Men of the Otherworld (2009)

as a curious child, Clayton wasn't accidentally bitten, he approaching a werewolf and asked for it. he survived the transformation, becoming the only child-werewolf, living off scraps in the alley. Jeremy came along and gave him a home, trained him and brought him back to the human-werewolf world. Clayton grew from a wild child to a smart teen who admired Jeremy and vowed to protect him, even if he was forced to control his animal instinct.

having read the Women of the Otherworld (2001-2012) series, Clayton was no stranger being the mate of Elena. the story started from Jeremy's birth until Clayton's life before he met Elena. young Clayton was nothing like his current self, being innocent and straightforward, he turned out to be adorable and unintentionally hilarious at times. even though the book was considered a pre-sequel, it wouldn't have meant anything if one is not familiar with its characters already.

One for the Money (2012)

Stephanie was broke, desperately looking for a job and ended up at Vinnie's Bail Bonds, who hired bounty hunters to bring back certain individuals. she had no equipment, no training, no knowledge, other than recognizing the face on the list, Joe. he was a former cop who was wanted for murder, who also happened to use her as a one night stand in high school. she held the grudge, and aiming for the huge amount of money she will get for bringing him in.

she was naive, thinking that the job of a bounty hunter was not as difficult as it sounded. but she got lucky because Joe happened to be someone she knew, making the job less deadly than it was supposed to be. most of the time, Stephanie gained by sheer dumb luck. she was vulnerable but tough, not to mention stubborn. it was a lot of fun following her on her adventure. the pace was rapid and the circumstances were very believing.

Statuesque.

he picked up the book, tracing and scanning the ancient pattern on its cover. the sound of footstep broke his train of thought. they stopped in front of his door. startled, he stood up and took a step back as the knob turned and the door creaked open. dim light flowed into the room. a young girl walked in, 2 overstuffed bags hung on her shoulder. a mess of wavy hair rested on top of her head and shoulder, her cheek flushed from walking up the stairs. with a sigh, she let the bags dropped onto the floor. they fell to the ground with a thud. she looked up at him, as if noticing him for the first time. fanning her face with her hand, he realized that the girl was carelessly pretty, with rosy skin and exaggerated hair that made her looked like she had just stepped out of a storybook.

びっくりした。

Kimi to Boku (2011) 君と僕

the story followed the everyday life of 4 teenagers, Yuuta and Yuuki the good looking twins, Shun the soft-spoken guy and Kaname the class representative. they had known each other since kindergarten, even though they were separated into 2 different classes in high school, they continued hanging out together especially during lunch and after school. not long after school started that Chizuru joined their class and also their gang, which increased both troubles and fun to their everyday life.

despite the often used plot of the everyday life of some high school teenagers, the anime turned out to be absolutely entertaining and captivating. it was easy to watch and the story flowed so smoothly and happily, with an occasional surprise or twist. it was easy to chuckle or laugh along with the charming characters, so lovable that they grew on us. there were also cats between scenes, mirroring the actions or attitudes of the human characters. it was original and somewhat got us hooked to their next appearance.

The Vampire Journals #1: Turned (2011)

Caitlin had just turned 18 when she was forced to change school, her mother wanted to move again. inside the busied building, she finally met someone friendly enough to talk to her, his name was Jonah. she felt comfortable with him, waiting and always eager to meet him. but before their romance can blossom, Caitlin felt herself changing. she got superhuman strength, felt sensitive towards light, and worst, a desire to feed. her craving led her to the wrong place at the wrong time, where she was caught between dangerous covens, a vampire war initiated by her awakening.

although it took her quite a while to figure out that she was a half-breed vampire, Caitlin was still a relatable character. her experience believable, her struggle understandable, which made all the waiting felt worthwhile. her attraction towards both Jonah (the human) and Caleb (the vampire) however, sort of ruining her character that buildup within us during the read. but in general, the book was an interesting and fast read. the cliffhangers left many incomplete developments that can be both frustrating and engaging, which also pulled us towards its second installment, Loved (2011).

