I don’t know how many times, since way back when I first heard the OST for the “Honey and Clover” movie, I’ve tried to find out who James Wendt was, and really got nothing beyond his involvement in that project. I absolutely loved his voice and wanted to see if there was anything more out there by him. With the release of the “Darker than Black” OST I got a few extra songs, thanks to the fact that when Yoko Kanno finds an artist she likes to work with, she will use them more than once; Maaya Sakamoto and her have been involved in lord knows how many projects together.

Then after what has probably been months of having given up, I’m sitting in work listening to the “Honey and Clover” movie soundtrack, and when ‘Scooters’, one of four songs he sung for the movie, came on, I decided to click on the Last.FM icon in my taskbar tray and see if anything had been updated there…

“Lead singer of the Swedish rock band Staireo…”

This band was formed back in 1999 and are pretty well known. Why hadn’t this come up on any of my searches? And I don’t restrict searches to certain languages as that would obviously knock out Japanese pages, so I’m surprised I didn’t run into some Swedish sites. At least then I would have been a step further, maybe figuring out he was Swedish and not American as I had assumed.

Ah, well, all is good, as I finally know this guy really exists (I was wondering if it could be some alias or something) and I now have a new band to listen to. I especially want to pick up the Japanese release of their (I think) second album, ‘Multi de la Tjossa’, as the bonus tracks are covers of the two songs James Wendt sung for “Darker than Black”, ‘Deadly Work’ and ‘Blend In’, both of which I adore the original versions of.

Another interesting fact: Staireo tracks have been used as themes for the Japanese broadcast of C.S.I.

Visit Staireo’s official website

Visit Staireo’s official Japanese website

Visit Staireo’s MySpace

The start of this new season has gotten me deliberating over this point, especially after seeing the first episode of Special A.

There have been may shows that right from the first episode, I’ve know they were going to be classics. Series like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Honey & Clover, His and Her Circumstances, Ouran High School Host Club… Special A is pretty much like a combination of the last two of these, and it’s more than just your average high school show; the production values are probably about the same, it has a great vocal cast, they all fall into the same genre, and the story lines are similar. But after the first episode, although I know I will most likely watch the whole series and enjoy it immensely, I don’t have that overwhelming sense of adoration and obsession that I got after just seeing the first 20 minutes of those other shows. What makes Ouran High so much better than the vast majority of shoujo series out there?

Another example of this is Cowboy Bebop and Darker than Black. I adore Darker than Black. It was certainly my number one series from the last spring season. But even though, in terms of those involved behind-the-scenes, it’s almost a baby sibling to Cowboy Bebop, we know it’s never going to go down in the same league. And this isn’t just down to the place Cowboy Bebop reserves in the minds of so many anime fans around my age group (i.e. nostalgia); there is just something special about the series that even those who have come to anime long after Cowboy Bebop’s day get that same sense. It an unreserved classic.

In retrospect, we know how successful these shows went on to become. But I think most people watching them before they were sworn into the league of classics had at least the sense that if things continued the way they started, this would happen to them. It’s something that hits us very unexpectedly, and can be a bit of a shock when such a series unexpectedly pops up amongst the list of shows we choose to watch each season.

I don’t know if any of the shows I haven’t had the chance to watch yet will hit this mark. In fact it’s been a very long time since any show did (ah, the fond memories I have of the season where we had both Honey & Clover and Ouran High) and it’s a feeling I’ve been missing.

Lately I’ve been assuaging my downloader’s guilt by importing the album releases by some of my favourite Japanese singers and bands. Over the past few months I’ve been focusing my efforts on the back catalogues of Olivia (of the Lufkin variety), the brilliant green and Shakalabbits, but now that I’m starting to make head way with those three, I’ve been looking for the next thing to move onto.

One of the first artists I would like to branch out onto is Rie Fu.

When I first heard ‘Life is a Boat’ as an ED to ‘Bleach’, I wasn’t instantly captured by it. In fact it wasn’t until quite a bit of time later, when trying out the ‘Rose’ album thanks to several friends raving about it, that I actually warmed to her vocals. I don’t for the life of me know why I didn’t like her singing voice at first, but after a play through or two of this album, it clicked and I’ve listen to this album and her other work numerous times over the past year.

