ー『君の知らない物語』ー

Black Rock Shooter - 2

2012-02-12T23:17:00.001+08:00

Black Gold Saw is just COOL !

WOW!!! the second episode just blew me away !! the plot is developing real fast, since this series is only 8 episodes long. Yomi and Mato's friendship is really put to the test here as that relationship is pushed beyond the limits. Kagiri's overbearing presence and clingyness to Yomi is just adding even more strain to their relationship. She dislikes Yomi having another friends than her and believes that Yomi belongs to her and no-one else can have her. Not to mention the extreme things she would do just to make Yomi stay by her side, in this case falling down a flight of stairs and ending up with fractured wrists.

But after seeing the flashback of Kagiri's past, it is understandable how she developed this personality. Her being bound to the wheelchair is not a physical disability but it is caused by her state of mind. She does seem pitiful but all this is just to satisfy her desire to have Yomi by her side. Making her feel guilty and in that state, binds Yomi to Kagiri.

The battles between BRS, Deadmaster and Chariot justs keeps getting better and better. Not to mention gruesome too! As i have said in the previous post, the persona's are sort of tied to the person seems to be true. The first sign was Yomi's heart shaped scar was reflected on Deadmaster's chest. Not to mention how lost DM was when she was fighting BRS and trying to protect Chariot all this time.
Near to the end of the episode, after BRS decapitates Chariot, Kagiri seems to be in tranquil state. Since her persona is dead, her personality seems to have been shattered. I doubt she is dead but Yomi seems to have turned against Mato, since she was partly at fault for causing Kagiri to end up in a rage and end up in this state. I'm getting curious to see how Yomi will react to her after all this!

Black Gold Saw makes her debut in this episode !! and she is just so BADASS!!! somehow i think she is the main antagonist here in this series. Since she tries to hinder DM and BRS's effort to save Chariot, freeing them from the endless conflict which would make Kagiri accept Yomi and Mato as friends. I'm curious to see how BGS's character would be like in the real world.
I guess with Chariot out of the way.. its time for the last persona to appear and that is Strength.. the least favorite of mine amongst the 5 titular characters.

偽物語 - 4

2012-02-08T10:01:00.001+08:00

Tsubasa's new look is too cute !!

there is a ton of development in the story ! karen has been afflicted by the poison of the flame wreath bee and koyomi is powerless to do anything for her. Tsubasa sports a new look! which is uber cute!!!! i will her twin tails and glasses! Lastly, the most unbelievable thing!!! Oshino Shiobu finally speaks !!!! for the past 18 episodes, she has never uttered a single word.. and i thought she was mute, turns out was that she didn't bothered to speak !

I actually lol'd when i saw Tsukihi's reaction when she saw Koyomi and Shinobu in the bath together.. and she grabbed a knife in an attempt to kill Shinobu i presume. Is that a hint of hostility towards any girl who tries to steal her brother ? or is it to kill Koyomi since he is spending time with another girl when his sister is in trouble ? now that's some food for thought.. since both theories seem plausible. but i would go for the former, since Koyomi was frantically trying to dismiss the presence of Shinobu...

it seems that it was Shinobu who helped free Koyomi from the handcuffs.. and not Koyomi breaking free of them himself. and it has been confirmed that Koyomi is now a human and has absolutely no other traits of a vampire except that his lifespan is extended. which is pretty depressing since all of his friends and family members will eventually pass on leaving him alone. with 2 exceptions, Shinobu and Mayoi.. since one is a vampire and the other is a ghost. but the thought of being alone was quite a shock for Koyomi since he is really close with all of his friends and family.

Maaya Sakamoto is starting to become my favorite seiyuu now ! I enjoyed the dialogue between Shinobu and Koyomi, looks like she will have a more talkative role since she is the only source of knowledge Koyomi can rely on with the absence of Oshino Meme. Apparently, she maybe the last member to join the Koyomi harem! despite all the i won't forgive talk.. they seem to enjoying each other's company..

Maaya Sakamoto's voice seems to be perfect for any role and she seems to be able to change her voice to fit the character perfectlyTake for example, Shiki in kara no kyoukai/ mari from evangelion 2.22 movie. These few roles shows how versatile her voice really is. Apart from that, she can sing !!!! she is just multi-talented !

the ending credits was changed slightly and it looks better ! i like how the squiggly lines are describing the main cast of the show!

the next episode would be cool too since it reveals the events of how Karen gets poisoned and hopefully more Shinobu !

Black Rock Shooter 1

2012-02-04T12:24:00.001+08:00

THE WAIT IS OVER!! BRS IS HERE!

The long wait is over and it was well worth it ! BRS was just too awesome ! i was expecting the series to continue where the OVA ended. but it wasn't.. they used the same characters and re-introduced them.

I like the mix of fast, unrelenting action in the alternate universe where BRS fights the other personas with the slice of life high school drama of Kuroi Mato. I think that it is brilliant and it gives BRS a very unique take on plot since these 2 distinct universe are linked by Mato's feelings towards acceptance and rejection from her relationships with others.

Coming to that, it seems that BRS persona is how Mato deals with relationships between people. a good example would be her encounter with Chariot, which is Izuriha Kagiri's persona. Kagiri despises Mato because she is afraid that Mato would steal Yomi away from her. Therefore she does not hide her discontent with her by shoving ugly-colored macaroons to her, giving her the ugliest doll and screaming "Get Away!". In that short scene, a normal sane person would have got really uncomfortable and leave but Mato endures it all but has an emotional breakdown once she reaches her room.

The action scenes were definitely more gruesome compared to the OVA. It pains me to watch BRS getting impaled, stabbed, run over by some machine, cut open by blades... and etc. but despite the beating she took.. she has a very resilient look on her face! and i wonder if that was due to Mato's strong positive nature ? or whether it signifies Mato's never say die spirit ? so if that is the case if anything were to happen to either of them, would that effect be expressed ? i'm really curious to know !

Lots of familiar voices here !! with the likes of Hanazawa Kana, Sawashiro Miyuki, Kitamura Eri filling up the roles, what's not to like about this series ???!! Hanakana and Sawashiro Miyuki are reprising their roles as Mato and Yomi. Hanakana's cheery voice really fits Mato's character.. since she is spunky and very out-going. Sawashiro Miyuki voices the soft-spoken and slightly introvert Yomi. and lastly Kitamura Eri voices Kagiri, the yandere wheel-chair bound girl who clings to Yomi like she is her possession. I have to say that Kitamura Eri portrayal of Kagiri is really top-notch! the hostility of her voice and tone used really amplified the discontent and discord shown towards Mato.

