Bloody Monday

Series: Bloody Monday
Media Type: Manga
Mangaka: RYUUMON Ryou (Author), MEGUMI Kouji (Artist)
Length: 11 Volumes (Season 1), Season 2 (Ongoing)
Genre(s): Action, Drama, Mature, Psychological, School Life, Sci-fi, Shounen

Introduction:
Ok so I read this just by chance like so many other manga I have read. Found it listed somewhere read the description sounded interesting so I read it. At it's core Bloody Monday I would consider to be a action and psychological manga. There is a lot of trying to outsmart the enemies and turn the tides. The beginning felt a bit like we were always getting played (a.k.a losing), but later we totally own the enemies. Now there is also a Bloody Monday Season 2, but not enough of it is out to talk about it yet, but so far it is similar to season 1.

One Sentence Summary:
Hacker saving Japan from a crazy cult trying to release a super virus in Tokyo.

Summary:
Ok so Bloody Monday is about Fujimaru Takagi, who is also known as "Falcon", his hacker name. Yes he is a wide known very good (Wizard Level) hacker, who hacks for "good". So his dad is a commander in a secret government police force (sort of like the CIA/FBI). Fujimaru Takagi of course helps decode and program things (defensive things mainly such as firewalls) for the agency. While doing this we stumble upon a massive incident that happened in Russia a few years ago. Through various things we find out that something similar is being planned for Tokyo, Japan. So from here obviously it is a save Tokyo and capture the cult members. However things can never go that easily. For starters Fujimaru Takagi's dad is wanted for murder through 90% of the series, and for about the 1st 30% or so we have no idea who were fighting. So without spoiling anything let's just say that the bad guys know about Falcon already, and knows him and his friends stumbled upon the incident. Almost every bad guy is someone we have already known or that we meet early on in the story, though the final bad guy you probably wouldn't be able to guess until much later on.

Closing Comments:
Bloody Monday is an interesting story with some good concepts behind it. It kept me reading (finished it in 2 days), but not always for the right reasons. For about half the story the good guys are one the losing side, every "battle" we lose, which gets very depressing/annoying. However the second half we begin to kick butt. Bloody Monday felt very one sided at almost all points, which is not necessarily bad, it just felt off to me. Season 2 so far is decent though I'm finding it to just be more of the same thing so far. However it's not very far along so I can't really judge it yet. Overall I enjoyed Bloody Monday, but didn't really find it to be anything special, it as interesting premises, but there just not executed as well as they could have been.

~dinoman411

Franken Fran

Series: Franken Fran
Media Type: Manga
Mangaka: KIGITSU Katsuhisa
Length: 4+ Volumes
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Ecchi, Horror, Mature, Mystery, Psychological, Sci-fi

Introduction:
Franken Fran as you can guess from the title Franken=Frankenstein basically. First we shall start out with the warnings. Each chapter (in general) is it's own story, some are more then 1 chapter, but in general there short stories that are mostly separate from one another. Now I would say about 90% of the endings to these stories are not what one would traditionally consider "happy" endings. Most endings are gruesome, some more then others, and are a lot of times WTF endings. There is a lot of detail in these gruesome parts, so be prepared for that. Other then that it can be looked at as a fantasy/horror medical/surgery type manga.

One Sentence Summary:
Saving people that cannot be saved is impossible for a normal human, so why not let Franken Fran do it.

Summary:
Ok this shouldn't be a lot summery since it's not a persistent story, but I'll try to make it as detailed as I can. Ok the story starts off with the main character Fran. Fran is however not your typical female lead, for one she is a Frankenstein type creature, who was created by a genius surgeon (Can't remember his name). On top of being a Frankenstein, Fran also is beyond genius in the medical field, and also has beyond human skills in surgery since she has some "upgrades" (such as super eye site). So the surgeon who created her has been away the whole manga so far so not much to say about him, but Fran has a relatively normal personality, she likes to help people, though often times this turns bad in the end. Of course Fran doesn't live alone, she lives with and works with other Frankenstein creatures and human/animal hybrids. So the stories are basically about Fran helping people by fixing (in most cases) incurable or bizarre medical issues. This includes bringing corpses back to life, making a living head, etc... I personally like the variation in the manga since you never know what is going to happen, however you need an open mind, and a stomach.

Closing Comments:
Well that was probably the shortest summery I ever did. Again Franken Fran is interesting, but a lot of times disturbing. One chapter in particular was a "WTF no that's just F'ed up" chap that too this day still bothers me :p You need a stomach for it, and I also wouldn't suggest getting attached to any characters besides the main character (Fran and friends) since most of them have a bad ending. Overall it's unique on many levels, which sets it apart from other manga, however for some people it may be too unique. If you like horror/fantasy medical and gruesome/"WTF no" scenes do not bother you, try it. It is interesting and makes you think at parts, however if you do not like gruesome/"WTF no :(" scenes you probably do not want to read it, but it's your choice.

~dinoman411

CLANNAD & After Story

Series: CLANNAD & CLANNAD: After Story
Media Type: Anime, Game
Creators: KEY
Length: 24 Episodes (Season 1) & 24 Episodes (Season 2)
Genre(s): Comedy, Daily Life, Romance, School Life, Seinen

Introduction:
My first and probably only 1 of 2 or 3 triple + shows. Personally CLANNAD and the squeal CLANNAD: After Story are currently my favorite animes. First off CLANNAD the anime is based of a game by KEY with the same title. I have played about 1/3rd of the game, but because the English patch is incomplete still I have yet to finish it, but from what I played it so great, even better then the anime :p Though I found it hard to play it in the correct order so I could get the perfect ending since I so want to do the Nagisa arc :p Anyway After Story is a sequel to CLANNAD (Also the 2nd part of the game) that picks up shortly after the first season ends.

One Sentence Summary:
I can't come up with a good one sentience summary so: I Love Nagisa!
Ok I'll try a 1 sentience summery.
Boy meets girl boy feels bad for girl, boy takes care of girl, romance blossoms, etc...

Summary:
Ok I'm going to try to keep this simple though I could get carried away so I'll apologize now if this gets long.
A simple story boy meets girl, boy feels bad for girl, boy stays with girl and help her. Girl falls in love with boy, boy falls in love with girl, we all live happily ever after...sort of. Ok that was a pretty good summary I must say though a lot more to it then that. So we start off with Okazaki Tomoya who is basically a delinquent minus the fighting for the most part. He perry much hates the town he lives him, him and his dad are distant with each other, and nothing particularly good has every happened to him in this town. Enter Furukawa Nagisa who unlike Tomoya loves this town, but she has a chronic illness that caused her to have to repeat a grade twice. Begin the meeting of the two. On the first day of high school Tomoya is on his way to school (late as usual), when he finds a girl (Enter Nagisa) standing in front of the hill that goes up to school. She is just staring ahead in silence, scared to move forward since she hasn't been her in a year and most of her friends have already graduated. Here begins the guy feels bad for girl so he helps her out, and watches out for her. Later although this continues to some extent, but Nagisa also starts to help support Tomoya through his problems. Eventually we fall in love have a romance, etc... Now like most animes made from games we do have the main heroine, but we also have an arc for each of the other heroines in the game. These are well done, though a few of them feel a bit lacking. In the game obviously there is much more to each of these arcs then what is seen in the anime, but the anime does a nice job summing most of them up pretty well. As I mentioned After Story picks up shortly after the original concludes. I can't say much about it since there are major spoilers and twists in After Story, so I'll end my summery here.

