Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (Double O) (機動戦士ガンダム00 <ダブルオー>)

Best show for 2008 in my opinion but I suppose I'm a bit biased. I've always been a Gundam fan and I did not watch Code Geass or Macross Frontier, both probably just as good. Unfortunately, I could not get into Code Geass. I tried. I really did but I just couldn't take it seriously. I haven't given a chance to Macross yet and I want to watch it some day. Its ironic how my friend introduced me to Geass and also watches Macross but not Gundam. I watch Gundam but not Geass or Macross. Heh.

Gundam 00 dub currently airs on the Sci-Fi channel but I don't recommend it because the commercials are as annoying as they are long and frequent and they cut out some small but important scenes. I'm just watching it to refresh my memory and for laughs.

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CrunchyRoll Summary:
It is the year A.D. 2307. Fossil fuels on Earth have been depleted entirely, with mankind turning to the next available power source: solar energy. During this time, 3 orbital elevators with solar power generation systems are built, each under control by the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations (formerly United States of America), the Human Reform League (Russia, China and India) and the Advanced European Union. However, not all countries are able to enjoy the benefits of this system, leading to widespread resentment and war. Arising out of the conflict, a mysterious military organization known as Celestial Being appears, dedicated to end all warfare using Mobile Suits called Gundam. This begins the stories of Gundam Meisters (pilots) Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism and Tiera Erde as they are thrown into conflict between the 3 superpowers and the other various factions.

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Now when it all comes down to it, every Gundam series is just a really really intricate and beautiful advertisement to get you to buy their figures. It works though because everytime I watch it it makes me want to own those figures. But they make a nice war story to go along with it.

After watching SEED and the screw up that was Destiny, I was ready for a new Gundam series. It was automatically more awesome for me when the characters were designed by Kouga Yun. The mangaka of the ever so popular Loveless. _{(Or at least popular in America I think.. I don't know, I don't read Loveless anymore)}But I'm in love with her artwork and I just knew that her characters are going to appease many fangirls. Also, the show in in magnificent HD. Its pretty awesome. Especially the first episode and last episode and the fight scenes in general. UNFORTUNATELY, every anime will have their low budget moments and Gundam doesn't escape from sheer QUALITY. The HD format just makes the badly animated parts all the more noticeable.

So..season one Gundam 00 turned out pretty different compared to other Gundam series. Its actually not taken place in a made up time era, there are real countries involved and there is a lot more political talk going on. To be real honest, it was utterly boring. The characters had wacky names and I couldn't tell who was male or female until I heard their voices. There was a lot of talk (plot) going on and it was pretty confusing. Celestial Being carried out their missions and they showed off how awesome the Gundams were and they were always successful. But then 2008 came and around halfway through the season, things started to pick up. The build up was still pretty slow but stuff started happening and things started to blow up. After episode 20 did things really start happening. It was pretty amazing. Usually, in a action series, you expect the good guys to win but this time, there is a thin line between the good guys and bad guys and Celestial Being just gets crushed. Utterly deafeated by the end of the season with half the cast dead. And it ends just like that. Sort of on a cliffhanger where everyone appears to be dead. And then comes the epilogue where its a timeskip to 4 years later. It was all very frustrating having to wait for 6 months for the second season just when things started to get good. 'Oh hey that totally random side character turns out to be the main villian? What?!' Darn those marketing ploys. It felt rushed but still felt like it was planned that way. They did probably ruin Graham's character since they realized they had no 'blonde-haired-guy-with-mask' Gundam trope and put a mask on him right in the epilogue. It probably didn't matter to most people because Code Geass R2 aired next but I don't watch Code Geass so I had wait agonizingly for 6 months.

Gundam always has a huge cast of characters so its hard to get some balanced character development but I think Gundam 00 does a very nice job of character development however odd the pacing might be. Its a nice break from SEED where EVERY pilot was like a 16 year old but there are more adult pilots in 00.

