Mobile Suit Gundam UC (2010) 機動戦士ガンダムUC ユニコーン

the 6-episodes OAV (Original Animated Video) was adapted from its 10-volumes manga (漫画) released in year 2006-2009, by Harutoshi Fukui (福井晴敏). the OAV was premiered in March 2010, releasing 2 episodes per year.

its plot took place in Gundam's UC (Universal Century) timeline, where a space colony called Laplace was destroyed. the story followed a boy called Banagher, 3 years later, who lived among the space colonies. his life changed after rescuing a girl called Audrey, who said she wanted to prevent a war. their encounter brought him into contact with Gundam n its connection to Laplace's Box, which hold great secret tied to the origins of UC.

the anime managed to make an old manga looked very attractive! visually, it felt like a blend of classic Gundam presented with modern animation. i have yet watched the OAV myself, but is definitely looking forward to it!

Rosario + Vampire (2008) ロザリオとバンパイア

Tsukune was rejected by many private academy because of his poor grades. yet the only school he was accidentally accepted into was nothing out of the ordinary. out of town, locked away from the human society, Youkai Academy was attended by monsters in human disguise. realized how dangerous it was to stay, he planned to escape. it was then he ran into Moka, a beautiful girl who was also a vampire. the rosary she hung around her neck once removed, will reveal her true nature. the longer he stayed, the more friends he made, which included Kurumu the Succubus, Yukari the witch, n Mizore the ice-woman.

although the anime was labeled Harem (ハーレム), the boy-girl relationship wasn't as cheesy nor typical, falling nicely into the Still-Bearable category. large variety of supernatural beings were introduced, which for me, was the most interesting n informative part of the whole series!

Avril Lavigne: Smile (2011)

after releasing "What the Hell" in January 2011, "Smile" was officially released in April 2011 as the second single from her fourth album Goodbye Lullaby (2011). after going black, pink, it is now green for her hair! her recent Black Star tour started at the end of April 2011, lasted for half a month n ended in the middle of May 2011.

Pandorum (2009)

pandorum is an a psychological condition involving paranoia n hallucinations. stranded on an abandoned spacecraft, disoriented n eager to recover their memories, they realized that they were not alone. the movie has some pretty interesting concepts, but too blurry when it comes to transmit them.

Macross Frontier: Sayonara no Tsubasa (2011)マクロスF 恋離飛翼 サヨナラノツバサ

the first movie of Macross Frontier was named Itsuwari no Utahime (2009). it retold the Macross Frontier (2008) anime events from episodes 1-13. the second movie, Sayonara no Tsubasa (2011) picked up from where the last movie left off. but was a completely new story that was made a finale as well as to put an end to their love triangle. Ranka's career of being a star continued to blossom while Sheryl's health rapidly deteriorated after her collapsed during a live performance. through the singing abilities of these 2 songstresses, multiple organizations were fighting for control of hordes of mysterious extra-terrestral life-form called Vajra. soon Alto n his friends again joined the Macross Frontier fleet n began its final war with the Vajra.

the main question that always lingered in my mind since anime till movie, was who will Alto choose. with both Ranka n Sheryl running after him, showing obvious interest in him, he never did make up his mind. finally in this movie, it will be revealed! i have yet watch the movie myself, but is definitely waiting patiently for it to be available to us!

Gosick (2011)

Kujo was the third son of a Japanese imperial soldier. he was transfered to a new academy in a small European country, where urban legends n horror stories were the center of the attention. he met with Victorique, a mysterious girl with a brilliant mind. she never came to class, nor left the library tower. after being her friend, Kujo was exposed to many mysterious cases that was easily solved by Victorique. sometimes going as far as putting their life in danger. but as time passed, their friendship deepened while his ability too increased.

Victorique, despite looking beautifully young n innocent, owned an impressively strong personality; while Kujo, though having the story circled around him, was more like a secondary character, or even her assistant. the cases that they were exposed to, were not child's play, which most of them even the detective was having trouble figuring out. therefore sometimes put them in a life n death situation. even though all these sounded serious, the anime managed to make it felt light at appropriate timing, adding humor n softening Victorique's character by making her felt at ease with Kujo, thus showing sides she usually wouldn't with the others. despite the stern expressions, she was just a teenager with an attitude.

