The biggest Christmas present this year was the Haibane artbook by Abe Yoshitoshi. Yay! ^_^ I've been waiting for this for months and it turns out to be worth waiting ^_^
Back to current anime, there have been two pleasant surprises to me in this season. The first one is Godannar. I completely ignored it when it started but a friend of mine recommended it to me. So I watched it and it is so funny! Very speedy and witty interactions between the characters are really well plotted and performed. All the DVDs have been preordered ^_^
The other one is Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito (Travelers of Yami, Hat and Book). I took me a few episodes to understand what was going on as it is kind of omnibus and, once I've got in to the story, I enjoy the series very much. I hate to admit I like an Avex anime but Mochizuki Tomomi is doing a good job.
Yoriko-sa~~~~~~~n!!!! ;_; (it's the first time I felt like this since the case of Chloe...)
This week a new "Someday's Dreamer" manga has started and I'm really happy about it ^_^ Given the nature of the project, my hope of its new anime series is VERY high now ^_^
Anyway my super busy days have been just over now (that is, at least for a while -_-;;) and I have to clear up my HDD recorder to make more space for more shows.
Also I'm trying to watch some DVDs of Gunparade March in an attempt to reduce my ever-increasing unopened DVDs in my room and realised how much I love the ending sequence. Of course, the ED song is wonderful but I suspect that the visual part of the ED bores many people as it is very simple and lack in motion. Yet it is the scenery and effect of light that touches me. A pedestrian bridge in a half-developed area where you can feel lot of nature yet is exactly what I used to cross over to go to school every morning. In fact I feel more comfortable in cities where civilisation and nature are mixed. That's why I'm not keen to live in Tokyo and why I like anime based in middle-sized cities like Kanon.
I've got the OP/ED songs of Gunslinger Girl yesterday. The CD seems very popular as the major stores in Akihabara where I regularly go had already run out of the stock only two days after its release @_@;; What a nice thing pre-order is ^_-
Today I watched Kon Satoshi's new movie, "Tokyo Godfathers". I have to say my expectation wasn't too high as his last film "Millennium Actress" was a bit too "fantasy" to me. But it turns out to be a really nice and enjoyable film ^_^ It's a high-speed comedy for the most of part but with quite a few touching moments. I hope it will attract a lot of audience.
Recent good news (to me).
I ordered Full Metal Panic and Maburaho 2004 calendars. Because I didn't know they were available only through the publisher, I nearly missed the deadline. But I didn't ^_^
Accidentally hit into the website of special CD sale. It seems this is an annual event by an organisation of record shops and sells out-of-print CDs from their stock at low price. Being too late to come, I found only one CD that I like. But it is something I've been looking for and is at 70% off, so I'm happy. ^_^
Finally found time to watch the AiAo OVA, "Saiai". It is based on one of my favourite episode of the manga and they did a decent job of making it into an anime. Although I thought 5 more minutes would have made it even better, it was an really nice piece ^_^
The OVA made me realise one thing; I had always thought Aoi in anime are too composed. That is, she occasionally behaves very comically in the manga but such scenes are omitted from the anime (the tennis episode of the second season is a typical example). This omission may be a right thing as the comical Aoi, as in the OVA, sounds too much like Mahoro-san ^_^;;;;;
It was a good day to me. I finally found a copy of "Koi no Kiseki", the debut single of Chiba Saeko. I've been looking for it for about a year and the only copy I saw during period was on Yahoo auctions which went beyond my reach (some people seem to think I don't care about the price of CDs but it isn't the case ^_^;;). Anyway I am really pleased to get her first CD at a good price.
