Chika-Chin's Anime Mania!

Back in the Game!

2011-11-09T16:50:00.000+08:00

Owh yeah... Chika's back in the game~! *^.~* The new blog is all set and ready, so again, do follow or relink to http://surviving21stcentury.blogspot.com ok?

Once I'm done transferring posts from this blog to the my new one, I'll be deleting this blog to avoid confusion or future accusations that I'm copying my own self. Yep, believe me... I once got a hate mail for it. Though once I clarified the situation with the accuser we're now good friends. :)

And yes, I'm transferring all the posts here to my new blog because I'll still be blogging about anime. So no worries, you'll still get my spoiler-full of reviews \(^_^)/ and a healthy dose of anime injections from me in between rants about why the sky is blue and the grass is green... I just need to merge the two blogs because I don't think I'll be able to handle two with a husband and an upcoming baby and the dust bunnies under my bed to handle at the same time.

So yep, please follow and link or relink to http://surviving21stcentury.blogspot.com or I'll send the Hell Hounds after ya! I'm not kidding! *smiles sweetly*

Ciao lovelies~

Now that it has come to this...

2011-07-22T23:33:00.004+08:00

It's been a long time since I blogged, not counting the Mangas for Sale post which I totally copy-pasted from a note in my Facebook page. I'm finally at the thesis writing stage of my Master's degree, but due to me overestimating my abilities, I decided to fast track the thesis writing into just a semester instead of two, and now I'm totally feeling the pain of that decision. ^^" Thank God my contract as research assistant for my supervisor ended at the end of last month, I now have no excuses not to finish the bloody paper off.

But it's not all just work (well, study if you'd like) that's been keeping me away from blogging. I'm still adjusting to married life, though my hubby and I celebrated our one year anniversary two weeks back. We also found out we've been granted a little darling to expand our family. So I've been pretty much up in the clouds about the pregnancy and that was all I thought about every single day, neglecting even my thesis. *^_^* Since I've moved into the second trimester and there's not much development except for the baby getting fatter, I've come back down to Earth and realized, to my dismay, all the things I left undone. T_T

Blogging, for one, is still in my list of things to do. But there's too much I've watched since my last post, Sekaiichi Hatsukoi and Arietty being the most memorable, to blog on separately.

It just hit me that I've rambled this much without saying what I really wanted to announce.

Friends, I've decided to move this blog to a more personal blog which will still have as much posts on anime, manga and the likes as anime, is and always will be, one of my biggest passions.

My new blog is here: Surviving 21st Century

There isn't a single post yet, in case you're afraid you missed anything (which I'm sure you don't). ^^ Do redirect my link to the new blog, and do continuing following me although you'll be swamped with other stories not relating to anime. Rest assured, I will relink everyone that I have in my blogroll at the new blog. :)

I will not bade farewell as I trust we'll see each other again at my new place. So じゃあね！See you at the new blog~ ( ^,^)/

Mangas for Sale

2011-05-31T15:05:00.004+08:00

Hey guys,

I'm selling off my shoujo mangas at RM3 each, all in brand new condition (most kept in their original plastic wraps!). New titles included, I just don't read anything twice. They're all inBahasa Malaysia translation, unless stated otherwise, mostly by Gempak Starz Collection. If you need the synopses, message me the titles ok? *^_^*

PS/ By the way, I'll continue adding to the list as I continue to buy my doses of romance :D

PPS/ I'd really appreciate it if you guys can help me spread the word around =^.^=

1. Kenapa Apa Sayang? -Satsuki Mikiko (contains 2 other side stories Bisikan Hati and Kaulah Yang Satu) (SOLD)

2. (no wrap) Daring Students' Association: Final Semester -Cha Min-Yi (last book of 2) (English translation)

3. Lompatan 1/6! -Satsuki Mikiko (contains 2 other side stories Cinta Sepenuh Jiwa and Perkahwinan Yang Diatur) (SOLD)

4. Asmara Elit -Shiumi Saki

5. Rahsia Si Puteri -Shiraishi Yuki (contains 3 other side stories Boifren Terhebat dan Gelfren Obses, Boifren Rahsia dan Gelfren Cemburu Buta and Sangat Pelik) (SOLD)

6. Cerita Buatmu -Ozaki Ira

7. Hijau DiRaja -Sugiyama Miwako (contains 2 other side stories Sempadan Cinta 50cm and Tak Mahu Bercinta Lagi, Tapi...)

8. Cari Kerja!!!:Keputusan Tentatif di Tangan Anda -Yoshino Aki

9. Masih Cari Kerja!!!:Keputusan Tentatif di Tangan Anda -Yoshino Aki (sequel to Cari Kerja!!! by the same mangaka)

10. Buatmu, Puisi Terpendek Di Dunia -Nakamura Sayumi

11. Maid in Love: Benarkan Aku Jadi Pelayanmu -Toma Rei (contains 2 other side stories Bila Bunga Api Terpadam and Gadisku Yang Histeria) (SOLD)

12. Rahsia Waktu Ketujuh -Chiba Kozue (contains 2 other side stories Bayi Matang and Kata-katamu) (SOLD)

13. Rahsia Cinta Malam Purnama -Taamo (contains a side story Daun Luruh dan Bunga Cinta)

14. Bebunga Cinta Rokka-chan -Fujita Nimi (contains a side story Belon Cinta)

15. Cinta, Bertahanlah! -Sugiyama Miwako

16. Cinta Orang Tin -Sachi Minami

17. Teman Lelaki Terhebat: Permainan Cinta Merbahaya -Konno Risa (contains 2 other side stories Cinta di Hari Hujan and Tak Mungkin Aku Bencikanmu)

18. (no wrap) Twinkle: Permulaan Sebuah Cinta -Kim Da Hee (first book of 3)

19. Biarpun Bunga Tidak Mekar -Yasuko (contains 3 oneshots Kosmos, Hari-hari Bersama Yukichi and Sayap Yang Patah)

20. Bagai Sihir, Jatuh Cinta Padamu -Chiba Kozue

21. Cinta Seindah Langit -Ichikawa Show (SOLD)

22. Bersamumu di Ros Biru -Washio Mie

23. Hanya Sekilas Pandang -Fujita Nimi (contains 3 other side stories Aku Dambakan Cintamu, Kekasih Ideal and Hanya Kau di Sisi) (SOLD)

24. Twinkle: Revolusi Sebuah Cinta -Kim Da Hee (second book of 3)

25. Twinkle: Penghujung Sebuah Kisah Cinta (last book of 3)

26. Kelembutan Cinta Berdua -Satsuki Mikiko (contains 2 other side stories Kelembutan Cinta Berdua:Versi Pendek and Pelayan Bermasalah) (SOLD)

27. Coklat & Pudina -Fujita Nimi (contains 2 other side stories Takkanku Lepaskan Tanganmu and Hubungan Yang Manis) (SOLD)

28. Cinta Pohon Sakura -Mitsuha Yuu

29. (no wrap) Cinta di Hutan Kelip-Kelip -YukiMidorikawa

30. (no wrap) Kembar Da' Best -Shiiba Nana (contains 4 other side stories Perang Coklat, Putera Nakal, Tutor dan Tuisyen and Kembar Da' Best: Kisah Mio)

31. Permainan Cinta Gila -Nanajima Kana (contains 2 other side stories Ros Sumpahan and Ciri Si Puteri)

32. Dunia Kami -Mamura Mio

33. Cinta di Burger Time -Jinna Mai

34. Keajaiban Kurumi -Yagami Chitose (contains 2 other side stories Pertukaran: Lelaki X Cinta and Aku Suka... Tomboi!)

35. Cinta Egois -Obata Yuuki

36. Full Moon Joker -Takamiya Satoru (SOLD)

37. Star Post -Nakamura Sayumi

38. Sehabis Bicara Cinta -Kyoichi Katayama & Kazui Kazumi

39. (no wrap) Perintah Cik Muda -Kazuko Furumiya (contains a side story Sweet Garden) (SOLD)

40. (no wrap) Kemasyhuran Putera di Balik Tabir -Sakurakouji Kanoko

41. Kamikaze Girls -Takemoto Novara & Kanaseda Yukio

42. Plastic Baby -Ryoko Mizoeuchi

43. Pelayan Rahsia -Washio Mie (contains 3 other side stories Orang Yang Dia Sukai, Kau di Fikiranku, Clavier and Adakah Anda Ingin Menjaga Si Cantik Ini?) (SOLD)

44. Orange Kiss -Usami Maki (contains 2 other side stories Perkataan Menggembirakan and Tren Terakhir di Bawah Langit Malam)

45. Secangkir Teh Karamel -Usami Maki

46. (no wrap and no coloured cover) 1/3 Romantika -Shibano Yuka (contains 2 other side stories Kami Yang Sentimental and Hidup Saya, Melodi Saya)

47. Dunia Dicipta dengan Gembira -Usami Maki (first book of 2)

48. Beast Master: Begin -Motomi Kyousuke (first book of 2)

49. Syurga Serigala -Kikuchi Kamaro (contains 2 side stories Gadis Yang Kacak Itu Milikmu and Badan Magnetik)

50. Kirana Cinta Pertama -Nishi Keiko

51. (no wrap) Lwn. Kelas Puteri -Miku Sakamoto

52. (no wrap) Teman Sang Puteri -Jinna Mai

53. Hadiah Dari Syurga -Mizutani Ai (contains 4 other side stories Bayangan Matamu, Kucupan Markah Penuh, Kau Curi Hatiku and Pengorbanan)

54. Teman Selamanya -Yamanaka Rico (contains 4 other side stories Rumahku Syurgaku, Selamat Tinggal Air Mata, Dia Bukan Kau and Honey)

55. Lovely Baby -Yumachi Shin (contains 2 other side stories Lovely Baby's Summer Day and Cinta Di Bawah Hujan)

56. Penguin Prince -Motomi Kyousuke (SOLD)

57. 8:00 Pagi, Aku Cinta Kau Lagi -Ozaki Ira (SOLD)

58. Gita Kucupan Rahsia -Kawamaru Shin (I have 2 copies, don't ask why ^^")

59. Segi Tiga Rahsia -Ohya Kazumi (contans 2 other side stories Jejaka di Bilik 201 and Langit Biru Yang Bercahaya)

60. (no wrap) Kau Menang! -Obata Yuuki (contains 4 other side stories Di Belakangnya, Di Hatinya, Demam Musim Bunga, Hadiah Saguhati Bulan Julai and My Beautiful Boy)

61. (no wrap) Zaman Gadis -Natsuna Kawase (contains 3 other side stories Hakikat Sebuah Sumpahan, Pembaharuan Zaman Edo, and Rakaman Kebahagiaan Yang Tidak Sempurna)

62. (no wrap) Check!!! -Anisaki Yuna (contains 2 other side stories Pretty Pink and Sweet Dream)

63. Selami Rentakku -Kikuchi Kamaro (contains 5 other side stories Rahsiaku Suaramu, Cinta Suci Yang Sadis, Perikatan Buah Ceri, Teman Lelaki Robot and Cuti Musim Panas dan Matahari)

64. Organisasi Rahsia Sekolah -Shiiba Nana

65. Aku Tak Nak Kau La! -Sugiyama Miwako (contains oneshot Nasihat untuk Cinta Terhalang)

66. 24 Warna -Chiba Kozue (SOLD)

67. Hati Yang Kacau -Nanajima Kana (contains oneshot Deruan Angin Sakura)

68. Beast Master: End -Motomi Kyousuke (last book of 2)

69. Mengintai Busur Beradu -Motomi Kyousuke

70. Gagahnya Kelab Manik! -Motomi Kyousuke (contains 2 side stories Gagahnya Kelab Manik!: Versi Melampau and Very Black White Day)

71. Putera Biasa -Fujisawa Shizuki (contains oneshot Kerana Itulah Kita Bermimpi)

72. (no wrap) Skala Cinta 1.8 Meter Persegi -Ozaki Ira (contains 3 other side stories Antara Naif dan Dongeng, Projek Hari Krismas and Buat Rina Yang Jelita)

73. (no wrap) Nakalnya Setan Cinta -Nakahara An

74. (no wrap) Peramal Masa Depan -Natsuna Kawase

75. Putera Di Balik Tabir -Sakurakouji Kanoko (first book of 2)

76. Daring Students' Association: First Semester -Cha Min Yi (first book of 2) (English translation)

77. Puteri dan Cinderella -Natsuna Kawase

78. Ubatku -Takamiya Satoru (SOLD)

79. Erti Kedewasaan -Washio Mie (contains 3 other side stories Puteri Kurungan Bilik Rahsia, Mantel Sang Putera and Mesej Terbalik)

80. (no wrap) Percintaan Kuching Hitam -Takamiya Satoru (Chuangyi Publishing)

81. (no wrap) Ciuman Rahsia -Takamiya Satoru (Chuangyi Publishing) (SOLD)

82. (no wrap) Bumbung Cinta Kita - Usami Tae (contains 3 other side stories Bumbung Cinta Kita Edisi Tambahan, Usah Memaksaku Menyayangimu and Usah Buatku Membencimu!)

83. Semarak Bebunga Cinta Rokka-chan - Fujita Nimi (contains 2 other side stories Senandung Sinaran Rembulan and Go. Fight. Win!) (I've got two of this)

84. Aku, Dia dan Pustaka Biru - Mikase Hayashi (includes one side story Pilihan Sekolah Tahun 2 Kelas H)

85. Sapaan Mentari - Shibano Yuka (contains 4 other side stories Haruman Sitrus di Angin Lalu, Muslihatku Dirimu dan Subang Itu, Starlight Heights and Warkah Peminat Tak Bernama)

The below are RM10 because they cost me a bomb! T_T These are in English and imported.

1. Family Complex -Mikiyo Tsuda (creator of Princess Princess and The Day of Revolution)

2. Invisible Boy 1 -Hotaru Odagiri (yaoi - boys love) (SOLD)

3. Invisible Boy 2 -Hotaru Odagiri (yaoi) (SOLD)

4. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 1 -CLAMP

Contact: hani.azlan@gmail.com

Sent from my iPhone

Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru

2010-11-22T11:02:00.004+08:00

Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru, also known as UraBoku, or Betrayal Knows My Name in English, is an anime series adapted from the manga of the same title by Odagiri Hotaru. The anime, which premiered in April 2010, centers around a young boy named Sakurai Yuki who was borned with special powers. Yuki is able to feel others' emotions when he touches them. Unable to control the power, he has made many insensitive blunders in the past. For Yuki, who was left at an orphanage when a baby, he strives to live an independent life and not be a burden to anyone.

One day, Yuki found himself in danger and was saved by a beautiful man. He suddenly found his life changed when he decided to join the Zweilts in their war against Duras (demons). However, the leader of the Duras turns out to be Yuki's childhood friend, Wakamiya Kanata. And the Zweilts are not all as they seem. Even Yuki's beautiful saviour, Luka, turned out to be a high-ranking Duras, yet he was working together with the Zweilts. Furthermore, it seems that both Yuki and Luka share a past which Yuki has forgotten.

It was a surprisingly really good watch for me. I bought this anime on a whim, I just needed a dose of bishounens for some excitement during my boring long holidays. The plot was well written, it gave me that feeling of wanting to know what will happen in the next episode. So I couldn't stop watching. But it could be better. There are some parts that I feel would have done well with more explanation and they totally scraped out Yuki's past with Luka. That definitely needed more coverage. The Zweilts' past lives contributes a big chunk to their present, but Yuki's past relationship with Luka was kept a distant blur all the way to the end. It was mentioned that Luka betrayed Yuki, but that wasn't explained in the anime at all. But even so, the plot was strong enough to hold itself. I guess I can always read the manga to find out what exactly happened between Yuki and Luka in their past life.

I love the preview snippets at the end of every episode. So cute. :) Watch it to find out~ ( ^.^) The music for the opening and ending themes were really catchy. I especially loved the second opening song. *^^* I loved the art too, okay, mostly because there's so many bishies in the anime. LOL

Genre: Fantasy, Action, Supernatural, Shounen
Studio: J. C. Staff
Ratings: 8/10

Christmas Came Early~

2010-11-19T10:39:00.003+08:00

Christmas came early for me~ \(^o^)/

I finally got my iPhone4! Yaayyy~ \(^o^)/

It would've been better if it was white but well, after Apple announced that they are postponing the launching of the white iPhone4 to early next year (meaning only in mid-year it would reach Malaysia) I decided to just live with black. And once my one-year warranty is gone, I'll buy the white case and switch. Voila! Smart, aren't I? >:D

So now I'm happily twiddling around with my new toy and totally loving it!

