Sunday, March 31, 2013

Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru
俺の彼女と幼なじみが修羅場すぎる (2013)

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Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru

Eita's parents were divorced, causing him to cutout love, aiming wholeheartedly to enter the school of medicine. one day Masuzu, the school beauty with silver hair approached him, forcing him to be her boyfriend so that boys would stop confessing to her. despite being threatened to help, he couldn't reveal the truth his childhood friend Chiwa. Chiwa confronted the new couple and wouldn't let it go without a fight.

like most harem anime, the male character were surrounded by girls from different categories. Eita was a clueless guy, dense towards the feelings the girls threw on him, which wasn't believing at all. his offering to help every girl that he came across doesn't show that he was uninterested in love. it was annoying as well as frustrating to watch.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Les Misérables (2012)

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Les Misérables

Les Misérables was a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862. the story took place during the June Rebellion in Paris, following the lives of several characters, especially Jean. he was originally a prisoner until after he was released and broke parole, creating a new life for himself while evading the persistent Inspector Javert.

it was absolutely refreshing to see familiar actors singing instead of speaking the dialogues. it was slightly lengthy due to the elaborated story telling lyrics, otherwise captivating. it had us relived the past, experiencing the miserable lives of these characters during those years. fighting for their lives as well as applying any ways as long as it fed them. the countless encounters between Jean and Javert was by far the most interesting pair. also the lovely Cosette and Marius.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha (2013)
まおゆう魔王勇者

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Maoyuu Maou Yuusha

the story took place in a world where the Humans and the Demons were having war. the human hero invaded the Demon Queen castle, detemined with vanquish her. however, instead of fighting back, the Queen proposed an alliance. while the humans and demons were at war, there were already further chaos within the same species. together with Queen, the human hero execute a plan to bring prosperity and peace to both humans and demons.

despite having a little comedy every now and then, there were plenty of serious and meaningful conversations going on. the series reminded one of Spice and Wolf (2008-2009), or even Code Geass (2006-2012). the uniqueness of the show was having no names given to the characters, but their role, such as Demon Queen, Hero, Knight, Mage, etc. the plot was surprisingly realistic, only implemented with supernatural elements.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Absentia (2011)

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Absentia

Tricia had been alone for 7 years since her husband Daniel disappeared. with the pressure accumulating for years, Tricia finally decided to declare Daniel dead. Tricia went through Daniel's stuff, trying to move on with her life, but it was then that she started seeing frightening shadows of Daniel. her younger sister Callie who happened to come to live with her during these moments, were attracted to an ominous tunnel near the neighborhood. she started seeing missing persons that appeared years after they were gone, badly abused and emotionally distorted.

with little horror presented, the film was very successful suspense wise. the tension and claustrophobic atmosphere were perfectly delivered, giving us the pressure just by watching it. at first glance it seemed like some serial killer's doing, however as the focus slowly transferred to the tunnel, it got a little alien like, which was a far more alluring idea.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Love Live! School Idol Project (2013)
ラブライブ School Idol Project

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Love Live! School idol project

Honoka loved her school. however it was shutting down within 3 years due to the lack of new students. in order to save her school, Honoka decided to create a School Idol group to attract new students. she gathered her close friends and classmates. their aim was simple, to became popular and used the media exposure to promote their school, bringing in new wave of students.

the series wasn't exactly an excellent series, but it was good enough to keep one entertained. there were also enough character development to find out whose everyone's favorite character was. the singing and dancing made the show even more upbeat and lively. music being its best element.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Cosmopolis (2012)

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Cosmopolis

Eric was a young billionaire, also a asset manager. he rode in a stretch limo he used as his office as it drove slowly across Manhattan due to traffic jams. despite being recently married, his wife has no interest in having sex with him. while Eric had sex with other women, his wife would used it as a reason for breaking their union. but when the currency started to drop, wiping out most of his fortune, Eric's world started to fall apart.

the film was uninteresting and dull for most of the part. it was unrealistic as how Eric preferred to spend days in his limo, ignoring whatever that happened outside. while he debated the meaning of life with different characters that left behind no impression nor uniqueness. the dialogues were often unnatural, made no sense, nor interesting, which very much summed up the whole film.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Kotoura-san (2013)
琴浦さん

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Kotoura-san

Haruka was born with the ability to read minds. she was alone most of the time as her ability caused trouble for others. she was transferred to a new high school where she met Yoshihisa, a boy who insisted on staying by her side. together they joined their school ESP Research club.

