Heheh... Sorry about that, guys and gals. A bad case of the flu struck me at the beginning of the New Year, and I've been... er... a teeny weeny bit busy ever since, so I haven't been able to update my blog. Yes, yes, I still need to complete my Tokyo Trip stuff, but I'll save that for a rainy day...

So yes, what does 2008 have in store for poor little me? Well, read on to find out...

Life

Well, at the moment I feel I'm at a crossroads at my life. I graduated last year, and only just recently started my job-hunting (which, thus far, has proved fruitless). I will be doing more of that this year, hopefully more towards games programming positions (I actually have an interview next week, funnily enough on my birthday XD)...

Otherwise, I'll look for jobs in the IT sectors or other office jobs. This would mean I'll save my money from the job and apply for a Masters degree this year (for a 2009 start) to improve my skills and job prospects...

In the more long-term future, me and my mates are planning on returning to Tokyo for Spring 2009, with a first-timer or two in tow. That means I have to start saving money again. *sigh* Methinks I'm gonna be a bit poor this year... XD

In the more immediate future, my birthday is in a couple of days. I'm planning a karaoke night on Thursday with my mates. Sing told me about this place in Holborn, a Japanese restaurant that has Japanese and English songs (apparently). I'm hopefully gonna give 'em a ring tomorrow and probably check them out on Tuesday. If that place is a no-go, then we'll settle for the West End for our karaoke needs...

In the medium-term future... erm... I don't have too much planned, to be honest. ^_^;;; Aside from working (part-time at my current job or otherwise) and job-hunting, I won't be doing too much. I've got the bi-annual London EXPO to go to (May and October), and hopefully more Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments (there are a few decent sets, decks and promos coming out this year, so it should be an intersting year methinks). I am in the middle of doing some (long overdue) demo work (got some time off in February to focus on that) with DirectX and Nintendo DS homebrew, so I may keep you lot posted on that front...

Video Games

2008 will be the battleground for this current generation of consoles. With the PS3 slowly picking up pace, the XBox 360 looking to further solidify their presence in the West and the Wii seemingly running away with the popularity, it will be an interesting year. I will be getting a PS3 when a model with good value and backwards compatibility as standard (doesn't exist in the UK, sadly) is finally released, hopefully in the middle or near the end of the year, as Gran Turismo 5 and Metal Gear Solid 4 will be released for it. The Wii has a promising line-up too, as the hotly-anticipated Smash Bros. Brawl makes its appearence for the console. We also have Mario Kart Wii to come this year, and I am so looking forward to that. We also have Soul Calibur IV for both PS3 and XBox 360 (I'm tempted to get both, seeing as each has either Darth Vader or Yoda as their unique special character ^.^), and there will be plenty of other surprises along the way...

Handhelds will be a pretty big part of 2008 for me. I'll be acquiring a PSP tomorrow, and I'll be playing loads of games on that (hopefully) - Fate/Tiger Colosseum, Final Fantasy Tactics, Valkyrie Profile and Megaman Powered Up are all on my "Must And Will Buy" list. As for new releases, more RPGs would be welcome, and of course we have Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core coming soon. That won't leave the Nintendo DS out in the cold either - Final Fantasy Tactics Advance DS and Advance Wars: Days of Ruin abound, we also have the RPG A.S.H., made by none other than the original creator of the Final Fantasy series. Hmm, an interesting year for RPGs methinks... ^_^

For the PC front, not much for me at the moment, and there's no mention of a new Civilisation game anytime soon (though the consoles and handhelds will have Civilisation Revolution, with Sid Meier taking the healm for the first time in ages ^_^ I can't wait!!!). For online games, I'm going to try out Project Torque, an online racing game with MMO elements in it, and Florensia, an anime-esque MMORPG set in a fantasy world of pioneers and pirates, amongst others that will pop up this year. Here's to hoping I stay interested in an MMOG for more than a month... XD

Anime

WARNING - SPOILERS MAY OR MAY NOT FOLLOW!!! READ AHEAD AT YOUR PERIL!!!

Yes, we're still waiting on the next series of Haruhi Suzumiya (hotly rumoured to be this year). Yes, I'm still waiting for the next series of xxxHOLIC, To Love-ru and Mai Otome. As well as them, I have my current Autumn and Winter line-up to watch - Ah! My Goddess ~ Fighting Wings ~, Bamboo Blade, Clannad, H2O - Footprints in the Sand, Hayate no Gotoku!, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~ another season ~, Kimikiss ~ pure rouge ~, Minami-ke Okawari!, PERSONA ~ trinity soul ~, Rental Magica, Rosario + Vampire, Spice and Wolf, Shakugan no Shana Second, Shigofumi, Shion no Oh, They Are My Noble Masters, True Tears, Tsubasa Chronicle - Tokyo Revelations and Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei...

This will be a testing time for two of the "Shonen Jump Big Three". Bleach must follow through strongly with their Hueco Mundo arc, and a couple of cameo appearences would be nice during this particular saga, which does uncannily mirror the Soul Society arc. Naruto Shippuuden must pick up the pace, though, according to some hints from Ivan and other readers of the manga, things should hot up, with other teams able to show their stuff and the imminent arrival of Sasuke Uchiha. One Piece shouldn't have too much of a problem this year (just like the previous several years it's been airing). Hopefully, after Brooks, they'll get one or two more people for their crew before they start pushing for the end of the Grand Line. I'm anticipating some major scraps, especially with Whitebeard, Blackbeard, the Marines, the World Government and Dragon all tugging for power. 2008 promises to be an explosive year, and hopefully they will deliver...

We will have some expected and unexpected surprises this year for life, love, video games and anime. I dunno, I have a real feeling that this year will see sweeping changes, not just in my life but for everyone else around me. I wish you lot as varied of a 2008 as I think it's going to be...

O-O~

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Sorry, I never did understand that meme... ^_^;;;

Anyways. Yup, you guessed it. It was the OTHER slice-of-life, slice-of-society series that clinched the top spot of my Anime Picks of 2007. But how did four high school girls, one of whom being an otaku, make Lucky Star one of the most popular anime series of 2007 for otaku...?

The series follows the lives of four high school friends - the hardened otaku girl Konata (otherwise known as Legendary Girl A), the hard-working tsundere incarnate Kagami and her sweet but ditzy twin sister Tsukasa (My favourite character, who, I must mention, resembles the To Heart character Akari so much, it's scary), and the rich, clever, moe-on-legs, accident-prone glasses girl Miyuki. Along with their friends and other random characters (Konata's dad is a laugh and a half), we see them as they go through high school together...

Remember our #5 spot, Minami-ke? Remember Azumanga Daioh? Well, if you take that and sprinkle on parodies and references to otaku culture, then throw in a main character that we otaku can relate to, and you've basically got the essence of Lucky Star. The characters are the driving force of the show, which is strange, seeing as only one of them is an all-out otaku...

