The Birds and the Bees - Sekirei review

It's been a long time. I shouldn't have left you... without a dope beat to step to.

Minato Sahashi is extremely intelligent, yet due to his inability to cope under pressure has failed the college entrance exam twice. As a result he has been branded an idiot and loser by many. One day after talking to his yet again disappointed mother he comes into contact with a girl named Musubi who was under attack. The girl runs but takes him with her and soon finds that Minato, while unknown to him, is an Ashikabi, one of the mysterious set of masters that have the genetic trait that can become partners with some of the 108 cute girls, buxom women, and bishōnen called "Sekirei". The reason for the partnership allows the Sekirei to use all their power to win in the competition held by the mysterious MBI corporation. - MyAnimeList

Okay, yeah, it's been some time. How have you been? I hope the five of you who read these are doing okay.

There are some things that anime tends to do that really bug me. Incidentally, this series does most of those things. So I'll be using Sekirei as my target for some very heavy nitpicking.

The first thing that Anime tends to do is to make the male lead a total pussy pansy with no social skills and a really crappy life. In this series, the male lead, Sahashi Minato is one such instance. He's stupid, weak, wishy-washy and and otherwise lacks testicular fortitude (read "has no balls"). He failed to get into university a couple of times and goes back for more. In this series, apparently being a total loser makes you a prime target for droves of super-powered babes. Did I mention he lacks balls? Any REAL man would have taken full advantage of the naive young Musubi getting naked in front of them and boned her silly played lots of... uh, Uno with her.

Looks to me like the artists pulled a draw two.

The second thing series in the Harem category tend to do is boob humor. Don't get me wrong, here. I have no aversion to bouncing breasts. it's just that the old "whoops I fell and landed face first into your G-cups" joke gets kinda old when you use it four times an episode. Random boobs aren't necessarily a good punch line. I guess they have to give some folks something to beat off to use their shake-weights for.

Series like this love to put their men in sexually awkward situations. There are lots of times when our hero is sitting in the bath trying to relax and one of his concubines comes in and says "can i wash your back?" We all know how these situations end. The male lead never turns to her and says "no, but you can wash the front. ;)" or something like that. They always puss out and panic.

  I'm no Chris Brown... but I'd hit that.

For all the things this series does wrong, it does a few things right. The relationship between Minato, Musubi, Tsukuimi, and everyone else is amusing and surprisingly genuine. The fights are nice to watch. Partly because the powers are interesting and partly because every punch results in exploding tops and perky nips. Not that I'm a pervert or anything (I am). The story works out well enough. The characters can be entertaining at times.  The MBI president is usually good for some laughs and has proven himself to be a total ass hat.

Verdict: Yes.

Sekirei's not for everyone. But if you can stand the cheese and boobs, there's actually a bit to be liked here.

Update and Hanasaku Iroha Reveiw

Hey everyone! First off I want to apologize for not posting as much recently. Life has gotten busy with the start of school but expect a post from me about every week or so (provided I have enough time to actually write it) BUT THAT IS MY GOAL!

Now onto the good stuff. WARNING SPOILERS BELOW

Hanasaku Iroha Cast (Females)

Hanasaku Iroha was shown to me by a good friend of mine who noted I was unhappy and needed something to cheer me up. He had tried showing me Madoka but after one of my fave characters died I decided I didn't like that show and it made me feel sadder. So noting this he said Let's watch Hanasaku Iroha and soon I became obsessed.

Let me get this straight at first I didn't like it. It had what I considered a sad first episode. I mean dude... Ohana's mom is like see ya btw go to here with the mother who disowned me and have fun. When she goes her optimism is flattened by people who dislike her for her carelessness and optimism where she budges into people's business. Also her grandmother forces her to work for her keep. In the next episode there are some questionable moments.

The character growth over this series is really something else. Ohana is a relatable character and the supporting cast are well developed. You really start to care for them as time goes on. And that is saying something, even if there is some "fanservice" I found that it didn't bother me. Overall it was a slice-of-life anime I was enjoying.

The music is pretty good I like the 2nd Opening the best Omokage Warp, it is one of those songs that makes you think of the anime and the times and memories associated with it. As for the animation it isnt that bad. It is very well done, being clear and cleanly depicted.

The last episode of this anime will be up this Sunday and I really look forward to it. I hope they will have another season, but even if they don't I am sure I will be happy.

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Hm... this one's going to be a bit of a challenge.

WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW!