Short summary of the main pilots:
-Setsuna F. Seiei: Pilots Gundam Exia.
He's from the Middle East! That makes him automatically cool. He's quiet, morbid, lacks social skills, stoic, was raised as a terrorist, wants to be Gundam. Probably the most boring main character ever. _{(But I like him)}
-Lockon Stratos: Pilots Gundam Dynames.
The big brother figure, watches over the other 3, snarky, nice, but also full of spite and revengeful thoughts and a lot of hate.
-Allelujah Haptism: Pilots Gundam Kyrios.
Multiple personality disorder. Hallelujah is his alter ego and is a psychotic murderer. Allelujah is shy, nice, and cannot read the atmosphere. He also needs more interaction with the other 3 in my opinion.
-Tieria Erde: Pilots Gundam Virtue/Nadleeh
The pretty one. A total ice queen. Not human. Does not care about humans nor understands them. Arrogant, cocky, totally-strict-by-the-rules guy. In love with a computer.

And since we have a war story, there has got to be romance as well but they're not terribly important. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

There isn't much romance in the first season really.
-The main guy and girl do not get together. She is older and looks like pedo-ing anyway.
-We have a main couple. Saji and Louise who are the regular civilians of the story.
-Then there is Feldt, who develops a teenage crush on Lockon even though he's 10 years older than her.
-Patrick, the comic relief guy, entertains us with his antics in trying to win the heart of his commander! Such as bringing her flowers and taking her out to dinner.
-We have some small subplot with a Union guy, Billy, who is still in love with Sumeragi but she is in Celestial Being. _{(Adult drama is great)}
The rest of the romance happened right at the end so it was kind of weird pacing.
-Christina was into hunky guys but completely ignores Lichty, the poor boy who is trying to win her. They don't end up together until they both die in eachother's arms. It was pretty strange but sad nevertheless.
-And right at the end do we finally see Allelujah recognizing the enemy soldier as his childhood girlfriend.
-Tieria. Oh man Tieria. His personality almost does a 360 after he gets Lockon injured. To me, the two of them was like a crack pairing but Sunrise can really get you to ship something FAST. I could have sworn they didn't like eachother since Lockon probably wanted to punch his face in that one episode but after just like.. 5 minutes in the events of 1 episode, he suddenly develops strong feelings towards Lockon. (But he did get dumped by the computer so...) I hate Sunrise for always being able to make the most heartwrenching relationship stories in any of their shows.

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After all that, season one just felt like one giant prequel. It really didn't have many of the traditional Gundam themes or even much fanservice. It just felt like a giant prequel to something bigger. Marketing ploys again!!

My rating: 4.5 out of 5
(I don't really know about this because I would rather reserve judgment after the second season is finished so I could compare them.)
Tear rating: 4.2 out of 5
(Still crying over episode 23+)

I. Tao

Junjou Romantica 2 (純情ロマンチカ 2)

Okay, the series finally ended like 3 days ago and I got around to watching it.

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CrunchyRoll Summary:
The return of romance, drama, and pure-hearted romance. Junjou Romantica 2 (the sequal). Back to the beloved couples, and their perils in their forbidden relationship. Misaki Takahashi, from the main couple, thought that one Usami was a handful, until he meets another. Their relationship starts to fall down hill once again, but as always they find a way to making steamy love in the end. As well for the other couples, ups and downs, lefts and rights occur, but ends in sweet lovely bliss. Misaki and the Usami crisis, Hiroki with his pride, Shinobu and his age differences with his lover, Nowaki's patience and love, Miyagi's past-love and his present love, and Usagi-san and his family, theses couples really got a lot of love and problems in their pure-hearted, forbidden romance.

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I think this summary isn't very accurate. (Lots of typos! ugh.) At least this time it mentions the other two couples but this time, honestly, there was no sweet love-making. Now why would they do that, it doesn't make sense for them have sex all the time in the first season and then have psuedo-sex in the second.

This season was a real disappointment. The lack of sex and fanservice is one of them. Arguably, it gives more time to develop the characters and focus on the story. However, the story is repetitive. It does accurately follow the manga but the reason the manga is better is because of the sex.

So this season was mostly focused on the Junjou Romantica couple. Misaki randomly meets Usami's very odd family members (older brother, father, female cousin) and they all confess their love to him and then Usami gets mad, some misunderstandings, blah blah blah they make up at the end. It gets boring. This season, Misaki finally tells Usami that he loves him (like 3 times) so they really don't need more drama with that.

The Egoist couple is still the same as ever. Still misunderstanding eachother. You'd think after 6 years together they'd understand eachother but they don't. No sex=very boring mush.

