Upcoming Trip

Little Kuu, I'm coming for you.

I'll be going back to Japan very shortly!  I plan to make a trip to Akiba with some friends.  I'm specifically looking for Kud Wafter, a game which I've been unable to locate (outside of YAJ) using my normal means.  So, wish me luck.  Hopefully I won't go bonkers like I did last time and spend a bunch of money.

Also, I may hit up a maid cafe in Nakano that I'm fairly famous at, hahah.  They also have a pretty large Mandarake there that I want to go through.  I doubt they'll have anything I'm looking for, though, since they put all of their stock online.

Thinking I'll top the night off by getting Yoshinoya's.  If any of you that read this want me to pick you up anything, please post it and I'll do what I can to get it for you. 

EDIT: Think I'll pick up Cross Channel also.

Accel World

Just finished Accel World.

I give it an 8/10.  It's 2046, and technology has reached a point where physical terminals are no longer required to access computers.  The internet is ingrained into our lives, to the point where it has become even closer to a virtual world than it is today.  Arita Haruyuki is our protagonist, an overweight, self-loathing, insecure individual going through the darkest time of any outcast's life: high school.  Being constantly bullied, Haru's only escape is online gaming, particularly an online squash game, which he is exceedingly good at.

Enter Kuroyukihime, the cold, beautiful vice president of the student council and most popular girl in school.  She approaches Haru and invites him to play a secret online game called Brain Burst.  Brain Burst has a huge cult following, but there's a catch: losing the game causes the user to forget everything about Brain Burst.

I felt this anime was outstanding.  The story was very interesting and brings forward a few questions about virtual reality.  While using Brain Burst, thought processes are sped up to an insane rate, and it's possible to spend months or even years in the game when mere hours have passed in the real world.  At that point, which is reality?  It has kind of an Inception feel to it, which I thought was really cool.

You heard me, Niko.

At its heart, Accel World is a fighting anime, and each episode is action packed.  You'll see Haru get beat up a lot, you'll see Haru cry like a bitch, but in the end you'll be rooting for him.  Kuroyukihime is truly waifu-material, but she is a good example of someone placing their online persona ahead of their real-world one (though Snow Black is awesome).  The secondary characters are great, especially Niko.  Of course, there's Chiyu, the annoying childhood friend, which is an anime cliche that I loathe.

The animation in Accel World is great.  In a show like this it's important to have good action sequences, and Accel World pulls it off very well.  The game avatars look like something out of a Kamen Rider-type live action superhero show, which I thought was odd at first, but it was easy to get used to.

Can't say no to her.

The OPs and EDs are really good.  I especially liked "Unite" by Sachika Misawa.  "→unfinished→" by KOTOKO is good too (another KOTOKO reference in my blog, this is getting out of hand).

I would recommend Accel World to anyone who likes action anime.  If you liked Accel World, you'd probably like C, which has a similar battle system and story.

On a final note, I preordered Snow Black immediately.  I'm trying to cut back, dammit!  Thanks Kotobukiya!

Amagami SS+

Just finished Amagami SS+.

I give it a 6/10.  This is the second season of Amagami SS, which is based on a PS2 visual novel of the same name.  This is a traditional high school dating game which follows the protagonist, Tachibana Junichi, as he lives his junior year of high school surrounded by beautiful girls.  Two years ago, Junichi was dumped and has developed a fragile little heart.  Being that his childhood friend has been in love with him since they were kids, I had no sympathy for him.

This second season is more or less a "where are they now" thing, since all of the arcs were resolved in the first season.  There's only two episodes dedicated to each girl, and, much like the prior season, I didn't feel two episodes was enough to get anything interesting going.  The story is generic and not very engaging, and any veterans of this genre will probably find it stale.  There's absolutely nothing crazy going on, so don't expect any interesting plot twists.  The girls are already "captured" at this point (thank you, Keima).  This was a major turnoff for me, as your typical "go to the bon festival," "Junichi helps X get into the student council," and "Junichi becomes a borderline camera deviant," really wasn't enough to get my attention.  I will say that I was glad Rihoko got a proper ending, since the poor girl was friend-zoned in her own arc the first time around.

