Anime/Drama Recount 102012

I've decided to make this a regular thing since it kinda makes me happy to see all the progress that I've done with my backlogs. With all the political hoopla going on, I've decided to lighten the mood with this list of things over the past couple of months particularly during the anime summer season of 2012. I've also got reviews to do before this post but decided to publish this first since the anime fall season has already started, and kept out three things from this list.~_~

Gyo

Synopsis: Something in Okinawa reeks, and it isn't long before Kaori and her friends realize that the smell is coming from dead fish, which are walking out of the sea. The fish are fused to metal legs and are infected with a disease contractable by humans that was invented as a weapon by unknown sources. After what happens to Tadashi, Kaori finds herself in a new world very much like the old one but with the stench of death. - MAL

Comments: Originally, I read this from Junji Itou's manga and I must say that the manga is better. No matter how fucked up the story is in the manga, I don't like how the story was rewritten in the anime. I'm a big fan of Itou's works and I might as well say that I should have stuck to the manga since the colored and more detailed artwork of the anime were very disturbing. I don't think Itou's works fall under guro but the manga alone almost made me sick. I don't really know what goes on in Itou's mind but the creepiness factor in his mangas makes him a dark genius.

Playful Kiss

Synopsis: Playful Kiss is based on the Japanese shōjo manga, Itazura Na Kiss.

Oh Ha Ni is a sweet lively and happy high school student yet she is definitely not the sharpest crayon in the box.

She has a crush on Baek Seung Jo, the smartest boy in school despite being chased loyally by Bong Joon Gu herself. When she confesses to Seung Jo through a letter, he brings it back to her, after grading it harshly and commenting that he hates stupid girls.

When Oh Ha Ni's new house suddenly collapses her father's friend offers for him and Ha Ni to stay with them. Unknown to Ha Ni, her father's friend is actually Baek Seung Jo's dad.

As they continue to live under the same roof and attend Parang University together, Ha Ni continues to show affection for Seung Jo although he seems to be more interested in the equally clever and beautiful Yoon Hae Ra.

Following Ha Ni's many efforts, Seung Jo finally falls for her in a romantic and protective way.

The drama continues to show the young couple marry and go on to a pretty disasterous honeymoon. -Drama Wiki

Comments: I'm not really fond of this drama and found it a bit disappointing. It seems cute and sweet somehow, however, I don't like how the end of this series turned out. Oh Ha Ni didn't really seemed to change at all and her stupidity is pretty much annoying. I don't buy it when people say that the moral of this story is that the person you love should love you for who you are as a person. The guy in the end seemed to change, but why can't Oh Ha Ni as well? I would have been satisfied if she turned out more studious in the end but no, she still relied on the guy to tutor her and stuff ~_~ The series is also vague as to when the guy fell in love with her and I was wondering half way through the ending when he seemed to return her feelings. I swear I can't seem to recall when the guy had this epiphany that he likes the girl after  all. ~_~

Nabari no Ou

Synopsis: Silent, apathetic yet mischievous, 14-year-old Rokujou Miharu is the bearer of the hijutsu, "Shinrabanshou", a powerful technique many ninja clans desire to possess to become the ruler of Nabari. Fellow classmate Kouichi and his English teacher Kumohira are both secretly Banten clan ninjas, pledging themselves to protect Miharu from his many attackers. Keeping apathetic, Miharu attempts to reject their invitation to join their ninja ‘club’ however, after numerous attacks; he finds no choice but to join their group as a means for his survival. Slowly, Miharu takes a step closer to becoming the ruler of Nabari. -MAL Rewrite

Comments: In all honesty, I found this show boring which is a big disappointment since the plot really intrigued me. It also took me some time to get a copy of this anime since int was quickly licensed right after it was released so getting this title was kinda hard, which of course adds as a disappointment in my part after watching this. Anyway, the pace of the anime is somewhat slow while the androgynous main character annoys me especially when he acts all cute-like. I don't understand how Miharu became the main character, but Yoite should have taken the role. He's far more interesting than him and you can't deny that the story itself revolves around him, too.

