Thursday, November 18, 2010

TOP 5: Most Annoying Anime Girls

Number 5

Now all you mega-fans of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya are probably cussing me out through your computer monitor and wondering what I was thinking when I put Haruhi Suzumiya on this list. I hate to tell you this, but you've been blinded by your fandom. This girl may be the main heroine of the series, but that doesn't excuse the fact that she's a stubborn bitch. She drags people around by their collars, she forces crying girls to dress up as prostitutes, and no matter how much you try to convince her that the things she does are completely unreasonable, she will always come back at you with an arguement that is ten times less reasonable. Face it, guys. Haruhi Suzumiya is pretty much a huge problem for anyone she comes in contact with.



Number 4

This bitch is the reason I stopped reading Peach Girl. For no particular reason, Sae Kashiwagi's only goal in life seems to be to destroy that of her "best friend." Why? I have no freaking idea! She's a manipulative, evil, stuck up man stealer. She basicly goes around playing innocent and convincing people that her best friend is no good, and that she's a slut that cheat's on her boyfriend. This manga was actually pretty good until she decided to come in and make it a "look how much this person's life sucks" series.





Number 3
I'm not gonna waste my time writing about this ditz. Just look at the picture for my explanation.


Number 2
I have nothing but pure hatred for the protagonist of Kobato, Kobato Hanato. Not only is she the most bubbly, idiotic girl I've ever seen in anime, she couldn't be more annoyingly perfect! From the singing that draws huge crowds of people to the outfits to that gorgeous rosy-cheek smile to the insane ability to make everyone she meets completely adore her. Yeah. She's one of those people. I guess she and Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket are kind of in the same category, but at least Tohru had a decent back story. The worst part is her modesty. "Oh nooo I'm not anything special! I'm just sweet and innocent and pretty and talented!" You understand my immense hatred toward this kind of person.
Number 1
Air Master seems like a pretty good series at first. Lots of action, strong protagonist, and a cool setting. Then, all of a sudden, you hear:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"
This is none other than Renge Inue, the high school girl who acts and looks like a five year old. Her voice will peirce through your skull like a knife or a drill or something else that can penetrate bone. She spits when she talks, she cries like a baby, she won't stop COMMENTING on everything, and...well she's just a pain in the ass. If you've seen the series, you know what I'm talking about. If not, brace yourself.
























































Monday, November 8, 2010

Announcing, the winner of Moe, Moe, Moe!

Thank you all for voting in the 2010 Moe Moe Moe competition! The results are in! Dim the lights! Here we go...












And the winner of Moe Moe Moe 2010 is...


Kotomi Ichinose!



Congrats, Kotomi! You will be rewarded with the very first Lovely Ladies of Anime post. Everyone, please look forward to it. Again, thank you for voting!





Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Fall 2010 Evaluation

I do express most of the following opinions in my podcast with Freddy and Eric, but unfortunately I'm not as good with speaking as I am with writing. Therefore, I have listed below my true opinions of the Fall animes I've seen so far.


Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge

Why I was Interested : I absolutely loved Arakawa Under the Bridge season one, and was extremely excited when I heard about season 2.

Expectations: Very High

Episodes Seen: 1

Pros: The jokes were as solid as ever. This is one of the very few animes that can make me laugh out loud. (most of the time I only laugh on the inside and smile)

Cons: I was expecting them to step it up a bit since season 1 was so great, but there were bits that left me unsatisfied. There were also a few things that went completely unexplained.
Starting Rating: 7 (good)
Following?: Yes


Bakuman


Why I was interested: I had read the first couple of chapters of the manga and absolutely adored it

Expectations: Pretty high

Episodes Seen: 1

Pros: Very true to the manga. Develops its characters well.
Witty dialogue and original story. LOVE the main protagonist. A lot of people will be able to relate to him.

Cons: Although most scenes were pretty realistic, some were a bit forced. The leading female needs to be developed more. I don't get her. Art style on the characters was a bit strange

Starting Rating: 8 (great)

Following?: Yes

Kuragehime

Why I was interested: I'm a josei enthusiast. Only about eleven Josei series have been animated to date, so a new one is always exciting

Expectations: Very high

Episodes Seen: 1

Pros: These characters are fugly, but still extremely likeable. The opening is now easily my favorite. You do see that more realistic element that makes josei unique.

Cons: Where are they going to go with this? There's not that much to the story, and I'm curious to see how they're going to stretch this to eleven episodes.

Starting Rating: 8 (great)

Following?: Absolutely

MM!


Why I was Interested: The plot is so unique. I thought this would be pretty funny.

Expectations: Higher than low, but not super high

Episodes Seen: 2

Pros: The jokes hit, the characters are likeable, and the little plot twists here and there are very clever and unique. This series will give its viewers exactly what they watch it for.

Cons: In episode 2, they start getting more romantic and sentimental. This was a nice break from all the slapstick, but they can't push that envelope too often or this series will go downhill.

Starting Rating: 8 (great)

Following?: Absolutely
Ore Imo


Why I was Interested: I honestly have no idea...

Expectations: Low

Episodes Seen: First half of 1

Pros: His little sister is, indeed, cute. I like the relationship between the two, and the animation is pretty good.

Cons: I...just...freaking hate this series. There is nothing interesting to the story. It's a cliche'd peice of turd.

Final Rating: 4 (bad)

Following?: When hell freezes over...




Otome Yokai Zakuro


Why I was Interested: I thougt it would suck and wanted to laugh at it.

Expectations: Very low

Episodes Seen: most of 1

Pros: The blonde guy is pretty interesting. That's all.

