Bleach
My beautiful Rukia has returned, and she’s meaner than ever. Though in the end, she ended up being her good old self again. She was only mean to try to motivate Ichigo to grow stronger. He’s always saying he wants to grow stronger, yet he needs so many reminders.
Bleach is back to normal with lots of new twists and surprises, and the same great cast of characters. Funny how it gets good just as Naruto actually decides to shape up.
Oh, and about the “20 brothers and sisters” - it sounds like its going to be a long season. But hey, if the fights are good and the comedy keeps on rolling, there is nothing wrong with that. I just hope it doesn’t get too repetitive.
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Bleach
Now I have to say that this new story is getting more and more interesting. Definitely some surprises, and lots of laughs. I don’t read the manga, so I’m not too sure if this is more filler or the continuation of the regular story. Its making some pretty big changes right now, so I’m going to assume this isn’t just filler.
Also, while the Bounto story wasn’t exactly the best ever, I have to say that I did enjoy it. The ending of it, especially, was quite good. Lots of fighting, some subtle drama, and the last battle. The fact that Kariya could not finish his final sentence really struck a chord with me though. He was the bad guy, yet I felt so incredibly sorry for him. Certainly better than anything Naruto can produce.
Same Old Naruto
Naruto
Despite a few new things, Naruto remains exactly the same as it’s always been. Although while this episode was not the best, it also was not the junk that they’ve been airing for the past 50 years.
The one perk of watching this huge episode was the new opening sequence. I absolutely love the new song and the animation. I think this is definitely my favorite one. It’s what made me actually watch the rest of the episode.
The ending is… meh. It’s okay.
Oh filler… please go away.
Revolving Memory
Articles
If I could sing a song of perfection, it would be all about Honey and Clover. Both the first and second seasons combined provide limitless laughter and tears. It’s an absolutely beautiful story, with an absolutely wonderful cast of characters, with a great selection of music wrapped around all of it. Every episode is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. One minute you cry, and the next is bursting with laughter.
This isn’t a full review, simply because I don’t think Honey and Clover needs a review. It’s an absolute must-see, and there is no other anime that has been better in recent memory. Even saying it’s a must-see is an understatement. It’s something to see and enjoy over and over again.
Emotion, laughter, and beauty, all wrapped in Honey and Clover. There is nothing sweeter.
Torch
Articles
I just started Shakugan no Shana, and unfortunately, it seems to have gotten off to a slow start. For me, that isn’t a good sign. Slow means that I’m unable to get into it, and that usually leads to the Recycle Bin.
Enough of that though, what I actually wanted to talk about today is the ‘Torch’ concept introduced with Shakugan no Shana. It makes absolutely no sense. Well, it does, but not in the context that the series uses it in. Shana gave an example of a river bank that slowly dissipates over time, lessening the shock of it actually dissipating - that makes sense, and I agree with that example.
But humans aren’t as simple as a piece of rock. Humans have experiences, memories, aspirations, emotions, records. If someone were to suddenly burst into flames and disappear in front of me, I would be damn scared - crying even. Even if I have no memories of that person, or even if I never had any idea who the person was. Someone disintegrating into flames equals much screaming and fear.
The humans that get their life force taken away are the only ones affected by this Torch concept. So how do other seemingly normal humans get affected by this in any way? How do their memories get rewritten? Why aren’t they screaming when someone bursts into flames? Humans do not come in contact with the monsters, so there can really be no explanation as to how becoming a Torch just magically affects everyone surrounding the ex-person. It just ‘magically’ happening isn’t a good enough explanation, at least not for me.
Anyway, I just wanted to get that out. Its been bothering me since the 2nd episode. On one end it makes perfect sense, but the way Shakugan no Shana uses it is completely crazy. Anime is usually unbelievable, and concepts in anime usually take the craziest route possible… but at least they are explained. Especially when you watch something as deep as say… RahXephon - you’ll find some really interesting concepts, but they get laid out and are explained. Shakugan no Shana isn’t even trying to make me believe.
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Bleach
Surprise surprise. I guess things have… changed. They actually went through the gate, and Ishida actually helped them. I wasn’t expecting Ishida to arrive, at least not so early. I was thinking big battles and casualties, then Ishida would pop in at the last minute and offer some help to finish off the remnants of the Bountou.
Thanks to Soul Society, the Bountou seem far more powerful than before, and that certainly doesn’t bode well for our team of heroes. Ichigo was not having an easy time fighting Kariya even with Bankai, and now that the Bountou are even stronger, that means we’ll probably see more blood, maybe some new powers, or something real exciting. Oh, and of course more of Ichigo crawling around sprawled on the ground reaching for his sword.
I love the hit on Ishida’s head near the end of the episode. It’s the little things that make Bleach so entertaining.
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Bleach
I had a feeling that Kariya would state Soul Society as his real goal. How did I know? Because I’m just good like that. No, really. I thought that it would be an absolutely cool concept to have all of the Bountou invade Soul Society and beat all the Shinigami up. Destroy the outer villages, then really get into the central area and have themselves a feast of Shinigami.
While I find that concept to be really interesting, I can’t help but feel that things won’t go that far. Ichigo and the gang will probably stop them and destroy the gate before any of the Bountou can so much as look at Soul Society.
Prove me wrong, please.
My Top 10 Anime
Articles
So I thought… I’d like to put together my own Top 10 list. I don’t really keep one… I do have a bunch of them in mind that I consider ‘top’, but now I think I should finally have one. For my own reference. I’ll try and keep it as up-to-date as it changes. Last updated October 4, 2006.
10. Hoshi no Koe
09. Wolf’s Rain
08. BECK
07. Saikano
06. Now and Then, Here and There
05. AIR
04. RahXephon
03. Vision of Escaflowne
02. Honey and Clover
01. .hack//SIGN
Mongolian Chop Squad
Articles
So I’ve just finished BECK, and I have to say that I’m incredibly happy with it. I think it has broken into my Top 10 - it is definitely something worth seeing. Music is truly powerful.
Koyuki is absolutely radiant when he sings (and so is Maho). I can’t stop singing Moon on the Water, and many of the other songs. The songs played throughout the series only got better and better. I’d be buying BECK’s albums if only it was a real band. Absolutely awesome. It was also very emotional. When the band was sad, I was sad for them. When the band was happy, I was happy for them. I honestly felt more surprise, heart, and happiness than I have with most of my other favoriter series.
I also finished The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzmiya recently, and I absolutely love that series too. I’m hoping for more. It was genuinely something fresh and funny.
Now… what to start next?
Tomorrow Never Comes
Articles
So while I’ve just finished watching Kino’s Journey, I’m not going to write a full-on review for it. It was a great short series… really great. I’m just too tired at the moment to write up something complete.
But I simply had to mention it. It definitely had some really interesting and shocking moments. The last few episodes, especially the last one, were simply incredible. One interesting aspect was how vulgar some parts were. At first glance, I thought this series was going to be a light-hearted, comedic journey through some equally light-header and comedic lands. I was pleasantly surprised with rounds of violence and action sequences… it wasn’t what I was expecting at all.
I do have one issue… what gender is Kino!? Kino refers to herself as ‘boku’ which is common for boys to refer to themselves as. Yet she is a girl… with no… bust. Is she trying to be a guy? She looks just like a guy. Confusing… T_T
Anyway, great series. Definitely worth a watch. The last episode was so good… I may just watch it again.
Bleach
