December 2, 2008 – 1:28 am I had a pretty old copy of my database backed up, but luckily google had a more recent cached copy…but not too recent since my blog has been blank for a while before I figured out what was wrong…thanks google!!!
August 19, 2008 – 1:24 am 
Tenshin says, wake up lazy!
Well I hadn’t heard of this show…but it sounded kinda interesting…I love the internet and being able to find anything here ^_^ ! “Ask Dr. Rin” is a really cute, kinda old-school anime (toootally looks like Sailor Moon!!! I used to love that show when I was in middle school!!!) about a magical girl named Meirin who can read feng-shui and tell people how to have their best luck for the day (”you should wear a pink ribbon today” or “yellow watering cans are bad luck”). She does kind of a magic-transformation sequence (Sailor Moon style) when she consults the feng-shui goddess, and keeps her super-powers a secret from her family and friends, except for her brother who helps run her Dr. Rin website where people email her with questions and problems and she gives them advice and feng-shui forecasts to help them. Meirin says it’s fate that she will end up with her crush, the soccer-playing Asuka, but a mystery stalker who also has some feng-shui powers and a strange interest in Meirin has some other ideas…dun dun dun…
It’s a really cute anime! It’s also a short series to watch, there are only 11 episodes, and the main plotline is resolved in episode 9 (which is kind of weird, leaving the last 2 episodes for kind of side stories…or maybe they were special episodes…).I liked Meirin’s voice actor, she has a sweet voice but not high-pitched or squeaky like so many other anime girls that try to be cute (and end up just being annoying). And it’s kind of nostalgic with the 80’s feel and Sailor Moon similarities, but not in a bad way- usually I don’t like older-looking anime animation but this series wasn’t bad, it was actually still cute. Meirin also has an adorable pet monkey named Tenshin that, you know, does the usual anime pet things like wake Meirin up when she’s late, scold her, get kidnapped by villains, etc
The drama in the show is pretty good for such a short series. Asuka acts like he’s kind of embarrassed to show that he cares about Meirin, and Meirin acts kind of obsessed with him…no wonder he’s scared off, I’d run away too if someone kept telling me not to get on buses cause it’ll crash or don’t go south today because it’s unlucky…(see picture below). I wasn’t expecting the shojo drama, but the villain kid that keeps stalking and harassing Meirin and trying to kill Asuka blackmails Meirin into dating him to keep Asuka safe, causing lots of satisfying drama and confusion until the disappointing denouement (SPOILER…sort of) that the villain kid is just possessed by evil spirits- he’s not really evil, he’s a nice klutzy kid that becomes everyone’s BFF after he stops being possessed. Booo lame villain.
August 15, 2008 – 1:14 am 
So Kdramas (Korean dramas) are pretty addictive and I’ve almost finished watched The First Shop of Coffee Prince and it is so good!! So even though it’s not anime, I thought I’d write up a quick review cause if you like romance dramas (SOAP OPERAS) you’d probably like Coffee Prince. Coffee Prince is about this girl Go Eun that’s a tomboy, and people mistake her for a boy a lot- in the first episode she’s delivering food to a women’s bath-house and when they see her they yell and throw stuff at her cause they think she’s a guy! In the picture above she’s the third from the left…I think she could pass as a girl or guy, although it’s totally all the bad haircut- when she pulls her hair back you can tell she’s a girl. Anyway she somehow runs into the guy on the right, Choi Han, whose mother keeps bothering him about getting married so eventually he works out a deal where Go Eun (he thinks she’s a guy) pretends to be his boyfriend and scare off all the arranged dates his mom sets up. Then, Choi Han takes over the family’s coffee shop and Go Eun gets a job there- still as a guy- since she desparately needs the job cause she is the head of her family. Her younger sister is still in school and her mom is kind of irresponsible and an impulsive shopper.
The Drama! Go Eun and Choi Han fight a lot but also grow to be very close…and Choi Han is freaking out cause he finds himself attracted to Go Eun but doesn’t know she is a girl!! And meanwhile Go Eun meets Choi Han’s cousin Choi Han Seong, the guy on the left, who I thought was much cuter- especially with the glasses- I love guys that wear glasses! But of course in Kdramas the girl always like the first guy she meets, who is a jerk to her and not as cute, while the cuter NICER guy falls for her but somehow can’t compete with the annoying not-as-nice cousin/friend/other guy…! The same things happened in the Kdrama Full House…I thought guy #2 in that show was nicer and cuter to the main girl but she just wasn’t having it. Anyway and then there’s the other girl there to make things more complicated and drama-y, since she is the girlfriend of the cuter glasses guy and both guys used to like her before Go Eun showed up.
