Final Impressions: Mobile Suit Gundam AGE / 機動戦士ガンダムAGE

September 25, 2012

Posted by aaronsine

Hello folks!

Today I'll be doing a review (my first! yay) on an anime that just ended yesterday, from my time zone's point of view. As the sharper-eyed of you might have realized from the silhouette above, this review is on Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, or 機動戦士ガンダムAGE, which is its Japanese title. (if you happen to be wondering, by the way, there weren't any Initial Impressions for Gundam AGE because nobody took it up, and when I joined this place it already aired...if my ever failing memory serves me correctly, that is)

Now, I won't beat about the bush here - Gundam AGE, as I shall henceforth call it because I'm too lazy to type out an extra 2 words each time, doesn't really run far away from your usual boy-finds-epic-mobile-suit-that-is-somewhat-insanely-overleveled-and-proceeds-to-save-humanity-from-killing-each-other recipe as compared to many other Gundam series out there. What sets this apart from the other Gundam series though, in my opinion, (or at least those that I've watched) is the continuity - different times, with different characters taking turns to be the main character, then (minor spoiler alert) winding up full circle to end with the initial character.

However, if you're the type of nerd/geek like me who loves to see stuff blow up and the like, then congratulations, this is an anime for you! 

The primary character, Flit Asuno. A really nice guy, genius and all (to be exact, he created a Gundam at the ripe old age of fourteen that made mainstream military technology look like antique guns in comparison). Loves his friends and family, but unfortunately lost his family in an attack by this Unknown Enemy that nobody knew of, shortened to the UE. (I must confess, this is an astonishingly creative abbreviation...but then again the narrators are Japanese and I doubt they can handle English words well since it's not exactly their mother tongue)

The secondary main character, and son of Flit, Asemu Asuno. Personally, I think the alliteration is really cute, especially when the slight rhyming comes in, haha... He grew up in a more sheltered environment as compared to his father, but still had some of his father's brains and combat skills. Generally a nice guy, like Flit, but Asemu tends to prefer being in the limelight for his capabilities and skills with regards to mobile suits due to him being consistently overshadowed by his father's plentiful achievements since young. (also, COOL HAIRPORN I LOVE THAT HAIR I WANNA HAVE THAT KINDA HAIR ASFJASDSDDAF)

The tertiary main character, son of Asemu, Kio Asuno. Kindest personality out of the three generations, and certainly the most idealistic. He grew up really close to his grandfather Kio, because his father was basically missing since he was born. (scumbag father, anyone?) Also arguably the best pilot out of the three, mainly due to him having the best X-Rounder ability out of the three generations.


The unfortunate bit about any Gundam series is that they tend to become slightly technical, often introducing new concepts and terms each time round. In Gundam SEED you have SEED (duh) mode, in Gundam AGE you have the X-Rounder ability. Essentially, anyone with the X-Rounder ability has heightened physical capabilities, improved reaction times, and the ability to more or less "foresee" any decisions by any other pilot on the battlefield who's an X-Rounder (think spider sense). It is also sometimes (very rarely) said to be an actual degradation of humanity, since the heightened capabilities and instincts seem almost feral, as if humans are becoming less "developed" in a sense. The X-Rounder ability can also malfunction sometimes, but I should really stop here because I don't wanna spoil y'all. ^__^

maybe the spider web-like artwork helps with the whole "spidey sense" bit

In all honesty, some technicalities of this show baffled me a lot. Hailing from a country that has compulsory military conscription, I'm often reminded and shown what happens if we disobey orders. And yet, in every single Gundam series, I see pilots blatantly flipping their superiors' orders off, figuratively speaking of course. Also, right at the beginning, when the UE is still, well, unidentified, they basically raped any and all shreds of military resistance by the Earth Federation, a.k.a. the "good" guys. It's almost as pitiful as pitting the latest military technology we have now against the pebble throwing of prehistoric neanderthals. I honestly quite doubt that there can exist such a huge disparity in military power, realistically speaking - furthermore, why not just take over everyone right at the start when, you know, you had the upper hand? Fantastic play, UE, fantastic play.