As usual, October brought a lot of new anime shows on TV. One of them, Maburaho, started last week. The original novel by Tsukiji Toshihiko is my favourite and I had been looking forward to it. The first episode was good enough but it turned out that they have quite a few changes. For example, the relation between Kazuki and Yuuna and the hidden potential of Kazuki are kind of secret and the classmates don't know about them in the novel. Although this is a rather unconvincing setting, to be honest, as Yuuna never hides her feeling for Kazuki, the fact the weird classmates are not aware of these things produces many comical situations in the novel. But, as they are all explained in Eps.1 of the anime, such situations are not transferable from the novel to the anime. Also they have changed (or perhaps misunderstood) the character of Akai Haruaki. He and her sister are the least humane and worldly characters of the series and his showing half-naked girls to Kazuki and hinting his interest in Kaori are impossible. More obvious change is a new character brought in, Hirosaki Karen, the manager of the dorm. I wonder what kind of role she will play. Finally, judging from the OP and ED, Chihaya will not appear in the anime, which is a bad news, a really bad news ;_;
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been elected as the Governor of California. The news remind me of a line in the first Full Metal Panic novel. On a very early day, Sousuke follows Chidori on train on her way back home school. She knows it and, when her patience runs out, she walks up to him to complain. Sousuke pretends to be innocent, reading a newspaper, but she isn't impressed at all. "'Shuwa-chan (this is how Schwarzenegger is called in Japan) go for the Governor election!?' Do you love an ancient newspaper!?" ^_^;; The novel was written 1998, a few months after Shuwa-chan was rumoured to run for the next election for the California Governor. So it was a good joke at that time but it is reality now.
The scene corresponds to Eps.2 of the anime but this particular line is replaced with a more peaceful one about Japan's National Team of soccer. In fact, the FMP anime is pretty politically correct. In another word, the novel is pretty politically incorrect and uses a lot of "real names." If you read the novel, many of you would notice how tame the jokes in the anime are in some cases. For example, in Eps.1, Sousuke names "Kadokawa Gorou and Suppin Girls" as his favourite singers but the novel gives the names of real singers. Do you want to know who? Just guess ^_-
Many overseas fans of anime are very much concerned about the accuracy of translation but I wonder how many of them are concerned about how faithful the anime is to its original work.
I'm back in Tokyo now.
Three shows ended last night. Happy Lesson Advance, Divergence Eve and Dokkoider. My verdict is Dokkoider > HLA >>>> DE. DE started pretty badly and became a little acceptable and ended pretty badly. Happy Lesson Advance started and went on within (that is, not beyond or less than) my expectation but the last episode is the most appropriate as a "last episode" compared with those of the OVA and the first TV series. Dokkoider was the biggest surprise of the Kur. I mean, it started as "unknown" (so I haven't seen the first episodes yet) but became fun and ended very strongly. I'd say it was the biggest surprise since Gakkou no Kaidan, which I watched merely by accident. There is nothing revolutionary in Dokkoider but it pursued, just like Gunbuster, a traditional way of entertainment. In the last episode there is a scene where Tanpopo tells his brother that the Alpha Wave System was bogus but he had it in his heart from the beginning. This makes me feel that it could have been a "magical boy" show if they had concentrated on Suzuo's internal struggle (if such thing ever existed ^_^;;). Whatever, I enjoyed the series very much.
I'm currently away from the city. If you are waiting for my reply to your e-mail etc., please give me a few more days until I come back to Tokyo.
Firstly, the new Full Metal Panic seems to be a fun. As far as the first episode goes, I enjoyed it very much. I had been wondering who would voice Ren. And they've brought in Tanake Rie for the role. Nice. Very nice ^_^
Now, things I've done (relatively) recently...
1. Went to an event of Kajiura Yuki for her first solo album "Fiction." The event started with a video of her concert at AX in July. Then she appeared with a Victor producer and talked about the album, such as why she chose the title. Then they show more of her in US in video, not only in Anaheim but in New York where she recorded the album. Yuki talked a lot. I was a little surprised to see that she was a surprisingly good talker. Unlike seiyuu, writers and composers are often no so good at talking at such events but she was pretty relaxed and entertained the audience very well. The event ended with her autograph session; so I've got one on my copy of "Fiction."
2. Watched a new anime movie, "Nasu ~ Andalusia no Natsu." It is based on a very short manga by Kuroda Iou and directed by Kousaka Kitarou, known for his work for Studio Ghibli (for example, he was a chief animator in Sen to Chihiro (Spirited Away). This movie is apparently the first anime he directed. The story was pretty simple and the artwork, by Mad House, was also decent. So I enjoyed it pretty much while I was watching it but, when finished, it didn't leave much to me.
