The recent retirements of Tensai11 and Jeff Lawson as well as the long hiatus announcement over at itsumo feels like the loss of Fujiwara no Sai and Touya Kouyo Meijin in the world of Hikaru no Go to this blogger and perhaps signals the beginning of the end of an era in anime blogging. While longstanding pillars of the community, like Matthew and the Sea Slugs Team, continue to be active, others like Miwa and Momotato Daioh have gone worryingly inactive. But as with Hikaru no Go, newcomers continue to appear and infuse new blood into the community.
A common theme is burnout after the demands of anime blogging assume assume the characteristics of regular drudgery work as the passion of the hobby fades. This post, spurred by Jason Miao and Moyism (Life Line by Line)’s recent enunciations of their blogging methods, argues that while the primary motivation of anime blogging should indeed be fun and enjoyment, academic methods (which is often associated with work or homework) do have a place in helping improve quality, save time and even enhance personal satisfaction.
Continue reading ‘Exploring Methodologies in Anime Blogging: An Arts & Humanities Perspective’
Arika escapes from observation and tries to get the Academy Council (which is meeting to discuss Nina’s battle against the Evangelion Slave) to admit her as an Otome. First she has to find it and, after the plot device of numerous hijinks to introduce the rest of the cast, she does. Nagi, who is also royalty like Mashiro, arrives to do what he does best - set some kind of elaborate plot in motion which involves pitting Arika and Nina against each other in some kind of a competitive relationship.
Didn’t really enjoy this episode as much. Mainly because there was a lot of talking that I couldn’t understand in the raw. But this all-girl maid-uniform-for-school-uniform academy is dripping with so much akogare (admiration) and potential for yuri that I’m still fairly pleased. ^_^
Continue reading ‘Mai Otome 02′
Sousuke follows the trail of clues to his old nemesis First Season Crazy Guy aka Gauron who gives useful background about his motivation, Amalgam, the Whispered, the Xia sisters and Second Raid Crazy Guy aka Gates. Gauron provokes Sousuke into killing him by telling him that he has had Kaname murdered.
Meanwhile COL Teletha Testarossa shows LTC Richard Mardukas who’s boss and also restores the faith of the TDD crew in Sousuke. Marvellous character development, epitomised by Mardukas’ thought: "You’ve grown stronger." A pity that the next episode is the last for Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid.
Honoka-chan’s attempts to get closer to Yamato goes nowhere despite being his personal cheerleader for much of his PE trials, trying to share an umbrella home with him and going karaoke with him. She doesn’t even appear in episode 6 - but it’s then that her best chance germinates when SUZAD (Suzuka Asahina Aerospace Defense Command), after some hesitation, orders SAM batteries to shoot down Starblazer Yamato-kun.
Continue reading ‘Suzuka 04-06′
Hair antenna! I had been following this series via Random Curiosity, Sea Slugs and Asakomi. Finally decided to watch it after reading about ep 13. Was not sure I was going to blog it as Mentar’s very-insightful-as-usual posts made one feel a tad redundant but Honoka-chan is so lovely so here I am.
My initial reluctance was due to my not being a sports person or a fan of sports-based anime. They often end up revolving around the cliché of the hero finally unlocking her or his natural talent through finally being able to focus his or her mind plus lots of constipated grunting. Also my first big crush was a track girl in myhigh school class and since hardly anyone ever completely forgets the experience of their first crush, I was just a bit worried that the show would hit a little too close to home for comfort.
Well, my fears were all unfounded. The series is really a romance show with an intermittent sports theme. It is simply a breadth of fresh air, after all those harem series, to see an anime where the guy actually has to actively do something in order to win the heart of the girl he loves.
The first thing I found unusual was that the main character and narrator of the story is Yamato rather than the title character of Suzuka. I can’t say that these first few episodes endeared me to either of them very much but then I knew that their characters and the web of relationships would be well-developed later on, unlike some *coughShinn Asukacough* others. Without further ado, let’s have the Sakurai Honoka screencap fest!
Continue reading ‘Suzuka 01-03′