However, I do have heaps of praises for this series. It actually shows a continuation between eras within the show, with a really smooth transition. In comparison, most shows, including animes, usually just put a "x years later" during the last episode to show progress. Of course, Gundam AGE is also guilty of that, but on the whole, 49 episodes to cover 100 years as compared to, what, 50 episodes and a movie for a grand total of 6++ years in Gundam 00, for example? Also, the potential of Gundams as superior machines in warfare is thoroughly demonstrated, since a single machine can still be used effectively in combat after over half a century later. THAT'S NOT ALL! The capabilities of a single machine can be further enhanced by this thingalamijg called the AGE system, which produces newer and more effective weapons and/or parts based on accumulated combat data. If I were to liken this to something applicable in real life, it's like saying that the AGE system is kinda like phones today - you can change to a better and newer phone, but as long as you keep your SIM card you retain your number and most of your essential data...as compared to clearing all data and changing your number when you change a phone. Also, your phone will change processors, screen size, device dimensions, etc to fit your preferred usage. (might have been an example that's a tad too far fetched, but best I could come up with)

ALL of the Gundams!!!

Art wise, I can quite safely say that Gundam AGE is a significant improvement from older series such as Gundam SEED/Gundam SEED Destiny. Although I would have liked to see more detail, but on the bright side, no 572687267230698710 repeated and recycled scenes of mass destruction!

I kind of liked the music in Gundam AGE. I can't say they'll become instant chart toppers, but in my opinion at least, these songs tend to grow on you. I can, however, safely say that this is one of the animes that I find that has better songs (overall). Something worthy of note would be that a singer previously introduced in our Beat of the Week, Faylan, sings one of the ending songs.

Overall, I liked this anime quite a lot. There's continuity and all, and for an anime in the traditionally straightforward blast-shit-up genre, there were a surprising amount of plot twists to keep you interested. I certainly won't recommend this anime, however, if you're into more intellectual genres, so to speak. The following picture would appear to be our ScoreCard of Gundam AGE.

To quote a comment I read off YouTube,

"I don't know why people are asking for a perfect Gundam series, which will be next to impossible as Gundam has one of the worst fanbases ever (Bashing on every other Gundam series, etc)."

I may be a fan of Gundam series in general, but the dude has a point - especially considering how huge the Gundam franchise has become, it's basically impossible to create a "perfect" series.


Mobile Suit Gundam AGE has a total of 49 episodes, and why bother about other fansubbers when GUNDAM.INFO gives you legitimate online streaming for free? (insert maniacal laughter)

PROTIP: GUNDAM.INFO GIVES LEGITIMATE ONLINE STREAM FOR OTHER GUNDAM SERIES AS WELL.

The video below is Faylan's (official) PV for WHITE JUSTICE, one of the ending songs for Gundam AGE. Because, well, y'know, support artistes' original works!


P.S. Sorry if y'all find this a text-heavy post, my first review ehehe ^__^v

P.P.S. MAJOR SPOILER/RANT WARNING I just had to get this off my mind, but seriously, Flit went on an extremely vengeance-fueled rampage-cum-revenge on the UE/Vagan JUST to get revenge for them killing off his first love, Yurin? The dude's love must reach further than the furthest star systems, man.

Hint: Oh, I'm supposed to do a hint for my next review? Most (un?)fortunately, your guess is really as good as mine!

aaronsine
Edited by aaronsine

Final Impressions: Hyouka / 氷菓

Posted by DarrenW
September 22, 2012

Hello readers,

It's been a while! Well the main reason why I was away for so long was due to the fact that I am in the final stages leading up to a huge examination, which will begin in about 40 days.

So today I will be doing a review on an anime which has just ended only a few days ago, "Hyouka / 氷菓!"

So, ever wondered if there was ever a person who was so lazy that he would do anything to save it?
Well, here he is, introducing our main protagonist, Houtarou Oreki.

