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Code Geass R2 03

post from Kurogane's Anime Blog on 20 April 2008 11:51:11 PM. © Kurogane's Anime Blog

Mmm~~ C.C.Aired as usual, with no cuts or changes. Posting was delayed thanks to overloaded server though, so if you can, please do donate to the ongoing donation drive :).©2008 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved..

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http://kurogane.animeblogger.net/2008/04/21/code-geass-r2-03/

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Nabari no Ou Episode 2 - Raimei Arrives

post from Cinnamon Ass on 20 April 2008 06:48:00 PM. © Cinnamon Ass

The clue is in the title, really - in this episode, Raimei arrives.

Raimei is a member of the Fuuma clan, the head of which is the established authority on Ninjutsu; Raimei herself prefers to rely on her skills with a sword, and has come to investigate the stories about Miharu. Raimei’s rather…forgetful character is established with a lot of waffle and Miharu being a bit dozy while he rescues baby birds, and the group decides to head off to the Fuuma clan village to meet with this Kotaro authority. Despite Kumohira’s total phobia of vehicles and an angsty flashback to the night he tried to protect Miharu when he was little, they eventually make it to the Fuuma clan village - only to discover that it has recently been attacked…

Well, it’s not as kickass as the first episode (no giant exploding plants, for one) but Nabari no Ou continues to be quite enjoyable. Raimei is a bit of a doofus, but not in the usual screaming-habdabs manner that anime likes to employ. In fact, the show is surprisingly muted, even Kumohira’s armaphobia isn’t played too hysterically (if anything, it’s played like shoujo comedy). Not a particularly “wow” episode, and as such I don’t have a lot to talk about as we don’t really learn a lot that we didn’t already know aside from a little of the mechanics of the divide between Nabari and the real world, but nevertheless still entertaining.

We do learn that Miharu has strange parents, though. Who would make their child wear such clothing to go out? That would scar me far more than having enormous sentient fauna at my command.

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http://www.ass-no-ryu.com/animeblog/?p=1108

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Spring08 Week 3 Progress Chart

post from Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts on 20 April 2008 04:16:06 PM. © Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts

On Sundays, we’ll chart the progress of each of the anime series I’m currently following. By progress, I obviously mean how shit or good it is at the moment. Amatsuki - Why have all the science gone to? Lead male, like all Fukuyama Jun characters, attracts lots of women love. Heroes get lured to meet [...]

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http://www.riuva.com/?p=1063

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Kanokon 3

post from We Are Mizuho! on 20 April 2008 03:45:32 PM. © We Are Mizuho!

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http://hayama.wordpress.com/2008/04/20/kanokon-3/

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Monochrome Factor Episode 2 - Scarred Shadow

post from Cinnamon Ass on 20 April 2008 12:35:00 PM. © Cinnamon Ass

Preface - this show is bad. Really, really bad. I know. You don’t have to tell me, I know.

With that aside, Akira wakes up with Shirogane, who tells him that Akira can’t re-materialise in the mortal world without Shirogane hanging on to him and becoming his shadow. Hijinks of the most predictable kind therefore occur in class until another shadow monster thing appears (I can’t remember what they’re called) - the fight is a very close call, with both Shirogane and Akira being wounded. Shirogane takes Akira to a bartender called Master (I’m sorry, the one in Witch Hunter Robin is five million times cooler than this guy) who can also heal spirit/shadow people - a whole load of innuendo then follows as Shirogane moans in pain while Akira pulls a giant tooth or two out of his shoulder, and then it transpires that Akira doesn’t need Shirogane at all to change back, he can just stamp on a weird looking dolly instead.

To re-iterate - Monochrome Factor Is Bad. I think it may have gone all the way out the other side of bad, past really good and just settled somewhere in the realms of slightly naff. The writing and characterisation is painfully predictable, the animation merely average, and the acting several shades of annoying.

The reason I’m still watching? The hilariously shoe-horned in BL. The director obviously looked at the source material, realised that it was a generic action adventure with half-decent artwork, and thought “right! How are we going to make our show stand out from the crowd!”. The whole thing is so obviously a cynical piss take, with the silhouetted shots of Akira appearing to be grunting away on top of Shirogane and general ridiculous nature of their relationship, that it just makes me laugh in a manner most unbecoming. It’s much better than most proper BL shows with all their blushing and overwrought seductions, and certainly more enjoyable than the hackneyed lustful breast fondling that seems to characterise most attempts at lesbianism in anime these days. Let’s face it - with a few notable exceptions the portrayal of same-sex relationships in anime and manga falls into the patterns that have been established for years. What’s the harm in having a little fun at their expense occasionally?

