Durarara 7 - Fleeting Shifts and Changes

"Let me clarify this right now. I don't like violence". (c) Shizuo Heiwajima.

This would be a short one, as this episode heavily focused on Shizuo and his past, without the inclusion of many other characters. Shizuo really is a monster who gets easily pissed off, and try to get whatever his hand can grab on (usually something that exceed his body size) to use as throwing weapons. His past explored on how he started getting infamous for his enormous strength. It all started as a kid when he got angry toward his brother Kasuka over silly stuff and tried to snap him with a fridge, and later he often gets angry unnecessarily and screw things over. Funny thing is he broke a few bones each time gets angry and throw big stuff, and ended up in hospital. I like his style whenever he get pissed off though. Snap his pen/pencil/cigar etc, crush it with his feet and grab something to throw.

Also mentioned is how he knew Shinra and Celty, as well as Izaya back then in high school. Both of them has been neck in neck since then, of which Shizuo often been the victim after being set up by Izaya. I find it funny how Celty seems trying to cool Shizuo down when he found Izaya back then in Shinra's home. Apparently Shizuo try to get stronger to contain his anger, but rather he almost always messed things up especially with his jobs, although in the end he sticks with being a bartender thanks to his brother. Well at least we know this unknown side of him that he cherish Kasuka very much.

Delicious list of movies there :3

Ookamikakushi 7 - Loss

Despite what happened the previous night, the day started out normally as Hiro went to school, and not surprisingly Isuzu was absent. Later, Hiro went to the library to meet Kaname, where she then explained about Jouga wolves and the connection with the Great Gods, as well as the possibility that they might still be living in the mountain, although there's not enough evidence to support the claim. That's when Kaname came up with her hypothesis that the Jouga wolf might reside within human itself, or possessing human intellect, aka werewolf. Before departing, Kaname decided to find more about Jouga counting rhyme. Hiro meanwhile went to Kaori's house to pick Mana, but he came for nothing as Mana had just been picked by his father. Hiro then met Sakaki on his way home (the geologist man who apparently knows Kaori from his university days). They had a talk about what happened the other night when Hiro witness the murder scene, and Sakaki revealed about the exact same experience he had 4 years ago, when her fiancee Mieko was murdered the same way in that town.

Kaname meanwhile went to a local library to look more about the counting rhyme, but didn't noticed that she was followed for quite some time. Not noticing the danger, she was then caught. When she regain her conscious, she found that she was confined in some sort of basement, with Issei's girlfriend located next to her room. Both then had a conversation about the God and how it relates to the "cleansing ritual", and how apparently Issei's girlfriend become a God upon lip contact with Issei...

comments: Great episode again although it lacks some actions. Some questions answered, but even more questions appeared. I like how the camera angles works in this episode, and some of the bgm was appalling as well (Kaori's moment when she accidentally exposed her arm). (not) surprisingly no one mentioned about Isuzu in this whole episode. Sakaki made it somewhat clear as why he was in this village. No idea what kind of act would he do with the help of Hiro, but he did talk about avenging Mieko nonetheless. Poor Kaname, it seems like the people tries to shut anyone related to the scene, or those who tries to butt into the case. If this goes on, it won't be long before Hiro and probably his family to get involved. The document that the man gave to Sakaki back then was also quite intriguing as Hiro was among the people listed, so did Kaori's statement that she can't leave the town.

Outsider and villager's point of view differed vastly about the murder, one would simply call it a mysterious murder, the other called it Cleansing of the Gods. I wonder whether the anime would be shown in different perspective, that is from a reality and fantasy point of view. Kaname explained why hassaku harvesting was poor that year, but that also opened the door for supernatural belief on how Jouga wolf and red moon were related to that stuff.
Next episode seems getting even more interesting, with Sakaki having a fight against Nemuru.

