the great anime/manga binge, part 1

[meganbmoore]

Sigh...I let these get so backlogged...

It's not everything...a few things aren't there because I'm not quite finished with them, or want to get the next bit read or viewed, and a few aren't there because I got tired of typing and decided to leave them for next time.

Stuff I watched:

Escaflowne: The Movie: Ultimate Edition: A far cry from the best anime movie I’ve seen, but good. Basically has the main character of the series show up ½ way through the events of the series, and tells it as a straight fantasy, as opposed to a fantasy/mecha combo. While I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who hasn’t seen the series(poor souls would be lost) it was pretty good.

Mermaid Forest vol 2: Ah yes, the storyarc the series is named after. One of the better stories of the manga, with a fairly surprising and nasty twist to it.

R.O.D.(the OVA): I have found my idol. When I grow up I want to be her. Or at least live in her apartment. So many, many beautiful books. I am in awe. It sit at her feet and learn from her book hoarding greatness. Hem. Anyway...imagine James Bond played straight, with a female lead who’s obsessed with books, a bit of a spacehead, and has the power to control paper(I want her power! It would make cleaning this place soooooo much easier...)

Trigun: The Complete Collection: One of those anime that seems to be of the "standard other anime is held against" types. ::shrug:: It really only qualifies as "entertaining enough" until Wolfwood shows up in episode 8, primarily because he gives the show a swift kick in the butt to jumpstart it. While neither the animation or the music is much in comparison to some other animes, its an entertaining enough show. Mind you, the ending could be better and they killed my two favorite characters(though one really did need to die) but I’ve seen far worse. And Wolfwood makes up for most of the rest.

Twelve Kingdoms: Complete Collection(part 2): And, of course, they end the series without addressing the plot point I care the most about. Still, at 45 eps, they had a pretty good run. Well, despite not resolving a few certain things(though they did resolve all the active plot points, so I can’t complain too much) this is definately one of the better shows out there. While most coming of age type of stories are big on responsibility, this one focuses on becoming aware of the world around you, and the needs of others. It says a lot that many of the characters start out annoying, but by the time their stories ended, you were very attached to them.

Stuff I read:

Basara Vol 16: Ah, finally. The last two volumes(I think it was two...I get lost with volume numbers after a bit) have kind of dithered while the writer figured out what to do once the two main characters (understandably)sunk into depression after learning who the other was. Of course, in my mind, a dithering Basara is along the lines of a weak Harry Potter, so...Anyway, we’re back on track, though the vast majority of the supporting cast is waiting for their respective leaders to get their acts together and come back. But psycho Sarasa was cool.

Beauty Is The Beast Vol 2: This book is completely nuts but completely charming. Take three girls who are nice but weird and three guys who aren’t overly nice and have social interaction problems and stir them in a pot, and this is what you’ll get.

Ceres Celestial Legend Volume 12-14: So sad. So uplifting. I wanna go cry now...or rewatch the last few eps of the anime.

Death Note Vol 3: Sigh...this book is so good...but I know it’s going to run out of steam soon. While the set up is good...a genius kid who wants to create a perfect world gaining the power of death...its fairly limited. I mean, the guy can’t go on too long killing criminals, or there won’t be any left to kill. Fortunately, the plot twist at the end of this one should buy it at least one or two more volumes. Anyway, the thing that makes this so good is the way the two main characters, L and Light take and logic to pieces all the typical conventions and cover stories. If these two existed, the world would be in trouble. And there isn’t enough money in the world to convince me to be that faker at the tail end of this one. I pity her when Light finds her.

From Far Away Vol 5-7: Ack! I got so behind on this one(it’s currently on book 9) I’ve completely forgotten who this one character is...but then, I think I only just barely remembered before. Anyway, these volumes pretty much wrap up the first storyline of the series. Cute and fun with a good twist on the "modern girl transported to a fantasy world" concept, though I think the two main characters fell for each other before they should have.

Fushigi Yugi Vol 15-16: As much as I enjoy this series, I still don’t know why Watase continued it after a perfectly good ending. But then, as pretty much anything Watase is worth getting, I don’t mind too much. But dang, they really screwed this second storyline up for the anime.

Ghost Hunt Volume 2: Not as developed or intricate as Twelve Kingdoms(both series are based of books written by Fuyumi Ono, who also wrote this manga) but still quite good.

Hana Kimi Vol 10: Pure shojo crack. That is all I have to say. Volume 11 please.

Samurai Deeper Kyo Vol 16-17: OH! Are we finally getting somewhere?

Tenryu The Dragon Cycle Vol 4: Geez...I looked at the first volume of this this week and couldn’t believe how far the art has come. Anyway...lotsa good stuff here. Second half is about the origins and whats going on. And for once in a manga, it actually makes perfect sense and fits.

Threads Of Time Vol 6: I waitied so long...and got a book of just moving things into place for the next bit of action. Until we got to the end and how the main character’s parent’s met. That was really good. And sad.

Ultra Maniac Vol 2-4: Cute beyond legal bounds.

W Juliet Vol 8: The comfort food of manga(or at least, the most underrated one) I will now go and crush on Ito’s older brother. Or both of them, either way...