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Welcome to ~CrispLeaf. This blog contains episode reviews, summaries, prejudices and music downloads [MP3s] on selected new anime titles. Feel free to have a look around, though it would be much appreciated if you can leave your comments before you go. - Makkun [ Japanese Name: Miharu Watanabe 美晴 渡辺] [ Best Viewed: Mozilla Firefox / 1024x768 ] Entries for August, 2007 I'm not sure where to start. The magic in this series suddenly went out like a fleeting candle fire. I don't know where the fun ended, probably around the tenth episode. What I can say now is this: It's dragging, pointless and downright boring. I don't have the slightest idea on what the story writers are trying to pull! (I think I said this before) Really, please someone tell me if I'm being too prejudiced or the heat's coming on me or both. Oh! I skipped lunch today. Maybe that's a factor too. And, I'm having my period. I'm sorry if I offended anyone but nobody's reading my blog anyway so I can pretty much say any disgusting thing I want. Grr, I'm so angry! It's freaking hot! Someone throw salt on the stubborn clouds!!! There's a new ending theme for this series, by the way. I don't like it, but I feel like it will eventually grow on me. Like Maroon 5's Makes Me Wonder. EP 15 gets an 85%. Episode Rating:  Memorable Quote from Episode 15: A world like that is just a dream within a dream! But I don't hate the idea -- Giovanni
(Read More) Anyway, this episode is really fun! There were unpredictable scenes. Action-packed, as usual and Dante has never been sexier. I just had the urge though to brush those long bangs off his eyes. If he was a real person society will think he's a mugger. Actually, any person who has excessive hair on his face always looks scary and menacing. Aiyah~ I'm really tired and I haven't eaten dinner yet. So allow me to cut the chase -- I'm giving this episode a 95%. Episode Rating:  Memorable Quote from Episode 7: Put strawberry sundae up on your menu -- Dante.
(Read More)  Now, so what's this movie all about? Rizelle (Donna) is a typical, starry-eyed girl who landed on a summer job as a helper in a residence which shelters an arrogant AMERICAN beast: Eris or Eric (Jason). She immediately falls for her master, despite being treated coldly and cruelly. One day, she finally gave up and went home to her family. With her absence, Eris/Eric slowly realizes that he too, loves her. So he packed his things up and went to her province. It was never easy to heal a woman's broken heart though. Rizelle did not welcome him but her family was a happy bunch and with pretense hatred for the guy, they made Eris/Eric do all the hard work as payment for his misdoings. Later on, the spoiled brat learned the ways of the Filipinos and loved not only Rizelle and her family, but our country as well. For those who have not seen the movie yet, I believe it had a couple of runs at the Cinema One channel. Who knows, maybe someday it gets aired again? It's really a beautiful, innocent movie. The characters were very well-portrayed and it doesn't have any boring scenes. I especially liked the comedy. Hilarious. I wish we see more local movies like this one. Old Pinoy movies are the best. XD I also hope Donna returns to the Showbiz world. She's one of the few artists who have a natural good influence on people. By the way, where's Jason Everly now? Bonus: Download/Listen to Donna Cruz' & Jason Everly's WISH [ Mp3 ] Instructions: Left-Click on the file. Look for the link "Download the Original" to save the MP3 to your local drive.
Basically, we only have eight episodes left. I believe this arc spanned 3 volumes (9-11). I hope the animators will cover everything, even if they have to extend a new season for the recent arcs. Well, that would be swell. I have one complaint though: Flora's character design. Her hair is curly-cute in the manga. In this episode, there was an attempt in the hair, but it ended plain and unattractive. There's something wrong with her eyes too. Let me stress my point by providing you with these sample shots:
What can be appreciated, nevertheless, is her voice. It suits her perfectly. Episode Rating:  Memorable Quote from Episode 18: The strength of one's mind can be a very powerful force -- Clare.
(Read More) Satoko's exposure in this episode totally erased my unfair opinion of her as nothing but a whining kid who constantly searches for her "Nii Nii". She was brave until the end. I'm quite surprised however that she was the survivor in the Hinamizawa "glass explosion" incident. I thought it was Keiichi the whole time. So does this conclude the anime-original arc, Yakusamashi-hen? I believe so, although I can't really commit to that because there was no preview of the next episode in the credits part. So to sum it up, a 100%. Watch out for new mysteries involving Rena's disappearance and Furude's murder -- yes, it remains unsolved. Who are her murderer/s? Read on to find out. Episode Rating: Memorable Quote from Episode 5: We will meet again soon -- Rika.
