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	<title>Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog &#187; Code Geass</title>
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	<description>WITCHES DON’T REFO~RM☆</description>
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		<title>2008 in Review: The Good, the Bad and the WTF?!</title>
		<link>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2009/01/01/2008-in-review-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wtf/</link>
		<comments>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2009/01/01/2008-in-review-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wtf/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:00:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kurogane Shiroikaze</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Akane-iro Somaru Saka]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CLANNAD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Code Geass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Da Capo II]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[H2O ~footprints in the sand~]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lucky Star]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Macross Frontier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Negima]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Otaku]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shigofumi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spice and Wolf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wagaya no Oinari-sama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zero no Tsukaima
]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ef - a tale of melodies]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2009/01/01/2008-in-review-the-good-the-bad-and-the-wtf/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
This post is dedicated to the good, the bad and the WTF&#8217;s of this year. It&#8217;s really been an interesting year&#8230;.. 
Heh, I was supposed to post this yesterday, but with all the shopping, satelite tracking, celebrations and epic rickrolling, I only finished it today. I guess this will be my first real post of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/2008IR_cover_2.jpg" alt="2008 in Review" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "486" /></p>
<p><del datetime="2009-01-01T07:48:30+00:00">This post is dedicated to the good, the bad and the WTF&#8217;s of this year. It&#8217;s really been an interesting year&#8230;.. </del></p>
<p>Heh, I was supposed to post this yesterday, but with all the shopping, <a href="/2008/12/31/the-satelite-tracking-of-aya-hirano/">satelite tracking</a>, celebrations and <a href="/2009/01/01/the-epic-rickroll-of-aya-hirano/">epic rickrolling</a>, I only finished it today. I guess this will be my first real post of 2009, hehehe. </p>
<p>Anyways, the point of this post is to relive the more memorable moments of 2008 for me, in terms of anime and such. Another year filled with good things, bad shit and &#8220;just WTF were they thinking?!&#8221; craziness. </p>
<p><span id="more-1652"></span></p>
<p><strong><font size = '4'>The Good.</font></strong></p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Redeeming ending of the year: <a href="/category/anime/code-geass/">Code Geass R2</a></strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_25_sob.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396"/></p>
<p>I have to admit, despite the general descent to craziness, R2 managed to cap it off with one of the more touching endings of this year. Rest in peace, dear prince, rest in peace. </p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Studio of the year: <a href="http://www.gonzo.co.jp/">Studio Gonzo</a></strong></font></p>
<p>Despite the general decline of their quality, one thing makes Studio Gonzo stand out this year, the beginning of their free online streaming of their shows, WITH SUBTITLES, on major video-sharing sites such as Youtube and Crunchyroll. </p>
<p>Probably the single most celebrated initiative by any Japanese production company in this decade, Gonzo braved through critisicm from their peers in the industry and semi-legalized what most fans have been doing all along anyways. </p>
<p>Besides, their shows this year weren&#8217;t all that crap. Strike Witches even made it in to my Top of 2008 list, not to mention the more significant milestone of topping <a href="http://zepy.momotato.com/2008/10/16/summer-anime-dvd-sales/">the DVD sales chart</a>. Let&#8217;s just hope <a href="http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2008/11/11/gonzo-guts-anime-production-over-losses-output-to-halve/">news of their near-demise</a> is greatly exaggerated. </p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Pose of the year: Ranka&#8217;s (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ pose, Macross Frontier </strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/macross_frontier/macrossf_11_14.jpg" alt="Seikan Hikou" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396"/></p>
<p>Seriously, is there any challenge for this award? Ranka&#8217;s (ﾉゝ∀･)~キラ☆ pose has been spotted <a href="/2008/08/28/in-soviet-russia-%ef%be%89%e3%82%9d%e2%88%80%ef%bd%a5%e3%82%ad%e3%83%a9%e2%98%86-does-you/">even on politicians</a>. There&#8217;s something to be said about that pose that&#8217;s so powerful it <a href="/2008/06/27/fastest-delivery/">disarmed an entire platoon of rebelling alien giants</a>. </p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>GAR Male of the year: Negi Springfield, Mahou Sensei Negima. </strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/GMotY-Negi.jpg" alt="Negima!" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "462" /></p>
<p>Sure there was Ozma Lee and Orange-kun, but this year&#8217;s GAR award goes to Negi for sure. Especially after <a href="/2008/07/12/negima-219-negi-is-now-officially-gar/">single-handedly pwning a professional bounty group with his bare fists</a>.</p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Furry of the Year: Horo</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/FotY-Horo.jpg" alt="Horo" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "525" /><br />
Anyone disagrees?</p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Miko of the Year: Kou</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/MotY-Kou.jpg" alt="Kou" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "647" /></p>
<p>I thank the gods for Wagaya no Oinari-sama for fulfilling my miko quota this year.</p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Gym Shorts of the Year: Fujibayashi Kyou, CLANNAD series</strong></font></p>
<p><img src = "/image/clannad/CLANNAD_17_kyou_fell_down.jpg" alt = "CLANNAD" class = "centered" width = "640" height = "480"/></p>
<p><a href="/2008/02/10/clannad-17-kyou-side/">Legendary episode is legendary</a>. CLANNAD 17 nearly pulled <del datetime="2008-12-29T07:44:59+00:00">my trousers down</del> me over the edge. That said, balancing two coins on top of each other is a task I still fail to achieve T_T.</p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Imouto of the Year: Sunohara Mei, CLANNAD series</strong></font></p>
<p>&#8220;What are you saying? Onii-chan, you&#8217;re acting strange~&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Why can&#8217;t I call you &#8216;Onii-chan&#8217;, Onii-chan?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Onii-chan~ what should Mei do?&#8221;</p>
<p><img src="http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4025/poster646425692288057ch3.jpg" alt="CLANNAD" class = "centered" width = "600" height = "750"/></p>
<p><a href="/2008/10/17/clannad-after-story-03-saishuu-heiki-imouto/">Saishuu Heiki Imouto Sunohara Mei</a>. God damn you Sunohara for having such a cute lil&#8217; sister! </p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Cosplay of the Year: Hiiragi Kagami, Lucky Star as Hatsune Miku, VOCALOID series</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/CotY-Kagamiku.jpg" alt="Kagamiku" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "544"/></p>
<p>It just fits her so well. KyoAni really has a knack to stir up their fans and hit them right where it counts. </p>