Now Rie Fu’s presence hasn’t just risen in my mind. In her current adopted country, the UK, after playing gigs throughout London while studying for her degree in the city, she has been picked up by a British label, and last week her first European album, ‘Who is Rie Fu?’ has been released. As this is her first album aimed at a European market, and to those who have seen her live performances in London and not just fans of JPop, it doesn’t contain original material; it is a mixture of tracks from her three Japanese albums. ‘Both Sides, Now’, a cover of the Joni Mitchell song, is the only track, as far as I’m aware, hasn’t been released before, at least not on an album. But regardless of this, the fact that a Japanese artist has been able to secure a contract outside of the US is an important step in bringing Japanese artists to greater notice outside their homeland. And as Rie Fu is fluent in English (and not Engrish) thanks to her three years growing up in Maryland and the last number of years living in the UK, and has Western artists such as ‘The Carpenters’ as her primary influences, she is one of the Japanese artists likely to have the best chance of success.

But this does leave me in a bit of a conundrum; should I, as I have been doing with other Japanese artists, import her three albums or, to support her attempts to establish herself in the UK market, buy this new release in the hopes of more Japanese artists getting the same shot? Thankfully a lot of the tracks (13 in total, a strong number for an album these days) are my favourites, and the CD is a reasonable amount cheaper than importing one of the Japanese ones. And, once I have a little more spare cash, I guess I can always just go the whole hog and import the other three (or more) in the future.

Track List

1. London
2. Beautiful Words
3. decay (English Version)
4. Life Is Like A Boat
5. Shine
6. I Wanna Go To A Place
7. Negai Goto
8. 5000 miles – Album Version
9. Tiny Tiny Melody
10. ROSE
11. Realize
12. Sunshine Of My Day (Live Version)
13. Both Sides, Now

It’s upon us again. Over the next month or so, favourites from the current season are due to end with new series taking their places. And I, for one, am happy that there is more than one show to tune into. Yes, there is still a slew of the same moe we’ve been getting consistently over the past while, such as ‘Kanokon’ and ‘Koharu Biyori’, but there is more than a little for everyone else as well.

The outlook has certainly cheered me up; apart from ongoing series like ‘Bleach’ and ‘D. Gray-man’, I’ve gone a fair few seasons watching only one, perhaps two, new series, and my current choice, ‘Zuko Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei’ is about to finish airing (hopefully the fansubbers will polish off the last half season before long).

For a complete list of what is showing in the Spring 2008, check out the fansub wiki; I’ll only be going through the shows I’m planning to check out.

Title: Chi’s Sweet Home
Animation Studio: Madhouse Studios
Genre: Seinen
Director: Mitsuyuki Masuhara
Starts: 2008-03-31

Official Website: Chi’s Sweet Home @ TV Tokyo
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
A grey and white kitten with black stripes wanders away from her mother and siblings one day while enjoying a walk outside with her family. Lost in her surroundings, the kitten struggles to find her family and instead is found by a young boy, Yohei, and his mother. They take the kitten home, but pets are not allowed in their housing complex, they try to find a new home for the kitten. This proves to be difficult, and the family eventually decides to keep the kitten, naming her “Chi”. (Source Wikipedia)

Thoughts:
I am a complete cat fanatic; I have two of my own and am always fighting the urge to add to the brood. So it’s easy to say that just from seeing a picture of little Chi, I want to see this series, even though the chances of it being subbed look slim. However, that may not be too much of an issue as each episode seems to be five minutes long and, if the manga is anything to go by, there won’t be much dialogue.

It did surprise me not only to see that the title is considered seinen, published in Morning, but that director Masuhara has also worked as an episode director on series such as ‘Chobits’, ‘BECK’, ‘Death Note’ and ‘Paradise Kiss’. A strange combination indeed, and with the fact Madhouse is behind the animation, there is little that will keep from checking this series out.

Title: Petit Eva ~Evangelion@School~
Animation Studio: Gainax
Number of Episodes: 3 (OAV)
Genre: Spoof, Mecha?, Shounen?
Director: Shunichi Miki
Seiyuu: Fingers crossed for the original cast

Official Website: Petit Eva
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
A series of three video shorts, based around Evangelion characters as students and teachers at Tokyo-3 NERV School, headed by Principal Gendo- Ikari and Misato-sensei. The student body includes three different Rei “sisters,” the EVA-01 mobile weapon reimagined as the school bully Evancho-, and the ill-fated Jet Alone robot as JA-ko, a “hidden character” in the form of a shy android girl.

The episode “Taizo-” (”Exercises”) short will feature super-deformed, computer-rendered Evangelion characters as they perform a rhythmic dance. “Hiru Yasumi” (”Noon Recess”) and “So-ji” (”Cleaning”) will be nonsensical gag pieces about daily life at Nerv School.

Thoughts:
This certainly sounds a little weird, and is no doubt another effort by Gainax to tap into the cash cow Eva has been for the past 13 years. But that doesn’t mean that it won’t be entertaining. And with plans to distribute the shorts on the Internet (as well as showing them at certain events), I’m sure even some cynical fans will give them a go.