Shirou Emiya lost his parents in a fire when he was young and was later adopted by a sorcerer by the name of Kiritsugu Emiya. Although he was full of admiration for his adopted father and yearns to become an ally of justice, Shirou has limited powers and was unable to become a strong sorcerer like his father. That is until one fateful day, he was drawn into the Holy Grail War and had to summon a female "Servant" known as Saber in order to protect himself. It turns out that the Holy Grail War involves a series of battles among powerful sorcerers to fight for the possession of a relic that will grant one's wishes, the Holy Grail. There are altogether seven "Masters" who can summon their respective "Servants" from different classes known as Saber, Archer, Rider, Berserker, Lancer, Caster and Assassin. These "Servants" have to hide their names in order not to reveal their weaknesses to the enemies. The story revolves around Shirou and his entanglement in the Holy Grail War.

Unlimited blade works is essentially an alternate timeline to the Fate/Stay Night anime series from a while back. While I liked the original series, I didn't like the ending. I thought it was some old bullshita shame that Saber ended up dying in some war somewhere in the past. Those gripes are for another rant, though.

Well there's a familiar face.

Let me get this out of the way immediately. This movie is retardedly well animated. I mean seriously. This movie is damn sexy. They must have had a monster budget for this and they sure as hell put it to good use. The lines are sharp, the movement is ungodly smooth, and the fight scenes... oh, the gorgeous, mouth watering fight scenes. I would be hard pressed to come up with an analogy that would over state just how freaking beautiful the art is in this movie. The only way it could possibly be any prettier is if Shakira showed up and started pole dancing in high definition. Don't get your hopes up. That doesn't happen.

Poetry in motion.

The story was... well, it was Fate/Stay Night. If you seen the original anime, you know what to expect, because it feels pretty much the same. The main issue I saw, however, was that the movie retold the story of the anime, with a different ending. Though I really do wish they had kept the Rin-Saber pseudo-yurifan service scene, it worked out admirably. It seemed to me, though, that the writers worked under the assumption that you had already seen the anime, and as a result, they skipped a LOT of plot. The beginning scene jumps from Shirou being stabbed and revived, directly to Saber's summoning, then to the first time Shirou goes to the shrine, then into the arc involving the barrier at school. This movie wastes no time tearing through plot points with little exposition in between. It worked out for me cause I could fill in the blanks from memory, but anyone who isn't familiar with the source material will probably feel about lost as an Amish man on the internet.

VERDICT: Why the hell not?

I enjoyed it. A lot. I recommend it for anyone who has seen and enjoyed the anime series. Even if you haven't seen it, the animation quality alone is worth a watch.

Paprika Review

So I decided to take a break from the normal 2011 Summer Anime Reviews, today I will be looking at the 2006 animated movie Paprika. It really all started when a friend of mine on Voice Hollywood was talking to me about music and linked me to the Parade Song  from Paprika. It was weird and fanciful and strange, but lovely at the same time. After a bit I got into looking at some of the other songs and I was very happy with them. One of which I recgonized and I realized a friend had shown me the opening before but I didn't watch the movie as a result. Well now was my chance right? Well here is my reveiw on the movie - SOME SPOILERS BELOW !!

Paprika Movie Cover

Paprika

So let's get this show on the road! Paprika begins out interestingly enough, with a circus a strange chase scene leading to a guy awakening. We find that he is using the services of a woman named Paprika to help him understand his dreams and find psychological roots to them and diagnose a mental problem he might be having. He seems to be really into her and we soon cut to the opening credits which has a super catchy song!!!!! We see Paprika go through all sorts of things really hinting that this is not something reality based. In the end she returns back to her normal self Dr. Atsuko Chiba

Seriously this is interesting stuff

Paprika seems to be a livelier and more carefree person while Chiba seems to be more serious pairing the characters as foils and yet one in the same. We meet a whole cast of characters and plunge straight into the plot of the story where someone has stolen the DC Mini the device that allows the viewing of dreams and what Chiba was using with Paprika. it is up to Paprika, the Detective, Chiba and the others to get to the bottom of the mystery. The story then develops, blooms, and becomes an awesome not usual anime type of movie. This is a movie that holds ground with Princess Mononoke, and other Studio Ghibli films and more.

I really don't want to give away parts of the story and even if I did then I wouldn't be able to explain it properly. This movie is a giant ball of so many things that it can be hard to pinpoint it to one thing. And also it is one of those things that really shouldn't be spoiled.

VERDICT: OMG YESSSSS! 

This movie is a great one, it displays great animation with a integration between 3-D computer graphics and the 2-D animation style creating a world of it's own which even without the animation it would be able to deal. This futuristic world is well though-out and planned making references to dozens of things but still holding itself together. It has various subplots and some you don't even realize till the ending. This is a movie that I watched two times in the same night and enjoyed it as much as I did the first time.

The music is also wonderfully done bringing a futuristic twang, but keeping it fanticful and spritely or strange and alien when it calls for it. Susumu Hirasawa did a fantastic job with the music and I plan on buying the OST as soon as I can.

