So! What we have here is officially RUMOR, okay people? RUMOR.

But With the Will News reports on an Anime on DVD thread that was apparently mysteriously deleted that offered a bunch of advance FUNimation release info– and the list included the first volume of the heretofore unannounced anime Claymore for August 12th.

Is it legit? Hard to say. There’s no actual source cited other than this AoD post– though it is mentioned that AoD usually locks threads instead of deleting them. On the other hand, for Claymore 1 to come out a week before Darker than Black, which was announced at Anime Expo? That sounds a little weird.

So, ya got me. But hey, it’s a news update in the middle of a plumbing crisis– see how devoted I am?

Original source: WtW News
Secondary source: nebs66

Yes, the soundtrack for Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is fantastically awesome.

However, I don’t care what Gainax says, the lyric is NOT “raw, raw, fight the power.” It’s “ro, ro.” The former doesn’t make sense and sounds retarded. The latter isn’t SUPPOSED to make sense and sounds kinda cool. The end. ♥

Also, while I’m looking back on TTGL…it’s Gainax, so I’m allowed to look at a ‘deeper’ meaning, right? ‘Cause honestly, the more I think back on it, the more I dig on the overall theme, which I take to be: if you put your mind, heart, and soul into it, you can do anything. It may require sacrifices, but anything is possible.

I like optimistic messages. Especially when everything these days feels so IMpossible: world peace, or even an uneasy world cease-fire…protecting the environment while still maintaining an economy at the rate we’re used to…etc.

At risk of sounding like a cheesy after-school special, let’s all work a bit on doing the impossible and seeing the invisible (ro, ro, fight the powa), shall we? Touch the untouchable, break the unbreakable, all that jazz, yes?

Good lord, spring really IS almost over. After this, I only have to finish Lovely Complex, Romeo x Juliet, and El Cazador and that’s it for all the spring shows I watched @_@ (Not including Hayate no Gotoku, which is going to be ~52 episodes.)

Anyway! Darker than Black is over, which means no more yummy Hei goodness. Seriously, if Bones does nothing else, they do some of the most attractive male characters (in terms of design AND personality). Like, I looked at some of the male characters that have really caught my attention over the last couple of years, and they’re almost ALL bones: Hei from DtB, Kyouya from Ouran, Ed and Al from FMA, Thor from Jyu Oh Sei (shitty show, but some nice characters)…in fact, the only ones who AREN’T Bones are Lelouch (Geass, Sunrise/AIC) and Hagi (Blood+, Studio I.G).

…Wow, tangent much? Anyway, DtB ending was kinda meh, so I feel a little unfulfilled. But that may just be the onset of Hei withdrawal. Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, I just finished up Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. After the last episode I didn’t think they could surprise me, and…well, I was right. But I’ll keep the remaining commentary under a cut ;)

Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, the only thing you really need to know about Code-E is that by the end of the series, every character STILL completely fails to have a nose.

As for Heroic Age…I still don’t have the first clue what actually happened. But it looked very pretty! Well, except for that one creature that kept spurting out planet-sized buckets of blood.

Warning: thar be spoilers here. Less for the actual plot than for random side stuff, but still, you have been warned.

Read the rest of this entry »

TokyoGraph reports that Wataru Miyawaki, the lead vocalist of rock band 12012 (who did the first ending theme for Gonzo’s Romeo x Juliet this spring) has been arrested for assaulting a woman. He reportedly strangled her after a drinking binge, leaving an injury that took a week to heal. Apparently he admitted to the allegation.

“For never was a story of more woe,” eh?

Enough of that serious crap!

First off, Canned Dogs reports on a new take on the maid cafe: the maid casino. Yes, you can play blackjack or roulette with dealers dressed as maids. I guess if they’re dressed as maids, it takes the pain of losing all your money away. I can’t wait for there to be a real maid mafia– a yakuza group that uses all the typical tactics of intimidation and violence, but with all the caporegime dressed as maids. They’d be so cute you would hardly care that they were beating the crap out of you and taking all of your money and killing your family! (Hey, cool manga idea? STEAL IT AND DIE!)

Hashihime has an interesting comparison: the popularity of current anime in Japan versus in the US, based on 2ch threads for JP and on AnimeSuki posts for the US. Not the most scientific poll ever, but still kinda neat.

Nanoha tops both spring lists, with Lucky Star in second place for JP and third for the US. Japan’s third place is Gurren Lagann, and the US’s second is Claymore, which ranks only 9th in Japan– interesting.

For summer, Japan favors School Days, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, and Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei, while the US likes Higurashi, Zero no Tsukaima Futatsu no Kishi, and then School Days. (I declare the US to have BAD TASTE for not talking about SZS more.)

My personal favorites? For spring, Lucky Star, Gurren Lagann, and Darker than Black, probably. Summer, Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei definitely tops. Geass gets second place if you count it as a summer show at all, and third…gah, so many options! Probably Umisho or Potemayo. o_o; How about you folks?

Current Mood:  Creeped Out

Okay, folks, let’s talk a little bit about the summer ‘07 show Potemayo, which I just caught the first episode of.

First off? It’s about babies. Okay? Babies. Granted, they’re remarkably mobile and their thought processes are pretty sophisticated, but Potemayo is a freakin’ baby. At least, I sure HOPE all that poofing out is diapers - although since she apparently wet the bed they can’t be very good diapers. Ghetto diapers, I guess.

That said, it’s actually a pretty funny show. The “main character” (who has approximately five lines in the whole first episode) hardly bats an eye at his refrigerator giving birth to a bizarre baby.

THE ABOVE IS ALL TRUE. I love the green-haired girl’s character design. But then she opened her mouth, and her shrill screeching voice killed any potential affection at the get-go. Fortunately, the boring-looking brunette’s voice is smexy, and she even turns out to be a character of some significance. Groovy.

Now, some Kaze no Stigma.

The female lead does not appear to be being ironic when she says this. She actually goes on to compare her identical outfits. As a viewer, I felt insulted that the creators actually thought I might find it funny.

That said: even Ayano’s dad understands his obligation to try and get the main characters together. So to those of you who actually argued that the show isn’t heading that direction: HA.

I currently have School Days 1 and 2, Moetan 1, and Code-E 1 to watch, but I’m also running up against my deadline for a feature article, so my next Reckoning probably won’t be until sometime next week, FYI.

Current Mood:  Disappointed

Okay, look. I’m as aware as anyone that anime and manga steal borrow character designs from each other, and that sometimes a particular kind of design just gets popular, right?

But still, isn’t this a little much?

That’s Karen from Sky Girls, Mugi from Hitohira, and Michiru from Zombie Loan. All three are shy girl types, with Karen and Mugi both even having problems speaking (though in Karen’s case it’s only talking to guys). And Karen and Michiru have the same bizarrely grey hair color. But of course, the link between all three is those super-skinny pigtails/braids! WTF?…End rant.