Kagami is a casual (or closet?) otaku, who plays video games and reads manga and light novels once in a while (she's a FMP fan). She's industrious in her work, and very serious a lot of the time, berating Konata and Tsukasa for being too lazy. Of course, it's not her twin's fault that she's like that - it's just Tsukasa's natural pace, that's all. Think Osaka from Azumanga Daioh, just sweeter and not so out there. She's a day-dreamer who loves to chuckle at weird phrases (making weird jokes and wonderings along the way), and she's the one you'll go "awww" and "ahhh" to a lot in the series. Miyuki completes the quartet as the group's encyclopedia. But even this brainbox has a few faults of her own - being cute and completely accident-prone only makes her a target for Konata and her rantings about moe...

Speaking of which, Konata is what many otaku aspire to be - dedicated to their love for anime, manga and video games, almost to a fault. A tiny bit eccentric, she loves to reference and parody from what she's seen, read and played, even if those around her do not know what's she's on about. Though she has known Tsukasa longer, she is really close to Kagamin (believe it or not), and they often tease eachother no end (Konata about Kagamin's tsundere-ness, Kagami about Konata's height).

As the series progresses, more and more characters are introduced. Konata's dad Soujiro is no better than his daughter (heck, it was him that introduced her to otaku culture, especially the adult dating sims), whilst her cousin Yui is a slacking policewoman (who drives like a demon). Their teacher Kuroi is a bit of a wild but wise teacher, and a lover of MMORPGs. Since Kagami is in a different class to the other three, we see her often with her other classmates, the quiet Ayano and the loud, brash Misao (who talks a bit weird). We even see a new quartet form, with Konata's frail and naive younger cousin Yutaka, her best friend Minami (she's the quiet, unemotional type), the foreign exchange student (and also typical foreign otaku) Patricia and doujinshi-drawing otaku Hiyori. As you can see, the cast, main and supporting, is vast and colourful...

Though the episodes weren't consistent throughout (we got some quite ordinary outings during the series), the really good ones were special (telling of Kyoto Animation, who like to weave their magic once in a while on a series that they weren't working too hard on, compared to their other projects). It's more like you're counting the different moments, parodies and references every week. The presentation was simple and fitting for its 4-Koma style, and the music is just as bright and cheery. The opening (THAT Seira Fuuku dance caused another sensation throughout the world, just like the Hare Hare Yukai dance did last year) and endings (for the first half of the series, we got karaoke from various songs from various shows, and for the second half we got Shiraishi... XD) were some of the highlights of the series...

2007 had some great action, drama and romantic comedy, but for me it was the year of slice-of-life and slice-of-society, which took three spots in my 2007 list. This just happened to be my favourite one. A blend of down-to-earth comedy, some brilliant scenes, and funny parody and otaku references, make this a must-see for hardened anime fans and comedy-lovers...

^_^ That's about wraps things up for my Top Five Anime Picks of 2007. We'll see what the future holds for anime in 2008, and I'll be back this time next year to give you my next Top Five. In the meantime, we have the small matter of New Years, and I'll be writing out my preview of what's to come for life, anime and video games for me...

I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year. May the Winds of Fortune guide you through 2008, which, according to my gut instinct, may be a big year for us all. Until tomorrow, I'll see you lot in 2008... ^.~

O-O~

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It was close. Too close with the #1 spot (which, if you haven't guessed by now, you'll have to wait tomorrow), but Genshiken is nonetheless very much deserving of being the second best anime series I've watched this year...

We return to The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture (Anime, Manga and Games Club). People are just about to graduate from university and leave the society that they've spent so much of their time in. We find out what happens to Madarame, Tanaka and Kugayama as these hardened otaku make their way out of the club room and into the real world. With Sasahara, Kousaka and Saki following them out of the door the following year, and relationships forming for Ohno and Ogiue (not to mention another couple of Comifests to go, some including their own doujinshi publications), what will happen to their beloved Genshiken...?

This slice-of-society series was great back then and, dare I say it, was even better the second time around. More references, more anecdotal and situational comedy, and more parodies, coupled with great character development and a fast-changing storyline for our slow-paced otaku (minus Saki). By the end of the second series, everyone has changed in some ways - we have Sasahara finally showing some backbone (it's fitting that the series ends with his success, seeing as he was the first guy we met all the way back then, and is probably the guy that a lot of us otaku, me included, can relate to), Kousaka becoming successful through his charisma and some blind luck (he is one of my and Sing's gods, by the way... XD), Saki more accepting of the otaku culture (though still acting like mother to all the lowly otaku in the society), Ohno becoming the president after Sasahara steps down, Tanaka FINALLY getting together with Ohno and Madarame finally adapting to the real world. Kuchiki aside (he's just plain annoying), everybody's ending was very satisfying...

...especially Ogiue. You know the type - the otaku who refuses to admit that they are an otaku. However, she's brought us more joy and laughter in this series than the others put together. OK, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but her contribution to the series nonetheless cannot be ignored, and she managed to open up in the end, even to the point of realising her feelings for Sasahara (good for them, I say)...

The number of events and situations that happen in this series deserves to be mentioned, as they keep the series ticking. Biannual Comifest visits were coupled with two doujinshi publications (including a hilarious crossdressing cosplaying scene - I'll allow you to guess who was man enough to do it), an entire episode of yaoi parody dedicated to the wonderings of Ogiue, graduations left, right and centre, job-hunting (successful and failed)... So much went on in the twelve episodes, I don't even remember any one of them being bad (the Kuchiki episode was kinda average, but that was about it).

Overall, it's an essential watch for those who saw the first TV series and the OAV series. Heck, even if you haven't seen it before, or you're not a fan of these type of slice-of-society, slice-of-life shows, I implore you to watch it. You'll chuckle, either because you can relate to them, or because you can relate to people like them...

Phew!!! Long review, huh. Well, expect the next one to be just as informed. I don't think I need to give you any clues for my #1 spot... Do I?

...

*does cheerleader dance*

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When it comes down to brilliantly-animated, beautiful-sounding, wonderfully-told anime stories, Nodame Cantabile, the music-themed slice-of-life coming-of-age series, ranks up with the best of them in 2007...

Shinichi Chiaki is a genius musician, but has an ego to match, and feels that his potential isn't being fulfilled in the small music college he goes to. He longs to go to his former teacher, Veiera-sensei, and learn from him to become a master composer. Unfortunately, over the years since his days learning from him in Europe, he's developed fears of flying and sailing. So in comes Megumi Noda (Nodame for short), a happy-go-lucky, ditzy, clutzy girl who seemingly looks like a crazy woman to Chiaki. However, underneath the strange demeanour lies a talent for piano that he cannot ignore. This encounter, as well as numerous others from his college and beyond brighten up his days, and may just yet get him to his goal - composing for an orchestra...

When a simple goal is given for the main character of an anime series, it's usually the path to get there that makes it interesting. It's a good thing then that though the story is pretty straightforward, the characters definitely aren't. Chiaki is as egotistic and as condescending as they come, but with reason - he is a genius after all. Paired with him is the cute but weird piano chick Nodame, who seems like she's from a different planet, screaming strange phrases everywhere and acting strangely to anyone and anything, anywhere. The support cast is just as colourful - the showboating violinist Mine, the flamboyant timpanist Masumi, the eccentric teacher Stresemann, etc. Without this weird and wonderful cast, it would fall on one leg...