The Vow (2012)

the story was based on an actual relationship between Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, who wrote a book about their marriage, named "The Vow". the film started with Paige and Leo, a happily married couple who got into an accident, causing Paige to lose her memory after regaining consciousness. she remembered her parents but not Leo, where she soon learned that she lost only the recent 5 years in her life. Leo was still madly in love with Paige, desperately trying to make her remember, while Paige tried to escape until she found out the reason she left her home 5 years ago.

the film was very beautiful, especially when Paige and Leo had such great chemistry between them. when that fell apart, it was so heartbreaking that i couldn't help crying for them. Paige playing 2 characters that had completely different attitudes and styles was absolutely believing. at some point, of her rejection towards Leo, i almost hated her for her spoilt self. but the ending was satisfying, they may not have gotten together in the end, but it was good enough than making it felt cheesy.

Reticency.

she caught movement in the shadows. his head swung towards it, hand gripping her arm tighter, pulling her back as if shielding her. a cat appeared between the trash cans. it froze realizing they were staring, orange fur puffed up as it hissed. a feline furball, bright under the moonlight. as if annoyed, it tore off towards the opposite direction, paws scrabbling against the gravel. she started to say something, but saw him scanning the lot, eyes narrowed, making sure the cat was the only intruder. his grip was still on her arm, keeping her so close she could hear his uneven breathing.

その近くに。

Ben-To (2011) ベン・トー

Sato was a poor highschool student who lived in the dorm. he sought out cheap food at the local market and found himself beaten up to a semi-conscious state where he can't remember what happened. his memories slowly recovered after witnessing the hazard of the half-priced lunchboxes (bento), local residents and students battled each other for the discounted food every night, and only the strong remained victory.

despite the simple plot that sounded lame when first introduced, the anime remained surprisingly entertaining throughout the series. its main attraction was its dramatic fighting scenes over the discounted food that seemed awfully exaggerated yet easily acceptable. before known, it became highly addictive that even we felt like throwing our punches for a box or two. there were some harem (ハーレム) in the anime but all the girls had their own characteristics that made it interesting and distracting at the same time, which was an absolute add.

Dead Beautiful #2: Life Eternal (2012)

second book into the Dead Beautiful (2010-2012) series, the book continued following the journey of Renée. she held on dear to her secret, where she had died and was brought back to life by the kiss of Dante, her soul mate who happened to be an Undead. the experience changed her, where half of her soul resided within Dante. when Gottfried Academy was transformed into the school of the Undead, she was sent to Lycee St. Clement, the school for Monitors, where she will be trained to kill and bury the Undead. giving up hope that she will ever be reunited with Dante, Renée came across the story of the Nine Sisters, where a way of Immortality was discovered. she raced from one clue to another, getting closer to the answer before their time end.

having a great start with Dead Beautiful (2010), Life Eternal seemed to lack the spark that kept me going at full speed. though its storyline equally mysterious, i was disappointed that Dante was no longer in the spotlight beside Renée, but a new guy named Noah. as innocent as Noah was towards Renée, i can't brush off the feelings that he was the bad guy that led her astray, pulling her further and further away from Dante. though frustrated that the book ended with a cliffhanger, i still see myself reading its next installment willingly.

Battleship (2012)

a planet with conditions similar to earth was discovered, NASA transmitted a signal with the hope that extraterritorial being would respond. Alex was a talented navy but often wasted his potential for being indiscipline. during RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific), he got into a fight with Nagata of the Japanese navy. at the same time, 5 alien ships responded to the NASA signal and landed on earth. they initiated a massive shield to trap the warships, including Alex's and Nagata's.

we went into the cinema with high expectation, and surprisingly we weren't disappointed! the slightly lengthy introductions of Alex was somewhat unnecessary, nor was his love story with the Admiral's daughter something to look forward to, but the battles were absolutely smart and engaging! the aliens reminded us of Transformers (2007-2011) due to the sound it emitted. the film was at its highest peak during battles, which did nothing less than having us feeling completely stunned and impressed with strategies so sophisticated that we wouldn't have been able to be exposed to otherwise.