3. Finally opened and watched Chiba Saeko's special DVD, "Melody." Yeah, she's cute ^_^ Now I have to find time to watch "Chibits" and ".hack" special DVDs...
4. Spent Y20,000 on a rare(?) CD v_v;; No, it's not a box. Just a CD...
5. Read the latest tankoubon of Slayers. In one episode, Lina's father makes his first ever appearance. Apparently he used to be a mercenary and met Gourry a few days before he met Lina at the beginning of the first novel. Hmmm....
Today I stupidly bought Kanon Fan Disc DVD. It turns out to be the worst purchase I made in the last few years. Don't buy it unless you're a Kanon fanatic. Practically there is nothing new; the main parts are music video and a keen fan with a decent equipment would easily do a comparable job. So avoid it if you can.
The special program on BSi, Mahoromatic Summer Special, has just finished (I mean within the last minutes). It is probably very appropriate for TBS to show it just after Popotan ^_^ Anyway the special episode is a great fun. They certainly captured the fun side of the series and answers one of the biggest questions; "Why is Mahoro-san so much against H things"? Whatever, all Mahoromatic fan should watch it.
Horie Yui's new album "Sky" is out now. Although its priced is supposed to be about Y3000, a shop in Akihabara is offering it at Y2080. This shop usually offer brandnew CDs with 10% discount but this is far more than that. I wonder why... They might have made a mistake and ordered too many from the manufactures.
July has seen a few new anime (there are so many short series these days -_-;;) and there are three obviously fan-serving shows; "D.C.", "Green Green" and "Popotan". Not surprisingly all of them are based on H PC games but their policies upon making it into anime are very different. Without going into details, Popotan seems to be the best of the three so far IMHO. It is not because it has most powerful fan-service, thanks to being on a satellite channel rather than a ground one ^_^;;, but the story is so gentle and touching (*so far*, I mean). I hope it'll be like Mahoromatic and Hand Maid May, where fan-service is prominent but their real charm lies somewhere different. After all, BS-i is the channel that aired Mahoromatic.
I'm watching "Easy Arithmetics: The Fourth Grade" ^_^;;; If you're a keen seiyuu otaku, you must know that NHK Educational is a treasure box for rare performance of many seiyuu. In this program Toyoguchi Megumi, in an odd costume, is helping kids to understand the notion of "circle".
The channel has a long history of hiring top-level seiyuu for their program (the first instance I notice years ago was a science program for fourth graders where Tanaka Mayumi (Pazu in Laputa) and Tsuru Hiromi (Madoka in KOR) were voicing a boy and girl, as a representative of the audience). Yet this arithmetic program is the first one I see where seiyuu makes appearance in person. Of course, I'm not a seiyuu otaku ^_- so it is just because I'm out of touch. But I feel this is one of the testimonies to show how seiyuu have become younger and cuter.