Gamefaqs Character Battle: Yuri vs Tifa

Gamefaqs Annual Character Battle was under way according to tradition. As frequent visitor/poster on gamefaqs (only on certain game boards though), I actually never bothered about participating on the events as I personally don't see any relevance of doing this kind of thing, because of several reasons. One is that I'm not familiar with some of the characters from western games (or eastern/japanese games on consoles I didn't own), so it would be unjust for me to blatantly vote my characters without knowing the others. Second, and most importantly, is that eventually overhyped character will likely win this event. Yes, I'm talking about the likes of FF, Zelda, Sonic, Mario etc. and hence no matter how nice a character from obscure series are, they would have no chance. The glory is all set for Cloud, Vincent, Link, to name a few. A less-known/played games (eg Kratos, Arumat and Jade Curtis) will certainly have little to no chance. Today's poll (which I just know because someone on Vesperia board mentioned it), which featured Yuri Lowell vs Tifa Lockheart demonstrate just that.

Click me to view

It's not going to take a genius to figure out who's going to win. I'm not implying that Tales series are "that" obscure for people not actually take notice of the game, but rather the mainstream games would easily dominate this kind of worldwide events because of the sheer size of fanbases around the world, some who only vote the character because, well, simply because they're from FF or Zelda etc.

links: gamefaqs Character Battle - main page

Seikon no Qwaser OP/ED singles

Title: Seikon no Qwaser OP Single - Errand
Artist: Faylan
Street Release Date: January 27, 2010

------------------------------------

Tracklist:

01.Errand
02.scat blue
03.Errand (off vocal)
04.scat blue (off vocal)

------------------------------------

Download links: [MF]/[RS]/[HF]
*nipponsei release*

.........................................................................................................

Title: Seikon no Qwaser ED Single - Passionate squall
Artist: Fujimura Ayumi & Toyosaki Aki & Chihara Minori & Hirano Aya & Hisaka Youko
Street Release Date: February 10, 2010

------------------------------------

Tracklist:

1. Passionate squall
2. Passionate squall (element-mix)
3. Passionate squall (rush-candle-mix)
4. Mimei no Inori
5. Passionate squall (off vocal)

------------------------------------

Download links: [MF]/[RS]/[HF]
*nipponsei release*

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

finally the ED single for the boob milking show (I still like the show even without that ecchi/fanservice, but they were a big plus). The OP was released a few weeks ago. Overall I like the ED song (Passionate Squall original version) more (the best Winter song so far in my book), but for the sake of completion, I upload both OP/ED songs. Is it just me, I can't really point out Toyosaki Aki's voice in the song compared to other seiyuus lol. MU/MF would take awhile to upload, for some reason they're being dick to me :(

Durarara!! 6 - On the Move

This episode focused on Dollar members, in particular Kyouhei Kadota (aka Dotachin), Erika Karisawa, Saburo Togusa and Walker Yumasaki. Also focused this time were the kidnapping scenes in Ikebukuro used for apparently human experimentation, where some minor characters called subcontractor were involved to deliver the goodies (the same guys who failed to kidnap the girl in episode 1).

One of Dotachin's friend, Kaztano (he's one weird guy) was the victim this time but they were a fair bit too late to notice the incident. Despite that they are still determined to save him, for slightly funny reason that Kaztano always reserve a front row seat of Ruri Hijiribe's concert for Togusa. They decided to use their connection with Shinra to track down the kidnapper's van with the help of Selty (aka the Black Rider). With a little trick, the group manage to locate the van. Negotiation with the kidnappers finally lead them to one place - Yagiri Pharmacy...

comments: quite an interesting episode and I certainly enjoy it. Different characters were focused, although they still give Izaya/Shizuo and Mikado/Kida/Anri a bit of screentime. I actually don't remember that Dotachin and friends were part of Dollars until this episode (wait, or is it the first time it was told that they're part of Dollars?). Shinra gave a little insight iabout Dollars, as it is revealed that nobody knows who is the leader. The connections between characters in the series were also expanded. From Izaya, Shizuo, Simon, Shinra and Selty, to the people in the pharmacy - the siscon Namie and her brother Seiji, and this ultimately go back to Selty (kinda spoilish). Looking forward to see Izaya and Shizuo's part in the next episode. This two sure can't get along lol. Shizuo with his unhuman strength, poor vending machine/whatever big things he can get his hand to.

