"K-On!" episode 09

To start this review, I will say that so far, I'm loving Azu-nyan! ^w^

She's very much like Mio because she's shy and a little more down-to-earth than the others, but she's not as annoying! She's really cute-acting (and I definitely love the kitty ears)! ^w^

N-nyaa~

Anyway, I really don't have much to say about this episode, except for that I feel bad for poor Azu-nyan. Didn't really think it before, but now I do think they need to practice more, though that may be mainly for Azu-nyan.

(I see they also added Azu-nyan to the OP. I was guessing that sense she wasn't in the OP or ED that she wasn't going to be staying, but maybe she will.)

Though I do love the original four-girl group, I kind of hope that Azu-nyan stays, just because she's so cute. It's kind of a mixed-feelings thing, but I'm sure she'll seem like part of the group to me after a few episodes (well, if she stays that long xD).

I also find it cute how Mio's acting kind of like a big sister to Azu-nyan. =3 Oh, and guess what? Mio didn't have one of her crouching down and whining scenes in this episode!! =O Oh my gosh!

Okay, I do find the fact that Mio's a scaredy-cat kind of adorable, but when you have it every single episode, it gets annoying, like they're trying to make her super Moé and failing at it (like Mikuru...).

And now, I'll leave you with another cute picture of Azu-nyan... or should I say Azu-... Azu-... whatever bunnies say...

"Hatsukoi Limited" episode 07

I am really loving this show. This episode made me squeal happily a lot. xD Okay, only once or twice... I think...

ANYWHO... This episode has it's main focus on Doba-chan and her boyfriend, Terai. When Kei gives her the advice about how guys don't like girls who can do everything themselves, I thought "Just be yourself. Is America the only place where they shove that type of thing repeatedly into your brian?" I mean, if she is that way, that's her, and so she just needs a guy who likes that type of quality in a girl; that's how it works.

Terai still likes Doba-chan, though, so I don't really think there's much of a problem, too, and if a problem happens... deal with it then? Okay, I'm not an expert on these things, of course, but still...! I try! xD

SOOOO... going on... Poor little Terai isn't brave enough to even hold Doba-chan's hand, though... =(

It's okay, Terai; if she's going out with you, it's kind of natural to hold hands.

In mid-episode, we follow another character—whom I find very annoying—for a moment. Koyoi. Not only is she annoying because she has a brother complex, but she's just annoying and obsessive about it that even if she liked someone not related to her I still wouldn't like her!

When we follow Koyoi, we see her as she meets her rival: Misaki. Then, weirdness ensues...

... Gratefully moving on... We also go to the classroom to get some more Kei and Kusuda ship tease, which was the part that made me squee, especially when Kusuda comes in wearing the scarf Kei gave him! ^w^ And then he blushes when a classmate mentions that he doesn't usually wear a scarf!! ^w^ 

Sorry; I was going back to my squeeing mode... >.>

So anyway, the episode ends with a squeeing moment, as well. After poor Terai goes through the episode worrying about Doba-chan changing her mind and hating him, and also worrying about not being able to hold her hand, he gathers up all his courage, and...

... lol, asks her to hold his hand! Funny, yet adorable at the same time! ^w^ But that's not all of the adorableness!

Not only does she hold his hand, but...

Enter SqueeMode... SQUEESQUEESQUEE!!!

"Hayate the Combat Butler!!" episode 08

Alright... Lets see if I can even say much about this episode...

First: One word...

KITTY!

This episode mainly focuses on the kitty that Hayate found, and oh my gosh is it cute!

Sorry about that... The fact that the kitty is so cute isn't particularly important at the moment. So, anyway, lets get on with some real reviewing-

OHMYGOSHLOOKHOWCUTE!!11!1!!1!

Okay, okay, I will seriously stop now. Onward...

So, anyway, I'm so happy that Hayate is now away from Hina (geez, I don't like her... Okay, she's got some good points, like how she said she'd be rooting for another girl to win Hayate over in the last episode... that was nice) and back with Nagi (I'm rooting for Nagi, though).

Another person who this also seems to focus on a good amount is Tama, getting the longest amount of screen time so far in this season. xP I heard he was annoying, so I expected so much, but turned out he wasn't that bad (at least in this episode). He was actually kind of cute the way he clung onto Nagi's affections and just wanted to keep it...

