Reflections on One Year of Blogging

By ExecutiveOtaku | Published: July 28, 2010

Something about the duality of anime, 2010 edition.

On this day last year I started blogging and entered into the fan community in an entirely new way. Those of you who saw that first post might remember the picture I took of a Zaku II and Miyuki that I used as a representation of the variety of my tastes in anime, to which the opening image here is referring. It’s been an incredibly fun and rewarding year, and now I’m taking a moment to think back on it, on what it’s shown me as a blogger, and on all the friends and readers who have made it all worth it. It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year already.

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Posted in Editorial | 41 Comments

Occult Academy episode 4: Put Your Spanners On!

By Hana | Published: July 26, 2010


He’s bee-hiiind you!

YAY! Maya’s back!! In short, this epi was all kinds of Win. And all kinds of :) . And :D . And LOL. And @_@. And :( . And T__T. And EH?! Observe…

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Posted in Occult Academy | 29 Comments

Kaichou wa Maid-sama episode 17: Lady and the Trap

By Hana | Published: July 25, 2010


The strongest tag-team in the world… of beach volleyball.

Part two of Maid Latte-on-the-beach presents: melons, teeth brushing, yawns, blushes, GARs, bikinis, balls, kyaa kyaa!s and fireworks. Let the games begin!
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Posted in Kaichou wa Maid Sama | 4 Comments

When Best Friends Fight and Look Hot While Doing So: Black Rock Shooter Finally Arrives

By ghostlightning | Published: July 25, 2010

I’ve come across many headlines about Black Rock Shooter seemingly for such a long time now, but I never read anything for myself. I watched the OVA just moments before writing this and I thought I needed someone who can share the context of why BRS is so highly anticipated. So I asked one of its flaming fanboys, 21stcenturydigitalboy to let us all know.

All original (non-screen captured) images in this post are by Huke.

belt black_hair black_rock_shooter black_rock_shooter_(character) blue_eyes cape chains cross flat_chest highres huke midriff navel original shorts solo twintails

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Posted in Assorted Anime Reviews | Tagged | 23 Comments

Shiki Episode 3: So dude, there’s yaoi here too?

By Reverse Vampire | Published: July 24, 2010

Here comes Sadako Sawako Sunako Kirishiki, the resident creepy girl in Sotoba.

I apologize that I took longer than expected writing this review in a haste. (Only got the subs a few minutes ago). So many changes to adapt in my new school and I have to heed my principal studies lecturer’s instructions on relaxing my usually-tense arms. The bad news is, there’s so much work to do; handing up reports and coming in for lessons/lectures on time does count my total score in the final paper. Unfamiliar with the system in a tertiary institution, I guess the only way to get along with my lecturers well is to actually heed their words in order to graduate without hiccups on the way, or fail any of my modules.

Fortunately, the good news is that the first year studying in this arts academy I’m currently enrolled at doesn’t affect too much on writing my thoughts and opinions on Shiki. Things will go into full swing when 2011 arrives. Without further ado, I present you the review of Shiki, Episode 3. Click the ‘Read More’ button, if you dare…

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Posted in Shiki | 13 Comments

Amagami SS episode 04 – Those Crazy Kids

By ExecutiveOtaku | Published: July 23, 2010

If you really loved me you’d be a creepy stalker!

Oh those two crazy kids! The final chapter in the Haruka arc ends in a manner most befitting the two characters. While not quite the epic kinky of last week, Haruka and Junichi come together in that crazy, but adorable, but crazy, but adorable, but crazy manner that has been the hallmark of their relationship thus far. The day starts off fairly normally, with Junichi summoning some of Patrick Colasour’s luck in running into Haruka near an arcade, then talking in the park where Junichi was stood up. But on Christmas Eve, Haruka pulls off a brilliant total victory, a setup so transparent that she had to have been using it to tease Junichi.

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Posted in Amagami SS | 19 Comments

Black Heaven – Salarymen, Aliens, and Rock and Roll

By ExecutiveOtaku | Published: July 23, 2010

Black Heaven/Kachou Ouji is one of the best shows that no one seems to know about. A 13 episode series from 1999 about Ouji, a guy who used to be a guitarist in a rock band before giving it up to get married, start a career, and have a family. Years later he’s a stressed, unfulfilled section chief at a nondescript company in Tokyo with a hyperactive kid and an insensitive wife, neither of whom seem to pay much attention to him. But someone is paying attention, as aliens happen to find out that his music is the key to activating an ultimate weapon to fight off their vastly numerically superior enemy. That’s the premise and Black Heaven uses it to its fullest to bring the viewer plenty of interesting themes, BURNING PASSION for music, and some slapstick comedy to wash it down with. It’s FLCL for the post-college crowd. Interested? Well read on as I tell you why more people should watch this.

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Posted in Assorted Anime Reviews | 36 Comments

Kare Kano episode 19 – Minimum Cultural Standard of Animation

By ExecutiveOtaku | Published: July 22, 2010

Another episode that probably needs a post unto itself, but for very different reasons from the previous one. Kare Kano is a series known to have some, um, issues in its production, and it seems like this episode was intended precisely to save money so that the rest of the series could be funded. Paper figures held on the end of pens and moved by hand, stock photo backgrounds, handheld camera segments, bare minimum animation, recap narration, slideshows, everything possible was done here to make an episode at the lowest possible cost. This isn’t merely an episode where the animation dips in detail or shots are reused like when SDF Macross had to stretch its budget. The animation is almost abandoned entirely! But for all of that it still told the story, and far from hating it I mostly had to laugh at the audacity of Gainax in sending this episode out for broadcast. The content, and thus this post, is fairly brief, but it’s rather amazing to see how the creators managed to even tell anything with this format.

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Posted in Kare Kano, Retroblogging | 22 Comments

On What it Means to Call Anime Characters One’s Favorites

By ghostlightning | Published: July 22, 2010

legend of the galactic heroes kaiser reinhard von lohengramm

We have favorite shows, and we also have favorite characters. Sometimes our favorite characters aren’t even on our favorite shows (if we look at our top 5 lists). Here I will look at our habits of favoring anime characters and speculate a little on why we do it the way we do.

In any case I will present my own method (or lack thereof), and at least one other, as explained by the generous Pontifus, of the superfanicom blog. First, a set of samples:

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Posted in Editorials | Tagged , , , , | 83 Comments

Occult Academy episode 3: The Mama’s Boy and the Ladies’ Man

By Hana | Published: July 21, 2010


And now the face matches the monkey suit

We’ve seen the many faces of Maya, now we get more of Uchida’s facial repertoire, as the dynamic duo tentative twosome go about investigating the spate of recent disappearances in the local area. Or rather, in Uchida’s case, taking a trip down memory lane and taking in a spot of sightseeing along the way…

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Posted in Occult Academy | 16 Comments

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