Haruka was a character that often got bullied for being special. finally with friends by her side she learned to trust and cope with the bullying. the characters tend to grow on one, especially with the constant funny scenes that made the show less serious and more enjoyable. there were some surprisingly emotional part as well.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Stolen (2012)

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Stolen

Will was one of the smartest thief in town. however betrayed, he was put into prison for 8 years. after being released, he decided to visit his daughter Alison, however she didn't seem very happy to see him at all. Vincent was one of his old partner in crime. while everyone including the detectives believed Vincent to be dead, he was disguised and worked as a cab driver. after Will and Alison parted, Vincent approached Alison and kidnapped her by locking her in his trunk. he demanded ransom from Will for releasing his daughter.

Nicolas Cage used to make some really great movies, but hasn't been doing so for quite a while. Ghost Rider (2007-2012) maybe, but definitely not Stolen (2012). similar plot to Trespass (2011), he just didn't seem suitable to be a family guy. Vincent on the other hand, was surprisingly successful in being a disgusting man despite his originally lovable character in Red Dog (2011). the slow pace and confusing direction of the plot was somewhat annoying yet predictable.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun (2013)
八犬伝 ―東方八犬異聞―

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Hakkenden Touhou Hakken Ibun

5 years ago in a small village, where almost every villager died from a plague. mysteriously, a girl and 2 boys survived. they now lived in a church, hidden from those who may want to find them. one of the survivor Shino, had control over the power of Murasame, the blade of life. however, his power was attracting those who thirst for power.

the life of Shino, Sosuke, and Hamaji was originally peaceful until his power was heard of. with tones of Yokai (妖怪) and monsters, the series was intense and absolutely interesting to catch. despite the messy first episode, everything was explained soon as the series progressed. there were lighthearted moments that made the characters absolutely lovable, a childish yet protective side of them that hold everything together. it reminded me of 07 Ghost (2009) that was equally enjoyable, or came as naturally as Natsume Yuujinchou (2008-2012). fast paced and extremely enjoyable.

Friday, March 22, 2013

American Reunion (2012)

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American Reunion

it has been over a decade since the gang last gathered. they returned to Michigan for the weekend, with the intention of spending time together, remembering and re-experiencing their high school life. ever since the birth of their son, Jim and Michelle had had little sex life, making them felt unsure of their relationship.

i had expect myself to feel annoyed by this last installment as i had the American Pie (1999-2012) series. however, i was impressed with how realistic Jim and Michelle's life was. the problems they faced, as friends and as a married couple. it was easy to get caught up within the situation and start thinking of a solution for them. but as the rest of the guys, they were much harder to relate to. it got a little tedious after that but always interesting when the spotlight was on Jim and Michelle.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT (2013)
僕は友達が少ないNEXT

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Haganai Next

Kodaka was a new transfer student at a catholic high school. as always he found it difficult to make new friends due to his naturally blond hair and fierce-looking eyes, which made him look threatening. one day Kodaka accidentally came across a girl name Yozora, while she was conversing with her imaginary friend Tomo. realizing that they had similar difficulty, they decided to improve their situation by forming a club called The Neighbor's Club, aiming to make friends and learning social skills.

the story followed a group of students who joined the Neighbor's Club, thinking they don't have friends, thus sticking together while practicing what would it be like to have friends and doing normal things friends would do. there were more than enough comedy to keep the show completely entertaining from its beginning until the end. it was absolutely addictive! Kodaka was the only male character among the club members, which obviously made him the harem boy, fortunately he didn't notice it, making him far more lovable than the usual harem character, at the same time making the show absolutely enjoyable!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Vamp U (2013)

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Vamp U

Wayne was a vampire whose teeth couldn't grow after he killed Mary, the love of his life, 300 years ago. in the current life, he taught history in a college while helping Dr. Levine, his colleague. one day Chris, a freshman, joined his class. coincidentally, Chris look exactly like Mary. Wayne's teeth grew, reacting to Chris. during their affair, Wayne accidentally turned Chris into a vampire and her blood lust got out of control.

the film was more of a comedy than drama, which turned out to be quite absurd, especially on how fast the teacher-student duo became affair partners. she threw herself at him while he tried to control his blood lust, but obviously failed miserably. the plot too, was obvious and a little difficult to get into. there were plenty of supporting characters but none too important since they were completely unrelated to the duo.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