Houtarou Oreki

Chitanda Eru

Satoshi Fukube

Mayaka Ibrara

Basically lazy to a serious extent, Oreki is able to strictly decline any invitation that is presented across him if that it involves him wasting his energy. He does not like to put in effort in things that wastes his energy, and does not join a club or co-curricular activity of any sort. "Don't do anything you don't have to, what you have to do, do it quickly." However, due to a request by her sister to save a dying club know as the "Classic Literature Club", Oreki has no choice but to join it as an only member.

However, when he unlocks and enters the club room, he finds our other main character, Eru Chitanda. An enthusiastic girl, she is always eager to solve a mystery when one is presented in front of her.

Wait a second, how did Eru enter the clubroom when it was locked? Feeling puzzled, she faces Oreki with an excited face and basically tries to get him to join in to solve the mystery together. And for the first time ever, he accepts to help investigate. Its like a sort of Achilles heel for Oreki.

Joined by his childhood friend, Satoshi Fukube, they attempt to solve the mystery of the locked door, only to be puzzled. However, Oreki has a skill that nobody knew. He is able to process mysteries and puzzles at lightning speed.

As he shows the mechanism of his thinking process, we start to see that, though he is lazy, he has an excellent skill in solving mysteries. As the anime progresses, more cases show up for the club. The mystery of Eru's uncle, the Jumonji incident, and other, mysteries within the school. I won't go into them because I don't want to give you spoilers. It will only spoil the mystery for you guys.

Hyouka was funny. In some parts of the show, humor is injected and I found it very relaxing. It adds a nice feel to the show as a school-type anime. The art used in this anime was simply awe-strucking. It was really well done and a lot of attention was put into making the scenery shown in the anime.

Kan'ya Fair

The mysteries, which made up most of the plot and development, was just fantastic. Well, though it isn't the case-of-the-decade thriller mysteries like detective conan, it manages to have a mystery feel to it, and adds some realism, if you were a high school student and had something which ignited your curiosity. Though I have to admit, the plot was a bit draggy and 22 episodes (especially the Kan'ya fair period) were a test of my commitment, it turned out pretty well. I liked the show very much.

Hyouka focuses more on the school life aspect rather than an actual backbone story in which symbolises the entire show, which explains why most of the episodes are not interlinked with one another. A few key aspects of the anime were the many profiles expressed by the four, which I found to be most enlightening. The show also focuses on life values, morals and character at the same time.

The mysteries were another upside to the anime. Mysteries that incited my curiosity, in which I couldn't stop thinking about it when introduced to them. The way Oreki presents his theories will blow your mind apart, BUT, at the same time, managing to stay within the boundaries of being logical.

And lastly, MUSIC. I really liked the first opening of Hyouka, which had such an awesome tune to it. Yasashisa no Riyuu by Choucho was an excellent song, of which the OP kept me captivated.

Overall, it has a good impression and you guys should really catch this anime if you are into mystery. It's certainly an anime to watch if you like slow developments and an all rounded anime that doesn't rush into things that feels stressful to watch.

Hyouka has 22 episodes, premiered from April 22 to September 16, 2012 and was fansubbed by Commie, gg (dropped) and Mazui. It also comes in novel and manga form, the novel dating back since 2001 and the manga since 4 months ago.



Have fun watching!

Hint: →→Burst→Link→!!→→
DarrenW
Edited by FayeA

Beat Of The Week: How to go

September 21, 2012
Posted by MedusaS

Yes! It's me again!

So this week, what did I choose? Oh wait, its in the title up there isn't it.

Well its "How to go" by School Food Punishment!

So the song was used in the anime "Un-Go", a fantastic anime which portrayed mystery at its best.

I chose this song this week because the song How to go was one of my favourite songs at the time, because of the use of unique music effects by the band School Food Punishment.

The unique boom and tune at the first 15 seconds of the video is something that I will always remember the song by.

Yumi Uchimura, as always, never fails to deliver with her awesome voice in the song. The climax of the song (TV Version) has an awesome tune at 50 seconds in.