<p><strong><font size = '4'>The Bad</font></strong></p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Disappointment of the year: <a href="/category/anime/ef-a-tale-of-melodies/">ef &#8211; a tale of melodies</a>.</strong></font></p>
<p>After the highly praised ef &#8211; a tale of memories, the inevitable announcement of the sequel was a happy news for me, but sadly, the show itself didn’t quite match up to the first season in terms of connecting the audience to the characters and the pacing was, quite frankly, awful. Even the ending lost some impact despite of its intended tear-jerking qualities due to how rushed the final two episodes were. SHAFT&#8230; if only&#8230; if only&#8230; </p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>“I only watched this because of my favourite seiyuus were in it” show of the year: <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/category/anime/kanokon/">Kanokon</a>.</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/kanokon/kanokon_12_end.jpg " alt="Kanokon" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396"/></p>
<p>Oh, the power of a seiyuu(s) doing crazy roles compels me to watch even the shittiest of shows. </p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>“I can’t believe I actually finished watching this show” of the year: <a href="/category/anime/da-capo-ii/">D.C. II. S.S</a> &#038; <a href="/category/anime/zero-no-tsukaima/">Zero no Tsukaima III</a>.</strong></font></p>
<p>Honestly. The fact I actually followed both those shows until the very end should win me an honorary title or something. Especially for finishing the piece of shit that was ZnT III. Even the DVD OVA. </p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Controversial Ending of the Year: <a href="/2008/12/19/akane-iro-goes-for-the-wincest-end/">Akane-iro Somaru Saku.</a></strong></font></p>
<p>Akane-iro seemed like it went down the much more supported Yuuhi end, made more significant since it was the first time in YEARS that Rie Kugimiya voiced an ACTUAL tsundere, but betrayed all expectations of Yuuhi camps to choose a WINCEST ENDING with &#8220;Imouto of the Year&#8221; runner-up, Nagase Minato. Really reminds me of <a href="/2006/06/26/canvas2-wrap-up/">a certain 2005 show&#8230;.</a></p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Most Tragic Death of the Year: Shirley Fenette, Code Geass R2</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/DotY-Shirley.jpg" alt="Shirley" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "807" /></p>
<p>SHIRLEY!!!!!!!!!! BAWWWWWWWWWWWW. That homo shota totally misunderstood her and killed her despite that she actually kept Lelouch’s identity a secret even after she remembered it. It was made even more painful as she confessed her love for Lelouch as she lay dying in his lap. I could write volumes more about her death, but I’ll just leave it at here, it’s too painful to continue talking about it.</p>
<p><strong><font size = '4'>The WTF?!</font></strong></p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>WTF Ending of the year: H2O ~Footprints in the sand~</strong></font></p>
<p>H2O almost ended up in the previous category, but thanks to it&#8217;s ending, it barely escapes that and instead making it over here. Sure the ending had its good bits, but dear god, it was still bloody &#8220;WTF?!&#8221;. One thing&#8217;s for sure, H2O managed to rock my soul. </p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>WTF Father of the year: Mikawa Kirameki, Shigofumi</strong></font></p>
<p>Norio Wakamoto nearly ended up here, but Mikawa Kirameki really is the better (or worse) choice for this award. Probably the biggest narcissist ever seen in an anime, you really have to admit his dedication for beauty was awe-inspiring and disgusting at the same time. Poor Fumika T_T.</p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>WTF Mother of the year: Queen Marianne, Code Geass R2</strong></font></p>
<p>After making Marianne out as some sort of heroic existence throughout most of Geass, it was surprising to discover that she was still alive all this while, hiding inside the body of a loli. Then when she finally appears before Lelouch, the first damn thing she does is to do a single can-can styled twirl to greet him. And to think she was one of the big reasons that Lelouch became a ruthless manipulator who would sacrifice even his siblings to find out the truth behind her &#8220;death&#8221;. Sigh&#8230;</p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Control Mechanism of the Year: Nipple controllers from Magical Heart Kokoro-chan.</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/schooldays/MHKC_cockpit.jpg" alt="Mahou Shoujo Kokoro-chan" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "755" /></p>
<p>Really one of the single most WTF moments in anime this year, the supposedly April Fool&#8217;s joke that was Magical Heart Kokoro-chan actually came to life as an OVA and 0verflow sure made a lot of people 0verflow with it. </p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Prettiest Male of the Year: Saotome Alto, Macross Frontier</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/PMotY-Alto.jpg" alt="Alto'" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396"/></p>
<p>Admit it. Alto is undeniably the prettiest amongst the trio, especially when he is in his Sakurahime-mode. </p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Trap of the Year: Hamaji Yakumo, H2O ~Footprints in the sand~</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/TotY-Hamaji.jpg" alt="Hamaji" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "902"/></p>
<p>Solely in this list because not only he&#8217;s 99% a girl already, he actually manages to score with his best friend to the point of marrying and having kids AND THE WIFE DOESN&#8217;T MIND HIM STILL CROSSDRESSING! Living proof that traps can still achieve real happiness.</p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>Wasted yuri potential: Sheryl x Alto x Ranka</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/WYP-SxAxR.jpg" alt="Macross Frontier" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "965"/></p>
<p>Macross Frontier would&#8217;ve been 100x more awesome if Alto was really a girl. Yuri love triangle three-some&#8230;. ooohh I shiver at the thought.</p>
<p><font size = '2'><strong>&#8220;What was I thinking when I was doing this&#8221; Post of the Year: <a href="/2008/04/01/i-am-now-heartbroken-tt/">&#8220;I am now heartbroken….. T.T&#8221;</a></strong></font></p>
<p>The Suki Suki Sat-chan fanclub is still accepting membership applications. </p>
<p>&copy;2009 <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net">Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p>.]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>2008 in Review: Picks of 2008</title>
		<link>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/12/30/2008-in-review-picks-of-2008/</link>
		<comments>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/12/30/2008-in-review-picks-of-2008/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:28:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kurogane Shiroikaze</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CLANNAD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Code Geass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Detroit Metal City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Evangelion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ga-Rei Zero]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Itazura na Kiss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kannagi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lucky Star]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Macross Frontier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spice and Wolf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Strike Witches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kurenai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[true tears]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/12/30/2008-in-review-picks-of-2008/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Another year passes. Man, it&#8217;s hard to believe I&#8217;m already in to my 9th year of being an otaku as well as my 4th year of blogging. Time sure flies. I&#8217;m now well over 1500 posts with nearly 16k comments, and it&#8217;s thanks to everyone&#8217;s support that I&#8217;ve gotten so far.