As for the storytelling, while odd at some places, the story did a great job telling itself and making you believe in it. It is no wonder how this movie help with the inspiration of Inception. It is wonderfully done and a movie that I feel mature audiences will enjoy. It is colorful and imaginative and no wonder that there is some talk of a new live action adaptation. However for me I think I will enjoy the original animated one for now.

Sacred Seven - First Impression

Okay, I'm not gonna lie. I've been procrastinating. I really wanted to put this off for as long as possible but lately I need something to wail on. Let's get down to it!

WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW!

Alma Tandoji lives a lonely life. One day, Ruri Alba, a girl accompanied by her butler and maids, visits him. Knowing the power of Sacred Seven is latent within Alma, she asks him to lend her his powers. However, he refuses and drives her away since he injured many with his unusual strength in the past.

Meanwhile, a fiendish Dark Stone creature suddenly appears in this peaceful town in the Kanto region. Only Alma's power of Sacred Seven can fight against it.

I've been actually wrestling with just how i wanted to tackle this. Originally I was gonna do a scene-by-scene critique of the show but I trashed that idea. Too much effort. Instead, I'm just gonna rant.

Let's start with the main character. His name is Alma and everyone at school is scared of him. So much so that friendly horseplay in the school hallways stops the moment he steps into it. Apparently he beat the ever loving snot out of some kids a few years ago and everyone's been avoiding him for fear of broken ribs. So everyone avoids him. I had my misgivings about this guy. Mainly because I played FEAR 2 and now have an aversion to anyone with the name Alma. I mean she was a crazy bitchcreature. and downright terrifying. Alma, however, isn't. He's bland, boring and just wants to be left alone. That's perfectly acceptable in real life but in a show the main character is supposed to carry the experience on his back. I find it hard to believe he's gonna do it. Especially since the first side character they introduce, a girl by the name of Wakana, has more personality in her pinky toe.

Wakana is the only one who's unafraid of him. She goes so far as to invite him out to the museum with her friends. She even persisted despite him shooting her down with no hesitation. Her friends didn't like the idea and they dragged her off and started bitchingvoicing their complaints. "OMGWTFBBQ ARE YOU THINKING?!" They said "He sent a bunch of kids to the hospital, who knows what he'll do to us!"

Wakana replies with "Those are rumors. Have you seen him do those things?"

It's that kind of reasonable thinking that the idiots in Washingtonpoliticians could use in this debt debate. So she won me over right there. So at least there's one decent character in here.

Well damn. So much for being nice.

Later on, The Ruri and her pet retardbutler arrive (I mentioned them before) because the Ghost of Sparta is still on the loose and Alma is the only one able to stop it. Alma declines, of course, which then prompts Ruri to go into full-on panic mode begging him to help her with the powers he used to injure those kids a few years back. Alma is surprised that she, a total stranger, knew about the incident. Then the butler interjects "we know all about you." he says. He then proceeds to recite Alma's whole life story with the help of his trusty PDA. Which brings me to my next point. I've seen this used before in many mediums and I still never saw the sense in it. If you want someone to help you, it's probably a bad idea to tell them you've essentially been facebook stalking them their entire lives. Just saying. If I were in his position, I'd flip out and sprout things from my head, too! Oh, I didn't mention that? Well, he flips out and begins to loose control then he rips off Fooly Coolystuff starts sprouting from his head. His power's activation results in Kratos, who's been in power-save mode since the opening seen to wake up and go on a jolly stroll through town. The following scene could have been from War of the Worlds. It had lasers, and people being vaporized and turned into stone. Unfortunately, Tom Cruise was nowhere to be seen. Neither was adorable then-ten-year-old Dakota Fanning.

Naota-kun did this better. Just sayin'.

Right before this scene, Ruri's maids make their appearance. Now, these maids aren't good for just general housekeeping, oh no! These girls do everything. They set up roadblocks, pilot helicopters, handle communications and logistics, and they can snipe. I'm being serious. These have to be the most versatile maids this side of Hanaukyo. These girls do everything.

That is one nice... rifle.

Wakana is at the bus stop with her friends when the bus arrives. She decides to stay back in order to wait for Alma to show up, even though he declined. While she's doing that, the butler is arranging for his personal mech to arrive so he can take on Kratos. Meanwhile, Alma, knowing that Wakana and her friends are in the area where Kratos is rampaging hops onto his hilariously small scooter to go see if she's okay at the bus stop. Butler guy and Spartan Killer are going toe-to-toe in the battle, the butler cuts off the statue's Medusa-head arm right before his mech is disabled. The one armed kratos then goes for Ruri's limo, careening through a building behind the bus stop Wakana is at and blows it up. In the explosion, Wakana is injured. Sweet. It would be the only character in this episode I've actually taken a liking to. Alma runs over and checks on her, only to find her unconscious. Kratos is peeling back layers of Ruri's limo. Right before he can eat Ruri, he gets pulled off by Alma, who then transforms into a red version of Ryuho's alter from s-CRY-ed.