Commotion.

she flopped down on the bed, enjoying the complete and utter silence. having not slept well last night left her tired and cranky all day. she pulled a pillow up over her head, hair laid over her eyes until she shoved them back and replace the pillow, shutting out the world. but the quietness didn't last. the front door slammed, and with neither a warning knock or noise, he sprang open her door and leaped into her room with an exaggerated fuss.

大げさな騒ぎ。

Un-Go (2011) アンゴ

the story took place after the war where the city still continuously received terrorist attacks. Shinjuurou was a detective who solved mysterious crimes, together with his strange partner named Inga. but no matter the outcome, the credit always ended up going to detective Rinroku. Inga, as innocent as his childlike expression looked, can transformed into an adult woman, with the ability of hypnotizing her prey and forced the truth out of them.

the anime may not stood out or spare us any introduction of its characters, the storyline alone was enough to capture our curiosity and easily led us through. despite having detective material as its core, Inga made the show special and suprisingly refreshing. the mysteries they solved only got better and better, improving along the way. so did the character development, where we began to care more about what happened to them, especially Inga.

Dead Beautiful #1: Dead Beautiful (2010)

Renée was an ordinary girl until her sixteenth birthday, when she found her parents dead in the woods. the police declared the cause of their death as heart attacks, but Renée was far from convinced after witnessing coins that scattered around their bodies, and the clothes in their mouth. before she was able to find out more, Renée was sent by her wealthy grandfather to Gottfried Academy, a mysterious and remote boarding school. there, she met with Dante, a boy that she felt strangely drawn to. unexplainable things started occurring, forcing her to unearth the dark secret of Gottfried and the students that suffered similar death as her parents.

it was an extremely fast and enjoyable read! the story evolved around The Undead, yet remained so unique and interesting as we followed Renée on her discovery, also in search of true love and selflessness. the mysteriousness of her parents' death easily engaged and led us through the pages, having absolutely no boring moments. the character developments were in depth, the storyline so dark yet so beautiful, so romantic yet so heart-wrenching at times. it was impossible not to fall in love with Renée, her story a breath of fresh air comparing to most of the supernatural romance.

StreetDance 2 (2012)

Ash enjoyed street dancing. after suffering humiliation by the crew from Invincible, Eddie offered to become his manager while they had to recruit some of the best streetdancers from around Europe to participate in a battle. desperately needing something different to make their dance stood out, they decided to adapt a Latin element after witnessing the performance of Eva.

the film easily reminded us of Step Up (2006-2010) and Stomp the Yard (2007). fortunately, unlike the previous dance films, StreetDance 2 (2012) had very little dialogues and lots of dancing! the moment Ash started talking was when he started to loose us, but compared to the amount of music we got, it was the least of our concern. the dance characters were so interesting that there were not enough time to feature everyone other than a simple introduction. but it was enough for us to bob our head to the rhythms, enjoying their impossible movements while getting goosebumps crawling all over us.

Reverie.

she couldn't remember dreaming, couldn't remember what woke her. she usually remembered pieces of what haunted her in her sleep. most of the time, she remembered way too much details and had a hard time getting back to sleep. nothing looked out of place to explain her panic. her skin prickled and filled with goose bumps. something was wrong. she couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew. too sleepy to figure it out right now, she peered into the dark of her room for anything that might have woken her. it remained safely beyond her grasp.

受け入れを超えて。

Nekogami Yaoyorozu (2011) 猫神やおよろず

Mayu is a Nekogami (Cat God), who specialized in recovering lost items and memories. after causing trouble in the heavens, Mayu was sent to earth as a punishment. she ended up living with Yuzu, a girl who ran an antique shop called Yaoyorozu. instead of helping out, Mayu spent her days playing video games until they came across the local gods.

the anime was fairy entertaining, its plot barely important and most of the time absurd and random. without much depth, it was just another lighthearted comedy that has chibi characters under its spotlight, which probably will be more enjoyable for younger viewers. i may not have to drag myself through the episodes, but it was just like watching some random show and forgetting everything almost instantly afterward.