...mainly because the presentation is the other leg that holds this series up high. Beautiful classical music, combined with inch-perfect animation makes this a joy to watch and to listen to. I could watch this series over and over again, it's that entrancing...

Coming-of-age slice-of-life anime series do not get as good as this too often, so if you haven't already caught this third-ranking series on my list, I suggest you do ASAP...

Only the top two remain, and it was a tight race between these two. Both of them are hilarious slice-of-society series based upon otaku culture (mainly because the things that happen usually happen to us anime and gaming fans in real life as well)... Well, I'll leave it at that to keep the suspense up... ^_^ Until tomorrow, see ya guys and gals later...

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2007 had a few decent shonen action, but in the end it took one from the Shonen Jump library to beat 'em to a bloody pulp (or, in this case, slice 'em to bits). Just as Busou Renkin took a spot on last year's Top Five, Claymore takes the fourth spot for this year's Top Five...

In a world of man-eating, shape-shifting demons called Yoma, the services of part-Yoma, part-human female warriors are called in. Clad in steel armour and wielding massive blades, the Claymores (named after their weapons) hunt Yoma for the organisation they work for. However, for all of their hard work, they are often feared by the humans themselves, who consider them freaks. Not so for a young boy named Raki, who befriends a low-ranking Claymore named Clare when a Yoma attacks his village. He joins the woman on her journey, as she completes her missions and continues on her personal goal to find the killer of her dearest friend...

Slick sword-slashing, demon-slaying action action, combined with a familiar plot and lots of bleak but detailed environments make this a good example of how shonen action anime should be done. The battles, though short in nature, are non-stop and ever-twisting, as is the story (which, until the last arc, followed the manga accurately). The main characters aren't too impressionable - instead, you find yourself drawn to the support cast and their backstories...

It ain't for everyone - it's pretty formulaic, and the style isn't to everyone's taste. Nonetheless, for those who love sword action, then give this a try, and I'm sure you won't regret it...

That's the fourth spot done. Next up, we have one of the most beautiful-sounding anime of 2007. Heck, if that isn't a huge giveaway, I dunno what is...... GYABOHHHHH!!!!

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OK... First review of my Top Five Anime Series for 2007, and, as most of my friends will tell you, I'm a sucker for down-to-earth, quality comedy. So this was always going to make my Top Five when it came out during the Autumn season...

Minami-ke follows the (not-so) ordinary lives of three sisters living together, as well as the various friends, relatives and other people they encounter. You have the eldest sister Haruka, a seemingly cheery and gentle girl who has a bit of a scary side to her if angered. You have the middle sister Kana, who is the worst kind of genki girl - excessively energetic and excessively stupid (think Tomo from Azumanga Daioh and you're there). And you have the youngest sister Chiaki, who is very... urm... glum, a clever girl for her age but has still lots of experiences in life to go through...

If you like Azumanga Daioh, you'll love this slice-of-life comedy series. Each of the sisters is very individual, but contributes to the whole setup perfickly. And the show doesn't lose focus or get lost in itself when more and more characters are added to the everyday lives of the three girls - pretty boys, cross-dressers (both genders), and even another family with the same name to contend with... It helps that the comic timing is almost always spot on, with a healthy dose of cultural, referential and situational plays and "memes" (on-going in-jokes)...

2007 had a few decent comedies from all walks of life, but this is one of the better series to come out this year in this genre. Let's hope it continues to be this strong in 2008...

One down, four more to go. The next entry involves steel-clad ladies with massive swords... Ah, bliss... ^_^

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***** WARNING - THIS POST AND SUBSEQUENT ANIME POSTS CONTAIN SPOILERS!!! *****

2007, like my life, was an interesting year for anime, in my opinion. After the big success of 2006, with Haruhi Suzumiya, Ouran and Higurashi becoming fan favourites, whilst Death Note was just beginning to take the anime world by storm, 2007 seemed a bit more tame. I can't think of a single title that I watched this year that was really huge...

That didn't mean the year went without controversy. Aside from the usual rumblings of fansubbing and the (il)legalities of it, a few high-profile murders involving girls and "apparent" (not proven) connections to School Days and Higurashi Season 2 brought up some heated debate about the role and impact of anime in society (very much like Manhunt 2, coincidentally). It was probably the reason why the summer season of anime (I'll dub it "The Summer of Violence") was followed by a completely violence-free Autumn season of lovey-dovey high school romances (Myself; Yourself, which finished this week, is an exception near the end)...

All incidents and controversies aside, I actually enjoyed this year, which had some 2006 anime series still finishing, as well as some really solid 2007 titles. So here's a look at the ones I managed to catch this year...

We'll start off with the Shonen Jump "Big Three". Bleach finally finished with the Bount filler series and goes back on track with the Arrancar arc and then (after a couple of filler episodes) the Hueco Mundo arc. We finally see Rukia using her zanpaktou, and some new Bankai releases and transformations, plus plenty more kick-ass sword battles. Definitely will be hotting up for 2008, with the battle to save Orihime from the Espada and the renegade Shinigami...

One Piece finished the Water 7 arc, rescuing Nico Robin from the clutches of the marines, tearing down Enies Lobby, defeating the super-powered agents of CP9 and recruiting a new shipwright in the process in the mechanical beach bum Franky. New powers and techniques for our favourite band of pirates, as well as more character development (with a few shocks and surprises here and there) most probably cements this as the best of the Shonen Jump "Big Three". The series has currently entered a filler arc, but it won't be long until we see more from the Strawhat, Whitebeard and Blackbeard crew, as well as the marines and the World Government...

And then we come to Naruto. After what seems like a bloody eternity (two years methinks of endless filler arcs and episodes), the series as we knew it came to an end. The time skip came and went, and now, with a new name, older characters and... er... the same animation style, Naruto - The Hurricane Chronicles (a.k.a. Naruto Shippuden) arrived. At first it was pretty underwhelming, but the slowness did build it up to some quite nifty battles (Sakura and Chiyo-baasama vs Sasori was classic). Seeing some familiar faces was nice (Hinata is still hot, but still shy XD, Kiba's mutt is massive, everyone else is more or less the same), and of course the new members of Team 7 are all right (well, the captain is wicked, whilst Sai is just iffy). It hasn't reached its peak just yet, but with the imminent appearence of the elusive Sasuke Uchiha, 2008 is more promising for the series...

Now we've got them out of the way, let's take a look at the carry-overs of last year...

~ Busou Renkin - It was flamboyant and absurd to the very end. Leave your brain at the door and you'll enjoy this shonen anime...
~ Death Note - What hasn't been said about this series already? It has done what Neon Genisis Evangelion and a handful of series did before it - introduce the world of anime to a new generation of fanatical fan girls and obsessed fan boys...
~ Ghost Hunt - Solid series and a cool ending... Hoping for more creepy stories in the future...
~ History's Greatest Disciple Kenichi - After two long seasons, this came to a sudden but fitting end. I'm expecting either an OAV or movie to follow up next year...
~ Pumpkin Scissors - Pretty solid, and the end of this series leaves the door wide open for a second run...

It was also a year of catch-up for me, where I watched some anime from last year and beyond to expand my horizons. How I missed these series before, I'll never know...