Erika: "pick one book, and we're gonna torture you with method you choose." Please pick Bokusatsu Tenshi :3

Ookamikakushi 6 - Love

Following Issei's incident in previous episode, Isuzu remained shocked and depression and missed the class. THis concerns Hiro who later tries to visit her at home, but was then dismissed hesitantly by Isuzu's mother. Meanwhile, the villagers held a meeting at Nemuru's place, discussing stuff about hassaku shortage and how measures need to be taken to eliminates the fallen and prevent more tragedy from occurring in the village.

Later that night, Isuzu called out Hiro to meet her at the park where she then confessed her feeling. However soon enough Isuzu start to behave strangely, similar to her brother and this draws out the Hakuro Kannon, whose later revealed to Hiro to be Nemuru. Nemuru confronted with Isuzu, trying to convince her that she's going to be fine if she release Hiro but failed. battle ensured between the two, but Isuzu eventually retreated, carrying Hiro alongside her. In the end, Isuzu submit to her fate, jumping off a roof before being caught by the other masked red-cloaked seen in other episodes. This leaves Hiro who was still in the state of confusion and tried to get some answer from nemuru, but he then was knocked out by Nemuru...

comments: little by little things started to get even more clear to viewers who is unfamiliar with the series. First the Hakuro Kannon's identity, then how the wolf statue and hassaku seem related to all the incident in the village. Nemuru also mentioned about how the strange moon affect a person's behaviour, and is likely also related to something the villagers stated as "temptation", which I have a rough idea on what it actually means. That being said, there are still things that need to be answered. This episode alone raise several intriguing questions, such as Kaori's seemingly rotten hand, the strange group of people who said to go to her house to listen to her violin melodies, the ingredients of the pills given to Issei, and the being that need to be "sacrificed" to prevent all other case of "Fallen". We're pretty much in the same seat as Hiro, left with so many questions in mind. Definitely looks forward to the next episode.

p/s: I wonder where Isuzu got those pair of knife, or whether she's been hiding that knife all along in her sleeve.

Spring 2010 Anime List

TV

Bakugan Battle Brawlers: New Vestroia (TV)
Ikkitousen: Xtreme Xecutor (TV)
Shouka (TV)
Hana Kappa (TV)
Ring ni Kakero 1: Shadow (TV)
Major Sixth Season (TV)
Giant Killing (TV)
Yojou-Han Shinwa Taikei (TV)
House of Five Leaves (Sarai-ya Goyou) (TV)
Senkou no Night Raid (TV)
Heroman (TV)
Kaichou wa Maid-sama! (TV)
K-ON! Second Season (TV)
Ookiku Furikabutte Second Season (TV)
Mayoi Neko Overrun! (TV)
Kiss x Sis (TV)
Ichiban Ushiro no Dai Maou (TV)
Shin Koihime†Musou ~Otome Tairan~ (TV)
Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitte Iru (TV)
Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan (TV)
Working!! (TV)
B Gata H Kei (TV)
Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin (TV)
Iron Man (TV)
Angel Beats! (TV)
Arakawa under the Bridge (TV)
SD Gundam Sangokuden (TV)
Hime Chen! Otogi Chikku Idol Lilpri (TV)
D.C. ~Da Capo~ Exte (TV)

OVA/OAD/ONA

Mobile Suit Gundam UC (OVA)
One Piece (Recap) (OVA)
Haiyoru! Nyaru-Ani (ONA)
Darker than BLACK – Kuro no Keiyakusha Gaiden (OVA) (vol.2)
Tales of Symphonia the Animation: Tethe’alla-hen (OVA) (2 volumes)
Tono to Issho (OVA)
Ashiaraiyashiki no Juunin-tachi.(OAD)
Umi Monogatari ~Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto~ (OVA)
VOTOMS: Gen-ei Hen (OVA)
Sex Pistols (OVA)
Yutori-chan (ONA)
Hetalia – Axis Powers 3rd Season (ONA)
To Love-Ru (OVA) (vol 6)
GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class (OVA)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (OVA)
xxxHOLiC Rou (OAD)
Nodame Cantabile (OAD)
Super Street Fighter IV (OAD)
Mahou Sensei Negima! ~Mou Hitotsu no Sekai~ Vol.3 (OAD)
Ai no Kusabi (OVA)
Utawarerumono (OVA)
BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER (OVA)

