Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 8: More Pain

April 3, 2006

It’s probably final. Animax-Asia is now completely out of my system.

Practically, Animax-Asia is still here, on Channel 46 of my cable TV… but I don’t tune in anymore. This, despite a rather excellent lineup yet again. Also it seems like they tweaked a bit of their programming schedules. What was knows as Kids Hour is now named Girl Power (shoujo anime lineup), followed by Shonen Walker (shounen anime), Animania (probably mainstream), Megazone (semi-hardcore), and finally Super Maniac (hardcore). Oh, some animes in Super Maniac still is in English dub, so I wouldn’t call that as hardcore too much.

Some current anime highlights include the ever-popular Detective Conan, shounen classics Yu Yu Hakusho and Flame of Recca, shoujo classic Fushigi Yuugi, and a whole bunch of very recent anime, some of which other anime bloggers have been featuring for the past years:
– Emma
– Gakuen Alice
– Kino no Tabi
– Mahou Shoujo Tai
– Onegai Teacher
– Otogizoshi
– Twin Spica
– Windy Tales
– Zettai Shounen

Amazing lineup yet again… disappointing English dubbing yet again. This month we also have the CLAMP-crossover anime Tsubasa Chronicle, aptly translated by the channel as Chronicle of the Wings. Classy name, but I guess it’s a clear indication of English dubbing. You can’t escape English dubs. Oh, and next month we have the current king of shounen anime, Fullmetal Alchemist on queue. Still not sure if the English dub will be from inhouse Animax-Asia dubbers, or from Funimation in the US.

Take note, some English dubs come from official US dub releases from TV or DVD, but the vast majority of them come from Animax-Asia’s own in-house dubbing. Because of this, you hear the same voices in almost all anime! The whole channel sounds so freaking redundant. No, this is not the same as hearing [Yui Horie->horie-yui] in so many anime, this is a negative thing. You hear the same voice intonation, no modifications at all. Picture this: Sakura of CCS and Sakura of Ultra Maniac. They share the same English dub voice actress in Animax-Asia. While you can argue that they are both energetic mahou shoujo characters, you also believe that they shouldn’t sound the same (age, accent, etc.) Alas, they do in the Animax-Asia dubs. Multiply that with so many other characters sharing that same voice actress (that girl must be rich by now, starring in so many anime dubs), and you have a generic sounding anime channel.

Come to think of it, I’ve been complaining about it since day one! You must be tired of hearing me bash Animax-Asia for the entire duration of this series, so I’ll be giving more of its good points. First up, they added GameMax, a video game feature show. Very nice considering there ain’t much shows of that type out here. Animax Musix (jpop music video features) now has its own 30-minute slot, aside from the random ones in other slots. They finish the music video sometimes, and now even has a ‘fact bar’ at the bottom citing news, history, and other stuff about the artist featured. Great for discovering nice info about jpop, which I sorely lack nowadays.

Lastly, I had to tell my most important recommendation for this channel, and I hope that Animax-Asia hears this somehow (I’m a mere blogger though and my opinions are close to nil in terms of influence.) If they really want to follow their motto of “Anime for everyone”, and if they want to avoid rabid bashing from anime fans (include me in that partially), it’s very simple… show “both” a subbed and dubbed version of an anime. Okay, so you have a dubbed Cardcaptor Sakura at 4:00PM, why not show a ‘subbed’ Cardcaptor Sakura, at even an obscure time like 2AM or something like that? I’m sure all those kids who only want their anime in English/Taglish are already asleep by that time. Remember, Japanese otakus stay up in that time of night to watch their hardcore anime. If done that way, it may give a bit of positive rapport for the channel without hurting their… er… profit. You have a 24-hour anime channel. Know your audience, and use your programming effectively. You can profit more.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 1: The end of Animax-Asia? Too sudden!?->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 2: Cardcaptured.->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 3: Trying to Adjust->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 4: Towards the 1st Anniversary->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 5: I gave up on Animax-Asia->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 6: One year since->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 7: Dubbed in Filipino?!?->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 7.5: Initial D Filipino Stage->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 8: More Pain->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 9: Now in blue->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 10: Fake Revival->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 11: Something New->]
[Animax-Asia… Dubbed in English – Episode 12: Red with anger->]

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April Anime Season (Spring 2006)

Time to cry again.