I finally had a chance to watch Vol.1 and 2 of the new Sakura Wars OVA. Vol.1 looked nice but Vol.2 was far too hasty. After all this series is just a supplement for the game and maybe no good for those who doesn't play it. BTW, Sakura Wars is known to use well-established seiyuu (I may use the word veteran) only and this Paris saga is no exception. I wonder how many people here realised the five heroines include Nadia/Jean/Electra or Akane/Kazumi/Kodachi ^_^;;
The other day I was reading various ads on the train on my way to work. As you may know, traveling by train through Tokyo during the morning isn't a nice thing and reading these ads is almost only way to kill time on board. Anyway one of them was for a women's weekly magazine. Typical to such magazines, 75% of the ad was about gossips but a small amount was somewhat strangely saved for practical information; such as "You can be a perfect cook of egg dishes" and "How to save money by using coupons wisely". Then I realised this particular magazine is the one Narue reads regularly (I mean she reads at book shops as she is too stingy to subscribe to it). I could imagine her reading it VERY seriously saying, "Oh, that's a good way to save money" or "I'll cook this one for Kazu-chan next time." ^_^
Speaking of Narue, I now really love the original manga. Bathyscaphe shows much more "human" nature and Shiki is so cute *^_^* It's a pity the anime shows only a part of Bathyscaphe and none of Shiki-chan ;_;
I just roughly counted how many anime-related CDs I have. I had thought it would be around 700-800. But it seems well beyond 1500 v_v;;
I?fm writing this at a hotel in Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaidou. Away from Tokyo in the humid rainy season, Hokkaidou is in its best season now; very sunny and warm but not hot ^_^. Regrettably I?fm here on business, rather than holiday, but I?fm enjoying my stay very much. Hokkaidou has been the location for a few anime, including Tri-Zenon and Kanon, but the place most strongly reminds me of "Kita e", the catchy theme song of the game with the same title. As its lyrics say, it is a wonderful place for food and I wonder how much weight I will gain by the time I go back ^_^;;
BTW, this kind of trips to cities away from Tokyo and Osaka are, a very good opportunity to find rare old CDs at a reasonable price. Although I haven?ft found anything during this trip, I had experienced excellent (or incredible) deals in places like Nagoya and Fukuoka. So, if you had a chance to stay in such a city without anything good to do, just walk around and have a look at CD shops ^_^
Yesterday I went to a mini concert (or a so-called "event") of Chiba Saeko. It was to promote her latest CD "Ice Cream". Although my ticket number was pretty big, I was lucky enough to get a place about five meters away from her ^_^ My first impression on her was "tall and slender". She chatted a lot and then sang three songs, "Hajimari no Keshiki", "Melody" and, of course, "Ice Cream". TO be honest, the sound system of the venue wasn't great but it was very nice to hear her singing live. She was a charming lady and more attractive than on photographs.
A totally different thing. In Wandaba Style we see an odd girl robot called "Kiku VIII". She is kind of a mascot and weird enough to call artificial satellites "my elder sisters." Some of you might know this but 'Kiku' (chrysanthemum) is the name of Japan's Engineering Test Satellites. As her name suggest, seven of them have been launched and the eighth one, ETS-VIII, is actually to be launched in 2004 (Note: the name 'Kiku' is given only to successful satellites. Thus they are called "ETS-xx" during the preparation). But it seems the satellite won't be in the shape of a young girl ^_^;;
I recently read a manga called "School Rumble" and enjoyed it much. It reminded me of "Love Hina," "Azumanga Daiou," and "Fruit Basket." So, if you like all these three anime, you may want to check it. Whatever, Yakumo is cute, really cute *^_^*
Recently I found a CD shop clearing off some of their DVDs at Y1000 each. Accordingly I bought a few. One of them is the Escaflowne DVD (DTS edition) whose nominal price is Y9800. So I call it a good deal ^_^ Another one I bought is Assemble Insert, an old OVA. Although the anime itself didn't impress me (as I expected), there is an interesting line in it. Someone in the show mentions two idol groups which failed after spending a huge amount of money for their promotion. Of course, the names are modified sightly but it is still obvious who they really mean. What interesting is that two of the former members of these failed groups (that is, one each) are now successful seiyuu. As both of the two ladies are my favourite, I wonder if the failure of the groups are bad thing or not...
I'm watching now DVD Vol.3 of Someday's Dreamers. Eps 5 makes me wonder how it could be translated into English (as usual). Runa's heavy Edokko accent is bad enough to translate but her relation with her mother would be even worse. She calls her mother 'okkasan', which is archaic while her mother wants to be called 'mama,' in a Western way. The worst of all is the sweets her mother cooks. When Yume visits her house, the mother bakes cookies for her, which Runa doesn't enjoy. After their reconciliation Yume proudly produces 'ohagi' which her mother made. 'ohagi' is rice balls wrapped with sweet things (such as 'anko') and very Japanese. This symbolises the mother's change yet cannot be translated in any way. Let's see how Pioneer will handle it ^_^
More about new shows. "Narue no Sekai" turns out to be a pleasant surprise. To be honest, there is nothing really new about it but it has been some time since I last saw such a simple love-comedy. Without any complicated setting, charm of the characters are the driving force. When many anime tries to be "new" and end up in a tangled mess, this is refreshing.
