Monthly Archive for April, 2004

Aishiteruze Baby #1


Kippei's pre-Yuzuyu days... She's not too thrilled about Kippei...
So adorable!  :) Daydreaming about what else...
Awww...  :) Poor Yuzuyu...
This anime is just too cute!  :) Sweeeeet...  :)

I watched this show last night, and I can see why so many of you just adore this series! Kippei is a normal high school student who apparently is a major girl-magnet. He doesn’t even have to look for girls to date, since they’re always asking him out! The only girl who doesn’t seem to be affected by his charm is Kokoro, a quiet classmate who keeps to herself and doesn’t say much. However, I have an inkling that we’ll be seeing much more of her in future episodes. After getting an earful over the phone from his sister urging him to return home, he finds out from his family that his adorable little cousin, Yuzuyu, has to stay with his family because her mother disappeared without a trace shortly after her husband died. Much to Kippei’s disappointment, his sister decides to stick him with taking care of Yuzuyu as a way to keep him away from the girls at school. It’s hilarious watching him as he rushes her to the kindergarden class and then fainting out of exhaustion as soon as he opens the door to his classroom.

Yuzuyu runs away from school after overhearing her kindergarden teachers talking about her father’s death and her mother’s disappearance, and Kippei has to run all over town looking for her. I felt so bad for Yuzuyu when she started crying at the playground. She thought her mother was mad at her for not finishing her onigiri, but Kippei alleviated some of her sadness by agreeing to make homemade onigiri for her. It was such a sweet moment as he held the adorable little girl in his arms. :)

So far, this is the cutest show of the season, and I’m looking forward to watching more of Yuzuyu. She’s so adorable!

Gantz #1


Gantz #1 Screenshots Gantz #1 Screenshots
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Gantz #1 Screenshots Gantz #1 Screenshots

I love how the show introduces our very first character, Kurono Kei, whose imagination gets the best of him as he gawks at the females in his class without any clothing, and the worst possible scenario that could happen to a horny kid happens to him. After suffering the humiliation of trying unsucessfully to hide his “excitement” in class, he walks home from school and waits for the train to arrive at the station. From that point on, we get to listen to the various thoughts that are going through the minds of several people while waiting for the train. It’s amazing how realistic this show portrays the negative and dark feelings that people have toward each other. When a drunk and disheveled man stumbles on the waiting platform, people immediately react and are disgusted by his very presence. When he accidently falls onto the tracks, nobody wants to take the initiative to help him out. Instead, they just stand their like useless human beings and hope that someone brave enough would help the poor man.

When Kei’s old classmate, Katou Masaru, takes the initiative to help the guy, the useless witnesses are relieved that they no longer have to bother with whether they should go and save the man. However, when he asks someone to help him, nobody volunteers. They would rather have both of them die than take any responsibility for helping a fellow human being. This particular scene shows the worst of humanity and how heartless people have become. When Masaru recognizes Kei-chan, he feels reluctant to help his old friend, but decides to to help him at the very last minute. Immediately, those who are safely on the platform conclude that both kids are going to die. After pushing the man back up onto the platform, Kei and Masaru panic as they see a train fast approaching them. Despite their attempts to outrun the train, they inevitably don’t make it in time and are crushed to death. As Kei witnesses his own death, he becomes increasingly annoyed as he observes many people taking photographs of the greusome scene, but after a while it doesn’t even bother him. Personally, I’d be glad to leave the world if I had to surround myself with such awful people. Who needs to live in a world where nobody cares for one another?

Both of them end up in a room with other people who have died, and to their dismay they find out that they are unable to escape. As they reminisce about their childhood, a naked girl suddenly appears in Kei-chan’s arms, and he becomes aroused and kisses her. However, a Yakuza takes her away to another room, and nobody does anything to stop him from raping her. Masaru tests his bravery once again and follows the Yakuza, whereupon he attempts to stop him by strangling him to the point where he almost kills him. The very last scene focuses on the black sphere, which displays an unsettling message that their new lives will be up to whomever controls the afterlife.

So far, I’m loving this show. GREAT character design, catchy music, and it’s definitely an interesting storyline. I’m looking forward to the next episode. :)

Kono Minikuku Mo Utsukushii Sekai #3


Contemplating... So kawaii...
Pretty Feeling dissed
She forgot something down there...  :) He's so sweet, he chose not to peek...
Awww...he's so romantic...  :) Beautiful

I’ve come to the realization that this series will never have the serious drama that I’ve been hoping for, but I’ll settle for the light-hearted comedy that it does have. I’m really starting to like Ryou now, even more so than Takeru. He’s quiet and reserved, but he’s confident about himself, and he’s especially sweet and kind to Akari. I already like her better than Hikari, simply because she’s not so cheerful and happy all the time. Perhaps it’s the pessimist in me that doesn’t like Hikari’s cheery personality, but I just find Akari a little more realistic and down-to-earth. It’s a little disappointing that those two are only relegated to being secondary characters, but I’m hoping that the anime will continue to focus on their story. Actually, it’s the only reason why I’d even continue watching this series.

Naruto #80


Kakashi Naruto
Gaara Sarutobi
Iruka & Konohamaru Jiraiya
Naruto paying his respects to the Hokage Hmmm...who could this be?

Okay, I take back what I said about Naruto. This episode reminded me of why I LOVE this show so much. In one episode, you can find action, comedy, drama, and it makes for a perfect series. It doesn’t just cover the fighting, but it also goes in-depth about the characters as well. You can relate to the characters, especially if you grew up being rejected by your peers. Both Naruto and Gaara were shunned by their entire community because of their hatred for what they had inside of them, and it made them feel like they were never wanted or loved in this world. The one unversal thing that people want more than anything else is to be acknowledged and accepted by others. Without that, you’ll feel so lonely that you’ll even start to believe that your existence doesn’t mean anything to anyone. Finally, after learning only to hate others, Gaara finally realizes that Naruto is a strong opponent because of his love and his promise to protect the people most precious to him.

The second half of the show was dedicated to the Hokage as he was being laid to rest. It was very nicely done, and everyone from the Leaf was present to pay their respects to the man who fought to protect those precious to him.

There’s a nice little surprise at the end, and I’ve been waiting for him to show up in the anime. :)

Kono Minikuku Mo Utsukushii Sekai #2


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Kono Minikuku Mo Utsukushii Sekai #2 Screenshots Kono Minikuku Mo Utsukushii Sekai #2 Screenshots
Kono Minikuku Mo Utsukushii Sekai #2 Screenshots Kono Minikuku Mo Utsukushii Sekai #2 Screenshots

What happened to the action? Why was nothing explained in this episode? I was disappointed because I had hoped that we would at least find out a little more about Hikari. I hope the remainder of the series won’t be as disappointing.

Hikari sure is adorable, though.