The Watchers #1: Isle of Night (2011)

expecting to start a new life by attending college in a new town, leaving her abusive father and step-mother behind, Annelise was devastated to realize that she cannot be accepted because of an incomplete academic score. that was when Ronan appeared, promising her a new life if she had the courage to explore the unknown. she was brought to a mysterious island, coming across more recruited girls, who like her, will be trained to be a Watcher. Watchers will be partnered with Vampires and assisting them. but to become a watcher, Annelise had to survive and outsmart every other girls, failing to do so means death.

as much as i hate to side with her archenemy, i have to agree that Annelise had a very nasty mouth. she reminded me of Faythe from the Werecats (2007-2010) series, provocative and afraid to show her soft side, she had to go all out with words, spatting in everyone's face. unlike Faythe, she has yet earned my love even though i had finished the first book. the storyline of the strict training these potential girls received however, was engaging, as if i personally followed and keep score on their growth. but of all the characters introduced, there were still a lot left barely untouched, most probably covered in the coming books.

Mirror Mirror (2012)

Snow White's mother died after giving birth to her. her father raised Snow White so she could rule the kingdom one day. but after he married Clementianna, the most beautiful woman in the land, he never returned from a battle. Queen Clementianna ruled in his place, even 10 years later she still felt threatening by Snow White's beauty and the people's devotion to her. on her journey to the village, Snow White realized that the kingdom was rightfully hers and it was time for her to intervene with the help of 7 dwarfs and a prince.

Julia Roberts again played an awesome role even by being the villain. she was truly an evil queen, so arrogant and full of herself that even that, made her difficult to hate. the storyline remained true to its original, but adding a twist and lots of humor to it. it may not be the most perfect adaptation, but it definitely stood out, easily adding a mischievous feel to its supposedly innocent plot. it was beautiful, colorful and easy on the eyes. clearly the story wasn't about Snow White and his prince charming, but her fight for independent against the Queen. but with its sarcastic humor, the film was simply entertaining and full of fun!

Luxuriate.

she shrugged and carried the book and tea and muffins outside, ignoring the cold concrete under her feet. there were wooden chairs lined up at front where she pulled two over, one to sit in, another as footrest. she stretched out, sipped the tea, nibbling the muffin, and continued reading the story she couldn't seem to put down ever since she laid eyes on it in the bookstore yesterday, which after reading more than a dozen page, couldn't resist paying for it at the counter and brought it home for a more comfortable chair.

本を楽しむ。

Guilty Crown (2011) ギルティクラウン

after a virus was spread over the country, an international organization called GHQ took over, wanting to restore order at a cost. Shu was a high school student that often kept to himself. he met with Inori, a singer who took the Internet by storm, but discovered another side of her. Inori was a member of a resistant group, called the Funeral Parlor, who aimed to release the country from GHQ. Shu's power were activated, having the ability to reach inside a person's core and materialize a weapon from it. despite having a strong ability, Shu joined the Funeral Parlor reluctantly, unconvinced that the GHQ were really the bad guys.

despite having his special ability activated, Shu being reluctant to join the Funeral Parlor made the anime interesting to catch, also making its plot twists in an unexpected way, which easily had us curious what would happen next. Inori's forever sad yet neutral expressions reminded me of Ein from Requiem for the Phantom (2009). with its beautiful art and music, the anime was easily enjoyable. even when the plot progressively became darker, the beauty remained.

Blood Lines #1: Blood Kiss (2005)

Tori was killed, drained of all blood and placed on the coffee table like it was an altar. Sarah, her roommate, can't stop dreaming about the killer. the dreams so vivid and terrifying that she tried staying awake just to avoid seeing them. that's when she met Nick, a vampire that hadn't fall for anyone for centuries. they were attracted to each other instantly. but the serial killer behind Tori's death, was Nick's creation, Marcus, a sadistic vampire that gave in to his animal side after he was turned. with their love on the line, Nick had to kill Marcus before Sarah became his next target.

it was a simple storyline, but definitely well planned and engaging. with Sarah's psychic power growing along with their hunt for Marcus, it was absolutely nerve-wrecking wanting to know what happened next! despite the excitement, it was actually fun knowing Marcus will eventually find out Sarah's location after her multiple attempts of mind-invasion. a nasty character, but at the same time a pitiful one, Marcus was a villain with a sad childhood, which boosted the animal side of his. unfortunately, no better end suited a character like his than a clean and painless death.

