Bridesmaids (2011)

Annie was a single woman in her 30s. she lost her boyfriend after her bakery failed. she then get together with Ted, hoping for a future together, but Ted was a self-absorbed man that wanted no commitment. one day, Annie's best friend, Lillian got engaged and appointed Annie her maid of honor. during the engagement party, Annie met with her fellow bridesmaids, Rita, Becca, Megan, and Helen. Helen and Annie were each jealous of the other's friendship with Lillian, instantly dislike each other and got on each other's foot constantly.

Bridesmaids (2011) started out bad, really bad. Annie was a pathetic character, so desperate yet unbelievably unlucky. while she got all the worst happenings, her best friend got engaged and she had to come across someone perfect like Helen to compete against. but slowly, as the film stop showing how low Annie can get, it became so much more entertaining, a few punches were thrown between friends, fights that were least expected to explode during such timing exploded. it was so heartwarming that instantly i fell for the characters, with each of them stood out among one another and outshone each other. it was a good chick-flick, their friendship beautiful and absolutely engaging.

Moshidora もしだら (2011)

Minami was a high school girl who had passion for baseball. her best friend Yuki, who had weak health, was the manager of the baseball club before she was hospitalized. Minami decided to lead the team to Championship, following Yuki's footstep. having no experience, she built her strategies by referring to a business management book written by Peter Drucker, which she bought mistakenly at the bookstore.

having watched the Moshidora (2011) anime, it was obvious that the Live-Action film was a compact version of the 10 episodes anime. however, unlike its anime, which slowly brought forward our interest by connecting baseball to Drucker's management book; the Live-Action only dulled the interest. by the time the film ended, i was just glad to have finished watching it as it had been so uninteresting. the players in no way stood out from one another, giving me a hard time recognizing one character from another. nor were there any development as i didn't feel anything significant, even with Yuki's death.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou (2012) 男子高校生の日常

the story followed the lives of 3 high school boys, Tadakuni, Yoshitake, and Hidenori. they were surrounded by odd characters that tend to complicate their life, not that they were any better themselves. but attending an all-boys high school, they were very curious about girls. instead of approaching the girls directly, they came out with simulations and possibilities on how the girls will react while being approached.

the anime was absolutely fast paced, with one bizarre comedy after another, not forgetting that it was all presented in an exaggerated sense. there weren't any storyline nor character developments, but patched together by some random jokes and humors. since humor was subjective, it wasn't always funny, sometimes having the opposite effect. unfortunately, i didn't manage to get pass the first few episodes as i find the absurdity was more than i could handle.

Masque of the Red Death #1: Masque of the Red Death (2012)

the plague was infecting almost everyone, especially those without a mask. Araby's twin brother, Finn's death was devastating for her, where she vowed to never love again. since then, she joined her friend April, spending nights at the Debauchery Club, getting high on drugs to forget the pain. she met with Elliott, nephew of Prince Prospero who was ruling the city, and Will, a bartender who desperately tried to care for his younger brother and sister. from these two boys, she was finally shaken out of her numb acceptance of life and learnt that she could be holding the knowledge that could save countless lives.

Masque of the Red Death (2012) was so heavily influenced by a classic background that i found it particularly difficult to get engaged. it was inspired by a classic story by Edgar Allan Poe. the gothic and moodiness was compelling at first, but soon it had gotten too heavy and complex with the explanations that i got uninterested. the love triangle between Araby, Elliot, and Will wasn't quite satisfying. despite the decisions she made or being betrayed, Araby will always be led by the nose, into one open arms than another, where she melted every single time. does she not know who she loved? at the end of the book, her originally lovable and innocent character got destroyed, like the city she lived in.

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

Aaron was a member of Operation Outcome, a program that gave its members green and blue pills to enhance their physical and mental abilities. he was sent to Alaska for training when Byre from the CIA was onto the operation and decided to eliminate all members. Aaron escaped the assassination by removing a tracking device from his thighs and made Byer belived that he was killed. during the same time, a scientist was brainwashed into killing all his colleagues, Marta was its sole survivor. she was later approached by the CIA with the intention of killing her, but was rescued by Aaron. together they had to outsmart the CIA to survive.

we were pleased to find out that Bourne Legacy (2012) did not try to rebuild Matt Damon's Jason Bourne character, but as its sidestory. the story was slow at times, focusing a lot of time on Aaron's character and past while not forgetting to introduce Marta. Jason was often mentioned though never appeared, where he was linked to Aaron through the program that genetically modify them. with a perfect introduction for Aaron, there were so much more that could be elaborated further, which hopefully lead to a possible sequels that featured Jeremy Renner. Aaron was so believing when he showed some weak sides of his, which made him easier to relate to instead of being just another superhuman character.