With glimpses of Black Gold Saw and Strength being shown in the credits has got me waiting in anticipation for them to appear ! Strength was briefly shown in the OVA.. but the character which i wanna see most is Black Gold Saw!

BRS has made fridays exciting for me again !!!!

偽物語 - 3

2012-01-31T21:02:00.001+08:00

THE GODDESS DESCENDS !

Koyomi has finally finished helping Kanbaru with cleaning up all her books. She was going on with how Koyomi would start a harem if he is not in a relationship with Hitagi, and Kanbaru hints that Tsusbasa would be his girlfriend and he would have flings with the rest.. However, Koyomi rejects the thought and retorts that Hitagi will kill him and the other party should she knows that he is seeing Tsubasa. Before leaving Kanbaru's house, he enquired how she tells her parents regarding her arm. Since he was having problems keeping his secret under wraps from his family. Kanbaru responds by telling her parents not to bug her with problems she doesn't want to talk about and insists that her arm is still healing from an injury.

Koyomi leaves the house and he meets Kaiki Deshuu, the main antagonist of the series. Kaiki reminds Koyomi of Oshino Meme and Guillotine Cutter, both were well versed in the art of supernatural but instead of benevolence, he senses that Kaiki is malevolent and dangerous. Kaiki seems to be very interested in Kanbaru but decides to leave her alone for now. Koyomi wanted to follow Kaiki but decides not to after sensing that he will run into trouble.

As he heads back to town, he bumps into Hitagi who ignores his calling. Koyomi chases after her only to get an earful from her. Using her cold heart and sharp tongue, she belittles Koyomi till the point where a normal sane man would commit suicide after hearing her words. Koyomi tells Hitagi of his prior encounter with Kaiki. Hitagi immediately warns Koyomi not to steer away from any issues involving Kaiki. In order to protect Koyomi from Kaiki, Hitage kidnaps him and holds him in an abandoned school.

Hitagi proceeds to share her past experience on Kaiki with Koyomi. Kaiki was one of the 5 con-men who cheated money from her parents and was partly responsible for Hitagi's plight during the events of the previous season. Hitagi was powerless to do anything back then and everything that was dear to her was taken away. Now, she is no longer willing to lose things which are precious to her thus she is willing to go to such extremes to protect Koyomi from himself.
After receiving a text message from Tsukihi that Karen is in danger, Koyomi manages to break free from his bonds and is determined to help Karen. Hitagi tries to stop him but she is unable to, she blushes from how cool Koyomi is and is happy that she has such a boyfriend.

I was amazed by how the background had changed from the clear blue sky to a very ominous red sky with dead trees in the back.. creating a scene of dread and danger which clearly fits Kaiki's demeanor.

Hitage just stole the whole episode away !!! she is my favorite character in the entire series, her extremely cold and unfeeling facade hides a heart which shows genuine care and concern to people and things she treasure ! how can a person have such conflicting personalities in one !! the events of this episode has shown that she really cares for Koyomi despite all the teasing and nonsense she has put him through.

the whole story has been revealed as to how Koyomi got kidnapped by Hitagi back in the first episode. ending the flashback and finally moving on to continue the story of Karen's arc. And there was a slight change in the opening animation ! it was nice to hear futakome again but to watch the opening animation in color than monochrome was a visual treat ! half way through Karen's arc.. hopefully the next episode will be as great as this !

偽物語 - 2

2012-01-22T10:17:00.001+08:00

Finally a proper introduction to the Fire Sisters, Araragi Karen and Araragi Tsukihi. Complete polar opposite in terms of personality and appearance. Karen is boyish girl who excels in martial arts, her personality is straight forward and predictable whereas Tsukihi is more feminine in appearance but she is easily provoked and she usually ends up throwing hysteric fits. They love to portray themselves as heroes of justice, helping people in need but in Koyomi's eyes.. they are terrible impostors.

The second episode continues with Koyomi paying a visit to Sengoku Nadeko after his encounter with Mayoi. Nadeko looks different with her bangs tied up! and she seems really intent on arousing Koyomi !! LOL!! a middle schooler trying to seduce a high school student who already has a girlfriend with a crazy temper.. no wonder Koyomi considers himself lucky to get out of Nadeko's house when she found out that her mother is returning home from work!
Having nothing to do, Koyomi decides to push forward his appointment with Kanbaru Suruga. On his way to Kanbaru's house, he sees Karen and decides to startle her by crashing his bike on her. Karen was able to dodge it. They have a brief conversation and Karen leaves shortly after receiving a call requesting for help.

Koyomi was asked by Kanbaru to help her with throwing of books in her house.. and she got like tons of books lying around !! Kanbaru's appearance has changed drastically from the previous season, as she has grown her.. but she still maintains the same twisted thinking process... always trying to link weird or thoughts that are simply wrong together ! Koyomi lands himself in an awkward situation when the tables are reversed as he himself becomes a victim of sexual harassment. He swears an oath never to harass Mayoi again after having gone through the pain himself ! that scene has got me chuckling like mad!! hearing Koyomi scream and struggling like a girl!

The ending theme, ナイショウの話 by ClariS was nice, but it pales in comparison with 君の知らない物語. apart from the ending theme, there is also a new opening theme, marshmallow justice by Kitamura Eri, it was a catchy theme but i still prefer the previous opening theme, futakome.

With the re-introductions of the main cast almost done.. i think the next upcoming episode should focus on how Koyomi got abducted by Hitagi. i wished the plot development could be done slightly faster since there is only 13 episodes allocated for the entire series. this is the 2nd episode and yet there is little progression into the plot of the first arc!! i'm not too sure if there will only be 2 arcs that focuses on Tsuki and Karen or will the 5 other heroines get a short arc of their own too?

marshmallow justice - 喜多村英梨

ナイショウの話 - ClariS

偽物語 - 1

2012-01-22T01:47:00.000+08:00

Mayoi is just too cute !!!! xD

The start of the new season ! nisemonogatari has got to be one of the most anticipated premier for me this season. there isn't much plot for the premiere episode, it serves as a refresher to the cast of the previous season.. but the start of the show does have some foreshadowing of Araragi Koyomi being held captive by Senjougahara Hitagi.. apparently to save him from certain death..

