Got to tip my hat off the sugoi-ness of Amazon.jp and DHL International Express, my Blu-Ray arrived right on the morning of May 26th even though I am like a whole hemisphere away from Japan!

Pretty much smaller than Evangelion 1.01. No idea how it compares to 1.11 since I didn’t buy it. After carefully cutting open the wrapping plastic, this is what it contains inside…

And finally… for the filmstrip. Of all the scenes… I had to get this…

Oh well, at least it’s better than getting Toji or Kensuke. But why is it out cropped and out of focus!?!! Faulty merchandise?! Can I make a returns claim!?

Goddamnit, I wanted Asuka!!!!!!

Oh. I am now officially broke with 50 ringgit left in the account.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ｱﾊﾊ八八ﾉヽﾉヽﾉヽﾉ ＼ / ＼/ ＼
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)ｱﾊﾊ八八ﾉヽﾉヽﾉヽﾉ ＼ / ＼/ ＼

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The Nikkan Sports newspaper reports on Tuesday that over 800,000 copies of the DVD and Blu-ray releases of Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Ha) film have been pre-ordered. The film’s Japanese home video distributor King Records will ship its release on May 26. According to King Records, Evangelion: 2.22′s 800,000 pre-orders far surpasses the 500,000 copies in the first shipment for last year’s hit film, the manga-based live-action Rookies: Graduation (Rookies -Sotsugyō-).

Source: Anime News Network

Count me in as one of the suckers （　´_ゝ｀）

I still haven’t bought a Blu-Ray player too! orz.

Funny how they sourced this figures from a sports newspaper too!

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

So finally, after 9 months of the movie being out and me generally avoiding the spoilers (or ignoring them), I got to watch Evangelion 2.0 in full cinematic glory.

First off, the story is finally diverging from the TV series and generally I like this new direction.

Shinji is lot more hot-blooded this time round. I was expecting to go “fuck yeah, Asuka” for the movie, but it was pretty much “fuck yeah, Shinji” a lot more. The parts when he faced off the Eighth and the Tenth Angels was more from Gurren Lagann than Evangelion. Seriously, I went like “Is this really Shinji?!” a lot of times in the movie. Overall, I think his character’s really changed for the best and while it’s weird to say this, but Neo-Shinji really earns my respect for his actions.

Oh god, Asuka’s new test plugsuit!

This version of Asuka is a lot more… tragic compared to the TV series. She’s still the same obstinate person from the TV series, but she opens up a lot more this time round. There was two really tender scenes in the movie, firstly when Asuka has a sleepless night and crawls beside Shinji, and one more while she was talking to Misato about how she always thought being alone was fine, but ever since meeting the others, she started thinking that being with others can be nice as well. I almost cried a bit then. Maybe it’s also the lack of screentime as well, but Rebuild Asuka also comes off a little less overbearing as well. Too bad she’s the unlucky Unit 03 test pilot this time :(.

Rebuild Rei is possibly the most extreme change of characterization so far, with her starting to develop real emotions for Shinji and actually taking action to “make him feel warm and fuzzy”. Man, that elevator faceoff between Asuka and Rei was pretty legendary as well. I was like “oh wow, is this Rei?!”. Plus, she’s actually smiling a lot more now! Probably a huge change for Rei fans to take in. And Shinji x Rei fans are probably going to talk about the final 30 mins of the movie for years to come.

Very casual

New character Mari, very convincingly voiced by Maaya Sakamoto (she has the best English of the whole Japanese cast!!), is truly a force-of-nature on her own. An attention stealer at every scenes she appear, she has feral quality to her that makes even certain doom seem like casual everyday life for her. But thankfully, she never steals the thunder out of from the old cast, which was something I was hoping not to happen. Still, she is different and unique enough that she does deserve a place in the Evangelion pilot roster.

Overall, the new character dynamics makes them a lot more “human” than previously, especially Asuka with her. I really like this version of Asuka, as she is more honest to herself. Rei is finally starting to have a real character of her own, instead of being the idealized doll of the series. Mari is proves to be an interesting addition to the whole series and we have yet to see her true role in the big picture. Finally, Shinji is pretty much turning in to Simon, a good or bad change depending on how you like the original series.

Other aspects of the movie I’d like to mention out is the technical quality. While the first movie had a lot recycled scenes from the TV series, 2.0 is where the new vision of Evangelion truly shines through. The Angels look extremely amazing, awe-inspiring yet threatening at the same time. The Eighth and the Ninth was truly visual eyecandy, not to mention 8th was done in by a Inazuma Kick homage by Asuka. Tokyo 3 is a less sterile city as well, thanks to the addition of the scenes that show how daily life around the city is like. While minor, it makes the city feel more alive and adds to the “ugh, ouch” scenes where parts of the city is destroyed. Oh and the part where Kaji brings the gang out for a trip to a Marine Life Restoration Center also makes the world of Eva feel very post-apocalyptic as well.