Title: Junjou Romantica
Animation Studio: Studio DEEN
Number of Episodes: 24
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Shounen-ai
Opening Theme: ‘Kimi = Hana’ by pigstar
Ending Theme: ‘Baby Romantica’ by SCRIPT
Director: Chiaki Kon
Seiyuu: Daisuke Kishio, Hikaru Hanada, Kazuhiko Inoue, Kentarou Itou, Nobutoshi Canna, Takahiro Sakurai
Starts: 2008-04-10

Official Website: Suzukisan
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
Misaki is suddenly having some unexpected and odd problems. What started as a need for some college entrance exam tutoring has somehow led him to being romanced by a suave older man who also happens to be his big brother’s best friend. Confused by all of his brand new emotions, Misaki struggles to deal with his suddenly very odd life. And if that wasn’t enough, his suitor, Usami, has plenty of issues of his own. A man-child who decorates his room in giant teddy bears and toys, Usami is a famous novelist who also writes steamy boys’ love novels on the side. When Misaki cracks open one of these books and reads sentences like “Misaki licks every inch of Usami’s hot body”…well, let’s just say that all hell breaks loose.

And if one couple isn’t enough for you, Junjo Romantica focuses on three different sets of lovers, each with their own compelling stories. (Source ANN)

Thoughts:
I can sometimes be a little bit of a yaoi fangirl, but at the same time I’m quite discerning when it comes to what anime and manga I pick up. I react to a shounen-ai title the same way I do with a title from any other genre; if it’s poor or doesn’t keep my interest up, I cast it aside.

I’ve been aware of ‘Junjou Romantica’ for quite a while now and it does have an art style that entices me, as well as a storyline that could provide a good bit of fun, but I haven’t read enough of the manga to put this series on the definite list. Production by Studio DEEN does however shift my interest up a gear as they have produced some amazing work in the past, though I can’t say much about the director as the only series I have seen in which he has had involvement is Super GALS.

I will probably sit down and read a little of the manga before the series starts to see if it is just another shounen-ai series or if there is enough to push it above the average of the genre.

Title: Allison and Lillia
Animation Studio: Madhouse Studios
Genre: Adventure
Number of Episodes: 26
Opening Theme: ‘Tameiki no Hashi’ by Kuricorder Quartet and Shione Yukawa
Director: Masayoshi Nishida
Seiyuu: Nana Mizuki, Kouichi Yamadera, Mamiko Noto, Motoko Kumai
Starts: 2008-04-03

Official Website: http://allison-web.net/index2.html
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
Taking place in a time roughly equivalent to the 1930s in our world, this world is divided into two cultures, at war for hundreds of years, by a towering mountain range and huge river. The first half of the series, based on the light novels ‘Allison’, is about Allison and her friend, Will, searching for a “treasure” to end the war. The second half will be based upon the follow-up novels, ‘Lillia and Treize’, set after the end of the war.

Thoughts:
Now this is an interesting concept. Not only is the series based upon novels written by Keiichi Sigsawa, the man behind ‘Kino’s Journey’ / ‘Kino no Tabi’, but the bringing together of two related novel series as two halves of one anime is an intriguing idea. Add to those points a strong cast of voice actors (such as Kouichi ‘Spike Spiegel’ Yamadera), a strong sense of visual flare and production by Madhouse, it does seem like a winner of the season. It will certainly be worth a good look.

Title: xxxHOLiC - Kei
Animation Studio: Production I.G.
Genre: Seinen, Supernatural
Number of Episodes: 26
Opening Theme: ‘Nobody Knows’ by Shikao Suga
Ending Theme: Honey Honey’ by SEAMO feat. AYUSE KOZUE
Director: Tsutomu Mizushima
Seiyuu: Jun Fukuyama, Sayaka Ohara, Kazuya Nakai, Mika Kikuchi, Shizuka Itou
Starts: 2008-04-03

Official Website: HOLiC @ TBS
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
Kimihiro Watanuki is a young boy with a cursed gift. He has the ability to see evil spirits, and somehow they seem attracted to himself. One day he meets a misterious woman who names herself Yuuko. She claims to have the means to end his torment, but she never works for free, and she wouldn’t help him until he works for her enough to pay for her services. Thus he starts to work in her shop and discovers that in that place, nothing is what it seems.

