Winter 07-Spring 08 (Recent Anime List) March 2, 2008

So I haven’t been on posting like mwuhahaha lately, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been watching anything >:)(Okay, so I should be studying for my French Oral Examination and English Provincials but I couldn’t resist)

So for now, a brief inside look in my brain. Just little commentaries and thoughts about what I’ve watched so far.

Cut for Overdrive, Kino no Tabi: Country of Disease, Ghost Hound, Shion no Ou, Shigofumi, Person -trinity soul-, and Spice and Wolf

DONE:

Overdrive:

Probably the best sports type I’ve ever watched this past 2 years (was there any OTHERS?). Bicycles! Everyone was just plain silly and had that typical “I must win!” attitude when it came down to it. Really, even the antagonist became so pitiful that you just had to like him for the heck of it. Low-brow humour I suppose, but that’s what made it so funny. An explosive ending that delivered and not delivered at the same time (they made it possible!). It left me wanting more. Here’s hoping for a second season, one that shows what SHOULD have happened (that first episode was so totally a fluke). People, this series shows how friendship, love, and life should be. Oh, and they made road racing look awesome @_@. 

Kino no Tabi: Country of Disease

I’ve always been a fan of Kino no Tabi. Heck, I even bought the series box set. The whole philosophy and deepness made an impression. Then again, it takes a person who can look deeply into the meaning to enjoy and actually get the story. I lent it to a friend and in the end she gave it back with a confused expression and said, “Well, the most memorable (aka disgustingly morbid) part was the episode of ‘-I Want to Live- The Story of Man Eating.’ I do agree. Like all of the Kino no Tabi stories, “Country of Disease” delivers a disturbing story and has a completely crazy plot twist at the end. Only a little shorter than 30 minutes, I felt that the story progressed enough to fit in rightfully with other episodes of the series. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a “movie” though. Endearing, really. Truly, those who have departed are still within those who are still alive. Continuing

Ghost Hound

I feel that because of this anime, I might actually follow what my parents have been telling me and become a brain surgeon. Ghost Hound deals with a couple of kids who are experiencing things that might otherwise be called mental. The three main characters are connected in that someone near them has died. Another character is also lumped into the story in that the spirits of the dead actually possess her. Cool? HELL YEA! Not only is this very educational (it talks about how the brain works and certain treatments for those who are trying to recuperate from a mind-blowing tragedies), but it seems real. Aside from the spiritual dilemma plaguing the kids, there are their families. One couple is in tatters because the man is cheating on his wife, another family is dealing with a death and two members who are mentally unstable because of it, another deals with the death supposed-murderer father and a kid who is being forced to carry on the family business, and a divorced shrine priest father who is not so into his job. Add some ghosts and several mysteries and you have an awesome series. “BOO!”

 

 

Shion no Ou

My favourite series of ALL TIME had been Hikaru no Go, so when an anime about shougi was created, I immediately jumped in the bandwagon. Unlike HnG however, you can’t really follow the game aspect of this anime unless you know shougi. While a few aspects of the game are explained, it’s not enough to understand it in a deeper level. Too bad there’s no pro teaching us the game at the end of each episode like HnG. No, it’s nothing like Chess >_>. Like Ghost Hound, there are 3 main characters (Yasuoka Shion, Saito Ayumi and Nikaido Saori), except this time they are girls. All of them are striving to be the best in the shougi world. However, one of them is haunted by her past that left her biological parents dead and her mute. Shion is just so adorably cute and still inexperienced in world since she was sheltered by her foster parents. The game is the key to finding out who killed her parents. The music is awesome and if that isn’t enough to get you to watch this series this will: CROSSDRESSING!!! Ayumi is the best @w@. Oh plot is awesome. So far best plot out of all the series I’m watching.

Shigofumi

While the storyline may seem episodic at first, it seems that main character Fumika (which I assumed to be an angel at first) is integrated into it in a different level. It wasn’t just about delivering letters from the dead and helping the receiver (of course, she’d never admit to that). By episode 3, she’s already connected to a character in the series. It’s sad to say that that storyline was only a single episode. I had been wondering if it was going to be like Darker Than Black and go for stories which consist of two episodes each. Apparently, Fumika was once a human who killed her father. Dun dun dun! There was also a shot of her in, what I presume to be a comatose state. Fumika and her human counterpart don’t exactly look alike (well to me that is), and the human boy recognized her because he saw the gun Fumika used was the same gun his classmate used to kill her father. Things are popping up quite fast in this series so I’m quite excited to say I CAN’T WAIT. Oh, and there’s talking staff.

Persona-trinity soul-

Finally! A game-turned-anime that doesn’t suck! When was the last time this happened? Fate/Stay Night? Shakugan no Shana? Not only that, this series doesn’t try to appeal to its audience via highlighting its more fanservice side… well okay so yea, the character designs are sexy >_> but still. Oh, Takehito Koyasu voices the eldest of the three brothers <3. I’m so biased. I loved his work in Toward the Terra as Keith Anyan  and Mwu La Flaga in Gundam Seed. Then there’s Okamoto Nobuhiko from sola (Yorito Morimiya) playing Shin, the middle child. The only one I have problems with is Jun. I know the guy has an identity crisis (MPD?) but all I hear is a girly voice on a body that I already have doubts of belonging to a guy =_=. The upbeat music played by Iwasaki Taku is absolutely spectacular; there was some jazz and if my memory isn’t playing mind tricks a kind of rap… or perhaps R&B. So far, this gets my vote on best OST of 08, but it’s still too early to tell. The OP Breakin’ Through by Shuuhei Kita and ED Suicides Love Story by Nana Kitade are addicting as well (but the latter images were… disturbing? strange? farfeleu?!). The story revolves around 3 brothers (gee, the number 3 seems to be popping up a lot) whom all have ‘personas’. I have never played the Persona game, so I have no idea what the hell they are, yet but I SHALL FIND OUT. Recent events that led to the turning of persona-bearing humans inside out, called Reverse Incident, is hush-hush. Basic genre: ACTION. Enough said.

 

Spice and Wolf

  

I don’t usually watch the types of anime which has the main character stark naked (but of course not showing anything, because that would be horrible … ) and part animal (Loveless didn’t really appeal to me either) right from episode 1. So, I find myself wondering for the past 2 weeks why I’m watching this series. Horo is a wolf god that can turn her body into a human. She had been blessing the fields of a local town until recent technological innovations led to the townspeople not relying on her anymore. So she went away. Her partner in crime is Lawrence Craft, a travelling tradesman who happened to find her amidst some of his items. I’d normally stop after the first 15 minutes of the 1st episode but I found this series to be witty. Its notes on people and life made sense and reminded me strongly of Death Note, especially how Horo dealt with the businessman concerning the fox furs. It was the only first episode that irked me. Come on, Lawrence didn’t even seem surprised at the fact she was naked the WHOLE TIME. To the point I thought it was abnormal. The next episode had him acting more normal to a bare body, but still the whole no-clothes thing is unnecessary even if it’s only once in awhile now. Like Persona, it has a strange ED… Is this going to be a trend for 2008? ‘Cause, it kinda creeps me out.