Introspective.

while the criticizer continued mercilessly hammered her battered pride, pushing n cornering her with his hurtful words, she was left undefended. as unthoughtful as he always had been, throwing irresponsible words randomly without knowing the exact circumstances. refraining herself from pouncing forward for a deadly bite on his neck, her stare burned into the floor. she didn't ask to be sick, nor can she do anything when it was declared incurable by the professionals. she only hoped for a little compassion n thoughtfulness.

いつでもトラブルを引き起こして。

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Captain Jack Sparrow met with Angelica, a woman of his past. she forced him board Blackbeard's ship, for him to lead them to the Fountain of Youth. after rescuing his formal shipmate, Jack was captured n brought before King George who wanted to beat the Spanish by reaching the fountain first. coincidentally, the King's army was led by Barbossa. Jack was thrown to n fro between the 2 groups. to gain a longer life, the water from the fountain must be drunk from 2 chalices, 1 added a mermaid's tear. Blackbeard ordered his men to capture a mermaid n carried it along their expedition.

again, Johnny Depp returned as the goofy pirate, whom we absolutely adored! not having Orlando Bloom n Keira Knightley proven to be not a loss at all, especially when Penelope Cruz took over with an even stronger character, keeping us even further entertained. this sequel was as action packed as the previous, filled with swords fight, mermaids, telling the story of truth, betrayal n youth. having seen a lot more Blackbeard n Barbossa turned out to be very satisfying as well, especially when you need not take sides!

Propitiation.

after a draggy weekend, he approached her cautiously, careful not to get bitten or scratched. hoping by taking the casual approach, he could easily invade n return being allowed into her comfort zone. though relieved with the resurfaced ostrich, she decided to hammer on. for now is the time to make things clear once n for all. sternly she pushed forward, with his head dropped further downward, admitting n apologizing, knowing it was his fault for taking her for granted n not correcting the mistake on the spot, nor taking account of her feelings. only when she was sure he knew what the problem was, did she decided to let the matter slip. the friendship was regained with half a portion of trust lost, yet she was grateful for the incomparable strength of the bond that many lack.

問題を直面する。

Dragon Crisis (2011) ドラゴンクライシス

Ryuji was a normal high school boy until his cousin, Eriko returned from the overseas. Ryuji was dragged along for Eriko's attempt to grab a box from a group of professionals. during the havoc, the box was opened n revealed a red dragon who took form of a young girl, whom they later named Rose. to protect Rose from being abducted, Ryuji had to apply his skill as a relic handler, which he denied n avoided for a long time.

the anime reminded me of Toradora (2008), where Rose behaved n had a temper as fiery as Taiga! it was rumored that Dragon Crisis (2011) was an unofficial sequel of Toradora (2008). the anime started with packed action n little explanation, which was a huge attraction n easily took us along for the ride. the story was fast, interesting, n always showing something new. it was so much fun, the 12 episodes were simply not enough to satisfy!

Dogs vs Tiger.

dogs, being one of the most tolerable animal, were often found getting along with other animals, such as tigers. came across the video below last few days, it was so adorable n irresistible! so maybe even the misunderstood tigers can be as tolerable as dogs?

Priest (2011)

after centuries of war between man n vampires, an alternate world was created by the Church. Priests were a group of warriors with special abilities, gathered specially during the war to fight the vampires. after the war ended, Priests were disbanded n they lived among the humans in a walled-in city. when his daughter was abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, he broke the vow he had with the church n escaped into the wasteland, on a quest to rescue her.

the film was very successful visually! although the scene was set in a post-apocalypse world, or even dessert-like wasteland, it was beautiful n captivating. it pulled us into the film instantly n totally enjoyed every minute of it! although the film was slightly short to fully satisfy, but it nonetheless had us anticipate for a hopefully coming sequel.

Reneged.

greatly disappointed, she tried not to sigh, not to chase away all the luck surrounding her like the Japanese often said. for a friendship so hard earned, a friendship that went through so much ups n downs before reaching the current stage, even a promise can be easily thrown out the window without as much as a second thought. it all started out with a simple question, which smoothly turned into an offer to help, to a promise to lend a helping hand. yet it was so doubtlessly brushed aside when a particular situation surfaced. offended n refused to believe, she too, cast the years of friendship aside, fighting for the respect she earned, reminding him of his thoughtless act n how much it hurt her. he quieten instantly, neither defending nor admitting his fault, cruelly abandoning her n escaping the confrontation like he did 7 years ago.