~ Higurashi no Naku Kori ni - Tense, freaky psycho-thriller with weapon-wielding girls going crazy...
~ Ouran High School Host Club - Possibly the best romantic comedy I've seen since Love Hina, and that does say a lot. Fun, laughter and tears with the boyish Haruhi and the vibrant members of the Host Club...
~ Tsukihime - Short but pretty dark shonen series based upon the dating sim game and set in the Type-Moon world (same universe as Fate/Stay Night)...
~ Yakitate Japan! - Bright and hilarious series about bakers and bread-making, it's almost like a parody of the entire sports and hobby anime genre (Hikaru no Go, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Prince of Tennis, etc.)...

Right, that's all of the older series out of the way. But what about the new ones from 2007? Well, here's the list of the ones I watched...

~ Ah! My Goddess - Fighting Wings - A short series set after Flights of Fancy (TV Series 2), and looks like the Goddesses have their hands full with that wretched devil woman...
~ Code-E - Funky shonen series with a style akin to Read or Die...
~ Doujin Work - Short-episode anime series based upon the world of doujinshi...
~ ef - A Tale of Memories - Arty high school anime based around the lives and stories of several individuals...
~ Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun - Fan-servicey romantic comedy about one high school guy and a couple of cute succubi...
~ Hayate no Gotoku! - Comedy of all sorts involving a very poor butler and a very rich girl...
~ Higurashi no Naku Kori ni Kai - The sequel to last year's murderous series, continues on with two separate stories. Contributed to "The Summer of Violence"...
~ Hitohira - Went under the radar for most, an obscure but quite sweet high school anime about a girl with little confidence but a big voice that gets her into stage acting (and trouble)...
~ Kaze no Stigma - A shonen anime where the main character is arrogant. XD Lots of magical action and cliché romance setups...
~ Kekkaishi - One of the most-watched series of 2007, a fantasy shonen series based upon sealing spirits...
~ Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~ another season ~ - A surprise in my books, this is a retelling of the original series, and it follows the aftermath of Haruka's route (as opposed to the original, which was mainly Mitsuki's route)...
~ Kimikiss ~ pure rouge ~ - Another high school romance from the Autumn season, but with the twist of their being at least four males weaved into the story, as opposed to just the one usually found in series from this genre...
~ Mai Otome Zwei - The OAV to the spinoff of the popular all-girl shonen anime. Some big battles here and there, and even small hints of crossovers, but in the end was a bit disappointed. Nonetheless, essential viewing for fans...
~ Moyashimon - A quirky hobby series based upon agriculture, and one university student's unique ability to see microbes...
~ Murder Princess - Flashy and action-packed OAV series of a princess and a bounty hunter who have their bodies switched, and both getting embroiled in a plot to save a kingdom...
~ Myself; Yourself - Just finished this week, an easy-going high school series to begin with, but with darker undertones that reveal themselves towards the end. A bit rushed perhaps, but definitely worth checking out...
~ Night Wizard - A fantasy shonen anime not to dissimilar to an RPG, with artifact-finding and world-saving. Plus, Anzelotte's "Please answer the following request with either Yes or OK..." is just classic...
~ Rental Magica - Another fantasy shonen anime, this time set in a wolrd of magic and one high school boy's responsibility as the head of a "Magician Rental" agency...
~ School Days - Probably the most talked-about series of 2007, and for the wrong reasons - what at first seems like a typical high school anime descends into an ugly series of events, with sex, lies, deceit, betrayal leading to heartbreak and violence...
~ Seto no Hanayoume - One of the few "ideal girl" rom-coms of this year, with a small twist. An innocent high school boy is forced to marry a mermaid, who also happens to be the daughter of the head a mermaid yakuza gang. Funny, with bits of fan-service and parody dotted around...
~ Shakugan no Shana Second - The continuation of the popular fantasy shonen series. It's a bit slower than last time, with small bits and pieces of action here and there so far. Mainly character development, both of the characters and the relationships with other characters...
~ Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica - It's been a busy year for fantasy anime series, this time something a bit similar to last year's Erementar Gerade. A guy makes a contract with a beautiful spirit, and together use the power of song to solve the problems of the world...
~ sola - Yet another fantasy anime series, about beings who can only walk during the night. This series looks into how a guy obsessed with the sky and the clouds encounters a beautiful girl who happens to be one of these beings. Slow and steady throughout...
~ To Heart 2 OAV - A short series continuing on from last year's TV series. More stories of nothingness from Takaki and the girls...
~ Umisho - Fun, if somewhat raunchy in nature, sports high school anime about a guy who is part of his school's swim team (though he can't swim) and a weird transfer student who loves the water...
~ Zombie Loan - Undead-killing action with a girl who can see the "ring of death", a useful skill for two undead bounty hunters who need to pay off their debt to the Zombie Loan company, which keeps them alive...

Wait, I'm missing some aren't I? Well, I picked out five best series from 2007 and, like last year, I'll count them down from #5 to #1 starting from tomorrow. However, for the others, I have saved a special spot for them, seeing as they just narrowly missed out on my Top Five...

~ Bamboo Blade - Another sports high school anime, this time with kendo. Even though it's formulaic, it's funny and sweet a lot of the time. Definitely one of my favourites of the year...
~ Clannad - Kyoto Animation pulled out the stops for their high school anime of the Autumn season. Brilliant animation, coupled with a touching story...
~ Lovely Complex - One of the better Rom-Coms of 2007, and a solid watch throughout...
~ Nagasarete Airantou - The use of the term "harem anime" has been widespread as of late, but, in my opinion, THIS is classic harem anime (not the high school romances we've seen recently), with one of the biggest casts of girls in the genre I've seen...
~ Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Very dark comedy with parodies, in-jokes references concerning a teacher (who wants to commit suicide at any given opportunity) and his crazy students...
~ Shion no Oh - The year's best hobby anime series, and it has a story too!!! A mute girl who was traumatised as a child makes her way through numerous opponents to become a pro shougi player, whilst trying to remember who killed her parents...

That's it for now. Look out for what's coming tomorrow. Here's a hint - it's one of the funniest, down-to-earth comedies of this year... Hmm... Not a good hint? OK, it involves a family consisting of three sisters...

Until then, see ya... ^_^

O-O~

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Merry Christmas, one and all!!! ^_^ (I know, I know, belated...) First off, I apologise for not updating my blog as much as I should. I still need to finish off the backdated entries for the rest of my Tokyo trip (no worries though, it's still kinda fresh in my mind XD), but since August, I have been a tad too busy to touch this. I'll update you lot with that in a mo...

Like last year, the following seven days leading up to the New Year will be dedicated to all things that happened in the year that was 2007, mainly to do with life, video games and anime. And, like last year, I'll do a countdown of my Anime Top Five, as well as a small preview into what 2008 may have in store for me...

And so, without further ado, here is 2007, a year in review...

Life

It's been a funny old year. "Busy" was the main word and mood. Uni, Tokyo, job-hunting, and all things inbetween. Man, it's been a bit funny, all right...

The first big event was my 21st, and, to make it special, I threw a get-together with me mates. I cooked some traditional Filipino food, we played games (including THAT legendary Street Fighter Alpha III battle between David and a blindoflded but nonetheless victorious Vona) and generally had a good laugh.

