This site is an rss / xml news reader. It contains a compilation of news feeds from our favorite blogs. All articles are the copyrighted material of the blogs that wrote them (as indicated).

Crystal Blaze Episode 1

post from Cinnamon Ass on 17 April 2008 06:15:00 PM. © Cinnamon Ass

The S&A Detective Agency is run by the cool womaniser Shu with his younger brother Akira, taking on all sorts of cases. Whilst Shu is off having sex, their two female assistants Manami and Ayaka take a request from the world’s worst transvestite to monitor the pickup of some cargo from a truck. This, however, turns into a deadly shootout, and the cargo eventually reveals itself to be a mysterious woman apparently made of glass who exhibits superhuman speed. An evil power-suited woman tries to capture said Glass Maiden (the alternative title for the show), but Shu shows up in the nick of time and drives her to safety - but who is this woman, why was she wearing a strange choker, and what does she have to do with the recent deaths of five girls who were all found turned to glass after bursting into flame?

Crystal Blaze seems to be unable to decide exactly what kind of show it wants to be. One minute we have little girls screeching about rescuing turtles and how cool it would be to see a murder, then they’re cowering in complete catatonia, and then about five minutes later they’re back to screeching. In the meantime, we have a presumably hard-boiled detective and a heroine in peril, all because of a cross-dresser that would put Emily Howard to shame. The variation in tone makes the show slightly odd; interesting, maybe, but odd.

Alas, even though I’m actually mildly interested to see where Crystal Blaze goes in the long run, I doubt I’ll continue to watch it. It’s fine, but it’s just…there. Like so many anime, there’s nothing particularly bad about it, but it’s done nothing to really grab my attention and when there are so many shows at the moment with something that sets them apart from the pack (whether in a good aor a bad way) that I can’t see myself even remembering about it in the future. If you’ve got nothing better to do I don’t think it’s a bad bet, but otherwise I have to damn the show with faint praise by deeming Crystal Blaze “solid”.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ass-no-ryu.com/animeblog/?p=1101

Digg this

Neo Angelique Abyss Episode 1 - The Miraculous
Girl

post from Cinnamon Ass on 17 April 2008 05:26:00 PM. © Cinnamon Ass

Let’s just get this out the way quickly - it’s Mary Sue: The Anime, back again for another round in another incarnation thanks to the endless recycling of Ruby Party, creators of Harukanaru Toki no Naka De and Gin-iro no Corda. Chosen girl, pretty boys all around her, turn your testicles in at the door; you know what to expect.

With that said, though, is there necessarily anything wrong with that if it’s entertaining? Mary Sue stories in fandom tend to be annoying because they’re one person’s very specific self-insertion story. Wish fulfilment only really works on the part of the person wishing, after all. However, when transferred to anime form the Mary Sue figure becomes something more of an everyman - in this show, Ange is so incrediby “normal” and devoid of personality quirks (except for the requisite tragic past with burning family members) that almost anyone in the target audience must be able to find some way of identifying with her and thus getting their wish fulfilment kicks out of the show. At least shoujo shows of this ilk have the decency to make the self insertion character important in some way, unlike harem comedies where the lead male is generally meant to be as pointless as possible; whereas girls want the pretty boys to love them back, we blokes just want fap material regardless of emotional connection (sweeping generalisation, of course, but there you go).

Anyway, despite some rather silly looking tentacle monsters and one of those ridiculous “show the end of the series” prologues that seem to be all the rage these days, Neo Angelique isn’t all that bad. The character designs are all ridiculously good looking, the animation’s not too bad, and it’s a pleasant enough action adventure show. Not really my bag what with the plethora of delights airing this season, but you could do an awful lot worse.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.ass-no-ryu.com/animeblog/?p=1100

Digg this

[Hynavian] Gunslinger Girl IL Teatrino Review -
Cooking Pot Recipe

post from Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts on 17 April 2008 12:01:35 PM. © Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts

The fan-sub team that picked up Gunslinger Girl IL Teatrino stopped subbing this series and I heard rumors that they did so because they’re busy working on another series instead. It’s a pity to start something and then to put it on hold when they’ve already done 5 out of the 13 episodes, causing utter [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.riuva.com/?p=1049

Digg this

Nabari no Ou 01

post from Kurogane's Anime Blog on 17 April 2008 11:02:49 AM. © Kurogane's Anime Blog

Man, I love Miharu’s sarcasm.Picked this up after AonE-Conclave subbed it. Yeah, I’m kinda slow lately that even the subs have caught up :P. Interesting show to say the least. I’m surprised that Rie Kugimiya is doing the male lead, Rokujou Miharu, and she’s employing probably the lowest voice I’ve ever heard from her. She [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/04/17/nabari-no-ou-01/

Digg this

Happy Birthday To…

Me? and Rei!

Today is my birthday; well it might be passed depending on your time zone, as well as the only anime character I know of who shares it, Rei from Sailor Moon. I just figured I?d post a quick mention of it. There isn?t too much anime related celebration I can really have.

As for what I?ve gotten for gifts, so far I haven?t gotten all of them. One of the big main presents I got a littler earlier then my actual birthday was a Nintendo DS Lite. Along with it I got an R4 so I can play roms of any game I want. I don?t expect my other gifts to be too big, as I don?t have too many interests and it?s kind of impossible for someone to buy me something anime related when they know nothing about it.

As for the DS gift I got, if anyone else out there has a DS and wants to do something via wifi, I have almost every game, effectively, so contact me via comment or another way listed in the Contact Me page and we can set something up with friend codes. Xeby is the one who is going to be3 playing it though, but you can contact her though me :D