. She is known as the "Beauty by the Lake," and she is an excellent fighter. One question remains for about her is the fact that if she is half-Italian, then  how the heck is she blonde?

The art was decent for the anime. Each character was well drawn, and distinguishable, though some of the side characters were kind of bland, for example, the one that they call "Chipatsu," or "Brunette" didn't even have a face (Mrs. Bellum much?). The one thing about the art I had just a bit of a problem with is the fact that the fighting scenes were a bit unrealistic. When a group of people can basically fight in mid-air, let me know so I can get in on it. It was almost ninja physics when they fought, but it did provide interesting.

This anime overall was enjoyable, even though the plot was just a bit bizarre, but bizarre enough to make it interesting. I recommend this to almost anyone, even those hard core shounen fans that might be turned off by the girly art. Run to your local super market, grab some bento, and hope that you don't have to fight for it.