Okay, that does not count!! (Ugh... Nightmare Fuel...)

So, anyway, it actually was cool to see Isumi in normal clothes. She somehow looks totally different! xD I hope she stays that way! =P

At least she agrees with me that Shiranui's cute...

Also, I wonder what was with them hinting to Shiranui being evil, but then dropping it right away. You see him give a creepy grin after Tama's locked up and that's it. Maybe it'll come back later? Though, either way, Shiranui is CUTE!

Alright, alright, I'll stop talking about how he's so cute... though he is... And I'll only stop talking about how cute he is for now... *evil grin*

Yeah! Like that! (Ugh, more Nightmare Fuel... even worse this time...)

New Anime is New

Well, lets start off with talking about the anime I'm watching that are airing right now! =3 It'll be in no particular order (so don't think it's my favorite to least favorite so far or whatever).

• First up: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Season 2)
  

"Look what I stole!!"

Now, everyone's heard of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, right? If not, you've probably never heard of anime, so you're at the wrong blog.

Anyway, you should know what it is, seeing it's a huge phenomenon in Japan and somewhat in other countries (for anime fans who don't just watch anime on Cartoon Network, that is). If you don't, Google it. Or, hey, to lazy to? I posted a review about it you can read.

So, moving on... My brothers and I all about pissed our pants when Kadokawa pulled their little trick and aired "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" in the middle of their re-airing of the first season. (Never seen The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya? Well, now you know: it is that good.)

Now, I've never read the novels (though I plan to... someday...), so all these episodes are going to be new to me, surprises, so I'm excited about that. My brothers have read the novels, but they're excited.

So far, all I can say for the summery of this show is that it's more of Haruhi doing crazy things and more of Kyon getting pulled into her crazy ideas and the crazy doings of his brigade-mates.

• The second is: K-On!
  

"Because you're so Moé, I'm sure there are nude drawings of you all over the net."

Two words: Kick. Butt.

The plots basic enough; Yui, Mio, Ritsu, and Tsumugi are all high-schoolers (just guess what year of high school) and part of the ironically called Light Music Club, where they basically are a rock band (nothin' light about rock).

Okay, so it's a little deeper than that (and I mean a little). Either way, though, it's very entertaining, dealing with the life of this rock band as they become even better and better at what they do.

All the characters (besides Tsumugi) are kind of annoying, though usually in a good way, so don't go on yelling at me for saying that! (And don't yell at me for saying "usually;" it's my opinion, isn't it?) Yui's a little too stupid, Ritsu's a little too... well... irritating(she teases and bugs people), and Mio's a little too much of a scaredy-cat (it can almost be certain now that you will see her crouching down, crying, and muttering something to herself every episode, as seen above). You could possibly see Tsumugi as irritating for being too nice, but if you do... you're weird.

Anyway, this anime is becoming a fan favorite, along with Mio being loved by many fanboys (making her a fan-favorite character; just search for K-On! on any image site, and I guarantee the majority of the images will be of Mio).

• Third up to base: Hayate the Combat Butler!! (Season 2)

... I think he's knocking-impaired...

Okay, truthfully, I've never seen the first season, but the plot is so... not much of a plot that I don't think I'll need to; they even summarize the plot of the first season at the beginning of the first episode!

Well, in case your too lazy to do that, the basic plot is about a sixteen-year-old boy named Hayate whose parents dumped a 150 million yen debt on him and left. Needing to, of course, pay off this debt, he became the butler to the thirteen-year-old Nagi, whose family could pay of the debt without loosing a single night of sleep. Now he must do regular butler things, and—because he originally saved Nagi from some kidnappers—protect her.

This anime may not be the best airing this season, but it's entertaining to watch, though it still befuddles me how so many girls can have the crush on the same guy... but, seeing that the guy all the girls love in this anime is Hayate, maybe it's not so odd.

• The fourth and final: Hatsukoi Limited

I dream of that, too, honey...

Romantic comedy; that's 'nuff said for me to watch a show.

Being one of my favorite genres, when my brother told me a little about the first episode and that it was a romantic comedy, I said, "I'm watching it." So, I gave the first episode a try, and I like it.