Thoughts:
Now we come to one of the definites for me. xxxHOLiC is not just one of my favourite current manga series, but I was blown away by the first season, epecially after the disappointment of Tsubasa Chronicle. With it ending half-way through the manga, a second season seemed a sure thing, but as there are more than a few series out there breaking off at that mid-point of the anime and never being renewed (even with gems such as ‘Fruits Basket’ and ‘His and Her Circumstances’), the official announcement settled my fears. And as the latter volumes of the manga start to pull together the overarching storyline and throw in events that drastically alter the lives of our core characters, this season could even be better than the first.

I happy to see Shikao Suga is doing the OP once again; I first fell in love with his work watching the first season of Honey & Clover and ‘19 sai’ form season one suited the atmosphere of the show so well. We also retain the voice cast, a group of people who couldn’t be more suited to their roles. Production I.G. are handling the strings once more, so we are sure for a lushious transfer.

Title: Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
Animation Studio: Sunrise
Genre: Mecha, Sci-fi, Drama
Number of Episodes: 25
Opening Theme: ‘O2′ by ORANGE RANGE
Ending Theme: ‘Shiawase Neiro’ by ORANGE RANGE
Director: Goro Taniguchi
Seiyuu: Jun Fukuyama, Takahiro Sakurai, Yukana, Ami Koshimizu, Fumiko Orikasa, Hikaru Midorikawa, Kaori Nazuka, Sayaka Ohara, Takahiro Mizushima
Starts: 2008-04-06

Official Website: Geass
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
One year after the incidents of the first season and the failure of the Black Rebellion, headed by Zero’s Black Knights, Area 11 has been demoted by the Emperor of Britannia to the rank of a Remedial Area territory. This has resulted in the Empire enforcing harsher rulings and punishments on Area 11 and beginning a thorough crackdown on the Black Knights, arresting several of its members and shutting down its operations. The Empire is also at serious tensions with two of the other major world superpowers, the EEU, that has been fighting a lengthy war against it, and the Chinese Federation, which itself seeks to conquer Area 11 without fighting a war. (Source Wikipedia)

Thoughts:
Along with xxxHOLiC - Kei, this is another surefire win for me. I didn’t start watching the first season until the first eight episodes had been aired (the first eight episodes in a row without a break does not do your brain any favours with the sheer amount of information thrown at you), but despite coming late to the series, it was easy to get swept away with the intense fandom reaction it created a year ago.

So now after having to sit through two cliffhangers followed by months of patient waiting (the series running until episode 24 and then going on hiatus for several months before episodes 25 and 26 were aired over six months ago), hopefully this will be worth all the anticipation. It certainly better be. The synopsis of the second season does sound like it has the same potential as the first, following on from the tragic events that has made the wait so difficult to endure. But I have been aiming to stay as spoiler-free as possible in the age of the internet, so my mind is plagued by questions at what I have already heard about, notably the introduction of Lelouch and Nunnally’s brother, Rollo (though the name makes me snicker, reminding me of the chocolate bar).

Just a handful of weeks and our itching will finally be over… Actually, they’ll probably just introduce more elements to keep us on the edge of our seats.

Title: Itazura na Kiss
Animation Studio: TMS Entertainment
Genre: Shoujo, Romance, Comedy
Number of Episodes: 26
Opening Theme: ‘Kimi, Meguru, Boku’ by Motohiro Hata
Ending Theme: ‘Kataomoi Fighter’ by GO!GO!7188
Director: Osamu Yamazaki
Seiyuu: Daisuke Hirakawa, Nana Mizuki, Bin Shimada, Naoko Matsui, Romi Paku, Takashi Nagasako
Starts: 2008-04-04

Official Website: Itakiss
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
It was love at first sight for Aihara Kotoko as top student Irie Naoki delivers a speech on the first day of high school. After 2 years of secret admiration, “I don’t want it” is the rejection she gets when she plucks up enough courage to hand him a love letter. Dejected, Kotoko vows to give him up. By a twist of fate, Kotoko’s house collapses; her dad and her put up at a friend’s place, who happens to be Naoki’s father. And thus, life with Naoki begins and Kotoko’s love for Naoki rekindles again. Much laughter ensues when scatterbrain Kotoko makes her countless advances (supported by Naoki’s wacky mum) on ice-cold Naoki who hates girls and is a genius at practically everything from studies to sports. The story spans >10 years where we see their relationship slowly development despite their many differences and romantic hurdles.

Thoughts:
I almost passed this series aside at first, feeling that it wasn’t anything more than standard teen shoujo fair and not being bowled over by the character design. However, the fact that the storyline takes place over a ten year period has pique my interest. It’s common for a manga to take over ten years to tell the story, but rarely do the events take longer than the three years of high school to come to a conclusion. So this aspect does make me want to sit and see how successfully this idea can be plotted out. And along with voice work by Romi Paku, a woman I absolutely adore, and an ED by GO!GO!7188, I think this may be worth at least a preview of an episode or two.

