I know, the title is so weaboo-ish. (Also, the image is spoiler-ish at its best, re: Yukio holding a gun) The mere motive of the author for making this post is because he saw the trailer (and quickly got intrigued so he read the manga) from one of gg-subs if he’s not mistaken.

It’s been a while since I have stumbled upon a battle shounen which piqued my interest. Seriously though, Shana captivated me because of her resplendent red flames. How can I let myself miss out blue flames which are definitely cooler? Visuals aside, I definitely like the Shinto and rich Japanese folklore vibes that Ao no Exorcist radiates.

I didn’t really appreciate the first few chapters of AoEx because of the vague exposition of what was happening except that Rin is your typical protagonist that doesn’t have a clear vision in his mind of what he wants in life, and then suddenly, something was triggered by Rin which drastically changed his disposition in life. Pretty much the basic starter amongst shounen mangas.

I haven’t seen enough flames yet so it’s clearly a bit early to stop reading. I think the development which made Rin an exorcist (a student to be precise) was abrupt. When you think of it, being an exorcist is not your typical part-time job such as pizza delivery. Cliche yes. Most shounen heroes start off as inexperienced then always display great potential throughout the development, which I think pretty much what happened as the course of events progresses.

Yukio here is both Doctor and Dragoon. Doctors specialize on curse treatments and potions. Dragoons specialize in wielding heavy firearms. Other jobs include Aria, Tamer, and Knight. I don’t know if I have forgotten other jobs XD.

I haven’t said anything positive yet haven’t I? If there’s something which greatly fascinated me, it would be the job classes that the exorcists have. I’m a MMORPG nut so I would probably appreciate any anime that tries to incorporate job system in its setup. Ao no Exorcist was able to win my attention through the MMORPG atmosphere it sets. It’s like all the ExWires (it’s what you call exorcist trainees) is one party trying to explore a dungeon, with all these fights trying to highlight their specialties. Even if this is the case, I still find it unpredictable because of the random external forces introduced in the series. Also, the author has it good handling the limited space where the story is set which is a giant academy (imagine Mahora from Negima!). As an analogy, just imagine the arc from Negima! during the Underground Library Expedition. It has that adventurous feeling and at the same time ominous and paranormal tone due to the monsters whatnot encountered during their training/study.

I’d say the way Ao no Exorcist executes things as a shounen is refreshing. Most shounen mangas more often than not, solely focus on the protagonist. I don’t feel that way in Ao no Exorcist because almost everyone in the class of exorcists have enough screen time. You’ll see Rin getting stronger, as everyone also does, unlike other shounen mangas where the disparity (in terms of power) between the protagonist and other characters is obvious. Although the protagonist has to be a special lad amongst other characters, Rin is not that loosely powerful compared to them (then again, this is just the start). As of now, no one among the ExWires is left out but we’ll know as things progress if the manga would slowly feature Rin and Yukio going as partners focusing in different matters aside from other ExWires.

Ao no Exorcist could be the shounen manga where team cooperation is most observed (or as TV Tropes term goes, the “Nakama” spirit) compared to other few shounens I’ve read. Rather than protagonist-centered, most of the accomplishments are done by the group as a whole. Maybe the job class system helps in setting it up in a sense that everyone has their own role in how the fight will go and how they’ll win it. This is not even close to strategic planning and assigning everyone what to do which is the most common notion of team cooperation. It’s more like everyone has to clump together and do impromptu things via their skills and abilities to fend off enemies trying to get close, which is rather fun to read because there is no planning in their cooperation. It’s pure action. Whatever happens, happens. My gamer senses are tingling because I like these kind of scenes in an RPG, more commonly in an MMO (eg. when there’s a boss or something in the map and everybody is getting massacred). This is the kind of scene where you’ll find yourself just spamming the best of your abilities to an enemy to get rid of it. It’s highly enjoyable to witness these kinds of scenes because it’s as if things are just happening without a reason. And yet, there are actually many reasons.

There you go, I think I’ve expressed my delightful feeling while reading Ao no Exorcist. As for the incoming anime, I hope it showcases the strengths of the show which I mentioned regarding the not-really-protagonist-centric way of dealing with the story, as well as my very own bias towards the MMORPG atmosphere it sets. What worries me though is until what chapter the anime would be and how would the wrap-up be since the manga still has few chapters as of the moment to assure a second season in the future.

