Friday, January 31, 2014

Golden Time (2013)
ゴールデンタイム

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Golden Time

Banri was a new student at a private law school. he found himself completely lost after the opening ceremony, unable to find his way to the freshman orientation. he ran into another lost freshman called Mitsuo. they arrived at the orientation just on time and saw a beautiful girl holding a bouquet of roses and whacked it across Mitsuo's face. Kaga was actually Mitsuo's childhood friend that promised to marry each other one day. however, Mitsuo had secretly taken the examination for this private college in order to escape her.

the series started out with a love triangle that soon changed its focus from comedy to drama. there were times spent on backgrounds of each character, giving plenty of character development and introduction that led to us rooting for them unconsciously. the dramas kept the story interesting and flowing in an even pace. even Mitsuo who started out to be an overly average character turned out to be very attractive after an in depth introduction. Banri however, was actually the center and the most important character that brought the series to an even higher level.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Epic (2013)

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Epic

Mary Katherine had just returned to his father's home, but found out that he was too absorbed in his discovery of a tiny civilizations in the forest. having decided to leave her father, Mary was shrunken down by the dying Queen Tara. Mary had to deliver a pod of the new Queen to safety. he was protected by a Leafman warrior and two mollusks, later joined by a young maverick named Nod. soon they found themselves coming face to face with Mandrake, the Boggan leader that wanted to destroy everyone.

at first glance, the forests and its details for the film was absolutely breathtaking. however, its characters were less impressive. first of all, the main character, Mary Katherine turned out to be quite a negative character. her intended partner, Nod was equally frustrating to watch. it was unfortunate that even until the very end, they still remained unlikable. the characters that stood out the most among the many were a slug named Mub and a snail named Grub. they were the best combination of partnership that was so entertaining to look at. with a wrong choice of characters, it was a pity to find the film less entertaining than it probably deserved.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Outbreak Company (2013)
アウトブレイク・カンパニー

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Outbreak Company

Shinichi was an otaku who had a novel author father and illustrator mother. he did not have any special ability other than his broad knowledge from manga to anime to games. one day, he was transported into a fantasy world where elves lived and dragons flied. he was given the task to enhance cultural exchange by becoming a Moe Missionary in the fantasy world. he came up with an idea of building a school and soon was thrown into serious cases that involved the safety of the country he now resided in.

being transported into the fantasy world was everything an otaku could ever wished for. with plenty of magical beings, anime being taught in school, as well as being in the center of some very cute girls. it was a lighthearted series and evenly paced. Shinichi had to start a school that other than teaching them to be an otaku, it also became a channel teaching them to live beyond their differences while stopping the racism between elves and dwarves. Miusel was the maid appointed to Shinichi on his stay in the strange world. with her involvements, the series became even more entertaining as she started falling in love with Shinichi.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Escape from Planet Earth (2013)

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Escape from Planet Earth

Scorch was a famous astronaut on Planet Baab, where his nerdy brother, Gary, was the head of mission control. one day, Scorch decided to respond for a call from Planet Earth without the aid of Gary. unfortunately, it was a planned scheme of the US Army's General to capture Scorch. after being cutoff of all communication with Planet Baab, Gary decided to rescue his brother by being captured by the same General. the General had wanted to destroy all alien planets and Gary was forced to work for him.

it was always refreshing to find aliens the good guys while humans the bad guys in any productions. in this film, the aliens were deceived by the humans. Gary and his group of new friends had to help the General create the weapon that will eventually take out their planets. while the group of aliens were funny to look at, they played no big roles. fortunately Gary turned out to be an engaging and lovable character. the film in overall was more or less average but still entertaining enough until the very end.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Strike the Blood (2013)
ストライク・ザ・ブラッド

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Strike the Blood

the story followed Kojou, a seemingly ordinary boy with vampire powers. he was the Fourth Primogenitor, the world's strongest vampire that should only existed in legends. having observed Kojou, the government dispatch a Sword Shaman, an attack mage apprentice named Yukina. with a powerful anti-primogenitor spirit spear, she arrived in search of Kojou and his true identity.