Speaking of Narue, I've just got the maxi single for the ED song and secured a ticket for a mini-concert by Chiba Saeko. So I should be able to hear her "Ice Cream" *live* ^_^
"Uchuu no Stellvia" is another show I'm following. But I still don't see its "focus" (up to Eps.4). It started well and hasn't done anything wrong particularly. Yet it hasn't given me a big impact so far (except the OP song, which gave me a HUGE one), like Battle Athletess (with a smimilar plot) or Nadesico (with the same staff) . Of course, "hasn't done anything wrong" means one simple trigger could bring everything together to make an excellent show, which is what I'm hoping.
I have a lot to say about new shows started in April but, as my new job means much less little time, I cannot say much (or I can't watch much -_-;;).
Let me speak about Scrapped Princess at least. No doubt they made a lot of changes. I cannot conclude yet the changes are bad yet but at least they give me strange feelings.
First, the story. The storyline is VERY HEAVILY reorganised. It is probably inevitable to fit the long story into a short TV series but killed the joy of at least two of my favourite scenes in the novel; the first encounter of ARRFI with Shannon and with Laquel.
Second, the character design. I prefer the original design by Azumi but don't mind the new and simpler one, either. Azumi's style, IMO, is nice on paper but looks pretty difficult to move in anime. So the change is fine with me.
Third, the cast (compared with that of DraDra). Orikasa Fumiko has replaced Kuwashima Houko as Pacifica. She is doing a good job but Kuwaho is definitely closer to the description given in the novel. Pacifica's voice is supposed to be really high and noisy when she makes her selfish claim/complaint against Shannon. Fumiko's voice is too nice even on such occasions while Kuwaho, who was noisy enough as Yurika, can certainly annoy Shannon's ear ^_^;;
Just for the record, I watched the Rahxephon movie today. I mean it; just for the record ^_^;;
I'm watching right now "Scenery of Food". It's a weekly feature of a TV business news program and introduces various foods and their ingredients), all of which look delicious (and expensive ^_^;;). Why am I talking about it here? Because it's narrated by Tamagawa Sakiko. ^_^
Speaking of seiyuu, I recently found Chiba Saeko was interviewed by a major newspaper in Japan. If you can read Japanese, here is the link to the article.
Let's move on to anime. I finally received the special Kanon DVD, "Kazahana". Originally I didn't plan to get it but, after hearing that Mishio would appear, I decided to collect the points and applied ^_^;; Anyway the story takes place some time after the end of the TV series (that is, early spring). All the major characters make appearance, including Makoto, and... nothing much happens. It shows how each characters is getting on their new life in a simple way. So it is more like an epilogue than a new episode. Yet I like it very much. In fact anything dramatic that may change the view of the original TV series would have been a bad thing, IMO.
The word "kazahana" has a few meanings, one of which is snow-falling in early spring. But it doesn't come from the sky but is created from the snow in the mountain blown up by strong (and "whimsical" as Akiko-san says) wind of spring. It's a phenomenon to bring back winter to spring but at the same time it is one to convince people that spring has finally come. Likewise, the DVD is a reminder of what happened during tough and dramatic winter and is at the same time an assurance that all the girls (and boys) have moved on to their own future.
I also watched recently the ending episode of the two anime, Pita Ten and Haibane Renmei, both of which ended in an excellent way, IMO. The two are totally different anime but their endings left me a similar feeling, though. There seem to be two common ideas; "how to come to terms with loss of your dear one" and "what you can do for your dear one." Kuramori, Kuu, Kotarou's mother and Shia all "vanish", leaving agony to their friends left behind. They learn to how to live with the fact and start looking for what they can do for their friends... How do you think? Maybe I am the *only* person to feel in such a way. Of course there is another common point between them; both features very cute girls with wings ^_^
I'm still having a lot to do to settle in my new place (both at work and home). So, although there are quite a few new shows this April on in which I'm interested (say, "Stellvia", "Kino's Journey", "Scrapped Princess", "Narue no Sekai", "Last Exile"....), please give me a few more weeks to say anything of them.
