Natsume Yuujinchou Shi (2012) 夏目友人帳肆

Natsume continued returning the names of spirits that had been written in the Yuujinchou (Book of Friends) that his grandmother Reiko collected. Nyanko-sensei, a powerful spirit that took the form of a chubby cat, remained to protect Natsume from harmful spirits. in the earlier 2 seasons, Natsume wasn't able to make any human friends, only spirits. but since the third season, Natsume successfully made some human friends. which led to some conflicts that he had to decide whose side he was on.

having the ability to see demons, Natsume's everyday life was something different and easily became attractive, even after 3 seasons. the forth season, like its previous installments, were all told in a very simple and realistic manner. after each story, we often find ourselves having strong emotional connection with the characters. even when they appeared for the first time, a clear background will be shown, letting us know its origin, thus able to engage ourselves in its trouble.

Hex Hall #2: Demonglass (2011)

Sophie was not a witch like she thought she was. she was a demon, with powers passed down through her bloodline. her crush, Archer was an agent for The Eye, a group gathered to banish the Prodigium, including witches, faeries, shapeshifters, and vampires. she was to spend the holiday with her father before she could make the final decision whether to go through with the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will remove her powers with the risk of killing her.

i had my doubts with the Council, including Sophie's dad, whether he was one among the good or bad guys. but a major twist took my completely by surprise! those we trusted could transformed into the main villain any minute. even Archer felt like he could hide more secret up his sleeves than to fall all over Sophie, which showed that he clearly lacked depths as he did in Hex Hall (2010). despite the slight letdown, the book was a page turner. it kept me going until the very end; but even after it ended, i continued wanting more.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

Abraham's parents, Thomas and Nancy worked at a plantation owned by vampire Jack, where slavery was common. later that night, Jack broke into their house and Nancy was the victim. 9 years later after his parents' death, Abraham vowed vengeance. he ambushed Jack but the vampire overpowered him. Henry appeared and rescued Abraham, whom he later trained to be a perfect vampire hunter.

having read the book - Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2010), we were eager to catch it on the big screen. it was as good if not better than what we expected! the film was extremely fast paced and action packed. its plot so believable and engaging that we got excited watching the historical figure come to life. Abraham and Mary were absolutely lovable characters, pulling us along, having us rooting for them since the very beginning.

The Vampire Diaries: Season 3 (2011)

this season introduced Klaus, from the original vampire family, who happened to be a hybrid of both vampire and werewolf. for 500 years, only his vampire side was activated. but after the sacrifice of a vampire, a werewolf, and a doppelganger, his werewolf side was also activated. while his werewolf bite was still deadly on a vampire, his vampire blood was miraculously the cure.

the season was mostly about Clause seeking for ways to make his vampire-werewolf hybrid work after enslaving Stefan and awaken his sister, Rebecca. like always, the "way" was Elena, whom Clause should have killed during his werewolf activation, instead of just draining her. Damon was left most of the time alone, with Elena, where a spark of connection started to take place. and unfortunately, Stefan was still frustrating to watch, with the bad boy role that clearly doesn't fit him.

Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon (2011) 境界線上のホライゾン

human were forced to return to earth after living many years in outer space. pocket dimensions were created to accommodate the humans. to return to outer space, human histories were recreated by following the Holy book Testament. the problem was the Testament stopped revealing what happened all of a sudden. Toori took advantage of the situation and led his classmates to regain their homeland.

the first half of anime started being completely off. it was confusing and overwhelming that made it almost impossible to understand. we dragged our way through the episodes and fortunately it only became better. the wide variety of creatures and details were comfortable to distinguish between characters. and when the plot began to finally unfold, the characters also showed their depths, which made them further more likable.