The Terroist couple is the best because they actually have development. Nevermind that they skipped the sex scene entirely but it doesn't matter, that one episode was done very well. We left of them just starting out but Miyagi isn't really into it because he still thinks about his old lover. She was his teacher but she died from an illness and he loved her so much he could never forget her. Shinobu gets upset and angry that his feelings are only half-assed or out of pity but then Miyagi lets go of his past love and really falls in love with Shinobu. It was very sweet.

So...it not like it was really bad or anything. Its still a very nice series and there were some really really good moments! But it just pales in comparison with the first. They better put the sex in the DVD version. Honestly, its probably just a marketing ploy. Ah well, if you want the sex, there is always the manga and the drama CDs.

My rating: 3.8 out of 5
Tear rating: 3.9 out of 5

I. Tao

Junjou Romantica (純情ロマンチカ)

I didn't really want to put up a picture for this one because every single official image is just blaring with something that seems BL related. So have this important and helpful chart instead.

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The 2008 shows are still goin' an I'm still postin'. Unlike Antique, this is the girly fake homo stories that girls are into and yes I'm a giant hypocrite because I actually really like this show.

CrunchyRoll Summary:
Misaki is suddenly having some unexpected and odd problems. What started as a need for some college entrance exam tutoring has somehow led him to being romanced by a suave older man who also happens to be his big brother’s best friend. Confused by all of his brand new emotions, Misaki struggles to deal with his suddenly very odd life. And if that wasn’t enough, his suitor, Usami, has plenty of issues of his own. A man-child who decorates his room in giant teddy bears and toys, Usami is a famous novelist who also writes steamy boys’ love novels on the side. When Misaki cracks open one of these books and reads sentences like “Misaki licks every inch of Usami’s hot body”…well, let’s just say that all hell breaks loose.

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....okay. Well, hear me out. Despite this show being obviously directed towards fangirls, its actually the best BL series to date. Probably ever. It is based of a fairly smutty manga and this is a full series that airs on national television so the smut level is obviously toned down a lot. Despite not being an OVA, it is still the best BL show in terms of fanservice but also animation. (They can't show much on national television you know!)

So anyone who hasn't watched BL or yaoi or whatever. Just watch this one. It should be the ONLY one to watch because any others do not compete. Sorry but this is as good as BL shows get. You can watch this one and be done and say "Yes I finally watched yaoi."

Or, you can just totally not watch it because you know, it STILL involves two guys making love.

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So basically, its just like the manga minus nearly all the smut. But it doesn't matter too much because this is actually one of the more better yaoi manga out there. One of my favorites. It has just the right amount of drama/comedy/sex/fuzzy gayness---etc. The story is actually 3 different stories with 3 couples all kind of interwined. (Refer to chart) The stories are all pretty interesting. I noticed that all of them have some sort of an age gap so that is always part of the drama. Also, all of the ukes are tsundere.

<sup><sub>Couple#1: Junjou Romantica (The main couple)
They might be the main couple but they are my least favorite couple. That is not to say I hate them. No not at all. I just think the other two are more interesting. But anyways. Their story is mainly described in the summary up there. Usami had always been in love with Misaki's brother but its one-sided so Misaki ends up crying for his unrequited love and somehow they fall in love. (okay well no not really on Misaki's part). Their plot is more like-- Misaki keeps denying his love for Usami because apparently, he doesn't want to be gay. So there is a lot of "No~! Stop it~!" going on but they always end up having sex anyway. Age gap: 10 years.

Couple #2: Junjou Egoist (Side couple)
I admit this was my favorite couple at the time if only because of the hot sex. But the age gap drama is nice too. So we have Hiroki Kamijou who was Usami's childhood friend and totally in love with him. But since Usami was too busy lusting after his best friend, Hiroki's love is also unrequited. So we got this horrible love triangle thing going on. But then along comes a guy, Nowaki, who is 4 years younger than he, and....they just end up together. Theres more to it but I don't want to explain it. I just think this couple is very interesting. There aren't too many older ukes with younger semes. So their story is mostly---they had been together for 6 years but they still have horrible communication skills and huge misunderstandings that create for big big drama but I don't care. I just go with it. I love drama. Oh and Hiroki is also a professor at the college Misaki goes to. Age gap: 4 years.