Which kinda made me realize... I'm a NERD???!!!! ^_^"

My hubby, friends and family all have been trying to persuade me to get a Blackberry instead. But the Blackberry Messenger application fails to attract me. If it's for free SMSes, well, iPhone has What's App and Ping Chat etc. So it pretty much covers it. If it's for the whole group chat thing... I have to say, I'll pass. I hate messaging or talkin on the phone when it's nothing important. =.= And then I realized... I'm more a techie than a socialite! I'm a NERD. ROFL And I don't care. I still love my new toy. >:D And now my hubby's jealous of it. *evil laugh*

Now that I have the iPhone, I can blog even if we're staying at my hubby's parents' place. They just moved so he new house doesn't have internet connection till the end of the month. Which partly explains why I've been missing from the daily blogosphere. But fear not, I now have my handy iPhone. *evil laugh again*

Kuroshitsuji Season 2

2010-11-15T09:45:00.004+08:00

It's a butlers face-off! \(^o^)/

If you have no idea what's Kuroshitsuji all about, you can read it from my review here. Otherwise, let's move on with the review of the second season.

In my review of the first season, I mentioned how the plot of the anime had significant loopholes. So how does A-1 Pictures make up to it in Season 2? They opt for the easy way. Leave it to some new characters to divert the attention from the main story (and it's screwed up ending) and pray the storyline fall into place. Does it? It somewhat does the job but I still don't think it was a great one. But is Season 2 worth watching then? Hell yes, just for the sake of seeing more of our beloved Ciel and Sebastian (yes, they're back unlike the rumours flying around). *^^*

We are introduced to the scapegoats, Alois Trancy and his demon butler, Claude, in the very first episode. Sebastian comes in and steals something from the Trancy's mansion and brings Ciel back to life. But Ciel has lost his memory and is still hell bent on getting revenge. But how can he do it when revenge is already done? So clever Sebastian steers him to a new target: Alois Trancy. Well, he needs to make sure his meal stays delicious now, doesn't he? -_-

I hated the plot. Geh, it was downright annoying after being fed with the rickety first season. But same old Ciel and Sebastian were enough to keep me watching, and the hope to glimpse some of the old characters, which didn't disappoint. :) Before any of Alois's fans start battering me up, let me justify why I can't stand him and his bunch. I just can't stand wimps. Nuff said. >:/ But just because I'm telling you the plot was bad does not mean I'm telling you to skip the second season. Don't get me wrong. If you bear with it the whole way, you'll be delighted with the ending. It was, for me, a really good twist. So hooray for a great cover up ending to the first season but boo to the yellow brick stone to the ending. (^^,)"

I don't have any other complaints about the anime though. The animation work was similar to that of the first season, though there were some parts that were a bit off, I wonder why... Music was still as awesome, they even managed to squeeze in a song from Yuki Kajiura. It was just the plot again, really.

Genre: Drama, Supernatural, Comedy, Mystery, Action, Shounen
Rating: 7.5/10 (Watch it to satisfy yourself with the ending :D)

I'll work on the episodic reviews later on ya? Stay tuned! ^.^

Fall 2010 Anime List

2010-10-24T19:19:00.004+08:00

There's a lot of catching up to do with me gone for so long. That includes this year's Fall anime list. When I saw it, I have to say, again, I'm truly disappointed! How come we don't have much good (and when I say good I mean excellent) anime this year??? Did the global financial crisis drain ideas as well as resources? @_@ Seriously, were you guys happy with this list?

This means, aside from Psychic Detective Yakumo, there's nothing I can really look forward to. And I've got two months holiday starting from the end of my exams early November. :/ I was thinking I'd give Otome Youkai Zakuro a shot as well since I have a thing for animal people. :D But other than that... Well... *sigh*

I guess I'll be rummaging through the racks for old animes once again then... I've been meaning to rewatch Studio Ghibli's works. Now, that's what we mean with quality!

Feeding That Sweet Tooth

2010-10-09T13:43:00.006+08:00

On top of being an absolutely sweet manga, Kitchen Princess also provides recipes for all the sweets and cakes she makes in the manga! So here's my collection of favourites. Can someone cook them for me? ^^

Try it out and treat your boyfriends/girlfriends. Don't forget me as well~!!! ♥♥♥

Chika's So Touched She Can Cry!!!

2010-10-09T13:03:00.004+08:00

*sobs sobs*

It's been a long time since I neglected this blog. This semester has just been too crazy for me. On top of my MBA classes and assignments, I started a blogshop, I'm doing research for a paper I'm presenting in a conference in December this year, and I got a job as a research assistant for one of my lecturers. On top of that, I got married in July and that was wayyyyyy too hectic (so if you guys have divorced parents, think twice about marrying or you'll end up with three separate receptions on three separate weekends!). :'(

I was thinking of closing the blog down due to the lack of attention I give it. But receiving your (my readers) comments all the way until even today, and emails asking when I'm going to update my blog, and I see now even in my chatbox I feel that it would be such a waste. Especially when I have such awesome readers like you guys!!!

I'm really thankful for all the support. And because of that, I decided eventhough this is free service but because I love all of you, I'm gonna squeeze some blog time even if it means I'll have to decrease my sleeping hours for another one hour. So minna-san: HONTO NI ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU *bows* and please continue to give me your support. (^_^)/

I have so much to update all of you on, but I can't do it in one day (and today of all days). I'm a month behind my research schedule and I'm flying off to London tomorrow. But I'll make sure to share with you all something interesting I found and kept to share but just couldn't find the time to post up.

So how have everyone been? Spill spill! >:D

Put the Sparkle in Those Eyes

2010-03-29T22:47:00.004+08:00

Some of you might be aspiring to work in the anime industry, or simply have interest in the art. I myself love to draw (though I don't really have much time anymore nowadays) and if I could, I'd love to learn how to colour my works as well. Don't you always wish mangas had colour too? It'll definitely be livelier. (^o^)

I was actually looking for some ideas to help me draw my own doujinshi when I stumbled across some colouring tips compiled by others (all hail Deviantart). They're very interesting and looks pretty simple to follow. But hey, I can't really be the judge of that since I've got zero Photoshop skills. You can check the tips out here and try them out for yourselves:

Tetiel's Anime Eyes Tutorial

gchanmaiden's anime eyes colouring

Chibi Nakoruru Anime Eyes Tutorial

In fact, I think I'll try it out for myself one of these days... I've finally got Adobe Creative Suite in my comp. When else to utilize it? *^^*

Brand New Goal!

2010-03-24T23:10:00.004+08:00

I had a total Suzumiya Haruhi moment. ROFL

I've been staying up until 7AM - 8AM every morning the past week to finish off my assignment papers and presentations. Now I'm suffering somewhat akin to jet lag. I can't sleep until the sun's risen. @_@

So I've been keeping myself occupied reading mangas (now it crossed my mind I should have written some posts) and I've read so much there's practically nothing more to read. And the ones I liked, are still not completed projects. So while I've been biting my fingers eagerly for my favourite mangas to be updated, it suddenly dawned on me. Rather than wait, why not get things done?

Unfortunately, I don't think my level of Japanese is enough to pass as a translator. Unless I wanna work on Google Translate which might not be so accurate anyway. But I'm sure I can be a hell of a proofreader. One of the fansub groups I tried visiting today does not have an opening for a proofreader. But it's okay, I'll continue looking around. In the meantime, I'll brush up on my Japanese so hopefully one day I can be a translator and fansub animes and mangas for you guys~ (^v^)V

Cowboy Bebop The Movie: Knocking On Heaven's Door

2010-03-22T23:11:00.002+08:00

Nothing can get me excited like Cowboy Bebop - my all time favourite anime. Though it's supposed to be a movie, it's really just an extended episode from the TV series. Still, there's no denying that the TV series was excellent and you can't expect any less from Shinichiro Watanabe.

Taking place somewhere between episode 22 and 23, Spike and his mismatched set of crew headed off to Mars to earn themselves a proper meal other than the cup ramens they've been living on. Faye was given the task to catch an underage hacker wanted by the authorities. During her pursuit, she found herself caught in midst of a bio-terrorist attack. A bounty of 300,000,000 wulongs, the highest bounty ever offered in the galaxy, was later promised by the authorities for anyone who catches the perpetrators.

It was a great chance for the team, especially when they had the lead. They quickly set off to sniff out the attacker. However, the team quickly found themselves entangled in more danger than they bargained for. With the fate of the entire city, and possibly the human race, in their hands the team must play their cards well to stop the impending armageddon.

This is totally an awesome movie to remind us of all the reasons why we love Cowboy Bebop so much. It's also good for those who have not watched the TV series and are wondering what the whole fuss is about. Let's start with music - two thumbs up. I love the jazzy feel, soothing yet catchy and somehow fits perfectly to the whole setting. Then we move on to the art - definitely no complaints there as well. As a matter of fact, the art of the movie is better than that of the TV series. You can see the improvisations here and there.

Okay, character-wise, it was a little bit of a let down because I didn't see much of Jet, Faye and Ed. And I absolutely love Faye and adore Ed. However, Spike was at his best, and newcomer Electra is hot! I'm not crazy about the plot either, but it's not to say that it was bad. It's diverted from all that search of Julia, but it's still Cowboy Bebop-ish with the sporadic moments of laughter, exciting action sequences and awesome animation. Fans of Cowboy Bebop would still find it enjoyable, and those who have not watched Cowboy Bebop will definitely be tempted to start watching.

Genre: Action, Sci-fi, Adventure
Rating: 9/10

Hate Mail

2010-03-10T22:52:00.003+08:00

I kid you not. I actually received a hate mail.

Well, the writer threw in some swear words, something about me being an otaku and not wanting to admit something, and that he has a video of me doing something bad and threatening to show it to my mom (as if my mom would give a damn)...

Oh wait, it's a spam. But LOL! It did caught me off-guard when I read the first few lines before I actually opened up the email. Sorry if I scared you too. :D But heck, halfway through I was laughing out loud. The email really sounded contemptuous save the part of asking me to click the link to the video if I don't believe that he has 'proof'. And the part where there's replies by some unknown people, I didn't even realize it was sent to many! X_x

That was my first time receiving a hate mail. In fact, one that was directed to otakus. LOL I thought spam are usually about get-rich schemes and buying Vs... @_@

Hayate The Combat Butler - Episode 1

2010-03-01T12:29:00.010+08:00

Don't sit too close to your computer and make sure your room is well lit when you are reading Chika-Chin's Anime Mania! =^v^=

Meet Hayate, one of the surviving species of really good men. He holds on firmly to the advice given by his own conjured Santa that people who doesn't work doesn't deserve to eat. But then, Santa is his only form of assurance in a life of misfortune, not only was he born into a poor family, his parents are completely delusional. Delusional enough to run off with their son's hard-earned money, causing him to lose his job and on top of that, leaving him with a debt higher than Mount Everest as a Christmas present.

Thanks to his well-trained body due to working so much, Hayate manages to escape from the clutches of the loan sharks sent to take him away. Could it be a sign that God was helping him for him to meet the daughter of a rich family in the park on such a dreary cold night? Well, the angel said go for it! As Hayate formulates a brilliant kidnapping plan, two young guys attempted to hit on her. When one of them got too pushy, Hayate unconsciously came to the young lady's aid and gave him a good smack.

Though it was a good deed, it totally ruined his plans to use her for ransom. But she offered him a deal for saving her life, which he immediately took up with an improvised plan - just ask her to go out and stay with him. No, he does not mean it that way, he just wanted her to stick to him while he calls her guardian for the ransom. LOL But look at the little lady misunderstanding his intentions. Ah, pure feelings of the young! >:D

However, it was not meant for Hayate to be lucky in any sort of way. Not only did he blew up his plans by identifying himself to the girl's guardian, his last remaining money fell into the drain. A young lady bumped into him as he lied on the ground feeling miserable for himself. She borrowed him her muffler, and her act of kindness burned a new fire in him. Just then, they heard the little mistress scream and saw her being piled into a car. Now that's how you kidnap someone! :p

Hayate, the upholder of justice, of course did his best to save the little miss (putting aside the fact that he tried to kidnap her as well). He successfully put a stop to the kidnappers albeit ending up in a pool of blood and gore so bad the producer decides to censor it. :p Who knew his second act of bravery lands him a job as a butler for the Sanzenin mansion. Well, he did ask for a job and the little miss has definitely taken a liking to him after his blunt 'confession'...

If you're looking for something quirky and humorous, this is definitely the anime for you. I watched this with my boyfriend, and we couldn't stop laughing right from the start - the snobbish girl trying to intimidate a malicious robot more than ten times her size, Hayate's blunder with the narration, the narrator himself - it was pure comic! The part where they censored Hayate on the ground bleeding was so unexpected it was hilarious! And what the hell was with that confession...? ROFL

Hayate is really cool - that is before his 'accidents'. The characters all seem really interesting. I love the art. Ok, it's not really all that great but it somehow feels right to the anime, get it? I don't rave too much about the music though... Maybe I just need it to grow on me more. Well, it's typical happy anime music anyway, so some of you might like it. But this is definitely an interesting watch, even the narration will crack you up!

Chika was Poisoned!

2010-02-25T12:35:00.002+08:00

I'm writing this in agony, though it's not as bad as the past two days. I'm been a total handicap. I couldn't even stand, much less walk. So I've only been a crumpled ball on my fiance's bed, who's not much help in easing the pain. T_T

We finally went to a doctor when I could muster enough strength for a quick shower and that painful walk to the escalator and down from the apartment to the car. We went to a clinic I've been to once before, I assumed it was due to gastritis (that's practically the only reason I ever go to clinics). First thing doc said to me when I came in was, "have you done anything about your back?" I was so shocked, I was like how did you know??? Apparently the reason I saw him last was because of my stupid back.

Turns out I didn't have food poisoning like what I assumed on my own. Instead, I had chemical poisoning (it happens when you eat preservatives or spices your tummy is not used to). Thank God for the drugs, helped me made it through my presentation in class later that night. And my lecturer was impressed... Though I did miss out a few things. :D

So the tummy's still not as good as it used to be. I've stuck myself to eating soft food (nothing fun) and the trips to the toilet ain't anything fun either. At least there's one lesson you can learn from here: be wary of the things you put in your mouth. (>_<)"

Kiss/Hug

2010-02-20T14:22:00.001+08:00

Kiss/Hug is a short, 3-volume, shoujo manga series by Mitsuki Kako. The series which was serialized in Betsucomi in 2007 centers around the love story of Ryuu and Yukino. Yukino has a penchant for running away with her mouth. It can be a good thing, it can be a bad thing. It was the reason the hottie Ryuu was intrigued by her but it was also the reason Yukino landed into trouble with some delinquents at the Tanabata festival.

Things took a twisted turn when Ryuu declares that he would make her his and ends up staying at her family's flower shop. Despite having zero experience in love, Yukino slowly warmed up to him and felt love blooming in her heart. But it was not long before she realized what a mismatched couple they were. She was just a simple high school student while Ryuu was a young business prodigy. The difference in their worlds continued to set them apart but true love was a strong bond not easily broken.

First thing, I have to get this out of me: Ryuu-kun is sooo smoldering haaawwttt! *^^* Kiss/Hug is short, sweet and simple. I don't have a problem with it being short. As the focus was only on the problem of their differences and not 101 other things common to shoujo, it made the manga more real like. Of course there's exaggeration on the whole lifestyle part, but the feelings conveyed were something readers could relate to.

The art is also very beautiful especially the scenes at Ryuu's private island. But I thought that the dress Yukino wore to the party with Ryuu did not match her character much. She should have opted for something more young, but then again, she had to match up the one of the world's business tycoons. The characters are all very lovable, the assertive Ryuu, the straight-forward Yukino, Ryuu's assistants, Yukino's mother and even her pets! So overall, it was a very lovely read. Totally made me sigh in the end... :D

Genre: Drama, Romance, School Life, Shoujo
Rating: 9/10

Kuroshitsuji OVA - Sono Shitsuji, Kyougyou

2010-02-18T19:43:00.018+08:00

This was definitely something I needed to feed my hunger for more Sebastian and Ciel-kun~ \(^o^)/ Fan service! Fan service!