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image credits: pixiv users 染谷, さとう, sayu

Ouran, same as Kare Kano, would probably be one among the earliest shoujos I’ve watched which probably made an appeal to me, considering the family environment both protagonists had. Both Haruhi and Yukino came from poor families if you do the background check. Also, both of them are living in a very permissive family environment since their parents acknowledge that they are both smart enough to decide what’s best for themselves. So, enough of the comparison since this post would focus on Ouran, with regards to its recent conclusion.

What’s worth checking out in the story is definitely the comedy which involves binbou jokes and Tamaki’s antics. The tricks that the twins love to do and at the same time, the overly dramatic execution of things especially when it comes to Tamaki’s delusions. On a side note, there are also touchy developments between members of the host club every now and then. I’d say that I’ve always enjoyed watching the spoiled rich kids relishing the ways of the poor, courtesy of Haruhi.  If I’ll be honest though, major plot twists didn’t seem so interesting for me because of its deliberate delivery right into the story without even a mild initial presentation. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but, things really got confusing during the part of the Suohs starting to meddle with Tamaki’s issues with Haruhi and the existence of the Host Club itself. It suddenly seemed to me as a reader who’s only paying attention to what’s happening to the host club that there are “external” factors currently trying to force their way inside the plot, even though very limited info has been said about it prior to its inclusion. It just doesn’t feel right because chapters ago, everyone’s having fun

The character development for me was just so-so. I’d say you can relate to the issues of these guys but, I don’t know– since some of it just didn’t get right through me. This is the problem for me of Ouran. Knowing the fact that it possesses hilarious comedy, sometimes, inserting some dramatic scenes simply don’t make the cut off since comedic scenes comes flying from every direction.

The host club members are talented actors. They all deserve to receive an award for acting and up until now, I can’t seem to understand why the Host club is still thriving. These ladies must be plain simpletons if they couldn’t even obviously notice Hika&Kao’s deceitful faces. Meanwhile, I can’t decide whether Tamaki is simply earnest or just lacks enough attention.

If there is something I’d commend the series for, it would be the lack of fluffiness in its delivery, considering it is shoujo. Ouran never felt cheesy for me, or maybe it did but not so much which is why I came to like Haruhi’s obtrusive behavior towards embarrassing moments, which really helps because I was able to tolerate it.

Spoilers Ahead

Okay now, for the ending… That was.. Hmm. I wasn’t contented? Although I’d say it’s pretty much a happy ending. It’s just that Haruhi’s decision invoked a “serious” atmosphere and yet I still got a funny one. I would have liked instead an ending which could have depicted all of them meeting one Holiday somewhere in Japan– but living in one apartment? That’s just, well… Over a bit perhaps. Also, to think all of them should have been mature enough to handle this kind of farewell, I think it’s very childish of them all, aside from Haruhi to follow her to Boston. That was also a lame excuse that all of them would eventually study abroad. Back in Japan, it was nice to see Music Room 3 still glimpsed upon by their female classmates. I think that’s the thing I liked about the ending. It’s as if the Host club has engraved a mark during their stay in Ouran– something everybody in the school would remember, despite their decision to leave. On that note, I hope these spoiled brats won’t take for granted all their hosts during their stay in Ouran. It might have been a short time, but I think all of those bonds they formed are true (by the looks of it when some of them volunteered on helping Tamaki). In relation to that as well, that certain chapter would probably be my favorite.. I guess? It was such a spectacular chapter where you’ll get to see a ridiculous critical mass of rich people trying to combine all their wealth and power to help Tamaki get to the airport. I sure do hope I have friends like them, hahaha!

To wrap up this post, I would want to say that I’m still bothered on why Hatori Bisco decided to finally finish the series. I mean, Ouran could have entered instead a new arc named Boston Chapter haha, but she never did… I do hope she’d still continue to write since I enjoyed her comedic acts.

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image credits: pixiv user たかよ

I think... I'm always standing somewhere convenient. Over there... Or right here...