despite the dark backdrop and seemingly serious plot, the series was partially a harem, the story though, did managed to focus mostly on Kojou and Yukina. there were also some fanservices thrown in every now and then, which lightened the atmosphere. instead of the commonly found romance series, Strike the Blood (2013) stood out for its supernatural involvements. the mysteriousness caused one wanting to understand more about Kojou and his new found powers as well as the reason behind it.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Turbo (2013)

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Turbo

Turbo was a snail who dreamed to become fast. he watched his favorite racer on television and trained everyday to increase his speed. one day after an accident that resulted him to be infused with nitro, he became so fast and was soon abducted by a Taco guy, who wanted to use Turbo as an attraction to their failing Taco business. they entered the Indianapolis 500, the world's fastest race.

having watched Planes (2013) in prior to Turbo (2013), we had our fingers crossed, hoping that Turbo (2013) would at least turned out to be slightly more watchable and we weren't disappointed. Turbo was so different and emotionally engaging that it was impossible not to root for this snail. it was surprising that a commonly found garden pest could be turned into a character so strong and adorable to look at. the film was simple and straightforward yet remained highly entertaining.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku wo Ketsui Shimashita (2013)
勇者になれなかった俺はしぶしぶ就職を決意しました

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Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku wo Ketsui Shimashita.

Raul was a boy who did not become a Hero. the Demon Lord was defeated just before his Hero exams. with his dream crashed, Raul spent his days working at a magic shop. one day, a new part-time job appeared at the shop with a unique resume. Fino was the only heir and daughter of the defeated Demon Lord. she had to work because her father was defeated.

the series was a harem. most scenes that involved Fino was hilarious as she did not understand everything yet tend to act cocky to cover her weaknesses. the dialogues were also delivered flawlessly despite the slightly flawed artworks. however, it was pleasant to find Fino easily likable. she and Raul was the combination that kept the story flowing smoothly.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Planes (2013)

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Planes

Dusty was a cropduster plane that dreamed about being a racer despite his fear of heights. Dusty trained with his friend, Skipper, a veteran fighter, to join the Wings Across the World race. during the event, Dusty met with professionals across the world and made some new friends. there were also those that aimed to destroy him during the race. fortunately luck was on his side as he faced the obstacles to become the winner of this air race.

having high expectations for a Disney animation, we were surprised to find ourselves disappointed. having watched the Cars (2006-2011) series, we expected at least equal entertainment for Planes (2013). unfortunately, the film turned out to be every bit predictable and difficult to get emotionally engaged with. while Skipper reminded us of the lovable Hudson in Cars (2006), it was a pity to not see much relationship and character developments.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

IS: Infinite Stratos 2 (2013)
IS〈インフィニット・ストラトス〉2

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IS: Infinite Stratos 2

compared to its first season - IS: Infinite Stratos (2011), IS: Infinite Stratos 2 (2013) felt like a filler. instead of focusing on mecha training like before, this season focused mostly on the harem and romance circling its characters. while it was welcoming for a change, it was also slightly disappointing to not see the girls battle enemies more often. romance wise, the series progressed as expected, which involved plenty of hilarious situations and chances for fanservice.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Monsters University (2013)

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Monsters University

in Monsters Inc (2001), Mike and Sully were inseparable. however it wasn't originally the case. they met while attending Monster University, where Sully was the descendant of the famous Scarers of Sullivans, putting him in the spotlight. Mike was a hardworking student, which had trouble making himself look scary. they joined the Scare Games to become have the chance to regain their position in the Scarer Program.

having watched Monster Inc (2001) so many times, we were very familiar with the duo. seeing them fighting each other was odd and simply out of the ordinary. in more than 1 way, the story patched together the future relationship of multiple characters, showing the reasons behind each love and hate. it was so impressive that we got caught up in the film in no time. in comparison, both the sequels was on par with one another, turning out to be more than our expectations all the same.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Freezing Vibration (2013)
フリージング ヴァイブレーション