The exciting part was, the cousin guy (guy #2) knows Go Eun is a girl since she delivers his milk and talks to his dog (in Korean when you say sister or brother it’s different words coming from a boy or girl). When he invites her to an art opening, I knew it was a date!!!! And you know what that means, MAKEOVER episode! It’s crazy though how different the actress (Yoon Eun Hye) looks with the hair and makeover. Then she looked kind of familiar and I realized I’d seen her in Princess Hours…I’ve only seen 2 episodes of that but I’ll probably get that next. Kdramas are kind of expensive, I found Coffee Prince for $63 used-new on amazon, but new they are like $80-90 for the season. Well I guess a season of most animes are expensive too… And while most of the subtitles were fine, one of the discs had really awful translations- I mean hard to understand what it was supposed to mean, like it was translated word for word or something, it was weird. Actually now that I think about it I’m wondering if I got a bootlegged copy cause the picture on righstuf looks more official than the one I got (mine is in a plastic case not a box) : / although the dvds look official..they’re in those connected plastic sleeves with stamped “stars” logo on them but I don’t see any company name, could be sketchy? hmmm
=
??!!
August 13, 2008 – 1:08 am 
Natsume Yuujinchou is about a boy (Natsume!) who sees supernatural spirits that others can’t see (he’s “special”). He talks to a cute fat cat and learns that his grandmother had the same ability, and used it to defeat the yuujinchou and make them give her their names for a book that let her call on them to help her. But it’s dangerous- the creatures are unhappy about it and chasing Natsume- although later we end up feeling sorry for the poor misunderstood ghosties because Natsume’s grandmother made “friends” with the poor thing and then never called on them to help even though it waited for her and grew lonely. So Natsume decides the book is a liability (gee thanks grandma) and decides to, with the help of that cat, dissolve the contracts in the Book of Friends page by page by setting the mythological creatures free.
Natsume Yuujinchou reminds me of Mushishi. And about Mushishi- I’ve had it on my to-watch list for a really long time but after being bored through the first 2 episodes I keep watching whatever else comes up instead of watching Mushishi. I like the idea of Mushishi, it sounds interesting, and the animation is good and very pretty, but it’s just a little too slow-paced for me. So anyway back to Natsume- it is about a boy who sees spirit creatures, kind of like the guy in Mushishi, except it is framed more as an action show with a linear plot than a “roam around and see what’s going on in this forest” kind of show. Maybe it’s not as artsy and abstract, but as far as first impressions it holds my interest more to see a progression and continuity in plot from episode to episode in Natsume. Plus the fat cat is cute and fun to watch because it is actually some kind of dragon spirit that is actually powerful, when he feels like turning into a dragon, but otherwise he just seems to do what he feels like, including helping Natsume for the meantime.
August 11, 2008 – 12:57 am 
My latest anime addiction is Lovely Complex (also called Love * Com), a great shoujo drama that reminds me of Peach Girl. I highly recommend both for anyone who loves gossip, drama, and romance in their anime like I do. Lovely Complex is about a girl, Risa Koisume, who is much taller than the average high-school girl, and always uncomfortably aware of it (172 cm- google says 5′ 7″). During summer classes she meets a shorter-than-average boy, Otani, that she fights with a lot but also becomes close friends with. Then Risa faces the oh-too-common problem of falling for someone she doesn’t think she can really date- Risa and Otani are compared to the comedy duo “All Hanshin Kyojin” because of their comical height difference- definitely not couple material…or are they??
Love * Com is such a great anime because (like Peach Girl) it manages to keep the tension going for the whole 24 episodes- a rollercoaster ride of plot turns, romantic tension, and definitely some frustration- why can’t they just be honest and work things out???? Well of course they will, eventually, it’s just kind of maddening when it looks like things could work out this episode (again)…but no something has to get in the way. And usually it’s not even some scheming jealous boy/girlfriend, it’s Risa and Otani’s own selves that get in their way- not being able to decide what they themselves want, and then adding miscommunication on top of that. So then they’re already confused themselves, and talking to each other only makes it worse! Which really just makes the show very realistic and gets you emotionally attached to seeing how Risa and Otani can resolve their feelings.
