In the course of my (still ongoing) literature review of anime blogging about Kanon, I finally realized that my search parameters in The Hunt for Taiyaki in London was far too narrow, as I was on the lookout for the hot, freshly made taiyaki from a bakery. No joy, of course. There are plenty of Japanese living in London and plenty of shops that sell Japanese groceries but they don’t sell the type that Ayu eats-and-runs.
Clued in by Hinano’s Taiyaki Chronicles, I switched to searching for the packed type. And found it at (where else?) Japan Centre, Piccadilly.
Continue reading ‘City-wide Taiyaki Mystery Patrol’
Indeed, Miss Taiyaki-uguu. I haven’t been reading or blogging about Kanon to avoid spoilers thus the total media blackout. Not having seen the Toei version, my knowledge of the game/series was limited to 1) ‘Sad girls in snow’ 2) Mai x SaYuri FTW and 3) the remake is by KyoAni. And I did enjoy it. Kanon did surprise me a few times. In a ‘Wow! I should have seen that coming!’ delighted way rather than a ‘WTF!? SUNRISE KNNBCCB!’ sort of surprise. And the series succeeded in transmorgifying my dislike for most of the Kanon girls, often via a short scene, into sympathy and even adoration.
Continue reading ‘Kanon F-4 Decoy Disengaged’
Stripey and I often have quite different anime diets, it’s not unusual for one to have never seen a series that the other considers a favourite. But as we like to discuss anime, over bowls of minced pork noodles or ramen when I’m back in Singapore or via Skype when I’m not, there are constant battles to influence each other to watch this or that anime series. 2006 has been no exception. Looking back, it seems that Stripey patiently practises an attritional strategy while I prefer to strike hard at his weakest points to secure swift and decisive victory.
Continue reading ‘Hontou Ni anime skirmishes 2006′