Chobits

Chi

With my internet issues now behind me, I can focus on getting back down to business and the business at hand (or what was before I moved) was an Anime I had just finished watching called Chobits.

Before ever seeing anything, I'd have sworn this would be a show that my girlfriend would be interested in. She doesn't mind the high schooler types of Anime nor does she seem to mind the cutesy appearances of the characters. Hell, she was a fan of Card Captor Sakura, whom also is behind the Chobits series as I understand it. So interest on my part has been next to nil for many, many years and I didn't even bother to pick up the Manga either.

But fast forward to about a month or so back and Netflix has given us the chance to watch a ton of different movies and TV shows at will. My interests grew as the library of Anime on there expanded and considering I didn't have to buy anything, why not give some random shows a try? And before I knew it, I was 6 episodes in and loading up the 7th.

How in the heck did that happen?

I enjoyed the characters and their interactions probably the most as it reminded me of how the cast in Tenchi interacted with each other. Despite the differences between the characters, they all meshed together rather naturally and I never really felt any of the pairings were forced or wrong even before the explanations for the hows and whys ever took place.

The main character (Hideki) was ever a bumbling, kind hearted fool who was kind of a perv but was probably way too innocent to really be so. Still, I couldn't help but feel for the guy for trying even in the face of overwhelming odds. And the guy was such a country guy that he was absolutely clueless to nearly all forms of technology, which makes his relationship with Chi all the more odd and entertaining.

The other aspect that really won me over was all of these chances for this series to sink into something twisted and overly sexual were never touched on. Where other shows would have went with the easy perv out moments, Chobits keeps it clean and I think that actually helps the overall story of this show. Would I have cared about this as much if Hideki had tried to have sex with Chi or become overly obsessed with seeing her nude or something like that? Probably not.

Now that isn't to say that certain thoughts do pop up in Hideki's mind from time to time and in no thanks to Chi's innocent and naive manner, but he never crosses the line and as I said, things are always kept clean from the start and until the end.

One last little thought about this show is this: I rarely pick up entire shows as far as Anime is concerned. I usually don't like how a lot of these series ends, but Chobits is one of the exceptions. The start of the series does go a little slowly, but towards the midway point things pick up and the conclusion to the series was fitting though it gets a little strange in getting there. Still, this ended up being a purchase for me and I wish I could enjoy more shows like I did this.

Eden of the East

Upon some random browsing through my blog this morning, I made quite an unsettling discovery. I can't believe I actually forgot to make a mention, to even write anything at all about Eden of the East! I picked up watching Eden of the East about a month ago, one among many finds in the ever expanding video library that is Netflix.  But above all the other series I've tried to watch, this one I've been hooked to more so then the rest.

If I had to narrow down what it is I am liking so much about this show, I think I could pinpoint it to one thing: I love the mystery of it the most. Even at 7 episodes in, I just can't see how this will all go down in the end and I don't mean this at all in this-story-is-too-confusing sort of way either. I mean the question at the top of my list is who is Akira Tokuzawa really? Who or what caused Careless Monday? And why wasn't anyone killed in that missile attack? Furthermore, who or what is driving the Seleção (an apparent game where there are 12 participants, each of whom is given 10 billion yen to use to save Japan. But if/when the person uses up all of that money, they are killed. And if the money is used for selfish reasons, they will be killed)? And how did and why were the 12 chosen?

Besides the regular series (11 episodes in all), there are two movies (Eden of the East Movie 1: The King of Eden & Eden of the East Movie 2: Paradise Lost) that tie into the series and apparently ties up all the loose ends.

Another interesting find in regards to this show, if you want to watch full episodes of this show, FUNimation actually is streaming the entire series (at this link).

Animation Uprising!

With gaming taking a backseat lately, I have been troubled in finding other means of entertainment. I can't exactly sit in front of a TV, since I don't have cable. I do still have Netflix, but I think I've watched myself out of that little phase for the moment (Need more Mythbusters! UGH!). This all changed one day, as I scoured the endless fields of videos on YouTube. It was thanks to that site that an Anime I had forgotten about, was ultimately remembered.

Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari

The title of this Anime is Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari, which is a spin-off of sorts of the Tenchi Muyo! series. And me being a long time fan of the series, I knew I absolutely had to find a way to watch this series one day. Of course that was some time ago and when I came back across this recently, I came to find out that the series was released and actually finished. Hell it took me so long to rediscover the existance of this title, that the entire series was put out on the internet and subbed with English subtitles.

Gotta love that part.

Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari follows the adventure of Kenshi, Tenchi's half brother, as he was sent to the world of Geminar to ultimately save the world. And, probably obviously, he has kind of the same luck with women as his brother did and this continues to be a harem-style series, with a touch of mecha robots for good measure. You can't go wrong with that combination can you?

Beyond that though, I actually came to love this series as it did what I thought was impossible: Recapture the charm that the original Tenchi series had (OVAs 1 & 2). What is also surprising how much more mature the series is now, with much clearer depictions of sex and violence. I suppose though, with how much things have changed since the release of the original series, change had to be expected.

Another upside is I've gotten around to finally re-watching the Tenchi Universe series, which I actually only saw through once (the OVAs and Tokyo series I've watched too many times over). It is different then I can recall, which does make it seem like I am watching each episode for the first time.

Now the only thing left that I haven't really seen is the GXP series...

 

Love Song Ga Kikoeru

If I ever had to pick just one song that was a favorite from any and all Anime, this is the song I would pick in a heartbeat. The song title is "Love Song ga kikoeru" and it was performed by a singer named Anri. This came from the ending of the last movie made for the Tenchi Muyo series, Tenchi Forever! (aka Tenchi Muyo In Love 2). 

There are a lot of memories attached to this song for me and really, the Tenchi series was the first Anime that actually drew me in and got me hooked. It made me crazy back then, I ended up paying quite a bit to buy the movies themselves as they were extremely difficult to find in my tiny home town. But it was worth it and I was a fan of the series from the first episode until the end. 

As for the song itself, it only took one listen through and it was just plain love. I don't care what people think about that, because that is just plain truth to the matter. It is a slow, yet fitting song that absolutely matched to the whole feeling of that final movie. Hell I thought so much of this soundtrack that I ended up buying this soundtrack twice! I have never bought any CD or soundtrack twice besides this one.

But I am babbling here and I don't want this to be a runaway writing with me ending up sounding like a complete idiot. So again, here is my favorite song from any and all Anime that I've ever seen and I'd like to think I've seen a fair amount in my time.

Dragon Quest Begins... Eventually

So today Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is unleashed upon us all and those poor Slimes get bashed to no end. I have to say that I am still a little surprised that this didn't end up on one of the consoles, but then the next Dragon Quest game is apparently for the Wii...

I guess my head is a little stuck in the present generation (HD graphics, better sounds, etc)...

While I am excited about getting to play through only my SECOND Dragon Quest game, I didn't quite rush out and reserve this as fast as I could. As a matter of fact, I threw in a reservation for this game only just a couple of days ago. And really, I should be playing that game right now!

But yet I am here, at home, slowly trying to catch up on all the episodes from the recent Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood series. So now I've watched the first 4 episodes in the series, as well as the last 4. And you know what? I actually feel the need to watch through this because I actually liked how the series ended this time. I am so very grateful that this time around, the loose ends were tied up and things feel finished.

Yet it is my understanding that there will be a movie for this series, as it was for the original. I can only wonder what it is that this movie will be about. I mean I understood where the previous movie tied in (reuniting the brothers). But this time? I just don't know.

Anyway, so I am still at home and making high speed progress (think dial up connection) and I am on my way! But I think my problem here is being a little scatterbrained, as I was playing through quite a few mini games in Plants vs. Zombies (I've been reading about a teaser picture that might be leading to the revelation of PvZ2! Awesome!)...

I can only imagine this "issue" will only get worse with age. Great.

Winter Sonata - Anime

Wow...

In a surprising turn of events, as I was wondering about the net and just watching all sorts of videos of old, I came across something kind of new. Well it is something new based off of something that's not so new. Does that make sense?