Hex Hall #1: Hex Hall (2010)

living among the humans, Sophie discovered that she was a witch, through the bloodline passed down from her father, whom her human mother left before knowing she was pregnant with Sophie. but when Sophie attracted too much attention to herself, she was sent to a boarding school, Hecate Hall, which was meant for Prodigium, including witches, faeries, shapeshifters, and even a few vampires.

despite being forced to attend Hex, Sophie was an interesting character to follow, not to mention being absolutely lovable. her encounters with the Prodigiums was entertaining, then slowly bringing us into some intense and scary moments, yet remained completely believable at all times. for someone who struggled to find out more about herself, Sophie wasn't afraid to speak her mind, nor abandoned her curiosity when some dangerous occurrence started taking place. the journey towards finding out who was the main cause of all the bad things that happened was so unpredictable that it took me by surprised!

Charlie St. Cloud (2010)

Charlie won a professional boating race with his brother Sam. while he had a bright future ahead of him, Sam died in an accident caused by his carelessness. he gave up his scholarship and became a caretaker at the cemetery that his brother was buried in. while running in the forest, he discovered that he could interact with Sam's spirit. they met everyday at sunset, playing baseball. one day he met with Tess, a sailor that aimed to sail around the world. Charlie was forced to choose between the promise he made with Sam, or going after the girl he loved.

the film evolved around Charlie, who refused to move on after the death of his brother, had love motivate him to take the very first step. there were no ups and downs for the film, mostly predictable and probably average. the plot obviously wasn't original but it was sufficient to keep us going until the very end. we were unable to brush off a feeling that the film was made with the purpose of selling Zac Efron's face to its fans, especially after seeing way too many shots of him staring into the sunset with those big blue eyes.

The Vampire Diaries: Season 2 (2010)

the story started with Damon reviving Katherine, Elena's past life. Katherine returned to Mystic Falls with the aim of finding the Moonstone. she asked a witch for help and the witch cast a spell on her so that the pain that Katherine suffered will also be inflicted onto Elena. werewolves were also introduced, where the family had a Lockwood Curse in their bloodline. to activate the werewolf gene, the person had to kill someone.

it was a relief to know that Season 2 (2010) expanded its characters to Caroline, who became a vampire; and Tyler, who became a werewolf. both of the characters were able to show a different side of themselves despite being such unlovable characters in Season 1 (2009). with Matt in their love triangle, their story turned out to be as interesting, only less frustrating, than the love story between Elena, Stefan and Damon.

Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! (2011) 真剣で私に恋しなさい!

Yamato was a high school student from Kawakami High School, where due to its dedication to its samurai ancestors, a healthy fighting spirit was important. Yamato often hung out with his friends, where the 7 of them had been together since young. they even had a secret base where they would meet. when the new semester came, they accepted 2 new girls into their group and soon things began to change.

the anime failed to capture me since its first episode. it reminded me of Dog Days (2011) and Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu (2010-2011), where its main character was weak and stupid. however, unlike those 2 anime, which its main character won our heart through their idiocy, this anime made its main character an idiot as well as a hero who saved the day. unfortunately, things only got worst from there. the power gap between classes, which were supposed to be obvious turned out to be absurdly similar.

Soul Screamers #5.5: Never to Sleep (2012)

Sophie felt that her cousin, Kaylee's insanity problem might ran in the family, having the power to influence and potentially ruining her high school life. unlike Kaylee, Sophie had the look, friends and reputation to build herself a perfect high school life, until she ran into Luca, a Necromancer. things started to get strange around them, and her scream landed them into the Netherworld, which seemed absurdly unreal in every sense.

i absolutely enjoyed the Soul Screamers series (2009-2013) thus far. however, i find this short story a difficult read. i had never been a huge fan of Netherworld's details, which other than looking all grey and dangerous, couldn't reach within me like the real world could. and as much as i was eager to get to know Sophie, this book failed unexpectedly; i have yet finished peeling the first layer off her before a dozen layers of Netherworld was presented instead.