Closing Comments:
Ok so CLANNAD as mentioned this is currently my favorite show, although Ef got close to it. I do own the 1st season subbed, and am planning to get the second season also. Along with the dubbed versions when they come out. If i say much more here it will sound like a fan-boy rant so I'll shut up. Anyway if your looking for a cute drama/romance try CLANNAD out you probably will not regret it unless you hate slower shows. Next review will probably be on a more interesting/unique horror-ish manga so stay tuned.

~dinoman411

Please Teacher!

Series: Please Teacher! (Onegai Teacher)
Media Type: Anime
Mangaka: HAYASHIYA Shizuru
Length: 12 Episodes + 1 OVA
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Sci-fi, Shounen

Introduction:
First off this is one of my top 5 animes and has been for a few years now, so this might be semi-bias. Ok Please teacher deals with a student x teacher relationship/romance along with some sci-fi elements integrated in. There is also a sequel to Please Teacher called Please Twins, which technically is a squeal, but it focuses on a different set of main characters, and I think we only see the original characters once or twice. Please Twins wasn't bad, but I didn't like it anywhere near as much as I liked Please Teacher. In this talk we will focus on Please Teacher, maybe I'll make a later post for Please Twins.

One Sentence Summary:
Boy meets girl, boy finds out girls secret, principal misunderstands their relationship, so boy marries girl who in this case is his teacher.

Summary:
First off I consider Please Teacher to be a romance mainly, though there are some other elements in it, and it could probably be considered a harem technically. Anyway Please Teacher begins with Kei Kusanagi who one night witnesses a giant whirlpool open up in the lake while he is watching the stars one night. Suddenly a girl shows up out of no where in front of him. This causes him to flee and fall into a lake, and then suddenly he wakes up the next morning. During school that day the class finds out that there getting a new teacher, who introduces herself as Mizuho Kazami. Later that day she moves into the empty house next to where Kei lives by pure coincidence. Being the gentleman Kei is he offers to help he move in. From here we find out her secret, and she tries to get him to keep quite about it, and certain things happen and there relationship is totally misunderstood. For one wind up in a bath tube (with clothes on) together. And then the major misunderstanding of getting locked in the supply room together and the principal finding them there. A student teacher relationship is a very bad thing, so Kei's guardians get a call from the principal so that all 5 of them can talk this out. Much to Kei and Mizuho's surprise Kei's guardians tell the principal that Kei and Mizuho are married. This fixes the who misunderstanding, however after this to keep the lie going we do get married. From here we live the life of newly weds who have to keep their relationship a secret from everyone. Kei also has a interesting medical condition that is the other major focus of the show. Throughout the show we get to meet Mizuho's mother and little sister, and all of Kei's friends. It's a relatively small cast, but most of them have personalities and actually there is some other romances going on in the background of the main story. Ok that's it for this summary I know it wasn't my best summary, but I love the show so much it's hard to write a summary for it lol. Anyway if you like romances I would definitely suggest Please Teacher.

Closing Comments:
Please Teacher overall is a fun romance, we have the standard twists and turns along with some unique ideas/concepts. As I mentioned I really enjoyed this show (I'm a sucker for a cute romance), which lead me to buy both the anime and manga (haven't read the manga yet). Not much else to say really I highly recommend picking it up. Kei x Mizuho!! lol just had to put that :p

~dinoman411

Taishou Yakyuu Musume

Series: Taishou Yakyuu Musume
Media Type: Anime
Mangaka:
Length: 12 Episodes
Genre(s):

Introduction:
Again this is in many ways similar to the Princess Nine anime that we talked about last post, however there are some key differences that I think really set it apart. Anyway after seeing a youtube clip of this show by chance, I just knew I had to see it. And so I did, unfortunately I couldn't buy it, since it is not licensed in the US, but I probably would if it was. Again this is an older school anime that at it's core is about women rights, but it is told through sports, in this case baseball. I found it to be quite enjoyable and amusing, there really isn't any romance or anything like that in this it's just friendship and baseball.

One Sentence Summary:
Innocent school girls who know nothing of baseball, trying to learn and play baseball versus the boys.

Quick Summary:
Well as started above this show is similar to Princess Nine, which we talked about last time, however this show is much more old school, and actually more about women right/entering the male world then Princess Nine was. Ok first off this show takes place during the Taisho period (1912-1926). In this time period women were thought of as house wives, which is where the whole show begins. One day Akiko gets told by her fiance (Who was a baseball player), that women should learn to be housewives and not even go to school. To prove him wrong Akiko along with here best friend Koume agreed to start up an all girls baseball team at their school. During this time period women would considered too basically be pure housewives and lady like always, no running, much less baseball, so this goes agents everything that was considered to be traditional. As with Princess Nine we also have 3 major arcs the recruitment atc which mainly consists of getting other girls who want to try out baseball to join them. Training arc, which is just that. Unlike Princess Nine everyone of the girls are complete newbies to baseball, none have ever played it before, and most don't even know anything about it. And then finally we have the actual playing arc, where we compete agents the boys to prove we can do it. There are many other minor incidents/problems in it such as getting permission from your parents, but all of these are integrated well and really pull you into the anime more.
Now we all should know at this point (If you have read previous posts) I am a romance fanatic and love my cute romances so of course I need to at least mention the romance in this one. Musume of course has a romance besides the Akiko and fiance one we have one with Koume and ???. Wouldn't spoil who, but its cute and full of awesomeness, unlike most romances this is a pure romance, in which holding hands is considered to be a deep sign of love and affection. I Love it!

Closing Comments:
Ok enough about teh summary, you probably got that I really enjoyed this show. The concept is quite unique in anime, and it is well done. The fact that we don't have total newbies becoming gods in baseball, unlike many shows, is also refreshing. The romance I totally fell in love with and all the characters had a personality, and most of them not a stereotypical one either. I would definitely give this anime a good rating and tell you to try it, so enough babbling already. Go out and watch it.

~dinoman411

Princess Nine

Series: Princess Nine
Media Type: Anime
Creator: Date Kensei
Length: 26 Episodes
Genre(s): Action, Romance, School Life, Seinen, Sports

Introduction:
Ok, first off this is a talk about Princess 9 not Princess 69, just to clear that up. Ok, so awhile back I watched Taishou Yakyuu Musume loved it (Will do a talk on it next), so that was an old school anime about women rights mainly, but they did it in the form of an all girls baseball team. This one is similar in the girls baseball team, but Princess Nine isn't as much about women rights, more just about trying hard to achieve your goals. Anyway Princess Nine is only an anime as far as I am aware, and it is an older show, unlike most of the shows I have posted about. I actually have 2 other old school shows I want to post about, but haven't yet, eventually.