This year was marked by [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/2008IR_cover_image.jpg" alt="2008 in Review" class = "centered" width = "700" height= "519"/></p>
<p>Another year passes. Man, it&#8217;s hard to believe I&#8217;m already in to my 9th year of being an otaku as well as my 4th year of blogging. Time sure flies. I&#8217;m now well over 1500 posts with nearly 16k comments, and it&#8217;s thanks to everyone&#8217;s support that I&#8217;ve gotten so far.</p>
<p>This year was marked by an increased number of good shows, but surprisingly, it wasn&#8217;t as &#8220;happening&#8221; as last year. To put it in another way, while the average increased, the top end of the bell curve wasn&#8217;t as high as last year. Nevertheless, this year still had its moments. </p>
<p>My choices here aren&#8217;t particularly graded using a strict measure, it&#8217;s more of an overall rating of shows of this year that I greatly enjoyed in one way or another, so please view it as that rather than a solid indicator of quality. </p>
<p>Of course, being a mere mortal with a real life outside of the Internet, I will inevitably miss a few gems here and there, so feel free to voice up any other shows that you, my dear reader, believe I should have watched and not missed for this year. </p>
<p>With that said, here&#8217;s the list.</p>
<p><span id="more-1649"></span></p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>14. <a href="/category/anime/spice-and-wolf/">Spice and Wolf</a></strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/14-spicewolf.jpg" alt="Spice and Wolf" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "438" /></p>
<p>Mmm&#8230; economics animu. Well, actually calling &#8220;fox god animu&#8221; would suit it better because, seriously, everyone only watched it for the bundle of furriness that is Horo. </p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>13. <a href="/2008/09/26/lucky-star-ova-original-visuals-and-animations/">Lucky Star OVA</a> </strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/luckystar/rakisuta_OVA_046.jpg" alt="Lucky Star OVA" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396"/></p>
<p>Kagamiku! Tsunderella! Cherry-dog! <a href="http://ani-nouto.animeblogger.net/2008/12/26/evirus-on-christmas-cake/">Christmas-cake Nanako!</a> Kagamiku! Oh wait, already said that. </p>
<p>Anyways, the Lucky Star OVA was awesome because we all missed the cast of Lucky Star so badly, especially in this KeyAni-dominated year. Not to say that&#8217;s a bad thing but we all missed the light-heartedness. Here&#8217;s to hoping for another extension or a spiritual successor of the awesomeness that was Lucky Star.</p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>12. <a href="/category/anime/nogizaka-haruka-no-himitsu/">Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu</a></strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/12-Nogizaka_Haruka.jpg" alt="Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "437" /></p>
<p>Honestly, Noto-sama as a closet otaku ojou-sama? I&#8217;m sold. </p>
<p>While NHnH seemed like it&#8217;ll be a one-trick pony, it had a surprisingly coherent plot and good character development, characterized by a few <a href="/2008/07/25/nogizaka-harukas-secret-03/">choice</a> <a href="/2008/08/23/nogizaka-harukas-secret-07/">episodes</a>. That, and Mika is <a href="/2008/08/30/nogizaka-harukas-secret-08/">fucking jailbait</a>. </p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>11. Itazura na Kiss</strong></font> </p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/11-itakiss.jpg" alt="Itazura na Kiss" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "698" /></p>
<p>The Nana Mizuki show of the year. Honestly after last year&#8217;s <a href="/2008/01/16/tokyo-marble-chocolate/">Tokyo Marble Chocolate</a>, I realize Nana&#8217;s niche is the slightly naive yet earnest young adult women where she really can be her character. (I suspect it&#8217;s because she seems to draw it from her own experiences)</p>
<p>Itazura na Kiss was mainly enjoyable because of that and we even got a full season of Nana Mizuki from it. I realize a lot of people didn&#8217;t like the show&#8217;s pacing, but it was quite fine to me considering how they were putting in nearly 10 years of story in to 25 episodes.</p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>10. Natsume Yuujinchou</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/10-Natsume_Yuujinchou.jpg" alt="Natsume Yuujinchou" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "500"  /></p>
<p>Natsume Yuujinchou wasn&#8217;t really in my fielding range until someone IRL recommended it enthusiastically and I tried it out. Oh boy I sure got hooked on it. With tinges of Mushishi and a very likable cast (moe moe fox shouta!) I just couldn&#8217;t stop watching it. So glad to hear there&#8217;s a second season to it too, premiering next month. </p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>9. <a href="/category/anime/detroit-metal-city/">Detroit Metal City</a></strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/dmc/dmc_02_01.jpg" alt="Detroit Metal City" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "397"/></p>
<p>GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! </p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>8. Kurenai</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/8-kurenai.jpg" alt="Kurenai" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "600" /></p>
<p>kurenai, characterized by the moe-moe bundle that is Murasaki and the tight writing and direction by Kou Matsuo, really deserves mention for this year. The ending was kinda unexpected, but it only served to enhance the &#8220;deep&#8221;-ness of the story. </p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>7. Strike Witches</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/7-Strike_Witches.jpg" alt="Strike Witches" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "471" /></p>
<p>One of the surprises this year, I initially balked at the premise of SW&#8217;s no-pantsu flying mecha musume. I mean, for god&#8217;s sake, the fanservice is just so fucking blatant. Despite that, and to my own pride, I finally watched it in a batch once it was finished and I was so hooked I finished it in two sittings. </p>
<p>SW&#8217;s appeal, once you get over the lack of proper lower body wear, lies in the light-heartedness and optimism of the characters. Gonzo also managed to give equal exposure to every one in the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, and the pacing meant that the show wasn&#8217;t too &#8220;draggy&#8221; unlike the other mecha musume anime Sky Girls (still struggling to finish it). The infamous pantsu-stealing episode also nearly killed me from all the laughing I did. </p>
<p>So, despite my initial hatred of the series, it&#8217;s really surprising how things can change, and now SW&#8217;s in my Pick of 2008 list. Well, if you can&#8217;t win &#8216;em, join &#8216;em. :P</p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>6. <a href="/category/anime/clannad/">CLANNAD</a></strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/6-CLANNAD.jpg" alt="CLANNAD" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "519" /></p>