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http://www.ass-no-ryu.com/animeblog/?p=1107

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Macross Frontier Episode 2 - Hard Chase

post from Cinnamon Ass on 20 April 2008 11:47:00 AM. © Cinnamon Ass

The Valkyrie forces combined manage to beat back the invading “Vajra” forces and save Ranka in a thrilling action sequence that really shows off Satelight’s skill with CG. The next day, both Ranka and Alto are called in for tests by Lieutenant Cathy Glass, who attempts to convince Alto to join the military - however, Ozma, Ranka’s brother who secretly works for the SMS organisation that is testing the Valkyries, drags Alto off to face the realities of the death of the Valkyrie pilot that he replaced. Having been sent packing, Alto bumps into Ranka once more - and Sheryl, on the warpath at him for unspecified reasons. Yet all three are once more in danger, as Ranka’s singing voice appears to awaken the slumbering Vajra forces and call them to attack…

I think most of my doubts about Macross Frontier have been swept away on a giddy tide of joy. Let shows like Kaiba handle the interesting, thought-provoking stuff this season; Macross is just pure, unadulterated fun to watch. I don’t know how Hiroshi Ohnogi has managed to make me like a moody bishounen, a cutesy moe girl and a rather bitchy oujo-sama character so much, but the central triangle are an absolute joy to watch whatever they’re doing (and Sheryl speaks French!) and I just sit there with a silly grin on my face for most of the episode. Macross Frontier may be painfully unoriginal if you’ve watched previous Macross series, but I haven’t, I have no idea what’s going to happen, and I’m loving every minute of it!

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http://www.ass-no-ryu.com/animeblog/?p=1106

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Real Drive Episode 1 - Urashima Drive

post from Cinnamon Ass on 20 April 2008 11:38:00 AM. © Cinnamon Ass

For those that care, the Urashima of the title refers to Tarou Urashima, a Japanese folktale character who skips 300 years whilst dallying in a palace beneath the sea. The relevance should, I hope, be obvious once you’ve seen this episode.

Fifty years ago, Masamichi Haru was involved in a diving accident whilst doing test runs for a new digital infrastructure known as the Material Network (or Metal) pioneered by his friend Kushima; strange red bubbles beneath the sea explode and generally cause weird stuff to happen.

Haru spends the next fifty years in a coma, awakening to discover his legs are paralysed and he is an old man with a cybernetic brain, the mechanics of which are completely unexplored for the moment. Wanting nothing more to do with anything, he spends his days idly fishing and sending out his buxom android Holon (ah, philosophy, how much we have to blame you for…) to scout underwater, until he gets a visit from two members of the Aoi family. Combat expert Souta is there to bring him to work in diving into the Metal, but high school student Minamo is just there to care for an old man.

However, freaky-deaky things start happening in the network as the strange red bubbles appear on the sea once more, powering off huge chunks of the Metal and causing chaos in the hospital that Haru lives in. Lo and behold, something causes Haru to “dive” into the Metal, where he appears as his bishounen self once more, and he sets off to find out what’s causing the problems.

I’m not quite sure what I think about Real Drive. I can tell you straight out that Minamo feels totally out of place and I cannot imagine how she is going to be the female lead in this show; she seems to have some kind of connection to whatever it is that’s bubbling away in the oceans, but her ridiculous moe-moe voice and sappy personality doesn’t really fit with anything else that’s happened so far. Otherwise, I’m slightly undecided about the merits of the show - while it looks good and has some decent animation, I don’t find the premise particularly exciting beyond the diving metaphor and its possible uses. It doesn’t help that nothing much really happens apart from a lot of talking to establish the technobabble-tastic background to the show, something which I and probably every other viewer out there will ignore for the rest of the show, but I suppose that’s what first episodes are generally for.

Anyway, I’ll probably give the next couple of episodes a go, but Real Drive hasn’t managed to impress me massively so far.

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http://www.ass-no-ryu.com/animeblog/?p=1105

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the tower of druaga ~the aegis of uruk~ 1

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http://anime.miao.us/archives/2008/04/20/1377/

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kanokon, my first time

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http://anime.miao.us/archives/2008/04/20/1379/

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If Its Baroque, Fix It

Despite being a moderate Atlus fanboy, I have to admit that they’ve made some pretty questionable imports over the years. Baroque is likely to go down in the books as either too artsy to be accepted by the general populace, or just plain bad, joining its comrade Unlimited Saga in this hall [...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/seaslugteam/~3/273932260/

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