(Read More)  01 Cyclone [ FULL VERSION ] in Romeo x Juliet 02 Goodbye, Yesterday in Romeo x Juliet 03 Romantic Summer in Seto no Hanayome 04 Ashita he no Hikari in Seto no Hanayome 05 Lunarian in Seto no Hanayome 06 Your Gravitation in Seto no Hanayome 07 Yakitate!! Japan - Comet Cloud in Random Favorites 08 Full Metal Panic - Kimi ni Fuku Kaze in Random Favorites 09 Boys Be - Naisho no Kimochi in Random Favorites 10 Egao ga Sukidakara in Akazukin Cha Cha 11 Kimi iro Omoi in Akazukin Cha Cha 12 Make Me Smile in Akazukin Cha Cha 13 Hitotoshite Jiku ga Bureteiru in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 14 Zessei Bijin in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 15 Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure - Real [Mitsuki version] in Random Favorites 16 Lucky Star - Lucky Star in Random Favorites 17 El Hazard - Kami-sama ga Kureta Hi in Random Favorites 18 Chuuka Ichiban - Kimi Sae Ireba in Random Favorites Instructions: Click on the intended file. A new window will pop up. Look for the link "Download the Original" to save the MP3s into your local drive. Play the song if you want enjoy it first. Enjoy!!! +++ OMAKE! OMAKE! +++ My package has finally arrived! Mum received a notice from the Manila Post Office two days ago and I'm more than a hundred percent sure it's my manga! Thank you Amazon.com!!! Will eat breakfast then I'm off to claim my package! :D Allow me to share my first experience in claiming a package from the Manila Central Post Office. So I went there around 2 PM, with my Mum, of course, since she's had a lot of experiences in this kind of stuff already. There were multiple grilled windows, each one with a different number and purpose. According to 'Ma and my notice, our destined window was located in the basement. I marched to the left, there were no stairs leading to the ground below so we walked across and finally reached the ancient-looking staircase. Down... down...down... the click-clacking my bakya were bouncing off the walls of that asylum-looking structure. Finally, there it was, window 214. But what the heck? It was dreary, dark and dirty. There was a cashier on the left, a teller on the center and another guy on the right, who, at that time, was opening a box. There was a short line. I waited for my turn. The teller was a hot-tempered bastard. He was very impolite. An old man was trying to ask him a couple of questions and without even looking up, he shoots his answers back as if he's being rudely interrupted with his work -- that is, scribbling down names on the logbook. Yeah, the most difficult job? *note the sarcasm please*. Geez, GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS are all the same -- BIR, NBI and the Post Office --- slow & unfriendly. So it was my turn. He grabbed the notice I was holding and wrote my name on the back of it. He then took my ID and wrote some more. Finally, he went to another room to fetch my package. My irritation quickly evaporated at the sight of a large box with the word AMAZON written at the side. Wow, a big box for one small book. It was nicely wrapped, thanks again Amazon!. I paid P35 for the service charge I guess, pulled the box from the hands of that ogre and immediately opened it. Heavens, there it is! My manga. The End. Writing that sure burned a lot of calories. I don't have enough energy to tackle on this episode so let me just say that I simply enjoyed it. Isley and young Priscilla have taken the stage! Isley is so cute and sexy. Wee. I love his voice too. ^_^ Episode Rating: Memorable Quote from Episode 19: We will grow stronger while fighting in the face of imminent death.. and will pry open the path to survival with our own hands -- Miria.
(Read More) This episode explained a lot of things. Back in the first season we were thrown in a confusing sequence of events which was probably the largest downside of this series. And yet, Rika made it possible for us to better understand why and how these stories evolved -- in a simple but captivating manner. It opened up a lot of realization on my part and I have a strong urge to re-watch the first season 'coz there may be little but important things that I have ignored. I also noticed that unlike other episodes, Episode 6 started dark but ended bright and happy. Thus begins the third solution arc of the soft visual novel. Let's brace ourselves and hope for the best. Episode Rating: Memorable Quote from Episode 6: Just watch. I'll beat a flimsy kind of fate like this to a bloody pulp! -- Keiichi.