One Sentence Summary:
Awesome female baseball players trying to get accepted by the baseball committee and get to Koshien(Big Name Stadium in Japan), by beating all of the boy's teams.

Quick Summary:
Ok, so Princess Nine is a simple story about starting up a all girls baseball(Hard Ball) team in an all girls school. Basically it is the dream of the chairman...well chairlady in this case to create a female baseball team, and thus she recruits great players from all around to join the school and play on the team. From here we hit the first arc of getting 9 players to come and join us. Most of the players we get are experienced players, but a few are new to baseball. Second arc is getting accepted by the baseball committee so that we can actually compete. And the final arc is getting to Koshien, in the tournament. So the show is very straight forward, but of course there are a few twists. There is 1 main love story in it, well love triangle technically, and a side love story later on too. Basically not much else to say, most of the team are perky happy-go-lucky people in general. They face many struggles including the schools principal wanting to shut them down because they're an embarrassment to the school. That's about all I can really say without spoiling too much.
The main character Ryo is a greater than great pitcher, like her diseased father. The father although dead I consider to have a major part in the whole show he seems to like everything together. Ryo is for the 1st half a strong willed super determined girl. Later though she gets all messed up in the head (love and jealously) later on, and some this I found to be rather annoying.

Closing Comments:
Ok so this was a fun show, though through the 2nd half the main character pissed me off most of the time. Personally I do not like how the main love triangle ended (not telling how it ended), I think he should have ended up with the other girl personally I liked her better. But the 2nd love story thing was awesome and I loved it even though it was only prevalent in like 2 episodes. There also wasn't much of an epilogue to it, kind of just ended, which was a letdown, a nice text thing about there 2nd year would have been nice. Other then that it was a very enjoyable show, though mostly predicable, except the last game I really wasn't sure which way they were planning to go. Ok that's it for this talk, overall I would say it's worth watching if you do not have really high expectations, personally I liked Taishou Yakyuu Musume much better which we will discuss in the next talk.

~dinoman411

Itazura na Kiss

Series: Itazura na Kiss
Media Type: Anime
Mangaka: TADA Kaoru
Length: 25 Episodes
Genre(s): Drama, Romance, School Life, Shoujo

Introduction:
Ok so onto Itazura na Kiss now I have only seen the anime so far, though I am planning to get the manga and read it, just haven't gotten around to it yet. Ok so first off know the manga is incomplete and forever will be, the TADA Kaoru died in an accident (R.I.P) while moving before the manga was completed. However the anime does contain an ending that was found in some of her notes about the planned ending. So you do get an ending to the anime, and it is decently done, doesn't even feel rushed much.

One Sentence Summary:
What happens when a dumb girl confesses to a super hot genius guy, who totally rejects her, but due to certain circumstances, involving termites, they start to live together.

Quick Summary:
During the entrance ceremony 2 years ago Aihara Kotoko, fell in love with Irie Naoki at first sight. She has finally reached a point where she it tired of keeping it a secret, so she has finally decided to confess, and what better way then a love letter. While giving him her love letter he says "I don't want it", thus rejecting Kotoko who then vows to give up on him. The rest of this school day Kotoko basically mopes around, so her friends decide to throw a party to make her feel better. So after school we wind up going to our brand new old style Japanese house and having a party, when an earthquake strikes, a 2.5 on the Richter scale (basically not much of anything), and our NEW house collapses, and is the only house in the city to collapse. Luckily Kotoko;s dad has a rich super kind hearted friend who offers to take them in. On the way there Kotoko happens to look at the name plate 'Irie' it says on it, thinking no it can't be, she continues on. Opening the door we find a fun filled sweet family, until the two sons come to greet them. Much to Kotoko;s shock the older brother is Irie Naoki, and so brings about the begining of our one sided love story. Will it progress or not...read to find out.
A bit more about the family quick. Kotoko's dad really isn't in it all the much, mostly we focus on Irie's parents who are awesome. Iries father is simply a nice guy who is just that nice. Irie's mother however is awesome! She is one of those crazy mom's, throughout the story she is trying to get Kotoko and Naoki together, and she also acts like a pervert/stalker at times (outfit and all).

Closing Comments:
Another long summary. Expect quite a few twists and turns, along with an actual ending to it. As mentioned the mangaka died (R.I.P) before the manga was finished so the manga just suddenly ends, however the anime has the planned ending to the series (based on notes they found that she had). It is a very cute love story I enjoyed it quite a bit. My one issue with it is towards the middle we start getting away from the romance and going more into the carrier thing, which isn't bad I just like my romance lol. Well sorry the summary was so long, but it is one of the better romances I have scene in recent years.

~dinoman411

Rosario to Vampire

Series: Rosario to Vampire
Media Type: Manga and Anime
Mangaka: IKEDA Akihisa
Length: 10 Volumes(Season 1), Ongoing(Season 2); 12 Episodes(Season 1), 12 Episodes(Season 2)
Genre(s): Action, Harem, Romance, School Life, Shounen, Supernatural

Introduction:
Ok first off I will mainly discuss the manga here not much about the anime. Simply put the anime follows the basic, but has nothing on the manga. If you have seen the anime and quit you still might want to try the manga. Ok first the anime is basically your typical super ecchi harem (30+ panty shots in ep. 1). Although the manga is a harem, and ecchi it does not focus on that too much. Personally I think the manga had a nice balance of action and harem, though the most memorable parts are definitely a few of the action scenes in the later volumes.

One Sentence Summary:
Getting accepted to a high school is never easy, so why not apply at some unknown school, that turns out to be a school for monsters...not to mention you are the only human that goes there.

Quick Summary:
So we start out with Aono Tsukune, your typical middle school graduate looking to get into a high school. However there is a problem, he hasn't been accepted anywhere yet. One day a strange man gives his family a advertisement for a high school, and of course he applies to it. He finds out he has been accepted, but the bus that picks him up has no one else on it. Even stranger the tunnel they go through to get there seems to go on forever. Once thy arrive he notices the odd forest/swampy scenery. Ok from here we run into a beautiful girl named Akashiya Moka. Though a series of events we find out that the Rosario necklace on her neck is actually a seal, and that for some reason we are the only one that can remove it. However we also learned form this that Moka is a vampire, and we are attending a monster academy where monsters learn to be more human like. As expected he reacts as anyone would "I want to get out of here now". Lucky eventually Moka convinces him to stay, and she also knows that he is human at this point, which is a secret among a very select few (at this point her, the head master, and bus driver). Oh yea and vampires of course like to suck blood, so Tsukune ends up as Moka's blood supply, though a romance does develop sort of. Of course like any harem we need other girls, so we have a big breasted succubus, a loli witch, a stalker ice demon, and later another witch with odd tastes. Ok so that sums up the main setting, now I said there was action, and I haven't discussed that so here I go. Most of the action consists of Tsukune running into the wrong people and getting attacked, and Moka saves the day. This gets a bit repetitive, but the monsters are normally interesting and actually have a description to them. The anime just sticks to the above manly, however the manga goes beyond that. Later Tsukune gets majorly injured and Moka injects her blood into him to heal him, which happens multiple times, but eventually something unique happens to Tsukune. Season 2 of the manga continues shortly after were volume 10 leaves off, and we focus much more on the action aspect of the series then the harem aspect.