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Freezing Vibration

Satella was one of the genetically modified female soldier called Pandora. they were constantly at war with an invading alien race. Kazuya was her Limiter, who supported her through an a bility called Freezing. while every other partner was assigned, Kazuya had to earn his place beside Satella. while he had romantic feelings towards Satella, he was nonetheless a powerful Limiter.

the second season started off with a new mystery, the E-Pandora Project. it was a research experiment that aimed to increase the number of Pandoras, extending the current Pandora program to those with limited compatibility. Kazuya's grandfather was the developer of the original Pandora, but went against the E-Pandora Project. despite the complexity of the plot, the series remained entertaining and intense until the very end. obviously, there were also plenty of fanservice, especially with the increasing amount of battles and enemies for this season.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

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Despicable Me 2

being an ex-super-villain, Gru was adjusting to family life by doing a jam business. in the meanwhile, a secret laboratory in the Arctic was stolen, the AVL (Anti Villain League) decided they needed an insider's help for investigation. Gru was recruited and assigned to work with Lucy, an AVL agent. after observation, Gru concluded that the prime suspect was El Macho, whose teenage son was also making a move on his daughter, Margo.

with plenty of destructive minions to look out for, the film was absolutely entertaining. seeing Gru with his fatherly side was more than enough to have us rooting for him. Lucy was way too exaggerated for our taste, fortunately other than the stunning gadgets scenes, she could be easily ignored. in overall, this installment compared to its first sequel, was surprisingly memorable and far more impressive.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Kuroko no Basuke 2nd Season (2013)
黒子のバスケ 2nd Season

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Kuroko no Basket 2nd Season

the story continued where the first season - Kuroko no Basuke (2012) ended. Kuroko and Kagami continued to be a part of Seirin High basketball team, where they intended to be on top for Japan basketball.

like its previous season, the series captured the spirit of sportsmanship perfectly. as usual, Kuroko was the most important member but still a shadow of the team. his ability was being able to blend into the background, remained unnoticed in the opponents' radar. the series also continued to be impossible not to love. i still find it surprising that despite not being familiar with basketball, nor a fan of the sport genre, i found myself enjoying the series over and over again. the intensity of the competition as well as the comedy was well balanced, making Kuroko no Basuke (2012-2013) a highly entertaining series.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Oblivion (2013)

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Oblivion

Jack was one of the last repairmen stationed on Earth. the planet had been destroyed 60 years ago during a way against a race of invaders known as Scavengers. the moon was destroyed, causing earthquakes and tsunamis on Earth. they were defeated by nuclear weapons, which also left the planet uninhabitable. the remaining humans migrated to a space station called the Tet, while Jack and Vika maintained the drones that defended the power stations from Scavengers.

with only computer effect to work on, the film was visually breathtaking in many ways. the drones were like merciless killers, taking down all humans found. unfortunately, the characters didn't have enough development to have us sympathizing their deaths. often the characters fought to stay on the likable side, while sometimes fell into the unlikable side, especially for the main character. the twists in the second half of the film, having the same characters appearing at different set of locations was however, very impressive and quite unexpected.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Teekyuu 3 (2013)
てーきゅう3

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Teekyuu 3

the story followed a group of girls who joined their school tennis club, but rarely played tennis. like its previous season, Teekyuu (2012-2013) succeeded in drawing laughter out of its viewers. the absurdity continued with its fast paced storyline. unfortunately the series still remained only 2-minutes long every episode.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Phantom (2013)

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Phantom

Demi was the captain of a missile submarine. he suffered from seizures since his last mission and had been haunted by his past ever since. for his final mission, he and his men were rushed into a classified mission, where a rogue group joined their team. unwilling to let Demi's team into what they were after, Bruni actually wanted to seize control of the ship's nuclear missile. the machinery they installed right before they head into the sea had the ability to cloak the ship.

the film was based on actual events during the war, where the rogues wanted to fire missiles at the Chinese, making them think that the Americans was behind it, thus started the war. fortunately with Demi as their captain, he managed to take the ship back and avoided the confrontation all together, also by paying with their lives. the clarity as well as intensity only came out on the second half of the film. the last scene was the most overwhelming scene that we had come across in quite a while.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai! (2013)
世界でいちばん強くなりたい!