<p>Gym-shorts Kyou! Killer violin Kotomi! Tomoyo <del datetime="2008-12-28T06:21:12+00:00">Raptor</del> Kick! &#8220;Why can&#8217;t I call you onii-san, onii-san?&#8221; Mei! Sanae Rainbow Bread! Dictionary attack! Starfish girl! Nagisa x Ryou! </p>
<p>Yeah, I could probably go on and on, but suffice to say, CLANNAD was pretty damn enjoyable despite being the third KeyAni outing in the past 4 years. </p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>5. <a href="/category/anime/code-geass/">Code Geass R2</a></strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/5-CodeGeassR2.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "529" /></p>
<p>Despite the illogical plot, despite all the mindfucking, despite all the copying from Evangelion, it&#8217;s undeniable that Code Geass R2 was the most entertaining show this year, singlehandedly. Being surprised after every mind-fucking episode and subsequently reading the reactions from other fans really drew out the worst from me. Never had I had so much fun with post titles, ha ha. </p>
<p>Despite all that, the ending was surprisingly epic and half redeemed the series for me. Lelouch BAWWWWWWW!!!! Still, I don&#8217;t think I can rewatch the series again if for the lack of Geass Sundays. That was practically 75% of the reason I persevered on till the end. </p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>4. <a href="/category/anime/ga-rei-zero/">Ga Rei Zero</a></strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/fall08/ga-rei_04_01.jpg" alt="Ga-Rei Zero" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396"/></p>
<p>Can&#8217;t mention this year w/o talking about the <a href="/2008/12/25/%e3%80%8cmessage%e3%80%8d%e3%80%8cyuri-mu-croquette%e3%80%8d/">yuri croquette</a> that is Ga-Rei Zero. First, it rickrolled us all by presenting a totally unrelated cast for the promos and the first episode, only to kill &#8216;em all by the end of it. Only then it went for the real deal, the untold past story of Kagura and Yomi from the original manga, justifying the &#8220;Zero&#8221; part of its name. It also gave me another reason to like Pocky, XD.</p>
<p>Ga-Rei Zero is also notable for the crazy inventory of weapons, ranging from the gun-katanas, an iron, <a href="/2008/10/27/ga-rei-zero-04">a boiler</a> and the bloody <a href="/2008/12/16/ga-rei-zero-11/">weaponized wheelchair</a>. Oh and not to forget the bike-fu from Natsuki in episode 1 too. That was awesome. </p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>3. <a href="/category/anime/kannagi/">Kannagi </a></strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/3-Kannagi.jpg" alt="Kannagi" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "484" /></p>
<p>Kannagi oh Kannagi. This quirky comedy show about a bunch of crazy shrine maidens by the much-talked about Yamamoto Yutaka sure delivered the laughs. The <a href="/2008/12/07/kannagi-10/">karaoke episode</a> also made its mark on me. Oh god <a href="/2008/12/08/shirigeya-shirigeyaa/">Takako made me shat bricks</a>.</p>
<p>While the show was generally light-hearted, Kannagi veered in to serious &#8220;self-existential&#8221; drama for its final arc, proving Yamakan&#8217;s directing chops isn&#8217;t limited just making people laugh. This is one show I wouldn&#8217;t mind seeing more of in the future.</p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>2. <a href="/category/anime/macross-frontier/">Macross Frontier</a></strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/2-MacrossFrontier.jpg" alt="Macross Frontier" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "441" /></p>
<p>Ah, Macross Frontier, my first foray in to the world of Intergalactic Song Wars and Variable Fighters. The show started off a strong note, but really tapered down towards the end, ending with an non-ending kind of ending. </p>
<p>Despite that, the love triangle was still pretty epic towards the end, and the songs of the show are inevitably the best I&#8217;ve heard this year. The songs were the biggest redeeming factor for the show as things went rather downhill. God bless Yoko Kanno \o/. I still wish there was a solid ending though&#8230; </p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>1. <a href="/category/anime/true-tears/">true tears</a></strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/1-true_tears.jpg" alt="true tears" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "492"/></p>
<p>The only show this year that was so good that I made a <a href="/2008/02/05/in-defense-of-hiromi/">rare and passionate opinion post</a> about it. P.A. Works first independent work, it was initially expected to be another eroge adaptation, but quickly turned out to be something much more different. </p>
<p>true tears took everyone by surprise by the clean, crisp visuals, leading P.A. Works to be given the moniker of the second KyoAni. Director Junji Nishimura also kept the story and character development really engaging, coupled with how he kept everyone guessing about the final resolution until the very end, provided weeks of debates amongst fans as to who would end up with whom.</p>
<p><font size = '3'><strong>Movie of the year: Evangelion 1.01 You are (not) alone</strong></font></p>
<p><img src="/image/misc/2008IR/MotY-Evangelion.jpg" alt="Evangelion 1.0" class = "centered" width = "700" height = "901"/></p>
<p>It was technically released last year, but Evangelion 1.01 is more of a 2008 show for me since the DVD (<a href="/2008/04/30/the-unboxing-of-evangelion-101-le-dvd/">which I proudly bought</a>) came out this year and even made it in <a href="/2008/07/13/watching-evangelion-10-on-the-silver-screen/">to local shores</a>, which was a real surprise for me. </p>
<p>While many critized it for being another attempt by Gainax to cash in on the franchise, it&#8217;s undeniable the show has gotten a much needed facelift from it&#8217;s original 1995 incarnation. The action cinematography culminating in the sniping of Angel Ramiel was simply awesome. </p>
<p>Sure it might be another milking of the fans, but Anno Hideaki is delivering the goods here too. Looking forward to 2.0 in 2009. Asuka \o/!</p>
<p>And that wraps up my first 2008 in Review post. There&#8217;s another one coming up after this, where I&#8217;ll be talking about the other noteworthy things that happened this year. </p>
<p>&copy;2009 <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net">Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>33</slash:comments>
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		<title>Lelouch ;A; (YES THIS IS A SPOILER!!!)</title>
		<link>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/28/lelouch-a-yes-this-is-a-spoiler/</link>
		<comments>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/28/lelouch-a-yes-this-is-a-spoiler/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kurogane Shiroikaze</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Code Geass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/28/lelouch-a-yes-this-is-a-spoiler/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
( ﾟдﾟ)

Lelouch!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;AAAAAAAAAAAA;
Oh god, he meant to commit suicide all along. Shit I&#8217;ve gotta admit I shed a tear for him. 
R2&#8217;s ending just redeemed most of the stupidity of the past few episodes well enough for me. 
Finally, a small little troll by Sunrise.