Mirai Nikki -Another:World- (2012) 未来日記 -Another:World-

Arata was a lazy college student who never spend effort in studying or planning the future. one day, he was given a mobile phone, who transformed one of its function into the Future Diary. he then was forced to participate in a game of survival, where diaries owners had to kill each other until there is only 1 player left, with its time limit being 1 month. anxious with the task, Yuno who was madly in love with Arata, promised to take out everyone for him, leaving herself for Arata to kill.

having watched the Mirai Nikki (2011) anime, i expect myself to continue loving Yuno for her bizarre character. to my despair, Another World (2012) had a different storyline compared to its anime, where Yuno wasn't as lovable nor believing. despite the disappointment, having forced myself through its first episode, i found myself still drawn to the drama, thus continued with its remaining episode. it wasn't a bad experience, just something very different than what was expected.

Kuroko no Basuke (2012) 黒子のバスケ

Kuroko was a former member of the legendary basketball team, called the "Generation of Miracles" during middle school. after they the group was disbanded as its members went to different high school, Kuroko joined Kagami at Seirin High. Kagami was a naturally talented player, who aimed to become a top basketball player in Japan. Kuroko promised to become Kagami's shadow and helped him achieve his goal. one team after another, they took out the past members of the "Generation of Miracles".

for someone who knew nothing about basketball, i was hooked to the series since its very first episode. Kuroko and his sudden appearances startled every other characters in the series was what made the series so interesting. there were enough funny moments that lightened the intense competitions, but still plentiful of character development to have us rooting for them. the exciting duo held the spotlight for Seirin High, while the remaining characters boost them in any ways that they can.

The Sweet #1: Sweet Evil (2012)

Anna was born with a sixth sense to see and feel the emotions of others. being the ultimate good girl, she struggled to distant herself from drugs and alcohols that seemed to have the strength to lure her in. things changed the moment she turned sixteen and met with a handsome drummer named Kaidan. he revealed to her their heritage, but different from Kaidan who was born the son of a fallen angel and a human, Anna was the daughter of a fallen angel and an angel. and being a Nephilim meant responsibility to spread bad influences.

Sweet Evil (2012) was an absolute fast read. it was so captivating that it was difficult to tear myself away from lovable Anna. Kaidan was unfortunately frustrating to watch. even though he was the one who sought Anna out after laying eyes on her for the first time, knowing she was somehow similar yet different from him, his fear for his father had him reject her again and again while he eventually returned for her. Anna however, was a wonderful character so innocent and sweet, making not rooting for her to be the utmost difficult task ever. the book was definitely original, its twists made reading it an exciting and worthwhile experience.

The Expendables 2 (2012)

the team was sent to Nepal to rescue a Chinese businessman. with the success of their mission, Church sent them on a following mission, where its aim was to retrieve an item from a shotdown airplane in Albania. the team was assigned a tech genius named Maggie, appointed by Church. after retrieving the item successfully, they discovered that Billy, their newest sniper was held captive by Vilain. Vilain took the item they just retrieved and killed Billy before leaving behind the grieving team. they swore revenge and together they sought Vilain out.

other than its action scenes, The Expendables (2010-2012) were highly successful due to its humor and smart dialogues. despite having a thin storyline and lack of script, these non-stop action scenes kept the movie entertaining until its very end. it was slightly disappointing to find Jet Li leaving at the very beginning of the film. but having watched these big action heroes since childhood, it was always a huge reward to see them all together appearing in one big screen, which also felt miraculously impossible for it to go wrong in any possible ways.

Houkago wa Mystery to Tomo ni (2012) 放課後はミステリーとともに

Kirigamine was a high school student who had great passion for baseball and mysteries. it led her to create a Detective Club, seeking Biology teacher Ishizawa to be its mentor. although she was full of confidence as she took on various mysteries that occurred in school, her reasoning was generally full of holes. but even though she wasn't able to close each case successfully, she led the team towards the correct direction, where the mysteries would eventually be solved.