The episode also introduces the youngest of the Araragi siblings, Araragi Tsukihi. She wasn't a very prominent character back in bakemonogatari, but she is now one of the main heroines for this season, since the plot has shifted its focus on the acts of "heroism" carried out by the Fire Sisters. so i'm really looking forward to seeing the other sister, Araragi Karen. who is voiced by the ever lovely Kitamura Eri !

Hachikuji Mayoi wasn't my favorite character back in the previous season, but this episode has changed my perspective of her ! she really is an adorable kid !!! i cannot stop laughing hysterically after seeing Koyomi sexually harassing Mayoi! and the "biting my tongue" response to mispronounce Koyomi's name.. it makes me feel as if i'm watching bakemonogatari once again !
The later part of the episode was very meaningful, as Mayoi was able to trick Koyomi into a play of words. By adding the word 'courage' to every action makes the action done seem so much positive. Example, 'the courage to lie to your loved ones', 'the courage not to do anything'.. these are just 2 of the examples from the episode, take some time to think about it. it seems to make sense, and Koyomi admits defeat to Mayoi. The episode ends with Koyomi acknowledging Mayoi as one of the people whom he can confide in, since Oshino Meme is no longer around in town.. and he hopes that Mayoi will not disappear from his life without bidding him farewell like Oshino did. This really shows how deep their relationship has become since the events that transpired back.

The art style of nisemonogatari remains virtually unchanged ! and thats what i love about the series. the chuck full of text interludes, split second transition of scenes, each single scene is filled with so much detail in the background.. it makes me wanna pause every time just to see what is going on at the background. and the lengthy dialogues between characters ! even though there is virtually zero action of any sort in this series, the war of words is enough to keep my attention strong. that is the real charm of nisemonogatari in my opinion.
Since there wasn't an ending theme song shown in this episode, i was rather disappointed but the opening theme song made up for the absence of an ending song. Performed by Saitou Chiwa, Futakome isn't as catchy as Staple Stable. But still it has got me hooked to it! I'm looking forward to the release of the full single!

二個目 - 斉藤千和

START OF ANOTHER STUPID YEAR !

2012-01-01T00:04:00.001+08:00

2011 is over !!.. as of this moment... its 2012.. a start if another new stupid year...

so cheers.. enjoy this moment while it lasts...

2011.. a milestone year for myself !

2011-12-31T19:51:00.000+08:00

its the last day of 2011 !! looking and thinking back the good old days, has reminded that 2011 was a milestone year for me!

here are some of the biggest things that happened to me.

2009 was the lowest point of my life as i had to serve my ns.. and i couldn't wait for 13/09/2011 to come any sooner!! 2 years of my life flashed past and now i've moved on to the next phase of my life !

Nov 2011 marks the start of a new chapter of my life, i've started school again ! though the course of study is not my personal first choice.. but still i'm cherishing the joy of being able to study once again ! again, studying maybe a major bitch but it beats working and serving ns !!! LOL xD

my only holiday trip this year was also one of the best i have ever made ! we went to the roof of the world, Tibet!! now i know how blue the sky really is ! and i would wish to visit Tibet once again in the future.

so i'm gonna enjoy what's left of 2011... these last 4 hours are what's left of 2011... and then its the start of 2012 !!!

WINTER 2012 PLANS

2011-12-28T13:47:00.000+08:00

fall is ending soon !! and winter is fast approaching. with the start of the new season means new series to watch !!

the upcoming season has lots of shows which i'm dying to watch !!! out of the 23 series slated to air. i'm picking 7 series to watch, since i still have a bulk of shows from fall which are still running. i don't think i have that much time to finish watching so many series in a week.

the 6 series are:

1. Another

Another is set in 1998, Sakakibara Kouichi returns to his deceased mother's hometown and transfers into Yomiyama North Middle School, Class 3-3. Where he meets a girl with an eyepatch, Misaki Mei whom he has met earlier while he was in the local hospital.

His classmates Kazami, Yukari and Teshigawara asks whether Kouchi believes in the supernatural. After sharing with him about an urban legend, where a student by the name of "Misaki" who was also from Class 3-3, was suddenly found dead. But everyone in the class still pretended that she was around. As Kouichi starts to pry more about Mei, his classmates start to shun away from him. Everyone around Kouichi warns him not to be too close with Misaki Mei, since they believe that she doesn't exists. But as a student was killed in school, Mei tells Kouchi that "it" has started.

Horror genre in anime is usually rare and not easy to come by. Therefore i had to watch this ! given that P.A works is behind this series is a good enough reason for me to watch this ! The plot sounds interesting and mysterious. I'm really curious to know what happened to "Misaki" 26 years ago and who exactly is Misaki Mei and what does she mean by "it" has started ? could it be the ghost of "Misaki" taking revenge on the students ??

2. あの夏で待ってる(Ano Natsu de Matteru)

Set in a scenic town in Nagano, Kirishima Kaito desires to do something big in his small town. He gathers his friends Tanigawa Kanna, Ishigaki Tetsurou, Kitahara Mio, Yamano Remon and Rinon. Kaito shares with them his ambit, he wants to make a movie. Kaito's summer is made even more memorable when a new girl, Takatsuki Ichika moves into town.

This series is directed by AnoHana's director which seems promising given the excellent job he has done for AnoHana. while this is not a melodrama like AnoHana, i still believe that the story and direction of the story will be decent and since this is a light hearted comedy.. there should be plenty of comedic moments. and to top it off, there is Tomatsu Haruka and Tamura Yukari in the cast. and the ending theme song is done by Yanagi Nagi and Maeda Jun of KSL !!!

3. アマガミSS+ (Amagami SS+)

The sequel to Amagami SS, the series focuses on the relationships between the male lead Tachibana Junichi with 6 heroines, Haruka Morishima, Ayatsuji Tsukasa, Nanasaki Ai, Sakurai Rihoko, Tanamachi Karou, Nakata Sae. Apart from the main 6, the series adds in 2 more girls, his sister Tachibana Miya and a stalker, Kamizaki Risa.