Though, I think what made the impression was the opening credits, which were very well done, in terms of the timing of the transitions, how beautifully it matched with the song.

School Food Punishment also produced other wonderful songs, like "Eden Of The East's" Ending Song, futuristic imagination, which also utilised unique sounds to get the song rolling.

The sad thing though, for those who just heard of this band, is that it's no longer around. School Food Punishment officially ended in June this year, when the vocalist decided to leave. So from now on, no more of such unique sounds would be produced. They will be missed!




Opening 1 ~ UN-GO by okwanz

MedusaS

Revisited Anime: Steins;Gate / シュタインズ・ゲート

September 15, 2012
Posted by DarrenW & MedusaS

*This anime is being reviewed again because of the revised score-structure.

Originally Posted On: September 15, 2011 (Woah... That's scary. We did not expect the dates to be the same)
By DarrenW & MedusaS 
  
El Psy Congroo!

Today me and MedusaS will be re-reviewing the final impressions for Steins;Gate! シュタインズ・ゲート
   

The famous sentence always mentioned. I'm going to talk about a new anime here, called "Steins;Gate". From the popular XBOX 360 and PC game by 5pb & Nitroplus, this new anime is sure to get viewers as well!

  
The world, is made up of an infinite number of world-lines, where there are differences in each one of them, of which through different actions and decisions, they divide.

Guy or Girl? Find OUT!!

Life in Akihabara (Otaku Heaven) starts off with Rintarō Okabe, the protagonist of Steins;Gate (Of course, he invented the name Steins;Gate), who claims to be a mad scientist (trust me, he really acts like one) and goes under the alias the MAD SCIENTIST Kyōma Hōōin!!. The female characters is Makise Kurisu, a neuroscience researcher and Mayuri Shiina, Rinataro's childhood friend. Also in the anime is Hashida Itaru, a "super hacker" in both hardware and software.

Things actually, don't go off to a good start. Honestly, i found the first episode very unappealing. (Probably explains why UTW Subs dropped the subs for the anime after the first episode only...).  The way it first ran about would probably deter anybody, due to the mad scientist/irrational thinking part.
   

HOWEVER, slowly, piece by piece, episode by episode, summing up to episode 24, IT FINALLY comes to light, the significane of episode 1. Makes you go OHHHHH! Thats how it happened.

Furthermore, don't be fooled! Normally high-plot animes are always like that, confusing. But after episode 1, it gets really good.

The main plot is about time-travel. Set in the summer of 2010, the story sets on the discovery of a microwave time machine, where the protagonist travels back and forth in time to alter what has happened in the future.

Okabe suddenly finds a girl, Makise Kurisu dead, murdered in a pool of blood, when he attends a conference regarding time travel in (the building u see above). He sends a text mesage to Daru saying the murder, and suddenly he realises... She is ALIVE.

The group suddenly realize that their microwave is actually able to send text messages INTO THE PAST (Called D-Mail) when a phone somehow interferes with the microwave when it runs. Whatever they send back into the past will have an adverse effect on the present! It becomes fun and they send message after message, to benefit everyone. 

A Cell-Phone changes, a boy becomes a girl, Akihabara's otaku vanishes (nooooooo!), and a dead person becomes alive. But there is to be a profound effect from the D-Mails! Mayuri suddenly dies, a mysterious organisation starts chasing everyone down, a time-traveller appears & the world is going to plunge into World War III! WHAT IS GOING ON? What will Okabe do now? Can he save the world from whatever chaos and make it to Steins;Gate ?!

DarrenW

Plot deserves a 10. Just peeling the story, part by part, was simply awe-strucking. As a novelist, the technique used was simply beautiful, where the ending becomes the start, and slowly you learn what lead up to the introduction. I also recommend you watch it twice to get an understanding of what's going on, unless you have super-god attention span. HAHA

Theme wise, this anime really illustrates time-travel, somehow they managed to fit in ECCHI, MOE and Romance. This anime is one of the most creative I have ever seen. Not only its presentation style, the different moods it managed to set, the different way it develops against all those conventional animes.