Closing Comments:
Ok I know that was a long summary, kind of tricky to sum it up and still get all the major things across. Anyway this will be one you will probably either like or hate. I would not suggest watching the anime unless you want an ecchi harem with very little more to it. The manga I found to be quiet enjoyable although teh action can get a bit repetitive just when its getting very boarding big things happen to switch it up, and some of my favorite scenes show up (Think first time hollow Ichigo showed up in battle). As I mentioned try it, it's not for everyone, but some people I believe can enjoy it quite a bit like I did, but others will completely hate it. All I can say if any of this talk interests you at all try it see what you think.

~dinoman411

High School Debut

Series: High School Debut
Media Type: Manga
Mangaka: KAWAHARA Kazune
Length: 13 Volumes
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life

Introduction:
What to say just finished this up yesterday, also bought it awhile ago (still need vol. 8 though). So High School Debut obviously mostly takes place during the characters high school life, though there is a bit of college towards the end. Overall basically just a romance, no real other theme, there is some comedy, but it focuses on the romance most of the time. Can't think of anything else to say so onto the summery...

One Sentence Summary:
Entering High School can be difficult, so why not get a coach , or to be more specific a romance coach to help you get a boyfriend.

Quick Summary:
So we start out with Haruna who is just entering high school, and wants to get a boyfriend. One of the problems is Haruna has never had much interest in guys during middle school, instead she concentrated on playing softball, thus transforming her into a muscular tomboy. However in high school she quite softball and instead is devoting herself into finding a boyfriend, sounds simple enough. The one major problem is she has no style, she basically takes what she reads in fashion magazines and puts them all together thus leaving her looking like simply put a freak. One day she runs into a guy named Yoh, who is handsome and popular, but also hats girls, for certain reasons you'll find out later. Despite Yoh's lack of interest in girls he has great tastes and knows what guys want in a girl, so through some conversations, and displays of spirit, Yoh eventually agrees to couch her. He however sets down one rule she is not allowed to fall in love with him. And from here the story starts, the first few volumes are basically Yoh coaching her and Haruna learning what love is and trying to find out who she likes and wants to ask out. Can't say much more or I'll spoil things, but if you like shoujo you should like High School Debut.

Closing Comments:
So yea, I have wanted to read this for a while and got around to it a few weeks ago, loved it and finished it quickly. I also own the whole series. Now as for enjoyment I really liked almost all of it, though the end wasn't my favorite and I would have liked a better epilogue I cannot really complain. If you like shoujo or cute romance stories then you will most likely like this manga. If you want action this is not for you it's well written and holds your interest, but not much action. More about the ups and down and misunderstandings in a relationship then anything, which I found quite enjoyable. Well hope you consider trying it if it sounds interesting, I know I'm glad I did.

~dinoman411

Puni Puni Poemy

Series: Puni Puni Poemy
Media Type: Anime
Creator: Watanabe Shin`ichi
Length: 2 Episodes (OVA)
Genre(s): Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Parody, Seinen, Slapstick

Introduction:
Ok let's start this already, one world watched this since its related to Excell Saga. haven't seen Excell Saga see it before this...then maybe just maybe you will be able to get something out of it....maybe, no probably not. Ok don't get me wrong I'm not bashing it, though you need to have an open mind, and been in a unique mood...or on drugs to truly enjoy this anime. Ok so anyway its basically an extreme comedy with unique take on the parody genre. That's right it is very much an extreme parody.

One Sentence Summary:
New idea might keep it as a category from now on might not. Ok anyway as the title says this will be a single sentence that I feel sort of sums up the show. So here we go.
Ok so let's put it this way...picture Excell Saga on crack...lots and lots of crack, and you get Puni Puni Poemy.

Quick Summary:
Ok now for a real sum if that's even possible for this show. Poemi Watanabe is a 10 year old girl aspiring to be a voice actress. Too bad for her she is horrible at school, not to mention her voice acting is beyond bad. So for some reason a mysterious alien comes and kills both her parents, and attacks Tokyo. Obviously a super hero is the next step, don't worry Puni Puni Poemy has all. Enter Puni Puni Poemy a.k.a Poemi Eatanabe transformed all sailor moon like. Oh did I mention her magic wand, yes this wand is no normal wand, it is a talking fish that has been skinned into a wand obviously what else would it be. So yea now we go save the day. besides that I don't remember that much, but there are plenty of crazy characters, and some really strange scenes so prepare for anything, and I mean anything.

Closing Comments:
Ok so that's Puni Puni Poemey, fun but really strange. I wouldn't say its bad, just unique in a unique/odd way. Excell Saga is also very similar to Puni Puni Poemy, but not as extreme, and actually has a plot...sort of.... Not much else to say so I'll shut up.

~dinoman411

Macross (The Original)

Series: The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
Media Type: Anime
Creator: Shōji Kawamori, Noboru Ishiguro (Director)
Length: 36 Epsiodes
Genre(s): Action, Love Polygon, Mecha, Military, Romance, SciFi

Introduction:
MA-CROSS! Ok so Macross going all old school here, if you have never seen Macross see it, it's full of old school anime goodness. Now for those of you in America Robotech is a summary type thing of the Macross series. Like Gundam Macross is one of those shows that we get indirect sequels/prequels of about once a year, with the newest one being Macross Frontier, but we'll discuss that later, this talk is about the original Macross.

Quick Summary:
Ok quick summary, first what is Macros? Simply put a giant alien spaceship that crashed on earth and has been reversed engineered, and repaired. You see currently the world is at war with aliens, and the spaceship Macross is to be the trump card. So here we start at the launch of the Macross, so huge celebration, and of course aliens attack, but the Macross is having some issues flying. So we use the untested space transport device, thus getting away from the aliens, but taking part of the town and surrounding things with it into deep space. Now due to this many innocent people were broguth along, any many were saved including our three main characters Lynn Minmay, Hikaru Ichijyo, and Roy Focker. Roy is already part of the military, Ichijyo is a pilot, though later joins the military, and Minmay is really no one important initially, later though she becomes Miss. Macross. So anyway we save everyone we can and repair the Macross, while building a town inside for everyone to live in. And so we go on a journey back to Earth, which is currently quite far away. Onto our battle with the aliens known as the Zentraedi, who are giants, but otherwise mostly human. Throughout the story we learn that the Zentraedi are a war bases society, who have no culture besides war. So what would happen if we exposed them to "culture" specifically song and music? Watch to find out how the Macross fairs vs. these giants, and too see if the Macross will make it back to earth in one piece...