How Do You Know (2010)

Lisa was cut from being part of her softball national team. she dated Matty who was a pitcher, but he was often clueless and insensitive, nor did he felt that he needed to stay loyal. at the same time, Lisa received a call from George, who had been kicked out of his father's company. their unlikely friendship started as they each struggled to stand back on their feet.

2 seemingly unrelated story of Lisa and George turned out to be very much related after one thing led to another. there were no surprises in the plot as the story flowed accordingly and expectantly. nor was it a passionate romance story, just a light drama of their life and how it was connected at some point. George's pregnant assistant Kathryn was the most humorous character ever! she had such a big and caring heart, wanting to protect George from his father's scheme. it wasn't the best film, but How Do You Know (2010) was entertaining enough to stand out.

Imbibe.

he took another gulp of wine. the server stopped by, asking about dessert. she took the menu, and he followed. as they read, he blinked hard, his fuzzy brain realizing the meal was almost over and he had yet charmed her off her feet. after the server left with their order, he mumbled an apology, embarrassed. unknown that in her perspective, she thought that it was cute watching his brain skidding over the wine, clumsily landing in any direction it led him.

恋に酔って。

Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam (2011) ラストエグザイル-銀翼のファム-

Fam was one of the Sky Pirates, a group of people who sold the ships they captured for a living. one day, Fam and her friend Giselle came across a battle between the Turan Kingdom and the Ades Federation. they rescued Princess Millia from the Turan Kingdom and gave her a place to stay with the Sky Pirates. losing her family and country, Millia was determine to regain her kingdom with the help from Fam and Giselle.

the storyline was somewhat complicated at first, but soon captured our interest after the battle between Turan and the Federation, where it followed the lives of Fam and Giselle while introducing Princess Millia. a matured plot for some 15-year-old girls. Fam easily outshone the rest of the character for her tomboyish chracter, where Giselle, being a complete opposite, was soft and analytic. as a whole, the story was slightly too packed with information to be straightforward and entertaining at the same time. we were able to understand part of it while ignoring the rest just to be on the right path.

Women of the Otherworld #12: Spellbound (2011)

the twelfth book of the Women of the Otherworld series (2001-2012) continued to follow the story of Savannah, the witch. she was on the run with Adam, the fire half-demon and her best friend since childhood, where the witch-hunters were sent after her. to make matter worst, Savannah had lost her power. they proceed with their investigation stealthily, and to their horror, discovered that the threat was directed at everyone in the supernatural world. the werewolves, necromancer and sorcerers were gathered, split up again to approach the matter from all angles. Savannah was forced to work around her lost powers to keep friends and family safe, only to discover that her powers didn't completely leave her.

i absolutely enjoyed reading about Savannah, almost as much as i loved reading about Elena the werewolf! having almost every character throughout the series appearing in one book was an overwhelming sensation, making it felt like this was the master plan behind the whole series after all. there was a group of supernatural that believed that it was time to come out of hiding, exposing themselves in the human world, Savannah and her gang had to eliminate these members before they destroyed everything. with these complicated conspiracy-like plot, the series will come to an end with the next book, Thirteen (2012), expected to be released by July this year.