(Read More) Obviously I've been neglecting this series. When there's no other episode to review, I watch other titles. Recently I've been engrossed with Nodama Cantabile. I regret putting it in my backlog list. This series is brilliant. Back to RxJ, I'm depressed by the awful animation in EP 16. You see, I'm a sucker at 3D effects, jaw-dropping designs and perfect oval faces. So even if a title sucks at story or plot, I'd still think it's good because of the animation. But when it's the animation that sucks, nevermind the story. It's total trash. This is a very prejudiced attitude I admit, but there's no helping it. I'm a more visual kind of person. Well, just look at the screenshots dammit. Episode Rating: Memorable Quote from Episode 16: Lady Hermione, when you harm someone, you also harm yourself -- Juliet
(Read More) I'm quite disappointed by this episode though. It was entertaining, yes, but I kind of expected a development in the overall story since we're halfway there: just seven more episodes. Anyway, let's just wait and see right? Just one question: was Dante really Tony? Episode Rating:  Memorable Quote from Episode 8: Compared to devils, humans are more fearsome -- the playful demon.
(Read More)  Younha made her first debut in Japan. Like most of us, she got influenced by the Japanese culture. She did, however, auditioned in her own country, but got several rejections, including Korea's major K-music producer, S.M. Entertainment (Boa, TVXQ, SES). Many say that this studio invests more on looks, and did not find anything pretty enough in Younha. At one audition though, she made an overwhelming impression and signed a contract with a Korean company. Soon after, Younha's voice was heard by a company in Japan. In order to make her childhood dream of debuting in Japan come true, Younha underwent recording while going back and forth between Korea and Japan. Quickly, Younha's Japanese skills advanced so much that she surprised even the staff around her. [ Wikipedia ] After a TV drama producer heard her demo tape, her single, "Yubikiri", was chosen as the insert song for the Fuji TV Monday drama Tokyo Wankei ~Destiny of Love~. In October of that same year, she debuted with her official first single, "Yubikiri -Japanese version-". [ Wikipedia ] Her second Japanese single was Houki Boshi. Yes, it's an ending theme of the anime series Bleach. Younha is often compared to Boa, who also made a name in the Japanese music market. Although their music is far from alike and Younha rarely dances, their fans have developed a habit of pointing out the plus and minuses in each artist. I liked Boa first, but over the years I find no change in her and decided that her music is too young for my taste. Younha, however, has a bit of maturity in her songs that I find attractive and fitting. I only noticed her recently though. I regretted it very much. After her moderate success in Japan, Younha eventually returned to her own country. She recorded her first Korean album "The Perfect Day to Say I Love You" which is currently number one in the daily charts. I purchased this album at YesAsia.com mid-August and I'm just waiting for it to be shipped. Curse the weather. I'm sure the delivery would be delayed. The first released song off that album is Password 486. [ Want to see the video? ] It's very addictive. I totally love this song!!! So there it is, a very short but hopefully informative post about Younha, my current addiction.
Another deviation is the manner that Raki went with Isley and Priscilla. Plus their nomad way of living, when in the manga, Isley actually had a nice house. Lastly, Flora and Clare's interrupted fight. They really fought in the manga, and I believe it's significant because Flora acknowledged the fact that Clare's technique is much faster & advanced than hers. I don't know why the animators disregarded this. Alarming... It breaks my heart, really, to give this episode only a 90%. Episode Rating: Memorable Quote from Episode 20: Always, a weak one is good at words, and those who have power die for the weak -- Isley.
(Read More)  This film aims to be realistic, to focus on that isolated experience some people had in their lives: lovers drifting apart without any chance of getting back together, no matter how one tries to stay in the past. Part I - Okasho ~ Extract of the Cherry Blossom ~ Thirteen-year olds Takaki Tono and Akari Shinohara were very close friends. However, due to their parents' employment, the two had to transfer often and they eventually drifted apart. When Tono realized that he and his family would be leaving to a place much farther from his best friend, he decided to meet Akari in the station of Iwafune, at 7:00 PM. The weather wasn't being cooperative though. It was snowing heavily and the train had to stop often. At one point they had to stop for two hours. Takaki felt helpless, hopeless, wondering when he will ever get to Akari. "I feel that one minute is a long time... Time must have an evil intention towards me... And flowing through me, I just hold myself not to cry..." It was past eleven in the evening when he reached the station.. He met Akari and they kissed under the skeleton of what used to be a beautiful Cherry Blossom tree. "At this moment, I feel as if I know where eternity, heart and soul are. I feel that I understand the meaning of living for thirteen years. Then instantly, I feel an unbearable sadness. I don't know how to treat, where to bring, Akari's warmth and soul. I know that in the end we can't always be together..."