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Snow White was the princess of King Magnus and Queen Eleanor. after Eleanor's death, King Magnus fell in love with the beautiful Ravenna, rescued from the Dark Army formed by glass soldiers, unknown that Ravenna was the sorceress who controlled these soldiers. after killing King Magnus, Ravenna took over the kingdom, locking Snow White in the dungeon. she used a Magic Mirror to capture all the women whose beauty will surpass hers, draining their youth for her to use her beauty as weapon. 15 years later, Snow White was next.

despite the sophisticated and stunning visual, the film was unfortunately slow paced. as for the 3 main characters, we found ourselves rooting for Ravenna. although she drained women for their youth as she was cursed to do, Ravenna was surprisingly a likable character. her struggles won our sympathy, her strength intimidated all. her fear made her felt so real that she easily outshone every other characters. her powerful aura made her missed while she was not on the screen.

The Vampire Diaries: Season 1 (2009)

the story took place in a town called Mystic Falls and followed the story of Elena, who tried to get over her parents' death, while her brother Jeremy turned to drugs to avoid dealing with the pain. at the same time, 2 vampire brothers arrived in town, named Stefan and Damon. while Stefan tried to blend in with the humans, Damon wasn't afraid of exposure and continued killing his victims or toying with them. Stefan wanted badly to win the heart of Elena, who was named Katherine in her previous life, while Elena felt puzzled over their attractions for each other.

the show started out slow, giving more than enough introduction on the main characters, with Damon and Stefan being a complete opposite of each other. even though the relationship started out with Stefan being with Elena, there were always a hint of a love triangle between them. the introduction of Katherine further proven it. despite the tiring relationship, the twists every episode hid was what got us through the season, and perhaps even for its following season.

Kami-sama no Memo-chou (2011) 神様のメモ帳

Narumi was considered a loner among his high school classmates. one afternoon while he was isolating himself on the rooftop, his classmate Ayaka invited him to join the gardening club. after school, she brought him to meet a detective called Alice. Alice immediately assigned Narumi as her assistant and put him to work, helping her to solve mystery cases.

from the very first episode, Kami-sama no Memo-chou (2011) managed to engaged us just by introducing its casts while adding some very smart humor to its dialogues. from there onward, it easily had us yearning for more, episodes after episodes. these dialogues were so well-written and constantly surprised us throughout the series that it was truly impressive. it made the psychologically complex anime felt absolutely entertaining.

Soul Screamers #5: If I Die (2011)

Beck was the charming new teacher, having a bunch of girls trailing hungrily after him. before long, Kaylee started noticing something really odd about him. she plotted with Sabine and Emma to uncover his secret, only to find out that he was an Incubus, who fed of lust. at the same time, Tod appeared with the list that indicated that Kaylee's time has come. with only 6 days left to live, Kaylee was determined to rid the school of Beck.

the book was absolutely fast paced, the surprises never did stop coming at full speed! before the Incubus mystery took on the centre stage, i was stunned to learn about Kaylee's own death. it was so shocking that simply made it irresistible to finish the story in one sitting. despite the sympathy i felt, the way she handled her relationship threw me completely off. ever since My Soul to Steal (2010), i rooted for her a little less every turning page. but the different values we had aside, the book did reach all out being absolutely entertaining and engaging.

Ramona and Beezus (2010)

the story followed Ramona, a third grader who was very creative and adventurous. her father Robert lost his job, which might led to them losing their house. Ramona tried selling lemonade and washing car to earn some money with the aim of saving the house. but eventually everything backfired. Beezus was her elder sister, whose love life often got ruined by Ramona. despite their constant bickering, they supported each other throughout the period of uncertainty.

the film was thoroughly entertaining. it was so unexpectedly emotional that so much tears were shed, more than i remembered for any film! Ramona was a mischievous child trying to help out but causing even more trouble in return. yet her sincerity clearly overwrote those trouble and made her even more lovable. she stood out so much that it was impossible to care more about any other characters. despite being a small family film, it was so rewarding and satisfying that it felt huge!