Kuroshitsuji OVA has nothing to do with the first season of the anime, nor does it have anything to do with the second. It's an independent episode with a stand alone storyline set somewhere between the time line of the first season (before things started getting hot ^^). Here's a little summary of the special episode:

The Phantomhive company is hosting a play for a children's charity. Of course something just had to go wrong... The ship which all the actors were on board had sunk and they can't make it for the play. But postponing the play would give a bad name to Phantomhive! What else would Ciel do? Leave it in the hands of his one hell of a butler to fix things up! :D

What do you think Sebastian would do? He gathers everyone to make the play - including the unsuspecting master! ROFL So typical Sebastian to get to Ciel like that. Considering the total clash of personalities, it seems that getting the play together was not going to be an easy task. Everyone has their own opinion on how the play should be like.

In the end, they managed to pull through a very screwed up Hamlet but it was all good since the kids totally loved it. Curtains down, they all deserved a standing ovation for their efforts. Oh, wait! There's going to be more? What is this? A sushi battle!?! ROFL

I have to say, I had a darn good laugh. This OVA served well in curing some of the Kuroshitsuji lovesickness I've been having and making me anticipate for more of Sebastian and Ciel. Oh, I've missed those adorable Kuroshitsuji characters so much! I can't wait for both the other OVA and for Season 2. *drools* Ciel-kun, my love... >,<

Rating: 10/10 (Hamlet disaster!!! LMAO)

Omake ^_^

Curry gives you energy to work!

Sebastian can get very angry too

The dog gets to stay home and watch the house

Nori!!! LOL

I kill you!

The director gets a spot in the limelight as well?

Ophelia we love you~

Road to Otakuism - Back to School

2010-02-17T13:03:00.005+08:00

A lot of the themes of anime out there today revolves around school life. Though generally the education system are the same between countries, there are significant differences. This week we will learn about the Japanese education system to give us a clearer idea of a Japanese student's quest in learning.

From as early as three years old, little children are sent to kindergartens in their areas for early education. This might be due to working parents, and also the pressure on a Japanese student to excel in their studies. Students normally study in a school in their prefecture up to Junior High School. However, there is high competition between students to enroll in a good Senior High School as it is usual to have several Senior High Schools in the same prefecture. Over one-quarter of Senior High Schools are private, indicating the extent of the competition - parents are willing to pay substantial amounts for their children's education.

The School

Gakkou: School (General)
Youchien/Hoikuen: Kindergarten/Pre-school (from age 3)
Shougakkou: Elementary school/Primary school (from age 6 to 12)
Cyuugakkou: Junior Highschool/Lower secondary school (from age 12 to 15)
Koukou(Koutou-Gakkou): Senior Highschool/Upper secondary school (from age 16 to 18) - the peak of pressure for a Japanese student as entry to senior highschool is by an entrance exam.
Daigaku: University
Senmon Gakkou: Special technical/vocational school - offer students the chance to combine Senior Highschool studies with a vocational subject such as motor mechanics, hairdressing, architecture and so on. These are generally four-year courses, and start after Junior High School.
Daigakuin: Graduate school - Masters & Doctoral courses
Jyoshikou: All girls' school
Jyoshidai: Girl's college
Danshikou: All boys' school
Tandai: Junior college - in contrast to university education that put emphasis on scientific principles or theoretical research and education, junior colleges focus on education that allow students to learn skills useful to them after their graduation. Approximately one-third of the junior colleges are women's colleges where a majority of the courses offered are on humanities, home sciences, education and social sciences.
Juku: Cram school - extra lessons to help push bright students further or help others to catch up to the crowd. The classes may run until late and a 12-hour day is not unusual for a Japanese highschool student (before homework)

The Student

Gakusei: Student
Shougakusei: Elementary school/Primary school student
Cyuugakusei: Junior Highschool/Lower Secondary School student
Koukousei: Senior Highschool/Upper Secondary School student
Daigakusei: University student
Jyoshikousei: Highschool girl
Ronin: A student who failed the university entrance exam and is waiting for his/her next chance
Daburi: A student who's repeating a year
Chuubou: A slang referring to Junior Highschool student
Doukyuusei: Classmate
Jyoukyuusei: Upper-class student
Kakyuusei: Student in a lower grade
Tenkousei: transfer student
Ryuugakusei: A student studying abroad

School Activities

Bukatsu: Club activity
Bushitsu: Clubhouse/room
Testo: Examination
Kuizu: Quiz
Cyuukan-Testo: Mid-term exam
Kimatsu-Testo: Term-end exam
Hosyuu: Supplementary lesson, an extra lecture
Houkago: Afterschool
Saboru: Play truant from school, cut classes.

Nabari no Ou - Episode 5

2010-02-16T13:08:00.001+08:00

I tell you... There's something really unnerving with Miharu's cat. Don't tell me Shiratama's actually someone in disguise?!?! (O.o)|||

Thobari had sent his three students back home early although he himself had to stay back while he recuperates. He further instructs them to destroy all the Banten ninja books he had kept hidden in the school. Miharu's wounds had properly healed, however it seemed that he had lost his sight in his injured eye. As the other two worried about the location of the Banten's secret art, Miharu wondered if the Shinrabanshou had left his body.

While they proceeded on their mission, they found out that Raimei's parents had passed away. She declares that she was a tengai kodoku (a person without family or friends) but Miharu and Aikawa reminded her of their friendship. Feeling uneasy, Raimei excuses herself. We see a flashback into Raimei's past, when she was first bestowed her katana by her mother. We then learn the true identity of the Shimizu samurai clan, whose purpose was to eliminate all those who seeked to misuse the Shirabanshou power.

When Miharu got home, he was surprised to see Yamase-sensei waiting for him with an unusual request. He wished that Miharu uses the Shirabanshou power to help him correct his past and return to his family. When Miharu refuses, Yamase-sensei once again shows his aggressive streak and attacks Miharu. Miharu manages to escape, and Raimei and Aikawa turned up for the rescue.

Before Aikawa could finish him off, Raimei stops him and interrogates Yamase-sensei regarding the whereabouts of her brother, Raikou. Raikou had disappeared to join the Kairoushuu after killing their whole family. Yamase-sensei did have some information to share, however it was only of the time when Raikou first appeared at Kairoushuu. Yamase-sensei took his chance to escape after leaving some nasty words for Miharu on how everyone around him, including his friends, were only using him because of the Shirabanshou. However Raimei reassures him that she would always be on his side, despite her quest for revenge.

In the meantime, back at Fuuma's village, Koutarou has already gathered some data for their next move. I have to say, though I've liked Koutarou before this, after he showed his calculating side, I'm starting to dislike him. Fight him Thobari-sensei! Don't you dare lose!!! >.<" Argh, but I guess he can't stand up against the legendary Koutarou. Back at home, Aikawa and Raimei decides to stick close to Miharu in case of any more impeding danger. And guess who dropped by for an evening snack?

OMG, it's been so long since the last episode review, I totally forgot what happened. But I have to say, this is the episode I've been waiting for~ The appearance of Raikou!!! Even from the opening video, the character that had always caught my attention the most had been that pink-haired bishie! I'm so glad we're gonna see more of him from now on. :D Feed my insatiable lust for bishies... *rubs hands*

Raimei's past came somewhat as a shock to me. I totally didn't expect it. And I didn't expect that her reason for sticking close to Miharu was to get closer to the Kairoushuu and inherently, her traitor of a brother. It's getting really interesting now, and Yoite's appearance at the end really made my heart thump. Is Miharu going to be okay?

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

2010-02-14T00:00:00.003+08:00

Taking some time to wish my friends a roarrring good year. May this year of the tiger bring you lots of joy and prosperity, and don't forget to share it with me. *^^* If there's anything you've wanted to do but have not done due to 1001 excuses, throw it all out and just do it! What's life if it's not a big adventure? ^_^

Happy Chinese New Year! Please reserve for me some red packets... I'm totally broke! T___T

PS/
I forgot to mention, Happy Valentine~ Hope you guys have fun with your loved ones! *_*

Dogs: Bullets & Carnage

2010-02-13T19:01:00.003+08:00

Dogs: Bullet & Carnage is an anime adaptation of the popular manga by Miwa Shirow titled Dogs: Stray Dogs Howling in the Dark and its followup Dogs: Bullet & Carnage. The four episodes OVA brings us into the lives of the four different protagonists, each with his/her own colourful life in a city laced with crime. Interestingly, each protagonist have been in contact or came across each other in some part of the story.

The first episode revolves around an ex-mercenary Mihail and his return to the city to make up for a mistake in the past. The second episode introduces to us the easy-going Badou and his extreme addiction to nicotine (give it to him or he'll rampage around the city with his gun!). The third episode stars a pitiful young girl whose sole purpose in life was to revenge the death of her murdered parents. And lastly, we get to know the story of Heine, who is a result of an underground genetic experiment.

The major problem I can identify here is that the run time is way too short for any sort of proper development to take place. You don't see much character development in 15 minutes, hence there is a lack of emotional relation to the series. There is also a lack of scene and storyline buildup which contributes to a lot of confusion and questions left hanging. But the thing is, you can't shake the feeling that there's more to the series than just this. It makes me somewhat unable to forgive the production house for not being able to portray the anime's full potential than what is.

There's a lot of work that needs to be done on the art. At some points the characters limbs doesn't seem to be attached to their bodies properly, such awkward postures. And some scenes are so unreal it's hilarious! Colours are sometimes a bit off, but they did well in portraying the gloomy mood of the anime. I like the opening theme, so 007-ish. Definitely tells me I'm in for a lot of guns and fun and the closing theme is not so bad either.

It's not really that bad if it's given more length and gets past all the gun fights to the core storyline. I have not read the manga yet, but I've learned that it is actually a really good read. So maybe we can write this off as one of those failures of manga adaptation. So if you haven't read the manga, don't be discouraged to read it!

Genre: Drama, Action, Sci-fi, Seinen
Studio: David Production
Rating: 5/10

For reviews per episode, please see as below:
Episode 1: Weepy Old Man
Episode 2: Gun Smoker
Episode 3: Blade Maiden
Episode 4: Stray Dogs Howling in the Dark

Road to Otakuism - Honorifics

2010-02-10T22:08:00.005+08:00

This week, this guide will shed some light into the meaning of some honorifics so commonly used in Japanese language, and in anime in particular. The Japanese practices a very polite culture and this is reflected in their figure of speech. The use of honorifics in Japanese speech is to show respect; to emphasize social distance or disparity in rank, or to emphasize social intimacy or similarity in rank.

San: A standard honorific similar to Mr, Ms, Mrs etc although it does not have a particular gender associated with it. Generally used between peers and acquaintances and less commonly between friends for its formal note. The Kansai dialect pronounces this as -han (I think it sounds so graceful. Hehehe) It is also widely used in different ways to describe different things/situations. For example, the honorific can be attached to animals or to address a person by his/her occupation (nikuya-san for butcher).
Chan: Chan is an intimate form of address. Close-knitted families use -chan to address each other and -chan is often used to, and by, very young children. Young teenage girls often address their peers with -chan and changes this to -san when they are older. Although traditionally honorifics are not applied to oneself, some young women adopt the childish affectation of referring to themselves in the third person using -chan. There are also baby talk versions whereby -chan can be changed to -tan or less commonly, -chin. These are popularly used in the names of moe anthropomorphisms, in which a cute female character represents an object, concept, or popular consumer product ie OS-tans.
Kun: Male dimunitive. A socially higher male could use -kun to address his juniors. People also use -kun to address male children or male teenagers. Teenage girls would use this to address their male peers. Although it is generally used for boys, there are instances when females are addressed as -kun as well. For example, in a business setting, younger females may be addressed as -kun by elder males. A teacher may call his students, male or female, -kun.
Sama: It is more respectful version of -san and is used to address a person who is of a very much higher rank, towards customers and sometimes towards an greatly admired person. When used to refer to oneself, -sama reflects extreme arrogance as in ore-sama. It is often applied to pronouns, for example minna-sama for everyone or dochira-sama for who in keigo, or honorific language. -Sama also customarily follows the addressee's name on postal packages and letters, and in business email.
Senpai: -Senpai is used to address a senior (colleague, fellow student). It generally means upperclassman but can be used to address someone who is more experienced. Kouhai is the opposite of senpai, however it is rarely used to address a person.
Sensei: A respectful term meaning "teacher" and is also frequently used to refer to experts in a field or people in any respected occupation. It is used to address any kind of instructor, whether it be elementary school teacher, music tutor, or martial arts master. It is also used when referring to medical doctors, and professionals of certain vocations for example lawyers, master chefs, fashion designers, and even some manga artists. It is used to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or some other skill.
Dono: Generally means "lord" or "master" although it does not necessarily equate to a noble status. The usage denotes respect and lies somewhere in between -san and -sama. Samurai used -dono but this title is no longer used in daily conversation although you occasionally hear it in anime.

Hai, minna-san... Now you know the meanings of the various honorifics used in Japanese language and the situations in which they are used. Although there are many more, these are the more often used ones which you will definitely come across. And this might help answer some questions on the meaning behind the -chin in Chika's name. :P See you in the next post on Road to Otakuism~

New Enhancements

2010-02-09T00:12:00.002+08:00

Yay! I managed to steal in a review at the expense of finishing my six chapters for tomorrow's Crisis Management exam. Gah... But I figured if I don't try to slip in some time for blogging, this blog might be done for. There's absolutely no time to juggle left between my classes, presentations, assignments, wedding plans and fiance entertaining. =.="

I've been sleeping at 5AM practically everyday for the past two weeks in order to let myself have some sort of normalcy in life - like watch movies, karaoke, work, fetching fiance to work, hanging out... Play hard, study hard. The problem is, I've never been much of a sleeper. So no matter how early or late I sleep, I'll always be up by 9AM, latest 10AM. Last night I felt the toll it's been putting on me. I totally had brain congestion (so I quit reading the stupid journal I had to understand for the discussion today) and tried to go to sleep. Which I couldn't until 5AM. I guess my body was used to weird time warp. My whole body was aching and I had a major headache.

Well, it's my first day of period so that accounts for all the suffering last night. Though I'm fine now I have absolutely no interest to start reading the six chapters I'm required to finish for tomorrow's exam. Instead, here I am, exploring the wonders of my recently installed Windows 7. I've installed the official Nanami Madobe anime theme (Nanami-tan is Win 7 official mascot in case you didn't know) which I've personalized the background with my own anime desktop background collection. The sounds are so cute, except for the chin~ I've replaced that one with a ja jan~ instead. I'm so addicted to the ja jan~ sound. ^^

And I just found out that we could install skins for Firefox (why didn't anyone tell me!?!). My God, how backdated could I be. :( So I was happily surfing around and finally settled on this. This is how my browser looks like. So cute. :D Ah, the fonts are changed as part of my personalization of the laptop, not Firefox, just in case you're wondering. Wow, more anime in my life now. And I didn't think that was possible. XP My Eva pendrive was used for the first time to backup all the files before I installed the new OS. Well, I have to say all that GB are useful...

Anyone else using Windows 7? I have to say, it's awesome. At first I was a bit frustrated because some of my old programs like Dell Chat couldn't be installed (and damn I need that to talk to my fiance without wasting phone bills) and the OS couldn't recognize the built in bluetooth. Thank god Dell has all the necessary drivers available for download on their website, so I've managed to resolve all the problems I had earlier. So now I have to say, Win 7 roxxx! I'm installing it on my fiance's laptop too soon. :D

Well, back to the books with me... *sigh*

Dogs: Bullets & Carnage - Episode 4 (End)

2010-02-08T12:41:00.003+08:00

Remember the guy Badou called for help in the second episode? This time around, we find out his part of the story. Heine has always been trying to search for his lost memories. One night, while walking in a dark alley, he witnesses two men manhandling a girl. He dismisses the scene as an everyday occurrence in the underworld but changed his mind when he saw wings on the girl's back.

After saving the girl, he brings her to a motel but ends up regretting his actions. As he tried to get to know the girl a little better, he finds out that she was unable to speak. They were both products of a science experiment on making artificial lives. The girls reaches out to touch him but Heine pulled back and had a vision of a short haired girl he calls out as Lily. Just then, they were attacked by the organization which was after the girl and Heine was shot out the window.

Dead Heine comes back to life! And he's pissed beyond words, or you can sum it up in two words he puts as Fuck Off. LOL He goes back to a church where we see Badou and a blind priest in meeting. After stocking up his armors, he left the church, dragging a confused Badou with him. Badou was instructed to become the bait while Heine slips into the organization's headquarters. We get a chance to see Badou rampaging, yet again...

Amidst the commotion, the mutant girl took her chance of escape. Heine appears to save her from the boss and a gunshot ensued. Heine, who has an immortal body, of course has the upper hand. Mutant girl was then taken back to the church where she became the subject of the priest's cosplay perversion. We also learn that Heine suffers from gynophobia (fear of women) but seems immune to Nill, his new mutant friend.