I'm not a big fan of romance series, but after watching this and Kimi ni Todoke.. i've started to enjoy shows of this genre!! while this is a totally original production (not based on the game), i'm looking forward to it as there wasn't much development in the previous series after Junichi has successfully won the girl over, therefore it would be nice to see some form of continuation in their relationship. with Itou Shizuka, Yukana reprising their role as Haruka and Ai respectively.. there is no way i would miss this show !

4. Black Rock Shooter

The series picks up where the ova has ended. Kuroi Mato has accepted her other self, Black Rock Shooter and enters the alternate world to save her friend Takanashi Yomi who has been possessed by DeadMaster, a malevolent other self. Yomi's jealousy of Yuu, Mato's new found friend and basketball club manager. Allowing DeadMaster to possess her, thus erasing her presence in this world. Now the past is about to repeat itself as Yuu is disappointed that Mato is starting to ignore her and is getting too close with Yomi. Her jealously is allowing her to create a new persona, Strength.

I totally enjoyed the BRS ova, and i wanted more of it!! now with Black Gold Saw making an appearance in the series, I'm definitely gonna watch this !! featuring a strong cast that includes Hanazawa Kana, Sawashiro Miyuki and Kitamura Eri.. this is one of the series which i was anticipating ever since it was announced ! i can watch it now at long last ! i hope it will live up to the hype it has generated !

5. パパのいうことを聞きなさい( Papa no koto wo kikinasai)

Segawa Yuuta, a university freshman receives bad news regarding his elder sister and husband has gone missing from their air flight. Leaving behind their 3 daughters, 14 year old Takanashi Sora, 10 year old Miu and 3 year old Hina. All 3 come from different mothers from previous marriages, in order to prevent them from ending up in different custodies. Yuuta decides to take care of them till their parents can be found. The 3 sisters become fond of Yuuta, and are quick to accept him despite objections from their relatives. Yuuta is determined to look after Sora, Miu and Hina as he is reminded of his elder sister who single-handedly raised him up after the unfortunate passing of their parents. Thus this marks the start of the life which the 4 of them are staying together in a small apartment.

every season has got to have a series which features little sisters !! the setting reminds me of Usagi drop.. but instead of a 30 year old salary man taking care of an independent and rather mature 6 year old kid. the series has a university freshman taking care of not 1 but 3 kids of varying ages !!! i'm sure that there will be lots of heart warming moments as well as comedic moments like usagi drop.

6. 偽物語 (nisemonogatari)

In this sequel to bakemonogatari, after helping to resolve the curses of 5 different girls - Hitagi (crab), Mayoi (snail), Suruga (monkey), Nadeko (snake) and Tsubasa (cat). Araragi's twin sisters, Karen and Tsukihi encounters Kaiki Deishuu, the con-man responsible for causing Hitagi's family to become bankrupt as well as the reason for her parent's divorce.

My personal favorite series for the entire season !! i loved bakemonogatari and there is no way in hell i would pass this up !!! picking up where the first season ended, the sequel is focusing more on the fire sisters, Araragi Karen and Araragi Tsukihi but the 5 heroines of the previous season are still around.
Apart from nisemonogatari, a movie adaptation of kizumonogatari was also announced but no release date has been fixed for it... so i'm hoping that local theaters will be able to air and i won't have to wait until the blu-ray is released to be able to watch it. nothing has changed in terms of the cast and studio, shaft is still sticking to the same style it has used in bakemonogatari which is featured prominently in the pvs which have been released. an all star cast featuring Saito Chiwa, Sawashiro Miyuki, Katou Emiri, Kitamura Eri, Hanazawa Kana, Yui Horie and Iguchi Yuuka.. and the ending theme which is performed by a collaboration between claris and ryo. i don't see any reason why i shouldn't be watching this xD

7. リコーダーとランドセル ( Recorder to Randoseru)

Miyagawa Atushi, 11 year old is 180cm tall and looks like an adult whereas his elder sister Miyagawa Atsumi, 17 year old is only 137cm tall and has the appearance of a kid. Therefore Atushi is always mistaken for being the elder and Atsumi is the younger sister. However, despite their appearance, Atsumi behaves maturely for her age and knows how to take care of her younger brother.
The last series which i'm planning to watch. the setting is what drew me to it, sounds weird but interesting, the saying ''never judge a book by its cover'' really applies here ! appearances can be deceiving, a midget elder sister and an overgrown younger brother.. it has got me curious to how the story will go !

These are the shows which i will be watching this coming winter season. Since i have a tons of shows from the previous season which are still on-going, i don't plan to watch too many new series. I will definitely blog nisemonogatari to replace Fate/Zero and continue the coverage of Guilty Crown.

Guess i'll do another lengthy post on my personal favorites of the year 2011 ! hopefully i can get it down within the week !

FATE/ZERO 13 (END)

2011-12-25T22:40:00.000+08:00

NOOOO!!! END OF SEASON 1 !!!

After discovering that their hideout has been destroyed, Ryunosuke and Caster were in shock that their effort has been wasted. In an attempt to raise Caster's morale and ambition, Ryunnosuke who is a non-believer in God, acknowledges the existence of one. He believes that God is actually a playwright, writing out the stories of every single individual living now. And he believes that this setback is just a reminder from him to tell them to strive harder to get his attention. Caster was completely absorbed by Ryunnosuke's thinking and makes a grand plan to attract God's attention.

Waver and Rider spend the day out in town doing some shopping. Waver was curious about Rider's past life after having a dream about him. He finds out that Rider's conquest led him to the edge of the sea, and he was seeking Oceanus.
When Rider had discovered that Waver was researching about his past, he was puzzled as to why Waver didn't ask him directly and went to read about it.
While on the way back, Waver finally admits his true feelings to Rider. He claims himself to be weak and undeserving of a servant as powerful as Rider. And even if he wins the war, he doesn't feel that he has any sense of achievement since it was not his effort that led to the victory. Rider then consoles Waver, he compares the 2 of them with the world as the enemy. No matter how big they are, they are just 2 dots against the world. Rider further explains that it is not the size of a person that decides his strength, but his will to overcome any odds before him. And he is proud that he is able to have Waver as his master.