Couple #3: Junjou Terrorist (Side side couple)
I replaced Junjou Egoist with this couple now. They are much more interesting than the other two. Too bad they are kind of minor and need more screentime and more chapters of them in the manga. So we have another professor guy who is coworkers with Hiroki, named You Miyagi. I think one of the reasons I like this story much more is because Miyagi was actually not gay! Haha. His life story is just as interesting as his current relationship with a high schooler. (But its not in this season) So basically---Miyagi is a divorced man and somehow runs into a kid (Shinobu) who very passionately professes his love to him. It turns out Shinobu is his ex-brother-in-law. Miyagi is unwilling because, uh, well the age gap for one thing, and he is underage and it really isn't right at all. Hello? Pedo? But Shinobu is just too persistant so he kind of gives up but since they only had 2 episodes in the whole series, nothing really started between them. (Also, they can't have shota sex on national television). Age gap: 17 years.</sub></sup>

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So whats good about this show again? The story, the sex. Thats all fangirls want. But really, the comedy is good and the stories really hits the spot. It never fails to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The love lessons learned are very heartwarming however unrealistic it may be. I mean.. I don't think real gay couples do that. This is why many people did not actually like Antique Bakery because the men in that show were actually not very pretty and they were kind of old.
Compared to other BL shows, this show had good animation and the must smut that can be put on TV without it being porn. But they have their clothes on 90% of the time anyway...

My rating: 4.3 out of 5
Tear rating: 3.6 out of 5

I.Tao

Antique Bakery (西洋骨董洋菓子店 ～アンティーク～)

The only thing relevant about this series is the CAKES. JUST WATCH IT FOR THE CAKES.
Okay well no not really. Its actually a pretty decent series. 2008 is full of great shows.

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CrunchyRoll Summary:
Tachibana, grandson of a rich businessman and newbie in the world of managing; Ono Yuusuke, famous pastry chef and even more infamous “devilish homosexual”; Kanda Eiji, a retired young boxer with a thing for pastries; Kobayakawa Chikage, servant friend of Tachibana and current romantic interest of Ono, who is clumsy yet serious and stoic to a fault (most of the time). Together, these four men maintain a small yet elegant cafe known as “Antique”, where they and all their customers can come together to cherish one of the few but truly important things in life: cake.

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I don't like this summary very much because it makes it sound gayer than it really is. I mean... this is not a romance show. Its not even BL or yaoi or whatever you want to call it. It just involves a lot of gay. Like..the REALISTIC kind. Not like the fake girly stuff that girls like to read/watch.

Well, I don't know what I was expecting honestly because the manga was really great. The manga is still superior to the anime version but anyways, the first episode kind of surprised me. Surprised me in the amount of random and melodramatic gay. Actually it was all in the manga but...to be put into the first episode??? It was weird. _{(and very embarrassing to watch. I can watch real yaoi with a straight face but Antique Bakery...I felt like shrinking in my seat and hoping no one sees me watching two 30+ year old guys dance in the rain, it was just very very embarrassing.)}

But nevermind! It fit into the plot I guess. I couldn't decide whether all the stuff that was going on was really realistic or not. The main character Tachibana was abducted as a child and was forced to eat cake but he somehow escaped and now hates eating sweet things. His kidnapper was never caught and then out of the blue he tells his family he wanted to quit his nice business and open up a cake shop instead. Now, normally, your family might be totally against it but his family was like "Oh okay." Cake=solves life problems.

Ono the homo used to be Tachibana's classmate when they were in high school and has a pretty messed up family but its all good. He makes the cakes.

Then we have Eiji who was a boxer but his coach told him to stop because it'll ruin his eyes or something but it just so happens he's obsessed with cake. Cake=solves life problems. He wants to make cakes and becomes Ono's apprentice.

The other guy, Chikage is like Tachibana's manservant and somehow ends up working at the bakery too. And the 4 of them have awesome times with cake. Like..helping people and stuff.

All four of them have their own interesting stories. Its just mostly about life. I think the plot that was supposed to be going on was the real reason Tachibana opened the bakery was to try and catch his kidnapper. It got different from the manga and the anime end was pretty anti-climatic, so it wasn't a very memorable series. The best things I thought were great was the CAKES and the gay. Seriously, had this been a romance show I would rate this as one of the best BL shows out there because almost all BL shows suck. At least this show involved older men, and domestic violence, something that clearly doesn't get shown enough in gay couples.