This is probably the season with the best lineup of potentially good anime I have ever encountered so far… and it came at the worst possible time… when I’m busy.

It has everything. Bishoujo? Check. Shoujo? Check. Sequels? Check check check. There’s something for everyone in this new season. Prepare to smoke your computer/TV/portable screens.

For the comprehensive list, go here and here.

Ah! My Goddess 2nd season – Oh my gawdness… I barely finished the first yet.

Ergo Proxy – Probably the front runner of this season’s action anime genre.

Finalist – From a Princess Soft game. More girls.

Fushigiboshi no Futagohime Gyu! – The cutest twin magical princesses in anime-dom returns for yet another year. I know who’s most happy with this.

.hack//Roots – Those .hacks were nice time wasters back when I had only a few anime to watch. If this turns out to be the same slow-poke, I’d drop it.

Higurashi no Naku koro ni – I’ve been hearing about how this is the second most popular doujin game ever made ([Tsukihime->type-moon] is the champ). It’d be nice to see why.

Inukami! – Probably a cliche, but nevertheless, cute animation design.

Joshikousei GIRLS-HIGH – If it’s about joshikousei, it must be good. Popular seiyuu are here.

NANA – If 2005 was the year of [Hanadan->hana-yori-dango], 2006 is the year of NANA. This is one of the biggest shoujo series of recent memory, and I am already excited since I am thirsty for shoujo already (too much bishoujo).

School Rumble 2nd Semester – Make way for the funniest school anime without Osaka-san! A definite watch!

Soul Link – NAVEL’s older game before their popular one [Shuffle->].

Strawberry Panic – I seemed to have learned not to skip a Dengeki G’s series, even if it turns out horribly average. There’s something in the way they draw bishoujo.

Suzumiya Haruhi – Late update… what the heck was I thinking? Leaving out the potential School Rumble counter-programming of the season? By Kyoto Animation no less!

Tsubasa Chronicle 2nd season – Must… not… miss… Sakura-chan.

Tokko – From the author of GTO. I miss that anime. I hope Tokko is as crazy/cool as that.

Utawarerumono – A classic game from [Leaf->leaf-aquaplus]. Please don’t let it be a [disaster->to-heart-remember-my-memories] on [rails->toheart2-review] again.

XXXHOLiC – Seems to be a two-punch for CLAMP this season. Nice. Hope to see more crossovers.

Yume Tsukai – Looks nice. I’ll give it a whirl.

To Heart 2

To Heart 2

imageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimage

I was thinking all the while that To Heart 2 will be really good, considering that [Comic Party Revolution->], the other anime franchise of [Aquaplus->leaf-aquaplus], turned out rather well. But then the IMO horror that is [~Remember my Memories~->to-heart-remember-my-memories] still looms. That series not only had inconsistent animation, but a pace and story that I didn’t enjoy too much. This time, To Heart 2 more or less had the same problems, but not enough to call it a bad anime… or maybe… I’m biased?

I played the [game->toheart2], and featured it rather heavily, so there may be some personal biases of mine that will lead to the anime counterpart getting a more positive review from me. For one, I really love the mix of the all-new characters this time. The energetic [childhood friend->To Heart 2: Episode 1], the mature [onee-sama->To Heart 2: Episode 2], the soft-spoken [iincho->To Heart 2: Episode 3], the annoying [challenge girl->To Heart 2: Episode 4], the scheming [club president->To Heart 2: Episode 5], the weird [girl from outer space->To Heart 2: Episode 6], twins with [different->To Heart 2: Episode 8] [personalities->To Heart 2: Episode 9], and the ever-required [maid robot->To Heart 2: Episode 10]. While this cast sounds extremely cliche, the difference is in the moe~ factor. The To Heart 2 characters have the same cuteness vibe that made the original [To Heart->] so popular. The lead male character is also an improvement over other similar series. Takaaki is neither a Bakayuki or a Junichi, but if you ask me… he acts kinda gayish.