Waver then senses a large surge of prana emanating from the river. Saber senses it too and arrives at the scene shortly. She discovers that Caster is giving out large amounts of prana in order to cast a spell of immense magnitude. Rider arrives shortly after, he informs Saber that he has notified the other servants of Caster's intentions. He proposes a truce to fighting now as Caster poses an imminent threat to all of them now if he is able to perform his summon successfully.
Lancer arrives and the 3 of them start their offensive against Caster. Their plan is to draw Caster out from the summon and to get Lancer to destroy his noble phantasm.

A CLIFFHANGER ENDING!!! ufotable sure knows how to end things with a bang !! i was expecting the series to end but not like this !! the ending has got me yearning for the next season to know how the fight will progress!!

i enjoyed watching this episode since it gave some much needed screen time and development to Caster and Ryunnosuke. This servant-master pair clearly is the least-liked and even considered as the wild-card pair amongst the other masters. But after watching Ryunnosuke giving a sermon to Caster.. it led me to this... "it takes a crazy person to understand another crazy person". both of them have twisted personalities and a weird fetish for inflicting pain and terror to innocents, and his speech was like adding oil to fire. Further stoking the flame in Caster to go about doing more blasphemous atrocities.

Waver's rant against Rider was also a sight to behold. Waver wasn't able to control Rider and was constantly irritated by his actions. So i guess it has led up to this part, since he was always disappointed with Rider not listening to his orders. I thought it was very magnanimous of Rider to console Waver, thus further strengthening the bond between them.

The last scene was fabulously done !! the cg used was so detailed and the background music really had an epic feel to it !! it was a really well done closing scene to the series and a fantastic start for the next season. But i was quite disappointed as i had expected a master-servant pair to be eliminated, Assassin's death doesn't count since he has dies countless times throughout the season and Kirei is still alive and kicking.
Looks like the script-writers are saving all the action in the next season, so i'm anticipating a more action packed and emotional second season.

this marks the end of the first season of Fate/Zero !! this series has definitely raised the standards of weekly series !! the production quality of the entire series has been stellar and it feels like i'm watching a movie!!
the development of the plot was well paced and consistent. i couldn't help to think that this was a good way to conclude the season. a well placed break to keep eager fans craving for more and to get new viewers to get drawn into the wonderful universe.
Type-moon hasn't disappointed fans and first timers with its faithful adaptation of Fate/Zero. this could be my favorite actions series for this year !! and i would hope that the second season would be just as epic, if not even better ! i haven't spoiled myself yet with reading the light novels but since i have a good 4 months to wait before the commencement of the second season.. i don't think i can wait that long to know what is going to happen.

i had a really enjoyable time watching and blogging this season and i will definitely continue blogging the second season when it airs on April 2012 !

Winter 2011 starts the week after next !! and i'll be picking one new show to replace Fate/Zero for my weekly coverage. Since Guilty Crown is still airing, i'll continue my weekly coverage of it until it ends airing next season!

Preview:

GUILTY CROWN 11

2011-12-24T11:30:00.000+08:00

A Shu X Hare pairing in the making ??

In the chaos that spawned after unleashing the virus, Keido eliminates the high command of GHQ and successfully taken over the remaining forces in Haneda. Blaming Undertakers for unleashing the massive outbreak, he is able to use both Anti-bodies and the remnants of GHQ to pin them down.
Dan is able to save Haruka from Keido but is shot by Segai in the end. Haruka flees but bumps into Gai and Inori, worried about Shu's safety. She asks Gai about Shu's whereabout, Gai assures her that Shu is not involved and is currently at school. Gai then enlists Haruka's help in order to reverse the effect of the virus by using Inori's song.

After hearing about the virus outbreak at Haneda, Shu finally affirms his convictions. He wants to save Gai and the rest of the Undertakers, but he isn't able to do it alone. He calls upon his friends, Shouta, Hare, Yahiro, Kuhouin and Yahiro to help him out.
Yahiro forces Shu to reveal to the rest what power he has and whom he wants to rescue. Shu reveals to them the power of the void and what it actually is, and the reason for rescuing the Undertaker, even though they are terrorists.

They manage to steal a vehicle and were able to break into Haneda Airport with the aid of everyone's void. Shu was finally able to reach Inori's side when Yuu appears from a portal and draws out Inori's void, he refers Inori as a throne and Shu has never claimed her as his own thus allowing him to steal it from Shu. He slashes Shu but Gai blocks it for him.

Without Inori's song to hold the effect of the virus, it grows more and more powerful.

Its about time that things started falling together !! i was totally expecting this to happen. Shu saves the day in style!!
even though it maybe a little too cliche.. but i would rather watch Shu manning up and doing something positive than watching him wallowing in self-pity and engaging in self-destructive behavior!!!
i was nearly about to give up when Shu started mentioning about what Gai would do.. but i was glad that Shu was able to realize that he is not Gai but Ouma Shu.. but it took him 11 episodes to realize this fact !! so i'm really glad that this block in developing Shu's character has been dealt with at long last !!

with the introduction of another void genome user, i'm thinking that Shu will finally grow in strength with using voids and will no longer have any qualms about using others as voids. and the identity of the girl who has always appeared in Shu's flashbacks has been revealed, her name is Mana. and it appears that Inori is a clone of her's and her current body is kept in stasis, and Keido is trying to awaken her. I'm guessing that the story will lead up to the final clash between Shu X Inori vs. Yuu X Mana.

Things are getting interesting now and i'm looking forward to next week's episode !! hopefully the pace and development of the plot will no longer stumble and be as smooth-sailing as it is now !

GUILTY CROWN 10

2011-12-23T00:15:00.001+08:00

SLAP SOME SENSE IN SHU !!

Shu has been depressed after causing Jun's death. He experiences flashbacks of Jun's death whenever he tries to use the voids. His inability to draw out the void has left Undertakers in a string of failures. With the stone in the hands of Major-General Yan, Gai is getting more desperate in recovering the stone.

Shu runs away from home since he doesn't want to see Inori. He has been avoiding members of Undertaker ever since the failed mission. Ayase finds a depressed Shu sitting and tries to convince him to stand up once again. Gai dismisses Ayase's futile attempts and kicks Shu out of the Undertakers, pulling Inori out of Shu's house too. Ayase follows Gai and leaves Shu, disappointed in herself for placing faith in him.
Shu experiences more flashbacks of his past back at home, and in his shocked state he breaks Inori gift to him and calls her a monster. Inori leaves immediately, giving Shu no chance to apologize.