Anyway... I remember watching this Korean drama called Winter Sonata a few years back and being hooked to it (don't ask) and my girlfriend and I caught every episode we could. Sort of a twisted tale and some parts made me wonder what the hell the writers of the show were thinking. But overall, I thought it had a decent story and characters you could generally believe and get behind.

To my surprise (and I think my girlfriend mentioned this to me sometime ago too), they've taken the drama and have turned it into a Anime series. What makes this interesting is that they've gotten quite a few of the original cast (from the drama itself) and they have lent their voices to their old characters.

While I've only found trailers for this on YouTube (so far), I am on a quest to find the episode for this. I know someone, somewhere, has these uploaded for the world to see. And if possible, maybe I'll even try and link them here too.

Side note: On a sad note: The actor (Park Yong-Ha) that played the character Kim Sang-Hyuk, was found dead recently in Korea, apparently due to suicide. I won't get into the whole situation here and I can't say for certain if he is portraying his character in this Anime, but that isn't the issue here. It is just sad to see news of people (he was only 32 years old) taking their own lives this way.

Galaxy Express 999

Over the past week or so, I've been digging around YouTube and just watching a lot of stuff I haven't seen in years. One of those is this movie, Galaxy Express 999. I remember watching this movie as a kid, when the Sci-Fi Channel did a short run of Anime movies. I think I actually ended up liking most of the movies shown then (Adieu Galaxy Express 999 *the sequel to the movie linked here* and Beautiful Dreamer) and I wondered for a while if I would still like them all if I ever saw them again.

So after watching through the movie again, I've come to the conclusion that this movie was a classic then and continues to be so even today. All the fancy CG in the world will never, ever be able to replace classics such as these. I've always considered this to being one of the best movies I've ever seen and I am so glad to see that even after all of these years, it still holds true for me today.

If I had to describe what I thought about this movie in just two words, those two words would be this: Absolutely awesome.

Queen's Blade

Just finished watching through a free episode of Queen's Blade on my PS3. Now I don't mind free TV episodes, since I don't have TV myself and anything new to watch is a plus. But to say that I was a little surprised at what was in this episode would be a clear understatement on my part.

I would never think that there would ever be a free episode of anything that showed this much boobs and lactating demons who spray other scantily clad women with acidic breast milk/liquid. And to see this out there on PSN? Wow. Just wow.

Now I'm sure I don't have to share with the world in saying that the story underneath this is absolutely nothing to all that proud of. But then I think it is safe to say that this Anime wasn't meant to be a major story driven show. And if it was, boy... the standard of Anime has surely dropped considerably over the past many years.

Huge, huge drop from watching the ending of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood yesterday. More about that awesome series later. I don't think I want to bring it down by throwing it in with a show like Queen's Blade. Nothing against it really, but certainly something I just wasn't feeling at all.

Meh.

Second Time The Charm?

I caved in.

I originally bought the three discs for the last part of the Tenchi Muyo! OVA series, but promptly lost the second disc. At the time, I wasn't bothered all that much by it because I can't say that I loved how the series apparently ends.

Fast forward to earlier this year and I began to want to see the ending of this series again. Was it as bad? Or was I just being a spoiled fan? But alas, I simply couldn't find the missing second disc anywhere!

With a broken heart, I thought all hope was lost as I wasn't going to pay full price just to get three episodes. Instead I paid full price ($24) for the whole series! I just couldn't pass it up! I now have the entire OVA, Tokyo and the three movies! But I am missing the Universe series, which I have been looking around for lately.

Anyway, I think I am enjoying the series more the second time around. I don't know what it is, but I just haven't found it to be as bad as I originally thought it was. And it makes me wish the series wasn't over yet! Continue! Continue forever!!

I am not obsessed.

No Need for Tenchi?! Update

So after hours of searching through the vast devastation that is my apartment, I can at least say I found 2 out of 3 DVDs of season 3. Now I cannot find the second disk, the middle of the series, and that is driving me insane!

I would have likely bought the series (again) last night, if not for some intervention on the part of my girlfriend. Seriously, a simple 'no' would have worked all the same I think. Anything would have sounded better then "you buy it and I'll kill you."

Huh.

And even after a couple of hours of sleep, I still cannot say for certain why I want to watch this all again. If memory serves me correctly, I did not care all that much for this finale of the OVA series (and the voice of Ryoko was HORRIBLE).