Koizora Movie 恋空 (2008)

Mika lost her phone but later found it in the school library when an unknown number called her, causing the phone to vibrate. throughout their summer holiday, Mika and the mysterious caller continued to converse, bonding and agreed to meet each other once school starts. later she found out that the called was Hiro, a delinquent with dyed hair and piercing that Mika initially was afraid of. slowly they got to know each other and Hiro's ex-girlfriend Saki showed up.

despite looking like some innocent teen romance, the movie served as an eye-opener for Mika, where she experience first love, first heartbreak, first pregnancy, first miscarriage, etc. not to mention Hiro getting back together with his ex. which made the life of teenagers nowadays felt so devastating, especially for not being able to see what she was obviously getting herself into. in many ways, the film was both frustrating and disgusting when it came to Hiro. he seemed to never get punished for the bad deeds he did, maybe even earned a little something from it.

Tiger & Bunny (2011) タイガー＆バニー

the story took place in a world where some humans were gifted with superpower at birth, known as Next. some became superheroes, each funded by a sponsor company. their heroic activities were broadcast on a television show, where accumulated points showed the accomplishment of each hero. Kotetsu was a hero called Wild Tiger, while most hero worked alone, his clumsiness caused him to be assigned a new partner, a young man called Barnaby. however, the added challenge was that they had trouble working together due to conflicting opinions.

for the first few introductory episodes, Tiger & Bunny (2011) seemed like nothing more than a superpower show, where each hero fought to win points to become the "King". the story started to get interesting when Tiger took off his uniform, a man of justice but wasn't wise enough to make himself look good in front of the camera. and his opposite was Barnaby. their background stories were where we felt connected to the characters. a widowed father, Tiger had a 10-year-old daughter that he rarely sees, and despite being a superhero, his age made it clear that he wasn't the favorite for the viewers. despite the flashy visuals, these emotions made Tiger & Bunny (2011) enjoyable, while actions added a little spark every now and then.

Soul Screamers #4: My Soul to Steal (2010)

after finding out about Nash addiction with Demon Breath, Kaylee decided to breakup temporarily for him to readjust his life. but things got instantly complicated when Nash's ex-girlfriend, Sabine transferred into their high school. she had a difficult childhood, was an ex-convict and clung tightly to the only good thing in her life, which happened to be Nash. as frustrated as Kaylee was with Sabine, she found out that Sabine was a Mara, who can read into people's fear and weaved it into nightmares while she fed.

in many ways, the book spent a lot of time building up the tension between Kaylee and Sabine, making me looking forward to their final showdown, seeing who in the end would have Nash for herself. but all was changed when an unexpected turn grab hold of the storyline and gave it a whole new direction, which made the story even better! i had been rooting for Kaylee ever since the first book, but her indecisive personality in this installment made her a little less likable. i would have loved for her to go through Nash's struggle with him, rather than abandoning him during this critical moment.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)

the Penguins left for Monte Carolo, leaving behind Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria in Africa. waking up from a nightmare, Alex led everyone to Monte Carlo, getting the Penguins to fly them back to New York. at the same time, animal control were called and Captain Dubois responded, wanting Alex's head for her trophy. their plane crashed into a train yard. desperate to escape, the four claimed that they were circus animals to escape with a circus train.

like its previous sequels, Madagascar remained impressively better than its predecessors. the circus stunts were one of the most entertaining and memorable scenes. the circus characters, Stefano the sea lion, Gia the jaguar, and Vitaly the tiger, each had enough screen time to capture our heart, with a little of their background thrown in to have us felt completely engaged. while Marty's humor was expected, the romance between King Julien and Sonya the bear was completely unexpected. though silly, but somewhat heartwarming.

Kimi ni Todoke Live-Action Movie 君に届け (2010)

Sawako was nicknamed Sadako by her classmates due to her gloomy appearance and similar haircut with the character from a horror movie. despite being caring, Sadako had always been a loner, unable to express her thoughts. Shouta was Sadako's classmate, he was outgoing and popular, but unexpectedly fell for Sadako. he led her to interact better with her classmates and formed an unlikely friendship with Yoshida and Yano.

despite coming across many live-action adaptation of anime that turned out to be a disappointment, i was clearly surprised with the outcome of Kimi ni Todoke (2009-2010). though not special enough to stand out, it was unexpectedly good and engaging. in many ways the live-action reminded me of its anime, though most of the storyline were re-written and not an exact copy of it. which also made it refreshing and comfortable to watch.

Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel: Kyun Kyun Tokimeki Paradise!! (2011) 快盗天使ツインエンジェル 〜キュンキュン☆ときめきパラダイス

Haruka and Aoi were best friends. during the day, they were normal high school students, often helping with school activities. but at night, they transformed into the magical Twin Angel and fought enemies, defending their school by tracking down and protecting the 7 Amulets. the amulets were jewelry capable of generating great power. not long later, they were joined by Kurumi, the White Angel.

despite the cheesy plot that reminded us of Shakugan no Shana (2005-2011) and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (2008-2010), Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel (2008-2011) failed to stand out due to its lack of introduction. nor did the character had us felt engaged, thus their transformation routine did nothing to had us felt impressed. at this point, the idea of a slight change of clothing made everyone unrecognizable turned out to be hardly acceptable.

Soul Screamers #3.5: Reaper (2010)

Tod was like any other teenager. like most siblings, he often bickered with his younger brother, Nash. Tod was the matured one, often thinking things through; while Nash was the emotional one, where their mum often said he wore his heart on his sleeve. one day, Nash sneaked out while being grounded, calling in hours later screaming for Tod to pick him up. as annoyed as Tod was, the accident happened and Nash died. negotiating with the reaper, Tod was forced to make a decision, between Nash's life and his.

the short story showed a background of Tod's transition from a male Banshee, or Bean Sidhe to a Reaper. despite his usual indifferent attitude, Tod was every bit emotionally involved during these moment of change. having enjoyed the series thus far, i considered this unusual sneak peek extremely delicious! and predicting many fans shifting their interest from Nash to Tod from this onward.

Men in Black III (2012)

Boris the Animal escaped from prison, intended on going back in time to kill agent K, who shot off his arm and captured him back in year 1969. with everyone forgetting whom K was, J sought out a time travel device that Boris used to return back in time and followed suit. with only 24 hours to save K, J met with the younger agent K trying to convince him of the future.

we were never huge fans of time-traveling concept, especially the jumping back and forth part, it was dull and highly predictable. fortunately the chance to relive a smart science-fiction comedy that present all the weird and wonderful things about aliens, managed to surface though with a different partner for J. the concept for MIB felt old yet still managed to entertain, its uniqueness remained though felt slightly forced.

Hana Yori Dango Final (2008) 花より男子～ファイナル～

Tsukasa announced to the world that he was engaged to Makino, which drew media attention to the Doumyouji family. the parents met to discuss their wedding, which passed them a tiara that grants them endless love. when the tiara was snatched, the duo chased with all their might to retrieve it, which brought them to Las Vegas only to discover that the tiara will be auctioned at Hong Kong.

the movie focused more on the relationship between Tsukasa and Makino, not on the Flower 4. Tsukasa being the son of the wealthiest family in Japan, was bad tempered but fiercely loyal for his affection towards Makino. their different social state served as the challenge to their relationship. despite wanting to witness their passionate love story, it was actually equally enjoyable watching them bickering.

Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi Season 2 (2011) 世界一初恋2

the story continued as Onodera worked under Takano, an old schoolmate he once confessed to and later separated due to a misunderstanding. but as they work together, they were forced to once again to confront each other and tolerate to get the best out of every situation. time went by as they became so true and honest with each other, going through conflicts and obstacles that in the end, strengthened their relationship.

despite the unrequited love story, the comedy itself was enough to make us want more. the sub-stories drew the story away from the 2 main character, from their everyday life conflict and jealousy, but adding a little something different for both the season. it was distracting, and sometimes entertaining depending on the characters. in overall, Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi (2011) had a recycle plot used in many Yaoi anime. the only difference was the location it was set.