AIC did a good job on the animation.  Like the first season, you won't see anyone with crazy hair or eye colors in this anime, nor will you see any girls with impossibly huge breasts.  The characters are at least believable in that way.

Lonely otaku will stay just for these.

The OP, "Check My Soul," and ED "Kokuhaku," both by Asuza, are pretty good by themselves.  However, in the first season the respective arc's girl sang their ED songs, which they decided to skip on this time around.  I was kind of dissapointed in that.  Our only consolation is a small snippet during the ED relating to the current arc's heroine.  See pic.

The voice acting is decent, but again nothing to write home about. 

The characters are more or less all stereotypes.  You have the childhood friend, school idol, class rep, sister, quiet girl, "one of the guys" girl, and a swimmer who I have trouble putting into any particular stereotype.  Junichi is Shirou-level dense, and I find it hard to believe anyone would fall in love with him unless they're an idiot, which isn't true in most cases for these girls.  I guess being simple-minded is an attractive quality.

I'd recomend Amagami SS+ to anyone whose seen the first season, and Amagami SS to anyone who is relatively new to anime and likes romance anime.  The nice thing about Amagami SS is that there's an arc for each girl, and no one "wins" as you'd usually see in anime like this (because every girl has an ending).  Each girl having their own arc seriously detracts to the amount of content you can have over a 24 episode run, though, and it's even worse with SS+ because it's only 13 episodes.  If you like Amagami SS you'd probably like Clannad.

Shakugan no Shana III (Final)

Just finished Shakugan no Shana III.

The queen is back.

I give it a 7/10.  I finally got around to watching the third, and final, season of Shakugan no Shana, and while I don't think it was outstanding, I felt the conclusion for this long-running anime was pretty decent.  I say long-running because, even though it's only 3 seasons, the first season aired in 2005.

Yuji and Shana, this time around, are surprisingly pitted against one another.  Within the first few episodes, we find that Yuji has accepted the God of Creation into himself and joined the Tomogara leadership Bal Masque in a huge war against the Flame Haze.  Think of this God as the opposite to Shana's Alastor (the God of Destruction).  Almost every episode of the anime is dedicated to depicting the war.  The anime is action packed and at least a dozen new characters are added on each side, to compliment the ones we've already accrued over the past two seasons.  As the anime progresses, it's harder and harder to identify the bad guy, and toward the end I was personally cheering the Tomogara on.  The story is decent, but has "THE HEART" somewhere in there, which proves itself the cheesiest cliche this side of "running with toast in mouth."  Also, only the Japanese can be so hell-bent on pride that they are unable to come to a compromise with someone they love.  If you could sum up the plotline to this entire anime with one word, it'd be pride.  Bottom line is, say what you will about the show, but that kiss at the end made it totally worth it.  It's something that every Shana fan has been waiting for for the past seven years, and they really knocked that scene out of the park.

Shana never looked so good.

As usual, the show was animated by JC Staff, which is one of my least favorite studios.  This time around I think they did a really good job.  There's so much action in Final that you don't notice the shortcuts that JC is infamous for taking, and close up shots are admittedly pretty nice.  Special effect work was pretty damn good too.  Also of note is the way they've aged the characters.  Shana is noticably older than she was in the first season.  One of the things I approved of was the decision to leave fanservice largely out of the show.  Aside from one scene in the first episode, I can't remember any point during this show where there was blatant fanservice.  For such a serious ending, I'm glad they made this decision.