Instead(?), another point from a recent discussion on RAMM. This time it's about Azumanga Daiou. In Episode 23 (one of the sports game episodes), Chiyo and others joins a team called "Red Raccoon Dog." Does it mean anything? Of course, "Raccoon Dog" is 'tanuki', a very popular in Japan. But why "Red"?
I don't have the answer ^_^;; but do have some guesses. I should start with something I've been meaning to put up on this site; the name of the characters in "Tenshi no Shippo (Tail of Angels)." As you know, all of the twelve girls are reincarnation of animals Gorou used to look after. Thus many of their names have something to do with their nature. Ran is from "ranchuu", a type of goldfish. Yuki, which mean "snow", is appropriate for the white snake. Kurumi (walnut) is what the hamster used to love and Tsubasa (wing) is too obvious. Then it became less clear. Apart from Ayumi, which means "(steady) walk)", I couldn't think of any clear connection. For example, I thought Akane might have been derived from the reddish colour of fox ("aka" = red) but had no idea, say about Midori ("green").
The revelation came in Eps.6 (the "noodle" episode), when Akane and Midori insist to have 'udon' and 'soba', respectively. I couldn't stop laughing, finding out the meaning of their names. As the show explains, the words "kitsune (fox)" and "tanuki (raccoon dog)" are used in Japan to specify a certain "topping" on noodles, such as 'kitsune udon (fox noodle)' and 'tanuki soba (raccoon dog noodle),' even though their meat has nothing to do with the ingredients. And there are very popular cup noodles here called Akai Kitsune (Red Fox) and Midori no Tanuke (Green Raccoon Dog)! ^_^;;
Back to Azumanga, I suspect "red raccoon dog" is a parody of these noodles. I could be wrong but it's my guess.
It has been very hectic for last few weeks and I'm not really settled yet. It will probably take a few months before normal life come back to me. But at least I've now got a DSL connection at my new place and restart updating of this site.
BTW, I moved to Tokyo because I got a new job. My new work place is located at a pretty dangerous place; it's only 5-minute walk from Akihabara ^o^;; In fact, it makes a brief appearance in the CTiA movie. The location will certainly add pressure on my wallet ^_^;;
While I'm off the net, there was a discussion about ROD in RAMM; what Nancy's last name is. Of course, her "real" name is Mata Hari but no one seems to realise the significance of her assumed name, Makuhari, to Japanese fandom (hint: it comes between Harumi and Odaiba ^_-).
My days in Osaka is coming to an end. I'm heading for Tokyo tomorrow. It's been about 15 years since I left the city and many things have changed. In any case, this will be a big change in my life... Because of the move, I won't be on the net so regularly for a week or so.
Recently "Puchi-Puri Yucie" has caught my attention. I watched a few episodes when it started last year but stopped watching it after that (I kept recording it, though). A few weeks ago, I happened to watch the latest episode, which was very entertaining. Verbal battles between the non-necessarily-friendly members of the five "heroine" girls reminds me of Sailormoon ^_^ Just like Sailormoon, the show took some time to introduce all the heroines. Only two of them were officially (^_-) in the show when I gave up watching it. But now, with all of them on the stage, the anime is far more attractive. The improvement of the show somehow makes the OP sound catchier, too ^_^;; Sadly the show ended last week but, as the DVDs are coming now, it'll keep me happy for a while ^_^
I've got the four original doujinshi of "Old Home no Haibane-tachi," on which Haibane-Renmei is based. They 'll help me to enjoy/understand the series better. ^_^
Fun House (precisely speaking, BMG Fun House now) has produced a best album from See-Saw's early days. They have also reprinted their first ever album "I Have a Dream." It must have been poorly advertised as I never knew it until I saw the CD at a Gamers' shop. Also only limited shops seem to carry them. Well, it may not be surprising after all. As the duo is now under a contract with Victor, Fun House may not be able to promote them too openly. Whatever, this is excellent news for See-Saw fans who have been struggling to get their old songs ^_^
First off, due to my big(ish) move to Tokyo, I'm going to be very busy for a month or two. Update will be less frequent and regular. Replies to e-mails will also suffer delay.