But if you really aren't into homolust, there is always the J-drama by the same name! Its basically the same plot/idea but there is no homo in it. (to my knowledge) I watched the first 2 episodes before I didn't have the time to continue. So again, somebody watch it blog it over at http://drama-insider105.blogspot.com Its definitely a cute story.

As for anesthetics, I can't really save much. They made it have like a 90's anime kind of look. They use very flat colors, and there is lots of CG and 3-D rendering of the backrounds and such. It takes a while to get used to and also might not be to everyone's tastes.

My rating: 3.9 out of 5
It was a cute show. Also had plenty of 'aww' family moments and comedy relief too.

I. Tao

D. Gray-man (ディー・グレイマン)

Its almost the new year! Lets keep going with my more favorite shows of 2008. I'm debating whether I should blog some of the two season ones because I would feel better after knowing the whole series but I suppose I can blog one season just fine.

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ANYWAYS. Back to the topic. This is D.Gray-man. My current most favorite Shounen JUMP manga. Ah so this is a JUMP series right? That means its one of those endless plots like Naruto and Bleach right? I suppose but the anime had caught up to the manga and ended at episode 103 where it finished at the ending of a pretty big arc. Even though the manga started in 2004, there has only been a little more than 170 chapters. The manga is currently on a hiatus due to the mangaka's illness. She has always been a bit frail and I wish her good health.

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CrunchyRoll Summary:
Allen Walker is a young Exorcist who has a cursed eye that can see the suffering of the Akumas created by The Millenium Earl. He travels to England to the Headquarters of the Exorcists where his Master has sent him to meet with the other Exorcists. The battle with the Millenium Earl and the Noah Family vs. the Exorcists intensifies when some of the best Exorcists begin to get killed by hoards of Akuma. Japan takes center stage in this end of 19th Century plot in order to not let the entire human race be turned into Akumas and the Exorcists have the power of "Innocence" that was given to them by God on their side.

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It may be a shounen action series but it definitely has that darker, more gothic feeling to it. The art style mostly shows that. Part of the reason I started reading the manga was because of the spectacular art. I was really excited when it was going to turn into an anime.

The anime itself is alright in general. Generic JUMP series you know? It follows the manga and even the filler epsidoes were interesting! There are also some pretty great music in this series. I remember the one with the creepy singing doll a couple years ago, and more recently the piano piece Allen plays. OP and ED songs consists of mostly famous artists. My personal favorites were Abingdon Boys School, Tamaki Nami, Sowelu, Rie Fu, Kitade Nana, and Stephanie. UVERworld is there too but I somehow dislike them.

So what else can I say about this series. Hey, its a shounen series. Its easy to follow. Who knows, you might like it. Actually, the only thing that bothered me just a little bit in the anime was the extra Allen x Linali pandering. Sure it is hinted in the manga but its barely there and in anime, there needs to be at least SOME romance so they put a bit of extra there. Usually this doesn't really bother me because I'm a canon lover but D.Gray-man may be the only exception. Well anyways, the story is nowhere near the end but right now, the mangaka needs to rest.

My rating: 4.1 out of 5
Pretty awesome for a JUMP series
Tear rating: 2 out of 5
There where some awful sad moments but I can't really remember any right now since this started like 2 years ago..

I. Tao

Merry Christmas!

Hey guys! It's me, Edmond. Sorry I have not done a new post personally but I will hopefully be able to get back on here and review anime for you guys again!

I just made this post to wish you guys all a Merry Christmas as well as a Happy New Year!

I'll hopefully start reviewing again soon!

E. Chung

Detroit Metal City (デトロイト・メタル・シティ)

This is actually an OAV mini series but its still 12 episodes long. AND ITS AWESOME.

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CrunchyRoll Summary:
Souichi Negishi is a shy young man who came from the rural Ota Prefecture to Tokyo for college and wished to become a trendy pop singer. However, for some reason he became the singer and songwriter of a metal band named "Detroit Metal City," with a stage name "Johannes Krauser II." Whenever he wears the heavy makeup, Negishi becomes a completely different person, shouting the most vulgar profanities beyond anyone's imagination. With the popularity of DMC increases, Negishi starts worrying his double personalities can have negative effects on his (romantic) life off stage.