And so, I stumbled upon this manga by Aogiri Natsu. Flat has 13 chapters so far and I can really say I’ve been absorbed already by the plot of the manga. In any case, I really liked this chapter 9 of Flat. I just can’t help it but think for myself if I ever had a similar feeling towards my friends, whch is alienation. My answer is yes. Definitely, I think almost everyone had at least experienced this kind of feeling, of being disassociated, even if one would prefer to hide or disregard his/her own feelings—and I just like how Aogiri Natsu presented it to the readers. Thanks to this certain statement by Satou which is “Just because you like something, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get your affection reciprocated.” that really lets us know that reality bites. Not just that, but Satou’s thoughts as well regarding his disposition with his relation to his two other friends.

Sometimes, whenever we see our friends, complacency kicks in, as if your ties with each other will never change. One would never imagine the things that might cause him/herself anxiety towards the stability of the relationship with the other person, even if you’ve been together for a long time.

There are situations we just feel of a sudden as if we’ve been cast away by people we thought we knew for a long time already. It’s just as if there still exists a barrier that separates you from them. Was the time you spent with them not yet enough to make them care about you, or even just notice you? Who would want to be on a supporting role for a long time when the one you supports doesn’t even acknowledge your existence. Satou has always been introduced as the bubbly character in the manga, which is why, it was somehow unanticipated that he has this underlying feeling of disgruntlement. Even so, I guess everyone has their own facade when it comes to facing other people, as for Satou, he chooses not to tell it to his other two friends. I don’t know, maybe other people sees him as a coward with his decisions regarding his friendship but I see Satou as an altruistic person. He is in fact, the unappreciated best friend of the two, which is rather sad since Suzuki and Heisuke acts as if they are taking Satou’s kindness for granted—or maybe, both of them are just so dense enough to not notice Satou’s endeavor to make himself more noticeable in front of them. Now I just can understand why Satou acts so hyper in front the two of them, and yet it always goes unnoticed by the two.

He even shows the utmost concern for both Heisuke and Suzuki, but everything so far was in vain.

Too bad Satou, but then again,  he said it himself as well…

Just because you like something, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get your affection reciprocated.

Even though there are things we just can’t feel we do get the utmost satisfaction we could derive from other things we do, surely, something exists that would occupy our minds, and even get us desperate just to get hold of, even though we know that it won’t be able to respond equally to our feelings. Same thing for Satou, even though he knows he’ll probably end up yet again being ignored.

Maybe, if there would be a thing I’d like to tell Satou, it would probably the same as what Heisuke told to Aki, which is— “It is okay to be selfish at times”. If those two really are his true friends, those two will probably at least open their eyes that Satou had longed for that recognition and attention just so the three of them will be “friends” not just as what they look like from other people, but also from their very own perception.

Spoiler Alert!
One reason I chose this over Touch would be because it is more recent and almost all Adachi fans regard it as his best work so far. And yes, I can clearly see the parallelism Adachi Mitsuru has applied on both Cross Game and H2. Cross Game and H2 both have the stout catchers and stupid comic relief characters. Luckily, Punch is not that annoying in H2 in comparison to Touch where I want to smack him to the ground.

First flaw, well not really flaw but weakness, I noticed in the manga would be the imbalance between Haruka and Hikari. What about this? Hikari is clearly a major character in the story since she is the love interest of the two male protagonist. Due to this, Haruka was reduced as just a baseball team manager. Even though you can say that Haruka is the reason why the Senkawa’s baseball club became the Senkawa baseball team, I quite don’t disagree that she weighs the same as what Hikari played in the story. Haruka also didn’t have that many romance scenes with Hiro even though they are the supposed couple. Instead, Hikari had so many romantic and together scenes with Hiro. During these times, Haruka simply did watch and accepted the fact that Hiro still likes Hikari. Haruka also often go unnoticed every time she tries to do thing for Hiro because Hikari is always around; therefore, Haruka’s character in the manga is over shadowed by Hikari’s too much presence.

The chapters that I’ll never never forget from H2 would be Hikari’s mother’s death. Well yeah! I cried a lot while reading these chapters. These are the only chapters that really had an impact to me while I was reading the manga. I don’t know but Adachi Mitsuru seems so good in portraying the deaths of characters since I also wept for Wakaba. I really cried over the flashback scenes and the moment where Hikari finally cried after playing with Hiro on the old empty lot where they played along with Hikari’s mother during the past(Chapter 248). I don’t know but Ayaka’s Koi Kogarate Mita Yume played on my mind while reading these chapters.