It all came up because I had read some things about the series and questions began to spring up in my head. And so I think I felt compelled to seeing this all with my own eyes. Maybe I would comprehend the series and it's events differently this time around? At this point I may never know.

Then again, my search is not over... ONWARD!

No Need for Tenchi?!

I must be losing my mind. That is the only logical explanation that I can come up with at this point in time. For the past so many hours now, I have been digging (literally) throughout my apartment. Not for gold or precious jewels, but for a DVD. Not just one DVD, but THREE DVDs.

In actuality, those three disks were put together in a tin can (pictured to the left).

For whatever reason, my brain decided I wanted to watch the third season of the Tenchi Muyo! OVA. Granted, some years back I didn't really care all that much about this section of the series. In fact, I think I might have hated it.

Still...

Have you ever experienced this before folks? When your brain decides on something and that is it. You search and dig and claw until you've reached your goal? In my case, it does not happen for me in life (like pursuing a better job for instance). Instead, my brain goes ape shit crazy over finding DVDs and I end up like I am right now.

Now I am alone in this bitter, post apocalyptic DVD-hunt ruined world. Undoubtedly, I am lost in my own apartment. Disoriented, disheartened and defeated, I am surrounded by towering behemoths of pure debris and my morale is at an all time low.

Life is cruel.

But there is hope yet for our hero! Tiny and fragile as it might be, there is hope. And it comes to me now in the shape of a thought or rather, an idea. Call it an epiphany if you will, I call it my destiny.

Rather then further along the destruction of my habitat, I have devised a last ditch effort which shall be forever known as my savior! My one gleaming star of hope! Yes, I will praise myself always for having the genius to concoct this plan of plans. What is my brilliant plan you ask? Why it is simple! My plan is as follows:

I have now spent nearly 2 hours in search of this tin can and I have come up with nothing more then dust and total frustration. Do I continue? I know it is in my apartment... somewhere... but the question is where?

Taking all of that little itty bits of information into account, I can say with full confidence...

Screw this, I'm going to buy this thing (pictured below) tomorrow. It ain't what I have and it doesn't come in a spiffy little can, but damn it. It isn't all that expensive and it is still the complete series. Yes, I am not the most rational person in the world when it comes to stuff like this. But that doesn't matter, you know why? Because I will win!

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD

Holy double post! I don't usually do this, but today had to be an exception of a major kind. Talk about Anime craze, today seems to be such a day. I can't help it! It started by watching some old stuff (Neon Genesis, Tenchi Muyo!) and now... now....

Wait! Must fill in the gaps with back story goodness! (Otherwise, things might make even less sense then it might already)

Some days ago, my girlfriend informed me that she read somewhere that Fullmetal Alchemist was continuing. Now since she couldn't say for sure where she read it and when, I took it as nothing more then probably a April Fools joke.

Fast forward to today and by happenstance, I ended up browsing through an article that confirmed her words to be true. There is, in fact, a brand new series that was released on April 5th. The name? Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Okay, before I write on, there is one thing that needs clearing up. The series isn't entirely "new," in that it is actually an adaption of the Manga. Or at least it should be more faithful towards the storyline in that series.

Anyway, like a man possessed, I began to scour the internet for relief. Someone in the world had to have uploaded the episode and I was right!

My conclusion? There is much more action in the first episode, much more then I remember seeing in the original series. And the story telling so far is top notch, as far as I'm concerned. Considering that I've read quite a few chapters of the Manga myself, it'll be interesting to finally see this story in living color.

My wonder is this though: When it arrives here in America, I wonder if there will be the same voice cast? Or a different one? My hopes (as I'm sure it is for a good portion of the series' fans) is they will get them all back. I know, I know, that sort of wish is certainly a stretch by any account. But still...

Fullmetal Alchemist is back!

Neon Genesis Evangelion

I was a lot more impulsive, many years back, and one of the things that I stupidly blew a lot of money on was the complete series of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

At the time, I believed it to have been a worthy cause to spend that much money ($200 at the time) on. Granted I had only see maybe three episodes of the series at the time, but I liked what I saw. For me that was enough to warrant a further look into it.

