Kurogane’s Anime Blog

Otome gets the spotlight for this episode. She is earnestly helping Yoshiyuki out to practice for the upcoming puppet play, and we also see a glimpse of her past. Otome used to be more withdrawn and gloomy (wow, I so hear Noe when she’s like that) due to her magical powers, and it’s thanks to Yoshiyuki that she finally lightens up to the person she is now.

Junichi also makes a much awaited appearance in the episode, and boy, he’s sure turned old. Yume is still keeping up her tsundere-ness, to which I still find it quite unnatural, some what. Maa~ I’ll agree with Yoshiyuki that she’s cuter when she was still a kid :).

Still no idea about the general direction of the story yet, but the escalating incidences of fires in Hatsunejima is a big cause of concern. I wonder if Koko’s illness is also related to it, or just a convenient plot device to get Otome to do the puppet play with Yoshiyuki later on. Overall though, I would say D.C. II S.S seems rather blander than the first series….probably the lack of Nanaka.

Yoshiyuki sure is trusted by the girls.

Taking a jaunt in to Anzu’s story line in this episode. She’s pretty cute when she lets her hair down. Mmm~ otherwise, nothing much to comment on this episode. I’m surprised she managed to live alone for three years without anyone knowing that, though.

Also, Yume’s tsundere play in this episode was pretty LOL. I guess I’m just not used to her going all tsundere so abruptly, when back in the first series, she was totally tsun-tsun most of the time. Just feels awkward, I guess. Should’ve made the transition a bit more natural.

Yume… Yume…

Oh wow. Holy fuck. How come no one told me about this!!! The things you miss when you stop reading the (government propaganda distribution) newspapers.

Right, so I’m definitely going. Definitely. Better book the tickets now.

“MIDAREZAKI YUUKA LIGHTSABER SLASH!”

Oh god, I lawl’d. That was certainly embarrassing. Gawd, I loved how Ouka did all the smokescreen effects by shooting on the ground with an AK-47. Hardcore man.

Well, it’s not all fun and laughter though, as we glimpse a bit in to the past of all the Enka children, who each have their own trauma’s etc. etc. Well, the usual stuff for me. I’m not easily moved nowadays. Let’s just hope they don’t get in to the way of the insanity much.

P.S. :/r/ more Yuuka going “Hauu~~~” and in gothic dresses.

FUCK YES Hinagiku GET! WINGET IS WIN!

Somehow, despite a ton of things I could’ve done, I went to marathon Gonzo’s Romeo x Juliet. Sigh….

Laments on delayed work aside, it’s an okay show by Gonzo. Sadly, it’s not as epic as I expected from it. It’s good enough to keep me watching on, but yet, it lacks a certain “X Factor” to it that makes it memorable as a show.

I guess… it would be the disappointing way they ended the show, with the random plot of the Escalus tree thrown in and all. While Romeo did his best to save Juliet, it was… disheartening of me to see that he got killed, then Juliet followed his path too. Yeah, I know it’s supposed to be like that in the original… but I guess I got too attached to both of them. Well, in a way, they did get together in the end… T_T. BTW, am I the only one who feels like it’s too much similar to Last Exile? Only in a rather bad way though.

Another factor that triggers my dislike is the overarching plot of Juliet to take revenge on the Montagues, egged on by her guardians. It was also rather messily done too, with a bloodless rebellion in the end. Just… didn’t have that “epic” feel I was hoping for. Plus I really didn’t agree with her being forced on the responsibility too.

Well, there are also good things about the show. While the romance part was definitely sappy, I didn’t dislike it. Somehow along the show, I got attached to both Romeo and Juliet, and I guess it is perhaps the most redeeming factor of the show. Well, I guess this is already quite clear from my earlier statements.

Another thing is Lena Park’s theme song, Inori - You Raise Me Up. It’s definitely an awesome song, which fits in to the theme of the show way more than the show did, for me. A slow, simple and uplifting theme song that really touches the soul. I’d probably remember this song far longer than the series.

In conclusion… Romeo x Juliet is an okay show, but it didn’t live up to my expectations. Still, it had a good cast of characters in it, but the way they developed the story could’ve done better. It does have an awesomely memorable theme song for it though.

Mmm~~ C.C.

Aired as usual, with no cuts or changes. Posting was delayed thanks to overloaded server though, so if you can, please do donate to the ongoing donation drive :).

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Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRPnvxmE6d4

Okay, this show has turned rather interesting now. King Gilgamesh managed to survive unharmed from the assassination attempt, apparently due to the curse of Druaga, and Kaaya is probably way more older than she looks like. At the least, it seems that she and King Gilgamesh knows each other, and she also knows a lot more about the tower than she lets on about. While she also seems to give off a feeling of innocence, she sure does know how make people see things her way :). This show might not be so cliched as I thought.

Koopa and Melt finally get some well-deserved screentime, and Koopa is definitely win. When she did that “Mikuru-beam” pose, I half-expected “kira~kira~” stars to pop out lol. Minorin-sama is definitely having fun doing her voice.

Wonder if we’ll see a KOOPA BEEEMU!

Even Chizuru-san’s a bit shy.

You know all those people saying that “Kanokon sucks because it’s a fanservice show!” ? They’re all wrong. It’s a softcore show now.

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That “motteike” song she sings in the first episode is stuck in my head. O~single, when art thou released?

I’m kinda late in jumping in to the bandwagon for blogging Macross Frontier, but I’ve been actually following it since episode 1 aired. So far, I can say it’s the show I’m most impressed with in this season, whether it is for the musical emphasis with some truly great songs already used, or for the beautiful production quality, or for the cast of instantly likable and some quirky characters. God I loved Ranka’s “nyan~ nyan~” enactment. That thing sure got stuck in my head as well.

I’m also impressed with how they manage to tie it in to the Macross universe, yet not connect it so tightly that first time viewers, like myself, are lost in it. This is really my first time watching a Macross series, so I’m glad I’m not so bogged down in not knowing anything at all about the previous Macross shows.

In terms of star power, Yuuichi Nakamura is doing a good job, and his name seems to be rising pretty well, after his big break as Tomoya in CLANNAD. I still get flashes of Tomoya when he speaks as Alto though, there’s a certain “emo”-ness in Alto that reminds me of Tomoya as well, although in Alto’s case, he’s more towards looking like a girl than being able to smoothly deal with them, haha. Alto-hime for the win!(?)

Aya Endo’s Sheryl Nome is pretty awesome too, especially when I only remember her for Miyuki in Lucky Star. There’s even seiyuu jokes made out of it already, LOL. Initially coming off as a “bitchy” type, I’ve slowly warmed up to her as she shows her various sides, especially in episode 3 when she encourages Ranka to go for her dreams. Her songs are all generally awesome, and Yoko Kanno is definitely win. God, I can’t wait for the singles >.<

Megumi Nakajima’s debut as Ranka Lee also deserves mention, and although her performance is still rather rough around the edges, she’s doing a good job. Her singing voice is pretty decent too, Aimo being quite a good, dreamy listen. Looking forward to see how she performs in the Miss Macross Frontier competition XD. I’m kinda interested in her cellphone/communicator too. It’s like…. o.0?