There's a familiar figure.

Now, before I continue, consider this. Often times, in a good series that revolves around super-powered teenagers with dark pasts, the main character's uncontrollable power can be used as a point of contention and character development. If you make the protagonist reluctant to use his power and then make him lose control, it can be pretty compelling. I had expected that to happen further in the series, but no. It happens in the first episode. Oh, did I mention he gets a power-up? Someone needs to teach this anime how to stretch out its assets. So at the end of the episode, he gets a power-up that allows him to actually control his power by turning him into megaman. Then he proceeds to vanquish the enemy. Well there goes any incentive I had to keep watching.

VERDICT: Uh.. No.

I used a lot of references here. There's a reason for this. There is seriously not a single solitary original idea to be found here. The first episode does all of the things I would expect an entire 26-episode anime would do throughout its run, and the characters are pretty bland. Not to mention the art direction rips off Code Geass with a raging stiffypassion.

Funny. I guess I did end up going scene-by-scene.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Awakening of a Trailblazer

Ah, screw it! I may as well get this rant out of me while it's still fresh in my mind. I'll try to keep the obscenity to a minimum.

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!

The probe from Jupiter that was seen at the final moments of the second season of 00 is returning to earth for unknown reasons. After the Earth Federation destroys the probe in space, pieces of it land on earth and strange things start happening. Vehicles begin to move on their own, electronics malfunction and Humans with strong Quantum Brain Waves with the potential of becoming Innovators begin to be encased in metal and killed. It's up to Celestial Being to deal with it with the aid of the Federation.

I rather liked Gundam 00. It was a good series and it certainly was much better than Gundam SEED. Even if Patrick Colasour never DIED like I wanted him to. The cast was interesting and Setsuna reminded me, fondly, of Heero Yuy from Gundam Wing. I was amped and looking forward to watching Awakening of a Trailblazer and I left that motherf-... experience very disappointed. There are some rather weird things in the series that fly because they worked. The evolution of Mankind anything new in the various Gundam universes. First it was the Newtypes in the UC timeline, then the Coordinators in SEED and SEED Destiny and now it's the Innovators in 00. Whatever, it works. Then they started alluding to the presence of aliens from Jupiter when my red flags kinda went up. Luckily they never actually appeared in the series. They come out in force for the movie, though.

I'm not gonna lie, at the start, the conflict was really well handled. The mystery surrounding the incidents, the reappearance of an old nemesis, and the ominous nature of the aliens was really well balanced. It wasn't until the climax of the series when it started to unravel. At one point I had to stop and check the title when the alien armada brought out they moon-sized battleship (not exaggerating) and make sure I wasn't watching Vandread. So the central conflict was out of place, even though it was alluded to throughout the series. Then there's the 00 Qan[T]. Remember the first Iron Man movie? How they spent the whole movie hyping up the suit for an entire hour-and-something just to end it with a disappointing 7 minute long battle near the end. That's what Trailblazer did for the 00 Qan[T]. It shows up near the end, all it does is fly towards the alien battleship, attack a couple of things, get in, and teleport away not to be seen again. Disappointing. It's like getting a really good handj... I mean like paying for a really delicious looking burger and smelling it's aroma for a good 10 minutes only to get two cold buns and some frozen cheese.

Overhyped and underused.

The fights were easy on the eyes. That's to be expected, though. I mean I mean the fights in 00 were always a sight to behold and that's even more true for Backbreaker... I mean Trailblazer. If you've seen the series, you know what to expect. The ending is what really killed it for me. I don't think I've ever had a WTF?!?!?!11SHIFTONE moment like the ending of this movie. Setsuna teleports to the alien home world, isn't seen again for like 30-something years, and comes back as the T-1000. Okay maybe I'm paraphrasing but that's essentially what it came down to. Overall I guess it wasn't terrible but it definitely could have been better. If you watch Awakening of a Trailblazer, I suggest stopping about half an hour short of the end. Spare yourself the headaches.

Verdict: Eeeeeehhhh....

If you liked Gundam 00, then feel free to watch this. Even if it does fall apart at the end, everything leading up to it was really good.

2011 Summer Anime Reveiw: The Idolmaster

So today I watched The Idolmaster while waiting to go out to eat for my birthday dinner with my family (my 21st birthday was yesterday). This review is written after watching the anime. SPOILERS BELOW

Idolmaster Cast

The Idolmaster

So it begins pretty awesomely, you are someone interviewing the girls for a documentary. We meet all 12 idol wannabe girls, we see their back-stories and their goals and dreams. Some of the girls I found stereotypical however others were kinda cool. The whole first episode was devoted to them in this manner.