Now I’m gonna try to remove my bias. Technically, To Heart 2 the anime is created for existing and upcoming fans of the original game. Its premiere in the fall season of 2005 would coincide with the much-anticipated PC version of the game (it was originally on Playstation 2), [To Heart 2: XRATED->]. That said, and because you, my primary audience, is of the english-speaking anime community, many of you guys may be alienated when watching this anime. It is as if it pits you immediately into the events assuming you already know the game, or know of the first To Heart. Unfortunately, many of us can’t play the game because of the language barrier, and so some may not be able to enjoy it too much. Add up the fact that there are 9 featured girls in mere 13 episodes, and that makes them even less memorable.

Aside from the dilemma from non-fans of the To Heart 2 game, even the fans themselves are complaining. What they saw in the anime were very diluted, modified and condensed versions of each girl’s story. What took them about 5-10 hours to complete in the game, the anime finished in 1 or 2 episodes. The conversion quality left so much pain, as it wasn’t to the level that they expected. The most significant alteration to the original was the watering-down of the drama. The original To Heart 2 stories were heartwarming tearjerkers. Compared to that, the To Heart 2 anime stories seemed lifeless.

Couple that with inconsistent animation, incomplete stories, and confusing [timeline->toheart2-timeline], the anime is disaster on rails. Thankfully it had some nice bits here and there. For the fans, they have seen the To Heart 2 girls [interact->To Heart 2: Episode 7] with [each other->To Heart 2: Episode 11] like never before, because in the game they barely even know each other. Also, having all the original seiyuu in check for the anime makes it pleasant-sounding. Music is forgettable but not annoying, and the OP/ED is quite good.

Overall though, maybe it will be just the fans who will enjoy an anime like To Heart 2. Anyway, the best episode to watch is the [12th one->To Heart 2: Episode 12], and I can say you could even see it standalone (not watching the other eps). Continue it with the [last one->To Heart 2: Episode 13 (Final)] for the open-ended conclusion, and you have the 2-episode Konomi OVA. That’s my recommendation if you don’t want to waste time. There are many other bishoujo-game based anime better than this (Stripey has a nice top 20 list). My other recommendation is to play the game somehow. You’ll feel the moe~ factor better over there.

Meido Flu Strikes Millions: Details on CNN

‘Maid’ in heaven for geeks

This is more or less the first time I’ve ever seen CNN run an otaku-based feature on cable television (news article in the link above). I’m quite sure there ‘were’ more I have not seen, because really, the report seemed to emphasize not only on the recent “maid cafe boom”, nor the otaku, but also the unknown fact that this so-called “otaku economy” is a 4 BILLION DOLLAR industry! Investors… we’re talking to you.

That aside, this seemed like a pretty lighthearted feature. Less emphasis was made on otaku being the social misfits. Otaku = geek is a bit right on the money, as opposed to anime = pr0n (media people know more stuff than politicians sometimes). Casual viewers of CNN may have been in shock seeing geeky people being served by skimpy-outfitted maids, but I guess this is one way of showing the world that there is this whole reverse side of Japan other than being the ‘cool’ nation of Asia. But who knows, as maid cafes go mainstream in Japan, maybe these otaku stuff will also become ‘cool’ to other cultures around the world… and even follow suit. Densha Otoko wasn’t a wasted show after all.