Wrath of the Titans (2012)

after defeating Kraken, Perseus the demigod son of Zeus, now lived in a fisherman village with his 10-year-old son. one night, Zeus visited Perseus, warning him that the powers of the gods were fading due to the lack of human devotion, and the underworld prison are falling, demons and Kronos will be released, endangering both humans and gods. when confronting Hades, Ares betrayed Poseidon and his father Zeus. Poseidon escaped seeking for help, while Zeus was captured to be drained of his power.

living up to its expectation, Wrath of the Titans (2012) was equally entertaining as its prequel, Clash of the Titans (2010)! it was extremely fast-paced, breathtaking and absolutely exciting since its very beginning until the very end. the film did a perfect introduction on the relationship between the 3 god brothers, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. seeing their strength as well as soft-sides. out of expectation, we even got to see some Cyclops and Minotaur in action. the overall adventure was stunning and the special effects so real that we were absorb into the story without realization.

Esoteric.

she snuck towards the tool shed, pushed aside the barrel that sat the corner, found the keyhole and inserted the stolen key she grabbed on her way out. the trapdoor sprang open, steps disappearing into the darkness. she turned on her flashlight and started down, pulling the hatch, closing the door behind her. at the bottom, she inserted another key, then pressed the buttons sequentially. the door opened with a click, she walked straight down the narrow tunnel. deep inside was her destination, a place away from detection yet functioned perfectly as her hidden hideout.

隠されたスポット。

Chihayafuru (2011) ちはやふる

Chihaya was fascinated by the world of karuta (かるた), a card game based on 100 Japanese poetry. she was first introduced to karuta by Arata, a classmate of hers. soon they were joined by Taichi. after finishing their elementary school, circumstances forced the 3 friends apart, and reunited them again in high school.

as boring as a card game seemed to be, it was an exciting anime! the story followed all 3 characters, each with their own personalities, standing out yet mingled perfectly together. a few short episodes were enough for us to know how karuta worked, and from there onward, had us completely hooked, not to mention being able to followed their matches easily, sharing their excitement and anxiety. the end of each episode lead to an even more anticipated next episode, an interest that never faltered throughout the anime.

Women of the Otherworld #11: Waking the Witch (2010)

eleventh book into the Women of the Otherworld series (2001-2012), it followed the story of Savannah, the daughter of Eve, the dark witch and Kristof, the sorcerer. after years taken in by Paige the witch and Lucas the sorcerer, Savannah now worked at their investigation agency, with impressive knowledge of spells and the supernatural world. having a hard time convincing her adoptive parents to take her seriously as an adult, she jumped at the chance when Jesse, a supernatural detective offered her a chance to call a case her own. Savannah was confident that she can handle the case, but finding more and more clues indicating the involvement of the supernaturals, things quickly got out of hand and turned more dangerous than she realized.

Savannah had a strong personality, a little arrogant and stubborn, but definitely one of those lovable characters that grew in our heart. what appeared to be the doing of a local occult group turned out to be revenge from the afterlife, returning to claim her life. being the daughter of a dark witch and sorcerer made her spell casting ability extremely powerful, yet the moment these abilities were stripped from her was when she was forced to admit that this was too much for her. like the previous installments, this book gave a lot of unexpected twists and complications to keep us entertained, especially when some people were being too helpful, too informative, or even too held back. i was absolutely impressed at how much Savannah reminded us of our teenage years, where romance easily becomes the priority.

Water for Elephants (2011)

Jacob was a veterinary student with a promising career, but his last exam was interrupted when he received the news that his parents were killed in an accident. his father left behind huge debts and he ran away, jumping onto a passing train with the hope that it will bring him somewhere else. he realized the very next morning that it was a circus train. August was the circus owner, a sadistic and ambitious guy that hopes to eliminate all other circuses. Jacob met with August's wife, Marlena and fell in love with her. while he developed an unlikely friendship with August and Marlena, Jacob had to make risky decisions to disobey August and train the animals in his own ways.

the story took place in the past, its details so beautiful that it was easy to get absorbed into the film. August was a complicated character, we disliked him most of the time, but he can also be so pitiful at a different time. Jacob was an honest character, going with the flow and accepting what came his way. Marlena played a small role between the 2 men, a dutiful wife especially when it came to accepting August's violent behavior. the film's attraction mainly laid in the dark side of the circus entertainment, a side where we were rarely given the chance to be exposed to. it was interesting and absolutely captivating.