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I loved watching every episode of this. Its only about 14 minutes long each but my stomach ends up hurting at the end. Its also animated by Studio 4℃ and if you don't know them, I suggest you go to youtube or something and watch their shorts. They are absolutely amazing.

So the story...we have the main character Negishi who is a real country bumpkin nice guy who dreams of creating 'nice' music in the form of Swedish pop songs. Instead, he writes songs and is the lead singer for the band 'Detroit Metal City.' Their popularity slowly increases due to their songs' violent nature that mostly involves a lot rape and swearing. Thus, we follow Negishi's inner conflicts with himself. He hates being Krauser and just wants to be a normal singer so he can try and win the girl of his dreams. But he is just too good at being Krauser (also probaby because his swedish pop songs don't get him anywhere).

I don't know how to describe the hilarity of it all. I just can't. Even for someone like me who doesn't listen to any type of metal music, somehow, their song 'Satsugai' is really catchy and I can't help but laugh when half of the lyrics of their songs consists of 'rape rape rape rape rape.'

There is also a live-action movie as well but I have yet to watch it. Somebody should and post it over at http://drama-insider105.blogspot.com. But yes it does star Matsuyama Ken'ichi as Negishi.. you know.. the guy who played L in the Death Note movies. He seems to be getting very popular nowadays.

Definitely recommended if you want a good laugh.
My rating: 4.3/5

I. Tao

Nabari no Ou (隠の王)

Another one of my more favorite series of 2008. This show is about ninjas! and not in a Naruto way.

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CrunchyRoll Summary:
Rokujou Miharu is a boy who has a hijustu (hidden technique) living inside of him. This hijustu is the power of creation. Many ninja clans are seeking it as the one who posesses it becomes the ruler of the ninja world. Rokujou's classmate Kouichi started a nindou ("Way of the Ninja") club at school with Kumohira, his English teacher. Both Kouichi and Kumohira are secretly ninjas. They tried to persuade Rokujou to join the ninjustu club. At first, he was reluctant, but after being attacked by group of ninjas trying to get his hijutsu, he joins. He must become the Ruler of Nabari in order to survive.

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I think most people expected it as more of a ninja action show like Naruto or something but the fighting wasn't exactly the focus. However, the fight scenes were animated very well and also very stylish. I think the show has a more of a friends/family friendship kind of theme.

So we have our main character, Miharu, who is as apathetic as any character can be, gets pressured by his teacher and classmate into a ninja club but in the end, he discovers he is the next "King of Nabari" and has to rule it since other ninjas are after his god-like hidden power. There are other chracters involved around him with very interesting stories of their own as well as Miharu's interactions with them.

Its very dialouge heavy and probably dissapoints the people who are looking for action. But by now, you know that I love drama. So we get many morality lessons, duty/honor, family matters, and friendship. I read the manga too although the anime had an original ending since the manga was still kind of new. I like the art style of the manga and I was excited when it had become an anime. Towards the end of the series, it stopped following the manga and I admit I kind of didn't like the way it ended. Probably because they killed off a character that DIDN'T die in the manga...yet. Other than that, I think the ending was fitting and it still felt like an ending without actually being an ending because the manga is far from over. The ending didn't make me cry as much as the manga did though, which is pretty rare.

So technical stuff...the animation was great. They did well adapting from the manga style. My favorite songs were the OP and 2nd ED songs. The cast was great as well.

My rating: 4.4 out of 5
I wish I could say more about this series because I really do love it a lot but I can't seem to be able to write anything without it being like 15 page essay...just know it was sad and almost made me cry so its GOOD.

Tear rating: 0.6 out of 5
the manga is more like 7513924/5

I. Tao

Natsume Yuujinchou (夏目友人帳)

Since the year is almost over, lets review some of my favorite shows of 2008. It may not seem like it but Natsume Yuujinchou was surprisingly a very refreshing anime.

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CrunchyRoll Summary:
Natsume Takashi has the ability to see spirits, which he has long kept secret. However, once he inherits a strange book that belonged to his deceased grandmother, Reiko, he discovers the reason why spirits surround him. Containing the names of these spirits, a binding contract was formed between the spirits and the owner of the book. Now, Natsume is determined to free the spirits and dissolve the contracts. With the help of a spirit cat, his days are filled trying to return the names to these spirits.

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The summary really makes it sound like your generic boy-with-youkai series. Its true of course but there were many things that made this so interesting.