So what would be purpose of the report, other than people going to Japan, wait 30 minutes on a maid cafe queue and try to be otaku for a day? Me? No matter how much I like anime and those other semi-otaku stuff, I just couldn’t/can’t/won’t fit in that kind of crowd. I’d laugh all the way through inside the cafe. Even if I don’t intend my genuine laugh to be insultive, those otakus will transform into yakuza gang members and give me a heavy beating. Wouldn’t want that to happen right?

unless……
(I was half-hoping Atika Shubert to try one of those maid outfits during the report… so… er… just kidding.)

Da Capo Second Season

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It’s always hard to have a sophomore outing. It always gets compared to the first. The entire Da Capo game franchise seemed to escape itself away from this dilemma, by bombarding the audience with all things Da Capo. With the possibly annoying array of versions, revisions, sidestories, and fandisks of the [Da Capo games->Circus] alone, coupled with multiple manga and anime serializations, comparing each is no use. Just enjoy the Da Capo mythos. But in case of the anime versions, we need to look at the [first season->da-capo] as reference to Da Capo Second Season, because it is not a version or revision of the original, it is a sequel.

With DCPS ending, the Da Capo anime has now become the longest running anime franchise of the bishoujo game genre. 52 episodes of fun with rainbow-colored hair and cute girls. Each season had its own unique share of positive and negative traits, but overall a worthy watch, especially if you had been looking through your mountain pile of Da Capo games. And the heat rises further, as Da Capo Second Season adds more girls into the already crowded fray of multiple hair colors and different personalities. You’re really bound to like at least one of them. The main guy actually has a literal change of character art in the new season, but who cares about the guy anyway?

Ironically, one new main character didn’t actually come from the games. Aisia, a new girl with mysterious powers, was derived from a manga serialization called Da Capo Second Graduation. The other new characters came from the Da Capo Plus Situation game. Some DCPS characters actually didn’t make the cut, one is really missing, one remains a cameo, and another one… hmm… let’s just say that she is there but not really.

The story carries over from the first season, two years later. The mysterious power within the cherry blossoms are gone, main girls Nemu and Sakura are abroad, and all seems certain that [Kotori->da-capo-kotori-shirakawa] (arguably one of the most favorable Da Capo girls) will take the limelight and shine. One problem though, Aisia steals the limelight more often than not, plus with (ooh spoiler) Nemu and Sakura returning once again, it is now a whole new battle for the love of this one boring male lead.

I hope to fully put the entire season in perspective, but really, everything that happens in Da Capo Second Season involves Aisia. I hope I was correct in saying that. Even when there were episodes that feature the other new characters, Aisia plays a vital part in each of their stories. This I think is where the second season is weak as compared to the first. There is little room for character development or focus for all the other girls. While you may argue that some have already developed (because of the first season), for an anime of the bishoujo genre, characters are more important than plot. I would have preferred more Mako episodes myself. Along with character development, Aisia was granted the key to open the door of the main plot of the second season. What convenience, Aisia gets all the attention. As I said, viewers may think that this season is all about Aisia AND Kotori (as implied in the OP sequence), but it turns out that Kotori stays to be coincidential rather than central to the plot.

In any case, Da Capo Second Season as a story is an excellent follow-up to the first Da Capo. It raises a lot of questions to the conclusion of the first season, and answers them one-by-one. The first season’s ending did have some logical and moral faults, and I was glad that DCSS transcended beyond the original content toward a more “true” conclusion this time around. But with Aisia getting more screentime, I figured that they never needed a entire length of 26 episodes in order to explain the point. If anything, I really hoped that more focus should have been dealt on the new DCPS girls and Kotori herself. It doesn’t need to be this focused on Aisia alone. I admit, Aisia rocks, but alienating fans of all the other Da Capo girls… a no-no.

Despite this, I really enjoyed the run. Character animation looks more consistent, the background music again memorable, and excellent songs again coming from no other than [Yui Horie->horie-yui] (Kotori) and yozuca* and rino/CooRie.