Later it is revealed that the cameraman is another character, a new producer to come help the girls become idols. Its kinda sweet.

VERDICT: MAYBE

So far its pretty interesting but I'm not too sure what the plot is. I'm sorta excited to see what the rest will be like. I really did like how the first episode was done. It was pretty awesome. Wow.... short review.... will post another later.

Hello to all.

Hi. I'm Proy and I will be adding my occasional two cents onto this blog. I'm 21 years old and currently living in the great state of... well I'm actually in Japan. No I'm not Japanese. I'm actually black and from Florida. Hm... about me... I'm into Anime, games, movies, Hip-Hop and other kinds of music (mostly Hip-Hop) and I'm known for using off-the-wall references and analogies to make a point. I also like to poke fun at current events. A lot. I'm crass, sarcastic and I can be offensive, at times. Though Ali has kindly asked me with the threat of violence not to be TOO offensive (Just kidding she didn't threaten me.). So I wont be... much.

2011 Summer Anime Reveiw: Twin Angel- Twinkle Paradise

Twin Angel Paradise is next on the list. I will be writing the review after watching. SPOILERS BELOW

Twin Angel

Twin Angel- Twinkle Paradise

It begins awful enough. I mean 2 girls blue and red wow def. Opposites here one loud and hyper other soft spoken and heavy bust... I mean wow. Ok so the red one's name is Haruka and the Blue is Aoi... how original. Is it just me are almost all Aoi's softspoken and shy and have sizable breasts... meh probably just me.

So it turns out they are magical girls and the headmaster of the school is in on it and Aoi's Aunt. However I must wonder how on earth this makes sense. I mean obviously they are heroes, but they call themselves thieves. Anyways so they need to prevent the robbery of a tiara that may or may not contain something relevant to them but does have power. So in order to prep they activate their super changing powers. Ok.... really it seems like the anime is shoving her giant boobs in my face. I mean what an IMPRACTICAL costume. No support and if it was real, she's be flashing the world constantly cause they would pop out.

Aoi.... there has been a wonderful invention and you need to use it. It's called... a bra.

After that, they are monitoring the Tiara and a bunch of robots come up and like tear apart the truck and then delicately take the tiara. SO they step in and kick butt and a girl comes up and she uses a giant mech to spray some chemical that looked like evil poison but only turned the girls into cats. Well... cat girls.... just gave them paws, ears, and a tail and the tendency to go nya nya. (the sound a cat makes in Japan)

So I'm guessing that was just a fanservice... so they are showed playing with cat toys (supposedly their bodies move impulsively) and all seems lost for a bit when BAM!

RIP OFFFFFFFFFFFF

Tuxedo Mas- oh wait nope... just a rip off of him, I mean wow.... Moon Symbol, andddddddddddd the cute guy Haruka liked, always showing up when they are in trouble, calling them maidens, and oh... the rose thing. TOTALLY ORIGINAL 

VERDICT: NO

This anime was completely pointless. The animation was done so the girls already looked like cats in the mouth reigon. So w/e that was annoying then they got turned into real cats and there were bouncing boobs. I am kinda left wondering if this anime is serious or just fanservice out there for people. Seriously, I did not like it. I was not interested in it and I will not be either. 

<3 you Tuxedo Mask....

2011 Summer Anime Reveiw: Usagi Drop

The next on my list was Usagi Drop and I wrote the review after seeing it. So this might be a bit short. Spoilers Below!

Usagi Drop Manga Cover

Usagi Drop

Usagi Drop starts off oddly enough, with a 30 year old guy named Daikichi who takes in Rin the illegitimate daughter of his grandfather who had recently passed away. It is awkward watching their exchanges. And the Animation is something else. It's more simple and seems.... a childlike innocence to it. 

I did not like Reina a little girl in Daikichi's family ugh she irritated me so much I wanted to kill her!!!! She was rude and mean and a little attention whore. Rin on the otherhand comes across as a confused child who just needs some place to go. The plot was simple and easy to understand and packed with emotion that I found myself tearing up at sections. 

As a product of an out of wedlock affair and being taken in by my father who has raised me like his own child (even when I am not biologically his), this anime really touched me. Daikichi has essentially sacrificed the life he knew in order to help Rin. And I have a feeling he will do whatever he can to protect her just like my father does with me. Both my Mother and my Father have done so much to help me feel like I am part of the family. I have a feeling that Daikichi will do the same. Which will be a battle since like his family really doesn't like her...