Another is the accompaniment music pieces chosen for two important scenes of the movie. Firstly, Kyou no Hi ha Sayonara played during the destruction of Unit 03 was truly a mindfuck. On the other hand, Tsubasa wo Kudasai was a profound choice for the climax of the movie. On one hand, it was pretty awesome, on another hand, I felt it was rather LOLRANDOM. I had thought it was a weird the OST had those tracks in it, but now… yeah, I can see why.

I’d really like to rewatch the whole thing again, but the epic cockblocking censorship of the local screening copies don’t really make it worth it. Well, the Blu-Ray’s coming out in 2 months time! That’s an acceptable waiting time. Hoping to get an Asuka scene for the filmstrip this time.

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I have to admit, that’s a pretty ecletic piece to choose for the climax of the movie, Tsubasa wo Kudasai that is.

Also I must say, the whole OST has a lack of…. EVA-ish-ness to it? I dunno, probably it’s to do with all the weird uplifting music. I like my EVA OST’s to sound a bit more oppressive I guess.

P.S. Will we ever get a full camrip? I still haven’t seen Asuka 2.0 yet ;_;. I have to admit Mari was fucking badass though.

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Holy shit wtf Anno?

/r/ camrips!!! (Reminder to self: HOLD ON UNTIL THE BLU-RAY’S ARE OUT!)

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance, the second film in Hideaki Anno and Khara’s theatrical remake of Gainax’s Neon Genesis Evangelion television anime series, will open on June 27 in Japan. Khara had already revealed the title and early summer release window for the second film last October.

In related news, the official Evangelion website has announced on Thursday that the first movie in the remake project, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone, will get a “1.11″ release on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on May 27. The 1.11 release will include new cuts and digital mastering. More details on King Record’s news release will be made public on March 16. There was an earlier “1.01″ version that was first released on DVD last April and given a second theatrical run that same month.

Firstly I’m happy to finally get a real release date for 2.0, which also means I’ll have to prepare to buy the second DVD when it’s out. I damn well hope Asuka will be still the same Asuka we all know and love in this release.

Secondly, the 1.11 release just… just… just… makes me want to curse at some one. I bloody forked out money to buy the LE 1.01 and now they come and tell us that there’s gonna be ANOTHER remastered version. I bloody well hope they not also providing LE goodies in 1.11 too. If they’d release this AFTER the whole series was complete…. I’d probably be not as angry. But man… just less than 2 years after releasing the first one? It’s a bit of a ripoff isn’t it? Evangelion 1.11 : You are [not] alone [again] wwwwwwwwwwwww.

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Another year passes. Man, it’s hard to believe I’m already in to my 9th year of being an otaku as well as my 4th year of blogging. Time sure flies. I’m now well over 1500 posts with nearly 16k comments, and it’s thanks to everyone’s support that I’ve gotten so far.

This year was marked by an increased number of good shows, but surprisingly, it wasn’t as “happening” as last year. To put it in another way, while the average increased, the top end of the bell curve wasn’t as high as last year. Nevertheless, this year still had its moments.

My choices here aren’t particularly graded using a strict measure, it’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.

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.

With that said, here’s the list.

14. Spice and Wolf

Mmm… economics animu. Well, actually calling “fox god animu” would suit it better because, seriously, everyone only watched it for the bundle of furriness that is Horo.

13. Lucky Star OVA

Kagamiku! Tsunderella! Cherry-dog! Christmas-cake Nanako! Kagamiku! Oh wait, already said that.

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’s a bad thing but we all missed the light-heartedness. Here’s to hoping for another extension or a spiritual successor of the awesomeness that was Lucky Star.

12. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu

Honestly, Noto-sama as a closet otaku ojou-sama? I’m sold.

While NHnH seemed like it’ll be a one-trick pony, it had a surprisingly coherent plot and good character development, characterized by a few choice episodes. That, and Mika is fucking jailbait.

11. Itazura na Kiss

The Nana Mizuki show of the year. Honestly after last year’s Tokyo Marble Chocolate, I realize Nana’s niche is the slightly naive yet earnest young adult women where she really can be her character. (I suspect it’s because she seems to draw it from her own experiences)

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’t like the show’s pacing, but it was quite fine to me considering how they were putting in nearly 10 years of story in to 25 episodes.

10. Natsume Yuujinchou

Natsume Yuujinchou wasn’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’t stop watching it. So glad to hear there’s a second season to it too, premiering next month.

9. Detroit Metal City

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!

8. Kurenai

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 “deep”-ness of the story.

7. Strike Witches

One of the surprises this year, I initially balked at the premise of SW’s no-pantsu flying mecha musume. I mean, for god’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.

SW’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’t too “draggy” 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.

So, despite my initial hatred of the series, it’s really surprising how things can change, and now SW’s in my Pick of 2008 list. Well, if you can’t win ‘em, join ‘em. :P

6. CLANNAD

Gym-shorts Kyou! Killer violin Kotomi! Tomoyo Raptor Kick! “Why can’t I call you onii-san, onii-san?” Mei! Sanae Rainbow Bread! Dictionary attack! Starfish girl! Nagisa x Ryou!