Personally, my liking of NGE goes up until about halfway through the series. Once things begin to get weird, my interest kind of drops off. I liked the way the characters were, rather then the separated and depressed messes they were by the end.

Then again, I guess the writers did their job to perfection. There I was, remembering how lively and vibrant the characters were and now I'm giving a damn when they fall. Huh.

I actually liked all three main pilots, though I think Asuka pulls ahead as being on top of that list. The reason? I liked how she came into the story as this overachiver, full of confidence and pride. But as the story wore on, all of that began to fall apart piece by piece. What blew my mind was the backstory behind why she was how she was. I never would have guessed the reasons.

There were only two parts of the end that I actually liked. The first came at the very end (after the last Angel was destroyed), during the invasion and slaughter of all things related to Nerv. It was brutal, it was heartless and it painted a strong image of what the world around them really thought about them (the people of Nerv).

The second part I liked was when Asuka wakes up in her Eva and the flashbacks help draw out a realization for her. Then she pretty much just snaps like a woman possessed. Despite the fact that they regenerated, Asuka sure laid down a mighty whooping on the rest of the Evangelion series. Single handedly too.

But then that is pretty where and when the interest ends for me. The rest of the ending is just flat out strange and the two movies didn't really help clear the air at all.

I had read somewhere a few years ago, about how there was interest in making a live action movie for the series. But considering I haven't seen nor heard anything of it since, I guess the idea was dropped? I can imagine a movie based on Neon Genesis would be expensive as hell.

Oh well. Anyway, back to rewatching the series! I've only gotten back to the 10th episode, which means I've got a long ways yet to go.

Bored Beyond That Which is Bordom

Tonight is just one of those nights where nothing can cure the mundane. Everything is just dragging itself along and I'm stuck on this runaway train of boring. I've tried to do everything I could, from cleaning up around the house, played a few video games and I've been trying to watch some series, such as Fullmetal Alchemist and Weeds.

The games usually are a surefire win in this respect, but today it simply was not. I've lost so much interest in Halo Wars, for example, that I'm finding it to be a lot more boring then it is fun. Sad, considering how hyped up I was over this.

Same goes for Street Fighter 4, which I've finally got tired of being beaten into the ground for the 157,500th time.

Despite some effort, I just can't get into Resident Evil 5. And considering the last time I ever played a Resident Evil game was back when part 2 was still new, I suppose that just isn't my "cup of tea."

I've finally gotten the entire series of Fullmetal Alchemist, which has been a minor goal for me for the past few years. I wanted to rewatch a few favorite episodes, such as when Maes Hughes is killed. Even now, I still find that part of the story to be just outright sad. Probably even more so during the funeral, where is little daughter is crying and asking aloud about why they were burying her daddy.

The Flame Alchemist episode was/is awesome too... poor Havoc, he'll never surpass Mustang as far as having luck with women.

Last thought: Black Hayate rules!

Restless...

I could spend these opening moments to further explain what the title of this blog means today, but I think it is pretty self-explanatory isn't it?

Maybe I could end up blaming it on one of a list of things. That would be easy...

But no, that is not the way I will go. At least not today, because really I am just bored and that never ends well. I mean it usually ends up with me writing up something completely off the wall.

Or is just won't make sense.

Either way! The main thing is that I am spending these spare minutes of life dedicated to dishing out random jumbo packs of words here and I shall hand them down! Oh yes! By the hand fulls they will fall!

...And so begins the madness...

Labels were even fun for me this morning, I mean look at how many I've tacked on! Will I actually write about every single one of those? Maybe...

To start, me and Odin Sphere... yeah, that is done, over and gone before that sucker drops in trade-in value. As I stated in a previous post, I don't have all that much time to enjoy games and to me, Odin Sphere was just too damn slow.

Yes, I did think graphically it was a very beautiful game. No questions or doubts there folks, I thought it was well done in that respect.

But game play wise? I didn't care for it in the least. I'm having more fun with Gears of War and Call of Duty 3. Yes, totally different genre, but still. Fun is where it's at and that, as far as these days are concerned, is where I will head for the time being.

Final Fantasy X! Awesome game. Pretty simple there huh?