The next big bit of news in my life was my parents moving out of the flat to their house in East Ham in April. Needless to say, in terms of the routine, not too much has changed, but it's nice to have that extra bit of freedom (plus my bedroom looks cool with the royal green walls, plastered with anime posters ^_^)...

Uni took up a considerable portion of my Winter and Spring of 2007. With two long modules and a final project to get through, I was relieved (understatement, perhaps) when I managed to hand it all in. I managed to squeeze away with a First Class with Honours, so I was happy... ^_^

As per usual, my bi-annual visits to the London EXPO occured, in all its cosplaying, otaku-infested glory. I must say, the Autumn one was a bit more lively, and definitely had the better costumes. We took El and Vona during the Spring one (where Sing's society did the Haruhi dance, with full costumes too ^_^), and Marc came with me in the Autumn EXPO (where Sing's society did the Lucky Star dance, with full costumes too ^_^). As per usual, these places were a lot of fun, and I spent a bit more than usual this year in these events. Oh, and the Yu-Gi-Oh! mini tourneys were fun as well, though I was defeated by both Sing and Ivan (on seperate occasions)... -_-

It's been a bit of a sad year for our family. Late on in 2006, my mum's dad died. Then, his wife (my grandma) died this year in June after suffering from dementia. May both of them rest in peace...

There was another event at the ExCeL arena in July. As part of our research for the big trip that was to come, we all went to the Japan EXPO. There, we saw some culinary and (wicked) kendo demonstrations, and we sought advice from some tourist advisors. It wasn't as fun as the anime EXPOs, but it was definitely worthwhile...

And then the big event of the year came and went... August 2007 became one of the most memorable months of my pretty average life when me and four of my mates went east to Japan, spending two weeks in a hot, sticky and very much foreign Tokyo. We visited all the major districts, including the bustling Shibuya, the busy Ikebukuro, the very traditional Asakusa and the very hi-tech (and anime / video game geek heaven) Akihabara. We went to visit shrines, temples, parks, hot springs, arcades, the Pokemon Centre and Tokyo Tower. We travelled on the bullet train to visit the old capital Kyoto, we took a train to see the great Fuji-san herself (Lake Kawaguchi was cool too), and we were even in town for the otaku's mecca that is Comiket. We used vending machines We did many things in that short amount of time, and even though half the time we were at each-other's throats, overall it was an experience and a bit more!!! Can't wait to go back there again next time... ^_^

Since then, it's been all about my part-time working and full-time job hunting, which, until now, hasn't gone too well - three rejections after interviews and countless more at the application stage. Ah well, it just means I have to improve my skills a bit... ^_^;;;

...and that brings it up to date in regards to my life in 2007. My next post will be on the anime I watched this year, as well as the start of my Top Five Anime of 2007... Stay tuned for that...

O-O~

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Friday (GMT +8)

After a very early wake-up call to everyone else, everyone (minus Ivan, because his rash meant he couldn't walk comfortably) made it into Tokyo station. After waiting on the platform for a bit, we boarded the first Hikari shinkansen (bullet train) out of Tokyo towards Kyoto. It was a very interesting ride - it felt more like a plane journey with scenary than an actual train ride. Mount Fuji was kind of visible, but the mist was keeping the shy mountain away from prying eyes. Ah well, we'll see it up close and personal in a few days methinks...

We arrived in Kyoto at about 9:30am, after a two and a half hour journey on the shinkansen. After a mediocre breakfast of noodles, we set off on another JR train (we accidentally took an express train, so we had to take a train back), southbound towards the Fushimi Inari shrine. And what a shrine it is. Very elegant and large, and it was only the head shrine for hundreds of shrine in this part of southern Kyoto, where the Inari mountain lies. The famous mountain paths lined with torii gates was just breathtaking, though it was quite a trek up, especially in the searing heat. We managed a third of the way up before we went back down, but not before seeing some of the residential backstreets of this part of town...

Another train back to Kyoto, and then a bus ride before stopping outside a long road. Passing lots of ceramic shops, and taking a breather at a rest house thingy, we finally reached one of Japan's most famous historical sights. Kiyomizu Temple looks like any other outstanding temple, but there are other attractions there, especially the famous "Stage of Kiyomizu", a platform suspended over a high cliff. I took some nice shots of that place, hoping to get some decent wallpaper material. ^_^ It was really a beautiful place, made better by the sunny weather and lush green forests surrounding the area. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far...

After a lot of shopping down "Teacup Lane" (where I managed to nab meself a nice tea set, plus some gifts for people back home), we headed off back to Kyoto Station. Due to a misunderstanding on the bus, Sing managed to wander off on his own, so the rest of us made our way back to the hotel. Though this slightly soured the tone for some, nonetheless, the day trip to Kyoto was, if brief, well worth it methinks...

That night, me and Tricky decided to go down to one of the clubs Charles recommended to us. It was Ageha, and was located in a lot in the Tokyo Bay area. Now I quite liked it meself - the hip hop and R'n'B tunes and the atmosphere of some of the rooms. However, Tricky was most displeased (he doesn't like that type of music), and so we promptly left the club shortly before 1am. Stuck in drizzle, we waited for the free coach ride back into Shibuya (which, I must say, was well worth it, as the drive through Tokyo's endless motorways was interesting)...

We were in Shibuya, and Tricky was still looking for a place to hang out (a club named Womb, which did music which I don't particularly like meself). We couldn't find it, so we ended up walking back towards the now-closed station. Along the way, that little git found a hair salon still open (at 2am??? Crazy people, some of these Japanese are) and decided to get a cut. An hour later, and I was bored out of my mind. Luckily, he spared me further waiting by not opting to dye his hair. Slightly annoyed, I dragged him to the nearesty cabbie, and after attempting to ask him how far and how much it was to Jimbocho, we jumped on and headed off home. Oh, how I am gonna sleep so much tonight... o.o;;;

O-O~

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Wednesday (GMT +8)

Our first stop was Ikebukuro, where we hung out at the Seibu building just over the station. I must say, the place is pretty big and busy, but, apart from the food court (the food there looked like it was to die for), everything there was as expensive as any other department stores you would find in the world...

After that we had fun in Shibuya, first by going to the Taito Station arcade just off the station (Tricky was playing this funky football management sim arcade thingy, whilst I was playing some rhythm game which had songs like Cha-la Head Cha-la and One Piece), and then getting lost on the way to finding the toy shop Kiddyland (in the end, we ended up far up from Shibuya, in the Omote Sando area and went home)...

In the evening, on the advice of one of the helpful people dowbnstairs at reception, me and Tricky went back to Shibuya, and saw what the real Tokyo was all about, in it's neon glory. We crossed Shibuya Crossing (it's bloody amazing at this time of night, with all of the people walking across this peculiar triangular crossing), went up one of the roads (which, funnily enough, led us to the infamous Love Hotel Hill), and then down one oft he other roads, We managed to reach two small bars (one of themk was a geeky sort of bar, playing Youtube videos and having customers over the Internet) before heading off home. Though it was a short experience, it was definitely interesting...