If anything, this may be the real time to close the huge Da Capo franchise. Onwards to DC II perhaps? I think it has already proven its point, each character strong enough to remain a bishoujo anime icon. If you can stomach the barrage of Aisia-only goodness, Da Capo Second Season is a worthy watch.

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This is a [Summer of Bishoujo->] feature

Ichigo Mashimaro

Ichigo Mashimaro

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Azumanga Daioh seems oh too influential an anime nowadays. It seems like a main reference whenever a new slice-of-life comedy anime comes along. And then whenever that anime doesn’t live up to expectations, labels of “Azumanga Daioh ripoff” are placed. Many slice-of-life comedy animes have come and go since then, and only a few stand out not to be another anime’s ripoff. One of them is Ichigo Mashimaro.

With the original manga currently running in the moe~filled magazine called Dengeki Daioh (where Azumanga Daioh also ran), Ichigo Mashimaro is a story non-story of four cute young girls and a slightly older female teenager… Period. That’s it folks… bye!

Er…

Basically there is no main plot to talk about. Ichigo Mashimaro is about five girls doing the usual stuff in life. What stands out here though is in the basis of characterization. The five girls all have their own unique traits that make them cute not only physically. Nobue, the eldest of the five, acts as the nee-san of the group… but smokes cigars and has a penchant for anything cute (like cosplay, and also the four girls themselves). Chika, Nobue’s sister, seemingly has nothing special, but she acts as the sarcastic girl whenever everyone does something weird. Ana, the foreigner, has more Japanese speech and cultural knowledge than even her Japanese friends, but her English is surprisingly poor. Matsuri, the meganekko, is a soft-spoken girl who is slow in so many things but actually speaks better English than Ana. And Miu, the main troublemaker of the group, is… Miu. Nobody can completely describe Miu and the inner workings of her mind, but at least enjoy her [punchlines here->miu-chan-punch].

As you can see, their characteristics look bland on paper, but you have to see the anime to appreciate it. When they are mixed up, seemingly simple stories and events in life will be interesting, and very, very hilarious! Nobue usually commands the order of things, but sometimes gives in whenever it is rather “cute”. Chika acts almost the same except that she focuses on stopping her best friend Miu on doing crazy antics, because she’s the only one who can. Ana, being an extremely unique foreigner, gets center of attention especially when she talks about specific Japanese stuff even most Japanese don’t know. Matsuri always falls victim to the clutches of Nobue’s fancy for kawaii and Miu’s round of weirdness. And Miu is the center of all things weird in this anime series.

It’s 12 episodes of pure fun. The character design is of a unique style that actually succeeds in being cute (and loli). Animation is constant all throughout. The pacing of this anime, while intricately slice-of-life, never gets boring even when it goes slow. A unique thing about this anime is that there are only a select few parts where background music is played. Most of the time, it’s completely silent, which allows a viewer to focus more on the visuals and dialogue exchange of the characters. It’s very effective in bringing out that original flavor from the manga. And when the background music kicks in, it is quite memorable too.

For a character-based anime like Ichigo Mashimaro, it is important to have excellent voices to flesh out the characters. The anime succeeds by a longshot. This is for me one of the best voice work in any anime series of 2005! It is not just because all these five seiyuu are big superstars in the anime industry, but their voice fits the character with extreme precision. I was one who initially thought Ana’s was miscast but it turned out more than fine afterwards. They were able to portray each character in ways that one could not think of any other alternative.

Kawasumi Ayako (Matsuri)
Orikasa Fumiko (Miu)
Nabatame Hitomi (Nobue)
Noto Mamiko (Ana)
[Chiba Saeko->] (Chika)

As it now stands, Ichigo Mashimaro is one great treat. Fun and funny on so many levels, not to mention loli-cute. Ichigo Mashimaro should be laid into the same pedestal along with Azumanga Daioh, as an anime that redefines the slice-of-life comedy genre.