Kirigamine was a cheerful character, while Ishizawa was a slightly mysterious Biology teacher. they were most of the time extremely exaggerated, supposedly adding a comedic effect to the series. however, it was the mysteries that interest us and thus finishing episode after episode. fortunately, Kirigamine grew on us, the exaggerated facial expressions soon became acceptable as part of her and the series became much easier to watch.

Saki: Achiga-hen -Episode of Side A- (2012) 咲-阿知賀編

Shizuno met Nodoka attending Achiga Girls' Academy. both having the passion of playing mahjong, they soon became best friends. however, Nodoka transferred during the second year and they lost contact. months later, Shizuno saw Nodoka on the television, competing against other players for the National Middle School Individual Mahjong Champion title. that's when Shizuno decided to revive the disbanded mahjong club of Achiga Girls' Academy.

at first glance, the series was all bubbly and bright. its characters so adorable that it seemed promising. unfortunately, the first few episodes were quite a huge letdown, it does nothing to hold our attention or build any sort of interest towards the remaining list of episodes. the pacing was way too fast, rushing through getting to know new friends, yet it led immediately to goodbyes and soon, reunions. despite the cuteness, it was difficult to care for the characters when there weren't any development involved, or worst, it was impossible to get into the story when we do not at least care enough.

Enchanted (2012)

Sunday was the youngest sibling among her 7 sisters. her only passion was writing stories, but due to the faerie blood within her, the stories had a tendency of coming true. one day, Sunday met with a talking frog named Grumble. he asked for her stories and they became friends. everyday before they part, she would kissed him goodbye. their love for each other had grew over time, when her kiss finally transformed him back into human, none of them realized until they parted. Grumble was Prince Rumbold, unfortunately a man despised by Sunday's family.

Enchanted (2012) was a mixture of multiple fairy tales blended into one story. before the fairy tale came in, following Sunday was a pleasurable experience. but things got more and more bizarre when fairy tales were forcefully fitted into parts of the story, and that was where it lost my interest. it felt awfully disjointed, making it a painful reading experience. it would have been nice to just read about Sunday and her family, and of course her relationship with the Prince, but just rid of everyone else.

This Means War (2012)

Tuck and Frank were best friends who worked as CIA agents. Tuck was divorced with a son; while Frank was a ladies man. one day, Tuck decided to find someone and registered his profile on a dating website. Lauren, who was also seeking for guys saw it and went out with him. later, she bumped into Tuck, who hits on her and asked her for a date. when the guys learnt that they were dating the same girl, they can't help but to use their skills to spy on her and on each other, while sabotaging each others' date with her.

as much as i enjoyed watching Reese Witherspoon on the big screen, This Means War (2012) didn't do her justice. most of the time, the bickering between Tuck and Frank felt forced and the supposedly entertaining comedies turned out to be too predictable and offensive. using the same sex joke over and over again is just not funny! but unfortunately, Lauren went for the obvious, choosing the attractive Frank over charming Tuck. from time to time, the film used impressive gadgets and technologies to spy or win over Lauren, which in the real world felt absolutely creepy if not desperate. not to mention the lies Frank had to tell just to own an upper hand.

Mikeneko Holmes no Suiri (2012) 三毛猫ホームズの推理

Yoshitaro became a police detective by following his late detective father's will. unfortunately, he was afraid of blood, heights, ghost and women. but unlike others, he believes in the good of people. he tried quitting the job, but his brother Hiroshi and sister Harumi always managed to convince him to remain a detective. one day, he came across a calico cat named Holmes. Yoshitaro was able to communicate with Holmes while no others could. with the help of Holmes, Yoshitaro managed to solve cases after cases.

the different mysteries used for every episode were absolutely engaging. Yoshitaro was a believable character, his weakness added humor to the often eerie cases. there were plenty of character developments that helped us root for the characters. surprisingly, we even grew to love Holmes in his human form eventually.

Angela 张韶涵: That Girl (2012)

after her album "The 5th Season" (2009), Angela (张韶涵) returned with a single "That Girl" (2012). it was a remake version of "I'm That Girl" (2010), sung by a Finnish girl group named EuphoriaOK. she took a drastic change in appearances and challenged the limit by dressing in tight clothes while danced along macho male dancers. despite her daring outfit, she claimed unable to touch the dancers as urged by those around her. the MV was released on the August 9th.