Title: Special-A / S.A
Animation Studio: AIC, Gonzo
Genre: Shoujo, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Number of Episodes: 24
Opening Theme: ‘Special Days’ by Yuko Goto
Ending Theme: Hidamari no Gate’ by Jun Fukuyama, Hiro Shimono, Tsubasa Yonaga & Kazuma Horie
Director: Yoshikazu Miyao
Seiyuu: Jun Fukuyama, Yuko Goto, Ayahi Takagaki, Hiro Shimono, Hitomi Nabatame, Kazuma Horie, Tsubasa Yonaga
Starts: 2008-04-06

Official Website: Special-A
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
Hikari Hanazono, the main character, has always been second to Kei Takishima. While Hikari considers Kei a rival and somewhat of a friend, Kei loves Hikari. Everyone knows this, but she is too dense to notice. Their wrestling loving fathers first introduced them to one another when they were 6 years old. Assuming that she was the best in wrestling, young Hikari challenged Kei to a wrestling match only to be thoroughly defeated by him. Ever since that fateful incident, Hikari swore to beat Kei in school grades, a sporting event - anything. To do this she has enrolled in the same school as Kei since elementary. Now she attends Hakusenkan, an ultra elite school, that costs her carpenter father a lot of money. Hikari and Kei are the top two students in the school, with Kei holding firmly to that number one position. (Source ANN)

Thoughts:
This is one of the first non-sequel series to garner my attention this coming season as around the time it was announced I was reading another manga by creator Maki Minami, ‘You’re My Girlfriend’. The plot does seem quite convential; it will probably be a fluffy affair, and may never hit the highs of that other title about rivals falling for one another, ‘Kare Kano’ / ‘His and Her Circumstances’, but it does looking delightfully entertaining and will hopefully add a nice piece of light-heartedness next to some of the more serious titles on offer. The art work is really cute and the animation isn’t to be sniffed at, coming from both AIC and GONZO.

It also looks to be the third series of this single season with Jun Fukuyama heading the cast as the primary male character (the other two being Watanuki in ‘xxxHOLiC’ and Lelouch in ‘Code Geass R2′), but then the boy does amazing work.

Title: Soul Eater
Animation Studio: BONES
Genre: Action, Comedy, Supernatural
Opening Theme: ‘resonance’ by T.M.Revolution
Ending Theme: ‘I Wanna Be’ by STANCE PUNKS
Director: Takuya Igarashi
Seiyuu: Chiaki Omigawa, Kouki Uchiyama, Mamoru Miyano, Yumiko Kobayashi, Akeno Watanabe, Emiri Katou, Maaya Sakamoto, Takehito Koyasu, Yuya Uchida
Starts: 2008-04-07

Official Website: Soul Eater
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
Set in the Shinigami technical school for weapon meisters, the series revolves around 3 groups of each a weapon meister and a human weapon. Trying to make the latter a “Death Scythe” and thus fit for use by the Shinigami, they must collect the souls of 99 evil humans and 1 witch. (Source Wikipedia)

Thoughts:
The first thing that had me thinking this series could be good contender was the unique, playful character design, seconded by the fact that BONES were doing the production. Along with Production I.G. and Madhouse, they are one of the studios that can quickly convince me to watch a series, even with knowing little about the title. They did this for me when I picked up ‘Ouran High School Host Club’, which I still view as one of the top series of the past five years. And both these series share the same director, Takuya Igarashi. In addition, Maaya Sakamoto, a favourite of mine since I first watched ‘Escaflowne’ in Japanese, and Mamoru Miyano tie the two series together again. If it weren’t for the supreme differences when it comes to style and storyline, this would probably be an Ouran fan’s dream series.

The story does sound solid, and I have a thing for supernatural anime. I do, however, worry that this could become a long running series, and with ‘Bleach’ and ‘D. Gray-man’ already on my list, I’m not really looking for anything that requires more than a 26 episode commitment.