As a sci-fi anime, it definitely puts the theme of time travel back up again, right next to "Back To The Future". (It's really that good.) Personally I wasn't expecting anything great after watching episode 1, but after watching it bit by bit, it all starts to make sense, and the various factors put together, made to produce one amazing anime. Not a single episode after that was boring and I, for the first time, re-watched it twice.

MedusaS

Although I didn't watch the anime 3 times like DarrenW, I realised I had super-god attention span. haha

The anime certainly deserves a huge amount of credit, for the fact that I have never seen anything quite like it before. Sure, there were time travel animes, animes based on akihabara, but none on a scale quite like this.

Steins;Gate definitely makes it number one on MY LIST, for it was a truly mezmerizing anime to watch. You could feel the amount of work that has been put into it. Furthermore, what's Sci-Fi without explanations and theories? This anime certainly has that done to an amazing degree.

I also have to commend the music, Hacking to the Gate by Kanako Itou and Tokitsukasadoru Juuni no Meiyaku by Sakakibara Yui became my all time favourite OP & ED since I started watching anime.

COLLABORATIVE SCORE:

Steins;Gate was subbed by Commie, UTW, Steins;Sub and Doki.

Actually, after episode 8, Steins;Sub QUIT subbing the show! Haha. Honestly, just go to Commie to get the subs.

Divergence Meter

It has currently JUST ENDED. Steins;Gate has 24 episodes, premiering from April 6 to September 9 and will contain a Special, or OVA. It has also been announced that it has been "GREEN LIT", which means A STEINS;GATE MOVIE IS ON ITS WAY!

    
PS: Next review is on romance!
   
See you in the future!

DarrenW

MedusaS

Re-fitted & Edited by FayeA

Beat Of The Week: 手紙 ～拝啓 十五の君へ～ (Tegami ~Haikei juugo no kimi e~)

Hello folks, it's me again! Today I'm here with Beat Of The Week! Okay, my song doesn't really have a "beat" as in drum beat...well, that was rather punny, no?

I find myself quite a weirdo when it comes to music. True, there are a few singers/bands that I'm kinda nuts over, but other than them, my music choices are really random. I go for the song, you see, and not really the singer/band/lyrics/etc, which also explains why I listen to songs in many different languages.

Today's pick by me is a rather...relaxed song as compared to other songs shared so far. But, as many would agree, the quality of a song is definitely not determined by it's speed and/or pace. This song, by Angela Aki, roughly translates to "a letter to the 15 year old you". (credits for translation to Google Translate and my inferring skills used to arrive at a grammatically correct title after Google Translate was done with it)

After listening to this song a few times, I (finally) went to check out the lyrics and I realized how deep the lyrics were. A letter from your older self to your younger self, asking about life, complaining about life's tribulations, and yet reassuring yourself. Personally, the lyrics got me reflecting...

In all honesty, despite the beautiful melody, I must admit that the song does get a tad (musically, not lyrically) boring after a while because the melody repeats itself quite a few times. Nonetheless, a quick online search with my decent google-fu showed me that this song was rather popular in Japan when it was released, exceeding sales numbers of 200,000, and placing as high as 3rd on the Oricon charts. It's also increasingly being used as a graduation song in Japan, not unlike Graduation by Vitamin C.

So give this song a listen, read up on the lyrics (if you need translation), and hopefully, what you're doing now isn't something you'll regret when you're older. (gosh, that escalated quite quickly from an initially light hearted post)




aaronsine

Random Musings

September 11, 2012
Posted by aaronsine

Hello there, ladies, gentlemen and variations thereupon. This is your new author/editor, aaronsine! (yay) Clearly, my name is Aaron, y'all can call me that if you'd like. (no shit there, though)

Now, before y'all keep on jumping on me and ripping me to shreds for not appearing to do anything, I must clarify that I have been editing stuff! (double yay) Also, I've promised the Almighty and All-Knowing Boss of this place, DarrenW, that I'll be churning out some reviews...which nobody has seen even a pixel of it yet due to my fascinatingly amazing talent and skills at procrastination! (clap clap clap)

This is one of several new types of posts that we sincerely hope will help spice up this place a little bit and make it a bit more fun for everyone, and this particular type, random musings, was thought of by yours truly because I am an incorrigible slacker. (^____^v) On a slightly more serious note, the apparent nonsensical-ness of this post type ensures that we can cover pretty much almost anything and everything we like that's not in our usual postings!