I can't say there's really much of a plot; it really just follows certain people from a rather large cast of main characters around as their junior high and high school romances unravel. Especially at first, you could just tell that there was a lot to learn, some confusion in the mix about certain characters and whatnot, though, so far, it hasn't shown too much promise of deep backstory or anything. But, you never know. There might end up being a lot of deepness for at least some of the characters (doubtfully all, seeing there are so many characters).

As for that, I can't really say anything more about it. There being so many main characters, I can't talk about them. It is a good anime, though: funny, cute, sweet, etc.

Oh, DANG

It's been a while, hasn't it? -_-;;;

Well, I've decided that maybe the reason that I haven't been posting lately is because I told myself (and said on the blog) that I would review every anime I've seen so far.

I think I need a little more freedom when I post instead of planning to do so much before I can have that freedom. From now on, the reviews are canceled; no more unless I want to. I'm going to give myself the freedom to post about whatever I want about anime! ^w^

But anyway, it would be nice if I could get some people to actually read my blog (though that's very unlikely... >.>). And, for now, I leave you with a picture of Kagamin~ in her Hastune Miku outfit! =D

"You're such a lazy bum, Sami!"

カノン

"Kanon"

The beauty of this anime puts it near the top of my list of favorite anime. I'm not talking about the animation—the animation is good, though; it's definitely better than the original 2002 anime. Instead, I mean the beauty of the story, and, in places, the dialogue and script. To emphasize that, I'd like to quote Sayuri Kurata:

"Hey, do you know what the name of this song is, Yuuichi? It's an old classic. It's Pachelbel's 'Kanon in D'. A kanon is a type of song where the melody keeps repeating, and with each repetition the song grows more and more beautiful and vibrant as the new chords harmonize with each other. Wouldn't it be great if the progression of life was like the progression of this song? Nothing would seem to change, but everything would just get richer and fuller."

Kanon makes me cry, tears of sorrow, but also tears of joy, but even the tears of sorrow aren't bad to cry. I see the tears of sorrow as tears of empathy, and, somehow, not as painful as my first impression was when I cried those tears.

The way that the creators of this anime could display this story so well that it makes people cry who rarely cry (well, not me, but someone I know—you know who you are) is amazing and shows the work, creativity, and talent of those people who made it.

The story of the anime is a delicate thing to summarize without spoiling something while still making it seem interesting. I will try my best to balance on the fine line.

Yuuichi Aizawa is in his second year of high school. During the winter of that school year, he transfers over the the same high school as his cousin, Nayuki Minase. His cousin lives in a different town than him, and even though he used to visit seven years ago, his memory of the town is very hazy.

Yuuichi will be staying in the town for quite a while—at least until he graduates from high school. While he is there, he, of course, starts making friends, some of which are "mysterious girls from his past who all need his help." To know how to help them—and, in some cases, even figure out they need help—requires him to remember them and important details from his past.

Even though this anime made me cry, most of the episodes are funny (or hilarious) and a fun time. And, of corse, there's always awesome Yuuichi to cheer you up. My brothers and I have "officially" dubbed Yuuichi the best male anime protagonist.

Everything in this anime can bring into the emotion of the scene so beautifully, every bit of it showing drama. The music will alone choke you up when you connect it to a scene, and the way the scene is shown by the animation, the camera angles, etc. works so carefully and wonderfully.

Anyway, this anime is a must see, high up on my brothers' and my lists of favorite anime. (My brother kicked 「灼眼のシャナ」("Shakugan no Shana") off his list of "The Three Anime of Epic Win-ness" to make room for Kanon.)

Show Info:

Episode Length: They're about 25 minutes, and they all have one episode in them

Total Episodes: 24

OVA: None

Second Season: None

Second Series: I would not consider the 2006 anime to be a second series, but I'll mention here that there was a different Kanon anime done by Toei Animation in 2002.

TV Special: None

Based Off Of: A visual novel

Licensed in America: Yes

Opening Theme: "Last Regrets" Performed by: Ayana

Ending Theme:「風の辿り着く場所」(Where the Wind Reaches) Performed by: Ayana

Personal Favorites:

Character: That's a hard one... I love Makoto Sawatari, and I also like Shiori Misaka. Also, as I said before, Yuuichi's awesome... I'm getting away with just saying those.