VERDICT: YES

I really enjoyed this anime. I want to see where it goes and I have a feeling watching Daikichi deal with single parenthood will be interesting. The animation and childlike quality to it will be epic to see what becomes of it.

2011 Summer Anime Reveiw: Uta no Prince Sama

So up next on my list is Uta no Prince Sama.... I will be again writing this review as I watch the episode.

Uta no Prince Sama Cast

SPOILERS BELOW

Uta no Prince Sama

So far it starts off interestingly enough you see a large boy band of various rainbow colors reminding me of a mix between Ouran High School's Host club and Vocaloids. They sing a pretty rocking song, and we cut to a girl who is pleading with some guys (security guards?) out in front of an Academy to be let in for an exam. After being buffeted again and again a red head boy from the band we saw earlier persuades the guys to let the girl in, after getting buffeted yet again another guy from the band comes up and also pleads for her case. Geez, I wish I could get this many good looking guys step up and defend me....

She ends up getting to take the exam and then passes being eligible to go to the school which is a boarding school. The school is large, extravagant like Ouran High.... huh I'm sensing a theme here (eep Rachelle was right!)  She meets more of the band members and its weird cause all of them are liking her at first glance. One guy even compares her to his dog... a blonde haired guy who loves small and cute things. (Sound familiar?)

Hunny... you have an older persona twin?

More stuff happens, and more cute guys appear. OMG this girl is so lucky. So it launches into a backstory of why she is there and how she idolizes this one guy. And a snazzy song is sung. She ends up chasing a cat and finds a lookalike of her idol guy.

It is weird, I thought the band was together... apparently they know eachother but they don't like.... talk like they are in a band. Was it a future clip?

VERDICT: MAYBE

Overall I'm very torn about this. I love the fact it is music centered and the guys are certainly cute and the protagonist has something going for her as to what I'm not too sure. I guess it's the honesty thing. But I think I might get irritated with the vocaloids and Ouran similarities and just the fact she has TONS of guys falling for her everywhere. For no reason anyways.... I mean at least in Ouran Haruhi has guys not initially falling for her. They kinda find out she's a girl and decide to help her out or laugh about it and shallowly flirt and then a couple of the guys develop true feelings for Haruhi as the show progresses. I dunno I will watch the second episode and fill you guys in on it.

2011 Summer Anime Season with Rachelle: Yuru Yuri Review and Updates of Life

Hey everyone!


So far life has been SUPER busy it is ridiculous. I have changed my major and I am still keeping a concentration in Journalism but I am dropping it as a minor in order to pursue a double major in Japanese and International Studies.

I am on a site known as Voice Hollywood thanks to my friend Rachelle who I've known off youtube for a good long while. Rachelle was recently declared the Singing AX Idol Winner of 2011 at this years Anime Expo Convention. She and I have decided to watch all the first episodes of the new anime season excluding sequels. So I will be updating posts on what I think of the anime from the first episode. (I am writing as I am watching) There will be spoilers below so deal.

Yuru Yuri Characters

Yuru Yuri

Yuru Yuri scared me a bit with how loud it is. Upon seeing the "Yuri" in the name I connected it with Yuri (girl x girl) and I was a bit hesitant. When watching the anime I was alarmed cause the blonde haired girl was obsessed with underwear and upon entering the room of Akari's sister there is definite alarm. I mean dude.... this was sketch. It was like Akari's sister is obsessed with her sister in a sexual way. HOW CREEPY! Only 4 minutes in and I'm turned off from this anime. Apparently Blonde chick's name is Kyoko, and black Haired Chick's is Yui-Chan.

Annnnd we have 3 stereotypical characters: Akari the over-hyper girl who wants something more and is impractical having to be rescued by her friends often and is super naive and innocent (as shown in this episode seriously) Kyoko- the hyperactive almost odd blonde haired chick. She reminds me of the American girl, Tina, in Ai Yori Aoshi with the odd tendency to grab people's boobs which she has just done to Yui-chan. Yui Chan- seems like Japan from Hetalia, very soft-spoken and motherly like and the most sensible one of the group. I think I like her best because I like the stereotype the best. Then we are introduced to our last protagonist: Chinatsu, a overly cute girl who has quickly captured the attention of the club and will probably lead to a weird love triangle between Kyoko and Yui. It is almost scary how alike Akari and Chinatsu is and the Anime is quick to point this out and show that for some reason our protagonist Akari has lost her spot to Chinatsu.

VERDICT:  NO

I will not be watching this anime again. Rachelle can attest that my number one reaction was "wtf" this anime is all over the place seemingly trying to decide to be about Slice of Life or not and the characters are stereotypical and somewhat plain annoying. I like the animation style but overall as a show I don't like that at all. It seems like weird and off and I am sure this has been done before and done much better. The show came off as creepy and too concentrated on sexual weirdness between girls for them being in junior high with Kyoko and Akari's sister.... I really don't want to know what the heck will happen with this.