OK, so Tidus is a little odd and I still believe Kimari is one of the most useless characters ever conceived in a FF title. On the flip side, Auron kicked ass!

And I suppose Blitzball was kind of fun too, though it gets repetitive rather quickly.

On a related note, Final Fantasy X-2 was fairly good too. That's right, I admit that. Outloud. In a public place for that matter! Sure, it wasn't as serious and it was a little girly at times. But beneath that, the game itself was pretty good and that is what matters... right?

In my own opinion, FF X-2 was a nice change of pace with the quarky story telling and just to see a story from a FF game continue was cool it it's self. I wish Square-Enix would carry on or remake more games *cough*Final Fantasy VII*cough*.

Jumping subjects...

I watched the final episode of Inuyasha and, while refraining from spoiling anything, must admit that I was not in the least surprised with how it ended. I mean, after getting hyped up about the final season of Ranma 1/2 and seeing how terrible it ended, yeah. I think it is safe to say that I wasn't really expecting any real ending...

Which sucks because here I am, good ol' genius me, am out there picking up the seasons as they are being released. Now I know how it ends! Yuck!

Jumping again, I must bid adiu to Ninety-Nine Nights and hello to Def Jam: Icon.

N3 being compaired to Dynasty Warriors is an insult to Dynasty Warriors (in my own opinion of course). I think the compairsons end with the button mashing, kill-'em-all feel of the game. The voice acting gave me a headache and I found myself bored nearly out of my mind durning the opening battle. Imagine how I felt during the first actual "mission."

Call of Duty 3 is a fun one too, in that it does bring back memories of my final days in high school. Games like Day of Defeat and Half-Life were common place there, which was a load of fun since it was the entire room against one another.

Gears of War is pretty good too, though it is taking a little time to get used to. Still, playing a FPS co-op with your girlfriend = Many unnessesary deaths. Still, sure beats having to rely on NPCs to get you through.

I will say here and now that I apologize if my spelling is a little worse for wear. For one, I am tired and yet cannot sleep. Secondly, the spell check has gone and failed me by just not working.

Bastard.

Anyway... what to say next? Ah! Wrestling!

The Great Khali as World Heavyweight Champion... all I can say is this: It's bound to be interesting.

Mr. Kennedy vs. John Cena? Finally, a battle of the future stars of wrestling!

Triple X is reunited? What? I thought they were disbanded forever? Oh wait, yes. Wrestling = Nothing is forever. Not firings or retirements or much of anything for that matter.

It would be awesome if Chris Jericho returns to wrestling, but he seems to be enjoying life outside of the ring. Honestly, I'd like to witness a verbal exchange between him and Mr. Kennedy. Now that would be must-see TV.

Triple H returning soon? I wonder about him... will he return as a good guy? Or bad?

CM Punk loses during yet another ECW championship opportunity... Hmmm....

Kurt Angle or Samoa Joe? I'd like to see Samoa Joe finally win the TNA World title.

Favorite WWE Divas: Ashley, Victoria and Maria.

Subject change: I was pretty surprised to see the entire Tenchi Universe series for sale for a mere $40. Am I there? You damn straight I am!

On the topic of Tenchi Muyo!, I must express (again) my extreme dislike of the third OVA series. What the hell has happened to this story and this series? Surely the years have not been kind to it... which is definately disappointing.

News flash! Work still sucks!

2 anime movies I'd love to find on DVD (though I've only seen one of these 2 on DVD) are Galaxy Express 999 and Beautiful Dreamer. I remember seeing them both on a anime fest type show on Sci-Fi many, many, many years ago and I fell in love with them both instantly.

I am surprised to see that "I Now Pronouce you Chuck & Larry" (I think that is the right title...) actually beat out Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the box office. I think what gets me is how short a time period it has been since it was released. Is this a sign of things to come in the future of this insanely popular series?

Speaking of which, I've cheated and read what I was curious about in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I hope that is the right title...) and not a word beyond that. It is interesting and I felt satisfied with how it ended. That is all I shall say of this!

Well the time has come to bring this random-fest to an end and maybe now I will be able to get some shut eye. God I am tired! Sleep....!