Soul Screamers #3: My Soul to Keep (2010)

Kaylee's Banshee, or Bean Sidhe ability caused her to scream whenever she sensed death. only Nash, her boyfriend was able to understand and calm her under these extreme circumstances. Nash was a male Bean Sidhe, had not the ability to hold a soul like Kaylee's scream could do, but was able to direct a soul back to its original body. their love shifted onto shaky ground when Kaylee discovered that Nash was addicted to Demon Breath, the addictive breath of Avari, the hellion of greed, from the Netherworld, now selling in the human world.

Kaylee had grew so much since the first book, her increased strength reflected clearly in her decisions and made her so lovable that had me rooted completely for her. unfortunately her romance took a turn for the worst, making the book the most devastating installment thus far. different emotions washed through me as i read, suffering a painful heartache with the most difficult decision she had to make.

The Romantics (2010)

7 friends were reunited 6 years later, attending the wedding of Lila and Tom, with one of the maid-of-honour, Laura being once romantically involved with Tom. the wedding was held at a beach house, with perfect planning from Lila herself. when the relationships between the 7 friends were explored, Laura was meeting Tom secretly, igniting the long lost love.

the film started out decent, but soon transformed into a horrific cliche. it was typical and somewhat insulting, showing as if after being drunk, everyone can went as far as exchanging partners for the night and not be responsible. the love triangle between Lila, Laura and Tom was also so insignificant that it was difficult to understand who Tom actually loved more. in overall, the film was a huge mess not worth wasting time over, with the characters neither stood out nor felt engaging.

Nana 2 ナナ2 (2006)

the story took place after the end of Nana (2005). while the 2 Nanas continued to live together, their love life went 2 different directions. punkish Nana managed to get back together with Ren, the guitarist from a popular band called Trapnest. while another Nana got together with Takumi, the bassist. however, being a player himself, Takumi paid not much attention to Nana after sleeping with her, which was forced to change after she got pregnant.

although Nana (2005) was highly successful and sincere, with lovable characters and captivating relationships; Nana 2 (2006) was missing everything. with many of the bigger casts being changed, especially the cute Nana and Ren, the feeling was all lost. the new Nana tried a little too hard to be cute, not a natural thus made her character felt fake and disgusting. even though the story tried to present the depressing side of their friendship by going their separate ways, it was not enough to engage our feelings nor tears due to its unbelieving casts.

Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi (2011) 世界一初恋

Onodera quit his job as a literature editor at his parent's company and joined Marukawa Books. despite applying to join the literature department, he was assigned to the shoujo manga (少女漫画) department. he initially considered resigning, especially after meeting his new boss, Takano who was intolerable and bad temper. but soon Onodera discovered that Takano was an old schoolmate that he once fell in love and confessed to.

despite the constant bickering between Onodera and Takano, it was heartwarming to see them being reunited after 10 years. a misunderstood separation caused the relationship development to be difficult, there were even more issues due to Onodera's evasive attitude. unfortunately, they never did successfully get together even when the series came to an end. it left us hanging while partially ruined the good watch. with Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi Season 2 (2011) coming up so closely, it was with great hope that there will be an acceptable ending to it.

Soul Screamers #2: My Soul to Save (2009)

whenever Kaylee felt the uncontrollable urge to scream, someone around her was about to die. but when she witness Eden, a popular pop star fell dead half way through her performance on stage, yet Kaylee had not felt the urge nor seen Eden's soul floated out, she knew something was disturbingly wrong. Eden had no soul. and soon Addison would be next.

having discovered her Banshee, or Bean Sidhe ability of sensing death, Kaylee was forced to interfere when her boyfriend's brother, Tod requested her to save Addison from the Hellion of Greed, who teenagers signed contract with to trade their souls for fame. the book used the chance to explore Netherworld, a world exist alongside the human world, but resided by different creatures. it was a trip so mysterious and creepy that made the book a real page turner.