P.S. this was the second time writing this review.... first time firefox crashed and I blame Yuru Yuri

Uptown Charlotte a New Place to Explore

I didn't bring my camera which was stupid of me but I will make another trip and SOOOOO Post pictures of it.

In Charlotte, there is a wonderful place called Uptown, it has museums and galleries, science centers, restaurants, and shops. Bryant and I were supposed to see a movie but a movie soon turned into exploring. Now I think I'll be going there alot more.


SO YES! A new update about my life. Please expect more!!

Blah I'm Very Bad at this aren't I ?

Hey all.... Ive been thinking you know what? I'm just gonna post whatever. I have some views but i think keeping a blog is harder than it looks ><

New Update

I am still here! I know I havent updated in a while please note I will be able to get things done soon!

Valentine's Day

"Relationships don't work they way they do on television and in the movies. Will they? Won't they? And then they finally do, and they're happy forever. Gimme a break. Nine out of ten of them end because they weren't right for each other to begin with, and half of the ones who get married get divorced anyway, and I'm telling you right now, through all this stuff I have not become a cynic. I haven't. Yes, I do happen to believe that love is mainly about pushing chocolate covered candies and, y'know, in some cultures, a chicken. You can call me a sucker, I don't care, because I do, believe in it. Bottom line: it's couples who are truly right for each other wade through the same crap as everybody else, but the big difference is they don't let it take them down. One of those two people will stand up and fight for that relationship every time. If it's right, and they're real lucky, one of them will say something" -Dr. Cox (Scrubs)

One of the few pictures he is smiling... creepy

I know Scrubs is a weird place to get a love quote but I still hold these words spoken by Dr. Cox and likely written by some wise writer as truth. Love is complex. And Hard. How many times have we seen the chick flicks, the princesses, the happily ever afters.... Do I really need to start listing all of those?

Either way... It is the small things and the little things. Love at first sight? Maybe it does exist somewhere but overall a relationship is hard work which I think many people forget. They think its an easy thing but its not and it takes work and care.

I know this was a short post, but to me it means alot. Too many people let relationships go just cause things got a bit too hard. Fight for it if you want it.

Dolphins and Apples

Yes, I am well aware that both Apple and Dolphins are unrelated unless apple has some great big secret about idolphins next...I can see it now... Conquering the oceans by use of dolphins with secret apple chips placed inside.

 

Apple... the dolphins are next....

But all jokes aside from Apple using dolphins to conquer the world even more (I would not be surprised by the way). This blog post was supposed to be about the Taiji Dolphin Slayings, but due to an unfortunate event I am dedicating it partly to Apple just cause I can.

So first on the agenda is Taiji. Taiji is a small fishing community with some big news. For those who have not seen The Cove, a Documentary on the Dolphin killings that go on there... well... I just spoiled it. So yea... reason why I bring it up now was I saw a newspaper article about it. Thing is we kinda already knew what was going on since the whole movie... I guess they were out of story ideas.

Then again seeing dolphins die was not how I thought that film was gonna work but hey... surprises for everyone right? I love dolphins, I have loved them since I was a kid and Orcas are my favorite and yes they are a Dolphin.  Taiji, Japan is a coastal town that seems devoted to dolphins of all kind. But their biggest source of income is not tourism, but catching dolphins to go to water parks or for meat.

er.....yum?

Worse of all, is the fact that the meat often contains high levels of mercury that is unsafe for human consumption. So many Japanese people can get sick from consuming the meat. Sometimes the meat is labeled as more expensive whale meat and people are conned into buying it. Recently they removed it from children's school lunches.

For anyone interested in the issue I encourage you to watch the film and do some of your own research. Alot of interesting things can be said about this issue. So if anyone wants me to focus on the effects and what not I think I'll save it for a later blog post.

And as for Apple.... well


I guess i'm only angry that a charger

Similar to this but a little newer...

Cost $85 dollars... Yes.... I totally spent $85... on a charger.... Darn you apple and your supplies... and high prices.....

I mean Its surprising to me how much they charge and what happens when something goes wrong.  A while back my hard drive stopped working randomly... I didn't even know it would. Needless to say I lost everything and WORSE of all... was the way apple explained it. Basically my hard drive scratched itself. How is that even possible... I dunno

All I know is Apple is not very nice. But I do admit even though macs are stupid for gaming (and yes I get alot of grief about it) the movie making and audio making programs that are already installed on here are amazing.