Voices of a Distant Star

Synopsis: Hoshi no Koe ~The Voices of a Distant Stars~, using full 2D and 3D digital animation, is a story of a long distance love and mail messages between a boy and girl. Set in 2046 after the discovery of the ruins of an alien civilization on Mars, man has been able to make leaps in technology and is planning to send an expedition into space in the next year. Nagamine Mikako and Terao Noboru are junior high school students. However, while Noboru will be entering senior high next winter, Mikako is selected to join the space expedition. -AniDB

Comments: This is a very short show which I have been avoiding ever since a friend of mine suggested watching this many years ago. I really forgot this title ever existed and when I got this copy, I didn't bother looking it up and proceeded to watch. I regretted it afterward. It's not bad per se, but I don't like animes like this. 5cm per second as another example. I was kind of impatient when I finally realized what I was watching; I couldn't believe I was already halfway through the show. It's just me, I know, but I really don't like this show. Other people do, though.

Hajime no Ippo New Challenger

Synopsis: Ippo Makunouchi continues his boxing career and his goal on knowing the meaning of being strong, and the desire on fighting his idol Ichiro Miyata once again. Along him are pro boxers Takamura, Aoki and Kimura that each one of them aspire to their own dreams. -ANN

Comments: I'm a big fan of this series ever since this came out on the local  channel. Although, it's a little disappointing to point out that this second season lacked the intensity and build up that the first season had, so watching this was a little bit disappointing. I'm not saying that it's bad, but I just really expected a lot since my boyfriend and I had a marathon of the first season and we both agree that the build up of the story was just awesome. Perhaps our expectations were just too high on this season, but I have to agree that it's still good as the first one.

Guilty Crown

Synopsis: The story takes place in Tokyo in 2039, after the outbreak of the "Apocalypse Virus" during what became known as the "Lost Christmas" of 2029. Since then, Japan has been under the control of the multinational organization called GHQ. 

Ouma Shu is a 17 year-old boy who mistakenly obtains a rare and great power. He can use this power, "The Right Hand of the King," to extract "voids," or tools/weapons that are the manifestations of peoples' hearts. 

He has been rather shy since a childhood tragedy, but both his personality and life change forever when he meets a girl named Yuzuriha Inori, a member of the rebel group called "Funeral Parlor," whose members seek the restoration of self-government in Japan via the ousting of GHQ.

Comments: Out of all the stuff that I've watched in this entry, this wins the biggest disappointment award. I was really looking forward to this since the art is really eye-candy, the plot kinda intriguing, and people in my Facebook newsfeed (at least, the otaku ones) have been bombarding pictures of this anime. The series started out alright and I was kind of amazed by the visuals. But then the feel of the anime made my eyes roll at some point, and then dropped downhill after episode 11. I officially stopped watching at episode 17 since it was dragging on too much, and then I resorted to reading episode summaries on its Wikia. I have to say that I have no regrets in dropping the anime since it's not that good.

Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney)

Synopsis: With the storyline based primarily on the first game in the Ace Attorney series (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney), the series' signature style is combined with a courtroom drama. Rookie defense attorney Phoenix Wright strives to protect his clients in various murder trials, including the death of his mentor, Mia Fey and the accusation of rival prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth. Wright's greatest ally is Mia's younger sister Maya Fey, a spirit medium whose body is possessed by Mia to communicate with him. Wright is later given the task of solving the DL-6 case, a murder that has not been solved for 15 years. He will also go against Manfred von Karma, a prosecuting attorney who has not lost a case in 40 years. Sci-fi elements are also used, such as characters bringing up holographic images of evidence during trials -Wiki