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Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai!

Sakura and Elena were leading members of Sweet Diva, a popular idol group. one day, Elena was injured by Rio, a female wrestler, during a TV program recording. to avenge Elena, Sakura decided to enter the female wrestling matches even though she had no knowledge of wrestling whatsoever.

mainly because Sakura was the main character, she had the most character development as well as growth. she often thought of the future of Sweet Diva and put it before herself. the very reason she took up wrestling was also to restore Sweet Diva's honor originally. with completely no experience in wrestling, she had a hard time adapting. despite the seemingly painful experience, her growing strength was what made the series engaging as she vowed to become the strongest. while wrestling was rarely used in anime series, we were surprised to find it so captivating even when applied on girls. the intensity felt so real, and being a wrestling fan, we appreciated it a lot.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Scary Movie 5 (2013)

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Scary Movie 5

Dan and Jody were newly married when they found out about the death of Dan's brother. they brought their two nieces and a nephew home. weird occurrences started to take place in their life, including Jody's ballet and Dan's ape researching career. they started to realize that they were stalked by a demon, which led to them seeking advice from a psychic and numerous surveillance cameras.

having heard great stuff with the Scary Movie (2000-2013) series, we found ourselves having difficulties laughing. it was filled with complete absurdities and exaggerated actions, yet none funny enough for even a chuckle. this installment made references to movies like Mama (2013), Paranormal Activity (2007-2014), Black Swan (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Inception (2010), and novel Fifty Shades of Grey (2011).

Monday, January 13, 2014

Tesagure! Bukatsumono (2013)
てさぐれ! 部活もの

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Tesagure! Bukatsumono

the story centered around a group of students who did extracurricular activities. other than having some very bad artwork, the story was lame and seemed to be a combination of every other slice of life anime that involved club activities. for most of the airtime, it was the students sitting and talking about some demented situation they thought up. the series also included some endless games they recreated just for the fun of seeing how it would worked out. in the end, it didn't feel worth the time at all.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

The Big Wedding (2013)

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The Big Wedding

Don and Ellie were married with 2 children, Lyla, Jared, and adopted Alejandro. after divorced, Don got together with Bebe, Ellie's best friend. when Alejandro was getting married, he told his parents that they never told his biological mother that they were divorced, because of her religion. due to she was also invited to the wedding, Don and Ellie had to pretend to be still married while Bebe moved out.

with so many well-known actors in a film, we were pleased to find that everyone held their own set of dramas in the main plot as well as subplots. the main humor laid in its fast and brilliant dialogues, action wise the humor was more typical if not cheesy. the main plot circled around the four adults, while the children focused on each their problems. at some point, it was unexpectedly sincere when it came to family and the relationship between those within.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Magi: The Kingdom of Magic (2013)
マギ The Kingdom of Magic

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Magi: The Kingdom of Magic

the story took place in a world where slavery was common. gigantic ruins called Dungeon had appeared one day. it reached into the sky and was filled with treasures. many had entered but few came out alive, and those who managed to survive became king. Aladdin was a young boy with no memory of his past. together with his new friend Alibaba, they traveled across the world with nothing but the clothes they had on and a magic flute containing a Djin.

despite the childish artwork and young main character, the series wasn't exactly targeted at young viewers. it was filled with enough complexity and cruelty to be frightening. the story continued where Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (2012) left off. Aladdin was separated from his friends during the journey to Magnostadt, a kingdom ruled by magicians. from there onward, they had a chance to become stronger and more independent. Alibaba went to the Reim Colosseum while Morgiana traveled to the dark continent to uncover the story behind Falanis' dissappearence.