破られた約束。

Sora no Otoshimono (2009) そらのおとしもの

since childhood, Tomoki often had a strange dream about a mysterious girl seeking for his help. from Aizawa, he learned that the "new world" orbiting the Earth may have some connection to his dream. one night, he went out only to be bombarded with meteorites. among the meteorites was a beautiful girl named Ikaros. Ikaros was a pet-class Angeloid type alpha (愛玩用エンジェロイドタイプα) after he rescued her, she identified Tomoki as her new master n will fulfill his every desire. his peaceful life suddenly became complicated since that day.

it was a slow-paced anime despite having short episodes. its characters tried to be funny, yet most of the time turned out to be rather disturbing. he freely abused the power he got from Ikaros since she was completely simple minded. the quality however, was absolutely adorable. the anime mainly focused on lonely individual n their fantasy, making them come-alive instead of just staying in their imagination.

cat.

spotted this little fella sitting around, strolling leisurely in n out of an indian cafe. it was neither begging for food, nor for attention. looking more contented compared to our fiercely growling tummies. fortunately, it didn't mind a little pat or 2 from total strangers like us.

Get Smart (2008)

worked for a government spy agency, they were assigned on a mission n it was his first. with a lot of action, a lot of laughter was caused by his idiocy as well. a little lame but nonetheless entertaining to catch.

Arakawa Under the Bridge (2010) 荒川アンダーザブリッジ

Kou was strictly brought up by his father since young, to never be in debt to anyone, not even family members. both Kou n his father was a wealthy, successful businessman. the story started when he was saved by a homeless girl named Nino at the Arakawa bridge. in order to pay her back, Kou promised to fulfill one of her request, which she choose to have him as her boyfriend. there was a small society of homeless people living under the bridge. his new life began as they accepted him into their small circle, revealing one odd characters after another.

the anime started out with exaggerated characters n expression, which hit me as being awfully absurd. but after a few episodes, it turned out to be much better than what i expected! for the characters, although Nino didn't appear to be as exaggerated as the rest of the homeless characters, she stood out being the expressionless princess. Kou, the new comer, was the only sane character among the bunch. he found it difficult to understand them, but being smart n well-trained, he soon found ways to get along with them. in some ways, the anime reminded me of Bakemonogatari (2009), with its stylish touches n unique way of presenting its story, it kept us entertained even with minimal actions.

Personality Test: Farm

you farm was robbed, you need to sell off one of the animals to survive. which will it be?
A. the clever monkey
B. the hardworking cow
C. the speedy horse
D. the gentle goat
E. the king of all animals, the lion

Terminator Salvation (2009)

a terminator that believed that he was still human, met with a guy who led the resistance against the terminators. while he was struggling to believe that the terminator meant good, they had to join hands to save the future. though not as successful as the first few sequels, the twist of a terminator having a heart managed to keep the movie rather interesting.

Scorched.

heat wrapped itself tightly against her, binding n crushing, threatened to dispose of her skin. as the pain slowly seeped into her brain, her whole body reacted without her control. it hurt more than she had imagined, thinking it will pass, only to be engulfed entirely in its second wave. her insides curled n twirled, on the edge struggling to pop. that very moment, a pair of strong arms draped her from behind. she was suddenly awaken from the nightmare, knowing instantly she was still the luckiest person alive.

熱に覆わて。

Eden of the East (2009) 東のエデン

a terrorist act of having 10 missiles landed in Japan was named "Careless Monday". though there weren't any victim, it happened again 3 months later. Saki was on her graduation trip to America. she was saved by Akira when she got into trouble with the local enforcer. Akira had lost his previous memory, naked except for a gun n mobile phone he held. from there they returned to Japan together while Saki fell for Akira more n more.

although the anime looked less captivating than the usual, it actually uses a combination of CG n traditional animation, which turned out to be very impressive if given a chance. after leaving the anime untouched at the end of my list for quite some time, it caught my complete attention right after i finished its first episode. for once, English speaking characters were finally vocalized by actual English actors, instead of Japanese. the mystery of who Akira was before his memory was wiped out, was the main attraction of the anime. while our curiosity led us forward, its technology continued to surprise us further.