Later that evening, during one of his walks, he bumps into a weird man wearing huge red spectacles who sneered at his current lifestyle and mentioned Lily's name. Just as Heine was about to teach him a lesson for pissing him off, he disappears into the air. Yeah, just as Heine puts it once again, fuck off...

I have to say, between the four episodes, this was my favourite one. Badou is funny, I liked the blind priest character (one of those goofy smiley ones but is actually very intelligent) and I absolutely love Heine. Maybe it's just the bad boy look but he is haaaawwwwttt! :D I loved Heine's shoot off scene too although it was a bit crappily done, but Heine's somersault jump was LOL! It was cool. But *sigh* the hanging storyline does make me a bit frustrated... I've got no time to read the manga!!! X_x

Another Hiatus

2010-01-30T07:55:00.002+08:00

Hey guys,

Really sorry to announce that I will be on a short hiatus to concentrate on my piling assignments and work. Well, it's not really news since I have been on a hiatus for a week now... *sigh* It'll probably be only for this next week. Hopefully. After that I think I can squeeze in some posts in between study.

Gomen! ^^"

Ninja Text for Your Site

2010-01-22T23:23:00.005+08:00

Do not ask how I found this. I have absolutely no idea how I got to the page either. But I thought it's pretty cool, and some of you might like it. It's a animated text generator that you can put up in your website or blog. All you have to do is just type out the text you want in the text box provided and click a button to get your codes. Then you'll see a little ninja writing out your text with his sword. Really simple and awfully cute.

Get your own ninja text here!

There's other generators from the same site - you can make a newspaper, a clapper board etc. Check it out, I especially liked the newspaper generator too. You get to type out your own news. Imagine an anime news flash. LOL

Dogs: Bullets & Carnage - Episode 3

2010-01-21T22:48:00.009+08:00

Episode 3 tells us the story of the newspaper girl we caught a glimpse of at Kiri's pub just before the crazy shootout. When she was a little girl, she and her parents were slaughtered by a hitman. Somehow, she miraculously survived and was saved by a stranger possessing the same katana used to kill her family. She then decided to dedicate her life to killing the man.

The first thing she was given was a knife and was told to learn to protect herself. He named her Naoto as she had lost her memories due to shock. They were interrupted by the man's partner, Magato, who seemed to take an interest in Naoto and called her Naoto the Second. There must be a story behind the name Naoto. Everyday Naoto trained to use a knife.

One day, after her job delivering newspapers (yes, we even see her dropping by Kiri's pub), she returned to find the stranger beaten to death with a knife in his heart. It was the work of Magato, who had always aimed to surpass him. Naoto unconsciously launched into combat. At first, she seemed to be on the losing side but she managed to pull herself together to deliver a final deadly blow. Or slash would be more appropriate. :P

As a reward for winning against him, Magato tells her about the truth behind her family's murder. The stranger who had saved her life, whom she had hated all this while, was not the actual murderer. Her family's murderer was the original Naoto who was hiding himself in the Underworld. Magato and the stranger had kept it a secret in order to save her from a life of vengeance. I don't think it did much, since all she thought about was killing him instead.

That is all. =.=" Of the three so far, this one has more questions left hanging in the end. So frustrating. I suggest if you guys really wanna know what's happening, go grab the manga. I'm gonna do the same. All the questions are driving me crazy!

Hana to Yume 2010 Calendar

2010-01-15T02:31:00.004+08:00

I know you'd all love this. I know I did. A 2010 illustrated calendar which came with the purchase of Hana to Yume January edition magazine; made downloadable all thanks to Omari's Sister! The calendar include illustrations from 12 renowned mangaka featured each month.

Omari's Sister also took pains to resize the calendar to fit perfectly onto your desktop. Kudos to her. Exactly what we need to start off our year. :D

Road to Otakuism - Genres of Anime

2010-01-14T09:19:00.003+08:00

Previously in the first post on Road to Otakuism, you've been introduced to the new exciting world of anime. Today, I'll provide you with a road map to help you navigate your way around. Try out all the different genres and find out which suits your tastes the most. Some are even served in a mixture for that extra bit of spice. ^^

Romance: Is there more explanation needed for this? It's all about luuuurvvveee~ Normally, it's closely related to the shoujo genre

Shoujo: Targeted to young and teenage girls. Often dealing with subjects of romance and love.

Shounen: Targeted to young and teenage boys. Often includes themes such as action, adventure or violence.

Josei: Target to late teens and middle aged women. A more mature and realistic version of shoujo.

Seinen: Targeted to late teens and middle aged men. Often portrays heroism, slapstick humour and sometimes mild sexual content.

Shoujo-ai: Suggested girl to girl relations (and love) or mild case of yuri.

Shounen-ai: Suggested boy to boy relations (and love) or mild case of yaoi.

Shotacon: Deals with sexual contents or suggestions involving young or underage boys (Chika does not condone this!)

Lollicon: Deals with sexual contents or suggestions involving young or underage girls (Chika does not condone this!)

Yuri: Girls love. Portrays intimate and sexual relationships between women.

Yaoi: Boy's love. Portrays intimate and sexual relationships between men.

Smut: Include sexually profane contents.

Ecchi: Not hentai per se, at least not the whole platter. Maybe I should say sexually teasing?

Adult: Deals with intense violence/sexual contents.

Gender Bender: Changing genders. Include cross-dressing and even body-switching sometimes!

Harem: As the genre suggests, it's all about one boy and a group of females who are obviously attracted to him. In cases when the gender is vice versa, it is known as Reverse Harem.

Slice of life: Portrays normal everyday life (or to some extent) or values.

Mecha: Derived from the word mechanical - Robots.

Tragedy: Beware of some heart-wretching moments.

There are various other genres not mentioned here because I think it is pretty much self-explanatory ie historical, sports, martial arts, sci-fi, supernatural etc. Most anime today consists of a mixture of elements/genres to make it more interesting. That ends our lesson this week on anime genres, ones I'm sure you've more or less made up your mind which you like best by now. Have fun exploring the different genres! :D

Dogs: Bullets & Carnage - Episode 2

2010-01-13T23:18:00.007+08:00

The second episode of Dogs centers around a character we've caught a short glimpse of previously. Remember the orange-haired guy who stepped off the tram after Mihai when he first returned to the city? That's the guy. Badou is an information gatherer; being one, it's not usual for him to be chased after. One day, during an adultery investigation, he had a little accident which led him stumbling to a private scene of a Don. That explains why he was on the run from two men, shooting at him on the rooftops.

Badou is such a klutz for an information gatherer. But this time, being clumsy helped him escape. Here we even catch a glimpse of Mihai carrying some groceries (he seems to be doing a lot of grocery shopping, this guy). Badou made a phone call to his accomplice, Heine, but Heine refused to help him out. Complaining to himself for Heine's lack of cooperation and his lack of cigarettes, he bumped into his two pursuers.

Just when things look bad, Mihai intervened and scared off the two men. Badou brought the lost Mihai back to Kiri's pub and they got into a hilarious discussion of hiring Mihai as a temporary bodyguard. But they were attacked by the forces of the Don. Don't underestimate the power of nicotine addiction. When Badou lost his chance for a smoke, he went amok and defeated all the armed men in a totally unrealistic showdown.

I was disappoint yet again at the end of this episode. But this time, although it wasn't what I expected, I still had the same "that was it?" reaction. The ending doesn't do the story justice. There is still the same issue regarding character development. I honestly would like to see more of Badou, he's an interesting character. And his job is an interesting one. Two old characters reappeared but nothing was done to further develop their characters from what we've seen in the first episode, they were merely props to fill the scene. But again, I understand the constraints of short OVAs. But hmmm... nothing of the boy who killed Mihai. Maybe the next one?

I've got two additional comments on this episode though. The art is noticeably bad compared to the first one especially at the time when he slid on the can of oil on the roof, and when he showed his middle finger shortly after. He didn't look like he was sliding at all, and his fingers didn't look natural. Secondly, I forgot to mention this in the previous review - check out the music, it's really good.

Dogs: Bullets & Carnage - Episode 1

2010-01-11T23:04:00.008+08:00

The episode opens with a scene of Mihai returning to a certain place after receiving news from his friend, Kiri, that Ian had killed the boss and became the Don. Ian was the son of the boss who had been left in his care. Mihai, who was then a hitman for the organization, was given the task to mold him into a professional killer. Although Ian was only ten, he had the maturity of a child who had not known parental love.

Mihai had a walk down memory lane to the peaceful days when it was just him, Ian and Milena, a prostitute who works in the same bar as Kiri. However, a few years later, Ian killed Milena for some unknown reasons. Outraged over the death of his loved one, Mihai pulls out his gun and was consequently fired from the organization for pointing a gun to the boss's son.

In a separate scene, a grown up Ian received news from his subordinate regarding the arrival of Mihai in the city. Ian then had a flashback to a time when he was training with Mihai and was then interrupted by Milena. It seems that Ian disliked Milena for some reasons. At the same time, one of Ian's subordinates was planning to execute him to gain power.

The next day, Mihai visited Milena's grave and met Ian, who also came to meet him. Ian recounts the time when Mihai had failed to pull the trigger and asks if Mihai came back to kill him. Kiri who also came out of concern for Mihai, notices a hitman hiding in the bushes and shot the man. However, Mihai and Ian were not unharmed. A shootout ensued and Mihai once again cooperated with Ian to defeat the hitman. At his deathbed, Ian reveals that the reason behind his act of Milena's murder was due to jealousy. He had felt that she was trying to steal his father figure away from him.

On the way back after groceries shopping the next day, Mihai bumped into a young boy who suddenly ran out of an alley. It was the same boy who had bumped into him earlier in the episode. To his surprise, the boy had struck him and left with some mysterious parting words, "with this everyone who knows everything will die".

I don't really know what to make of this. In the beginning, I was intrigued with the storyline only to be wholly disappointed in the end. I couldn't help but think, that was it? It was much too predictable, a total waste of a good build up. The character development was minimal, which is totally understandable due to the nature of the OVA being short episodic clips. But they could do much better in reaching out to the audience to relate to the characters or even the story.

But it was not too bad, and I'm curious about the young boy. What did he mean when he said "everyone who knows everything"? Who was he exactly? What did he have against Mihai? Because of that, I'm excited to watch the next episode as the episodes were said to have some sort of link to each other.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

2010-01-06T10:31:00.005+08:00

時をかける少女 or it's English title, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, is an animated film directed by Mamoru Hosada based on Yasutaka Tsutsui's novel of the same name. Much praise has been sung for the movie following its release in the summer of 2006 and its excellence recognized with various awards including the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in 2007. Although based on a book, the story is not a direct adaptation, more of a sequel of some sort which takes place a few decades later.

We are taken into the daily life of leading character, Makoto Konno, who was just an ordinary teenager enjoying life. She complains about her younger sister and loves to play baseball with her two best friends, Kousuke, the smart and dependable one, and Chiaki, who's a total slack. But for Makoto, it was one of those days when you tumbled out the wrong side of the bed and everything just seem to not be going your way. She nearly failed a pop quiz, caused a fire during cooking class, was whacked down by a flying student and a bunch of notebooks in two separate incidents, and her brakes failed her while going downhill hurdling into the path of an oncoming train.

She was jolted back to reality after crashing into an angry middle-aged lady who had just finished shopping. Much to her shock, and confusion, she was lying on the ground a few feet up the hill and minutes earlier from her death. Shaken, she recounts the whole incident to her aunt who reassured her that she had simply time-slipped and that it happened to girls her age all the time (whaaaaat?).

Makoto soon learns to control her time-slipping and uses her newfound abilities to change things to be how she wanted them to be. She goes back in time to eat the pudding which her younger sister finished, sing karaoke until she nearly loses her voice, play baseball like a champion, and avoid the accidents she encountered. It wasn't long before she learns that there are consequences to her changing the ripples of fate. Others got hurt in her place and she found out that she liked Chiaki despite erasing the time where Chiaki confessed his feelings for her. She then makes futile attempt after attempt to fix things back.

So let's hear the good stuff first. The movie in itself was a lot of fun - what would you do if you had the ability to time travel? The characters are absolutely charming, the emotions are portrayed so clearly it felt real and you cannot help but empathize with Makoto and her troubles. Now, the downside is I felt that the plot needed a major rewrite. After an enjoyable ride, it seems like they couldn't find a reason to put behind Makoto's ability so they slap in a weird hazelnut time traveling device. There were so many questions I had that was left unanswered so I was left in a state of confusion at the end of the movie. What was the significance of the painting? Exactly who was the witch aunt? Which era did Chiaki come from and what happened in his era to make him travel back in time? What the HECK was that ending? >:|

Rants aside, it was still an enjoyable movie. If you want to watch it, keep in mind to just enjoy the movie for what it is and not be bothered by the nitty gritty details involving the time travelling. Despite all that, the movie was very heartwarming. Time waits for no one, enjoy life as it is. ^^

Genre: Slice of Life, Sci-fi
Studio: Madhouse
Rating: 7/10

Road to Otakuism - What is Anime?

2010-01-06T10:08:00.002+08:00

With the new year, I've decided to start something new - my own version of a beginner's guide to anime fandom: "Road to Otakuism". Some of you might have been a huge anime fan for long, while some of you might have just been introduced to the world of anime. To the latter, I hope this guide helps to steer you the way the rest of us went down - the road to otakuism. I hope this guide will serve you well in understanding more of anime and some contents in my blog. :) Yosh, without further ado, let's get started!

The first essential question that needs to be answered before we open the door to otakuism is, what is anime? Yes, exactly what is anime? You're familiar with the word, but do you really know what it means? Does it carry a specific meaning? Isn't anime just like cartoon? Is it cartoon? There are various others who have debated on the notion, be it in their own blogs, groups or forums. If you read their discussions, you will see how much fuss the question has spawned. In fact, there might be people who disagree with me later at the end of this post.

The word anime in itself is actually derived from the word animation. For us outside Japan, it refers to animation originating from Japan, although it does not typically refer to all animation works. But how would you know how to distinguish which are anime and which are not? Simple. Anime are Japanese cartoons (Ah, I hear those gasps ^_^). Before I elaborate further, we need to rid ourselves of the closed mindset that cartoons are for kids.

You know just as well as I do that they are not. Take those cartoon strips in the papers for example; kids do not read papers and hell they do not find Adam @ Home or Dilbert funny. In fact, now that I'm older and I can actually understand things, I wonder how my parents could've let me watched so much of The Simpsons. I do not blame those who desperately holds onto the belief that anime is not cartoon, they just do not want to be looked down upon since most people regard cartoons as for kids.

However, anime more often than not consist of a more elaborate storyline than a cartoon. The storyline is as important, if not more so, as the visual. To put it simply, anime is like a movie that's cartoonized. Having said that, there are many different genres of anime available with different levels of understanding. Many anime deals with themes involving death, murder, politics, religion and include mature contents which may not be suitable for young viewers. Therefore, it is not something that should be brushed off as simplistic or "just for kids".

Anime production involves many details and is traditionally hand-drawn. With the recent technological advances, computer animation techniques has also been introduced into the production of anime. Originally, due to the expensive nature of business, limited animation techniques are used to create illusions to express feelings or generate more movements than there actually is. However, the cost-cutting techniques of exaggerated facial expressions and movements have become an integral part of today's anime.

Now you see that anime is a serious billion dollar industry. If your interest has been sparked, you know you're heading the same road I am. Go watch an anime now and watch it with a different light. I'll see you again in next week's post on anime genres. Till then! (^o^)/

Nodame Cantabile - Episode 1

2010-01-02T04:05:00.005+08:00

"People's memories tend to become embellished..."

The episode starts with a rather intriguing flashback of a certain person's memories against actual reality. He remembers how, as a kid, he used to sit in and watch an orchestra practice and was even offered to try conducting. However in actuality, he was often thrown out of the practice room by the conductor. The flashback ends with a scene inside a turbulent plane cabin and a dropped bottle of pills.

In present time, Chiaki, the son of renowned pianist Chiaki Masayuki, is a piano student of a musical academy. He was dissatisfied with the other students as he felt that they were without talent. During a lesson, mulling over a fellow student's big break to study overseas while he was stuck in Japan, he expressed his anger while playing the piano and was hit by his teacher. Picking up the fallen musical notes, the teacher notices Chiaki's notes and ridicules his dream to be a conductor. Chiaki blew off his top and after saying his regrets, the teacher left the room.