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.

5. Code Geass R2

Despite the illogical plot, despite all the mindfucking, despite all the copying from Evangelion, it’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.

Despite all that, the ending was surprisingly epic and half redeemed the series for me. Lelouch BAWWWWWWW!!!! Still, I don’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.

4. Ga Rei Zero

Can’t mention this year w/o talking about the yuri croquette 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 ‘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 “Zero” part of its name. It also gave me another reason to like Pocky, XD.

Ga-Rei Zero is also notable for the crazy inventory of weapons, ranging from the gun-katanas, an iron, a boiler and the bloody weaponized wheelchair. Oh and not to forget the bike-fu from Natsuki in episode 1 too. That was awesome.

3. Kannagi

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 karaoke episode also made its mark on me. Oh god Takako made me shat bricks.

While the show was generally light-hearted, Kannagi veered in to serious “self-existential” drama for its final arc, proving Yamakan’s directing chops isn’t limited just making people laugh. This is one show I wouldn’t mind seeing more of in the future.

2. Macross Frontier

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.

Despite that, the love triangle was still pretty epic towards the end, and the songs of the show are inevitably the best I’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…

1. true tears

The only show this year that was so good that I made a rare and passionate opinion post 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.

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.

Movie of the year: Evangelion 1.01 You are (not) alone

It was technically released last year, but Evangelion 1.01 is more of a 2008 show for me since the DVD (which I proudly bought) came out this year and even made it in to local shores, which was a real surprise for me.

While many critized it for being another attempt by Gainax to cash in on the franchise, it’s undeniable the show has gotten a much needed facelift from it’s original 1995 incarnation. The action cinematography culminating in the sniping of Angel Ramiel was simply awesome.

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/!

And that wraps up my first 2008 in Review post. There’s another one coming up after this, where I’ll be talking about the other noteworthy things that happened this year.

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The official movie poster has also been updated from the first one with the addition of Asuka and the new character hinted in the preview of the first movie. Sad to say, nothing new has been revealed, but the story will definitely be going differently from the original now at the least. I would love to see Asuka finally as well.

It’s quite a long wait now for the next movie. I was definitely expecting it this year. On the bright side, my Evangelion movie DVD trust fund has now a much more longer time to mature :).

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Operation Yashima on the big screen is definitely pretty darn awesome, as well as pretty much seeing all the new CG pimpage by Anno. Sadly enough, they censored TEH REI, but I guess it was kinda expected. I’m still surprised the censored the plugsuit changing scene though. Also, FAIL FOR NO MISATO “SABI~SU, SAA~BISU!!”

Also went to Bon Odori at Matsushita Stadium. Pretty much the same old, same old, but I did get to meet a very good friend and catch up on times with him, so it made up for it I guess. Sorry for the lack of pictures though, I still don’t have my own camera. If anyone would like to donate $1 to Kuro’s Camera Fund, you can send it to my Paypal, lol.

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Literally had to rip open the top of the packing to reveal my prize, the Evangelion 1.01 LE box. The design is definitely impressively red and elegant. Really nice touch on the “Evangelion 1.01 : You are (not) alone” logo on the front.

Carefully using a blade to cut open the plastic wrapping at the side to unveil out the real thing. The inside case is fully black, with the same “Eva 1.01″ logo impressed on it. The quality of the material used for both the red and black boxes are really solid, dispelling any fears of damage to the innards.

Opening up the black case, which unfolds to three portions, two containing disc 1 and disc 2, and one more holding the additional material and booklet. The insides are all fully red, as you can see. The designers surely did an awesome job.

A closer look at both discs. Both are pure red with the labels faintly etched on them, but still pretty visible. My camera can’t capture the details though, :(.

The extra materials. From left to right; the filmstrip holder, two advertisement pamphlets and the movie booklet. The red advert pamphlet contains mostly Gainax Evangelion merchandise promotions. Oh Gainax, you milkers.

The white one, on the other hand, advertises Starchild products… I lol’ed, then orz’ed at seeing the live action Negima class roster in it.

The filmstrip that I managed to get. It’s Misato when she first brings Shinji back home. Sigh, why Misato. Well, it seems like it can sell rather high on the market, so I’m happy with it. Current highest price of the filmstrips being auctioned off is the one of Rei smiling, at the end of Operation Yashima, at the tune of 61k yen. I sure hope I get a filmstrip with Asuka in it for the next installment. I’m so gonna be pissed if I get Misato again, XD.

And that completes my unboxing of the Evangelion 1.01 LE. It’s my first (and hopefully, only) purchase of the year, and the second limited edition DVD (first being the Byousoku 5cm LE) that I can proudly call my own :)).

Now I’m hoping that Evangelion 2.0 will air this year as planned, can’t wait to see Asuka again :).

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.