Monthly Archive for November, 2004

Beck #6

Published on November 29, 2004 in BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (complete). 0 Comments

Chiba’s absolutely hilarious in this episode. He’s counting on Ryuusuke to hook him up with a chick since he’s unable to get any on his own, but Ryuusuke’s only concerned about his own agenda and gathers both him and Taira together for their first studio session to see how they sound together as a group.

Maho gives Koyuki the guitar pick that Eddie had used for Dying Breed, but he’s unable to accept it since it’s something of great importance to her. He tries to give it back to her, but she makes him keep it and pushes him back in the pool as a token of her friendship (I suppose… :)). It’s nice to see that they’re finally comfortable enough to be silly and friendly with each other. Personally, I like Maho much better than Izumi because she has more spunk and spontaneity, and I think she’s a much better match for Koyuki anyway.

Taira gives Eiji the bad news that he’s decided to join Ryuusuke’s band because he feels the “magic” that he’s been looking for all this time. I feel bad for Eiji, but it seems to me that he wants a band purely for the notoriety and fame and less for the sake of playing music itself. I’m not entirely sure about Ryuusuke’s intentions either, but he seems to be a little more honest about his goals and it does appear that he really does want to form a band because he’s really interested in playing music and making a good band.

Koyuki gets a new substitute teacher in the music department who assigns him the job of leading the school choir (the soft music club), and it’s funny seeing him blush when she talks to him. She seems to be the type who uses her body to lure guys into doing things for her, and apparently it works to her advantage. He sees for himself how rude the students in the soft music club are as they walk out of their practice session without a care in the world, and it’s sad to see Momo-chan (the instructor) trying so hard for this group of ungrateful students. Izumi doesn’t think it’s a good idea for him to join that club because she’s never heard anything good about it, but he decides to check up on them every so often and sees a guitar sitting in their practice room. He can’t resist and plays it for Hyoudou and his loser friends, but they end up laughing at his lackluster guitar playing. He lets their insults slide until they make fun of Saitou-san. He gets pushed to the ground and ends up chipping the guitar, and he’s gotten himself in another dilemma with these guys. He ends up paying to keep them silent about the damaged guitar (the owner is supposedly Rikia-sempai, a guy who likes to spend all his time beating up people, but I think they’re just feeding him a bunch of bull – it’s probably Hyoudou’s guitar), so he’s left with no money, and he gets trapped into being their slave. I don’t know why he continually gets himself into these jams, but he seems to be a magnet for trouble.

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I can’t believe how dense Koyuki can be at times. Why did he have to pick up that guitar in the first place? Knowing that he just began his guitar lessons with Saitou-san, why bother showing off when there’s nothing to brag about? I don’t think he deserved being laughed at, but he’s dealing with a bunch of punks who really don’t give a crap about him, so of course they’re going to use his naivety to their advantage. I secretly hope Ryuusuke comes to his rescue, but they’ll have to actually talk first instead of ignoring each other. At least Maho’s reaching out to him. Looking forward to the next episode!

Zipang #1

Published on November 24, 2004 in Zipang. 3 Comments

If you’re looking for an anime series that offers both a military theme blended with a fair amount of science-fiction, you may be interested in watching this show. It’s basically the Japanese animated version of the movie The Final Countdown, where a modern-day aircraft carrier is thrown back in time to 1941 just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The story focuses heavily on Kadomatsu Yousuke and goes in-depth on why he decides to join the military. I particularly like Yousuke’s story about his conversations with his father as a child and their discussions on war. Yousuke’s teachings from school has lead him to believe that war is wrong, but his father explains to him that people who have fought in wars may have very well taken other people lives, but they would have died otherwise. They fight to protect home and their families, and they bet their lives on it. Yousuke asks his father who are the bad guys and what are they, but his father doesn’t have an answer to that question because he really doesn’t know, either. To this day, Yousuke is still searching for an answer to that question.

Serving as the the Fukuchou (Executive Officer) on the Aegis-class warship Mirai, Yousuke has the mundane task of entertaining a naïve reporter (Katagiri) about his life and their current objective onboard. He gives the reporter general responses - that he was inspired by his father, and they’re only doing a practice drill to ensure that the navy will be able to fight in a real situation. However, Katagiri doesn’t appear to be satisfied with his vague responses and aims to capture something more interesting. Yousuke turns the table on him and asks him if he ever had to kill someone. Of course he’s never had to, so Yousuke explains to him that they’re just like him – none of them has ever been in a real war, nor do they want to be, and the only difference between himself and a journalist is that he’s wearing a uniform. If it’s ordered for him to kill, he’ll do it because that’s his job. The reporter tries to get additional useless information from him, but Yousuke’s done with him and walks away without answering.

In a joint exercise with the US military, the two Japanese Aegis-class warships Mirai and Haruka, along with the (unidentified) warship Aoba and the supply ship Amagi, depart from Japan to join the US naval fleet in the open seas off Hawaii. On the fourth day after their initial departure, now located at East Longitutde 153º, North Latitude 25º in the Open Sea of South Torishima, the Mirai successfully executes their first emergency practice drill while en route to their joint exercise. The Captain notices that the sky looks strange, and they encounter an unexpected storm that hasn’t been detected in the weather forecast. As they prepare the crew for the storm, the Captain notices irregularities in the sky such as the unusual cloud formation that he’s never seen before. They’ve suddenly lost all contact with the other warships, and the radars as well as the satellites show no other ships around them. Looking outside, they all notice that their ship is surrounded by a green aura and realize that something has gone terribly wrong. The ship is experiencing abnormalities, and the Captain suspects that they’re currently in some sort of magnetic anomaly. After passing through the green aura, all communication systems have been recovered, but they are shocked that they’re now surrounded by over forty warships. They try to communicate with the other ships but receive no response. A big ship is quickly approaching, and they can’t believe what they’re witnessing with their own eyes – it’s the WWII Battleship Yamato.