Anna #1: Anna Dressed in Blood (2011)

Cas inherited an unusual ability after his father died. he was able to kill the dead using his father's athame, sending them off to wherever they were supposed to go rather than lingering among the living. together with his witch mother, who sold witching supplies to bookshops, and their cat Tybalt, who was able to sniff out spirits, they moved from one town to another, banishing spirits. they arrived in a new town in search of a ghost named Anna, with blood dripping down her white dress. Anna was cursed, giving her rage and strength to kill the living. Cas hadn't expect to find Anna the victim, he had to find out what happened 60 years ago.

i originally expected horror after knowing that the book was ghost related. but soon it became excitement as we followed Cas on his ghost-busting task. then Anna appeared, things got further more interesting. from time to time, there were even humor to lighten up the storyline. Anna was both a killer and a victim, understanding her took much more effort than just the surface. despite being cursed to kill everyone that set foot inside her house, she was miraculously able to spare Cas' life. the relationship developed between Cas and Anna was completely unexpected and surprisingly beautiful, there were friendship and maybe a slight hint of romance.

The Woman in Black (2012)

Arthur lost his wife during childbirth and had been living with their son Joseph and nanny. his employer gave him a last chance to keep his job as a lawyer, where he was assigned to travel to a remote village to examine the documents of the Eel Marsh House. the moment he stepped into the village, he was advised to leave. however, Arthur continued to the isolated manor to examine the documents. soon he found out that Eel Marsh House was haunted by a vengeful ghost of a woman dressed in black. researching into the matter, he found out that the woman lost her son when he drowned in the marsh and she therefore seek revenge by taking the children of the locals.

the simplicity of the film was surprisingly brilliant in setting the mood. the way that the Woman in Black wasn't kept hidden as some random shadows like most films would, but exposed with terrifying appearances was even more effective as a ghost story. it was refreshingly different, with suspense building every now and then. there were plenty of scenes that made us jumped or kept us on the edge of our seat, but having a real storyline was what impressed us. even though the ending wasn't what was expected, it was satisfying enough to not be disappointing.

Kizumomo キズモモ (2008)

Aki often do part-time while traveling from one place to another. one day he helped a woman on the road, carrying her luggage to the taxi. she in return, invited him to visit her house. she was the owner of a clock shop. when Aki arrived on his bicycle, he met with Masaya, an apprentice working at the clock shop. shockingly, Masaya looked identical to Aki's childhood friend who died in an accident during high school.

like most typical Japanese movie, it was a drag. the storyline was predictable, the camera had to stay way too long on the actors' personal closeups. as much as they were trying to sell the movie by giving us tasty shots of these beautiful guys, i felt no engagement nor connection whatsoever with them, thus making them not looking good no matter how hard they tried.

Ao no Exorcist: Kuro no Iede (2011) 青の祓魔師: クロの家出

the short OVA was a side-story of Ao no Exorcis (2011). Rin's late father, Shiro adopted a monster cat when it ran amok in town seeking for its master. after Shiro managed to tame it, he named the cat Kuro. ever since Shiro's death, Kuro had been living with Rin. due to an incident, Kuro felt unimportant to Rin and went on a hunt for a new master while trying to tame its hungry stomach.

the episode doesn't bring much extra to the series. Kuro and Rin had always been strong characters, fighting against each other weren't something new. but while the whole episode was focused on Kuro, it got a little dull as he traveled from one spot to another, meeting mostly those that we already knew well enough. but it was a sweet episode when the ending met our expectation yet still took us by surprise.

Scattered Ashes (2012)

Nicole had to attend an extra outdoor class in order to graduate. she was paired up with Jordan, a guy she met for the first time, just 1 month before his wedding. they fell madly in love, but neither confess as they felt the weight of responsibility. one month later, Jordan married Alyssa, his best friend in college; while Nicole returned to her life, getting married to Michael years later. however, their relationship didn't end there. for many years to come, they constantly thought of each other, calling for emotionally support, until they were finally brought together.

the book was an easy read, however the storyline had me felt disgusted. even before his marriage with Alyssa, Jordan was doubtful. he went through with the marriage due to responsibility, which eventually led to divorce after Alyssa's miscarriage. Nicole was no better, her marriage to Michael gave her 2 beautiful children, Nick and Michelle. but Michael had been having an affair, skipping important events like death and labor. it was so obvious that everyone else just weren't right for them. but as much as they book tried to make them the good guys, i just can't find myself rooting for them.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