Walking down the hall, he heard the sounds of a piano being played messily. Although at first he dismissed it another lousy play, he was struck by the realization that the piece was played without any mistakes. Before he could find out who was playing, a girl angrily called out to him, intent on finding out what happened. They went off to a bar and Saiko tried to reason with him. Although he wanted to become a conductor, Chiaki had no intentions of transferring to the conducting section until he has perfected his piano. She tells him to study abroad but he can't take a plane after experiencing an emergency landing when he was a boy, nor can he take a boat after nearly drowning as well. In the end, he was dumped by his girlfriend for complaining too much.

A drunken Chiaki was found sleeping in a corridor by a young girl. He awakes the next morning to the same music he heard being played by the mystery student at the academy. Much to his chagrin, he found himself in a room filled with thrash and quickly ran out of the room only to find out that he will not be able to escape her. She was his next door neighbour!

At school, Chiaki was found by his weird neighbour who calls out happily that he had left his belt at her place. Wanting to avoid mistaken perceptions of the other students, he denies it and escapes from her again. Not for long. His new teacher, Tanioka Hajime was also the teacher of Nodame! While watching Tanioka and Nodame's lesson, he overheard some students commenting on Tanioka's reputation of teaching "failures". Mulling over his current situation (geez, Chiaki complains a lot >:/), Chiaki smells a waft of weird stench coming from next door and peeks over the balcony to see Nodame's balcony overflowing with thrash. He instantly runs over and ended up cleaning her whole apartment for her.

The next day, Tanioka-sensei entrusts them with the task of playing a piano duet. Chiaki at first refuses, but after being persuaded by the teacher, he agrees to take it on as "guiding his junior". Being the impatient ass that he is, he decides to jump straight into it after only giving the both of them 8 minutes of practice. Of course, Nodame screws it up before long. Tanioka-sensei explains that Nodame learns to play by listening to the music instead of reading the musical scores and so Chiaki decides to play for her in order for her to learn. Nodame was able to reduce her mistakes rapidly much to his surprise.

And then they were ready to show off their efforts. Nodame was obviously having the jitters though, she was shaking like a leaf! Before they start, Chiaki turned to her and told her to play however way she wanted. He recognized that she had talent and was confident that the only person who could match her pace was him. After going through so much practice together, Chiaki was familiar to Nodame's way of playing and was able to match her effortlessly. He remembers how his idol Vieira-sensei had once told him that it was really rare to pull off a performance so emotionally moving that it makes one's heart go doki-doki and felt that it was at that moment that his heart moved. Tanioka-sensei applauded him for successfully crossing over his hurdle and he realizes that the lesson was actually designed for him. The episode ends with Nodame's unsure love confession... Mukyaaa~ <3

Truthfully, I hated Chiaki's character at the start. He's snobbish, he's too gloomy and he complains too much. But it was funny how he found himself taking care of Nodame unconsciously. And I felt the part when he told Nodame to play as she like was just too sweet. He was definitely thinking of her. And Chiaki, lesson well learned. Instead of trying to change people, change yourself. :D But Nodame on the other hand, I absolutely adored her right from the start. She's just too cute! Really, who could hate such a simple-minded person?

Another New Year, Another New Beginning

2010-01-01T09:33:00.003+08:00

Happy New Year!!! Let's eat, drink and be merry~

Winter 09/10 Anime List

2009-12-30T11:17:00.004+08:00

I know this is really late but I just thought that I should put it up anyway before the year ends... in two days. :P

I have to say, this year line up has been somewhat disappointing to me (K-On is heading the same way as Suzumiya Haruhi, building up a huge fanbase eventhough it fails to glue me to the screen). But the gods of anime seem to want to make it up by closing the year with a bang. And yes, finally, we have lots to look forward to. Amen to that. The Winter Anime List at least looks promising to quench my thirst for non-slip slop animes.

So I'll raise my hands for Durarara!! for the reason that I think Brains Base has been improving significantly over the past year. It looks like something new that's worth a try. Dance in the Vampire Bund is also a hell yes! Vampires, what more should I say? ^^ Nodame is back~!!! I shamefully have just finished watching Nodame Cantabile & Paris and I tell ya, I'm addicted to it. It's definitely one of those animes you never want to end.

I think Qwaser of Stigmata will do much satisfy my sadist side - there seems to be a lot of blood involved *licks lips*. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu might be just the thing to watch and not think, just sit back and laugh your guts out. Another one to watch and laugh will most probably be Ladies vs Butlers. And I'm definitely going to watch Ookamikakushi, I love supernatural genres linked with ancient times. =^.^=

Now I can finally calm my nerves after cursing the year throughout for the lack of something good to watch. But I guess the economy hasn't been too good for them to throw in too much cash into anime production. But that's not an excuse for bad storylines. Boo~

Friends of Chika

2009-12-28T11:36:00.013+08:00

To avoid clutter as per the previous layout, I've decided to have a separate page dedicated to blogroll. If your links are missing, please let me know. I'm still searching... ^^" If you want to exchange links, just email me or drop a message here.

Anime pages

Non-anime pages:

New Layout!!!

2009-12-27T20:13:00.006+08:00

Dekimashita!!! I finally managed to finish the new layout I've been working on since the past two weeks! Yatta!!!

So how is it? It's much more cleaner than my old layout. I'm trying to get rid of all the nonsense I used to put. LOL XD The little icons on the top still does not work except for Twitter. <--- It all works now ^_^

Ah, in the process, I lost your links... Eeek!!! Could you give it to me again? I'll relink you back I promise. ^^ There goes my hit counter too... I simply reset it to 0... Anyway, take a look and let me know what you think!

Jaa ne~

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T00:32:00.003+08:00

It's that auspicious time of the year again where we can look forward to gifts, gifts and more gifts. But make sure you give some in return, it's not all about taking. :) I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas (don't forget to send something my way... I'll gladly give out my address XD ROFL). It's been a blessing to get to know you all~

Well, it's Christmas and I'm home reading smut manga with nothing much to do. I can see fireworks outside my window, it's really beautiful. I love fireworks! Most of my friends are away visiting their families, so we're only celebrating Christmas together later. We've planned for a girl's sleepover with make-over sessions and Disney movies. LOL Sometimes it doesn't hurt to indulge in my feminine side. What are you guys doing this holidays? I wish there's snow though, I miss the snow. But I abhor the cold. >.<"

My earliest memories of Christmas was when I was staying in the States back when I was little. We slept over at my mom's foster parents at Slidell. Aunt Betty made a candy house and gingerbread cookies and took me to the park to see ice sculptors. That night me and my brother slept in front of the fireplace with Uncle Cecil waiting for Santa. I wasn't waiting for him to get some presents. We had the fireplace lit up and Uncle Cecil got me convinced it would be absolutely hilarious to see Santa burn his ass when he comes down the chimney. :D Yeah, I was quite the mischievous kid.

But it was fun. I hope you guys have fun this Christmas too and make some great memories... Merry Christmas! (^v^)

Gearing Up This Winter

2009-12-23T21:17:00.007+08:00

Here in Malaysia, we do not have the privilege of experiencing four different seasons. Instead, we're blessed to have the sun and the rain all year long. I absolutely love the sun and the rain, and really wouldn't have it any other way. But somehow this year, I'm not sure if it's just me, but don't you guys feel that it's been extremely cold lately? It's never been this cold before even during the rainy season. Somehow we're experiencing winter along with the northern hemisphere. Chika hates the cold... :(

So I got myself an extremely kawaii jacket to combat the chilly air. \(^_^)/ My shopaholic ex-colleague shared with me a really awesome online shop which sells a lot of Japanese styled clothing and I found these lovelies:

Kawaii deshou? *^^* I love it! I bought the dark brown one. Chika don't have to be afraid of the cold anymore~

PS/ I forgot the link to the online shop. If you guys want I'll get it from my ex-colleague again...

07-Ghost - Episode 1

2009-12-11T03:19:00.010+08:00

The episode starts off with a shady scene of a boy and a man amidst a ruined city. It was a recurring dream our hero, Teito, has been having for quite some time though he is unable to recognise the man in the dreams. Well, dreams aside, a big day was coming for him and the rest of the 315th class of the glorious Barsburg Empire Military Academy. It was the final exam to become a certified Begleiters (German for adjutants) and the rate of passing was only 20 out of 500 graduating students.

It seems that Teito was not a very friendly person but he must be a good student judging from the special treatment he was getting from the academy (and the fact that the class president is picking on him from obvious jealousy). But our hero has a loyal aide by his side by the name of Mikage, who was a pure-hearted boy. After classes, they saw a battleship known as Hoburg Stronghold fly by and Mikage commented on how he would become a soldier so that he could protect his family. Hearing this, Teito became silent. Apparently, he does not remember his past.

True enough, Teito demonstrates his superb fighting skills while practising with Mikage for the final exam. But then again, he wouldn't be the hero if he didn't have superb fighting skills now would he? ^_^ Later that night, the two boys had some pillow talk before going to sleep. Awkwardly trying to express his feelings, Teito recounted his past of being a slave hence he did not know the feeling of love but admitted that Mikage was what he felt his best friend. Awwww... And they swore to protect each other no matter what.

The big day finally came. The students were divided into several groups and given their first task - to defeat and kill a criminal who was assigned to fight with them in exchange for a shorter prison term. The criminal wasted no time in bashing up Teito's team. But the two besties demonstrates strong partnership and Teito manages to bring the criminal to his knees but refuses to kill the criminal. A snobbish looking officer, Chief Ayanami intefered and delivered a killing blow much to their surprise. Although they didn't kill the criminal as required, they still passed along with 17 other students.

That night, Teito had the same dream of his little self and the unknown man again. Mulling over the dream the next morning, he heard a distant familiar sound and went to search for the source of it. He found some officials, including Chief Ayanami, discussing about some stones and the Eye of Mikhail. Upon hearing this, Teito remembers that the unknown man in his dreams was his father who was murdered by Chief Ayanami. Teito rages in to attack Chief Ayanami but was stopped and thrown into prison.

Of course Mikage was not going to keep quiet while his dearest buddy rots in jail. So he slips into the night and heads off to rescue his bestie only to find that his bestie has already managed to free himself. Not allowing Teito to shoulder the burden of escape by himself, Mikage dragged him to a flying motorbike Hawkzile which he has prepared earlier. However they were cornered before they could escape and Teito used Mikage as a hostage in order to save Mikage from being convicted for helping a criminal. Teito jumps onto the Hawkzile and flew off, but not fast enough to avoid a little attack from Chief Ayanami.

We'll find out what happens to our dear little hero in the next episode. He doesn't look too good. More interestingly, three new bishies has appeared~!!! =^o^= What can I say? I'm a sucker for bishies. So 07-Ghost has definitely caught my attention. Bishies, great art, good action, so far so good storyline... What more could you ask for? ^^ Bishies, bishies, bishies... XD

Tinier Me

2009-11-30T12:48:00.003+08:00

I stumbled across a Tinier Me ad in Facebook and decided to just give it a try for the heck of it (since I'm now a NEET and have no obligations). What caught my eye was the cute anime/manga like characters - I just wanted to know what it was about. You could say that Tinier Me is another one of those community gameplay things like Gaia Online and so on. Originally, Tinier Me is a Japanese site called Selfy and now it is an English open beta.

The English version is designed as a web-based manga and anime style virtual world. What you can do is create a mini anime/manga like dynamic flash avatar called SELFY and dress it up the way you want. You will also have your own personal room to decorate and invite people to. There's a cosy town called SELFY Town where you can go to meet people or go fishing or play games. For now, the only two games are fishing and old maid. I haven't tried the old maid but the fishing was hard like hell! >.<" And of course they have forums where you can hold discussions or create groups.

Well, for now there's nothing much. I guess it's still too new. But you can invite your friends and you and your friend will get loads of coins when your friend accepts your invitation. There's also a diary system which I'm not sure how it works yet. You will also be rewarded with some coins for daily log in. For now and I'm not sure for how long, everything in the store is going for really cheap. So it's a good time to start playing. >:D If you want, just give me your emails, I'll send you an invitation. :)

Faster Than A Kiss

2009-11-25T06:45:00.004+08:00

キスよりも早く or Faster Than A Kiss is a shoujo manga series by Meca Tanaka. The series is is published by Hakusensha and is currently still ongoing since March 2007. The story revolves around 16 year-old high school student, Fumino, and her secret marriage life to her English teacher Ojiro.

No, those two were not in love with each other when they got married. For Fumino, it was a marriage of convenience. She and her oh-so-cute younger brother, Teppei, has been living with their relatives since their parents died. Sick and tired of moving around, Fumino decided to take matters into her own hands and ran away with Teppei. But it wasn't easy to quit school and find a job to support themselves, they ended up dejected on a park bench.

That was when her English teacher Ojiro found them. In a heated argument, she blurted out that the only way for her to continue with school was if he married her to support the two of them. To her surprise, Ojiro-sensei agrees. Life was definitely good living with Ojiro-sensei who absolutely adores Teppei and who Teppei loves back as well. Ojiro-sensei also never pushed her to fulfill her wifely roles with only one exception: she must dress up in young wife cosplay and greet him when he gets back from work everyday.

Later, Fumino found out that Ojiro-sensei was not as plain as the image he tries to put up. He used to be a delinquent and had been cast out by his family. Little by little, feelings started to bloom between the two of them but much to her frustration, Ojiro-sensei still refuses to touch her! Rumours are also starting to circulate around school of their relationship! And what is the reason behind Ojiro's estranged younger brother's transfer to their school!? Follow the progress of their love life as they fall deeper in love with each other and keep the marriage a secret from the knowledge of the school.

Shoujo lovers gather round! This will definitely feed your lust for romance. The first thing that attracted me to read this manga was the storyline. Hey, it's your typical forbidden student-teacher love, what else is there to say about it? :D And I was right, the plot is full of exciting romance, suspense and bone ticklers! So much so that it has me biting my fingers in frustration waiting for the next chapter to be released (when's the next chapter going to be released??? Arghhhh!!! >_<").

The character development is very well done. You can see a significant difference in Fumino before she fell in love. She used to be known as a violent girl and was fearfully ostracized in school but then learns to treat others more gently and started to make a lot of friends. And who would have thought plain-looking Ojiro-sensei was a renowned delinquent? I can't wait for the next chapter to be released. I heart this! *screams* When's the next chapter going to be released!?!

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
Rating: 10/10

Entering NEET Life

2009-11-17T14:53:00.003+08:00

Some of you might already know, as of last Saturday, Chika is now officially a NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training). And proud to say that she is one. XD

It feels so good not to have to wake up at 7am and go through an hour and a half of traffic jam to get to work. It feels so good to see that it's 3pm and I'm walking out in the sun and finally having dinner at planet Earth's dinner time not some wee hours. It feels so good to be free~

Due to certain circumstances, I decided to quit my job and go back to studying. Not that I don't love my job, but two years in event management can really put a toll on you. And it has always been my target to at least finish my Masters. And since I'm getting married next year (oh by the way, the date got pushed back to 31st December :/), I see now's the best time to get it over and done with. So back into international politics! And this time I'm gonna be cracking my brains in defense policy. I can't wait! :D

Though it's quite a gamble to quit before I even get that stupid offer letter from the uni. Yes, I haven't got it yet. They're only giving it out later this month and semester's starting in Dec!?! But I don't think it'll be a problem to get a place. Even if I don't, I'm still working part-time for my company anyway. LMAO XD So freedom~!!!!

What's so good with becoming a NEET I tell ya:

Chika now have time to exercise
Chika can now bathe before she sleeps
Chika can now do facial masks
Chika now have the time to do manicures
Chika now have the time to blog
Chika now have the time to read manga
Chika now have the time to watch anime
Chika might no longer have the money to do the above...

Happy NEETing~!
*kicks back leisurely*

What It Takes To Pull Off A Beauty Pageant & Fashion Show

2009-11-10T22:46:00.004+08:00

Hey peeps, just three more days to go and I'll be jobless. LOL I'll be going back to school to get my masters degree. I can't wait, I need the break off work. :D

Last weekend was my last big project and I have to share it with you guys. It was fun! I got to organise my own beauty pageant and fashion show! Cool huh? All the while the only thing that kept running through my head was, this is sooooo Paradise Kiss! XD Of course minus all that flowers and ruffles but still...

Though it was great fun, I have to tell ya, it was a lot of work. The whole contest was to look for an ambassador for the client, basically the girl will become the face of the product. We went through a few stages throughout the contest:

Recruitment at colleges & malls.
Audition of selected top 25 girls.
2 training workshops over two Saturdays for the 11 finalists (the judges found the girls to be too good to pass up and opened up two extra spaces. However one couldn't make it as she was preparing for an important exam). We had our local supermodel Amber Chia and local artiste Ning Baizura gracing us with their presence.
Teaser Fashion Show Catwalk to draw crowd on the upcoming finale of the contest.
FINALE where the girls had to strut their stuff on the catwalk.