Thursday (GMT +8)

Today was a pretty hectic day that started off with a short walk to one of Tokyo's finest sights - the Imperial Palace East Gardens. There, we saw some pagodas, some amazing views and, of course, the famous garden and pond. We then walked it from the exit at Otemon Gate (huge, I must say), we got to Tokyo Station, where we redeemed our JR Passes and had breakfast at a nice Chinese-styled restaurant...

Filled to the brim, we headed south to Hamamatsucho, where the Pokémon Centre Tokyo resides. It was bloody packed with small kids looking to buy merchandise of their favourite battling critters. I bought a couple of keychains, small models and other random bits and bobs. It wasn't as big as I expected (and I was half-expecting the female attendants to all cosplay as Nurse Joy... XD), but it was a good trip that got a bit of my shopping out of the way...

Further along, could see the imposing structure that was Tokyo Tower. However, just around the corner was a shrine dedicated to the Tokugawa family, one of the ruling families of Ancient Japan. I bought a few more trinkets, and the shrine was a beautiful place. Anyways, back to Tokyo Tower, and after buying the tickets and queuing up for what seemed like an age, we finally got to the main observatory. The view was pretty decent, but we weren't satisfied just yet, so we paid a wee bit extra to head to the higher observatory. It's definitely a cool view, even though Tokyo's skyline isn't really impressive. After shopping for a few more gifts for meself, us lot headed off back to the hotel, tired but immensely satisfied...

Because Ivan had a rash, Gaz doesn't like hot water and Sing's foot injury, me and Tristan were the only ones who went to an onsen later that evening (called the Oedo Onsen Monogatari, found on Tokyo Bay). We picked out our rented yukata of choice, got dressed and wandered around the traditional festival-like arcade (a bit cheesy, but fun) before heading towards the baths. After stripping off and having a decent wash, we headed to the outdoor pool. The water was scalding hot, but was relaxing in the cooler temperatures outside (this onsen's water comes from water found a couple thousand feet underneath Tokyo Bay, so it was hot and full of minerals). Me and Tricky also tried the jacuzzi and one of the deep baths, before showering down and eating dinner there (they have a barcode system where they scan it and charge you at the very end of your stay, which is pretty nifty). The relaxing hot springs water and long train rides home would make us feel relaxed and ready for the following day...

O-O~

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Current Location: Tokyo, Japan
Current Mood: Finally got there!!!

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Hi ya all... Long time no post, huh. ^_^ Sorry about that, been working hard with relaxing and doing my part-time job thingy. Hope all of you lot are fine. I've got a lot of updating to. Should have done it a couple days ago, but I typed up several paragraphs, only to have it disappear with a stray page refresh, so I was kinda pissed off. XD

Anyways, here's my update for the past couple months. Let's start with my life...

~ I graduated today!!! ^.^ Wore a suit, the robe and hat thing and everything. I'll post up the very few photos I took on my new Facebook (BTW it's at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=512204689). It was a pretty decent day - I saw a couple of friends, classmates, teachers, and to top it off, the weather was nice (for a change)...

~ Yeah, work has been fine. I did a whole load of overtime in June, and most of that cash (paid at the end of July, mind) will go towards my Tokyo trip as pocket money. ^_^ I've got pretty easy week this week, but starting Friday, I'm working six days in a row, so I'll be pretty busy. It's sales season, after all (<shameless plug> By the way, the summer sales at Blacks start on Thursday!!! </shameless plug>)...

~ Speaking of that Tokyo trip... I bought the insurance the other day, so now all I've got left are the J-Rail passes (essential for using the bullet train and certain other lines in Tokyo), and that's it. I've prepared my checklist (still need to get a daysack though), and hopefully I'll be getting ready in a few weeks. Oh, and on the 21st July, there's the Japan EXPO at the ExCeL arena... Should be an interesting trip to gather info and have the final group meeting before leaving... ^_^

~ Apart from that, everything else is fine I guess. Tricky's got summer camp before we head out to Tokyo (he comes back with only a day to prepare, the poor sod), and Marc's heading out to New York next week, the lucky git (he'd best get me a nice souvenir - he knows I'll get him something from Japan).

That's it for my life update. Time for some gaming updates...

~ You know, it's funny... Ever since my parents moved out, I haven't touched any of my consoles. I dunno, it may be because of that long break I took from gaming to finish up my uni stuff, and I still haven't gotten back into the mood of playing games. Heck, the only game I've touched on any console is Pro Evolution Soccer 6 with my brothers. *sigh* I should get cracking on some of my games - I've got a pile of RPGs waiting to be played on the PS2...

~ In face, the only console I have been playing is of the handheld kind... My Nintendo DS has seen a lot of play time, especially because now I've got my Super Card SD. On it, I have Ouendan (brilliant rhythm game) and Ouendan 2 (still good, but I prefer the songs on the first one), Phoenix Wright 1 and 2 (fun game, still need to finish 1 before I start 2), Megaman ZX (pretty cool, imagine Megaman X with missions), Bleach DS 2nd and Star Fox Command (two really good multiplayer games). I'll probably add a couple more before I leave for Tokyo... Oh, and I should be buying Pokémon Pearl when it is (probably) released at the end of the month...

~ Even the online gaming scene hasn't been particularly interesting... Lately, I've been playing Shot Online. It's a pretty nifty golf game, and is fun when you do a short round with a couple of people. My character is called CriticalShot, if anyone wants to know... ^_^ Oh, and just recently, I started playing Sword of the New World (a.k.a. Granado Espada), and it's pretty cool - an MMORPG that let's you control THREE characters at once, giving it a more traditional RPG sort of feel. For those interested, my Family Name is Fortaleza (chose it becase Castillo wasn't available XD). I've got a musketeer (Emi), fighter (Romeo) and scout (Aeia)...

Phew... Gaming news out of the way... Finally, we've got a huge chunk of anime news for you... ^_^

~ First off, some goodbyes... sola and Nodame Cantabile have just finished... sola was consistent throughout, with a bit of action, drama and sentiment at the end. All in all, a short, sweet series. Nodame Cantabile, on the other hand, was consistent on a whole new level, though the end was pretty mellow compared to the other 22 episodes before it. Still, I can't complain about it - an enjoyable blend of fine music and well-executed slice-of-life. I think that Seto no Hanayome will be finishing soonish as well, and they will all be missed...

~ Now for some hellos... I started watching Kekkaishi after reading an article of this exciting shounen series breaking into the ratings top 10 in Japan. Very action-packed and fun, it's probably my shounen pick of the summer season. There's also Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica, an adventure series akin to Erementar Gerad - it's about a guy who has a spirit with him, and can unlock her powers through music. Seems very interesting, and I'm sure there will be a darker plot twist sooner or later. I've also got the second season of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni to start, and hopefully someone will fansub the upcoming School Days anime... ^_^ Along with the Shounen Jump "big three" of Bleach, Naruto and One Piece, otaku favourites Lucky Star and Hayate no Gotoku, action-packed shounen series Claymore and Kenichi, romantic slice-of-life series Lovely Complex and a host of others (Hitohira, Kujibiki Unbalance TV, Mai Otome Zwei OAV, Negima!?, Murder Princess OAV and Nagasarete Airantou), this should be a pretty decent summer season of anime... ^_^

~ Finally, for my upcoming series... Still looking forward to the second series of Haruhi Suzumiya (rumoured to be for the autumn season), as well as Genshiken (TV Series 2) and Shakugan no Shana (TV Series 2 and movie). There are probably a whole load of series that have yet to be announced (some hopefully continuations of some of my favourites from last year, like xxxHOLIC, Tsubasa Chronicles, TOKKO and Black Lagoon), but for now, these are the ones I'm looking forward to by the end of the year...