Risa and Otani are both huge fans of Umibouzu (”Sea Monster”)
Risa and Otani have similar hangups about their heights that make them stand out from the rest of the people in their class. But while that’s an important part of their identities, it’s only part of who they are and what they have in common. I really liked how both characters were developed. Risa kind of overreacts to lots of things, and makes weird faces, but not in a typical cutesy-anime-girl kind of way, in a way that usually scares the people around her…but is very entertaining. At one point she is super depressed because Otani is so clueless to Risa’s attempts at confessing her feelings to him, and she is dressed up as a scary mythological creature for a play but keeps acting in character and chasing people around saying she’ll haunt them.
Don’t you wish you had a friend who would just kick you out of the way whenever you were about to make an idiot of yourself in front of the guy/girl you like?
One of the main plot devices in keeping the romance drama going is how oblivious Otani is to Risa’s feelings- literally every one of their friends knows she likes him and has tried to tell him (several times) but he just doesn’t get it. I don’t know how realistic it is, are guys really that clueless? You’d think by the second attempted confession he’d consider that Risa might be serious about liking him…but he just assumes she’s joking because he doesn’t think of her as more than a friend (YET!). Although I don’t think it’s really just a “guy thing” cause you always hear guys complain about girls that are friends who wouldn’t consider them as real guy dating potential. Reminds me of the ladder theory…maybe both girls and guys have ladders, not just girls. (Ladder theory is- girls rank all guys they know on either a friends ladder or a date-able ladder, and you can move up the ladder but it is hard/impossible to jump from the friends to date-able ladder…or that’s what they say anyway.)
I just went on a small anime watching rampage and watched all 11 episodes of Zombie Loan! I hadn’t heard about it at all before just randomly seeing a short summary blurb about it on narutofan.com, but it sounded like it might be interesting, and then I saw that it was made by Peach-Pit, the two-woman mangaka team that makes the awesome Shugo Chara! And I wasn’t disappointed, Zombie Loan was super entertaining and definitely worth checking out. It is about these two guys who were “killed” in a bus accident but the kinda mysterious Ferryman (get it, the mythical ferryman who takes you across the river to the afterlife) made a deal with them to return them to life if they work for him and pay off the debt, but in the meantime they’ll have to deal with being zombies. Plus, Ferryman accidentally switched their arms so there are weird conditions where they have to switch hands to fight with their zombified weapons, and stay within a close distance so their hands don’t rot. But the guys have a hard time finding the zombies they are supposed to be bounty-hunting for Ferryman, since zombies sometimes look like normal people, until they meet this girl that can see a black ring around people’s necks when they are close to dying or dead. At the beginning of the anime series, Michiru is a shy, timid girl who gets bossed around by her friends, but she gets better and isn’t such a wimp after nearly dying, getting pulled into trouble and fights by the two guys, etc. There are a bunch of different characters that work for Ferryman too, some of them are regulars and some of them join in for just a few episodes towards the end- but most of them are varying levels of weird. Like the narcoleptic green-haired girl (see below) who has a cheerful bubbly personality, except when her dark alter-ego comes out and she molests Michiru and/or beats up lots of bad guys before falling asleep again. And there is a guy that is obsessed with eating weird things, and the Soul Reaper that is usually big and scary but near the end loses his core and becomes this mini-chibi-cutesy thing that Michiru carries around like a grumpy pet (HAHA).
I liked how the individual episodes of Zombie Loan weren’t just all side stories of hunting down a particular zombie o’ the week- the episodes felt like they were in order and the characters and overall plot were developed as the show went on. Zombie Loan was really fun to watch because it was pretty funny, plus it felt fresh and unpredictable enough to keep being interesting. At first it seemed like the two guys were the good-friends, partners in crime type who know each other really well and are funny because they tease each other. Then in a few episodes Michiru learns that they actually don’t really get along, and they don’t know each other as well as it first seems. I think they must be doing a second season (this is from 2007), I don’t know why they wouldn’t, since the season builds up a bigger overall back story of a secret organization that for some reason is making illegal zombies, and near the end of the series we get a glimpse of another secret group that governs and regulates the zombies etc. but it seems like they left us hanging and there is a lot more story they could tell.
Manga vol. 1
Manga vol. 2
Really cool opening sequence! It’s like a dollhouse with little cardboard people, cute 
I was really looking forward to watching Antique Bakery, because I’d actually read the manga a while ago and was excited when I heard they were making it into an anime. I am a sucker for cooking anime shows, as you might notice from my Yakitate Japan review…while in real life I don’t cook much, really ever, and I rely on the microwave for any semi-cooking…but I love watching tv or anime about cooking or baking for some reason! I don’t know, it is just relaxing and cute to watch…or maybe I just like eating without the work of cooking. Other cooking anime/manga I’ve read/watched are Addicted to Curry, Cooking Master Boy (chinese), if you know any others let me know because I would loooove to find a new show!