Friday, January 10, 2014

The Heat (2013)

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The Heat

Ashburn was an FBI agent that was extremely ambitious and did not get along with her co-workers. she was sent to Boston to uncover the identity of a drug lord named Larkin by tracking down his men. after arriving at the destination, she found that one of Larkin's men was in custody. she interrogated him and came across Mullins, a police officer. Mullins was very territorial and not exactly sociable as well. the duo was later forced to work together in order to solve the case.

the combination of putting together a serious cop with a crazy cop was absolutely splendid. having watched a second film by Melissa McCarthy, i found myself even more in love with her loud attitude. majority of the scenes targeted comedies, which sometimes turned out well sometimes doesn't. among the duo, it was easy to root for Mullins but difficult, sometimes even impossible to like Ashburn. fortunately in overall, the film was highly entertaining and filled with enough serious actions and unexpected twists to make it felt real than forced.

Thursday, January 09, 2014

White Album 2 (2013)
ホワイトアルバム2

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White Album 2

graduation was only half a year away. Haruki was the final member of the dissolved music club who played his guitar after school, preparing for the school festival. soon, he found a piano melody harmonized with his guitar. later, a vocal followed. from being alone, Haruki found more and more people interested in joining the music club.

unlike most romance or harem series where the male character was given a group of female characters with multiple personalities but no depths, the characters in White Album 2 (2013) were given so much time on introducing their background it became engaging before we noticed. it was difficult to not like both the female characters, supporting them for going after the male character. it was a pleasant surprise to find the male character was not perverted and the series doesn't focus on fanservice. finally for once, this series was purely, truly a romance series.

Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Safe Haven (2013)

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Safe Haven

one day a mysterious woman named Katie appeared in a small town. her sudden arrival raised questions about her origins. Katie was determined to avoid personal ties with the people in this small town. but being a close community, people started approaching her and she couldn't help making friends. Alex was a widowed man who owned a store, he had two young children. Jo was a neighbor who lived not far away from Katie's rented cabin in the woods. just when she thought she could finally settled down in the peaceful town, her past returned to haunt her.

the story was based on Nicholas Sparks' novel, which made the storyline quite predictable, yet still managed to surprise us nonetheless. the only part that made all the waiting worthwhile was when Katie's husband finally came looking for her. a drunkard but also a cop made him a much more difficult character to take down as it was told in Katie's point of view. the rest of the story kind of dragged by with the intention of achieving an overwhelming happy ending, which turned out to be successful all thanks to the letter from Jo, Alex's late wife, to Alex's next wife-to-be, Katie.

Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta (2013)
夜桜四重奏 ~ハナノウタ~

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Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta

the story took place in Sakurashin town, where humans and demons co-existed. therefore it took more than the normal police force to maintain its peace. the Hiizumi Life Counseling Office consisted of 4 unique teenagers who were each gifted with a super power. their job was to protect the people of the town. the town itself was protected by a barrier called the Seven Pillars, which was the only thing that connected the human and demon worlds.

the Yozakura Quartet (2008-2013) series were never quite appealing at first glance thus far. it was amazing how smooth the episodes managed to reach its climax while returning to its neutral state soon after. every character treated the fights like an everyday occurrence, which made everything felt lighthearted even during the most intense moments. despite featuring a mass amount of characters, the series managed to spend time on character developments while building the chemistry between them. they were easily likable and highly influential at some point.

Monday, January 06, 2014

The Other Guys (2010)

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The Other Guys

Allen were originally an officer that sat behind a desk, filling out paperwork. Terry was an officer that made a mistake in the line of duty. together they were forced into a team to take down a shady capitalist named David. at the same time, they had to tolerate each others' differences while putting their lives at stake.

between the 2 guys, it was difficult to like Allen as much as Terry. Terry had a rough edge to him that made him relatable, while Allen was a clown. the story itself was more of a comedy than taking down dangerous criminals. there were add-ins of unless bits of backdrop that probably was trying to make Allen into a better package but still failed miserably. we had a difficult time appreciating his acting than Terry's hidden ability to dance, which turned out to be an impressive surprise.