Sookie Stackhouse #6: Definitely Dead (2006)

sixth book of the Southern Vampire series, Sookie for once, tried to date someone other than a vampire. Quinn was a were-tiger. but on their first date, they were already attacked by 2 were-people. Sookie was eager to know whether it was her or Quinn that was the target. but things get complicated when she was required to go to New Orleans to clean out her dead cousin, Hadley's apartment. Hadley had been a vampire, her death was unexpected for she was the favorite of the Vampire Queen of Louisiana. her death occurred just the night before the queen were to be politically married to the King of Arkansas. Hadley's landlady, Amelia, who was also a witch, joined Sookie to sort out the trouble Hadley left behind.

this was such a unique entry compared to its previous. it started out being rather confusing, especially when the Vampire Queen of Louisiana paid Sookie a visit in Bon Temps. it also included the life of Sookie's brother, Jason who became a new were-panther, now lived in the were-society with his were-panther girlfriend. as much as Sookie tried to gain complete control of her life, it was no surprise she was again pushed around. her family background that was finally revealed was also the least of what was expected! but like every previous entry for the Southern Vampire series, this entry was suspenseful, heartwarming, heartbreaking, funny, n of course, romantic. unfortunately, the plot this time doesn't evolved around Vampire Eric n Bill. however, they were involved when vampire politics came around.

Fast Five (2011)

after Brian n Mia rescued Dom from being sent into prison, they were wanted across the borders. they landed in Rio de Janeiro, with Vince offering them a job to earn fast cash. however they discovered the Brazilians they were assigned to team up with, were hiding something in one of the cars. they ran off with the Brazilian drug lord hot on their tails. Hobbs, a federal agent that never failed his mission, was assigned on the case. they crossed fire n finally decide which side he wanted to be in.

unfortunately, after the first few Fast n Furious sequels, the remaining sequels offered nothing new. they neither race as much, nor steal as much car. however, we were surprised to still be able to had lots of fun watching its fifth sequel! a change from the typical races was actually good, involving crossfire was something fresh n exciting. n when you put The Rock together with Vin Diesel, it was a bang! at some point, it was hilarious having 2 baldies fighting each other; however it didn't reduce the tension of their action at all, but heating it further!

Personality Test: Salesperson

the salesperson that entertained you at a clothing shop had a very bad attitude. which of these respond will you give?
A. "you are so unprofessional!"
B. "you are so *** (foul words)!"
C. "you will regret looking down on me!"
D. glare fiercely at him/her n walk out of the shop.
E. look for the manager.
F. give him/her a stare that belittle him/her.

Akira (1988) アキラ

an atomic bomb was dropped on Tokyo, destroying the city completely n marking the beginning of WWIII. 31 years later, in 2019, Neo-Tokyo was formed among the ruins. they were political unstable, constantly in chaos, its youth taking over the street in forms of biker gangs. the storycircled around Tetsuo n Kaneda, also members of one of the biker gangs. Tetsuo was detained by the military after an accident with a strange boy. recognizing the psychic ability in him, they started using him as a test subject to activate Akira (a source of unimaginable power, which cause the explosion that destroyed Tokyo). however, their plan backfired when instead of locating the source of power, Tetsuo became its medium, which turned his impulses into destructive reality. he went on a rampage that threatened to destroy Neo-Tokyo as well. Kaneda, as well as the military, set out to stop Tetsuo from releasing more of his power.

most of the characters designs were adapted from its original manga (漫画), the plot of the anime was considerably different, making it popular n widely acknowledged as a Landmark in Japanese animation n film making. it has awesome visual, considered the film being released even before Disney created their animated features. the storyline was so unique it actually took effort to understand, for not until the second half of it was the power completely explained.

dog.

freely wandered around the shop, this canine has no problem getting food. none of the stall owners chase it away nor show unfriendly gesture towards it. some offered a pat or two, some a bone or scraps. filling its tummy at will, it obviously enjoyed the astonished admiration of passersby.