Orange in an orange farm!
Also he ends up with Anya. WTFUX?!
P.S. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_25_stab.jpg " alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<h5 class = "caption">( ﾟдﾟ)</h5>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_25_sob.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396"/></p>
<h5 class = "caption">Lelouch!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;AAAAAAAAAAAA;</h5>
<p>Oh god, he meant to commit suicide all along. Shit I&#8217;ve gotta admit I shed a tear for him. </p>
<p>R2&#8217;s ending just redeemed most of the stupidity of the past few episodes well enough for me. </p>
<p>Finally, a small little troll by Sunrise.</p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_25_oranges.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396"/></p>
<h5 class = "caption">Orange in an orange farm!</h5>
<p>Also he ends up with Anya. WTFUX?!</p>
<p>P.S. : As for the others&#8230;</p>
<ul>
<li>Kallen lives back with her mom and pulls a Rei on the way to school</li>
<li>Milly is still a newscaster.</li>
<li>Nunnally is now the Empress. Suzaku becomes Zero. Ougi I guess becomes the Sec-Gen of the UFN.</li>
<li>Everyone blames Lelouch (Maou Lelouch LOL) for everything, so the world is peaceful now.</li>
<li>Tamaki runs a bar. A BAR! Bartender Tamaki HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.</li>
<li>Ougi and Villetta marry, Japanese style.</li>
<li>Damocles burns up in the sun. Stupid decision if you ask me. They could&#8217;ve recycled it instead.</li>
<li>C.C. resumes travelling. God she sure loves Cheese-kun. She does her Marianne-thing to Lelouch but the dialogue is vague enough to make you think she&#8217;s also talking to herself.</li>
</ul>
<p>The rest I can&#8217;t see since the raw is HorribleRaws. Waiting for the HD ones now. </p>
<p>P.S. 2: Man, this is sooo CLAMP-ish.</p>
<p>P.S. 3: <del datetime="2008-09-28T10:24:36+00:00">Stole</del>Borrowed <a href="http://randomc.animeblogger.net/2008/09/28/code-geass-r2-25-end/">Omni&#8217;s caps</a>. God I just love that guy. Here&#8217;s the two pics I was talking about.</p>
<p><a href="/image/geassR2/geassR2_25_pics01full.jpg"><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_25_pics01.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396"/></a></p>
<p>Interesting pictures here. Why do I see Diethard there lol? Also, Tamaki trying to put the moves on to Hong Gu (is that her name?) was LOL. The bottom right pic is even weirder. Gino and Tianzi together LOLWUT? Gino ish a rorikon?</p>
<p><a href="/image/geassR2/geassR2_25_pics02full.jpg"><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_25_pics02.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396"/></a></p>
<p>And finally, Ohgi&#8217;s wedding pics. Notably absent is Xingke, so I wager he finally kicked the bucket. Tianzi looks OH-SO-CUTE-OMOCHIKAERITAIII!! as the bridesmaid. Anya looks positively drunk or that is just sheer QUALITY and I can&#8217;t believe that SERIOUSLY MINOR CHARACTER (next to Rivalz) actually appeared in the pic as well! The Ikaruga bridge bunnies also managed to survive unharmed too.</p>
<p>Looks like Toudou and Chiba hooked up as well, good for her. Other couplings seem to be Gino and Kallen, Lloyd and Cecile while Cornelia and Guildford probably still have that awkward &#8220;I-love-you-but-we-not-the-same-class&#8221; kinda relationship there, judging from the body language. Guildford smile sure looks QUALITY as well. </p>
<p>&copy;2009 <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net">Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>107</slash:comments>
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		<title>CODE GEASS FINAL EPISODE SPOILERS FROM 2CH LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL</title>
		<link>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/26/code-geass-final-episode-spoilers-from-2ch-lololololololol/</link>
		<comments>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/26/code-geass-final-episode-spoilers-from-2ch-lololololololol/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:46:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kurogane Shiroikaze</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Code Geass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/26/code-geass-final-episode-spoilers-from-2ch-lololololololol/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So eh, since some one posted it up on 4chan, might as well post this up for posterity. 
DO NOT FUCKING COMPLAIN ABOUT GETTING SPOILED IF YOU READ THIS. I&#8217;ve put enough safe guards in place, so unless you WANT TO BE SPOILED, you CAN&#8217;T BE SPOILED. 
4ch-translated 2ch spoilers omgwtfroflol &#9660;


Kanon shows up and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So eh, since some one posted it up on 4chan, might as well post this up for posterity. </p>
<p>DO NOT FUCKING COMPLAIN ABOUT GETTING SPOILED IF YOU READ THIS. I&#8217;ve put enough safe guards in place, so unless you WANT TO BE SPOILED, you CAN&#8217;T BE SPOILED. </p>
<p><a href="javascript:void(null);" onclick="s_toggleDisplay(document.getElementById('SID1608971588'), this, '4ch-translated 2ch spoilers omgwtfroflol &#9660;', 'Sounds pretty sad &#9650;');">4ch-translated 2ch spoilers omgwtfroflol &#9660;</a></p>
<div id='SID1608971588' style='display:none;'>
<ul>
<li>Kanon shows up and applies a portable Geass canceler to Schneizel, who then shoots Lelouch who is talking to Nunally.</li>
<li>Nunally orders Schneizel to not kill him and simply lock him up, as Lelouch flails on the floor, bleeding.</li>
<li>Schneizel shoots Nunally.</li>
<li>Lelouch gets fucking pissed and gathers up enough strength to stand up and punch Schneizel, who shrugs the punch off and shoots him again.</li>
<li>Suzaku busts through the wall and impales Kanon to a wall and then knocks Schneizel to the ground.</li>
<li>Lelouch uses this time to raise a gun to Schneizel and says &#8220;Checkmate&#8221; and shoots him in the head, killing him.</li>
<li>Lelouch and Suzaku take Nunally outside to get her medical attention. Lelouch announces that Schneizel is dead, Nunally is wounded and they are calling for a cease fire.</li>
<li>Kaguya, Xing-ke and his loli accept the cease fire, but Lelouch&#8217;s soldiers won&#8217;t stop fighting, as they are under the control of Geass.</li>
<li>Nina realizes that everything is her fault, and she goes out in a mech equipped with a FLEIYA, gets it to critical mass and gets into Lelouch&#8217;s soldier&#8217;s ranks, blowing them to hell and herself with them (FUCK YEAH!).</li>
<li>Kallen still thinks that this is all part of Lelouch&#8217;s world domination plan and attacks the mech carrying Lelouch, Suzaku and Nunally. They begin to fight, and Kallen manages to wreck the flight system on Suzaku&#8217;s mech, causing them to plummet to the ground.</li>