~ Oh yeah, and I got the first DVD of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya... The special edition is pretty cool - a nifty box, with the DVD, music CD and some bits and bobs (including Haruhi's trademark hair ribbon). The English dub is good, and it improves a lot by the end of the DVD. The extra DVD-only scenes added in add that bit more story to it (I noticed them right away, being the geek that I am ^_^). The second DVD is on its way as well, and it also has a music CD and the first DVD of the broadcast version of Haruhi Suzumiya (my preferred version personally). Should be fun...

Now that's a lot of news methinks... ^_^ Enough from me... I'll probably post back just before my Tokyo trip, telling you lot the details... 'til then, try and enjoy the rest of the summer, even with the dodgy weather and depressing current affairs around us... ^_^

O-O~

Current Location: Relieved that it is over... ^_^
Current Mood: excited

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Heya people... I know I haven't been posting much lately, and I wish I could post under better circumstances, but I'll save an update of my current life for another day...

Today my grandmother on my  mother's side passed away. My mother is flying back to The Philippines tomorrow to make arrangements for her funeral. She'll be back by the 5th July, in time for my graduation on the 9th...

Sometimes, life is just unfair... To have someone's father die is bad enough... But to have their mother pass on only six months later is just too much... Luckily, my mum's a strong person, and I'm sure she'll get through this...

My condolences to all my family back in The Philippines... May she rest in peace with her beloved up in heaven...

O-O~

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Hey people. How are we today? Hopefully good. The weather is picking up after a week or so of depressing weather (it's not even nice-looking rain). Anyways, here's an update of my life as I know it...

Firstly, I FINALLY finished uni on Monday. Handed in that fun Java network game coursework, and now I'm a free man (apart from days when I'm working, but more on that later)... Well, free until the end of summer, after my Tokyo trip. After all, when Autumn comes by, I have to make a start on my portfolio and then start beggin for jobs. Should be interesting...

Oh wait... Before that, I actually have to graduate first. XD Yub yub, with a little bit of luck, I'm graduating in July. The ceremony will be held at the Hendon campus, and I'm bringing me parents with me. Yub yub, I'm gonna have the whole robe and hat thingy. Hopefully, I'm getting a First Class. ^_^ Wish me luck, guys and gals...

Right, so now onto work-related matters. My manager (who is quite cool, I must say) is leaving this Saturday. Now unfortunately I won't be at work that day (more on that later) but hopefully I can get back down from where I'll be by 6ish so that we can go have a quick pint at the local pub. As a result of his departure, his hours are being distributed between me, Tricky and Robin (another part-timer working there at Blacks Victoria), and that means more dosh for me and my Tokyo fund... ^___^ Still, it will be sad to see our manager go, and hopefully the new boss will be decent...

Next up is the reason why I won't be working this Saturday (and instead, it will be Friday)... Yes, ladies and gents, it's that time of year again, when geeks from all walks of fandom collide at the London ExCeL centre for one massive exposition... Yub yub, it's the London EXPO Spring 2007!!! As usual, I'll be there to cover the event, and, judging from some rumours from Sing and his society, this could be a jam-packed one. There's gonna be a games tournament there, with Smash Brothers Melee, Tekken 5 Resurrection, Soul Calibur 3, Virtua Fighter 5 and Naruto GNT 4. Though I expect the competition to be fierce, I'll enter a couple for some kicks. It should be a laugh, with the usual guest stars (Christopher Lee will be hanging around, plus various stars from TV), Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments (will be bringing two, maybe even three decks this time) and, as usual, the cosplaying (Sing and co. have something planned)... My problem is that the family digicam has died on us, so now I'm probably gonna have to stick with my 3-megapixel phone cam (I'll just improve the settings to make 'em more decent) for the costume-hunting... Along with Ivan (Sing is going with his society), Marc, Vona and El are gonna try and come with, though I'm gonna have to force 'em to get up early for the event, which is a task... Anyways, regardless of what happens, it should be fun... ^_^

That's my life for now... As usual, I'll try to bring as much coverage back from the EXPO as humanly possible... 'til the next time, LJ-viewers... ^.~

Current Mood: I'M DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!!

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Good afternoon, one and all... Hope you're all swell... I'm currently stuck at uni doing some CMT3060 work, and so in this unusually hot and sunny May Day, I give you my latest update...

~ Got 20 days of uni left!!! O.O;;; This is crunch time now - my sorry excuse for a final project report deadline AND my CMT3330 exam both on the 16th, and my CMT3060 deadline on the 21st... Man, I'm getting a bit more nervy, and it doesn't help that my motivation is dwindling by the day... >.< Oh well... As the Americans say, it's "GUT CHECK TIME!!!"...

~ Because of my uni stuff, I haven't been playing many games much... In fact, the one thing that's being played constantly is my DS to and from uni... I bought Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Spirit Caller the other week (mainly for the game, but also for the free promo cards inside ^_^), and I've been playing that non-stop, buying boosters and building a decent deck... Me wanna try the online mode sooner or later, but I'll clock the game first...

~ Anime-wise, a few more titles have cropped up... Seto no Hanayome is a nice romantic comedy about a guy who encounters a mermaid and her yakuza-like family, whilst sola is a slower-paced affair about a boy and a mysterious girl who can only go out at night and has never seen the day sky before... Spring/Summer is turning out to be a good season of anime for me... ^_^

~ ...keeping with the anime thing... Remember Sing lent me Ouran High School Host Club? Well I finally got around to watching it, and it is probably the funniest and best romantic comedy I've seen since Chobits, and possibly (and you won't hear this from me often) the best harem anime I've seen since Love Hina... The fact that it's a reverse harem is absurd enough, but the situations that occur are priceless, and the characters are very well defined and developed... I can't believe I missed this last year... T.T Oh well... Got two more episodes (out of the twenty-six) to go...

That's about it... Methinks I'm gonna go home soonish... I did some great work today, but I still feel a bit demotivated... Maybe it's cos of the weather... Stupid early summer... >.<

Anyways... My regards to all... ^_^

O-O~

Current Mood: o___o

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Heheh... Remember that "hunch" i had about a particular anime in my last post? Well........ It came good... ^___^ And we have our first "otaku's choice" anime series of 2007 in Kyoto Animation's (that's right, of Haruhi Suzumiya and Full Metal Panic fame) Lucky Star...