I also thought that I just learned something awesome from reading because according to some anonymous doctor from the manga, butterfly is good for back aches[the swimming form]. Now that you mention it, it’s actually pretty weird right? Well, I still believed it until I found out that the doctor was a quack. Oh noes.

I definitely enjoyed the comedy and puns of this manga. Adachi Mitsuru also often appears on the manga himself which makes it much funnier.

I liked how the idea of winning and losing baseball entered in the extent of romance. This was the very turning point of the story and you can clearly see here the clarity how the plot progressed. You can say that the idea of Koushien is already cliche because it really is, but the elements of the manga is not. How so? Well, H2 focuses on the relationship of the 4 main protagonists and not really that much to baseball although it is where the plot revolves (Hiro vs Hideo idea). It can be surmised that baseball itself is just a medium to present the struggle between friendship and trust among Hiro, Hideo, Hikari, and Haruka. The fact that the finals for the Koushien wasn’t included already in the storyline would probably because Adachi just want to focus on the character and really not on the sport.

The paper plane at the end of the show just symbolizes that the lives of the 4 protagonist would continue soaring around the world of baseball but it is already upon the hands of the reader to assume what happened after the story ended in the manga.

I really hate sports manga since they are so typical about the winning and losing cycle but regardless of that, H2 is a great story that falls under coming of age and slice of life, such as friendship and trust between friends although it is under the umbrella of baseball.

Okay, now now, I think my perspective towards baseball animes have changed a lot when I started reading Cross Game. For a certain, I’m looking for the drama and romance in this anime but what comes a long with that is my unexpected inclination towards the sport itself the anime is all about.

Now who’s going to tell me that baseball anime is NOT an overrated genre? There is the spontaneous Major, a gambling and strategical approach from One Outs and the typical highschool Ookiku Furikabutte. Baseball is always around the corner whenever we talk about school sport clubs in anime.

Isn’t it annoying to just keep on watching the endless invincibility of the famous ace pitcher of the team? Well, often as we know, it’s the usual scene. A heavy air surrounds the baseball field whether it is the Koshien, ordinary or even international. The next scene would be the deciding moment whether the pitch gets hit or not. The ball curves to the right or left, whatever many possibilities…

What caught my attention from Cross Game would be the drama of course. Cross Game has a tear jerking story right at its first volume, Seasons of Wakaba. I’m also touched when Koh didn’t knew at first what he must do right after that certain event. I think the author was very successful in conveying that thought of innocence among children during tender age whenever somebody dies.

I also like Aoba’s character in the story since she is the somewhat not true to herself female protagonist. One thing I admire about her would be her perseverance in practicing baseball even though she won’t be able to play in an official tournament.

Actually, I’ve been reading the manga without understanding almost all the baseball terms except for home run of course which signifies that the team is winning/scoring. Even so, I was able to appreciate baseball because of the other incorporated genre such as romance in Cross Game. Cross Game isn’t actually dealing with the technicalities of the sport itself which I liked since it focuses more on the lives of the characters and their development as they try to reach for Koshien. And of course, I’m more interested to Aoba because we all know that she won’t be able to play on it. Second point of interest for me would be about the dream that Wakaba saw before the incident, and the romance between Koh and Aoba which is rather more complicated than your typical tsundere girl story.

Cross Game would be the first baseball genre anime that falls on my list of animes. I don’t intend to spoil anymore so let’s just enjoy the anime adaption which has a lovely music. The ED Koi Kogarate Mita Yume by Ayaka is just so pleasant to ears. The title is also so fitted to the theme of the anime since it shares the idea together with Wakaba’s dream sequence about Koh and the others.

As for now, I think I just became an Adachi fan! Might as well try to check out his novelty mangas such as Touch since some of Cross Game’s concept originally came from those.

Yes, Now I’m contented that what happened with the first Mahou Sensei Negima anime was wrong. Really wrong. It was just confirmed that Asuna was once a princess. To be clear, she is the Twilight Imperial Princess of Ostia in the Magic World. Her ability to cancel magic is innate[Chapter 220]. It was NEVER granted by any demon [according to the 1st anime].