Closing Comments:
So yea Macross is hard to sum up I've just learned, but those are the basics, there is a lot more too it including romance, betrayal, tragedy, etc... It's one of those that any true anime fan should at least see, since it is such a classic. Macross has become a huge show, with many sequels, some really good, some odd, and some plan strange (Macross 7), all have a similar theme with there own takes and quarks. Eventually I will probably talk about both Macross Frontier and Macross 7, but that's for another time...

~dinoman411

Ranma 1/2

Series: Ramna 1/2
Media Type: Manga
Mangaka: TAKAHASHI Rumiko
Length: 38 Volumes
Genre(s): Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Gender Bender, Harem, Martial Arts, Romance, School Life, Shounen

Introduction:
Brought to you by the same author of Inuyasha...which for me wasn't important at all, but instead more of a bad thing. I didn't really care for Inuyasha, but enough about that. What got me interested in a Gender Blender, and b. dad = panda, I mean that is just awesome! lol So I picked this manga up on a whim again, and because the Walden Books by me was closing so it was 40% off everything. But it was definitely worth the buy. Oh there is an anime, haven't seen it, but I'm assuming it's probably the same as the manga.

Quick Summary:
Ranma 1/2 weird title I know, but it all makes sense, main character is Ranma, and he is 1/2 male and 1/2 female, and no not a transvestite. See Ranma and his father and hardcore martial artists, and while training by some magic hot springs, Ranma fell into the female human spring, and his father into the Panda spring. Thus from now on every time they get wet with cold water they turn into a female for Ranma and a panda for his father, hot water reverses the process. Ok so lets move to the actual story so Ramna's father meant Tendo Akane's father, and set up an arranged marriage between Ranma and Tendo Akane. And so we begin to live together. At heart Ranma is a comedy, with a martial artist theme, with a bit of romance thrown in. Most of it focuses on Ranma having to fight strange characters for one reason or another, sometimes to save/protect Akane. Very few people however knows Ranma's secret, which causes a few misunderstandings including one of the love rivals falling in love with him. Otherwise just a fun comedy with strange characters, and a mix of romance polygons thrown in. There is a semi-conclusion to it, but no real complete conclusion.

Closing Comments:
So Ranma 1/2 is a fun romance/martial artist comedy, that likes to use the same gags many times over. Although this stays amusing for awhile, eventually it does start to get old towards the later volumes. Things also get a bit odd at parts, but overall it's just meant to be a fun comedy with an amusing cast. Overall I would recommended reading it or at least trying it, but buying it would be in the air unless you could find it cheap. It's not one of those that I would want to read the whole thing over again, but some parts I would like to read again type thing. Well enough about Ranma try it and see what you think.

~dinoman411

Hana Kimi

Series: Hana Kimi
Media Type: Manga
Mangaka: NAKAJO Hisaya
Length: 23 Volumes
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Gender Bender, Romance, School Life, Shoujo

Introduction:
Hana Kimi what to say. A cast of various different character types all with there own quarks. For the most part Hana Kimi is a romance, though there is a bit of a reverse harem eventually. Simply put guys questioning there sexual orientation, is just fun :p lol Oh and I read this a good while ago, so I don't recall everything, but I know it was fun, and I enjoyed reading it.

Quick Summary:
How far would you go to meet and be with the guy you admire? Would you transfer to an all boys school, and pretend to be a guy? Well that is just what Mizuki Ashiya did. She did just that, applied and entered into the all boy's school (dressed as a boy) that her idol goes too. Meet Izumi Sano her idol, he was once a great high jumper, but quit for unknown reasons. From here begins the fun, and much to her surprise she ends up as his roommate, and unknown to her he finds out her secret. Through most of the story we see both characters in love with one another, but she wouldn't confess since she's currently a guy, and he doesn't confess since he doesn't want to trouble her since he knows her secret. Throughout the story a bit of a reverse harem forms, but with guys liking the main girl who is a guy, thus they begin questioning their sexual orientation. Everything else is pretty much your typical school romance, but all of the characters are fun, and most of them develop well throughout the story. A few chapters before the ending I found to be a bit of an unexpected event, but it all turned out just fine in the end. Oh yea forgot to mention the school doctor, pure awesomeness.

Closing Comments:
Well Hana Kimi is a fun manga, with a very amusing cast. The slight differences compared to most other high school romances really help it make an identity of it's own. Again this is only a manga, there is no anime, I actually bought this one just by chance, it was cheap on ebay so I bought it, and I'm glade I did. By no means is it my favorite high school romance, but it is worth a read.

~dinoman411

Ai Yori Aoshi

Series: Ai Yori Aoshi
Media Type: Anime & Manga
Mangaka: FUMIZUKI Kou
Length: 24 Episodes(Season 1) & 12 Episodes(Season 2); 17 Volumes
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Ecchi, Harem, Romance, Seinen, Slice of Life

Introduction:
Again Ai Yori Aoshi is one of those shows I watched a good while ago, and again I started with the anime, and then went onto the manga. Now although the 1st season of the anime follows the manga closely, the second season does not follow the manga much at all. Also as usually the manga goes beyond the anime. The first season of the anime I thought was really well done, but the 2nd season was a let down.

Quick Summary:
Ok so we start out with our main character Hanabishi Kaoru who is currently a Jr. in college. One day he meets a girl who is looking for an address and being the nice guy he is he helps her, however they end up going to his house since they were unable to find it. After talking for a bit Karou realizes that she is Sakuraba Aoi, his childhood friend, and also who he was engaged to marry since he was young. She realizes she wrote the address wrong eventually, and when she realizes that he is Karou, she is ecstatic, since it was him she was looking for. See Karou was once part of a rich family and he was engaged to Aoi since he was young however due to certain incidents, Karou ran away from home, and cut all ties with his family. However Aoi really loved him, so she was devastated by this, and eventually went out to find him, which is where our story begins. They then start living together, and rediscover there pasts, and fall in love all over again. Unfortunately for Aoi Karou is quite popular, and eventually a whole cast of other females begin to flock to also live with Karou, just like your typical harem. From here until about 3/4 through we mainly follow a typical harem type plot, but towards the end the story shifts to a climax, that will allow Karou to finally settle things with his family, but will he get to stay with Aoi after this? Only by reading the manga will you find out.

Closing Comments:
Again most of it, especially in the anime, is a typical harem plot, with many girls and one guy. However the guy already knows which he wants, and does not truly love any of the others in a "love" type way. Throughout the story the past has a habit of showing up, which only thickens the plot, and makes it even more interesting. Again I would suggest watching the anime first then the manga, since the manga has more detail then the anime, and if you read it then watch it you will probably get board with the anime. Again a mostly heart filled tail of a girl and a guy, with many other distractions keeping them apart.

~dinoman411

His and Her Circumstances (Kare Kano)

Series: His and Her Circumstances (Kare Kano)
Media Type: Anime & Manga
Mangaka: TSUDA Masami
Length: 26 Episodes; 21 Volumes
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Psychological, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life

Introduction:
Not much to say about this, was also one of the first anime series and mangas I bought. First I watched the anime, then I read the manga. If you want to do both I would suggest this order also, since the anime will be better if you watch it before you read the manga since the manga is definitely more detailed and better, and the anime ends before the actual ending. Again I watched/read this series a good few years ago, so my summary may not be 100% accurate, but it should be close.