<li>Lelouch and Kallen stand off.</li>
<li>Lelouch and Kallen argue with each other.</li>
<li>Lelouch apologizes and tells Kallen to shoot him, &#8220;It is ok if it is by your hand.&#8221;</li>
<li>She tells him to say one last thing to Nunally. Nunally is still conscious, and asks him why he did all of this, and he tells her &#8220;to make the world a better place for you&#8221;. He then says to her &#8220;I did not want to use Geass on you&#8230; but forgive me&#8230;&#8221; He casts the geass and then whispers in her ear.</li>
<li>He then turns to Kallen, removes his hat, bows and tells her to shoot.</li>
<li>Bang.<br />
Fade to black.</li>
<li>Fast forward 2 years.</li>
<li>Lelouch and C.C. are living in the mountains, away from the rest of the world. Kallen shot Lelouch in such a way that he is now confined to a wheelchair. He is however happy.</li>
<li>Nunally is named Queen of Britannia.</li>
<li>Through peace talks, power is taken away from Britannia and freedom restored to the world.</li>
<li>Ougi and Viletta got married.</li>
<li>Orange and Sayoko are serving Nunally.</li>
<li>Cornelia was critically injured by Schnizel, so she cannot fight anymore, but she is now general and master tactician of the Britannian military, she is satisfied with Nunally&#8217;s position.</li>
<li>No one else died that you haven&#8217;t seen die yet.</li>
<li>Lelouch&#8217;s Geass to Nunally was that she forget he ever existed.</li>
<li>Fast forward x amount of years.</li>
<li>Lelouch is much older, sitting next to a grave. &#8220;Catherine Childs&#8221;</li>
<li>Fade to black, END.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Impressions? Sounds pretty fake to me, but sometimes, reality is far stranger than fiction so we&#8217;ll see if this really IS the final episode of Geass on Sunday. I wonder if which ending will be the better troll? MacF&#8217;s or Code Geass R2&#8217;s. </p>
<p>&copy;2009 <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net">Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>25</slash:comments>
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		<title>(A) Code Geass R2 24 (rant)</title>
		<link>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/24/a-code-geass-r2-24-rant/</link>
		<comments>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/24/a-code-geass-r2-24-rant/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:49:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kurogane Shiroikaze</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Code Geass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/24/a-code-geass-r2-24-rant/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Actually, I don&#8217;t really know what I should say more about the show. The show is&#8230; frankly speaking, actually, &#8220;has&#8221; ended for me a long time ago, and watching more of it going on to a downward spiral of disharmonic logic and sheer whacked out plot is just really hard to see when I actually [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Actually, I don&#8217;t really know what I should say more about the show. The show is&#8230; frankly speaking, actually, &#8220;has&#8221; ended for me a long time ago, and watching more of it going on to a downward spiral of disharmonic logic and sheer whacked out plot is just really hard to see when I actually liked the show before. It&#8217;s just like watching a distinguished war hero trying to wage another war just to experience past glories without taking in to consideration the feelings of the normal citizens who respect him and are willing to die for him, so he takes full advantage of it for his own joys at the cost of other&#8217;s happiness. Long analogy is long, but it best sums what I feel towards this series now. Sigh.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s see, Schneizel makes for a joke villain especially now that he&#8217;s became Lulu&#8217;s bitch. I mean, I read all the spoilers but it still didn&#8217;t prepare me for the sheer madness/stupidity of his motivations&#8230; which is none apparently. So for the first time, we actually have an antagonist that just decides to confront our protagonist because he thinks he&#8217;s supposed to do that. And really, Scheneizel as the first end-boss was fun for a moment but he turned oh-so-lame by running away at 70% HP! On the bright side, I think it was his just desserts to become Lulu&#8217;s bitch. </p>
<p>And Lulu. Oh Lulu. Admitedly the video recording was some impressive shit, but it certainly is stretching the limits of logic there since it had flawless timing. Heh, seriously, watching him run up all that flights of stairs after his Shinkiro got pwned was just hillarious. Should&#8217;ve shown him panting for the extra LULZ factor. </p>
<p>Then finally, Nunnally. Oh poor Nunnally. She sure has got her character messed up a lot at the endgame. Plus the sudden &#8220;OMG SHE CAN SEE!!&#8221; revelation was actually quite &#8220;WTF!&#8221; after you rewatch it again. I mean, like it&#8217;s done so damn arbitrarily that I&#8217;m surprised at why I went &#8220;WTF!&#8221; in the first place. </p>
<p>Now, I&#8217;m just wedging all my hopes for the final episode to actually tie up the loose ends. Somehow, I&#8217;m thinking we&#8217;ll never ever know what is the real truth behind the &#8220;Code&#8221; after all. They&#8217;ve been quite masterfully covering and throwing attention away from that part of the story up so nicely with all the SHOCK and AWE plot twists and developments. Perhaps they&#8217;ll leave it that way to open a possibility of another sequel/series/spin-off. </p>
<p>&copy;2009 <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net">Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>17</slash:comments>
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		<title>Nunnally has really creepy big eyes.</title>
		<link>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/21/nunnally-has-really-creepy-big-eyes/</link>
		<comments>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/21/nunnally-has-really-creepy-big-eyes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:07:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kurogane Shiroikaze</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Code Geass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/21/nunnally-has-really-creepy-big-eyes/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
OMG even Arthur acknowledges Lelouch as Emperor. 
Kallen vs C.C. Red vs Pink. Guess who wins. Personally I&#8217;m glad the pink kNIGHTMARE is gone. 
Table-chan whips up a Anti-FLEIJA lance for Lelouch. Lelouch, Suzaku and some grunts use it to penetrate Damocles in the instant FLEIJA gets shot. 