Part II - Cosmonaut Takaki has grown up a little, now a high school student. His classmate, Kanae Sumita, developed special feelings for him, and everyday, she fought the urge of confessing her love for him. Always, always she fails. "Tono is always looking at something so far away that I can't see. My wish won't be granted. Even so I like Tono even after today, the day after tomorrow, forever. Only Tono is on my mind, as I fall asleep." Takaki still longs for Akari but he could only stare at his cellphone and write mails which he send to no one.
Part III - Byosoku 5 Centimeters Takaki has gone to Tokyo, graduated, and landed on a computer job. Day by day he was consumed by sadness that eventually, he left his job. One sunny morning he saw a familiar looking woman walking past him. He turns his head but at the same time a train sped by, blocking his view. She was gone before Takaki can even hope that it was Akari. Akari, on the other hand, was already engaged to someone else. Only when she had rummaged through her old things did she remember her first love, the snowy path and the kiss under the Cherry Blossom tree. "The woman that I've gotten along for three years said, I love you even today. But even if we were to exchange mail a thousand times, our hearts would probably not move closer by even one centimeter." "Yesterday I saw a dream..." Takaki. "The dream about the past." Akari. "In that dream, we were still 13 years old." Takaki. "And we were in a wide, snowy, empty field." Akari. "The lights that come from the house looked dimmed and so far away." Takaki. "Only our tracks are on the road that passes us by." Akari. "With that scenery --" "Someday we will see the cherry blossoms together," Takaki. "He and I, without a single doubt --" Akari. "-- feel like that." Takaki.
This film is too short for me to appreciate the characters, but like Hoshi no Koe, 5 cm per second drew a lot of sad emotions that left me breathless and tearful in the end. To say that, love can exist both in heaven and hell; make some people happy and others suffer, leave one waiting and the other moving on -- love has too many faces, moves too quickly and fades like the velocity of a sakura petal falling, that is, 5 centimeters per second. Length: 1 hour, 3 minutes Written/Directed by: Makoto Shinkai Studio: Comix Wave Inc. Ending Theme: Masayoshi Yamazaki - One More Time, One More Chance [ DOWNLOAD HERE ] Rating: 8/10 This episode has hope written all over it. I'm glad that Rika is no longer moping over her impending doom. It's like she and her friends are slowly re-writing this bloody series in a totally different way with a promise of a happy ending. Cheers, everyone! Episode Rating: Memorable Quote from Episode 7: To bring a God's existence into reality, it's better to use a curse than a miracle. Pure fear is what truly controls a human being -- Takano.
(Read More) Lady seemed a bit out of place though. Her character is too powerful and sophisticated to give her a secondary role in episode 9. I think she even delivered fewer lines than Morrison. Tsk. EP 9 gets a 95 % Episode Rating: Memorable Quote from Episode 9: Gambling is similar to sickness. But one distinctive difference is that there is no medicine for gambling -- Dante.
(Read More) I totally love this episode, excluding that small "Priscilla-eating guts" scene which seemed a bit off. I don't know about the latest installment of the manga (since scanlations come slow these days), but it's quite unbelievable that Raki found pity in Prisicilla while she eats somebody's liver, instead of going berserk and chopping her head off like a normal human being. Anyway, let's leave the animators to it, since they like twisting the story around. For now let's mourn for the deaths of the team captains whose short journey ends here. Episode Rating: Memorable Quote from Episode 21: Ohhh! - the 24 warriors of Pieta.
(Read More) As the title suggests, this episode reveals an obstacle in Rika's plans to change the fate of Hinamizawa: Teippei returns and made Satoko's life a living hell. I hated this arc, actually (back in the first season). It was the most confusing and it didn't help that the story was suddenly cut short by the great gas explosion followed by Akasaka's appearance. There were so many unanswered questions, including the one where Keiichi killed Teippei but it turned out that he didn't after all. It's like there was a bend in time and space but there wasn't enough time to have it fully explored. Episode Rating: Memorable Quote from Episode 8: Die! Die! Everyone die! -- Rika.
(Read More) I also got exhausted catching up with Roy's recent upgrade on Tabulas. It seems stable now, unlike a few hours ago when all my content pages are missing! T__T Going back to Claymore, I'm both excited and worried. Excited because we're only four episodes away from the conclusion of this series but worried, because it seemed that the animators are planning a different way out. It looks like Raki will meet Clare sooner than the seven-year plan of Norihigo-sensei. Too bad for Isley too. I think his only purpose in this series is be Priscilla's guardian. *sigh*. Will we ever see Luciela? Episode Rating: Memorable Quote from Episode 22: Never mind protecting Undine, I couldn't even land a slash on him! -- Deneve.
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