Quick Summary:
Like many of my talks, this series is mainly a school life romance, though technically it goes beyond school life. However it is more of a serious type of romance then a goofy/funny romance for the most part. Ok so Kare Kano starts out with our main character Miyazawa Yukino who is a perfect student, always rated number 1 and an overall nice, beautiful, just perfect student. However this is at school only, at home her personality shifts 360 degrees and she is basically a rotten, spoiled kid, who doesn't care about her looks or anything which is a secret from everyone except her family. One day Arima Soujiro who is just as perfect as she is in school, and end sup becoming her arch rival. However one day Arima visits her house (don't recall why I think to return something she left at school), and she was expecting one of her family members, thus when the doorbell rang and she answered. Realizing that she made a mistake, and now that her secret is out she begins panicking. However when she goes to school the next day everything is normal, however will it stay that way, or will there be an unexpected development? Read or watch the show to find out, I can almost guarantee you wouldn't be disappointed.

Closing Comments:
Great characters, relatively deep story, always interesting, what's not to love. Kare Kano is a very fun anime and manga, basically all the characters are lovable and the story is mostly just a warm romantic story from early on to finish. Of course all your standard trials exist old girl friends, etc... but they are all handled well and everything feels relatively realistic. Overall I enjoyed both the anime and manga a lot, and I would suggest you should at least try it out if it interests you at all.

~dinoman411

Gundam X

Series: Gundam X (After War Gundam X)
Media Type: Anime
Creators: Tomino Yoshiyuki, Yatate Hajime, e.g.
Length: 39 Episodes
Genre(s): Adventure, Drama, Mecha, Romance, Sci-Fi

Introduction:
Ok again this is actually probably the first anime I ever watched knowing it was an anime. Borrowed it from a friend watched it, loved it and later imported it. Gundam X is not licensed in teh US, and probably never will be it didn't do so well, and was even cut short at 39 episodes though it still concludes nicely. Personally this is one of my favorite Gundam series, but that could be because of it's significance in my current anime/manga hobby. Although this is Gundam it is different from most of the other series, here there is a heavy concentration on the love story in it, and it takes place after the huge war not before/during it.

Quick Summary:
So we start out on Earth, but a mostly destroyed barren Earth due to the outcome of the 7th Space War. Basically Earth vs. Space, Earth used mobile suits and Gundams to fight, while the colonies used a trump card, and dropped some of the colonies, thus causing a 7 year nuclear winter. It is now 15 years later after these events and we pick up with out main character Garrod Ran. The world is currently full of these groups called Vultures, basically scavengers. One of these vulture groups (Freeden) is lead by Jamil Neat, who is and old war veteran, who fears that the powers will repeat the same mistake from the previous war. Except this time the powers are planning to used enhanced humans, a.k.a Newtypes to dominate the world. In steps Garrod Ran who is I recall initially breaks into the Freeden to steal things from them, this is where he meets Tiffa Adil, who he immediately falls in love with, and also kidnaps her, while making there escape they are spotted by a member of the Freeden, so they hide out in some old ruins, where we stumble upon a Gundam X from the old war. Stuff happens, and eventually we sort of join the Freeden in order to protect Tiffa from harm. Eventually he is not fighting to protect Tiffa as much as him and Tiffa are fighting to save the world from destroying itself again. (Some details in this summary might be semi-wrong, haven't watched this show in 5 years or so, but I think I'm right with most of it)

Closing Comments:
Ok so basically your classic save the world from destruction Gundam, with a slightly stronger focus on love then in many of the other Gundam series. It has its comical moments, but overall Gundam X is a rather serious show. Later in the series there are many twists, and at the end a wtf!? moment, but every show needs one of those somewhere :p Anyway this is not one of the more popular Gundam series so it might be hard to find, but I'm sure you can find it online somewhere if you really want to see it though you should buy to support the creators.

~dinoman411

Ultimate Girls

Series: Ultimate Girls
Media Type: Anime
Mangaka: HAMAMOTO Ryusuke
Length: 12 Episodes
Genre(s): Action, Comedy, Ecchi, School Life, Sci-fi, Seinen

Introduction:
First of this show is based off a manga series with the same title, but again I have never read it, and also I do not plan on ever reading it. Secondly I never actually finished watching it all, only watched about half, and I don't know how much I actually remember specifically so this might be a very broad summary. Picture your standard moe super hero girl, except giant, and without a strong personality, and there is ultimate girls sort of.

Quick Summary:
So if i recall right Ultimate Girls begins with a monster attacking the city (normal occurrence in this city), the 3 main females decide to get closer view to watch teh fight between the monster and UFO man (the initial super hero), however due to a bad choice in locations they end up getting crushed by UFO man. As any truly great super hero would do he revives them by giving them his powers, however they must now be the protectors of the city in place of him. From this point on the Ultimate Girls team was born, when a monster would show up they would use there powers (thus becoming giants) to fight off the monsters. However like most animes there is a catch, they can only be in this form for a limited amount of time, and as there time decreases so do there clothing. That's right when they're in giant form their clothing slowly disintegrates, and of course like most anime girls this leads to embarrassment. Up until I stopped watching it was basically the same thing grow big fight monster, while clothes were disintegrating, maybe later a plot show sup, but I I don't think anything worth wild.

Closing Comments:
Odd show, as one can see it was made for the fan service and not much else. At first it may seem different, but with nothing really changing ever it gets boarding fast. Overall I wouldn't suggest this show, but if you want to give it a try go for it, but don't expect too much. As I said one of the few shows I actually never finished watching, and I feel it was a waste of my time to even watch what I did, but oh well what's done is done.
There is the first of a view small number of (-) reviews. Hope you enjoyed it.

~dinoman411

Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO)

Series: Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO)
Media Type: Anime & Manga
Mangaka: FUJISAWA Tohru
Length: 25 Volumes; 43 Episodes
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, School Life, Shounen

Introduction:
I don't really remember why I started reading GTO honestly, I think I got it on a whim, and I am glad I did. GTO is probably one of my favorite manga series I have ever read. Now although I am discussing the anime here I will mention I have not actually watched it all yet, currently I am about 1/4 through. There is also a prequel to GTO called GTO: The Younger Days, it was licensed in the US, but has been dropped with 5 big volumes left to come out, haven't read it considering getting it, but I hate getting things that may never be completed. There is also a sequel, again haven't read it want to, and will eventually, though as of now this one is not licensed. Moving onto the summary...