Title: Vampire Knight
Animation Studio: Studio DEEN
Genre: Shoujo, Drama, Romance, Supernatural
Director: Kiyoko Sayama
Seiyuu: Mamoru Miyano, Yui Horie, Daisuke Kishio, Jun Fukuyama, Junichi Suwabe, Keiko Sonoda, Souichiro Hoshi, Susumu Chiba
Starts: 2008-04-07

Official Website: Vampire Knight
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
Yuki’s earliest memory is of a stormy night in winter, wherein she was attacked by a vampire… And then rescued by another. Now 10 years later, Yuki Cross, the adapted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, has grown up and become a guardian of the vampire race, protecting her savior, Kaname, from discovery as he leads a group of vampires at the elite boarding school. But also at her side is Zero Kiryu, a childhood friend who’s hatred for the creatures that destroyed everything he held dear, is now determined never to trust them. This coexisting arrangement seems all well and good, but have the vampires truly renounced their murderous ways, or is there a darker truth behind their actions. Is Kaname’s infatuation with Yuki the beginning of a forbidden romance, or is it something in her forgotten past that draws him to her. Because in this world of secrets, nothing is as it seems. And the price of misplaced trust may even be worse than death. (Source ANN)

Thoughts:
‘Vampire Knight’ is one of those titles that I see everywhere but have never had the chance to pick up, and it does seem to be one of the headlining titles of the season. It is another Studio DEEN series, so we can be sure that the visual appeal of the manga will be competently adapted into the anime. Jun Fukuyama yet again shows up in another show of this season, but at least this time he doesn’t have the pressure of heading the male cast. We also have another appearance by Mamoru Miyano, so, together with a number of other great voice actors, we can rely upon this show sounding great.

This is another pretty certain ‘yes’ for me, but I may give a quite check to the first volume of the manga beforehand.

Title: Kaiba
Animation Studio: Madhouse Studios
Genre: Romance, Sci-fi
Number of Episodes: 12
Opening Theme: ‘Never’ by Seira
Ending Theme: ‘Carry Me Away’ by Seira
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Seiyuu: Houko Kuwashima, Mamiko Noto, Romi Paku
Starts: 2008-04-10

Official Website: Kaiba @ WOWOW
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
A sci-fi love story set in a world where digitization of memory made physical death obsolete. A world where memories can be stolen and altered, and replaced in a new human body.

Kaiba wakes up in a room wthout knowing who he is. He has a pendant with the photograph of a woman he does not remember. After being attacked all of a sudden, he has to flee to space, meet various people, and rediscover the world.

“Even without my memories, I love you…” (Source AniDB)

Thoughts:
This series can boost so much with production by Madhouse and acting by Romi Paku, but ultimately it is the striking, Tezuka-esque style of this futuristic romance that has captured my attention. In fact, I know very little else about it, but I’m pretty sure it will remain high on my list next season if the animation and story can match the inventiveness of the designs. And it does sound like a very touching story with a lovely depth. I just worry it won’t be readily picked up by fansubbers due to what maybe may feel is an animation style suited to a children’s anime.

Title: Toshokan Sensou / Library War
Animation Studio: Production I.G
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance
Number of Episodes: 12
Opening Theme: ‘Atashi no Machi, Ashita no Machi’ by Hitomi Takahashi
Ending Theme: ‘changes’ by Base Ball Bear
Director: Takayuki Hamana
Seiyuu: Marina Inoue, Akira Ishida, Miyuki Sawashiro, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Tomoaki Maeno, Haruo Satou, Kanji Suzumori
Starts: 2008-04-10

Official Website: Toshokan Sensou
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis:
In the year 2019, the explosion of information and misinformation became a direct threat to society. In a daring decision, it was decided to create a new government agency dedicated solely to information management. Now some thirty years later, the government still monitors and controls information, suppressing anything they find undesirable, but standing against their abuses of power are the libraries, with their special agents called ‘the book soldiers’. (Source AniDB)

Thoughts:
The series is airing in the noitaminA programming block on Fuji TV, previously home to josei stables such as ‘Honey & Clover’ and ‘Paradise Kiss’, but that has recently been branching out with seinen titles. As this has been a block of mature, high-quality material, it bodes well that this series will be of the same level. It’s also one of many Production I.G. series this season, and from the promotional artwork released, it does look like it will be a sumptuous series to turn-in to. Before this, Takayuki Hamana helmed ‘Prince of Tennis’; although I haven’t seen any of that series, it is a fan favourite, so hopefully this experience will carry over into ‘Toshokan Sensou’.

This is one case where I’m really excited about the music. I’ve been actively listening to Base Ball Bear over the past number of months after first hearing them on the Oricon chart, so to see them attached to another anime series (they previously did an OP for ‘Ookiku Furikabutte’ and baseballe themed anime) gives me good hopes that more people out there will begin to listen to their music.

So, yes, the sheer number of great looking shows is a little overwhelming, especially as I have a long list of old shows I still have to get around too. But thankfully a few of them only come in at the 12 episode mark, which will hopefully ease the commitment I need to provide this season. But it’s certainly reassuring to be getting excited about so many varied shows again. I just hope when Autumn comes around, we’ll be given the same wealth again.