Gino vs Suzaku. Shinkiro gets trashed. Gino [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<ul>
<li>OMG even Arthur acknowledges Lelouch as Emperor. </li>
<li>Kallen vs C.C. Red vs Pink. Guess who wins. Personally I&#8217;m glad the pink k<strong>NIGHTMARE</strong> is gone. </li>
<li>Table-chan whips up a Anti-FLEIJA lance for Lelouch. Lelouch, Suzaku and some grunts use it to penetrate Damocles in the instant FLEIJA gets shot. </li>
<li>Gino vs Suzaku. Shinkiro gets trashed. Gino plays dirty and gets Kallen to two-time Suzaku.</li>
<li>Lelouch actually does some running up stairs! It&#8217;s crazy how fast he was.</li>
<li>Schneeze gets wet feet when Damocles is infiltrated, so he tries escapes while setting Damocles to self-destruct.</li>
<li>Lelouch reads Schneeze&#8217;s plans and pulls a Mao on him. So that&#8217;s what they meant with &#8220;The key is Schneizel&#8217;s heart&#8221; last week. Schneeze becomes Lelouch&#8217;s bitch and shoots the traitor Diethard.</li>
<li>Cornelia survives. The holy shit is Guilford surviving as well. So it looks like the only major casualty of the first FLEIJA is that bitch Romeyer. For some weird reason, Corny and Guilford are hospitalized at Penglai Island</li>
<li>Yeah, Nunnally manages to break Charles&#8217; Geass on her. SHE CAN SEE! And she challenges Lelouch to Geass her.</li>
</ul>
<p>I don&#8217;t know why, but that eye-opening scene by Nunnally was kinda creepy for me. Maybe it&#8217;s because her HUGE EYES THE SIZE OF DINNER PLATES contrasted so much with her usual closed-eye look. Someone in Sunrise must be aiming for QUALITY this episode. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geass_r2_24_omg_eyes.jpg " alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "480" height ="270"/></p>
<h5 class = "caption">OMG EYES! THEY SEE!!</h5>
<p>&copy;2009 <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net">Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>35</slash:comments>
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		<title>Code Geass R2 23</title>
		<link>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/15/code-geass-r2-23/</link>
		<comments>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/15/code-geass-r2-23/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:49:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kurogane Shiroikaze</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Code Geass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/15/code-geass-r2-23/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Surprisingly, the show is actually getting more and more intense rather than continuing on the route of putting out twists and turns like mad. I guess Goro still wants the show to end on a good note than to be labeled as another trainwreck. 
Lelouch is finally more&#8230; &#8220;human&#8221;, as I dare to say, and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_23_01.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width ="704" height = "396"/></p>
<p>Surprisingly, the show is actually getting more and more intense rather than continuing on the route of putting out twists and turns like mad. I guess Goro still wants the show to end on a good note than to be labeled as another trainwreck. </p>
<p>Lelouch is finally more&#8230; &#8220;human&#8221;, as I dare to say, and I am pleased to see he isn&#8217;t tied down to his sister as much as before, now that she&#8217;s declaring herself as his enemy. Suzaku played a big role in doing that I guess, as well as C.C., who returns back to being his only confidante on his true feelings. That short scene of them both in the bedroom was really touching. </p>
<p>Of course, the process of &#8220;humanizing&#8221; Lelouch comes with at the cost of &#8220;demonizing&#8221; Schneizel to the max, which we see in this episode as he calmly lies to Nunnally about the casulties sustained in the Pendragon attack, and even killing Cornelia once she finds out his true objectives to kill millions of people to attain his &#8220;eternal peace&#8221;. Sure, he has his point, but man&#8230; he is one scary motherfucker. No wonder Charles was so on-guard towards him despite of Lelouch&#8217;s existence. </p>
<p>Nunnally also is a poor victim of Schneizel&#8217;s manipulation, but it&#8217;s truly a wonder she actually agreed with all his plans, even to the point of &#8220;accepting my brother&#8217;s sins&#8221; by volunteering to be the one to shoot FLEIJA when it comes down to it. Unlike others, I don&#8217;t think I can really blame her though, but she should have really thought better of it.</p>
<p>Otherwise, the show is gearing up for the final run, and this episode illustrates it best with the collage of images in the first half, accompanied by hitomi&#8217;s wonderful &#8220;Innocent Days&#8221;. Looks like Viletta and Ohgi had been really active ever since they were reunited.</p>
<p>Next week will be pretty hard I guess. Looks like all the signs point to C.C&#8217;s inevitable death. But seriously. A pink Lancelot for her? I really want to kill someone for that now.</p>
<p>&copy;2009 <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net">Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
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		<title>Finger-operated machine guns are awesome.</title>
		<link>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/14/finger-operated-machine-guns-are-awesome/</link>
		<comments>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/14/finger-operated-machine-guns-are-awesome/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:11:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kurogane Shiroikaze</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Code Geass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/14/finger-operated-machine-guns-are-awesome/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Cornelia dies. After getting shot by a machine gun activated with a snap of Schneizel&#8217;s fingers. Terribly ignoble death for her I say. Terribly ignoble. I hope someone fulfills miasma&#8217;s request so I can use it for the lulz too. 
Otherwise, Geass R2 23 was actually way better than I thought. I was expecting tons [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style = "color: white;">Cornelia dies. After getting shot by a machine gun activated with a snap of Schneizel&#8217;s fingers.</span> Terribly ignoble death for her I say. Terribly ignoble. I hope someone fulfills <a href="http://trainwreck.ggkthx.org/2008/09/14/someone-go-make-image-ktks/">miasma&#8217;s request</a> so I can use it for the lulz too. </p>
<p>Otherwise, Geass R2 23 was actually way better than I thought. I was expecting tons of emo-drama, but that didn&#8217;t happen. Instead, they&#8217;re seriously trying to give the show a sense of closure already, very noticeable at the first half of the episode after Lelouch cuts off Nunnally. That C.C. x Lelouch scene was pretty touching ;.; </p>
<p>Second half has EPIC KNIGHTMARE AERIAL BATTLES. Exploding volcanoes thrown in for good measure as well. Honestly though, while the maneuvering shit was kinda lame at the start (blame <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_galactic_heroes">LoGH</a>), at least we didn&#8217;t get spammed with alternating footage of Guren/Lancelot pwning tons of the cannon fodder guys.</p>
<p>&copy;2009 <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net">Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<title>Code Geass R2 22</title>
		<link>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/08/code-geass-r2-22/</link>
		<comments>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/08/code-geass-r2-22/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:25:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kurogane Shiroikaze</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Code Geass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/08/code-geass-r2-22/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Yeah, this episode deserves a proper post. 