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Suzuka

Suzuka

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Of the entirely vast array of romance-themed anime series, only a few stand out in my memory. Why? It’s because most of them are harem in nature, meaning ALL the girls like the male lead. I don’t usually like that kind of anime. It reduces the chance of a story progression to happen, and all episodes will become mere fillers for character development. On the other hand, progressive anime series have plots that really ‘move’, and are very enticing to watch because you want to know what happens next. It’s somewhat the same way why some people love regular soap operas on TV. Certain progressive romance anime series like Kimi ga Nozomu Eien are very appealing to my tastes. And that’s why this next progressive romance anime, Suzuka, makes such an impact as a series that somehow deviates from the cliched world of harem anime.

Based on a manga, we have a seemingly typical setup of a harem series in Suzuka. Our main character Yamato has just arrived to stay in an apartment, where he would live with a girl next door, aptly named Suzuka. Then we have the usual array of supporting girl cast, including a shy type, a younger sister type and her mother, a drunkard, a meganekko, a teen idol, and a fellow cool beauty. We also have an array of supporting male characters to annoy them, including the ever-required perverted male best friend.

Sounds typical so far? Okay, let’s go to the differences. First up, behind the romance plot is a background of shounen-type high-school athletics theme. Suzuka is on high jump, while Yamato eventually joins track and field. They practice their sports and compete in inter-school tournaments. This sub-theme gains secondary focus, and makes for some interesting plot devices for the romance part. Secondly, not all girls like the male lead. Whew, this is a very refreshing counterprogramming (cough*[Da Capo->da-capo-second-season]*cough), if you get tired of those kind of harem anime. And lastly, the most important of all, is story progression.

The plot of the Suzuka anime literally ‘moves’. Nothing stands still. You see characters developing, relationships changing, rivalries starting, etc. It won’t even take the entire length of the series just to make anything happen. In Suzuka, something happens in every episode. While some may still argue otherwise (the anime did drag near the end of it), don’t you think it is already non-cliche because of the continually moving story? It was a wonderful experience to watch an anime that is more story-based.

Because of the story, character development is affected by the plot dynamics. You may end up liking a character at one point, and hating him/her at another. This human aspect makes the anime more realistic than most series. That does not mean the characters have no special characteristics. Suzuka, for one, is the ever-loved (or ever-hated) Ice Queen and Denial Queen. Her cold and sarcastic attitude towards Yamato makes her oh so cool and cute! I like girl next door types, and Suzuka really rocks in that department. Also, it does not mean that the characters don’t grow up either. Honoka-chan, the shy girl type, will shed her shyness away, and unbelievably even take center stage at some point. Watch the series to find out how.

The only caveat is the radically changing animation quality. Arrgh, the Negima curse remains. Thankfully, it doesn’t annoy me too often, because the plot is really engaging. At some point in the series, I didn’t notice or even care whether the characters look kinda off or poorly animated. It’s that good. The background music doesn’t stand out too much, but isn’t an annoyance either. There are some good tracks though. The OP (Start Line) sounds kinda 80’s, which is good. I didn’t like the first ED (Aoi Field) too much, but the second one (Kimi no Koto) is now an instant classic in my playlist.

All in all, this is a highly recommended watch. If you are tired of fillers, Suzuka is a refreshing progressive change. IMO one of the best of its genre, which is saying much already, if it even belongs to one. Everything else is cookie-cutter, but this one takes a shape all its own.

Project Hiatus 2: Cardcaptor Sakura

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Before bluemist anime blog @ animeblogger.net, and before the old bluemist anime blog (gone now), my very first web project was a relatively unpopular Cardcaptor Sakura fansite, called the bluemist cardcaptor sakura anime reference. As you can see, it’s also gone now and incomplete. After having this anime blog, I never got to finish that site.