What might be on the agenda for today's random musings? Your guess is as good as mine. How about we talk about ponies and cupcakes and rainbows?

...

......

Okay, that was a bad joke. I was, however, intending to blab on and on and on and on endlessly about how boring school life is, and so on...but nah, I'll just recommend and introduce a few videos that I've been watching lately that I find really nice! The videos may or may not be recent, though, because I'm kind of halfway up to date with stuff. That doesn't mean they're not nice though, old is gold, no?

What I love (and hate) about YouTube is that there are so many videos out there. There are as much as 72 hours of video uploaded to YouTube PER FREAKING MINUTE!!!

First off, I've gotta admit that I have this HUGE thing for spacey-wacey things. Also, I think that timelapse videos are cool. (in case you don't know what timelapse is, here's a wikipedia article) Mix 'em both together and I'm bought and sold. (on a side note, if any one of you has a home theater system and/or pretty large TV, try to play this video on it. it's magnificent, to say the least)



Next off, we have this really technical video meant to blow our heads out. Betcha didn't know how to turn a sphere inside out!




Everyone knows about this scary game, called Slender! (if you don't, maybe it's time to crawl out of wherever you are and poke around the interwebs a lil') But do you actually know how to make the game NOT scary? This is like a guide (of sorts!)




In conclusion: Point of this post? NONE WHATSOEVER! (inserts le crazy laughter)

On a slightly more serious note, I promise to be coming up with moar reviews, so please look forward to my reviews!

aaronsine

Beat Of The Week: Errand

Posted by FayeA
September 9, 2012

Hey guys! Yes, today I'll be doing the Beat Of The Week! I hope you guys are psyched!

So what does FayeA mean? Well its short for "Faylan Addicted!" Hahaha, so yes, I am a Faylan fan!


So today I will share with you one of Faylan's songs, Errand, which to me has one of the nicest sounds!

Right from the start of the song, epic drum beats and the sounds of the electric guitar flood into your ears. At 6 seconds, I don't know what's what anymore.

Under Lantis, Faylan sings a variety of songs, mainly under J-Pop, and some of them get featured in anime and video games in Japan, like Katanagatari and Gundam, I THINK. The song Errand was used for the opening for a show called... "Seikon no Qwaser" which I highly doubt anybody here will do a review about because... of its questionable content.

Anyway, I don't watch anime, so I can't be the judge of that.

Faylan has a super captivating voice, and the use of her instruments are unique and hardcore! There are so many other songs she made, under the albums "Polaris" and "Alive" but today I'm just going to share one with you guys!

Make sure you try it out!



In case you don't like the live version!


Seikon no Qwaser - Opening by Lyserg06

FayeA
Edited by MYSELF >:

Past Anime Review: Yumeiro Patissiere / 夢色パティシエール

Posted by MedusaS
September 9, 2012

So this early morning I decided to do a review that is surprisingly NOT ECCHI. Yes people have been asking me why I've been watching so many ECCHI titles. Answer? I don't know. Don't judge me! XD

So today I'll be sharing with you one of the longest animes I've watched from 2009 to 2010, "Yumeiro Patissiere / 夢色パティシエール" (Dream-Coloured Pastry Chef)

The story all begins, very very early on, with our protagonist, Amano Ichigo, who is your average 14 year-old girl, who isn't very good at what she does, but has a talent, unfortunately that being able to eat tons (I mean TONS) of sweets.