The climate of the anime market may seem very depressive lately, but at least we do occasionally get some good news. One of the series I’ve been avidly following fansubs of over the past few years is not only getting its North American debut, but at a price that should make those accusing anime companies of being greedy swallow their words. And for a series that, even with it’s subtle shoujo-ai context, isn’t going to appeal to the vast majority of anime fans, it is a reassuring occurance; even with the slow down of the market, it bodes well to see we are getting more than big budget productions or fanboy fodder.

I can’t quite remember how I first came to watch Maria-sama ga Miteru, better known to fans as Marimite, though I am sure it was during a period of lamenting over how much shounen-ai there was out there compared to the few snippets of shoujo-ai. A poor reason to start to watch a series, but very quickly it proved that its popularity wasn’t solely down to fans hoping for a little girl-on-girl flirtation. In fact those going in primarily for this reason will be greatly disappointed; apart from a considerable amount of subtext, there is little in the way of true romance. But despite that fact, it is heralded along with the likes of ‘Revolutionary Girl Utena’ as one of the stables of shoujo-ai aimed towards a female audience. It has even had a massive impact upon one of the recent popular male-targeted shoujo-ai series, ‘Strawberry Panic’; they share more than a few commonalities.

The true strength of Marimite is, without a doubt, its focus on characterisation and how that in turn carries onto the interpersonal relationships between not only the principle but also the extended cast. It is a gentle paced show that will bore any fan not into their slice-of-life anime or manga, but for drama aficionados, it is a pure, heavenly delight.

There is little that could stop me buying this series when its released, but it does still bolster my excitement to see that it is being handled by RightStuf. I don’t have many DVDs produced by them, but just from the amount of work they put into their ‘His and Her Circumstances’ release, I know of the quality of their products. Secondly, a new release 13-episode boxset for US$50 before standard online price discounts… even if there isn’t a dub track present, it’s more than worth it’s money.

With a forth season to be aired in Japan in the next few months, it’s the perfect time for a little bit of Marimite love, so get your pre-order in.

Just when I’m ready to give up on Bleach again, they produce an episode like #160. Not only are we given some animation that demonstrates how weekly, continuous shows don’t have to be marred by the sheer amount of production work they require, they also hit us with characterisation and emotion that has been somewhat lacking lately. The flashback scenes brought me back to the good ol’ days of the Soul Society arch where we had constant stories revealing the past of those involved, episodes that always captured me as I feel one of the greatest things ‘Bleach’ has to offer is the depth and uniqueness of its characterisations.

I was already really pleased by how things were beginning to pick up in #158 and #159 after episode after episode which failed to hold my attention (I’m sorry to say I’ve actually been falling asleep during the show lately), so I do pray it continues. But, although I’m only at the forth volume of the manga myself, I know that we aren’t massively far from the most recent chapters published in the Japanese release of Shounen Jump. So without some form of filler starting in the next few months, the anime will run out of manga material before long. Unless they decide to go ahead and write an ending that will differ from the manga, which probably wouldn’t be the best decision for fans of the manga. We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed that we are given better filler material than the Bounto/Bount arch, or some of the filler we’ve already seen in this arch.

I’m not a big fan of the genre, so I really don’t think I’d be able to get through another period of low quality episodes. So, please ‘Bleach’, keep it up! I hate dropping things, especially after the amount of time I’ve devoted so far.

The recent start of the ‘Honey and Clover’ live-action series, and the criticism it has garnered from long-standing fans of the franchise, has gotten me thinking about the whole adaptation game. When it comes to a specific franchise, do we tend to always love most the adaptation that introduced us to the franchise? Can a second adaptation ever eclipse the first? And is it possible to adore them all equally?

Like the majority of ‘Honey and Clover’ fans outside of Japan, my first experience with the series came in the form of the anime, and without exaggeration, in a matter of weeks it became one of favourite anime of all time, a position it still easily holds almost three years later. I’ve still unfortunately only been able to read one chapter into the second volume of the manga, but that will be rectified when Viz begin releasing the English version in a few months time.

When the movie was announced, I ate up every piece of information I could gather and was ecstatic to discover Yoko Kanno was attached as composer. And when it was released, despite the changes, I felt the atmosphere and the emotions conveyed struck close to the heart of the story, and I’ve watched it a number of times over the past year or so.

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Forgive me, ‘tou-sama, for I have sinned. It has been seven months since my last confession.