Movies/Film

Time of Eve the Movie: First Season Complete Edition (Film)
Doraemon: Nobita no Ningyo Daikaisen (Film)
Eden of The East the Movie II: Paradise Lost (Film)
Precure All Stars DX2: Kibou no Hikari— Rainbow Angel wo Mamore! (Film)
Detective Conan: The Lost Ship in The Sky (Film)
Crayon Shin-chan: Chou Jikuu! Arashi wo Yobu Ora no Hanayome (Film)
Gintama: Shinyaku Benizakura-Hen (Film)
Trigun: Badlands Rumble (Film)
King of Thorn (Film)
Bungaku Shoujo (Film)
Break Blade (Broken Blade) (Film)
Planzet (Film)
REDLINE (Film)

*sauces: chartfag, fansubwiki etc*

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DEEN returned with Hakuouki. Shaft with Arakawa Under Brigde(and negima ova). JC staff with Kaichou Maid and Uragiri Shitte Iru, and KyoAni with the ever-hyped K-ON. My first impression upon looking at the list: wow, heaps of show coming this spring, but overall I'm not quite impressed with the list. Really, no stuff like FMA/Phantom/Valkyria Chronicle? Guess I can't just judge them by official sites and summaries. Well maybe that's a blessing in disguise, considering I won't have much time to spare watching anime this year. But at least I'd do the usual thing of watching at least the first episode of every show before start dropping things.

So far I have my eyes on K-ON 2nd season and Angel Beats. There's a few others, but I'd better keep the number low for now. And there's Black Rock Shooter and Symphonia OVA to look forward to. Apparently Eve no Jikan movie is just a recap of all the previous 6 ONA episodes. Definitely llooking forward to Literature Girl film, if it ever made into dvd release quick. I really like (and intrigued with) the short preview released late last year. Speaking of movies, I really can't wait for the DVD release of Vesperia: First Strike. Wait, I've been saying this in every anime list post = =

topical 10: seraph's top 2009 anime OP/ED

reading through moetron and shin's top OP/ED list, I feel compelled to make my personal favorite OP/ED songs from series aired in 2009 (Winter-Fall). Probably not the best of all, but they certainly are those I enjoyed the most, put into my playlist and listened to all day long.

TOP 10 OP SONGS

10. Kimi no Uta by Abingdon School Boys - Tokyo magnitude 8

notes: for some reason I feel that the OP doesn't fit with the anime, but never mind. The anime itself was fairly good...and touching :(

09. CHARGE! by Fukuhara Kaori & Takagaki Ayahi - Fight Ippatsu Juuden-chan

notes: surprise, surprise inclusion. Well it's true that I do love the song though.

08. Asu he no Kizuna by HIMEKA - Valkyria Chronicle

notes: This is the first OP of the anime.

07. Jap by Abingdon School Boys - Sengoku Basara

notes: Kinda funky OP sequence, with all the soldier dance. Shame that the anime sub was never finished. Such a fun anime to watch.

06. Parallel Hearts by fiction Junctions - Pandora hearts

notes: Pandora Hearts has one of the best musics of all anime I've watched in 2009, from BGM to OP/ED songs. Well, the name Kajiura Yuki should be enough to describe what I feel about the music composition.

05. Only my Railgun by Fripside - To Aru Kagaku no Railgun

notes: I don't usually listen to Fripside, but I do occasionally listened to some of her songs, including Only my Railgun. JC Staff sure knows how to make good OP song (Shana, Index, to name a few).