Quick Summary:
GTO also known as Great Teacher Onizuka is obviously about a teacher, and quite a great teacher too. This is a story about Eikichi Onizuka (22yrs old),achieving his odd goal of becoming a teacher. Why is it odd you ask, well Onizuka is an ex-biker/gang member, who was actually the leader of the most feared gang in the city. Oh, and why does he want to be a teacher, you guessed it, to pick up his students, preferably high school girls. So we start out with this goal and enter into the prelude to everything where we enter as a teacher assistant for a week, sort of like a trial period. Onizuka of course gets stuck with the bad class full of gang members and what not, but he resists fighting back and acts professional, until the two leader type kids in the room pull the wrong strings, and then one night they meet Onizuka, who teaches them a bit about respecting their elders. After this incident the class turns angelic, and the rest of the time goes smoothly. So we passed the teacher entrance practice type thing, now we go out to find a real job, but release we do not have a degree so we can only work in private schools. So we apply and eventually get into one, and we get stuck with the class from hell, but unlike his first class this is a psychological hell. Most of his students are quite smart, and hate teachers, making many of the previous teachers leave, and this is where our story begins. Will Onizuka be able to tame the class or will he snap before it's all done, and more importantly will he ever get high High School Girl? Read to find out...

Closing Comments:
Simply put GTO is awesome. It has very few boring parts, and at many points it's hard to predict what will happen next. Like usual the manga has more detail, and is overall better then the anime, but the anime is quiet fun too. Towards the end the vice principle started to get on my nerves, but it wasn't all that bad, he just annoyed me. I would suggest this to anyone would likes the comedy, school life genre even if this is different then the usual. It really is refreshing, and different, which makes it more interesting, also it is very well written and witty at parts. Ok I'll shut up now, you probably already know if you like it or not, so just go buy it you know you want to.

~dinoman411

Toradora!

Ok well I took out the description section since I cover that in the quick summary and introduction section anyway so no point in keeping it.

Series: Toradora!
Media Type: Anime
Mangaka: TAKEMIYA Yuyuko(Author), Yasu(Artist) <-Novel Length: 25 Episodes
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Shounen

Introduction:
Ok, the Toradora anime is based on a Light Novel series. Again haven't read it, though would love to. Why can't US companies license more light novels, anyway with that quick rant aside, Toradora also has a manga based off the Light Novel, also haven't read that.

Quick Summary:
Toradora is basically a high school romance show. Though unlike the typical setup the main male and main female lead are going after each others best friends. Throughout the series you see the relationships progress of all the main character, and as usual more characters enter later on. Later on you get a slightly deeper look at the characters, then you typically get, including a look into their psyche. Oh yes forgot to mention the main male lead, Ryuuji, lives with his air head, super hot mother, and his pet parrot. The pet parrot named Inko is so unique, picture a ugly bird on drugs and you'll get the idea. The main female, Taiga, lives alone, though she does have a mother, but you do not meet her till much later in the series. And shockingly Taiga and Ryuuji live right next to each other, and as the story progressed we see Ryuuji start to take care of Taiga, since he has a house wife type personality. Ok this is getting long and, I can't say too much more besides that without spoiling some things, so you'll have to watch it to learn more.

Closing Comments:
Ok another romance story, again I enjoyed this story very much. This romance unlike some others does reward the viewers with quite a few cute scenes, and actual romance progression. This show however does end once the main couple starts dating, but chances are the Novel and manga go further. Overall this is a cute story, with many likable characters, though none of them are really that unique when compared to other characters in the same genre, but what character is unique anymore.

~dinoman411

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu

Series: Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
Media Type: Anime (Based on a Light Novel, but that is not covered here)
Mangaka: IGARASHI Yusaku(Author), Shaa(Artist)
Length: 12 Episodes(Season 1) & 12 Episodes(Season 2)
Genre(s): Comedy, Daily Life, Romance

Introduction:
First off this talk will mostly be about the first season, a. it was better, and b. second is a direct sequel to first season, and also takes a more harem direction. Ok secondly I did enjoy both seasons, though the 1st season was definitely better. Last quick thing yes only the anime will be covered in this talk, there is however also a novel and a manga. The original work is the light novel. I will only be covering the anime since I have not read the manga or light novels (would love to read the novels), supposedly the light novels are much better then the anime, but again I have no idea if that's true.

Description:
Ok this is mostly your typical boy and girl (of course the hottest girl in the school) fall in love story, but are both new to romance. There is however 2 twists, though I will only mention the one, other one is a bit of a spoiler. The first twist is that the girl Haruka Nogizaka loves anime/manga, but this is a secret from everyone. The show progresses a romantic path, though later it does enter borderline harem territory (esp. in the 2nd season). There is a good bit of fan service in this (including panty shots), but there is no nudity in it. Ok onto the summary now...

Quick Summary:
Ok we start out with Yuuto, who is pretty much your typical guy, he however found out that Haruka loves anime/manga, which was secret from everyone. However instead of making fun of her like the people in the past he does not make fun over her, and even promises to keep her secret. Obviously this is what initially gets them together, they then slowly become friends, and eventually fall in love with each other. From here you basically follow them and watch there relationship progress...slowly.... Like a few other series the relationship starts to progress very very slow after a certain point, though with the pace of the show it works. Of course like most shows there are also a few other girls who have there eye on Yuuto, and also Haruka has a little sister who is kind of like the match maker, and is always trying to get there relationship to progress throughout the show.

Closing Comments:
Overall I enjoyed this show, especially the 1st season. But this type of show is not for everyone it can be quite ecchi at times, and overall the relationship progression is slow. Also not a very rewarding show, in some ways the pace reminds me of Pastel, though we get more almost scenes then Pastel. Anyway I would recommend it, but I would also warn not to expect too much. If you could I would try the novels, supposedly there better, but there not licensed in the US, and I don't remember if there are any translations online.

~dinoman411

Love Hina

First quick I'm going to try to make these posts shorter again, but I make no promises...

Series: Love Hina
Media Type: Anime & Manga
Mangaka: AKAMATSU Ken
Length: 14 Volumes; 24 Episodes, 3 OVA, 2 Movies/Specials
Genre(s): Comedy, Harem, Shounen

Spoiler Amount: Minimal

Quick Intro:
Ok first off this was the first manga series I ever read, and also the first series I ever bought, so I am probably a little bias. Well simply put Love Hina and Gundam X (Will talk about eventually), are the first animes I really watched and also the animes that got me into anime, so of course I had to check out the Love Hina manga. Like the anime Love Hina follows the same story, though has a few additional characters and alterations, but the manga goes beyond where all of the Love Hina animes end. Otherwise there close enough to the same to discuss in one post.

Description:
Ok Love Hina is basically about a guy who is trying to get into Tokyo U named Keitarou. Currently he has failed the entrance exam a few times, and ends up going to see his grandmother (reason varies from anime to manga). Love Hina is a harem with Keitarou obviously in the middle, along with quite a few girls all with distinct personalities who slowly fall for him. Keitarou is your typical harem main character he's a great guy, but clumsy and misunderstood, which causes a lot of misunderstandings.