The OST is faithful to the other two seasons, which is nice.  There was a time when KOTOKO was the queen of anime songs (lol).  You couldn't watch a one-off OVA without hearing KOTOKO's electronic voice in the opening, and it really did work back then.  I can appreciate being faithful to the beginning (2005 mind you), and I liked the songs by KOTOKO and Kawada Mami in this anime.  I dare you to watch the anime in its entirety and not mutter a few words from "Light my Fire" as you watch it.  "Koubou" by Kawada Mami is also amazing, though you only get to hear it once during the show

The voice acting of Final should get some special notice.  Everyone really did a great job voicing their characters.  Kugimiya Rie brought Shana back for the last time (got a little choked up there.. haha), and it's a little nostalgic.  Granted, there's been a million cookie-cutter Rie tsunderes since Shana (Nagi, Taiga, Louise, etc), but Shana was the first, and I guess she still holds a special place in my heart.

I'd recommend Shakugan no Shana III Final to anyone who has seen the other two seasons.  If you haven't seen Shakugan no Shana, I'd recommend it if you like action anime with some romance.  Shana is anime's queen tsundere, so if you'd like to see the birth of a phenomenon, check it out. 

Also, the commercial cuts are still funny.

Gosick

Just finished Gosick.

I give it an 8/10.  I dropped this show after the first arc last year when it came out but decided to revisit it, and I'm so glad I did.  The story follows our hero, Kazuya Kujo, who is sent by Japan to Saint Marguerite Academy in the small (fictional) country of Sauville in Southern Europe.  The year is 1924, and the world is enjoying peace after the Great War.  Urban legends and horror stories are all the rage at the school, and Kazuya is quickly labeled the Black Reaper by the students due to his black hair and eyes.  Unable to fit in, Kujo is miserable.  He learns of another urban legend at the school, that of the Golden Fairy of the Tower, and one day stumbles onto the Fairy herself; a tiny girl with extremely long blonde hair who has taken up residence in the school's massive library tower.  Victorique de Blois spends her days atop the tower reading books and generally being bored, her impressive intellect solving crimes that the local (and incredibly popular) police inspector is unable to solve himself.  Kazuya and Victorique become involved in the case of the Queen Berry, and urban legend about a ghost ship, and its fateful cruise where most of its crew was mysteriously massacred.  The Queen Berry has suddenly reappeared, and Kazuya convinces Victorique to investigte the case, and the first arc of Gosick has begun.

Studio Bones did a great job with this show, especially with the presentation of the lead characters, however I'll admit that I may be a bit biased.  Saying I had a little crush on Victorique would be an understatement.  She and Kazuya, at first, share a relationship similar to Sherlock Holmes and Watson.  However, along the way Gosick becomes more than just a detective anime.  Victorique has a strong, defiant personality but her abraisive intelligence rubs almost everyone the wrong way.  Compounding the problem is her reclusive nature, and it's clear to see why so many rumors about her are created by the students.  Kazuya is a warm-hearted boy who always thinks of others before himself.  As a third son in a line of proud warriors, Kazuya is alienated by his father, who wants his son to follow in his footsteps but considers Kazuya too soft.  Naturally, Kazuya is unable to leave the Green Fairy to her lonesome ways, and is always trying to help cure her boredom.  Seeing the interaction between Victorique and Kazuya over the 24 episode span of the anime was one of the high points for me.  The overall story is also excellent, but I can't get into that here.

The animation is impressive.  Even most wide-angle shots are done well.  Victorique is always clothed in the goth-loli look, and her dresses are always detailed and extravagant.  Bones did a nice job of capturing the look of the early 20th century, especially with the archetecture of buildings and the general feel of the setting.

The OST is nice.  It's definitely something you'd expect from a story that takes place in the 1920s.  The OP "Destin Histroire" by Yoshiki Lisa and the EDs "Resuscitated Hope" by Lisa Komine and "unity" by Lisa Komine are great.

I'd recommend Gosick to anyone who likes detective stories or tales that takes place in the early 20th century.  I'd also recommend it to anyone who likes romance anime.  If you liked Gosick I'd recommend Karakuri Zoushi Ayatsuri Sakon, another excellent detective anime.