Back at GHQ, Chief Keido is locked in a cell for admitting to stealing the rock. Major-Gen Yan is about to use the stone as leverage to gain more power. He wants to leave Japan soon, the Undertakers intend to stop Yan before he leaves with the stone.

Their latest operation is to retrieve the stone while it is being transported in a plane. They do not know that they were walking into a trap. While Gai leads his team on board the plane which Yan is believed to on, he finds an empty cockpit and a cryptic message left for him.
Segai springs the trap and he is able to cause the stone to react, causing a repeat of the Lost Christmas outbreak. Keido has been planning to unleash the Apocalypse Virus again all this time.

zzz... rather disappointing episode. i was hoping for some sort of resolution between Shu and Yahiro following the end of last week's episode. But there was none, not even a hint of what happened between the 2 of them... it seemed as if the events of last week did not transpire and we were thrust with a new mission taking place!!

Shu destructive behavior is starting to irk me!!! every time he gets some development.. it seems like his character development is not making any progress at all !! its like taking 3 steps forward and taking 2 step backwards.
I'm wondering if the storywriters are trying to force the viewers to pity him, then let me realize his mistakes and let him save the day in grand style.. thus earning back the trust of everyone back in Undertakers. i'm getting really annoyed with his talk of being like Gai.. always belittling himself, why can't he realize the fact that he has got so many people that care for him?? why is Shu so blind to the feelings of those closest to him ? grrr.. the thought of him being so blinded by his aspiration is so frustrating to me!!

With the outbreak of the Apocalypse Virus in full swing, i'm starting to wonder that Keido might not be the main villain. It is reached the halfway mark of the series, so i think the real villain has yet to be revealed. my bet is that the girl who has been appearing in Shu's flashbacks could be the one or is related to the main villain or it could be the boy who appeared at the closing moments of the episode.

DIABLO III OPENING !

2011-12-18T23:08:00.001+08:00

FREAKING AWESOME !!!

ALL THAT'S LACKING IS A RELEASE DATE !!!!

FATE/ZERO 12

2011-12-18T22:55:00.003+08:00

With Assassin's defeat by Rider, Kirei is able to learn of Rider's noble phantasm at last. He reports it to Tokiome. Tokiome believes that he has collected sufficient information on all servants and masters, he decides that it is time to act.

Kiritsugu directs Maya to bring Irie and Saber to their new base of operations safely. After disconnecting the call, he analyzes all the information which he has obtained since the start of the war. The pressing issues to him is to find out the identity of Lancer's new master and the true motives of Kirei.
Ever since the previous engagements with Kirei has left Kiritsugu perplexed with him. Kiritsugu is unable to derive any conclusion from his movements, and he isn't sure whether Assassin has truly been defeated by Rider. Thus he only speculates that Kirei has developed a particular interest in him.

Maya brings Irie and Saber to their new residential area, an old Japanese style mansion. Irie quirks at how Kiritsugu remembered her wish of wanting to stay in such a house. She instructs Saber to take the keys of the house from Maya and proceeds to explore the house.
Realizing that prana will leak out from the house like an open tap, Irie decides that this place isn't ideal for her to stay. They move to the storage room in the back of the mansion, Saber questions Irie about her physical wellbeing since she has found it odd that Irie has asked her to drive and to collect the keys. Irie comes clean with her, she is no longer able to control her body as well as before. She reveals to Saber that she has to spend time in her spell in order to recover, Saber apologizes for being rude and helps her to set up her spell.

Having lost Assassin, Kirei no longer possesses any Command Seals and he considers it a blessing since he is no longer required to do Tokiome's bidding and to participate in this war. He finds Archer in his quarters sipping wine.
The 2 of them then proceed to have a very long conversation, the main conversation focuses on the aftermath of defeated masters and the retention of unused command seals. Archer is curious why the church is so keen with offering shelter to defeated masters. Kirei discloses that the grail is always looking for replacement masters for servants who lost their masters, since it is hard to find new alternatives, it is easier to re-use existing masters.
Kirei regains his command seals just as Archer has predicated. He gives Kirei a very cryptic hint of things to come in the future, cajoling him to take action to gain a new servant for himself.

With the end of fall season in sight, it is almost time for the current season to come full circle !! it has been an enjoyable ride, though there isn't much action in the past 2 weeks. it is still features lots of plot development !

haha, watching Saber and Irie move into their new house just gives me a nostalgic memories !! that is the house which Shiro resides in !! i bet it is Irie and Saber who will restore the mansion to what it was like in FSN.

I'm getting very bad vibes from Archer after his conservation with Kirei. He is subtly hinting to Kirei to kill Tokiome and Archer will acknowledge Kirei as his new master. I believe that Kirei has never liked Tokiome from the start, but he is sworn to help him since he has the support of the church. Now that he has lost Assassin and regained his command seals, he has to find a new servant to command. I don't see any other Servant willing to serve him other than Archer himself !! I'm just curious as to who will be the one to kill Tokiome, both Archer and Kirei have sufficient reasons to kill him, and it would be rather interesting to see who actually does it since Tokiome thinks that he has got their loyalty.

Next week's episode seems rather epic !! with Caster back in the fray, i'm guessing that he is back to harass Saber once again !! i'm hoping to see Caster and Ryunosuke eliminated since they're sort of considered as wildcards amongst all the master/servant pairs, so it wouldn't hurt to see them go.

FATE/ZERO 11

2011-12-11T11:31:00.001+08:00

rider is just too god-like !!

With Kiritsugu out of the mansion, Irie and Saber detect another servant who is closing in on their premises. And that servant is none other than Rider and his master, Waver. Saber rushes to confront Rider, but his purpose here is not to fight but to parley with Saber.

Archer joins them in a short while. Rider intends to ask them what is their purpose of claiming the Holy Grail. Archer replies that all treasures in the world were part of his collection, thus he has the right to claim it for himself. All this is nothing but a facade for him to exercise his right to claim what was rightfully his, therefore in his eyes all other servants are naught but thieves and he is the rightful owner of the Holy Grail.

Rider wishes for the grail to grant him one wish, he wants to be reborn into this world as a human being. In his current state, he is nothing else but a familiar sustained by the covenant between the grail and his master. Without them, he will cease to exist. But given a human body, he can relive the moments of struggle and conquest once again. That is the greatest pleasure he can derive as the King of Conquest.