I have to say, after choreographing the girls, I felt so proud to see them walk down that stage. I was literally bursting with pride. After all the hard work, it was all worth it for that moment. :) Even if I ended up dead on my bed the whole day yesterday (I only had 6 hours of sleep in total since Friday).

I had tremendous help from our own fashion freak in the office to help out with coordinating the fashion show. And thanks to a local model and personal friend of my boss's (now mine) to help with the apparels and coordination as well. All in all, it turned out to be a huge success. At least I can leave proudly and say that I've done my jobs well.

If you guys missed the event, you can check it out at the Facebook fanpage.

Chika's Tragic Anime List #1

2009-11-04T00:32:00.015+08:00

I was speaking to one of my friends about the most tragic/saddest animes I've seen... Those kinds that really brought me to tears (and I'm not one to easily cry at movies). Sometimes, it feels good to just mellow down and watch a good stab in the heart kind of anime. These, I have to say, tops my list:

No.1: Grave of the Fireflies
It has got to be the most heart-wrenching anime ever made! I cried buckets watching this. You should not underestimate the depth of the story either. It's not just another simple tragic war anime. It clearly portrays the negative effects of war and the society living through it. Follow two siblings as they try to survive on their own and overcoming various obstacles amidst total chaos. Your heart would definitely go out to them.

No. 2: Dogs of Flanders
Oh gosh, this is also another tear jerker. The anime incorporates a very good mix of sweet adolescent romance and youthful purity against the cold hard truth of real life. Though the anime is cutesy and is rated family-friendly, be aware that the anime is set in a dark tragic mood and that there are a quite number of deaths featured. Though it's none of those gory and brutal kinds, parents may want to supervise their little ones while watching this.

No. 3: Saikano (She ~ Ultimate Weapon)
How can anyone go through so much in their love? This has got to be one of the most tragic love stories ever. Some reviews might criticise the anime due to the haphazard storyline but I personally feel that it was awesome. I think viewers shouldn't focus too much on the fact that she is a killing machine and do not compare the story to Eva. You should watch it and focus on how strong their love is for each other and how much they were willing to give up to be with each other even at such great expenses. It's so sweet. And the ending is just too tragic. I won't spoil it for you. I'll spoil it in my detailed review. LOL

No. 4: Elfen Lied
Good dosage of moe? Check. Cool ass android technology? Check. Splattering blood and flying limbs? Check. Great action scenes? Check. What else can you ask for? Even with all the gripping action, I have to say that this was one of the most tragic animes I've watched. And rewatched. And rewatched. From each character's backgrounds, to each character's present to the end, it's just filled with enough tragedy to make your heart cry out.

No. 5: Air TV
I only have one advise for you if you want to watch this. Prepare lots of tissues. I still can't get over it. I want more!!! You'd really love this one, it has all the elements to make a really good anime: beautiful art, captivating storyline, lovely melodies... A young boy on a journey searching for a girl with wings stops by a little quiet town and gets stuck in bizarre events and falls for a total klutz. And the story goes deeper from there... Watch it to find out. Gao gao! ^^

So if you need an excuse to burst that tears dam, go ahead and grab any one of these. Even if you're not planning to have an all cried out session, you still should watch these for the sake of a good watch! Well, these are for me the ones I couldn't help but cry list. Feel free to top it up if you have any other recommendations :)

Chika-Chin's A-Tweet-ing!

2009-10-20T22:47:00.005+08:00

Hey peeps! Chika is now on Twitter~ *^^*

Truthfully I have no idea how this thing works... What am I supposed to tweet about? LOL XD

The reason why I suddenly signed up for a Twitter account is because we made an account for my company and everyone has to follow it. Since I don't have a Twitter account, I had to sign up and make one.

Do follow me ya, eventhough I still have no idea what I'm gonna say. :)

Muaks~

xxxHolic - Episode 2

2009-10-19T21:29:00.001+08:00

Well he's back. But what exactly does a part-timer at a wish-granting shop do? Apparently cooking skills is part of the requirements.

In this episode, we see Watanuki's involvement in his first case! It involves a young lady who approached Yuuko's shop unconsciously and ended up requesting for her help as she was unable to move her finger. Watanuki who doubted Yuuko's honesty in running the shop thought it was another con job but then noticed some black smoke lingering around the lady's little pinky. Yuuko inquired whether the lady had any bad habits to which she dazedly denied. So Yuuko gave her a tiny ruby ring but told her to correct her bad habit before it was too late.

Things were looking great for Watanuki as well. The girl he likes striked up a conversation with him after gym albeit the little interruption by his love rival Doumeki. He heads off to work merrily but Yuuko commented that his face showed a bad omen and that Doumeki might be his guardian angel. Their conversation was cut short with the arrival of the same girl from yesterday. Today she was wearing the ring and the smoke was no longer around her little pinky. But it seems that she has not discarded her bad habit.

After she left, Yuuko stated that the girl would not be visiting them again. Fearing something bad would happen, Watanuki ran off after her to help her discover her bad habit. He witness how she unconsciously lies to everyone she knows about various things like her age, the place she works etc. After a meet up with an acquaintance in the middle of the pedestrian walk, she notices that the ring Yuuko gave her was cracked. She takes it off and black smoke immediately engulfed her, rendering her motionless. The traffic light turns red and a truck came speeding towards her...

Yeah don't worry. She's gonna be fine. Not that I care, I hate liars. But I have to say this, I knew that girl's bad habit was lying right from the start. But I thing I don't get is, what's the importance of the little finger? Yuuko mentioned that she had to find out the importance of our little fingers but I still don't get it. On another note, I absolutely love Yuuko's dresses!!! Yuuko says some really wise things that we should really pay attention to as well. I love her advice to Watanuki in the end, that our lives is determined by what we make of it. I believe so too.

Kimi wa Petto

2009-10-14T20:14:00.005+08:00

Kimi wa Petto or Tramps Like Us (no, that's not what it means in English) is a josei manga series by Yayoi Ogawa. It was serialized in 2000 and has 14 volumes in total. The manga was even awarded the Kodansha Manga Award for its excellence. It tells the life story of Iwaya Sumire, a young career woman struggling to go through life in a society where women does not take center stage, and her pet, a struggling young modern dancer.

Sumire Iwaya was a misunderstood young woman. Due to her strict work ethics and cool demeanor, her colleagues saw her as standoffish and rigid. Even her own boyfriend ends up impregnating another women he was having an affair with. Bogged down with stress at work and angst over her recent break up, she stumbles across a box which contained a homeless young boy and decides to take him in as a pet.

She found solace in the company of Momo-kun who often helped her in sticky situations. She also rekindles an old flame with her senior in college and things became serious between them. But it was not easy juggling daily life while trying to keep Momo a secret. When she was not able to chose between her boyfriend and Momo, she then came to realize Momo's importance in her life.

When I stumbled across this manga, I was immediately interested to read it. I sometimes call my boyfriend, (eh wait, he's my fiance now ^^") my pet as well. He used to follow every single thing I say, and I used to call him that out of annoyance. Even now, sometimes I still do feel that he's like a pet to me. And after reading the manga, I couldn't stop laughing. It was like the two of us drawn out on paper. So cool!

So maybe it's captivating for me as I can relate to it. After I finished with the whole series, I wanted a pet like Momo-kun and then knocked my own head. I do have one already. :D But seriously, this is a good read. It's very easy to relate to, whether you're single or if you have a boyfriend. The flow is well done, taking you from troubled moments to happy moments, funny moments to frustrating moments etc. The story did not only focus on Iwaya's perspective but also from other important people in her life.

The art is also simply beautiful. Ogawa puts in a lot of effort in creating the ambiance of a scene so you feel magically transported. I've read another manga by the same mangaka, the art is not very much different from the other manga. But I like it, her characters has a more realistic feel than most.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Josei, Romance, Slice of Life, Mature
Rating: 9/10
Note: The manga is also adapted into a TV drama series of the same title. Part of the cast include Matsumoto Jun!

Nabari no Ou - Episode 4

2009-10-13T23:26:00.008+08:00

The great Fuuma village leader made it just in time to save the lives of Thobari-sensei and the gang. Judging by how greatly outnumbered he was, the Kira user Yoite, tucked in his tail and escaped. And thanks to ninja medicine, the injured were all treated and were already recovering (How selfish to keep such amazing potions all to themselves when they could be curing millions around the world, don't you think?).

Miharu might need to get his eyesight checked after his bandage comes off, Aizawa has a broken arm and Thobari-sensei has much more serious injuries which he'll live through. Raimei, on the other hand, only had minor injuries and has retreated to reflect on her defeat. That night, there was a meeting with the whole village where Miharu was introduced as the Shinrabanshou to Fuuma villagers. It seems that Miharu was suspicious of everyone and their motives in removing/obtaining the Shinrabanshou, including Fuuma Koutaro himself.

When Thobari-sensei awakes the next day, another meeting was held between Thobari-sensei's group and Fuuma's leader. Koutaro shares his knowledge on the Shirabanshou and how there was no way to put a complete stop to its power. Removing it from the host body would cause the host to die (nnooooo... Don't let Miharu die!!!! O_O) and even so, the Shirabanshou would only transfer to another body. But Koutaro has been doing some research, and in order to complete it, he will need all the secret ninja scrolls from all the ninja clans around. Yes, it sounds like war. Or a lot of sneaking around. At the same time, Fuuma's secret scroll is safely delivered to the Kairoushou. Over an internet conference, the leader of the Kairoushou unveils his plans to change the world. And in order to achieve that, he would need all the secret scrolls from the ninja world as well... Ka-chaa! Sounds like action to me. :D

よくでした！

2009-10-12T23:42:00.004+08:00

I've got two great news to share and brag about. :D

No.1: I just realized this page has reach it's first 10k hits! Arigatou minna-san, who endlessly supported me although I have not been a good blogger these past few months. I will not mention again why because it's a lame excuse. =.="

Thank you as well to my new friends who recently stumbled across my blog from heaven knows where and starting following my inconsistent writing. I truly appreciate it. ^_^

Talking about people visiting the page, brings me to point number 2: Chika-Chin's Anime Mania! is now on the first page of Google Search Results for Chika. Hooray! Okay, fine. It's ranked the last two link from the bottom but hey, I made it to the first page eh? :D

I remember earlier in the year I tried to Google for my own blog (I had this silly notion that if I Googled it, it looks different then seeing it as administrator). LOL I admit, I'm a Google freak. >,<

Anyway, the results were pathetic. Chika-Chin's Anime Mania! was at page 5 or 6. Even a, eh, loose girl named Chika (I don't know if it's her real name) promoting her nude pictures was in the first page. And yes, she's still in the first page now, above my blog's link. Waaaayyyy up there. I guess a nude profile will always be more popular than an anime addiction webby huh?

But who cares? I'm still very happy I made it to the first page. I didn't even expect to get there. Here's a print screen I took for memorabilia. Just in case it drops back down to later pages again.

Minna, yoku deshita! No.1 and No.2 couldn't be achieved without you guys. You made it happen. Honto ni arigatou gozaimasu! *^o^*

xxxHolic - Episode 1

2009-09-27T11:49:00.007+08:00

Kimihiro Watanuki is not your typical highschooler. He can see spirits and they were inevitably attracted to him. One day, while trying to free himself from the grip of some spirits, he accidentally smacked a wooden fence. Instantly the spirits vanished but Watanuki had a new problem. Against his will, his feet started to move on their own towards the house and before he knew it he was ushered to meet the master by two little girls.

The master of the house was a witch knowned as Yuuko. She told him that their meeting was pre-ordained and read to him his current situation. As a price, she cheats him of his pocket watch whilst telling him about her wish-granting business. While he tried futilely to argue, she offered to make his secret wish come true - to get rid of his ability to see spirits. In return, he only needed to work for her until she felt that it was enough to pay off the wish (hey lady, that's too subjective!).

Watanuki was swept away by the situation and found himself doing groceries shopping with a weird black creature named Mokona. At the supermarket, a spirit latches itself unto him. Irritated, he contemplates the decision to let Yuuko take away his special ability to see spirits. On the way back to Yuuko's shop, he came across a girl who was complaining to her friends about some spirits following her. I think she's a liar and that she was only trying to seek more attention. Hmph!

Being able to see spirits himself, it was clear to him that the girl was lying and tells her that there was no spirit latched onto her. She became angry at his intervention and made a big drama to save her face. The girl bumped into him as she stormed off with her friends and suddenly the spirit who was curled around Watanuki went to her and swallowed her whole, latching itself permanently.

Angrily, Watanuki confronted Yuuko for not telling him that he was able to transfer spirits by touching other people. Yuuko however dismissed his accusation and simply told him that the spirit was granting the girl's wish to be possessed. Not accepting her answer, Watanuki decides to quit and left the shop. As he leaves, Yuuko commented that a bond has formed between them and he would surely return. True enough, the next day he found himself in front of her shop again, trying to kid himself that he was only there to make her pay him back for the groceries money.

Another great work from the famous group CLAMP. Great music, great artwork, and great start of a storyline. What can I say, I'm a huge fan of CLAMP. :D

Playlist #2

2009-09-25T00:45:00.004+08:00

It's been a long time since I changed the playlist. Initially, I planned to change it once a week or once a fortnight. Of course you all know the story by now, all that projects and late nights - there's barely time for blogging much less changing the playlist. Which now I find was a simpler thing to do than squeezing in a review. I guess it's true when they say humans can only plan, and when they plan, God laughs. LOL XD

Again, these are some of my all time favourites:

Song 1: This is definitely one of my all time favourite songs from one of my all time favourite animes. It is also the second BoA song I know after her No.1. Duvet is the opening theme for anime series Lain Serial Experiments.

Song 2: This song is the closing theme for Noir, a kick ass anime that you should not miss! The melancholic sounds of Kireina Kanjou has never failed to move me.

Song 3: Hauntingly beautiful, I was instantly mesmerized when I first heard Kataritsugu koto from Blood+. It is now one of my favourite songs to listen to during my time alone.

Song 4: Truthfully, Eternal Snow did not leave such a big impression on me compared to Myself from Full Moon wo Sagashite. But her vocals are admittedly very powerful and Eternal Snow is admittedly a very good song on its own accord.

Song 5: This song is called Arigatou from Kyo Kara Maou. I love the tunes, how it starts soft and picks up the tempo and softens again. It's a really good song to dedicate to friends or during graduations etc. In this case, it's a special thanks from me to all my blog readers. Love you lots! <3

Hope you guys enjoy it! *^^*

Neko Memory Game

2009-09-24T18:38:00.002+08:00

I found something fun from MyAnimeSpace! I love this game. The reasons are very simple: I'm good with memory games and I love cat people! *^o^*

The guys especially wouldn't find it a problem to win this. ^~

Game By MyAnimeSpace.org

Rurouni Kenshin ~ Recollection Edition

2009-09-23T19:21:00.003+08:00

Rurouni Kenshin or Samurai X is definitely one of my all time favourites, and I'm sure it's the same for many of you. You can't call yourself an otaku if you haven't watched Samurai X. Rurouni Kenshin Recollection Edition consists of a four-episodes Samurai X OVA: Trust & Betrayal. It serves as a prequel to both Samurai X: The Movie and the popular Samurai X TV series. Here you will find out the story behind Kenshin's cross-shaped scar.

Kiru Otoko: The story begins in the turmoils of the Tokugawa Shogunate era where various clans were rising up to overthrow the military dictatorship of the shogunate and to return power to the Emperor. A lonely orphan was saved by a passing swordsman who took him in as a disciple. A grown up Kenshin later envisions to change the world with his sword and becomes an assassin in the service of Katsura, a revolutionary leader. One night, he was wounded by a bodyguard of one of his targets. The wound was just a slash on his cheek, but it would not heal. Although Kenshin was an assassin with hardened resolve and unwavering calm, unspoken doubts surfaced when he encounters a mysterious beauty named Tomoe.

Mayoi Neko: Kenshin brought unconscious Tomoe to the lodging house he stayed at after being unable to decide whether he should kill her for being a witness to one of his murderous acts. Tomoe became a worker for the lodging house and was quickly liked by all for her diligence and efficiency. She pays extra attention to Kenshin who in turn was unable to completely ignore her as a stranger. One day, Kenshin was ambushed once again which lead the team to realize that there was a spy amongst them. As tension escalates out of control and the search for the Battousai intensifies, Katsura orders Kenshin and Tomoe to retreat to the mountains and live a quiet life as husband and wife. Katsura, who had noticed the inner turmoil within Kenshin requests for Tomoe to be his sheath to protect his humanity.