Summer WonFes, aka the Black Sister Dilemma

Ah, Wonder Festival, the magical bi-annual event where both the big PVC manufacturers and small garage kit circles come together to display their upcoming offerings.  I always pay close attention to every WonFes report graciously posted by Nekomagic, usually resulting in much want on my behalf.

This half, I was completely captivated by Spare Tail's offering of Black Sister, a side character from the JRPG Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2.  She's the game's precocious tsundere sister of Black Heart, and represents the PSP game system.  Naturally, I'm a fan.

That gun, that outfit, those drills.

Thus begins my dilemma.  I found this garage kit on Yahoo Auctions Japan and it seems to be a legit kit.  For 15,000 yen.  Add to that the deputy fee and shipping, plus the rather hefty fee of getting her commissioned to paint, and it comes out to be upwards of $500 in total.

I know the collector's motto is "Don't think, buy," but in this case, I'm trying my best to hold out.  With garage kits like these, oftentimes a PVC will come out by a large manufacturer that will be less of an assault on the bank account, however in this case I don't know if that'll happen.  The only character from this series that I know got a PVC figure is Purple Heart by QuesQ, and it wasn't a very well-made PVC.

The Grail.

At this point I have a few options:

1. Don't think, buy
2. Buy and wait to get her painted
3. Buy and learn to paint
4. Don't buy and wait for a PVC that might not come

The fourth option is the most perilous one, as I really want this figure.  I'll think on it.

C3: Cube x Cursed x Curious

Just finished C3: Cube x Cursed x Curious.

I give it a 6/10.  The story starts off with our protagonist, Yachi Haruaki, a high schooler who is immune to curses.  His traveling father sends him a mysterious metal box in the mail.  Due to their special skills, the Yachi family collects and effectively removes the curses from demonic tools, dolls, etc.  Assuming the package is just another cursed tool to be cleansed, Haruaki stacks the box in the basement with the rest of the items.  Of course, the box mysteriously morphs into Fear, your typical tsundere, flat-chested girl of petite stature later that night, surprising Haruaki who assumes that the noise coming from his kitchen is a burglar.  Fear is a cursed tool from the middle ages, and can summon a wide range of torture devices to assist her in combat.  Thus begins our cliche action/love triangle epic.

The story is pretty generic.  The entire experience reminded me of a slightly cheaper Shakugan no Shana.  I was actually surprised C3 was produced by FUNi, as the whole time I thought I was watching something from JC.  There's roughly three arcs spanning four episodes each, focusing mainly on outside forces trying to get their hands on Fear.  Almost any episode is mainly broken into a few parts: Fear making fun of Haruaki's friend Konoha's large breasts (which is such an old, stale humor device that I groaned every time it happened), Fear trying to fit in with everyone, and all the good guys fighting the bad guys.

The animation isn't great.  It gets the job done, but at times it's really sloppy.  Fear especially has some interesting expressions when she gets worked up during a fight.  This show isn't afraid of gore, and I can remember at least twice during the first 3 episodes where someone was dismembered.  At times during the show it looked like the art director was trying to pull some ef: Memories-style modern art thing, making the show just look disjointed.

The characters are pretty typical fare.  Fear the petite, flat-chested tsundere.  Konoha the childhood friend, a large breasted, megane tsundere (wow TWO tsunderes!).  Kirika the stern, cool class-rep with a soft spot for Haruaki.  Anything else would be moving into spoiler-land.  But, there's a few more characters thrown in there that follow an established mold.

The OST and OPs/EDs are largelly forgettable.

Looking back, it seems like I've written a totally negative review of C3, but it isn't all that bad.  It was entertaining enough for 12 episodes, it was just missing something.    I would recommend C3 to anyone who likes crazy fighting and likes some blood and gore and hasn't been totally jaded by the old breast jokes.  If you liked C3 you'd definitely like Shakugan no Shana, which is a similar yet superior anime, in my opinion.