To Love-Ru Darkness (2012)
To Loveる -とらぶる- ダークネス

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To Love-Ru -Trouble- Darkness

the Yuuki's residence was as full with people as ever. Rito was the only male resided there. from the planet of Develuke, Nana and Momo were twin sisters that were transferred to an earth school, just so their elder sister Lala could keep an eye on them. while Momo decided that everyone should share Rito, Yami the golden Darkness appeared. an army of possessed high school students were created and havoc were started.

the To Love-Ru (2008-2012) series obviously targeted the harem viewers. there were plenty of fanservice. the story circled around Rito, where girls came from other planets and hope to achieve different things with him. in the end, one was always wondering who Rito would choose, especially among the 3 princesses that seemed to stood out against each other.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Red Dog (2011)

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Red Dog

the story was based on true events, about a dog. the story followed Red Dog the moment he joined the folks at Dampier, where miners gathered for jobs. every since its arrival, Red Dog befriended everyone he met. despite being a dog for everyone, it had no real master, nor admit anyone as its master. things changed after John arrived, Red Dog decided that John was worthy as his master. John was the bus driver for the miners and dated Nancy, a secretary.

the story centered around Red Dog, a dog that traveled around the world and decided to stay at the mining town and be everyone's dog. it was a charming character, impossible to dislike. like Hachiko (2009) and all dog stories, it landed one in tears and sad ending. fortunately before that sad ending came, there were plenty of hilarious moments to keep the atmosphere light and entertaining.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Teekyuu (2012)
てーきゅう

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Teekyuu

the story followed a group of 4 girls who joined the school tennis team. however, they rarely played tennis.

the series was done by the director who created Ben-To (2011), a hilarious series that was so different that it stood out so much. Teekyuu (2012) had the similar effect. being as absurd as it was, it was surprising that the series was able to capture one's heart. unfortunately it had short episodes (2 minutes each), making it a fast watch but limited dose.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Charlie had been depressed after his best friend's suicide. he struggled with his own mental illness where the doctor told him to find friends, a group of people with whom he belongs. as introvert as he was, he met with Sam and Patrick, who took him back into the world, putting him just where he belonged.

having not much expectation towards the film, i was surprised to find myself getting captivated in Charlie's life. the plot was very simple yet complicated for the way it was headed. there were beautiful parts, sometimes sad, sometimes all at once. there were even death. but despite the weights of all these emotional struggle, there were also plenty of laughter, moments that made us feel like we were actually hanging out with the bunch. the dialogues and awkwardness got the story going in an absolutely smooth flow.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Psycho-Pass (2012)
サイコパス

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Psycho-Pass

Psycho-Pass was a device installed on each individual, to instantly measure a person's personality and the probability that person will commit crime. when the probability was high, the individual would be pursued by lethal force, performed by the Enforcers, a special team of potential criminals, supervised by Investigators , the police officers. where the Inspectors would ensure that the Enforcers perform their duties.

despite having a slightly complicated plot, the series became absolutely interesting to catch. there were also some philosophy and plenty of action to make it entertaining. with everyone in the public being constantly monitored, including their emotions and mental pattern, was extremely freakish even though with a noble intention of creating a perfect society. Akane and Shinya were an interesting pair of Investigators. Akane was the newbie and Shinya was the character with a somewhat dark background.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

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Rise of the Guardians

the Guardians were said to be chosen by the Moon. for hundreds of years, Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Sandman, and Easter Bunny worked together to bring hope and happiness to children all over the world. when the Bogeyman threatened to shower all children with fear, the Guardians had to fight back to prevent it from happening. when they were slowly losing against Bogeyman, the Moon assigned Jack Frost, the spirit of winter to be a new Guardian. unsure of his destiny, Jack struggled to keep up with the fellow guardians and to find himself along the way.

the animation was filled with wonderment and magic! it was so influential that i had goosebumps just by recalling it. there were quite a numbers of parts that had me tearing up. it made one feel like a child again, believing with the hope of concurring fear. there were also plenty of humorous moments that one couldn't help but to laugh out loud. despite being a children's movie, it held so much more within, evoking emotions along the way.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Little Busters (2012)
リトルバスターズ

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Little Busters

as a child, Riki was an orphan after his parents died. his depression was slowly lifted when he became friends with a group of kids, calling themselves the Little Busters. now in his high school years, Riki was still great friends with the Busters. he had 2 missions, one is to recruit female members to form a baseball team; second was to complete tasks delivered by cats, regarding the existence of a secret world.

for those who knew Clannad (2007-2008), Air (2004-2005), and Kanon (2002-2006), this series was another installment from the same producers. these previous series were popular for its beautiful and touching storyline. as for this series, it was also very well paced, with lots of laughter and dramas. Riki was a clumsy character, but nonetheless lovable. his constant growth made him even more attractive as he solved problem together with the group.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