Lucky Star is based around the daily lives of a high school girl and her friends. This girl is good at everything (unsurprisingly, being played by Aya "Haruhi Suzumiya" Hirano herself) but chooses to spend her life as an otaku... Yup, you heard me... An otaku... ^_^ The first episode I watched was very similar to Azumanga Daioh in structure - the episode was divided into little snippets of daily life, from lunch time ponderings to visiting a sick senpai and even walking to and from school. Very eccentric is our heroine - the things that she says (especially when it comes to her otakuness) just made me laugh out loud. Definitely one to watch this Spring / Summer season... Oh, and watch out for that kick-ass intro theme, ESPECIALLY that dance (becoming Kyo-Ani's specialty now - first Hare Hare Yukai and now this!!!), it will get you hooked...

In other anime news, another nice addition to my line-up is Nagasarete Airantou, my harem Rom-Com series for this season. It's about a boy who tried running away from home after a bust-up with his strict father. However, after hilariously failing that and falling off a boat, he washed up on an island with a Meiji-era village. Howefver, there's two main quirks to this - the island is only inhabited by girls (God knows how this works) and escaping from the island is impossible. So, one man and an island full of girls... A dream perhaps? Never in anime... ^_^ Surprisingly nifty, I must say... Haven't watched a harem-type in a while (not since Amaenaideyo Katsu last year) so this should keep the Rom-Com fanboy in me happy...

Right, enough of my anime update... Back to trying to get some work done... T.T I hate taking a break...

O-O~

EDIT - Just did a bit of Googling, and I found that the original manga of Lucky Star was of the "4-koma" variety, a comic-strip type like Azumanga Daioh... Explains its similar structure and style... ^_^

Current Mood: BINGO!!!

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'ello 'ello... How are things? Sorry I've been quiet, but these past few weeks have been busy for me, and that's in all departments of my life...

Firstly, to university... After these Easter holidays (which stretch until the end of next week), I have two weeks to complete my Graphics Rendering coursework, then another two weeks for my Sudoku Final Project report before finally finishing off all of my non-exam stuff the week after with my Internet Game coursework (a network version of the card game Big, a.k.a. Big Two). And then an exam (hopefully) finishes off my three-year spell at Middlesex University... Hmm, with only six academic weeks to go, not to mention anxious waiting for module results, (hopefully) final degree classification and a little thing called a graduation ceremony in July, it's gonna be a pretty hectic end methinks... ^_^ I'm excited but nervous as well...

Next we come to this summer's eagerly-awaited trip to Japan... Here's an update and reminder of what's happening - The trip is going ahead between Sunday 12th August and Friday 24th August... It's me, Tricky, Gaz, Sing and Ivan going... We've bought all of the tickets (though some people still need to pay in some monies) and reserved our rooms... We will leave Heathrow in the early hours on an Austrian Airlines flight to Tokyo, via a connection Vienna (a four-hour wait, which is long)... We will arrive back on the same day we leave Japan, so we'll be home by the evening (with some luck)... Now that the plane tickets and room reservations are out of the way, we just need our travel insurance and J-Rail passes, but I'm not to bothered about sorting them out 'til next month... So looks like everything is GO!!! ^___^

Something that's coming a bit sooner than my Japan trip is my parents moving to the house in East Ham. Yup, that's right. My parents are leaving the flat with me and my brothers. Not much will change in the daily life - my dad will still come back here after work, cook dinner and then pick up my mum from her work - but at the same time it will change the whole aspect of life in general. I will FINALLY get my own room (the living room, no less - my older bro gets the big room, whilst my younger bro settles for the lil room). I get a bit more freedom, but now I get more responsibilities - whilst my older brother pays the monthly rent, I'm stuck paying for the bills (mainly phone line, broadband access and electricity). It'll cost me a bit more, but I suppose I gotta learn these things. It'll be strange at first, but hopefully this will be the next chapter in my interesting, if somewhat flawed story of life... Just so that you know, they begin moving on Sunday (yub yub, on my so-called day off... T.T I need some rest, dang it!!!), so it ain't long now... o_o

Now we come to my hobbies and interests update... Winter and early-Spring has been kinda barren for me in terms of anime - apart from Bleach, One Piece, Naruto, Ghost Hunt (just finishing), Pumpkin Scissors (already finished), Busou Renkin (just finished, and a pretty nifty ending methinks) and Death Note, nothing has really stood out... Heck, I've had to rewatch some older series to keep my boredom levels down (Chobits, Mai HiME and The Law of Ueki come to mind)... But now that Spring is in full swing, I have a surprisingly fun crop of series to watch... Claymore is a violent medieval swordsfest of a demon-killing swordswoman who is herself half-demon - something to watch when I'm in the mood to slice things up in style, this will probably be my shounen action fix... On the other end of the scale, we have our first decent comedy of the year, Hayate the Combat Butler (a.k.a. Hayate no Gotoku), and it follows the antics of a high school boy who, after being humourously abandoned by his parents and about to become property of the Yakuza, encounters a rich girl, saves her life (after failing to kidnap her) and then becomes her personal butler - madness, love and tongue-in-cheek comedy will ensue, I'm sure... Taking aspects of both is Murder Princess, an OAV series about a deadly bounty huntress who's soul is switched with that of a princess fleeing from her ravaged kingdom. The huntress, in her new body, reclaims the kingdom as her own, in the guise of the princess, and so our story begins from here - hopefully there will be plenty of violence and cuteness in this very short series... We also have Hitohira, a slice-of-life high school anime about a new student who suffers from stage fright. So, naturally, the club that she joins at the beginning of the year is the Drama Research Club - this is probably going to be my safe series for the season... Finally, Sing has just given me the entire series of Ouran High School Club, one of THE anime series of 2006 that I unfortunately missed out. I will definitely make a start on that. Phew!!! That's a whole load to talk about, if you ask me... ^_^;;; And, if all is well, we may be seeing the "otaku" series of the season soon enough, but I'll keep you posted...

Gaming-wise, I've bought a couple of bargain second-hand purchases, and Tricky, that cheeky git, bought me Bomberman Land Touch! for the DS, so I have something at least to play (still need to finish Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, mind). However, the big update is that my curiosity has finally gotten the better of me and I've been doing a trial on the world's most popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft, and I must say I have been impressed. I have played quite a number of online RPGs, and, until now, only Ragnarok Online and FlyFF pulled me in proper. However, I will have to admit that World of Warcraft is one slick beast. It's not that anything is new or original is present - most, if not all of the features in WoW have been implemented in one form or another in other games - but it does all of these features so well. The backgrounds are lush, beautiful and imaginative, the online world is rich and full of story. And the little bits and bobs, including hunter pets, druid transformations, professions (even the fishing and cooking) all build up to make one of the most polished MMORPGs. I see now why this has become so popular. If you're a fan of RPGs and you haven't tried it yet, I suggest you do so... ^_^ You won't turn back, trust me...

The rest of my life has been pretty decent... Still diligently going to work every weekend (though, because of our store being closed on Easter Sunday, I have to work next Thursday instead). Still hanging out with my mates. Still playing Yu-Gi-Oh!... But methinks that the next few days, weeks and months - heck, the rest of this year even - will be the most interesting of my life...

...and hopefully you'll be there to join me, so I'll try to keep you posted, OK? Stay tuned and stay safe, y'all... ^_^

O-O~

Current Mood: Life's gonna get interesting

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