Comments: If you haven't played this game via Nintendo DS or a PC emulator, then you're missing out. I played this game on an emulator during my lonely summer days two years ago; my boyfriend gave me a copy of the game to cheer me up and to keep me preoccupied. Anyway, I'm quite familiar with Hiroki Narimiya (Phoenix Wright) since I've seen him from a lot of Jdramas ever since I saw him in Gokusen. I'm not really a fan (since I was kind of annoyed at his character in the Kagen no Tsuki movie) but his acting skills are quite good and he really got Phoenix Wright's character right. I also recognize Takumi Saito from the TeniMiyu Prince of Tennis musical but that's all I know of his credentials since I'm not familiar with his acting projects,  and that guy (forgot his name) who played Larry Butz since I've also seen him in various Jdramas particularly Rookies.

The movie is really faithful to the game and to quote several fans, this is a video game-turned-movie done right. Never mind that the movie was kinda fast forward-ish, but my only disappointment was perhaps the subs came out a year late plus it's not really perfect; I would also have preferred that they kept the Japanese names in the subtitles but since I was more familiar with the English patch of the game, I guess that'll work. If you want something to watch during your leisure time, I highly encourage you to watch this J-movie. There might be times when their actions are a little exaggerated, but it's all good.

Ningen Shikkaku (The Fallen Angel)

Synopsis: "No Longer Human" tells the story of a young man who has felt since childhood utterly alien from others around him. Since that time he has learned to put on a face to hide his alienation. He feels incapable of belonging to the human society, especially so by society's refusal to take him seriously. He then follows a descent into alcohol, drugs, & suicide ... -AsianWiki

Comments: I got depressed after watching this movie. I only got a copy of this because a friend of mine said it was good, plus Ikuta Toma was in it. I'm not sure if I like it but from my research I gathered that the plot of story is from a Japanese masterpiece. While I was watching this, I was hoping and praying a lot that the character of the movie would eventually find his place in the world and be content with what he had. But oh, how naive I was. I wasn't able to read the book so I wasn't expecting what the ending was. I guess it's kind of a blessing that I wasn't able to read it first since I wasn't able to criticize the film etc etc and just watched it 'til the end with a heavy heart. I'm not sure if other people share my sentiments but, yeah, I got kind of depressed at the end of the film.

Speedy Scandal

Synopsis: Former teen idol Nam Hyeon-soo (Cha Tae-hyun) who thinks he is pretty popular is now in his thirties and working as a radio DJ. A young woman named Hwang Jeong-nam (Park Bo-young) sent stories about her being a single mother to the radio station Hyeon-soo worked at, telling him she is going to meet her father. 

When He finds out that he is the father of Jeong-Nam when she comes to his apartment with her son Ki-Dong ("Wang Seuk-hyun"). He also finds out that Jeong-Nam was his first love's name and the other Jeong-Nam's real name is Jae-In. Jae-In and her son, Ki-Dong. Not believing it, he goes through a DNA blood test,and the results say that they're related. Jae-in wants to perform on stage singing, but Hyeon-soo thinks this will reveal his scandal with what's happening to Jae-In, Ki Dong, and himself. Ki-Dong's dad Bak Sang-Yeoun ("Im Ji-Gyu") finds Jae-In, when she started getting popular with her singing. They meet and chat, before Sang-Yeoun thought Jae-In was in a relationship with Hyeon-soo. 

Later at Jae-In's performance, Ki-Dong went missing, which brought Hyeon-soo to realize that he really did care for his daughter and grandson. He gave up some of his job to be with his family and started to really love them like his children and cared for them.

Comments: To cheer myself up, I watched this K-movie right after watching Ningen Shikkaku. I also didn't know what to expect from this movie since I got this copy from the same friend who gave me the previous film. I have to say that this film really cheered me up. The film is just short but it's really enjoyable; I think that you'll find that the characters will eventually grow on you. I don't follow Korean shows that much and to date, this is my third Korean movie after 200 Pounds of Beauty and He Was Cool. I have to say that I don't regret watching these films.