Sunday, January 05, 2014

Coppelion (2013)
コッペリオン

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Coppelion

years ago, a meltdown of a nuclear power plant created a huge catastrophe. 20 years later, the city became a ghost town due to its high radiation. one day, a distress signal was received and the Self Defense forces dispatched 3 girls from the Special Unit Coppelion to search for survivors.

at first glance, the series was about 3 high school girls with guns being dispatched to the ghost town in the hope of rescuing its survivors. however, the girls weren't actually high school students. in the ghost town, the trio was thrown into extreme situations where they had to help cured the people from the radioactive poison. with little character development but enough to portray their differences, the girls were easy to like. the situations were often heartbreaking to watch but intriguing as we wanted to know its outcome nonetheless.

Saturday, January 04, 2014

Crazy for Palace (2013)
我为宫狂

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Crazy for Palace

the short drama was an extension for the running sequels. like all the other sequels in the series, it brought together the past and the present. xx was a young man in the present time, while Liuli was a girl in the past. one day, xx worked in the museum that was originally a palace in the past. he was assigned to label all the ancient items but accidentally cut himself on a vase. his blood brought Liuli from the past, where she crossed over to the present in seeking her identity.

for all the previous sequels, i enjoyed the past more than the present. unfortunately, this short drama gave little details on the past while focusing all the dramas in the present. Liuli lost her memories when she was brought from the past into the present. xx was the only person that could see her, therefore she followed him everywhere, asking him for help. eventually he gave in and during the search, they realized that their past was entwined. the short drama had me felt eager to watch its real drama again. the characters were so familiar that it was impossible not to miss them after all these while.

Friday, January 03, 2014

Miss Monochrome The Animation (2013)
ミス・モノクローム

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Miss Monochrome

Monochrome-san was originally a character used as a 3D virtual singer like the Vocaloid. the animation followed her on her path of becoming an idol, as well as saving the world from aliens invasion. with each of the episode only 4 minutes long, there were only enough time for some laughs. Monochrome-san was an emotionless character who often came up with random ideas and desires. her manager had to make them all come true. despite the randomness of every occurrence, as well as the lacked of depths in its plot, the series remained fortunately, entertaining.

Thursday, January 02, 2014

Lan Ling Wang (2013)
兰陵王

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Lan Ling Wang

a thousand years ago, the battle between the northern region continued as the Emperors from Chou and Qi fought to conquer the land that belonged to each other. Emperor Yu Wenyong led the Chou army while the Battle God, Lanling Wang, led the army of Qi, they fought for day and night and eventually Emperor Yu was defeated and returned to his own land. Lanling Wang had won the battle with the help of a young witch, Xuewu that left their hidden village. Xuewu had the chance to get to know both Lanling Wang as well as Emperor Yu during the battle.

the series was one of the most addictive series we had watched in quite a while. the romance between Xuewu and Lanling Wang was so extremely heartwarming and heart wrenching following the storyline. i had laughed so hard and bawled my eyes out for them. while most of the characters did extremely well for their parts, it was sometimes frustrating that they had to always hide the truth from only the one they were closest to. the conflicts always succeeded in breaking everyone up, all due to the lies that was supposed to keep them "safe". fortunately in overall, the series was highly enjoyable, sending our emotions on turmoil while being extremely rewarding and satisfying in return.

Wednesday, January 01, 2014

Kyoukai no Kanata (2013)
境界の彼方

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Kyoukai no Kanata

Akihito was a high school boy who appeared to be human, but was actually half demon who had the ability to heal. one day he met Mirai, a freshman who was about to jump from the school rooftop. Mirai was a loner that often got isolated for her weird ability. she was able to manipulate blood, which was unique even among members of the spirit world. disturbing events started to take place after Akihito saved Mirai.

Akihito in short was an immortal boy who couldn't die, while Mirai was a girl who wanted to. they met when Akihito tried to save her from jumping off their school building. she then stabbed him with a sword made of blood and found out that he was immortal. since then, she had been following him every day, trying to kill him and never succeeded. the chemistry between the characters were enjoyable to watch. the supernatural side of the series remained mysterious until the very end. but as in general, the potential of growth was huge and that alone was enough to keep the story going strong.