Antique Bakery, like Yakitate, takes place in presumably our world but really it seems like an alternate universe where everything and everyone in the world (well everyone in the show anyway) is centered or related to cooking/baking. A boy is kidnapped- and naturally the kidnapper in this pastry-centric universe forces his captive to eat cake…and sets the tone for the rest of the pastry-filled anime about unlikely co-worker bakers at a new pastry shop. They are unlikely co-workers because one of them, Yusuke Ono, is a gay guy that has that special ’something’ aka “Demonic Charm” and can’t help but attract everyone, even straight guys. However Tachibana is somewhat homophobic and actually in the past has rejected and humiliated Ono during high school. Then there’s ex-boxer Eiji Kanda, and Tachibana’s bodyguard who has a secret crush on Ono…
Good deals at 
:
Here’s a recap of the Spring 2008 anime season: what I watched, what ended up great or disappointing, and what’s worth checking out if you haven’t already. I confess though that I hate keeping up to date with anime that is currently playing, I like waiting till all the episodes are available and then marathon watching them all at once.
Favorites of the season
- Toshokan Sensou (Library War)- Awesome concept of dystopian society and military librarian corps, a little repetitive in the middle and corny at the end, but overall great concept and characters with a few minor lapses in execution.
- xxxHOLIC: Kei- I enjoyed the first season of xxxHOLIC but season 2 was much better! Compelling plot and fun characters.
- Vampire Knight- Great romance and drama in the first half of the season, but sloppy animation and slowing plot towards the middle.
Also Good
- Soul Eater- Awesome colorful AND creepy animation style, good cast of characters, and entertaining plot.
- Code Geass: R2- This anime could be addictive- definitely entertains while making you think. But I only watched the first few episodes because I have to watch season 1 first!
- Daughter of 20 Faces- Good action adventure anime about a girl rescued by a robin-hood type thief.
- Amatsuki-A boy travels back in time to the Edo period, where he will have to deal with spirits and try to find a way home.
- Bus Gamer- I’ll put this on the list, although for some reason I’m not sure why I haven’t seen any subs for this series past ep. 3. I was really starting to like it though!!
May be worth checking out
- Wagaya no Oinara-sama- A fox spirit and temple priestess girl protect and live with two brothers, hijinks ensue.
- Zettai Karen Children- Cute anime about psychic children who are, well, cute.
- Mnemosyne- Really dark anime that is disturbing, bloody, violent, etc. try at your own risk.
- Crystal Blaze- Mediocre action mystery anime, with a really annoying “kid-sister” type character.
Boring!
These are anime that I only watched two episodes of. With so many good anime out there that I want to see, why waste time on boring anime or anime with annoying characters? These series lacked engaging or original plotlines, characters, and were probably too annoying to watch more of. I’m always looking for the next anime that I will be addicted to and have to watch nonstop- things like Death Note or Hikaru no Go, and most recently Nodame Cantabile.
- Nabari no Ou- A boy is given a secret ninja power and so becomes the center of drama and enemy ninja plots to obtain the special power. The plotline was so cliche and the main characters were boring.
- Special A- High-school romance drama. The whole setup was predictable and the male lead was annoying!
- Allison and Lillia- I felt like this anime tried to be good but failed. I just couldn’t care about the characters and Allison was just trying too hard to be “gutsy” that it seemed unrealistic and contrived.
- Neo Angelique Abyss-Ugh, I already gave this show a pretty bad review…what can I say…predictable and cliche.
- Kurenai- Oh and last but not least Kurenai- I never did a real review of it because I kept thinking maybe I’ll watch more of it and have more to say…really I thought I was missing something since everyone LOVED it but I still think it is boring! Murasaki acts like a 10 year old not a 6 year old, but her voice seems like an old lady doing a baby voice…And I just couldn’t buy into the whole situation to keep watching, when NO character seemed to have more than a middle-school level of critical thinking- well other people have already talked about the utter lack of hiding when “in hiding” for starters. I just don’t like shows that look like they’re trying too hard to be good- i.e. overplayed dramatic family situations, drama queens, deep advice about life from a 6 year old, and emo people (who don’t want to do what they’re doing but are just faced with such emo circumstances that they can’t change their own lives).
Didn’t Watch but may at some point- any recommendations??
- Chi’s Sweet Home
- Hakaba Kitaro (horror anime)
BlogoSquare