04. Tsukiakari no Michishirube by Stereopony - Darker than Black 2

notes: Overall I'd say DtB season 1 was better than Ryuusei no Gemini, but in term of theme songs, season 2 wins.

03. Kanashimi Rensa by MARIA - Valkyria Chronicle

notes: OP2 of Valkyria Chronicles. I love both of VC's OP, but OP2 wins by margin. Especially because how they show the spoilish valkyriur battle in the OP sequence. Great to watch.

02. Arrival of Tears by Ayane - 11eyes

notes I've been a fan of Ayane since her Archive Lovers, before I got to know her other 11eyes singles (Lunatic Tears and Endless Tears). Again, one of her songs that I love the most. Talk about the anime, the premise was great, but it was ruined by poor characterisation.

01. Katayoku no Tori by Shikata Akiko - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni

notes: A truly epic song, it really sounds so Umineko-like (er...if you know what I mean). Also this song is probably the only thing I love about the anime, as DEEN studio failed to make Umineko anime live up to the VN's name.

TOP 10 ED SONGS


10. Hitotsu no Negai by Inoue Hikari - Valkyria Chronicles

notes: for the sake of completion, I guess. I can't find much ED songs that are to my liking compared to OP songs, so the least I could get is VC's 2nd ED. In a way, this song is quite good as it matched the sad and sorrow mood of the 2nd part of the story.

09. From dusk till Dawn by Abingdon School Boys - Darker than Black 2

notes: again, for the sake of completion. Well since Abingdon School Boys's music is sorta the type that I sometimes listened to, so why not put DtB's ED as well into the list.

08. Hikari, Sagase Naku Tomo by Angela - Shikabane Hime Kuro

notes: Despite so much hate toward the seiyuu, I personally took a liking to the show, and I think Kuro is much better than Aka. This ED gave similar feeling as VC's ED2 - the sad and gloomy atmosphere that surrounds the fate of some shikabane.

07. Yasashii Uso by Chrome Shelled - Chrome Shelled Regios

notes: one thing I like about the song is that it varied in every episodes, where it will duet with one of the characters in the anime. I personally like the duet with mai Nakahara :3

6. Transparent by KOKIA - Phantom~Requiem of Phantom~

notes: well, including this, now all 5 ED songs I've listed so far were of the same kind, I suppose.

05. Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari by supercell - Bakemonogatari

notes: now the pace starts to pick up. Nice song for a great show, that's all I can say.

04. Maze by Savage Genius - Pandora Hearts

notes: no video link. youtube and their weird copyright stuff -.-

03. Hatenaki Michi by HIMEKA - Letter Bee

notes: nice ED with something done seldomly in many other anime, showing episode preview in the ED sequence itself. Too bad the 2nd ED wasn't as good as this one, at least in my book. Anyway, I probably wouldn't recognize it was Himeka who sang for Valkyria Chronicle if it's not because of Letter Bee.

02. Don't Say Lazy by Hikasa Youko - K-On

notes: it's hard to find people who don't like this song. Instant hit from the very first episode, topping the single chart (both OP and ED) during its release week says it all. It just lost to Asriel's Sequentia by a fraction, but both songs are some of the best 2009 anime songs I've listended to. Absolutely love it.

01. Sequentia by Asriel - 11eyes

notes: One word: Epicness. As said in my Fall impression, this is one of the few factors that kept me from dropping the anime. The single is a must for any Asriel fan :3

=Random Feb Post=

Yesterday marked the start of my Honours and final year in Australia (hopefully). I've always been told about how tough Honours years are, but I never thought it was that exhausting, really. Even on the first day I almost crumbled because of fatigue. Well, partly because I only had 2 hours of sleep the day before ;p Half day spent on essay topic and literature review, another half spent on research project in lab, and later on thesis -.-

Since hyperchrome looks dead and I won't be touching dota and my 360 for awhile (at least not until Resonance of Fate is out), I'm thinking of writing some animu episodic reviews to fill the little free time I have at night. For a start, I'd go with my current favorite show Tegami Bachi, Durarara and Ookamikakushi. Though this time I need to do them review shorter than usual.