Chicago

Since this blog is pretty new, I am sure you guys will soon learn I love music, especially musicals. My current obsession:

Chicago is a musical that takes place in the 1920 era of Chicago. It's creative and just an all -around fun experience. The Characters are dynamic and make quite the impression. Tonight while hanging out with a friend of mine after our Journalism meeting we went to For Your Entertainment (FYE) and there I found a copy of the movie soundtrack. Ever since the Nostalgia Critic's List of Villain songs which featured the Cell Block Tango, I had slowly listened and eventually watched Chicago and enjoyed it. So when I saw the movie soundtrack today, I knew I was going to buy it. (I've been singing the songs under my breath all day.) There are two favorite characters of mine which are listed below.

This one character I will be talking about next, is the most intriguing character in the musical: 

Amos

The thing that I like about Amos is how throughout a movie/musical about lying, deceit, and so much underhandedness Amos remains one of the most honest and most innocent players in this huge show. It is hard not to feel sorry for this character because he had the hood pulled over his eyes throughout the musical by the woman he loved (Roxie). His solo Mr. Cellophane really gets his nature across. The overlooked character, the invisible one and he is upset, he does realize it, and is unhappy with how he is treated. Half of me wonders what will become of him after the end of the film/musical. At least he ends up getting things sorta all right. He realizes what kind of person she is.

John C. Reilly did a great job with this part. He really nailed it in just the shy mannerisms. You could almost sense that this guy was one who could be pushed around easily. As sad as that is, its how Amos is, but once he sticks to something he is firm unless convinced otherwise. Which is admirable. Like said above he is really that innocent, naive, light in the cutthroat city Chicago.

Another unique character to look at is none other than: 

Billy Flynn

 Billy Flynn is just a fun, exciting and charismatic character to have. He is a slippery lawyer who knows the system and has never lost a case. He just asks for $5000, and then he will work his magic. Just look at him! That oily slick smile... He just oozes lawyer... you can totally tell what he is without the description. And he is not just a lawyer he is a magician. He is the worker of the arts. He treats the courtroom as a whole entire showroom. The paparazzi are his puppets, the jury is the audience, everyone else pawns. The Journalists in the movie are amazing. You can just tell they think they have the best scoop but in reality Billy controls them (which is kinda funny considering a journalist wrote this play). He lies to get his way to the top, it is merely a performance. And in the end I think he is the real winner. He is the one who has lost nothing and is merely a spectator laughing at the other characters as they bend over to kiss his shiny, polished lawyer shoes.

Richard Gere does a perfect job with him. I couldn't picture anyone more suited for the role. He has that aged look but still looks young. He has the charisma to match the character, the energy used to portray him. Not to mention the songs he sings are so relaxing.

Since this is a musical I should probably share my favorite songs: (In No Particular Order):

• Razzle Dazzle
• Mr. Cellophane
• Cell Block Tango
• When You're Good To Mama
• All that Jazz
• We Both Reached for the Gun
• All I Care About

So a pretty good chunk of the music. Its just the lyrics tell so much about the characters and paint an excellent picture of what is going on. I really enjoy it and probably will continue for a long time. The premise is excellent and the moral at the end is interesting although bittersweet cause while you cheer for Roxie, you also wish she didn't win. You wish that Amos won. Or at least I do and I have a tendency to look into things a bit too much.

So yea there is my Chicago review (I could so go further into this).  If you guys want more opinion on the musical let me know. Or if you want me to review other musicals alert me of such. And I hope I do get feedback.

Have a great evening!

~Ali

A Simple Introduction to a Not-So Simple Girl

Greetings people across the web!

Welcome to Simple Takes, a site about my veiws on the world, its happenings, musings, and life. At times I am not so sure what will be on this blog other than knowing that it does belong to me. My name is Ashley and I go by both Ali and Ash. I am currently studying International Studies with a concentration in Asia as well as minoring in Japanese and Journalism. So needless to say I have some very interesting classes and lectures to attend. My dream is to one day be a reporter/journalist whether civilian or military.

I enjoy doing a variety of things in my spare time: Reading, Writing, Playing Music, Singing, Voice Acting, Cooking (In case you haven't seen my cooking blog in dear need of an update: http://cookingdormstyle.blogspot.com), photography, and Jewelry Making (I might show you some pieces I do, who knows?).

So far as you can guess I am excited about this new opportunity to share my thoughts across the web to anyone who might care enough to read. And that is the thing: We all have thoughts and we all have views. Sometimes these seem to get lost in the grand scheme of things. Whether we want it to or not. There are billions of people on this planet all of whom have individual thoughts and dreams, life experiences, and hopes. I may just be one single person on this Earth. But what I have to say is my thoughts, my dreams, and my hopes. And so here I go, opening a new chapter of my life, opening a new blank page of a journal. And the world is my audience...

What about you? Do you have thoughts? Hopes? Dreams? Feel free to comment

Hope to hear from you!


~Ali