ParaNorman (2012)

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ParaNorman

Norman had the ability to speak to the dead, but no one believed him, including his parents. his new friend Neil, however, believed and think that his ability was cool. one day, Norman's psychotic uncle approached him and told him of an important ritual that he must continued, to protect the town from a witch's curse. eventually Norman agreed to cooperate, but things got out of hand when the dead were risen from their graves.

despite the not so beautiful graphic, the animation was surprisingly entertaining. and perhaps it was exactly the graphic that made the animation fit even perfectly in the horror genre. Norman himself was a lovable character, a little shy and introvert, yet conversed perfectly with the dead, even more comfortable with them than with the living. his misunderstood and outcast character made him special and easily stood out among the others.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Ixion Saga DT (2012)
イクシオン サーガ DT

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Ixion Saga DT

Kon was a normal teenage boy who spent all his time playing a MMORPG. one day he was requested by a female character in the game, to help her in the real world. once he agreed, he was transported into a world where its fantasy setting was similar to the game. he saved a princess accidentally by landed on her attacker. he then joined the princess as one of her guards while he searched for a way back to his own world.

DT itself stands for Dimensional Transfer. visually i was doubtful that the series would be good. but after only the first episode, i was hooked all because of its humor. Kon was a character that tended to grow on one and became impossible to dislike. the plot was somewhat predictable but each episode stood very well independently. it had some unique humorous content, as odd as its setting yet fit perfectly together.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Looper (2012)

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Looper

the story took place in the future, where when the mobs wanted to get rid of someone, the target would be sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gunman waited. these gunmen were called the Loopers, and Joe was one of them. one day, the target arrived later than the appointed time. Joe waited only to discover that the man sent to him look like his future self. soon he found out that the mobs wanted to close the loop by killing all the Loopers.

it truly had been quite a while for time travel movies to be as successful. the plot was so mesmerizing that we found ourselves thinking most of the time, of how everything could perfectly fit together. in the end, it did and we were absolutely impressed with its complication as well as clarity. it reminded me a lot of Inception (2010), which Joseph Gordon-Levitt too, starred in it. the experience was equally overwhelming and impressive.

Saturday, March 09, 2013

Vividred Operation (2013)
ビビッドレッド・オペレーション

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Vividred Operation

Akane lived a poor life together with her little sister Momo. despite being the younger siblings, Momo in most ways was more reliable than Akane. their grandfather Kenjirou was a genius inventor who created useless devices. an artificial island named Blue Island was visible when the weather was clear. in the center of Blue island was the Manifestation Engine, an invention that solved an energy crisis 4 years ago. suddenly an alien forced known as the Alone appeared and threaten the peaceful life of theirs. Akane then used a special battle suit created by her grandfather, known as the Vivid System to fend of the enemy.

the series was surprisingly unpredictable, with plenty of yuri and eye candies to look at, yet still remained very much Science Fiction with those mechas. it was fast paced yet not too heavily filled with complications. the lighthearted slice of life way of telling the story was very attractive. in some ways, it reminded me of the Strike Witches (2008-2012) series.

Friday, March 08, 2013

Secret of the Wings (2012)

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Secret of the Wings

crossing over to the winter side of the fairy world, Tinker Bell noticed that her wings sparkled, a situation that never happened before. she sneaked into the winter woods, seeking for the secret of their wings. there she came across Periwinkle, someone that has wings sparkled like hers.

like majority of the animation created by Disney, the Tinker Bell series were equally entertaining and beautiful. the plot itself was all the while straightforward, but nonetheless enjoyable, with the stunning nature and mesmerizing sparkles. seeing Tinker Bell having a sister was the most breathtaking fact ever, it only got better watching them bond.

Thursday, March 07, 2013

Hayate no Gotoku! Can't Take My Eyes Off You
ハヤテのごとく Can't Take My Eyes Off You (2012)

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Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Hayate was the butler of Nagi. he worked alongside with Maria the maid, at Nagi's mansion. the story continued as Nagi received a phone call from Area 51, inviting her to the universe. while Nagi was eager to accept the rare offer, she was stopped by Maria.

the series was an independent installment from the Hayate no Gotoku (2007-2012) series. it turned out to be a bad season. not much took place other than the spoil rich girl getting what she wanted and lectured by her noble butler. this season focused less on Hayate's misadventures as he tried to avoid getting into more debts on a daily basis, but more on Nagi's past when a mysterious girl showed up claiming to be her sister.