Yoisatoyama: Kenshin and Tomoe leads a peaceful life in the remote mountain village of Otsu as farmer and medicine seller. Meanwhile, the bloodshed and violence in Kyoto continues to climb greater scales. After leading a solitary life for some time with Tomoe, Kenshin found the inner peace which his master, Hiko, had attempted to teach him and regrets the deaths and sufferings he had caused in the name of creating a better world. One day, Tomoe's younger brother Enishi came to visit. He reveals to Tomoe that the shogunate has tracked down Kenshin and was planning to end his life. Tomoe who has fallen in love with the man who killed her fiance sends Enishi off after instructing him not to be involved with the shogunate anymore. She leaves Kenshin in hope to stop the shogunate from killing her beloved.

Jujikizu: Kenshin who learned of Tomoe's betrayal went off to confront her. However, he was no longer the focused assassin he once was, his inner emotions were clouding his mind. This caused him to get seriously wounded although he still manages to defeat the men of the shogunate. Facing the Shogun himself, Kenshin delivers the final blow accepting his own death in return. Instead, Tomoe had stepped in between to shield him from the Shogun's attack. After the death of Tomoe, Kenshin vowed to find a way to atone for all his sins after he has taken down the shogunate for his revenge. Once the Meiji era was successfully established, the Hitokiri Battousai disappears...

First off, if you have not watched the TV series, I don't recommend you to watch this. For one, Trust & Betrayal plays a more serious, bloody and poetic storytelling, none of the Kenshin silliness we all love him for in the TV series. This is one of those animes that puts you in deep thought. Secondly, the art is very different, no bright happy colours and the strokes are also very different to present a more melancholic mood. The music fits well into the mood, one of the best you'll hear. The storyline is exceptionally brilliant, but then, that's already expected of Samurai X.

One thing I thought it could do without is those weird, out-of-the-place real effects such as the water in the river, trees, fires etc. And there's not much of Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi swordplay, just a lot of sword swinging and slashing going on. Despite these two, it is still a recommendable watch and I still give it a two thumbs up. If I could, I'll give it four (include my big toes). XD

Rating: 12/10 (it topped off the charts)

Pako and the Magical Book

2009-09-22T02:06:00.007+08:00

Pako to Maho no Ehon, or its English title, Pako and the Magical Book, is a movie directed by Tetsuya Nakashima which was released in Japan on 13th September 2008. The movie, presented in a mixture of real actors' acting and 3D CG animation, has won numerous awards such as Best Art Direction at the Award of the Japanese Academy, Best Technical at Mainichi Film Concours and L'Écran Fantastique Award at Fant-Asia Film Festival. The line up of actors includes big names such as Koji Yakusho, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Anna Tsuchiya, Eiko Koike and newcomer Ayaka Wilson.

The story revolves around a little girl named Pako who has amnesia after being involved in an accident which claimed both her parents lives. She can only remember things in the same day and stays in a weird hospital full of wacky staff and patients. A grumpy old man, Oonuki, also stays in the same hospital and made it his life's mission to give a hard time to everyone. One day, in a misunderstanding, Oonuki slapped Pako as punishment for stealing his cherished gold lighter.

However the next day, instead of cowering of fear or showing signs of hate, Pako smiled up to Oonuki and acted like nothing happened. Instead, she was happy when she realized that Oonuki touched her cheek the day before. Oonuki felt guilty and the two quickly bonded and became close. Oonuki who hated being known by other people desperately felt that he needed to be remembered by Pako. And this lead him to spend days endlessly with her reading her book and even staging a performance based on the book specially for her. He changed to become more compassionate to others and regretted his terrible behaviour.

Truthfully, the only reason I wanted to watch this was because Anna Tsuchiya was in it. But the story was so magical and I became so absorbed in it, I totally forgot about even Anna. At first, things was just a bit too crazy for me with all the grotesquely colourful costumes and overly exaggerated acting. Think Alice in Wonderland, you get Pako and the Magical Book.

However, once Oonuki meets Pako, the whole feel of the movie took a more serious turn. The movie perfectly blends elements of eroticism, comedy, fantasy, tragedy and much more in a weird jumbled way that somehow made sense and keeps the audience captivated. There were moments when I was smiling and laughing to myself, and the next I was holding back tears. The actors are so into their characters you can hardly recognize them! A very entertaining watch this.

Genre: Family, Fantasy, Tragedy, Comedy
Rating: 9/10

Selamat Hari Raya!

2009-09-20T03:11:00.004+08:00

It's that time of the year again where we have the excuse (and look very much forward to) stuff our faces. When else can you eat and eat and eat and eat without shame? :D

But it's also that time of the year where I'll burn a big fat hole in my bank account. For two reasons:

Hari Raya shopping
Giving out green packets

As usual, I have been so caught up with work I did not have the time to do my Raya shopping at all. So on Friday, I forced myself to get off work early and rushed off to One Utama with my boyfriend to get our Raya clothes. We went into Guess and I found lots of really nice jeans. So I took them all off the rack, carefully picking size 23 and walked happily into the changing room. It's very hard for me to find nice jeans so I was really very happy.

I tried on the first one and it was too loose for me. What the hell!?! I could fit both my arms and still have some more space into the pants while wearing it. So I took it off and tried the second one (in denial). Same thing. So I tried the third one (still in denial). Oh. My. God. I mean seriously, I am a size 23. For normal jeans. A female promoter then suggested to me to go to Guess Kids. @_@

So we left and went into Armani Exchange. I found a really nice pair of jeans for my boyfriend. So he has his pants settled. I saw a nice wallet and bought it for him as a Raya present. I gave a guy friend a Raya present last year and he got jealous. LOL :D And I found a really nice pair of jeans for moi. I asked the promoter to give me my size and she gave me a size 0. Which I could not bloody fit because again, it was too big! A size 0!!! >_>

We walked all over the place with the limited time we have before closing and my boyfriend finally dragged me into Guess Kids. I picked up two nice jeans but they looked awfully small to me. They were size 12. So my boyfriend asked a promoter to give me the biggest size which is a size 14. Guess what? A size 14 in Guess Kids is still too big for me. What the HELL!?! By that time, the shop was devoid of all people so all the staff were having fun helping us out. They got me to squeeze myself into the size 12s and it turns out, they're a perfect fit! X_X

So I ended up buying myself two jeans and a blouse and a T-shirt from Guess Kids spending RM1000 plus in total. Whoa. That is the most I've ever spent on myself for clothes.

And today I still had to work half day. Although I applied for leave and was granted it, I had to drop by the office to check out some tasks I asked my colleagues to finish off and which they did wrongly. And since I was there and it's only a half day, I decided to just finish off my work anyway since my boyfriend was still home sleeping and there's nothing much I can do till he wakes up. After work, I got him to get himself ready and we rushed off to buy my baju kurung.

I was in a pretty foul mood because I couldn't find any that catches my eye. And I wasted my time going to work when I could've gone home and helped out my mom bake some cookies or clean the house. I shouldn't have gone to pick up my boyfriend. I should've just gone home and only pick him up for dinner. We had plans to have dinner with his family today. There was so many things I wanted to do but I couldn't because I went to work, I went to pick up my boyfriend and we went to look for my baju kurung which we didn't find.

To make matters worse, I got into a fight with my boyfriend because of my foul mood. He says its his fault when he already promised to send me to work and wait while I settle it with my colleagues and we can head back to my place after. But he didn't sleep the whole night before and couldn't wake up this morning. But then again, I didn't expect him to send me. I knew him not waking up was going to happen. But it was still annoying. For me, it's better if you just don't say anything when you know you can't do it.

After scouring Sunway Pyramid, I decided to just give up. There was no point going anywhere else as dinner was at Shogun, Sunway Pyramid. And by the time we realized we couldn't find my baju kurung, it was already 4.30PM, too close to break fast time. Too late to go someplace and rush back to Sunway Pyramid. I was so frustrated that I did so many wrong decisions in a day (and a very crucial day at that). In the end, I didn't manage to help out my mom, I didn't get to give myself the pampering session I planned out for myself and I couldn't find my baju kurung.

But now I've got myself a nice baju kebaya from a shop nearby Shogun. I just washed it and it's now hanging out to dry. Well, it's pretty much has been a hectic Hari Raya preparation on my part. How about yours? ^^

Selamat Hari Raya all~
I'm so looking forward to the break from work. <3

Good News Must Be Shared With All~

2009-09-11T05:55:00.004+08:00

I know, I know! So much for my promise to keep my blog updated regularly. But work really has been too crazy I can't even find time to wax my armpits. @_@ But don't worry, I'm still around. And there's only two more months of this madness for me to take. After that I'm free~

Yes, it's been so crazy at work I didn't even have time to celebrate my five years anniversary with my boyfriend yesterday. Five goddamned loooonnnngggggg years. :D And I've got good news to share with all of you: we're tying the knot. Finally.

We've been together for so long our parents didn't even blink an eye when we told them. In fact, my mom and his mom are waaaayyyy too enthusiastic. They've planned the wedding all the way to the honeymoon. ^^" We've got the place, the colour theme, the guest list, the doorgift, the dowry all worked out. At the rate things are going, everything would probably be ready by end of this year and we planned for the wedding to be in September 2010!

The wedding's gonna be on our anniversary: September 10. Truthfully, the only purpose of the wedding is to legalise our relationship. Everyone keeps saying we're like an old married couple. Gawwddd... To think about it, October would most likely be my finals for my MBA papers. LMAO XD

Chika's Bedtime Reading #1

2009-08-24T21:05:00.005+08:00

Okay, so it might not really qualify as bedtime reading since there's nothing to read at all. But it is what I flip through before I go to sleep. I got this last weekend after much contemplation on whether I should or should not use my savings. You know what the end decision was. :P

This is the second collection of illustrations by Front Media. I did not buy the first one as there's not much characters/animes in it that I fancy. But this, this one has all my favourites!!! ^v^ Animes featured in this collection include Mobile Suit Gundam (not exactly my favourite though), Vampire Knight (hell yeah! Kaname-senpai... *ogles*), Code Geass R2 (Lelouch my charming prince...), Kuroshitsuji (yummm~), Saiyuki Reload (one of my first favourites), Detective Conan (still one of my favourites!!!), Natsume Yuujinchou (woots!), The Prince of Tennis (*saliva dripping*), Spice and Wolf (a very good show this one), The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi (ah great, just this one spoils it all), Clannad (such a sweet story) and Nabari no Ou (which I'm in the midst of reviewing).

The book is sized A3 with hard cover. And it dwells under my pillows now together with my NANA Collection and Ouran High School Host Club Collection. No wonder my neck feels so stiff when I wake up from sleep. But it's worth it for all the sweet dreams. To a paradise of bishies~ LMAO XD

Below is my favourite from the Front Media Illustrated Gallery 02 book. I just love the colours...

Happy Fasting!

2009-08-23T20:20:00.004+08:00

It's the fasting month for Muslims and with that I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all happy fasting! This year I'm gonna try to fast more just to see how far I can push myself. Well, going through the day without food and drinks can be quite torturous, especially for me who suffers from severe gastric. But one thing I look forward to in the month of Ramadhan is definitely all that food at the end of the day. ^^ It's always such a lavish dinner with all kinds of dishes and desserts.

Another thing I look forward to is all that family reunions. My family does not get together much, nor do we even have family dinners on normal days. So to me, break fasts are always fun with all the cousins getting together during the weekends, a whole family at the dinner table during the weekdays. Food just tastes so much better that way don't you think? :D

Speaking of food, I started to play Restaurant City on Facebook and am getting dangerously hooked! >,< LOL

I'm a bit sad that I can't update my blog as much as I would like. It's a crazy time at the office right now. Everyone just have way too much to do, way too little time to do it and waaaayyyyy too many things stuck in between. *sigh* But I've decided to buckle up and write something at least every alternate days. For now before things cool down a little. Sorry ya guys!

Happy fasting! (^o^)V

Nabari no Ou - Episode 3

2009-08-23T00:16:00.008+08:00

Just as they predicted, things are not looking good at Fuuma village. The village was under attack by Kairoushou and the fallen female ninja they came across mumbled something of a monster. Meanwhile, the attack on Fuuma village was still ongoing. A bunch of Kairoushou's ninjas trailed some Fuuma ninjas who were trying to find their way to escape. They caught up with the Fuuma ninjas and mercilessly took them all out. However, what they were searching for was not with the fallen group.

Another Fuuma ninja had taken a different escape route. But things did not go well for him either, a Kairoushou ninja wielding a gun found and stopped him. What the Kairoushous are after is the secret scroll of the Fuuma clan. The gun wielding ninja snatched the scroll from the lone Fuuma ninja but they were interrupted with the arrival of Thobari sensei and the gang. A fight ensued allowing the lone Fuuma ninja a chance to escape.

But instead of getting worried, the gun wielding ninja called upon another Kairoushou member, Yoite, to stop him. Without any physical contact, Yoite stopped the Fuuma ninja in his tracks. When the Kairoushous attentions turned back to Thobari sensei's gang, he immediately pulled his students and made a run for it. Yoite was a user of Kira, a deadly forbidden ninja dark arts. But the Kairoushous were faster. Thobari sensei asked his students to escape while he stayed to fight off Yoite.

They managed to pass the gun wielding ninja's line but Raimei decided to stay to fight him off while Miharu and Aikawa escapes. Another Kairoushou ninja continued to chase after them and it was Aikawa's turn to stay and fight him off. Aikawa defeats the Kairoushou ninja and Raimei rejoins the group. The three of them was then confronted again by the gun wielding ninja. However, the ninja had no interest to continue fighting them as it was not part of the instructions he received.

They went on to search for Thobari sensei and found him in a heated battle with the dangerous Kira user, Yoite. When Thobari sensei was shot down by Kira, the three quickly went to assist him. But Aikawa and Raimei were both easily taken down by Kira too. When Yoite turns his target to Miharu, Thobari sensei managed to stand in between to save Miharu. Seeing his friends suffer because of him made Miharu frustrated. He let out a loud scream. Suddenly a huge cat appeared and knocked Yoite away. It was non other than the disguise master Fuuma Koutaro-dono.

Nabari no Ou - Episode 2

2009-08-16T20:27:00.007+08:00

New character introduction! A very high-spirited and energetic girl appears~

The girl is Shimizu Raimei, a self-proclaimed samurai. I like her. Heheheh... I think all that energy is affecting me. Shimizu came from Tokyo once she heard that Shirabanshou has appeared. At first impression, she felt that Miharu was too carefree and weak to become the King of the Nabari World and decided to stay to judge his character. But of course following him only makes her even more dissatisfied.

But when she tries to express her concerns over his safety to Thobari sensei, he just told her to let Miharu be. However, Shimizu couldn't shake off her confusion and concern for Miharu and hence continued to follow him. Meanwhile, Miharu was starting to get interested in the ninja world and started to read up on it. While reading on a bench after school, he found a little bird that fell out from its nest.

He helped to get it back into its nest halfway down a cliff but lost his grip. However Shimizu managed to catch hold of him just in time. It was then that she realized that he may seem irresponsible and carefree but Miharu was actually very sensitive towards others. Finding out that he was interested to learn about ninjutsu, she offered to take him to Fuuma village and meet the person who was most knowledgeable about ninja arts.

Thobari sensei adversely disagreed at first and it might be largely due to the fact that to get to Fuuma village required them to take the train. Apparently, the so-called ninja is afraid of moving vehicles. :D Well, if it's not moving it's not even called a vehicle, eh? Here appears cheeky Miharu who tricks the poor man into getting on the train. LOL I so love this side of Miharu.

Fuuma Kotarou is one of the writer of most nindou guides in the Nabari World. As he specializes in disguising, nobody knows his real look. He summoned the once disbanded Fuuma ninjas and rebuilt the village of Fuuma. On the way, it started to rain. Thobari sensei had a flashback on the distant past where he and a little boy, who is most probably Miharu when he was young, were pursued by a bunch of ninjas. He had vowed to protect and not to let Miharu die.