*Btw sweets, with reference to this anime, referes to pastries, and a majority of the ones shown in this anime are those from Paris, France.

Upon divulging in her favourite food, she meets Henri Lucas, a patissiere (pâtissier), of whom finds Ichigo has an amazing palate in taste. Upon meeting Ichigo, he recommends her to attend St. Marie Academy, a school, based in Japan, specially catered for students to learn the art of pastry making.

*Btw, Patissieres are pastry chefs who specialize in the art of making sweets that have designs that will blow your mind away.

And so Ichigo's legacy begins, from square one. Upon arrival, she meets the three princes (and future partners), they are:

Makoto Kashino
An arrogant and easily flustered character with blond hair, Makoto specializes in the making of chocolate-based sweets. Always getting top-notch grades, he keeps a high level of pride. I can't say anything else about him because that'll be spoiling the fun for you guys!

Satsuki Hanabusa
Emitting roses from his aura, the prince of candy and flower designed sweets, Satsuki is "the flirt", being extremely nice to nearly all the girls in his immediate surroundings. The only thing I can't really stand is that he's quite girly (no offence).

Sennosuke Andou
And last but not least, Andou, who is your bespectacled character, who specializes in traditional Japanese sweets. He is one of the more neutral characters, who is extremely generous and helpful in every way.

But this is NOT A REAL-LIFE ANIME, THERE'S MAGIC! Yes, each patissiere gets his/her own magical partner, called sweets spirits! Pocket sized and being named after an ingredient, they help each pastissiere along the way, to become professional pastry chefs. They come from a magical dimension.

The plot develops when the main event of St. Marie, the Cake Grand Prix. Teams will compete, in the form of preparing professional sweets under a stipulated time, then allowing judges to taste their masterpieces. The final score will decide who will win or lose, and the final winner gets an all expense paid education in the main St. Marie Academy in Paris. She and the three princes come together to form their team of which enter into the competition.

Not going to elaborate further for the sake of not giving you guys spoilers, the long and arduous journey for Ichigo and the three sweet princes begins. Will they win the Grand Prix? What sort of exciting sweets would they make for to blow the competition away? Will Ichigo's dream be met? Watch to find out!



I really enjoyed this anime because No. 1: I like to eat sweets, and I think this anime really deserves praise for its art in this field! The sweets are so well drawn and painted. Though food making animes are rare, this anime really shows you what sweets can look like. No. 2: Its very educational. After the end of the anime, I really, genuinely, learnt a lot about sweets, how its made, what types there are, etc. The show even has a "Learn how to make sweets" segment after each episode. C'MON, this is awesome!

No. 3: The art style used in this anime, though your typical shoujo, is, to me, hard to come by nowadays. You rarely get this kind of art in animes nowadays, which I think is kinda sad. The art styles used in this anime is able to allow extravagance, at the same time, providing a sort of warm feel.

Though the plot was a drag, this anime really made some interesting points on a field of things, not only sweets-related. It described dreams, ambitions, goals, and teamwork, to a significant degree, which was surprisingly well delivered and was very realistic. The only downside was the use of a development such as the Grand Prix. Since you know that in the end there will only be a winner, so how can Team Ichigo lose? Kinda guessed it halfway.

I strongly recommend this anime because it managed to achieve great things, in the field of sweets and beyond. Though not the best anime I've watched, highly interesting.

Sadly though, this anime was not watched by a lot of people, which I don't know why. Maybe it was due to its genre and all that.

Yumeiro Patissiere premiered from October 4, 2009 to September 26, 2010, and has 50 Episodes in its first season. Second season, named "Yumeiro Patissiere Proffessional", and has 13 episodes in that.

I don't have a preview or trailer video so make do with this!


Hint: Romance Again!

MedusaS
Edited by FayeA

Best Openings Summer 2012

September 7, 2012
Posted by DarrenW

Hey readers,

In case you guys are wondering why the updates are so low in frequency, its because I am trying to finish the 7 animes on my list, so as we can provide you guys with the final Impressions when the time comes!