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

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Wreck-It Ralph

Ralph and Felix belonged to one of the arcade games, where Ralph would wreck the building and Felix would fix it. Ralph longed to be loved by everyone like Felix, however nobody loves a Bad Guy. with the aim of achieving a medal, Ralph sneaked into a first-person shooter game but unintentionally wrecked everything when he crashed landed into Sugar Rush, a candy-coated cart racing game, where he met with Venellope, a glitch.

at first glance, i wasn't attracted to the animation due to its characters. they weren't exactly Disney-like as one would expect. however, things only got better from there and i fell absolutely in love with them! every little details that surrounded Ralph helped to give an in depth view on him, making the seemingly unattractive guy so lovable that it was impossible not to cheer him on.

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Haitai Nanafa (2012)
はいたい七葉

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Haitai Nanafa

the story followed a middle school girl named Nanafa, who lives with her grandmother in their soba shop. her older sister Nao was in high school, and her younger sister Kokona was in elementary school. Kokona was different from the other siblings for her supernatural ability. one day Nanafa saw a seal falling off a tree and 3 spirits were unleashed. they were Niina, Ranna, and Iina. the peaceful life of Nanafa and her family soon began to change.

despite being able to enjoy the absolutely adorable characters, the plot was somewhat difficult to relate with thus it failed to capture one's heart. the vibrant colors was indeed captivating, making the series visually entertaining.

Monday, March 04, 2013

Prometheus (2012)

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Prometheus

a team of scientists travel through the universe on a spaceship called Prometheus. they went on a voyage to investigate a known alien life form. life that was suspected to be the beginning of mankind. however, storm trapped the scientists and they became stranded on the planet. things got even worse when something was clearly after them and they struggled to survive it.

having made reference to the original Alien, we held high expectation towards the film. unfortunately we were disappointed. character development were shallow, completely on the surface that everything else was hard to believe. such as going through an operation and still running around after. it was absurd and happened to be just one of the series of ridiculous events found within the film. most of the scientists were distasteful men, they looked down on each other, teasing others while they were the one freaking out.

Sunday, March 03, 2013

Girls und Panzer (2012)
ガールズ&パンツァー

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Girls und Panzer

the story took place in a world where Sensha-do (戦車道), the art of tank-combat, was a martial art for girls. Miho had bad experience with Sensha-do and just got transferred into a new Girls' Academy. she was asked by the student council to join and compete in the National Sensha-do championship since she was the only one who had experience operating a tank. initially reluctant, Miho soon enjoyed Sensha-dou again and together with her new friends.

other than the tanks driving, the story didn't steer far from the everyday life of these school girls. the characters were mostly divided in group than one person from other. each of the character doesn't exactly stood independently, which made some characters kind of robot like. however, the unpredictable scenarios made the series entertaining, and a few laugh were always welcomed.

Saturday, March 02, 2013

Sinister (2012)

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Sinister

Ellison was a crime writer. he moved his family into a house where a terrifying crime took place, while hiding the truth from his family. as he tried to uncover more details regarding the crime, he found some film footage in the attic. these films showed him more than what he could handle. soon, his family started showing signs as things took a turn for the worse.

the crimes itself was eerie enough to keep the intensity high throughout the film, and when paranormal activities started taking place during the night, it was even more terrifying. the film footage was absolutely brilliant. what could be more eerie than seeing kids killing their family. Sinister (2012) was different in a way that the feeling of tension never did leave even after the film ended, especially when we were able to relate with the characters more after a more in depth understanding about them.

Friday, March 01, 2013

Code:Breaker (2012)
コードブレイカ―

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Code:Breaker

one day while riding the bus, Sakura saw people being burned alive in blue fire on the pathment. she returned the second day but found no corpses or evidence of the happening the day before. when she reached her class, she discovered that there was a new transfer student, the same boy the stood over the burning man just the day before. soon she found out that his name was Ogami, the sixth Code:Breaker, an assassin with strange ability that served the government.

to Ogami, there were no justice for evil as he represent a darker type of justice as he took vengeance into his own hands and does what he wanted. Sakura being the beauty of the school, loved by everyone, happened to see what took place over the burning man and thus shared a connection with Ogami ever since. it was hardly romance despite their often misinterpreted relationship. at some point, the series itself represent a sense of philosophy regarding evil. it was interesting despite the dull debate Sakura had with Ogami, regarding how wrong was killing.