Today I've got See-Saw's new album "Dream Field." Yay! Enough said ^_^!
Recently "Haibane Renmei" has become my favourite (I've seen up to the second DVD). I knew Abe's work and, although it wasn't exactly my favourite, his style and world looked pretty unique. The anime design seems to have removed bits I don't like and yet retained the feel of his world very well. I hope the series remains as good as it started.
For the last few weeks, I noticed quite a few anime-related shops were playing See-Saw's new album as BGM. I think it is pretty rare for such CDs to be played at shops so much before its release. Victor must be very serious to market them. The contents of the CD, BTW, is really good and I'm looking forward to its official release.
One of the recent new shows of (my) interest is Mahoutsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Someday's Dream, which seems to be a good-quality fantasy. Those who understand Japanese must be aware that the word "mahoutsukai" has been used in many anime (I mean, MANY); Mahou Tsukai Tai and Kiki's Delivery Service are famous examples. But I wonder how many of you have noticed the series uses a different kanji.
The usual kanji for "tsukai" of "mahoutsukai" means 'to use' whereas the particular one used in this show means 'to send/deliver.' Yes, they are not "magic users" but "magic deliverers". Although we might think these extraordinary ability of Yume and others is the one, I think the real "magic" here is its effect on their clients. For example, Yume might have thought giving lots of money was magic in the first episode but obviously Zennosuke didn't. Thus she might have been successful as a magic user but not as a magic deliverer (she does better in Eps.2).
In this context, the title of the anime translates as "Important things to those who deliver magic." Judging from the first few episodes, I think the answer is clear; "they are important things for ordinary people." That is, important things are the same whether or not you can use magic. Like my other favourite magical girl anime, the magic here is just a mean for young heroines to learn about life to grow up. I hope the show will stay as good.
Note: I'm not speaking for the author and could be wrong completely ^_^;;
Here is a quiz for you. What do these three ladies have in common?
I've been reading the latest volume of the R.O.D novel and it's great ^_^ The series has been a little too serious and heavy for me, just like the anime. But this one is more light-hearted, resembling to earlier volumes. The battle(?) between lazy Yomiko and hyper-active Nenene is hilarious and fan-serving. Of course, the author didn't fail to include how people's affection to (not Yomiko's addiction) to books can make this world a little better place to live...
Beck from bloody cold New Jersey. Not much to talk about the trip in this page. The only anime-related thing is, again, the in-flight radio program of Japan Airlines. This time they had songs from shows such as "Gundam Seed", "Getbackers", "Asagiri no Miko", "Fullmoon o Sagashite." To my surprise Tanaka Rie was the co-host of the show. Of course, being a kids show, she didn't sound like an over-sexy humble maid but a small girl ^_^;;
Being away for the last week of the month, which sees lots of new release as usual, I went my regular shopping tour today and ended up with 15 DVDs, 12 CDs and 6 books, including Azuma Kiyohikos new manga. I may write about it here later.
As I said I about to leave for US. So please expect delays in replying mails or updating the site.
Just a piece of old news. The second series of Full Metal Panic has been announced. This time the story will be based on the short novel series, which means Hayashimizu and perhaps Ren will appear ^_^ Also the staff and studio are different; Kyoto Animation will take over from Gonzo. Let's see what kind of show it becomes...
I'm visiting US next week. Not, California or Miami... but New Jersey (Rutgers U). Why do I have to visit in the middle of winter? No idea ;_;
As I mentioned this somewhere else a few days ago, I recently found out Gumi, who sang the first OP song of Card Captor Sakura, is Hinata Megumi, who now forms Melocure with Okazaki Ritsuko (the duo does the OP of UFO Princess Valkyrie and the OP and ED of Stratos 4). It's nice to know she is still in business and paired with a really talented musician ^_^ Gumi, who once personally replied to my e-mail, could learn a lot from her partner to develop her own style. The OP of Stratos 4 is a really good work of hers ^_^
BTW, how many people noticed the striking and comfortable similarity in the use of seiyuu between Stratos 4 and Vandread? Let's see....