Thor (2011)

Thor was a powerful warrior, but he was too arrogant n impulsive to be king. he was cast out of Asgard n thrown into Earth, to live among the humans. there he started to learn being humble, considering their feelings as well as protecting them against harm that brought by his brother Loki, onto Earth.

from what we usually expect from Marvel's, Thor presented the unexpected. for once, it wasn't all about its action, it was the story. showing so much drama n fantasy, it easily had us absorbed into it. both Thor n Loki left a huge impression on us, so believing it was difficult not to fall for their acting! n Anthony Hopkins of course lived up to his expectation, giving huge depth to his character, King Odin n Thor's father. the visuals were absolutely awesome! the film was unexpectedly hilarious n entertaining despite the intense atmosphere it focused on as well.

Sookie Stackhouse #5: Dead as a Doornail (2005)

Sookie Stackhouse was once again surrounded by vampires, were-animals, shape-shifters, n a fairy godmother. Alcide, the werewolf, needed her help in his father's bid to become the next leader of the local werewold pack. at the same time, Sam, the shape-shifter who happened to be her boss, got shot. to make things worst, her house was partly burned down. one way or another, supernatural related troubles just can't seemed to leave Sookie alone. vampire politics had her windup deep within, n now so had the were-society. it started right after Alcide asked for her company to a funeral, where a pack leader had just died. Alcide's father declared his challenge against another werewolf, for the position of the new pack leader. angry at being drawn into the conflict, Sookie failed to distance herself, especially when her brother, Jason, a new shape-shifter happened to be the suspect.

Charlain Harris managed to surprise me by making all the mishap that happened around Sookie felt so believable n real especially when it involved the supernatural beings she was surrounded in! to make things tastier, she finally stopped dwelling over her ex-boyfriend, vampire Bill. although her love life was every bit as complicated as usual, the turn of events especially when it involved her brother was very much intriguing! it was also exciting to learn more n more about the were-people. with her beloved house burned down, assassins were obviously sent to kill her. this was by far, one of the best entries for the Southern Vampire series!

Toaru Majutsu no Index (2008) とある魔術の禁書目録

the story took place in Academy City, a city filled with highly developed technologies. Touma was one of the 80% of students here. he was a level zero esper, having no skill nor power like most of the students. however his right hand was the Imagine Breaker, a rare ability that erased any power or magic. the story started when he met with Index, a young girl dressed as nun, trying to escape the Necessarius (a magic organization). she was blessed with the skill of memorizing 103,000 forbidden magical spells within her head. since they crossed path, Touma was faced with dangers he can't ignore, to save those he cared about.

while it was typical for Touma to be surrounded (n coincidentally showed interest) by girls, he was still likable for not showing any interest or returning their affections. the selling point of the anime was its magic n esper power possessed by different individual. science was often placed side by side, unexpectedly showing no conflicts throughout all the episodes. for the anime to capture its viewers attention throughout the long 24 episodes, it did well by showing their daily life n how they interacted with one another in a humorous n unique way, similar approach taken by Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (2009).

Supineness.

after years of restraining, hoping by taking a softer approach she could round things up once again, unfortunately it didn't fall into place according to plan. she sees it as a sign for her to consider a second option. she found the years wasted, efforts thrown out the window, energy spent unworthy. yet she never stop learning. unashamed to speak the truth, she realized the moment she stood up for a friend, nothing was strong enough to stop her. it was the truth that backed her up, it was by reasoning with the facts that had her point successfully delivered to the opposing party. yet confronting he who stray far from reality she forever remained awkwardly helpless against.

真実を護るします。

Faster (2010)

after serving 10 years in prison for bank robbery, Driver has only 1 mission he had to complete. he had to avenge his brother's death, murdered after being setup by a gang. now a free man, he went through the list with nothing capable of stopping him from killing them. however, a Cop who only left 10 days before retirement was assigned on his case, n a young egoistic hit-man (Killer) was paid to kill him.

the plot was so simple n straightforward it was impossible to be misled. one of the coolest attraction the film managed to consistently portrayed, was having him went through the killing smoothly despite the distractions from Cop n Killer. both the Rock n Cop played such believing parts, we were able to feel the anger as well as the joy of having one of those taken out. we loved the film, for it wasn't about good cop versus bad guy, but it was justice, with god miraculously helping those in need.