11 years after the events, John is now a 10-year-old. his mother Sarah was arrested and placed in the hospital for the insane. Skynet sent a new Terminator, T-1000 back in time to kill John. T-1000 was able to change its form into the appearance of anyone it touched. meanwhile, the future John sent a reprogrammed Terminator, T-800 to protect his younger self. the 2 terminators fought among each other, for their own purpose.

having watched this sequel for a few times, it was still as entertaining as it can get! watching Arnold in action reminded us of why we love to see him up on the big screen. it was fast paced and highly enjoyable, bringing science-fiction to a whole new level. all credits went to the 2 terminators fighting against each other. every encounter gave us enough excitement to last, while the film continue to build up character development.

America's Next Top Model #14 (2010)

the cycle 14 of ANTM emphasized on "Work It Out". 14 girls were selected to compete against each other for the title. J. Alexander was removed from his post as a judge, but continued being a runway coach. his spot was taken by André Leon Talley, a Vogue editor. there was a new rule introduced in this cycle, for the girl who received the best photograph of the week to enjoy the prize of the following week challenge.

it was especially hilarious watching the girls being introduced to the Maori tribe in New Zealand. the Kapa Haka dance they performed to welcome the girls caused them to gap wild eyes at the performers. unfortunately, the Maori were not involved in any photoshoots the girls had in New Zealand. however, the gils had to challenge each other for a 5-frames photoshoot, posing at the Hobbit's houses used for The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) film trilogy.

Another (2012) アナザー

Kouichi transferred from Tokyo to Yomiyama, living with his grandparents. after arriving, he suffered a lung disease and was hospitalized. he met with a beautiful girl named Mei, who also appeared to be mysterious. once recovered, he returned to school, getting to know new friends. however, he sensed that his classmates were hiding a secret that they would not speak off while having an evasive behavior towards Mei. his curiosity drew him closer to Mei, and the truth.

rarely had i came across an anime based on the horror genre, especially not one without exaggerated facial expressions on its characters. Another (2012) might be slow on revealing its plot, it was intriguing enough to hold my attention throughout the series. the anime wasn't exactly scary, but the building tension and eerie atmosphere made it brilliant, especially when further enhanced with satisfying goriness and mysteriousness.

Glimmer (2012)

Marshall and Elyse woke up on the same bed, naked and having no memory of who and where they were. terrified with their amnesia, the duo formed a pact, working together in search of their past. after piecing together clues, they discovered that their town, Summer Falls, was a mysterious paradise, where everyone were always happy. but they quickly learned that some of its residents were actually ghost, spirits that wandered and hungered for bad memories. humans were thrown into a "heatnap", instantly lost conscious whenever a ghost touched them, taking the bad memories with them.

Glimmer (2012) was so captivating that i managed to finish the book in one sitting! the switching perspective between Marshall and Elyse made the story easy to understand and follow through. pieces after pieces were revealed as they dug deeper and deeper for the darkness behind their perfect town. the happy humans were creepy, the atmosphere caught up and often adding a little chill while drawing me into their world. despite having different backgrounds, Marshall a nerd and Elyse the popular girl, it was fun seeing how perfectly they fit together like puzzle pieces. the tiny bit of romance added a beautiful touch to the story. the book was suspenseful and evenly paced. and i was more than pleased with its satisfying ending.

Total Recall (2012)

Douglas was a factory worker who had a beautiful wife named Lori. he lived in The Colony, traveled through the earth's core everyday to work in the UFB. but one day, he got tired of the monotonous life and questioned the recurring dream that he kept having. he went to Rekall, a company that implanted artificial memories for the sake of fun. when he was scanned for compatibility, a squad of armored police came rushing in. Douglas instinctively killed every police before escaping. soon he discovered that even Lori was an undercover agent that was appointed to monitor him.

we had not watched the original Total Recall (1990) stared by Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Total Recall (2012) surprised us in so many unexpected ways. we obviously didn't anticipate for a film with such depth and complications that it thoroughly impressed us. the creativity and originality of the Colony (a place for the poor to live) and UFB (for the rich) alone was enough to draw us into the story, experiencing the agitation Douglas felt as he tried to sort things out, struggling to uncover his past while dealing with the current damages.