Quick Summary:
Keitarou is a ronin at the start of the show, he has failed the Tokyo U entrence exams a few times, but continues to try to get in. Why you might ask, well to fullfil a promise with his childhood romance obviously. Though he doesn't remember much of anything about this promise besides the actual promise and it was with a girl. After failing again Keitarou (the male lead), goes to visit his grandmother who runs a girls dormitory. Due to certain circumstances he ends up becoming the temporary manager of the dormitory, much to most of the girls disapproval. Oh yes not to mention this is a hot springs girl dormitory. Here we meet most of the main cast within the first 5 episodes, though later a few more enter the scene. Of the girls that live in the dorm the most important is Naru, she is also trying to get into Tokyo U, though she is trying to get in for a somewhat difference reason. From here we have a lot of misunderstandings, and every major character gets a back story eventually. From here romance blooms, but though most of the show most of the girl do not admit they like him, though he only really likes the one girl. Without giving too much away there is a summary.

Closing Comments:
As I mentioned Love Hina is one of my favorite mangas and animes. Just so you know this isn't one of those we accomplish our goal and it ends, this story actually mostly concludes with a wedding at the end. If you enjoyed Love Hina I would also suggest A.I. Love You, which is also written by Ken, same sort of plot, but with a technological twist in it. Well I have talked enough here I'll shut up. Oh yea on a final note the manga still has about 2-3 more volumes after the anime ends. I would also suggest the manga over the anime, but they are both unique in there own ways.
Oh yes, if you have any suggestions any anything in these posts, such as format, or what not let me know in the comments, I am still trying to figure out how I want the posts set up.

~dinoman411

Yureka (ID Entity)

First quick I'll mention I have only read to up to volume 22 or so right now (what is scanlated). This is licensed in the US by TokyoPop, but is under a different name. Also only up to volume 12 is out and no idea what is happening to volume 13+.

Series: Yureka (USA: ID Entity)
Media Type: Manga
Mangaka: SON Hee-Joon(Author), KIM Youn Kyung(Artist)
Length: 33+ Volumes
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Shounen, Supernatural

Spoiler Amount: Minimal

Quick Intro:
I started reading this manga (and finished caching up on the scanlations) this week. At first by reading the description someone might think this is a .hack clone, now I have only seen .hack//Legends, from what I know it is not all that similar, especially later on.

Description:
Ok basically this manga follows the main character Lotto, and his adventures in Lost Saga. Lost Saga is basically like .hack a huge MMORPG that is virtual reality, however Lost Saga was programmed almost completely by one genius programmer who died, and thus there are many hidden secrets to this world. Lotto travels with two others, and later a 3rd in his party through most of the beginning. As you find out early on they are all very powerful players, who have made many enemies while playing Lost Saga. Eventually Lotto gets another players ID card in the real world, and uses it to see who the player is. Discovering that this character called Yureka is very unique, in a few ways. He shortly logs off her and continues back on his own avatar only to discover that she is in the game and begins to follow him around. From here it is onto solving the mysteries of what is Yureka. This only summarizes up to volume 10 or so, after 10 the manga moves onto an epic tournament and event arc that changes all that is Lost Saga. From here (around volume 16) it just gets a bit odd.

Summary:
Ok quick summary, and my opinions. Up to the Demon King arc the manga is interesting and doesn't take things too seriously. It is more of a mystery of what is Yureka, other then that its just your typical beginning to a game manga. The one unique thing is the main character Lotto is a cocky semi-evil character, unlike your usual innocent or helpful character. The Demon King arc is interesting and mainly focuses on a mix of combat and some mysterious of Lost Saga. At the end of this arc there is a huge twist that isn't all that predictable really. I thought this twist was really well done, but I also didn't see it coming too much. Ok after the Demon King arc things just get strange. Our party changes and a lot of the time Lotto is playing using Yureka's body. Below talks about after the Demon King Arc however there are many spoilers (its hard ot sum up with out them), so read at your own risk.

---Many Volume 16+ Spoilers Start--- Highlight to read

Basically Yureka not being a real person died and lotto is on a quest to get her back, sounds normal so far ok. Suddenly while playing in Yureka's body we run into someone who has a body similar to Yureka and we find out that Killers and Hunters as she calls them play this game. A Killer is basically a PK-er who is hired to kill someone, however they are not just killing them in the game world, but in some cases actually causing enough shock to kill them in the real world. Ok so we get a quest to protect some kid (that we hate and who is a total ass) from a Killer. if we do this we will learn info on how to get Yureka back. Ok lot of things happen and now Lotto is back using his avatar and real (not game) Yureka shows up and snaps due to a mix of jealously and psyco-ness goes on a killing spree (kill as in kill both game and real world) And that is basically where we are, as I said it gets strange

---Many Volume 16+ Spoilers End---

Closing Comments:
Overall I enjoyed this manga I found it interesting and cannot wait to read more. However it is not for everyone it takes some strange twists especially later on, but if you look at it from a programming perspective like I did at parts it really is so cool/genius. Ok that is it cya.

~dinoman411

Pearl Pink

Ok time for our first anime/manga talk. In every one of these I am going to try to standardize the format somewhat, though things may get added later.

Series: Pearl Pink
Media Type: Manga
Mangaka: TANAKA Meca
Length: 4 Volumes
Genre(s): Comedy, Romance, School Life, Shoujo

Spoiler Amount: Excessive Spoilers

Ok first a short intro. So I started reading Faster than a Kiss, (not license, and will be discussed at a later time), but that aside, anyway I liked it a lot so I looked up what else the mangaka did, and Pearl Pink was there. Read the description and a few chaps online to make sure it was worth the buy. Decided it was, so I bought it.

They arrived this weekend, and I read it since I was home and it was only 4 volumes. The first volume simply starts out with your classic girl that the main guy meant when he was little and made a promise to marry suddenly shows up after x number of year (in this case 10 years I believe). Like usually girl remembers guy doesn't really remember it. From here it goes the classic girl trying to get guy to fall for her, and ends up falling for him harder, and he started to fall for her. Classic pattern, unlike most manga like this there is no other person in the romance, no love triangles here. Ok so this continues till volume 3, where suddenly the manga takes a unique turn.

Volume 3 and 4 moved away from the romance and went more onto the girl becoming successful as an actress, with the romance that was built up put into the backseat. Volume 3 and 4 did not really focus on romance much if any, but other problems and as I said mainly the actress thing, that's not to say there were no romance scenes, but it wasn't prevalent. At the end there was a nice paragraph epilogue, but there was no mention on how there relationship was doing, more a epilogue about their careers sort of.

All in all the first 2 volumes I absolutely loved, but the 3rd and 4th I felt that they moved away from what the manga was all about originally and went into a completely different direction, not necessarily bad, just not what I wanted.

Ok that is it for this discussion come back next time, not sure what I will be talking about then, maybe some One Piece or Bleach. Anyway sorry or the tons of spoilers normally there will not be as many, but just read this.

~dinoman411

New Blog Again

Ok this time I'm going to try to do this right. I originally had this as an anime/manga info./review blog, but I don't have enough time to write good reviews at this point in my life (Senior in College). So instead of that I am just going to discuss anime/manga series in general, and also other various anime/manga related things. If you want a post a about a certain series contact me either by email, PM, or in comment, and if I've seen it I will do a post about it at some point. Ok that is all I am going to say for this I might get my first real post up later tonight, who knows.

~dinoman411