First off, I really have to congratulate Tamaki for being such a reliable comedy relief character. Seriously. It&#8217;s good to see Sunrise hasn&#8217;t left out some good running jokes even as crazy as the plot is now. In fact, Tamaki&#8217;s almost a symbol of coherency in the whole [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_01.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p>Yeah, this episode deserves a proper post. </p>
<p><span id="more-1408"></span></p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_02.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p>First off, I really have to congratulate Tamaki for being such a reliable comedy relief character. Seriously. It&#8217;s good to see Sunrise hasn&#8217;t left out some good running jokes even as crazy as the plot is now. In fact, Tamaki&#8217;s almost a symbol of coherency in the whole story right now. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_03.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p>Nina&#8217;s back to mooching at her scorned friend, Milly&#8217;s place. &#8220;I&#8217;d never thought I get targetted for making FLEIJA.&#8221;&#8230; NO SHIT, SHERLOCK. It&#8217;s amazing how one can be so smart yet so dumb at the same time. *shakes head*</p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_29.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
Also, random Pizza Hut moment. Come to think of it, it&#8217;s been really a long time since we saw any pizza in the show. I started thinking Pizza Hut wasn&#8217;t sponsoring them anymore. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_30.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
The real final boss? Arthur makes an appearance in a long while. Looks like he&#8217;s taking it cool for now. Must&#8217;ve probably finished up all his plans. </p>
<p>Oh yeah, poor Knight of Rounds. They got decimated by Killzaku in not even 5 minutes. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_04.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
I mean, Dorothea ONLY just appeared and died within 5 seconds. Man, she was as useless as they got. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_05.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p align = 'center'><strong>MONICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ;A;!!! </strong></p>
<p>It&#8217;s so sad that even Monica had to die too. And she was actually pretty cute ;A;.God damn you Suzaku! </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_06.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
Bismarck&#8217;s Geass is stolen from Nunally&#8217;s! And all the while we were wondering what kind of Geass it was&#8230; </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_07.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
Sadly, it&#8217;s apparently not even a match for Killzaku Yamato. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_28.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<h5 class = "caption"><a href="http://trainwreck.ggkthx.org/2008/09/07/evil-schneizel-finally-here/">DON&#8217;T TASE ME, BRO!</a></h5>
<p>Sorry, couldn&#8217;t resist. I mean, the joke really made itself there. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_08.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
Oh Tamaki&#8230;. you&#8230;.</p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_09.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p align = 'center'><strong>YES! WE ALL LOVE DEMOCRAZY!<br />
ALL HAIL DEMOCRAZY!<br />
ALL HAIL DEMOCRAZY! </strong></p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_10.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
Again, Tamaki&#8230; you&#8230;.</p>
<p>Ah, the pivotal moment of the episode, the Kallen x Lelouch kiss that everyone who&#8217;s a Kallen shipper has been waiting for eagerly since they <a href="/2008/05/19/code-geass-r2-07/">cockteased us</a> near the beginning of the season. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_11.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_12.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_13.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_14.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_15.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p>Personally though, I&#8217;m reading this kiss as both of them finally cutting their ties, and in Kallen&#8217;s case, a closure to the puppy love crush she&#8217;s had to Zero/Lelouch. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_16.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p>In a BLINDING moment of enlightment, Kaguya discovers the biggest weakness of the UFN&#8217;s representative democrazy system, i.e. who owns the most people wins. And in this case, it&#8217;s Brittania/Lelouch. Democrazy is truly the best and worst form of government. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_17.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
<img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_18.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p>No shit, Sherlock! </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_19.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
Oh yes. It&#8217;s play time. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_20.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
Poor Kaguya ;A;. Seeing her getting so bullied by Ledouche almost broke my heart. I so wanted to slap Ledouche in the face for doing that to her. All she wanted was to become his wife ;A;. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_21.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
But uh-oh, play time got interrupted by the <strong>TOTAL DISAPPEARANCE</strong> of the Brittanian capital of Pendragon.</p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_22.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
With no thanks to <del datetime="2008-09-08T10:35:09+00:00"><a href="http://trainwreck.ggkthx.org/2008/09/07/disneyland-is-on-top-of-damocles/">Disneyland</a></del> Damocles. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_23.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /><br />
And we come to the most awesome part of the episode, Nunnally&#8217;s miraculous reappearance!</p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_24.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_25.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p>Everyone else, is, of course, shell-shocked and rendered speechless. Man, no matter how many times I rewatch this scene, the reactions never get old. And poor Suzaku thought he&#8217;d finally lost his only competition for Lelouch&#8217;s heart, body and soul. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_26.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p>And of course, probably the most damaging line in the show as of yet&#8230;. </p>
<p><img src="/image/geassR2/geassR2_22_27.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "704" height = "396" /></p>
<p>Must be a real bullet through Lelouch&#8217;s fragile loli-siscon heart there. </p>
<p>Finally, I must add, all those weaklings who keep proselytizing about how alcohol goes best with Code Geass R2 obviously are the same people who thought it&#8217;d be the Best Show Ever™ and can&#8217;t accept now that they&#8217;re being trolled so boldly and so openly by Sunrise. These people obviously never lived through the pain that was Gundam SEED Destiny. At least R2 has 100% lesser Stock Exploding Zaku Footage™, Emo Screams™ and Totally Pointless Plot™. </p>
<p>&copy;2009 <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net">Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>20</slash:comments>
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		<title>Code Geass True End(?)</title>
		<link>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/08/code-geass-true-end/</link>
		<comments>http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/08/code-geass-true-end/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:48:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kurogane Shiroikaze</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Anime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Code Geass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/09/08/code-geass-true-end/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In response to all the EVA-ness of Geass: 

{!NovaJinx} and Suzaku and Lelouch are left to start a new mankind….holy shit that’s nasty
Oh god, DO NOT WANT! 
(Man, when I start publishing stuff like this, I must be really, REALLY bored.)
&#169;2009 Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved..]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In response to all the EVA-ness of Geass: </p>
<p><img src="http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7041/1220178749954sf5.jpg" alt="Code Geass R2" class = "centered" width = "600" height = "284"/></p>
<blockquote><p>{!NovaJinx} and Suzaku and Lelouch are left to start a new mankind….holy shit that’s nasty</p></blockquote>
<p>Oh god, <strong>DO NOT WANT</strong>! </p>
<p><em>(Man, when I start publishing stuff like this, I must be really, REALLY bored.)</em></p>
<p>&copy;2009 <a href="http://kurogane.animeblogger.net">Kurogane&#039;s Anime Blog</a>. All Rights Reserved.</p>.]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>15</slash:comments>
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