Poor Thobari sensei. Even after the grueling ride on the train, it was not the end of the torture for him. To get to Fuuma village, they had to take the bus. Really, I wonder how he traveled from Ireland where he was born to Japan. He says he was dragged against his will by his grandfather who was crazy about ninjutsu. But even he himself is pretty serious about it. Now they've reached Fuuma village. But something's wrong... Gah! That's the end of episode two. No action but I guess the plot has to be built up for the next episode. Something exciting's gonna happen. *rubs hands*

My Prize From Japan~

2009-08-16T19:21:00.004+08:00

I finally got it in my hands!!! Well, it's actually delivered to my boyfriend's aunt in April but I've just been too busy to pick it up. =.=" Now I've finally got it in my hands!!! :D

Yep, this is it. Jeng jeng jeng... Eva USB. Well, I actually asked my boyfriend's cousin who's studying in Japan to buy me a different one. I think she got mistaken but hey, this one is better. *^^* I'm not sorry at all she got mistaken. Again the product is from renowned company, Buffalo. It's a 4GB USB which you can insert straight into your laptop or have her sit on a dock which comes together with the package. It all costed me RM200 including posting.

Isn't she lovely? ^^ She'll definitely suit my new purple Dell laptop I just ordered. I know it'll probably make some of you guys sick, but me and my boyfriend ordered matching ones but his is sky blue. I'm not lovey-dovey but sometimes doing these kinda things do feel nice. Hehehe... *^^*

But I wish I could've gotten my hands on the Eva phone too... *sobs* How could I when there's 100 gazillion otakus out there with credit cards to flood the freaking order list. T_T *sigh* Santa-san, onegai... Eva keitai ga hoshii!!!

Ah, I'm being a bit too much aren't I? >,<

Nabari no Ou - Episode 1

2009-08-04T22:13:00.014+08:00

Before I start with the review, I have to comment that the opening theme is awesome! I loved it! :D

The episode started off with a scene from the past of a man and a young boy fleeing from pursuit. They were cornered but the boy unleashed a weird power with characters streaming up his face and saved them. The scene ended with the man telling the boy to forget everything. And now the boy has grown up to become a high school student.

The boy, Rokujou Miharu grew up to become a carefree person who didn't give a damn about the world. For some reason, one of his classmates, Aizawa Kouichi was interested in him and invited him to join the new nindou club that he was starting together with his teacher Kumohira sensei. They passed their classroom teacher Yamase sensei who is awfully suspicious if you ask me.

Anyway, Miharu has no interest in Kouichi's offer although Kouichi kept on pestering him while on the way home. That evening, Kumohira sensei visited Miharu's grandmother's okonomiyaki shop and tried to persuade Miharu to join the nindou club and train himself. He told Miharu that there exists two worlds which is the real world and the secret ninja world kept hidden from the real world. He also warns that Miharu is now being targeted. LOL Miharu can be such a devil! I love this side of him when he teases people.

Meanwhile, Kouchi escaped from pursuit to a shrine. Not long after, his pursuer managed to catch up with him. It was Yamase sensei who was apparently, a ninja undercover. They engaged into battle mode. Miharu who was sent out to buy some ingredients stumbled into the both of them and got caught in the middle of the fight. Yamase sensei started to focus on Miharu after finding out that Miharu possesses the thing he was looking for but thanks to Kouchi, they made a break for it.

However, Miharu decides to take the problem on his own and proceeded to leave Kouichi. However, they were surrounded by a bunch of ninjas and ended up getting into another battle. This time, Miharu accidentally unleashed the weird power he unleashed in the past when he was a child. Kouichi stabbed Miharu while he was in a daze to stop Miharu from annihilating everything in sight. Kumohira sensei appeared in time to release Miharu from his spell-bound state.

When Miharu regained consciousness, he found that they had brought him to the school clinic. Kumohira sensei explained to Miharu about the ninja world and Miharu's special powers called Shinra Banshou which had the power to destroy the world and hence was highly sought after. However, they couldn't get into deep discussion as they were once again attacked by more ninjas. Kumohira sensei who desired peace of the nabari world pleaded with Miharu to accept his powers and become the King of the Nabari.

While they were busy trying to keep themselves intact, Miharu had once again disappeared. Don't ask how, but he got cornered by Yamase sensei up at the roof of the school. However, before he could lay a finger on Miharu, Kumohira sensei appeared to the rescue! After the whole commotion was over, Kumohira sensei pledged his life to protecting Miharu. Of course Miharu chooses to ignore the gesture. The next day went on as usual but this is the starting of something new. News of Shinra Banshou is now being circulated...

Cool moves, nice art, very good opening and closing themes... I'm already in love with Miharu-kun (O_O)

CLAMP

2009-07-19T20:11:00.005+08:00

クランプ or CLAMP is an internationally renowned all-female mangaka team consisting of four members. They are Ageha Okawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Igarashi Satsuki.
The team was originally formed in mid 1980s as a twelve member doujinshi circle however the team diminished to seven after their first professional debut in 1989 with the manga RG Veda. Of the remaining seven, three members left during the production of RG Veda. According to CLAMP, the team's name carries the meaning 'a pile of potatoes' though I can't find out why they named themselves after the crop.

CLAMP's production style is similar to that of animation production with Ageha Okawa acting as the group's spokeswoman, producer-director, and storyboarder while the other three often shuffling roles. Unlike most mangaka who specializes in a single genre, CLAMP has created a diverse body of works ranging from childish to teen-rated. Their works also embodies diverse visual styles as the art changes depending to the primary artist of a given project. Many of their works have been adapted into anime after release. Among their famous titles include X/1999, xxxHolic, Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, Code Geass, Wish, and Chobits.

The first work of CLAMP that I actually saw was X/1999 which had me totally captivated. Since then I had been a huge CLAMP fan. One of their unique features that I've always admired is the changing strokes between their different works. The fact that they do not belong to a particular genre does well to keep fans from getting jaded. The works of CLAMP is always something to look forward to - great art, great storytelling. What else could you ask for?

Summer 2009 Anime List V3

2009-07-17T12:06:00.002+08:00

Hey hey, I've found the Summer 2009 Anime List V3! Let's see, it's looking better than V1, at least some.

Here's some additions I would add on top of my to-watch list I built previously. Weiss Schwarz looks good. Love the colours and the art. NEEDLESS sounds cool though I don't really fancy the art. And I would definitely watch Ontama! don't ask me why but that girl caught my eyes. She's just so kawaii~

But I still think the summer line up is not something to be so excited about. Hoping Fall would surprise us with something more.

Summer 2009 Anime List

2009-07-13T23:31:00.003+08:00

Is it just me or is it a summer of shoujos? *groans*

No, don't get me wrong. I love shoujos. But not to the point that I don't have a choice but to watch shoujos. Though not much in the line up really caught my attention, it's not as bad as the draft which I saw previously.

So which of these caught my eye? Counting off one hand, they are:

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0: I like the colour and art from the first impression.
CANAAN: I absolutely love mysteries. :) And I love the colour and the art from the first impression.
Kanamemo: I bet this is gonna be one of those brainless animes that keeps you laughing off your seat.

Yeah... That's it. This isn't one of the best line ups we've seen. Oh, I just realized the ones that caught my attention aren't the shoujos. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for shoujos tonight and it has got me biased? O_o

Well, do you guys want me to do first impressions or should I keep to my traditional wait-until-the-anime-ends-then-review?

Zoku Natsume Yuujn Chou

2009-07-11T23:05:00.008+08:00

If you read my review on Natsume Yuujinchou, you would have known that I gave high ratings to the series. But Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou easily surpasses that of it's previous counterpart. I was itching to watch the second season, and Natsume Yuujinchou did not fail to impress me again.

We know that Natsume is not just an ordinary kid. He was born with a special power - the ability to see spirits. However, this ability is not something he could show off to others and he took pains to keep it a secret especially not to trouble the nice couple who has taken him in. But Natsume, the kind soul that he is, wants to use his ability to help those that he can, especially when his ability is needed. Just like how his grandmother Reiko used to help both spirits and humans. This willed him to understand more about his abilities and learn to develop them.

Though Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou still adheres to the melancholic and bittersweet feel of the first season, this season brings you more edge with scarier and more dangerous spirits. You will also see a significant growth in Natsume's character and I have to say it's a commendable one. The focus of the anime has also shifted from individual stories of individual spirits and how they are connected to the Book of Friends to a more wholesome view on Natsume's relationship with both other people and spirits and how he balances the two. Not to forget, the awesome music to complete the series.

Genre: Drama, Supernatural, Slice of Life
Studio: Brain's Base
Rating: 9/10

For reviews per episode, please see as below:

Episode 1: Stolen Book of Friends
Episode 2: Melting into Spring
Episode 3: Youkai Exorcism Amid the Steaming Springs
Episode 4: A Chick Hatches
Episode 5: Tree of Promise
Episode 6: The Maiden's Circle
Episode 7: What Must Not Be Called
Episode 8: Emotions Undying
Episode 9: The Man Amidst the Row of Cherry Trees
Episode 10: Temporary Home
Episode 11: Assembly of Conjurers
Episode 12: The Young Boy in the Empty House
Episode 13: Humans and Youkai

Zoku Natsume Yuujn Chou - Episode 13 (End)

2009-07-11T15:59:00.012+08:00

OMG, we're down to the last episode. But it shouldn't end this way! Noooooo!!!!

After the warning from Natori, Natsume returned back to the group. However, he was troubled by what Natori told him and couldn't stop pondering about it even when he got home. Walking in town the next day, he bumped into Natori and they went for a walk. Natsume took the opportunity to ask Natori for more details about the little spirit boy who was disguised as a human child.

There was a well in the area which Taki warned Natsume about in the previous episode. In the well, some powerful spirit were sealed off. However, they have been calling out to other spirits to release them. The reason the boy had been in the mansion was because he was searching for the well. Because of that, Natori was hired to exterminate him as he possess enough power to break the seal. Natsume disagrees that the boy should be dealt with just because there was a possibility that he would release the powerful demons.

While he was pondering on his thoughts alone, Taki appeared. She was looking for the boy to give him some cookies she made. Natsume couldn't bring himself to let her know that the boy was a spirit (Taki and Natsume sure does act like they're the kid's parents). He took the cookies from Taki and promised her to pass it to the boy. He asked her for a favour to look for the well which sealed away the demons and Taki agrees more than happily to help.

Natsume then went on a search for the little boy. He bumps into Tanuma, however Tanuma was unable give him much information. He ends up at the haunted mansion again thinking that the boy might be there looking for the well. Inside the house, one of Natori's paper dolls tried to stop Natsume and he tripped into a hole in the floor. But the boy turns up just in time to catch him.

He declares that he would take revenge for Natsume and went off into a direction in the field outside. The boy appears and attacked Natori's group who had caused harm to Natsume. Natori manages to escape injury and ran into Natsume who came chasing after the boy. He tried again to convince Natsume that the boy was dangerous. While they were talking, the boy manages to catch up and became furious when he found out that Natsume was friends with the man who has been trying to capture him.

He attacked Natsume who was became too shocked to react. Thankfully Nyanko was reliable at times like these. He took Natsume up into the air with the boy hot on their trail. But the boy was called away by a spirit (the axe-wielding one who attacked Natsume in the previous episode) and together they went off to the well. Back on the ground, Natsume found Taki looking for him. Taki informed him the location of the well and together he went off with Nyanko sensei.

The boy has arrived to the well and broke the seal. After freeing them, he invited the demons to stay with him in the mountains were he used to live as a god. However, the purely evil demons attacked him instead. Natsume appears in the nick of time to save him and the Book of Friends was knocked out of his grasp. The boy picked it up and saw the flower which Natsume kept from their times spent together and burst out crying. Awww the poor kid, he was just really lonely.

When Natsume woke up, the boy was no longer there. Taki and Natsume went to visit the boy's house the next day but the house was empty. The boy has gone back to the mountains after regretting that he had hurt Natsume. To ease some of the boy's loneliness, Natsume organised a picnic with the whole Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou crew - his foster parents, his classmates, Taki and Tanuma - in the mountains to keep the boy company. He really so sweet. I can't accept the fact that this is the end. *sobs*

Zoku Natsume Yuujn Chou - Episode 12

2009-07-11T13:34:00.011+08:00

Where is Natsume being dragged to by those mischievous friends of his? Uh-oh. Another haunted house. Oh great, even the class president is here but that doesn't surprise me at all. It's entertaining how she keeps pestering Natsume to be honest about his abilities. And I think she's actually quite sweet. The gang is completed with Taki joining in the group after spotting them venturing into the abandoned mansion.

Sasada and Taki went off to investigate the house together while Natsume was left to work on his own. Suddenly he heard a sound coming from a room and went to investigate. The sound came from inside a coffin (woooo...) and when Natsume opened it, he found a little boy with gray hair lying inside. When he realized that he was free, he jumped up and ran off without a word to his saviour. Natsume found the boy's name tag inside the coffin and picks it up, thinking of returning it to him.

After school the next day, Natsume went in search of the boy. He found him playing ball on top of a wall but the boy denied it was him who Natsume saved. In stead, he blamed Natsume for trapping him in the coffin. A bunch of kids appeared and tried to act all macho, thinking that Natsume was bullying their friend, and drove Natsume away. Awww... Poor Natsume, couldn't even stand up to kids. :P

Nyanko agrees to help Natsume to find the boy after he was bribed with 200 yen. They ran into Tanuma and Natsume filled him in about his latest adventure. While they were chatting, Natsume heard a someone talking about eating a kid. They peeked behind some bushes and saw a spirit (hey it's the same one who was holding the axe in the previous episode!) talking to itself. Startled, it dashed towards them but did not manage to cause much harm.

Taki appears and warned them to leave the place as it had a tendency to draw spirits. Especially now that Natsume's hand was bleeding from the spirit's attack. They found the little boy peeking nearby and when the kid tried to make a run for it, Nyanko trips him to return the name tag which they had picked up at the haunted mansion. Yep yep, Nyanko deserves his 200 yen for a job well done!

Well guess what? The boy is not such a little brat after all. He had followed Natsume to apologise for the onslaught by his little friends earlier. But the kid was hurt from Nyanko's tackle and Natsume offered him a piggy back home. Oh crap, that scary spirit with the axe is following them. Natsume decides not to give it any heed as long as it was not after the kid. Even so, he noted that the spirit was a potential danger as it had caused damage to Natsume.

Since then, Natsume and Taki spent all their time with the little kid. One day, Natsume prodded the boy to tell him how he got stuck in the coffin the first time they met. The boy told him that he was locked from the outside and Natsume thought it was weird as he was sure that the coffin was not locked. Suddenly, the axe-wielding spirit appeared and started to attack Natsume. The boy and Natsume could both see the spirit, so Natsume picked him up and ran off shouting to Taki not to follow as she couldn't see the spirit.

I have no idea how but they ran straight to the place which Taki warned them about earlier. Of course Nyanko sensei turns up to the rescue and chased the bad spirit away. Natsume was feeling uneasy. Thinking that was the spirit who has been following the boy, he went off to look for it. Out of nowhere, Natori appeared and grabbed him to a stop. He warns Natsume to stay away from the kid and revealed that the boy was actually a spirit (woot!?).

Itai!

2009-07-08T03:26:00.005+08:00

I'm in tremendous pain. T_T I think I worked too hard at my roadshow and carried too many heavy items that an old injury visited me again.

I twisted my spinal cord while playing basketball five years ago. At that time, the pain was so great I had to sit up straight, like ramrod straight, I couldn't lift my hands above my shoulders and it even hurt to laugh! I went to a nearby clinic which misdiagnosed it for muscle strain. It was when I went into university a few months later and did a medical check up that I found I had twisted my backbone. But the doctor said it wasn't detrimental so I decided to just let it be.

Of course one of the repercussions is that I don't think I'll ever be playing basketball again. Well at least not professionally. Not because I'm scared, but I don't have the strength and balance to do it anymore. I can't carry anything heavy or do hard work either. It might sound like fun, but for me who's so used to doing everything on her own, I feel like going mad sometimes at my weakness. And me being the stubborn little demon that I am, still continues to push myself as hard as I can. XD

But now I'm assigned to the sickbed for muscle strains (again diagnosed by a clinic and I'm not so sure how true this is). He jabbed me in the butt too! Gosh!!! It's been so long since I got jabbed especially in the behind. @_@ My back hurts like crap, I can't sit, I can't stand. Even lying down is painful. Though I'm glad it's not as bad as last time. I don't think I ever wanna go through that again.

My dad is telling me to go to a specialist hospital and do physiotherapy to fix my back (fixing in metal braces are too risky). But I tried it and it was soooo boring. And I was practically the only one there who's still young. Everyone else looks like they've got their coffins ordered. I want to get a massage but I'll probably kill anyone who touches my back right now. *sigh* I really wanna be up and running. But at least I got time to finish my anime and write something in my blog, deshou? :)