A few commenters in my post on the first season of Nanoha said that they preferred A’s. It’s not hard to see why as A’s ramps up the shounen battles while preserving major elements of the previous season such as the absence of evil (the Book of Darkness’ defence program doesn’t have the capacity to exercise moral choice so I don’t consider it to be evil), the protagonists trying to befriend their opponents (through combat!), the theme of loneliness and how power doesn’t necessarily corrupt when wielded by the lolicious innocent.
While I enjoy shounen fighting, the thing I enjoyed most about the first season was the tension in Nanoha’s relentless pursuit of Fate. Would have really liked to see their relationship developed more but, given the focused direction on fighting action in the 13 episodes, I was pretty satisfied with whatever yurilicious crumbs were offered. Mad thanks to Kurogane for highlighting the manga which really helped to flesh out the A’s anime. That it made more of the Nanoha x Fate angle was also good. LOL
Continue reading ‘Magical Girl Stoical Testarossa A’s’
Aya Hirano has many fans and it’s well deserved. She’s young, pretty and the way she transitions from her normal squeaky voice to ‘Damesho, Hamada-san’ is just ooooh-la-la.
However, this post is to sing the praises of Yuko Goto who voiced Mikuru Asahina alongside Aya Hirano in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. While Mikuru isn’t my favourite character of the series (coming after Yuki in first place, followed by Haruhi and then Kyon), Goto does a magnificient job in conveying Mikuru’s oh-so-bullyable bimbo haplessness and her gentle kindness. I’ve mentioned before how I was in total awe at how she could sing so badly with such deliberateness despite being able to sing well. [Oh, and somehow she makes Mikuru's voice so voluptuous too. Ya know, the way Mai Nakahara makes Mai Tokiha sound DD in a way that she doesn't do when she voiced Nagisa Aoi.] Mikuru’s character is absolutely inseparable from Goto’s performance. I still smirk with evil amusement whenever I hear her “Nooo~~~!!” when Haruhi forced her to change into the nurse costume in Someday in the Rain. [I also constantly replayed the horror movie "uguu"s in Kanon 6 and Makoto's Akiko Jam "auuu"s in Kanon 7 so that I could laugh at the respective girls' misery.] The perfect victim!
Speaking of victims, I demand a version of this NSFW Wawawa comic where Churuya-san walks in on Haruhi rogering Mikuru with a strap-on and goes “nyoro~n” :3
Continue reading ‘In Praise of Yuko Goto’
Took me a few seconds to realize that the email (informing me about the release and asking this blog to spread the word) was from Geneon’s advertising company rather than their legal team. Phew. So this is a bit of an advertisement post though I’m not getting anything in return for it. Only because it was nice that they asked so nicely and that I’m favourably disposed towards buying this series in the first place (thinpak boxset please!). Also kudoes for Geneon getting Hellsing Ultimate released relatively quickly and with some goodies with the limited edition release. One thing I don’t quite understand is why “Alucard” has been changed to “Arucard” in the Geneon version streaming video on the Hellsing Ultimate website. Doesn’t this deviate from a plot point made in manga Vol.7?
Found out of this hearing CD (with book) when Omni mentioned it in passing. Basically it masquerades as an English learning aid but is really a parody of militarism. Unfortunately Vol. 1 is out of stock via Hobby Link Japan and although it’s in stock at Hobby Japan, they don’t send stuff overseas. Ah well, Vol.2 is funnier anyway. Pleasantly surprised by its size, had thought it was closer to A5 than A4.
Continue reading ‘Maritan Concentration Drill Vol.2′
Picked up a copy of Yuri Monogatari Vol.3 and Rica ‘tte Kanji!? in Apr 2005 when I dropped in on the Yuricon gang during the Yuri Revolution. Great bunch of people, with Evil Genius Erica Friedman at the fore, all of whom I deeply respect for taking action to plug gaps in the market rather than just waiting for the established companies to do so (and complaining plenty in the meantime). Thus I was pleased that my pre-ordered YM4 (sneak peeks) arrived so quickly and in perfect condition.
At 176 pages, this anthology contains a diverse variety of art styles and stories. Akiko Morishima’s “Ichigo Hime” and Agatha “Kriss” Laguniak’s “Bittersweet Melody” set their stories in the past. The first drips with cuteness in a pre-modern Japanese setting while playing on two familiar themes of incognito royalty and the heroine saving the damsel in distress. The second successfully evokes dark stormy nights and forests though the Victorian setting made me feel that the dialogue might have been enhanced by a dose of Charlotte Brontë styling.
Continue reading ‘Yuri Monogatari Vol.4′