Stratos 4 Vandread
--------- --------
Mikaze Dita
Ayamo Amarone
Karin Meia
Sako Pyoro
Sayaka Ezra
Rin Magno
Ran Barnette
Miharu Bozam
Chris Jura
Annette Parfet
Alice Gascogne
Quite a lot, isn't it? They must be aware of this as the Sako-Pyoro relation is used as a joke in Eps.1 if you noticed it ^_-
Mamechishiki~~~~~~! (says Oaksa ^_^;;)
Stratos 4 treats the meteors like typhoons, our real natural disaster,
just like Gunbuster treated the monsters so. The meteor which
threatens Earth in Eps.1 is called "Catherine," which is probably named
after a typhoon that attacked Japan and killed nearly 2000 people in
1947. Because typhoons are now numbered, rather than named, in Japan, the
typhoons officially "named" are very rare, only during the US
occupation after WWII. Thus, the name "Catherine" itself implies a
big natural disaster to elder people.
First, Stratos 4... Yay!!! ^_^;; I'm ready to preorder all the DVDs. Cute Yamauchi girls with decent art and voice acting seem more than enough to me. I mean, it doesn't matter if the story is good or not ^_^;; But I'm NOT saying the story is boring. I'm sure Mori-san would make it really entertaining.
Yesterday I went to see the second Inuyasha movie. Even after a month after its premiere, the theatre was full with kids and their parents. There were a lot of low-teen boys and girls as well. In short, I was out of place ^_^;;; Whatever, the movie is really good and definitely better than the first one. Leaving all the serious issue to Kagome and Inuyasha, other characters such as Sango, Miroku and Shippou have a lot of scope for comical jokes. If you like the first movie, you'll love this one ^_^
I've also watched first two episodes of "Piano." Somehow the show reminded me of "Fancy Lala" a lot. Partly because Fujishima Kousuke's character design is similar, when made into animation, to that of Takada Akemi but the main reason is really close to magical girl shows in the mood. Of course there is no solid definition of magical girl show but to me, those from Studio Pierrot are the authentic ones, where magic and adventures are mere tools of the storytelling and the key is heroine's feeling and mental growing-up through careful description of ordinary daily life. If so, if you consider the piano and its music as the "magic" in this show, it makes a really good magical girl anime... at least to me. What do you think?
Happy New Year, everyone ^_^ New year means the start of a new butsubutsu page. It also means the start of the auction ^_- So, if you are interested, please have a look.
During the new year holiday, I witnesses the power of TV. My Crest of the Star site is seeing a sudden surge of accesses. Let's see...
Dec 25 .... 47
26 .... 86
27 .... 92
28 .... 98
29 .... 79
30 .... 113
31 .... 182
Jan 1 .... 227
2 .... 299
3 .... 335
4 .... 538
5 .... 640
I can *feel* now how small the OVA market in NA is compared with the TV one. It's been about four years since I began to built the site. One of my first task, and probably the most memorable, was to decide how to translate "Seikai no Monshou" (You know, "Crest of the Stars" are not really the direct translation of "Seikai no Monshou"). "Crest(s)" or "Emblem(s)"? "Star World," "Galaxy" or "Universe"?.... After a few exchange of mails with my English friend and seeing Abh are keen to call themselves as "members (kin) of the stars", we finally settled with "Crest of the Stars"... and it seems such a long time ago. Oh, I'm getting old ^_^;;
Speaking of TV, January is bringing a few new anime here and "Lime-iro Senkitan" started today. It's a little disappointing because it overlaps too much with Sakura Wars. Young girls, lead by a young man, fighting as a part of an armed force with human-shaped "tools" against somewhat supernatural enemy in Japan of the pre-WWI era... The differences *so far* are the number of the girls ^_^;;;, types of "tools", the fact they are part of Navy rather than Army, and far more fan-service. It's comical enough, though, to keep me watching till the end of the episode. I'll give it at least a few more episodes as Akahori shows tend to change the tone in the middle of the series.
And tomorrow is the big day; a new season of "Big O" and, well, yes, "Storatos Four" *^_^*
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