Natsuyuki Rendezvous

Synopsis: Hazuki may be near-sighted, but he knows true beauty when he sees it and the delicate form of flower shop owner Rokka draws him in like a bee to honey. So, hoping to cultivate a relationship between them, Hazuki takes a part time job at her shop, only to discover two huge thorns preventing the nurturing of any romance. The first, the fact that Rokka is still grieving for her late husband Shimao, would be enough to snip most men's ardor short, but it's the second that really threatens to make Hazuki's forlorn hopes wilt. Because while Shimao is most definitely deceased, he hasn't yet departed and his spirit is still living in Rokka's apartment! Except only Hazuki can see him, which leads to a very strange romantic triangle indeed. Are Hazuki's chances with Rokka as dead as the man who still lives in her house? Or can he somehow make love blossom even though there's an interloper pushing up the daisies between them? - Sentai Filmworks

Comments: To be honest, I was planning on watching this anime when I saw the Summer Anime 2012 line up, but then I backed down since I saw that this is a slice of life type anime. I'm not quite fond of that genre since 1.) they're too serious and 2.) they usually make my chest hurt ;_; I only proceeded on watching this anime because Misaki-nee highly encouraged me to watch it since she says it's quite good.

I have to admit that it is quite good and worth watching. Problem is, my chest still hurt while the characters built up the story T_T There was one point where I got confused on which man to root for: Hazuki or Shimao. At first, I really admired Hazuki's effort on wooing Rokka but at the same time I felt so so sorry for Shimao's situation. But then, Shimao turned the tables around by doing something to Hazuki sometime later on the series that made him look like a jerk XO Again, I'm not sure if fans of this show agree with me but these are my personal sentiments. I really got angry at him at some time, and even wanted to smack him during the climax.

This is a good series overall, and I especially love the ending song (which by now has been removed on YouTube by Sony Japan so good luck finding a full song on it to listen to). It really fits in the mood of the anime, making it more than I can bear to watch/listen.

Kuroko no Basuke

Synopsis: The Teiko Middle School Basketball Team: The class that produced three perfect seasons in a row, with five once-in-a generation players, called "The miracle generation".

However there was another player who all of them respected... A legendary 6th player. An up-and-coming power player, Taiga Kagami, is just back from America. When he comes to Seirin High School, he meets the super-ordinary boy, Tetsuya Kuroko. Kagami is shocked to find that Kuroko isn't good at basketball, in fact, he's bad! And he's so plain that he's impossible to see. But Kuroko's plainness lets him pass the ball around without the other team noticing him, and he's none other than the sixth member of the Miracle Generation.

Kuroko makes a pact with Kagami to defeat the other members of the Miracle Generation, who have all played basketball at other schools. A battle of light (Kagami) and shadow (Kuroko) begins! -Crunchyroll

Comments: I haven't been excited watching a sports anime ever since I got a taste of Eyeshield 21. I haven't finished watching Eyeshield 21 yet but I've seen fragments of it with my brothers watching it while I was very busy doing something else. Kuroko no Basuke is a bit hanging since the manga is still ongoing but they announced that there will be short OVAs released soon. I'm also planning to read the manga when I can and I'm hoping that will be soon despite my already busy schedule. Anyway, I get really excited when I watch this series since it's awesome! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME~!

I do have to admit that Slam Dunk has a better story line than this anime since I'm also a big fan of that anime series, and Kuroko no Basuke tends to get a little ridiculous sometimes with the characters' unrealistic abilities BUT I also love this anime. The humor of Slam Dunk is incomparable but Kuroko no Basuke's humor is a great ice breaker for an uber serious anime. This is one of the best animes that I've seen that's recently released so far and I hope that more people will recognize its awesomeness.