As the title suggests "Natsume's Book of Friends", Natsume, (who is a very lonely boy because he can see spirits) finds a book that belonged to his grandmother. It turns out his grandmother was a real ..er bitch when she was younger who enjoyed toying with spirits, using them as slaves by taking their names and putting them in a book. Natsume releases a spirit cat who is very cute and fat most of the time but can transform into a beautiful fox thing in battle. Together, they hunt down spirits and return their names to them. You can say this show is about a boy and his fat alcoholic cat going off on adventures together, one spirit per week.

Thats basically all that goes on in the 13 episodes.
But this is what made it good.

First, what I really liked about it was that each episode was very calming and almost all of the stories were heartwarming. A lot of them were sad and bittersweet so it was easy to get emotionally drawn into every episode. I really do enjoy dramatic drama. The comedy is also thrown in at the right moments so it doesn't kill the mood.

Second, the animation was very smooth and pleasing. The scenes were mostly bright, summery and outdoorsy but the dark, scary moments were well done also. This is one of the few anime that I prefer over the manga. Really. This series is just that beautiful compared with the manga. But of course, the manga is really great too. It has a very simplistic style but I just really like how the anime looks.

And a few other things I liked about it... the music was definately one of them. I loved the ED song so much I ended up downloading Atari Kosuke's whole discography. I have a thing for Okinawan folk songs...like Chitose Hajime... But moving on, the BGM during sad scenes were beautiful too. Its very calming and very befitting for a very pure and innocent show. (Also, Natsume is voiced by one of my favorite voice actors Hiroshi Kamiya)

There is a 2nd season I am looking forward to in 2009. There doesn't necessarily need to be one as the first one ended quite nicely, but I'm happy they're making another season. I was hoping to see more of the side characters and Natsume's interaction with them.

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Its a nice show to watch during the summer. Its always nice to watch an episode after a tiring day since each episode makes you relax. I say it was a good job.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Tear level: 3.5 out of 5

I. Tao

Ghost Hound (神霊狩)

Following my first post with 'educational' shows, Ghost Hound is definitely one of them.

So whats educational about this one? Well, if you're interested in psychology, philosophy, eastern and western folklore, neurology, engineering human beings, or the supernatural in general, this series has a whole lot of that. Or, alternatively, if you just enjoy watching a good horror mystery, this fits too.

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CrunchyRoll Summary:
Reality is a dream, the dreams of the night are real.

In the world of Utsushiyo (reality), the development of an electronic brain far far away and long ago allows two different worlds to overlap.
Within the last vestiges of Japan`s raw landscape, lies a small coastal town. In it live three middle school students: Komori Tarou, Ogami Makoto, and Nakajima Masayuki. Each holds within them a unique past that cannot be erased.
Once more, but by different causes, three people learn that by the extraction of one`s soul, the coming and going between Utsushiyo and Kakuriyo (hidden world) is possible. Amidst the boys` adventure in Kakuriyo, they come to understand where it is is connected to.
An eternal spiritual story is offered to the adults who possess the minds of boys.

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......so was that summary really vague or what? Could you tell this is going to be pretty deep? I couldn't make sense of it either. I started watching the show when it first aired last year and the first episode was so intriguing I tried to find out more about it. This summary gave me no clues whatsoever. What does it have to do with ghosts? What did all that gibberish about reality and the spirit world mean? It started airing at the same time as Moyashimon did and funnily enough, both of the main characters are the sons of sake brewers and they have a friend named Kei that is voiced by the same person...

It is very hard to give a proper summary without spoiling anything. This show only answers questions with more questions and up until the very last episode, you don't learn the whole story. The plot reveals itself throughout all 22 episodes and finally, the whole story makes (some) sense at the end.

But I'll try and be general. Basically, there are 3 boys who have traumatic pasts. Tarou, the main character, suffers from narcolepsy, and it had something to do with the kidnapping of him and his older sister when he was very little. His sister died in the incident and since then, nightmares are an often occurrence. He and his mother have regular therapy sessions. Makoto, has a very creepy family and it all started when his father committed suicide who is also suspected to be Tarou's kidnapper. Finally, Masayuki, a transfer student from Tokyo, moves into the country away from his crime. The 3 of them discover they can have out of body experiences and that's where they discover the "Unseen World" filled with dwelling spirits in the cursed town. The ghosts eventually wreak havoc on the town.