Ringer (2011)

Bridget and Siobhan were twin sisters. Bridget was a recovering drug addict in Wyoming. before she testified against a local crime boss Macawi after witnessing a murder, she fled to meet with her twin. Siobhan kept her sister's existence secret from her current family, continuously blaming Bridget for the death of her son. after witnessing a seemingly suicide of Siobhan, Bridget assumed Siobhan's identity and tried to fit among her wealthy social circle.

the series was weaved together one lie after another. with everyone having secrets to keep, it just continued to get more and more intense and captivating. there were enough twists and turns coming from most of the characters, sometimes even unsuspected ones. apparently they were there to spice up and further mess up the already unusual life of Siobhan and Bridget. but having none of Siobhan's plans going the way she wanted it to be was an absolutely satisfying ride.

Hyouka (2012) 氷菓

Oreki distanced himself from things that he considered a waste of energy. while he avoided joining any non-compulsory school activities, his older sister had him joined the Classics Club so that it won't get disbanded. at the same time, Chitanda joined the club. together with Satoshi and Mayaka, they began discussing the mysteries in school that only Houtarou was able to solve.

Chitanda may appeared to be a random girl without any personality, but she was the reason that got Oreki moving, solving the mysteries that appealed to her. but despite the dark atmosphere, it wasn't about solving some serious cases but the small events and occurrences that happened within the schoolyard, which was definitely good enough for us, as the series had us completely attached to it until the very end.

Want #1: Want (2012)

Julianne lived in a small town called Mobile. she was seventeen, with extraordinary talent for playing piano and dreaming of attending a music school in Boston, away from her abusive mother. after Mr. Cline had his stroke, Julianne had no mentor until Mr. Cline sent his nephew Isaac. Isaac graduated from the same music school in Boston that Julianne wanted in, which made him a perfect mentor. they were attracted to each other, but Isaac's history didn't give him too much freedom to be with a girl 11-years younger than him. while they struggled with their inner demon, they supported each other.

Want (2012) brought out so much emotions flipping through. it was unpredictable most of the time, especially the seemingly desperate yet beautiful twist at its very end. while Julianne had to cope with her abusive mother, she was harming herself secretly, letting the physical pain overcame the mental pain. she was a sensitive girl, in love with a wrong man that shut her out constantly and let her back in again. the insecurity eventually broke her. Want (2012) being such a page-turner, it was easy to root for Julianne and felt her pain. everything was so intense every now and then yet still remained realistic and believable until the very end.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

after taking the blame for a crime he did not commit, Batman hid from the public as Gotham basked in its peaceful state. but 8 years later, the city was again thrown into havoc when Bane tried to destroy the city by having its people fighting against themselves. Batman came across a cat burglar named Kyle, who was able to locate Bane for him, but she betrayed him by handling him over to Bane. Bane crippled Batman and locked him in a prison that took the form of a well.

we were completely taken by surprise at how good and satisfying this finale was. we were happily misled and put back into the correct path identifying the prime criminal. it was refreshing to see Batman got beaten up instead of being so godly all the time, for that we loved Bane. for such a macho character, it was unexpectedly heartbreaking to see the soft side he held within. for once, The Dark Knight Rises (2012) was the best among its trilogy. like with Inception (2010), Christopher Nolan blown us away by giving us the unexpected twist, so unique that the depth left us in awe.

America's Next Top Model #15 (2010)

unlike its previous cycles, the 15th cycle of ANTM emphasized on high fashion. among the 32 semi-finalists gathered in LA, 14 contestants were chosen and categorized into 6 different types - Quirky, Sexy, Strong bone structure, Browns, Blonds, and Brunettes, where those among themselves were their direct competitor.

the different characteristic of some of the girls stood out so strongly than the rest. even though they didn't seemed to have it in their appearances to be a threatening competition, those were the very few that usually took great photographs that blew everyone's mind away. and that alone made every photoshoot an anticipation.

Tsuritama (2012) つり球

Yuki lived with his grandmother, whose career required them to be relocated frequently. he had difficulty making friends, because whenever he felt anxious, he would froze and not being able to breathe. this time, they arrived at the island of Enoshima, where Haru, carrying a fish bowl on top of his head, came knocking on their door and insisting that they would be living in the same house together.

the anime started out slightly confusing. Yuki was an awkward boy, constantly followed by Haru and his talking fish. where they later met with the Fishing Prince Natsuki, and Akira, the Indian boy with a pet duck. the story was all about this group of misunderstood kids who bonded from fishing and became close friends. there were enough background revealed to engage us emotionally, where their relationship became heartwarming to watch.