Shiki

Synopsis: During a fiercely hot summer in Sotoba, a peaceful and quiet village with a population of 1300 people, a series of bizarre deaths begin to occur. At the same time, a strange family moves into a long abandoned mansion in the region. After supposedly visiting this strange family, the fashionable Shimizu Megumi goes missing and the entire village goes out in search for her. -MAL

Comments: Omg why haven't I watched this anime before?! This was long released in 2009 and I only got to watch it now! ~_~ This is one of the best horror/suspense-like anime that I've seen and the story build up is really good! I know that viewers can easily pinpoint which people are the culprit for the strange events but it's really exciting to watch how the characters in the anime try to solve the mystery of their village. There was some point where the anime seemed to dragged on but it recovered and quickly paced up. I was really excited while watching the anime and even jumped up in glee when they narrowed down the culprits. o(≧▽≦)o

I'm not really a fan of its artwork but I guess it's so-so. The only problem with this anime is that I was very unsatisfied with the ending. I'm not going to elaborate but kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I am hoping for a second season or something but it's been three years already and there hasn't been any word. Also, the first opening song is quite catchy. If you're a fan of this genre, then you're definitely missing out if you haven't tried watching this yet.

Binbougami ga!

Synopsis: At the expense of the people and things around her, Sakura has absorbed so much "happiness energy" that she has caused an energy imbalance in the world. In order to return balance to the world, the Poverty God, Momiji, sets out to take away Sakura's ability to absorb this energy. Will Momiji be able to put a stop to Sakura's absorbing abilities, or will the God succumb to her happiness? -FUNimation

Comments: I have to point out that this is a gag show and a hilarious one at that. Well, maybe not that HAHAHA kind of one but something that could make you laugh nonetheless. I had a few kicks when they had a couple of parodies especially Dragon Ball and Death Note. This isn't something that I usually watch but the change of feel is kinda refreshing. Kinda like Seto no Hanayome kind of feel. The thing that annoys me, though, is that it has more than enough boob fanservice which isn't my kind of thing. If you want a few good laughs to brighten up your day, then this anime is for you.

07 Ghost

Synopsis: Barsburg Empire's Military Academy is known for training elites who bring victory to the empire. Students of the academy freely utilize an ability called "Zaiphon" to fight, while the types of Zaiphon usable depends on the nature of the soldier.

Teito Klein, a student at the academy, is one of the most promising soldiers produced. Although ridiculed by everyone for being a sklave (German for slave) with no memories of his past, he is befriended by a fellow student called Mikage. While preparing for the final exam, Teito uncovers a dark secret related to his past. When an attempt to assassinate Ayanami, a high-ranking official who killed his father, fails, Teito is locked away awaiting punishment.

Only wanting the best for Teito, Mikage helps him escape. Teito ends up at the 7th District Church where he is taken in by the bishops. It is here that Teito attempts to evade the grasp of Ayanami and the Military, so he can rediscover his memories and learn why he is the person that can change the fate of the world. -MAL Rewrite

Comments: I had been eyeing this anime since I saw the trailer but I only got to watch this now since I've been putting this off for other animes that I was interested in watching. It has some BL tendencies but I really wouldn't call it shounen-ai since it's not extreme, although I have to say that this anime got my boyfriend's eyes rolling XD It's interesting enough to make me want to read the manga, which I definitely plan on doing since the anime is very hanging. The seven ghosts are only mentioned in a more or less passing manner, and four have only appeared in the anime (one of which was not openly stated even).

I'm really interested in uncovering the story behind the seven ghosts and Teito's story as well so, yeah, I'm reading the manga since there are no plans of any OVAs or a second season. I guess my only disappointment in this anime is that Teito's stay at the church seemed to drag on forever and the appearing Kor seemed repetitive. But I guess they were trying to be faithful to the manga so I can't really bash the anime for that. It's a good anime to watch, though, and I recommend it to anyone who are interested in the story.

That's that for now. Again, there are three other shows that I watched that I left out because I feel compelled to write different reviews for them. If I won't be able to get down to that, I guess I'll add those titles to my next batch of recount but I'm hoping it won't be that way. So much to do, so little time. ~_~