Saber on the other hand, wishes to erase her existence as the King of Britain. She feels that all she has led her kingdom to destruction and the only way to save it is to erase the very fact that she existed. Rider was puzzled as to why she treats herself as a martyr, and believes that a true king should be one who indulges himself in things both material and the senses. So he is able to lead his followers to greater heights, Saber's ideals was unheard of to him. She believes that the king has to offer himself to the people. Rider dismisses her beliefs as petty ideals to satisfy her own noble deeds, and tells her that in her pursuit of her own ideals, she has abandoned the very people whom she had saved.

Assassin then interrupts the dialogue, Rider uses his noble phantasm, Ionian Hetaiori. A reality marble which he is able to call forth his legions of heroes who he had commanded in his past life to fight his enemies.
He kills off Assassins with ease and leaves the Kiritsugu manor shortly. Archer departs shortly after sharing a few words with Saber.

This week's episode was heavy on dialogue, i was really impressed by the thoughts of the 3 different kings. Rider believes in the conquest and subjugation of the people as the right path of a king. By commanding the fear and respect of his followers and to receive the offerings of the people to further exemplify his rule as just and right. Saber believes that a king should serve the people and guide them to greater heights, never should a king over indulge himself in pleasure.

Though each one of them has their own ideals to follow, i feel that Saber's ideals are similar to what our current age of governance is trying to achieve. Whereas Rider's ideals are more of the feudal practices of lords and emperors, where the people are the king's subjects. Forever bound by his will and they must do his bidding or face his wrath.
It was a pity that Saber's title as the King of Knights have been disregarded by Rider. i was hoping that they would be able to keep their relationship as allies throughout this war. To me, Rider is the only servant who is righteous and just. But it seems like their truce has been broken and Saber may have to confront Rider in this war sooner or later.

Archer has finally got some screen time at long last ! this is the only time which i actually enjoyed his presence in the series! he maybe an arrogant jerk whose high and mighty attitude always pisses me off, but he is rather likable in this episode. maybe he has shown some affection to Saber ?!?!

having enjoyed this episode, i think i'm looking forward to the next season when they continue this in spring 2012 ! till then, i think we are about to reach the end point of the first season, with 2 more episodes left.. things are definitely gonna be more fast paced now, hopefully we will get to see one of the master being eliminated ?

GUILTY CROWN 9

2011-12-10T09:06:00.001+08:00

Yahiro and his brother are currently on the run from GHQ's Antibodies. Yahiro barely escapes from Segai's relentless pursue for his brother, Jun.

Summer vacation has ended and Shu is back in school. Gai notifies Shu that he will not be present in the week as he has to attend a meeting. Hare and Kanon were discussing about their horoscopes in class, Shu enters abruptly. Kanon decides to give Hare a chance to be with Shu and leaves them.
Shu and Hare then depart for a shopping trip, Hare decides to confess to Shu but was interrupted by Yahiro. Shu decides to leave Hare so he can ask Yahiro what has happened to him. Unknown to him, Segai is still keeping surveillance of him.

Yahiro commented how ironic his current situation is. He betrayed Shu in order to admit Jun into the facility to treat him, yet he has taken Jun out for fear of his safety. He takes Shu to see Jun, and evens begs Shu for money so he is able to keep going.
Knowing that Yahiro cannot live on like this, Shu makes an attempt to save Jun's life. He contacts the Undertakers to request for an extraction at the said point. Segai has got wind of his location and springs a trap to capture all of them. Daryl's endlave is armed with a new weapon that is able to seek void signals. Shu is able to defeat it with ease, but Daryl launches more attacks. Jun suddenly shows a similar reaction and the target changes to him instead. Jun was hit and he starts transferring his conciseness into the endlave, cutting Daryl's control of it, and morphing its structure.

The infected endlave destroys the other endlaves with ease and picks up Yahiro. Shu attempts to stop the endlave but he enters a realm of Jun's mind. Jun then shares with him his most treasured memory. He also tells Shu that he has the power to see people's void, and this was because of the side effect of the Apocalypse Virus. Jun has seen the ugly side of Yahiro's personality and other people around him, thus he wants Shu to kill him so he will only remember the kind side of his brother.
Shu was hesitant but was forced to kill Jun when he tried to crush Yahiro. Yahiro wakes up shortly after and Shu tells him that he had killed Jun. Not knowing that Hare has been following him all this time.

At least we have some answers to the earlier questions.

1. looks like Gai might be suffering from the same disease as Jun since he is able to see the voids of others.
2. The Void genome might be derived from the Apocalypse Virus, judging from the reaction of the weapon towards Jun's body.

study.. study..

2011-12-10T08:58:00.001+08:00

ok.. just finished my first week of classes...-_-"

all i can say is info overload.. being attentive in 4, 3hr long lectures is not easy. i'm super drained each day after i end lessons.. can't imagine how things will go once i start getting assignments, reports and projects to do ! and i'm guessing such things will be knocking on me real soon !

gonna have to start with revision today... there is so much info scattered all over my notes, and i haven't did much studying lately !

zzz.. so many things i wanna but i just can't seem to fit them all into a day ....>.<

FATE/ZERO 10

2011-12-04T13:15:00.001+08:00

CHIBI-RIN IS TOOO CUTE !!!!

Rin is practicing magic in the basement of the Tohsaka Residence, but she fails to control the flow of her prana and the trial backfires. Tokiome enters the room and shares with Rin the proper way to control the flow of prana, and transmutes the crystal into a beautiful sculpture of a horse. Which he gives it to Rin.

Tokiome wants Aoi and Rin to move away from Fuyuki City since he feels that it is too dangerous for them to remain here. Rin disagrees and wants to stay by her father's side. She sneaks into his study in the basement in order to learn more techniques and spells to be of use to her father. After going through tome after tome, she isn't able to understand anything at all. She stumbles upon a grimoire, and the enchantments upon the tome activate and traps Rin. Tokiome rushes to Rin's aid and manages to seal the grimoire.
He then tells Rin that she is still lacks the proper training to control such a tome. Tokiome hands her a compass that is able to detects prana, he considers it an early birthday gift to her. Tokiome warns Rin never to approach objects which the draws the compass needle towards it. As these objects are able to generate their own prana and are considered dangerous to her.