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I had originally downloaded this title for my boyfriend (a big military junkie) without having any expectations of enjoying this show, but I was surprised that it was entertaining and even interesting. I’ve always been intrigued by supernatural phenomenon (i.e. Bermuda Triangle, time warps and such), so this one has definitely peaked my interest. I’m now curious to find out what’s going to happen to this modern-day warship and if they’re truly prepared for a real battle. What’s going to happen between the crew on the Mirai and those on the Battleship Yamato? Will Mirai’s modern technology be able to help them? I’m highly looking forward to the next episode.

Also, for more information on the Battleship Yamato, here is a nifty link. Many thanks to Deph for the wonderful sub!

Naruto #109

Published on November 19, 2004 in Naruto. 176 Comments

Sasuke’s never going to have feelings for Sakura her no matter how much she begs for it, and it’s definitely apparent in this episode. She finally tells him that she loves him, but he responds by telling her that she’s still annoying. I doubt that she’ll ever heal from her broken heart, but he’s way past dealing with her now that he’s chosen revenge as his path toward ultimate power. I can’t say that I’ve ever liked Sakura, but I actually felt very sorry for her after all that she had done for him. I just don’t understand how she could continually love someone who has always treated her like a second-class citizen. Who knows, maybe she really does enjoy being tortured by Sasuke every time she offers her heart to him. Is he really worth it? If I were her, I would just forget about him and choose a much better guy. Come on, Sakura, what are you waiting for? Just give someone else a chance to show you how it really feels to be loved. What’s wrong with that?

I can’t wait to see the next episode, as we’ll finally get to see our boys in action. Now that Sasuke’s chosen to leave Konoha behind, I’m curious to see how strong he’ll actually become. Let’s just hope the animation will be top-notch for the upcoming episodes. :)

Beck #5

Published on November 17, 2004 in BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (complete). 12 Comments

Ryuusuke and Koyuki are still avoiding one another in this episode, but Maho decides to help Koyuki by volunteering to perform as the lead vocalist for the local charity song contest. They actually sound pretty good together (minus the Engrish), and decide to celebrate their first performance together by skinny dipping at the pool. Chiba offers his vocal talent as the lead vocalist for Ryuusuke’s group and decides on “Beck” as the appropriate title of their band. It’s a little odd that Beck (the dog) is shown taking a dump at that moment, but perhaps he’s expressing his disapproval on the idea.

I have to admit that the show isn’t as exciting now that Ryuusuke and Koyuki are no longer talking to each other, but perhaps the separation will benefit Koyuki in the long run.

Beck #4

Published on November 16, 2004 in BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (complete). 0 Comments

Maho attempts to convince Ryuusuke in her usual Engrish that he has the best voice she’s ever heard. (I’ve been noticing throughout the Engrish dialogue that the only words actually pronounced correctly are the swear words. Go figure. :)) He doesn’t seem impressed by Koyuki at all, but Izumi chimes in and tells them (in Japanese) that she agrees with Maho that Koyuki would be a great candidate as the lead vocalist. Ryuusuke reluctantly considers the idea of having both him and Chiba as the lead singers for his band.

Koyuki takes a walk with his guitar in hand, but accidentally loses his footing and tosses the guitar up in the air, leaving it dangling dangerously on the rail on the overhead crosswalk. Unfortunately, he doesn’t reach the guitar on time and it ends up broken in two pieces on the street below. He behaves even more like an idiot the next day when he opens Ryuusuke’s door without knocking first and finds him in bed with a woman. After she leaves, Koyuki reluctantly confesses about his mishap with the guitar, and Ryuusuke reacts in anger and screams at him to leave and never return again. Koyuki runs from the house in tears, tripping over himself like a bumbling idiot.

Koyuki runs into Saitou-san (the swimming coach) and shows him the broken guitar. He tells him that things that are broken once cannot be fixed, but fortunately the coach has a better attitude and believes that he can get the guitar fixed. He tells him about an acquaintance that can get the job done and admits that his life was changed by British rock. He even offers to teach Koyuki how to play the guitar.

Ryuusuke complains to Izumi and Kayo-chan that he feels empty now that the guitar that Eddie had given him is in shambles, as Eddie was the only person who would speak to a Japanese kid like him. They end up going to a concert later that evening, and Ryuusuke focuses closely on the bass guitarist, Taira-kun. During the performance, Manubu (the blond kid, former Cloud vocalist) gets up on stage insulting the vocalist and tells the group that Taira-kun is wasting his talent on them. Manabu takes over the stage, leaving the rest of the band to follow his lead. Eiji’s in the crowd with a big smile on his face, while Chiba decides to go home, since it’s apparent that he’s neither impressed with Eiji or Manabu.

Koyuki goes over to Saitou-san’s place for a guitar lesson, and discovers that he has a fake Gibson Les Paul (Ryuusuke’s guitar is a real one) because he couldn’t afford a real one at the time. He lets Koyuki borrow it, and the bird (his name is Page) continually says “Aho!” (idiot) until Saitou-san plays the album of his favorite group, the Rocket Boys. It’s hilarious watching Page sing along with the lyrics. Saitou-san’s greatest wish is for his bird to sing while he plays the guitar, and he hopes that Koyuki will make that happen one day.

This was another great episode. I’m glad to see that Koyuki’s not completely devastated from his disastrous meeting with Ryuusuke, but I’m really hoping that they’ll at least make an effort in communicating in the next episode. I don’t blame Ryuusuke for being upset (I know I would), but I just hope he won’t be upset at the guy forever.