End of rant, tqvm.

"In an instant, we echo and our hearts meet! " (c) Gauche and Droite

Vesperia Costume Collection

One thing I like about Tales series is the varied costume offered for players to unlock, and Tales of Vesperia is no different either. There are quite a number of costumes for each charcters in the 360 version, and this number was increased further in the PS3 version.
These are all the costume titles I've got in Tales of vesperia, essentially all which exist in the 360 version. I really can't wait to play the PS3 version as there are even more extra (and awsm) costumes added.

Yuri Lowell

Notes: The cool main hero of Vesperia. Two of his best costume, imo, are Dark Enforcer and Improvisionist, but Improvisionist wins by a few margin for me because of that badass look (though I often pair this costume with Black Bunny Ear lol). His other attachments includes Black/White hats, Eyepatch and Sunglass. Improvisionist is his Namcot Island Drama costume, while Tank Top Lover is his Hotspring costume. Too bad he didn't participate in the Waitress game lol.

Estellise Sidos Heurassein (Estelle)

Notes: The cutie princess of Zaphias, also the queen of cosplay in Vesperia. Most of her costume are delicious (except Masage Therapist, which was quite weird imo), but one I love the most is Magical Maiden, coupled with Angel Outfit attachment (the wing and halo in the picture). It's just synergize too well with this costume. Her other attachments are quite nice too, like the Girly Bunny Ear, Glasses, and Mint's Cap. Massage Therapist is her Hotspring costume; Gracious Waitress is her Waitress Game costume; Heroic Actress is her Namcot Island Drama costume while Enchanting Belle is her costume used to seduce the guards.

Rita Mordio

Notes: Well well, here's our genius mage. I personally love Seeker costume paired with that red bunny ear (as in the picture), although her Miska Doctoral Degree (MDD)+Devil Outfit was good too (love the gothic theme). The rest are okay I guess. Kitty Cat Waitress is her Waitress game costume; Fashionista is her hotspring costume; while Spotlight Hog is her Namcot Island Drama costume. Other than Bunny Ear and Devil Suit (the wing at the back of MDD costume), she has other attachments too, but I'm not too fond with those (eg: Giant Ninja Rope, Giant Scroll)

Karol Capel

Notes: Captain Karol in the house. Surprisingly he has the most costumes out of all characters in Vesperia. Golden Soldier is my favorite costume for him, and the Girly trap costume looks rather cute too lol. Brilliant Support Role is his costume for Namcot Drama (I lol very much at this froggy costume); Towel Fanatic is the Hotspring costume (just a piece of towel?); and Lunch Lady is the Waitress Game costume.

Raven

Notes: The old man. He has the fewest costumes and attachment out of everyone, and even arguably his best costume, Shining Star isn't comparable to other's best costume. The Straw Mask is an attachment, which I find rather funny because it made him looks totally stupid (imagine a cutscene with him using this attachment...). Nevertheless as you'd guess, SPA manager is his Hotspring costume. Sorry no Waitress Game or Namcot Drama costume for him. He didn't have any good attachment either (would be weird if he also got a bunny ear).

Judith

Notes: Hawtness. My pick for her best costume would be Glamorous Maid or Legendary Gambler (both with Cute Bunny Ears attached), both looks nice but lack this seducing factor. Into the Sky was also good shout. Her sexiest costume, Sultry Tempest was quite revealing, but that antennae covering on her head looks awkward if you ask me. Valkyrie is one of her attachment, unfortunately she has no costume to match this attachment. Glamorous Maid is her Waitress Game costume, while Enchanting Beauty is her Hotspring costume. Damn need some swimsuit costume >.>

Repede

Notes: Well, no costume for him. It would be weird if a dog has a costume, isn't it? So what he has is a bunch of attachments, particularly the Overdrive series (O) representing each character's funny-looking SD doll.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

on a side note...

HOLY CRAP I SAW JUDITH IN KOS-MOS! And Estelle, Yuri and Flynn all with Tear, Asche and Luke costume. PS3 version do want D :