Maybe it was boredom or a change of hype, since I was more into [ToHeart2->], [bishoujo games->summer-of-bishoujo] and [live-action->live] stuff last year. Nevertheless, Cardcaptor Sakura remains and still is the very root of all the anime evil that I’ve been writing about up until now. Yes, being my personal best anime EVER, I blame Cardcaptor Sakura for my anime fandom, and I realized that it is somewhat a necessity for me to finish what I have started, that old site itself.

I decided to do this now since I am not quite active in the latest anime season anyway, because of lack of interest for certain new anime. I also decided to finish that CCS unfinished business, in order to move on to some… er… bigger, [MORE IMPOSSIBLE->doremi] stuff very soon. I’m also predicting that real life obligations will take more pieces of time away from me yet again.

And so in line with this, I will be putting this blog on a certain semi-hiatus state. Updates may be few and far between again, just like [last time->project-hiatus], whenever I just feel like it. I’ll be doing the CCS site and this blog in a more casual manner, in the hopes of fitting into my busy schedule.

Actually, I’m still debating on whether to incorporate my CCS site into this anime blog as a project as well. It may be too much work, but it should be perfect for my [Retro->] status isn’t it?

In any case, that’s it. I’m still here, but I’ll be less active… as if I am active at all. Bye for now.

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Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A’s

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Still nothing lyrical about it, but it was a nice ride.

This series which was a spinoff to a Triangle Heart game has just started to live a life all its own. With all new character additions, and a plot that is just as exciting, Nanoha’s world is getting more vibrant. This new season begins some time after the first ([Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha->]). Nanoha and Fate have since become very close friends, and with the backing of the Asura crew, we see more focus on the workings of the Time-Space Administration, rather on delving on just Nanoha.

This makes it seem as if the first series was an introduction to our main character, and then the second series expands on the idea by making it more of a team effort. Yup, Nanoha has her new friends and allies join her. Or rather, Nanoha joins the crew in yet another mission. Well, they need lots of magic firepower after all, because the new enemies are quite plentiful too. A certain book called the Book of Darkness is bound to cause havoc around the magical dimensions again, and it needs to be stopped. The knights who protect the book is composed of three hawt girls and a familiar. The master who is supposed to control the book is actually this frail but cute girl named Hayate. Despite Hayate being the master of an evil book, she is this kind and sweet girl who tends to the knights, and even consider them as “friends” instead of slaves.

See a pattern again? Yup, in almost the same story setup, the enemies in Nanoha A’s are given more than enough backstory to make it seem that they will also be powerful allies in the end. In the first series, some enemies become friends, and so this will not be a big surprise the second time around. We know that cute Hayate and the gang would eventually be on Nanoha’s side, so all the viewers need to do is enjoy the ride on how they get there.

It does have its usual share of plot twists and stuff like that, but the best thing about this new season are the fight scenes. Yup, this is an age in which even young witches use brute force ([moetan->] quote). The Nanoha series have lots of surprisingly awesome action scenes. Nanoha A’s has tons more of them, but eventually it withers off as the plot starts to thicken. Near the end of the series, it becomes some boring firepower festival, in which all the characters show off their uber-magical powers. Heck, it even becomes videogame RPG style, with magic spells being blown to the enemy one after the other (there’s even a healing spell lol). Well that’s just a nitpick, as Nanoha A’s boasts awesome animation in some of the other fight scenes.

Animation runs quite consistent, which is a great plus. Fanservice becomes a minimum for this second series, which is good considering I was quite annoyed with it in the first series.. The OP is quite laughable to me, because it reminded me of certain Gundam Seed opening sequences. Heck, I can even replace the Nanoha A’s OP song for a Gundam OP (try it on Invoke, it fits too well) and laugh out loud. The other music are quite nice too.

The very end of the anime came as a disappointment, not because of anything bad, but because it may have closed the possibility of yet another season to come. Of course, it’s not final, but I really hope the Nanoha series continue. This is one sequel that is up on par with its original counterpart, and it’s kinda rare to see that kind of consistency. Yup, it still has me screaming ‘sequel!’ at the end. Cheers for more Nanoha!

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