MedusaS will be writing a review soon, so please wait until then!

For now, please enjoy this post!

So today I will be doing a post to inform you guys about the various Openings there are this season! Yay!

And of course, I know there are other OP/EDs out there, but its because I don't watch those animes I can't comment on them.

7th. Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imouto ga Iru!
Music: 3.2
Transitions, Effects & Animation: 2.8
Total: 6.0


Song: Choose me Darling by StylipS
My gosh does everything about this anime have to be ECCHI? Well the OP is no exception. With nose-bleeding scenes, its OP is okay I guess, in terms of transitions and effects. Song has a nice ring to it.


6th: Jinrui wa Suita Shimashita
Music: 3.5
Transitions, Effects & Animation: 3.5
Total 7.0


Song: Real World by nano.RIPE
Creating their own dance style, Jinrui hold on to the fantasy OP, with many psychedelic touches. Has very nice and vivid colours in art. Personally I like nano.RIPE, this song being quite nicely composed.


5th. Hyouka [Opening 2]
Music 3.4
Transitions, Effects & Animation: 4.0
Total: 7.4


Hyouka Opening 2 HD by Nina-60
Song: Unfinished Stride by Saori Kodama
I was looking very forward to this opening because its first one was had such a nice song! Well OP2 had a nice theme going for itself, and a pleasant feel to it. Like the animations very much.


4th. Tari Tari OP
Music: 3.8
Transitions, Effects & Animation: 3.8
Total: 7.6

Song: Dreamer by AiRI
The OP has a very nice and cheerful song, which is quite comforting to hear. Animation is well done and I like the way in which the characters are presented in the start, with them singing along with the song.

3rd: Kokoro Connect
Music: 4.3
Transitions, Effects & Animation: 3.8
Total: 8.1

Song: Paradigm by Eufonius
Blowing my mind away, Kokoro Connect's OP, probably the most cheerful OP able to bring an euphoria to anybody who sees it. Only found out it was actually an Eufonius song yesterday, hahaha. Transitions are neatly done.

2nd: Sword Art Online
Music: 4.5
Transitions, Effects & Animation: 4.0
Total 8.5

[Video Pulled]

Song: crossing field by LiSA
Sung by LiSA, the song is one of the best ones I've ever heard, and the animation is very well done as it manages to incite excitement, action and at the same time fit in very neatly with the music's transitions.

1st: Accel World [Opening 2]
Music: 4.5
Transitions, Effects & Animation: 4.3
Total: 8.8

Song: Burst The Gravity by ALTIMA
Just felt awesome when watching this OP, action filled like Sword Art Online, this OP does not disappoint. Unfortunately I'm not a fan of rap, but with the video the OP is very good. Transitions are well-matched and the animations fit the style of the anime completely.

There you have it, the OPs, for my Summer 2012.
The EDs will be on their way shortly!

DarrenW
Pending Edit

Beat Of The Week: crossing field

September 2, 2012
Posted by Tr3xus

crossing field [Limited Edition] cover

 Hey readers! It's me, Tr3xus, delivering you this week's beat.

This week's selection is crossing field, by LiSA. crossing field is LiSA's second single. The song is written and composed by Sho Watanabe and is featured in the first opening of the anime, "Sword Art Online / ソードアート・オンライン".

There are some songs that hook you up the moment you listen to it. To me, crossing field is one of them.

Turn up the volume for some eargasm because the song's intro is EPIC. The verses and chorus sounds really awesome too. There is something about j-pop that is truly unique from other genres. I feel that this song reflects the uniqueness of j-pop very clearly. Perhaps it's the combination of beautiful violin and energetic guitar melodies. I love how they manage to make the clashing melodies in (1:17-1:22 & 3:40-4:00) sound right.

The album was released on August 8, 2012 and includes 2 other songs + crossing field (instrumental).

It is available for purchase on iTunes and cdjapan.

Note: The music in the video has been pitch altered


Enjoy the brand new month of September guys!
Tr3xus