There is more too it but its much better just watching it for yourself. The ghosts don't even appear until later in the series. From watching the first few episodes, it looks like your typical mystery show. Who was Tarou's kidnapper etc. It later moves on to the appearance of ghosts and character development plots where it gets very dramatic with all the dysfunctional families going on.

I find it most interesting that they connect the spiritual realm with science. There was so much scientific terminology everywhere it was hard to understand. In every episode's preview, Miyako, (the shrine girl Tarou has a crush on) talks about famous scientists and theories or breakthroughs they came up with. Its usually about a philosopher, or a scientist. Occasionaly, there'd be something about Japanese or Western folklore stories (because it actually shows up later). It always sounds confusing but it makes you think. (For me anyway...) But it all comes down to whether you believe in it or not. Do you believe people really have out of body experiences? Do you believe in alien abduction? Do you believe in ghosts? Do you believe that we're all living in a dream and not living in the real world like in the 'Matrix?' They're interesting things to think about.

On technical aspects, its amazing. The animation is unique without being flashy or bold. The characters are very simply and cutely drawn and colored flatly. It may not look like it but its definitely a horror show. (There were maybe one or two moments that just pop out and scare the flip out of you). A large contributor to that is the backround music, or rather, lack of music. This anime has no backround music whatsoever. Instead, it emphasizes on certain noises like footsteps, ticking clocks, bubbling liquid/underwater noises, Makoto's very strange guitar playing, and it just adds to the eerie atmosphere. I think the static radio noises are well done and the most creepy. Oh and I also like the OP animation/song a lot.

Story and plot-wise. I loved the suspense and I'm a sucker for family drama. Dysfunctional families are fun to watch. Most of it was very sad though and I thought everyone's emotions were very well executed. I think it was more about them than the ghosts in general. Now the ending...I couldn't help but feel that the whole series was building up to something very big. My reaction to the ending was something like "Thats it? So thats what's been going on?" It was all kind of anti-climatic. But it did at least explain why everything was happening. I suppose it could have been 'Thats it? Awww there is no more" and I was sad the series ended.

My rating: 4.4 out of 5
Tear rating: 2.1 out of 5

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Its almost January which means a new season of anime. I think I'll start blogging some of the 2008 series that finished airing.

I. Tao

Moyashimon (もやしもん)

AKA Tales of Agriculture.

So here is an anime I list to be as an 'educational' series. This is about talking bacteria! Whats not to like?
This aired roughly 1 year ago. I enjoyed watching this a lot. Are you interested in biology? Do you like agriculture? Do you want to know how to make sake illegally? Watch this show!

CrunchyRoll Summary:
“Moyashimon” is about a college student who can see bacteria/fungus with his naked eyes. He enters Tokyo Agriculture College and enjoys a campus life with strange professors and friends.

I think I'm going to elaborate more on the summary since its quite short.
The main character is Tadayasu Sawaki and yes, he can see microbes without a microscope. They appear as very cute figures with the organism's unique characteristics. (The yellow ones are yeast microbes and the green one is a green fungi). Sawaki is friends with all of them. So Sawaki and his best friend Kei, go off to college together where the professor finds out about his amazing talent. Most of the time, they try to keep his talent a secret because it is worth a lot of money and his talent could be used to answer all questions of life and science!!! Hilarity ensues.

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Overall, it was a very enjoyable watch. It had very many scientific terms which made it hard to follow sometimes. The only thing memorable about this show was the microbes themselves and should be the only reason why you would want to watch it. They have a 'mini theater' at the end of each episode which is very entertaining. The human characters don't have too much depth and don't have half as much as the personality the microbes have. Well it IS a show targeted for a more mature audience because the characters are college students who are living the daily college life.
One thing though, towards halfway of this very short 11 episode series, it suddenly gets very very weird. Not really in a bad way but its just that this would be the last show I'd expect to have xxxspoilerxxx this and that.
Other things quality-wise, the animation was pretty okay. The characters look very plain and flat so maybe that was a reason it was hard to bond with them. However, the OP and ED songs and animation are great.
So...watch it for the germs, not for the plot and the people. Its a short series so its kind of forgettable.

My rating: 3.9 out of 5

I. Tao

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