As more and more kidnappings occur within the city, the authorities are getting more concerned about the safety of the children. So various restrictions are enacted. Rin's friend, Kotone has gone missing and Rin is worried about her. She decides to search for her by herself.

Rin sneaks off to Fuyuki City in the night with her compass to guide her. She was shocked by how different the city is during the day and the night. With her compass spinning wildly as soon as she was in the city, she wanders along the streets and back alleyways of the city. She stumbles into Ryunnosuke with a kid in tow, sensing prana from him. Rin decides to tail him.
She follows him into an abandoned bar, where she finds Kotone and lots of children who seem to be in a drugged state. Ryunnosuke discovers her and tries to capture Rin. Rin decides to fight back to save all the children. She grabs the bracelet but was overpowered by it for a short while, but she overcomes it by sheer willpower and channels her prana to destroys it. With the bracelet destroyed, the children snap out of their trance like state and make a run for it.

Caster's summons track Rin down, but Kariya was able to save her before they could approach her. Kariya then carries her to the park where she used to frequent. Aoi rushes to Rin's side after knowing that she has sneaked out into Fuyuki City. Kariya reveals himself and his plans to win the war so that Sakura will be saved from the Matou family, he leaves shortly.

Meanwhile, Kirei was keeping surveillance with Assassin and directs Assassin to continue following Kariya. Rin is pleased with herself for her actions that night and continues to train herself in magic as well as excelling in her academic studies.

A whole episode dedicated to Rin ?! I wasn't expecting this !! I was expecting Caster to appear and that Archer or Berserker to pop out to save Rin! but sadly there were no Servant action this time round. But nonetheless for ufotable to produce an episode with no direct reference to the novels, this episode felt pretty interesting ! it gave me an insight to Rin's childhood. Rin is really cute here !! and everything about her is just perfect.. excellent grades, good looks, popular amongst her peers, outspoken and confident.. the list goes on and on.

Kariya is still the master whom i sympathize the most. To me, he is participating in the war to save Sakura and yet he will eventually die, no matter he wins it or loses the war due to the curse in him. all the other masters have an agenda in participating in this war, most of their desire are for their own ideals, yet kariya is fighting for someone's sake. that alone sets him a notch above others.

Kirei is starting to go down the road as the primary antagonist here. i was not surprised that he had Assassin tailing Rin and not order Assassin to save Rin when she was in danger. And to ignore Aoi and Rin's safety in order to track down Kariya's whereabouts. it looks as if he is about to break his alliance with Tokiome discretely, by disregarding some of his orders while obeying those which will be beneficial to him.

Next week's episode should prove to be interesting. the preview has got me rather fired up !! with the 3 kings speaking one after another. i would like to know what were they discussing about, the discussion seems rather heated too !! with Rider, Saber and Archer together... i hope there will be another awesome fight scene in the next episode !!

GUILTY CROWN 8

2011-12-02T10:46:00.001+08:00

OMG.. TSUGUMI IS JUST TOO CUTE !!!

The club which Shu is active in decides to take a vacation in Oshima Island! Hare, Inori, Kanon, Shu and Souta plan to have a fun filled day there. Unknown to them, Gai is planning to use this vacation as a front for his next objective. The void which is crucial to this operation lies within Souta. So he decides to use Shu to bring him along to this vacation.

Shu takes some time alone to visit his father's grave. His father was a leading researcher of the Apocalypse virus 10 years back. Shu has no idea that his father was one of the pioneer researchers for it since they did not discuss this back at home. Gai informs Shu that GHQ has a secret base on the island and that it contains an item which is required to further his plans. He requires Souta's void weapon and tells Shu to use any means necessary to get him to the designated location, even if it means using Inori as a pawn.

Shu manages to set Souta and Inori together, but he wasn't able to hold his emotions in check just as Souta was about to confess to Inori. He jumps and pulls out Souta's void, yelling his true feelings towards Inori at the same time. He had a nasty surprise when members from Undertakers start appearing.

Gai, Shu and Inori starts infiltrating the base, the alarms starts to go off. Chief Keido, has sneaked in with Shu's father's credentials and he plans to steal the item which Gai has set his eyes on. Gai arrives too late, as Keido has taken away his prize. Leaving a message behind.

Souta wakes up and finds Shu standing near him. Shu points out all of Souta's flaws and declares that he will no longer help him in courting Inori. Souta retorts back by affirming Shu's feeling of affection towards Inori. Shu was thinking that the earlier argument would end their friendship, but to his surprise Souta was more elated than pissed! Souta felt relived that Shu was finally honest with himself and Souta had never seen Shu express his thoughts to others.

As they head back to Tokyo, Shu tells Inori that he has never felt so relived when using someone's void weapon.

Well.. this is pretty much a beach episode... it was more of comedy than action here and there were some tasteful service scenes... Hare, Inori and Kanon in swimsuits.... BUT nothing beats Tsugumi in a maid uniform !!!!! and Ayase posing as a super shy refined wheelchair bound lady !! i wish Souta can see her attitude towards Shu back on episode 4.. that would make him think twice before making that comment.

The item which Gai seeks, looks like the stony growth which is present on people infected with the Apocalypse Virus.. given the cryptic description he gave it. I think that could be the precursor or even the dormant form of the virus itself.
Since it was able to draw Keido to take action personally himself, that object has to be of high value.

Shu finally makes up his mind and sort of confess his feelings towards Inori..though it was a botched attempt but looks like the rest of the Undertakers are clear what his intentions are.. i'm really curious to see how their relationship will progress.

12.3 はけいおん

2011-11-28T10:09:00.001+08:00

i'm looking forward to watching this !! hopefully i'll be able to catch the movie here !

the straps at the end of the trailer looks super adorable !! i wanna get it !! why can't local cinemas have such tie-ins with movies ????

CLARIS SET FOR 偽物語 ENDING

2011-11-28T09:27:00.001+08:00

HAHAHA..this announcement just made my day!!!

though i was disappointed that nagi won't be performing the ending theme song like she did with supercell back for the first season. but a collab between Claris and ryo of supercell will be awesome !! one of the best composer in Japan teams up with the youngest female pop sensation in Japan !!!! can't wait to hear this !!!