Yes, things did go a little sideways with the blog, and I am holey to blame. My first excuse is that around the time I disappeared, my search for a new and better job started to take off, and I think any one who has been in that situation can understand the immense pressure, especially when you’re in quite a high pressure career >___<

The second excuse is that I just wasn’t doing things here in a way that was personally fun. Some of the posts were great to write, satisfying to have my thoughts down on ‘paper’, and something that I will enjoy going back to re-read years down the line. Others thought… I feel that I was merely doing what I saw other anime/manga blogs doing, or trying to emulate magazine reviews, and so on. I need to use this blog to post about what ever interests me at the time. Sitting and taking loads of screen shots works for other sites, those that are primarily there to help fans by giving summaries of each episode of an anime before subs are available. But it doesn’t suit my style nor what I want to get out of the blog myself, so I’m not really going to do reviews, etc. Plus I also don’t watch enough current shows to keep people up-to-date with what is happening in Japan; at the moment the only one I’m watching is Zuko Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei as I’m more focused on catching up with the old.

So, yes, more short and specific posts; posts raving about something I’ve picked up and want to spread the word about, be it anime, manga, live-action series or movies, and music. Primarily of the Japanese variety, but I can’t always promise that. And hopefully some sketches when I get back into my drawing…

…I hope. Just need to be much more strict with myself.

Found this on ANN’s Answerman - http://www.tsubasa-kuronikuru.com/

Mmm, Western fans trying to raise US$1.3 million to give to a Japanese anime company so that they can make a third seasons of Tsubasa? *snickers*

I’d love to see a non-Bee Train (have they ever been the main animation company for anything good?), non-edited, non-kiddy, non-revisioned *shudders at the thought of Fai/Chi* version of Tsubasa, but please be realistic. I’m severly pissed off at the tragedy the series was. Hell, from interviews and the likes CLAMP have done, they seems to one of the reasons it was cancelled. But, why waste your time? No one will listen to a petition, and what are you going to do with the money (all $100 of it) when it inevitably fails.

*sigh* It’s nice to be optimistic, but if it didn’t work for Enterprise (*yay screams the inner Star Trek fan in Akaihane*) or Firefly (*cries*), there is not a chance in this case.

And why only the third season? You’d need to go back and start from the beginning for it to have any crediblity, and for the first two seasons not to look incredibly incongruous compared to the violence, etc. of this final season. If they did make a third season at some point, I doubt it would pass hands, leaving it in the hands of NHK ETV, and therefore the majority of the more recent volumes would be massacred.

And I so don’t want to see my Subby animated by Bee Train. I’d have to blind myself. Ah, for the days of CLAMP and Madhouse (even if the X movie was awful).

I’m not a massive fan of dubs, but at the same time I’m open to watching them and have had the pleasure of enjoying a few that are undoubtedly close or of the same quality of the Japanese version (’Cowboy Bebop’ and ‘His and Her Circumstances’ come to mind foremost). One of the motivating factors behind picking up a series on DVD is the quality of the dub; I generally watch the sub first time around and then anytime I’m in the mood to watch something but have other things to do, I’ll stick it on with the English dub. It’s also great for circumstances where I just want to rest and am too tired to read.

I’m sorry to say, however, unless things improve greatly from the official trailers, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to bring myself to watching the dubbed version of Death Note. Which is a pity as it is the kind of anime that would do well being shown on TV.

From listening to the actors who portray both Light and L I actually wonder if they have even read the manga, watched any of the anime or even really done a little research on their characters. Light sounds far too young (which makes me worry about his portrayal after Vol. 7) and…happy. His voice feels very one dimensional, with none of the insidious tone that show us he isn’t just out to “save” the world from the criminals, but that his main goal is to turn himself into God. He sounds to nice, too good, too moral. And this isn’t just a critique on the dubbing as I felt Tatsuya Fujiwara’s Light in the movie suffered from similar problems, which made him quite an unbelievably character for me. L in the trailer sounds too angry, too emphatic. In the manga and the Japanese version of the anime, he’s generally softly spoken, he voice generally curious and calculating. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him angry. And let’s not forget that the character is autistic!

I think another aspect that grates upon my ears is the strength of the American accents. I’m from the UK and I probably watch more subbed anime than I do American TV shows, so the American accent is at least as foreign to me as a Japanese accent. So to my ears both characters seem like typical American teenagers (probably if they had non-colloquial English accents, that would sound smoother to me as that is the accent I’m most familiar with when it comes to TV, but then that would sound awfully odd to English speakers outside the UK ). But I have watched anime, acted by American actors, where the accent doesn’t really come in to play in my mind.

Wel, those are my two-pennies anyway. Hopefully some of the characters don’t sound as badly off, but I don’t think it is as easy to mis-portray some of the others. Near does worry me though as he is so close in personality to L.