Cons: When I saw the first seen, I thought this would be an action packed thriller. Then it turned into Ouran High School Host Club with soldiers and demons. This is one of the most generic peices of crap I have ever seen. Near the end, I was thinking, "If something interesting doesn't happen in the next ten seconds, I'm shutting thia off." Needless to say, I didn't finish the episode.

Starting Rating: 3 (very bad)

Following?: See answer for Ore Imo

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo
Why I was Interested: I saw the trailer, and I thought it would be a very good thriller.
Expectations: High
Episodes Seen: 1
Pros: I'm very interested in the characters, and I want to see where this story goes. Also...honestly...I find the leading female attractive...teehee
Cons: I think this series, or at least this episode, is a bit rushed. They're trying so hard to create this horror mystery that they leave out some very important elements. They need more detail.
Starting Rating: 6 (decent)
Following?: For now

SoreMachi
Why I was Interested: I watched the trailer, and the animation looked incredible. Also, it's a SHAFT comedy.

Expectations: Fairly high

Episodes Seen: 1

Pros: Fun characters, nice setting, and wonderful animation. Although not nearly as good as Arakawa Under the Bridge or Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei, this is definitely a work of comedic genius.

Cons: This series has potential to get boring if they don't step it up with each episode.

Starting Rating: 8 (great)

Following?: Yes

The World God Only Knows

Why I was interested: I had heard nothing but praise for the series.
Expectations: High
Episodes Seen: 1
Pros: A lighthearted comedy with a unique storyline. This series is pure fun, and the two mains are extremely likeable.
Cons: This series is leaning toward the generic shojou zone. They need to keep away from there if they want viewers to be satisfied.
Starting Rating: 8 (great)
Following?: Maybe

Monday, November 1, 2010

REVIEW: True Tears (13 episodes)



"The you within me is always crying. I have always wanted to wipe away your tears, but I cannot imagine the tenderness of wiping the tears from your face.” – Shinichiro Nakagami


I’ve actually just watched True Tears for the third time, (I have the DVDs) and my opinion on the series has varied with each viewing. The first time I saw it, I thought it was breathtaking and heartwarming. The second time, cheesy and forced. After watching it a third time, I realize that although this series is definitely not for everyone, it displays a very interesting mixture of dream and reality that you don’t find in a lot of anime.




Unfortunately, in the actual series, you only get to see Hiromi in a kimono



The story centers around high school student Shinichiro Nakagami, an aspiring artist who lives with his mother, his father, and the love of his life, Hiromi Yuasa, (left) who hasn’t shown much happiness since she came to live with Shinichiro and his family. Loving Hiromi, chasing his dream, and being pressured by his family is tearing Shinichiro apart inside. Everything changes when he meets Isurugi Noe, (center) a very odd girl who claims that she has “given her tears away.” She tells Shinichiro that she must collect someone else’s tears in order to be able to cry again, and he is, unfortunately, the prime candidate.


I feel like the entire storyline is a ton of metaphors thrown together. This is not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it a good thing. If anything, this series adds originality to every cliché you would expect from a romantic harem drama. There are certain things that go unexplained, and certain things that seem to be tossed into the story in hopes of intensifying the mood. But overall, the way it was presented worked very nicely.


The art, especially the scenery, was probably the best part of this entire series. It was wonderfully animated, and most of the facial expressions of the characters were quite realistic for an animated series. I can vividly remember almost all of the background art in this anime. The scenery was so detailed and well-drawn that it’s kind of hard to forget. The only problem I had as far as the art and animation was the excessive use of certain elements. There was a lot of fan service, (mostly from Hiromi) as well as an overuse of colored pencil freeze-frames and extreme close ups on people’s lips. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time it was just kind of distracting.

My favorite peice of background art in the series. This bamboo forest is so hauntingly beautiful


The characters in the series were very unrealistic, but in a way that makes you love every one of them. These are the kinds of people you only wish existed in real life, in that their emotions are more powerful than most people’s, and these emotions are outwardly expressed through their actions. Sometimes, however, the characters personalities did seem a bit forced. It often seemed like the writers were trying too hard to make us feel sympathy for the characters.


(left to right) Shinichiro, Noe, Hiromi, Aiko, and Miyokichi



The most well-done character by far was Isurugi Noe. Noe has a very childlike, free-spirited personality that’s pretty much irresistible. Not only is she a very likeable character, but she is probably one of the only characters, other than the protagonist, that we actually get to watch grow from the beginning of the series to the end.

Not gonna lie...I find her attractive


I think you have to be a certain type of person to really enjoy this series. The main flaw in this series overall is that it was very, very cheesy. Therefore, in order to enjoy this series, you must be able to overcome the cheese. You have to be the kind of person who can relate to the characters, understand the metaphors, and apply the messages the anime portrays to your own life. If you’re not the kind of person who connects to the shows you watch, this series is not for you.


True Tears is definitely something special. It's a lovely drama about about the struggles that a lot of teenagers have to face. This series can either be viewed as a powerful love story, or a melodramatic high school series. If you look past the all its flaws, True Tears can be viewed as one of the most unique dramatic harems to date.

Story: 6 (decent)
Art: 8 (great)
Characters: 8 (great)
Enjoyment: 7 (good)
Opening - Reflectia by Eufonius: 7 (good)
Ending - Sekai no Namida by Aira Yuki: 6 (decent)

Overall Rating: 7 (good)

Moe Moe Moe!: Your Finalists

First off, I would like to apoligize that these results were about 2 or 3 weeks late. My school's computer had blocked blogger and I just haven't found the time to blog until now.
But FINALLY, the results are in! These are your three finalists! The girl with the most votes byyt the end of the week will be our winner, and will be the subject of the first "Lovely Ladies of Anime" bit. Please vote for the one girl you want to win. Thank you all for participating!


Alice Carrol



Kotomi Ichinose


Misaki Nakahara