Villain: It's the same as in "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya"; there aren't really any villains, and out of the ones I'd consider "villains", none of them get my tag of "favorite."
Episode: 6. Easy as that.

Opening: There's only one.

Ending: Once again, only one.

涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱

"The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya." Its name is deceiving, for it isn't really the melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, it's more like the adventures of Haruhi Suzumiya, but "The Adventures of Haruhi Suzumiya" probably was out of the question when naming it. You see, even though sometimes Haruhi is bummed, most the times it's only for a little bit, and then she's a Genki Girl again.
Even though I put "The Adventures of Haruhi Suzumiya" two sentences ago, I'd switch out "Haruhi Suzumiya" with "Kyon-We-Don't-Know-Your-Real-Name-kun," because Haruhi's adventures aren't half as exciting as what Kyon goes through (though Haruhi tries to be a detective and and solve a murder mystery in a two part episode). Haruhi may be the center of attention to the other S.O.S. Brigade ("…whose mission is to find aliens, time travellers, and espers, and have fun with them") members, but she doesn't know she is and the other members must make sure she doesn't, hence, adventures of Kyon and the other members, but Kyon gets more adventure than the others by learning why Haruhi is the center of attention, while the other members (Yuki Nagoto, Mikuru Asahina, and Itsuki Koizumi) already know.

Kyon-As-I-Mentioned-Before-We-Don't-Know-His-Real-Name-kun has just entered high school, hoping to just leave behind the idea of time travelers, aliens and espers with junior high.

Relaxed at his new desk in his new classroom after just making his introduction, the girl behind him stands up to make her introduction. She says her name is Haruhi Suzumiya, says that she is not interested in ordinary humans, and tells espers, time travelers, and aliens to come see her. Kyon turns around to see a beautiful girl saying these strange things.

Kyon's friend Taniguchi tells Kyon about this girl (having gone to the same junior high as her). He says she's "beyond eccentric" and he "can't remember a day when she wasn't doing something completely wacky." After that he tells him that along with being pretty, she's athletic and gets good grades. He says for a while she was going out with one guy after another, the longest relationship that he recalls was about a week, and the shortest one lasted five minutes.

Kyon finally decides to talk to this girl, and—to the surprise of his classmates—she engages him in conversation.

After Haruhi joins all the clubs for a bit and quits them, she complains to Kyon about there being not good clubs. Kyon comes up with the brilliant idea of making her own club… and that's what she does. Dragging Kyon along, Haruhi takes over a clubroom being used by the literary club, which only had on member, a first year named Yuki Nagoto, who, in very few words, said she didn't mind it being Haruhi's clubroom. (I guess she can still read well even with people talking.)

After kidnapping second year "moe" girl Mikuru Asahina to be their mascot, Haruhi comes up with a name for the club (but still hasn't established what the club would be about): "The S.O.S. Brigade" (SOS団).

Show Info:

Episode Length: They're about 25 minutes (once again, not including commercial), and they all have one episode in them

Total Episodes: 14

OVA: None

Second Season: Planned, premiere date TBA

Second Series: None

TV Special: None that I know of

Based Off Of: A light novel series

Licensed in America: Yes

Opening Themes:「恋のミクル伝説」(The Mikuru Legend of Love) Performed by: Yuko Goto

「冒険でしょでしょ？」(It's an Adventure, Right? Right?) Performed by: Aya Hirano

Ending Theme: 「ハレ晴レユカイ」(Sunny Sunshiny Happiness) Performed by: Aya Hirano, Yuko Goto, and Minori Chihara

Insert Songs: "God knows…" and "Lost my music" both performed by Aya Hirano

Personal Favorites:

Character: Yuki Nagoto

Villain: There aren't really any, and even out of the ones I'd consider "villains," I'm not going to dub any my favorite.

Episode: Hard one, hard one… it depends on my mood and how much and how long it's been since I've watched one… I'd probably say "Remote Island Syndrome" part 1 and 2 (I got away with two episodes again).

Opening: 「冒険でしょでしょ？」(It's an Adventure, Right? Right?)

Ending: There's only one ending.