I surmise that she was the one that triggered the radicals in the Magic World to take action. She holds a mysterious power that could threaten the Magic World. In that case, she must be the target of the enemies that Ala Rubra fought. Based on Rakan’s explanation to Negi, even though Nagi is regarded as a hero who stopped the “rebels”, it looks like they failed to protect Asuna’s origin/ the floating ruins of Ostia.

I don’t know the reason why she forgot her memories(maybe someone did some spell on it). It was once said by Setsuna that it looks like Asuna was just remembering her fighting skills from the past. It might be true because she came from a royal family. She can now summon the true sword more often than that of the harisen during adeat after gaining some of her memories.

By the way, what happened to Anya?~ I thought I saw her with Fate. hmm…

I have been searching for manga now and then of Gakuen Alice. I have found this link recommended by OneManga for the anime. They do the scanlations yey~! They translated from the part where the anime ends so I can follow it even though there are some missing links like seeing a penguin [which is Amanatsu in anime]. I also saw some 15 year old drawings and I don’t know if they did really aged in the academy after several years. I found out that they just ate an age-altering candy. By the way, they’ve got the scans at rapidshare so it’s very accesible, it might be slow to download though.

The sad part is that they haven’t finished translating yet and they’ve only got chapters 29 – 46. The manga is supposedly 99 chapters and ongoing according to Wikipedia. It was a very short read I did. I kind of feel discontented with what I read because I stopped right in the middle of something. There were few characters that were introduced and this “Second Alice” of Mikan hasn’t been introduced yet. That is the part I want to read. It was so stubborn of me, I really want to read it and I ended up being spoiled XD.

There is a new villain other than Reo this time so I think it is still worth reading. There were also a lot of character developments for the other class members Iincho, Ruka and Natsume. Iincho had often scenes because something terrible happened to him. It was shown in the manga that Iincho really plays a big part on the class. He is also an important friend for both Mikan and Hotaru[eventhough he is always low in dialogues]. Ruka is very determined to win Mikan’s heart and he does everything to protect her. Meanwhile, Natsume is so concerned with Ruka and Mikan eventhough it means hiding the truth from them.

They’ve also got this character named “ZERO” . I don’t know why anime producers/ mangakas are fond of that name.

Too bad it doesn’t have season 2. I think I heard of such but when I tried to search for it, what I found were just petitions and fanlisting. The manga is still ongoing so  I really want to read it as well… It’s just that onemanga removed it because the company which licensed it requested to do so. I tried finding some archives of the manga through Boxtorrents but it was also an useless attempt. Because the manga is still ongoing, I see the possibility of season 2.

There are things that differs from manga and the series so I want to see the manga badly. I don’t know why is it nobody uploads the manga…. It is a decent anime so I think any age would read it. There were also many mysteries at the first season that wasn’t explained thoroughly just like the “Second Alice” of Mikan which I have heard from several fans, Mikan’s origin/parents and the true motive of the Gakuen Alice, their academy.

I hope on seeing Hotaru again so they better make the season 2…

BUT, AS FAR AS I KNOW, THERE IS NO SEASON 2

I don’t know if the title is just redundant. I tried to search for the meaning of Ala Alba. Alba means “white”. In Celtic, Alba also refers to the whole country of Great Britain (Negi came from Whales). There was no certain meaning for Ala but the word Alaida means “winged”. Shiroki Tsubasa means “white wings” right? Anyway, my plead was heard(My post about the animes that need the season 2). I thought I will read the manga forever… I was expecting another season… Oh well, OVA is just ok… just too short for the whole arc though… I’m glad that they are progressing to what the manga is… Its good to see pactio again .

I don’t know how Shaft will rewrite the script when the first Negima they’ve got had all the girls with pactio… The manga only has 7 girls I guess.

Nodoka has too many books than the true artifact… I wish it’s not a rubbish fabricated filler again XD . Glad to see the scene where Asuna easily thwarted Ayaka’s attack… That means… It was the night of the festival where Asuna and… Takamichi…. Haha… Spoiler XD. Oh, I forgot… it’s also Kotarou’s debut on TV. I also want to see Fate again. I want to see the action after they arrived in the other world… The trailer of Negima OVA is over here…

Yue is very reliable in terms of strategic planning in combats. This would be very useful for Negima! I can’t wait to see a big battle just like in Mahora Festival Tournament. Her artifact is just so useful as if she is carrying a bunch of walkthroughs and FAQs. Quite fitted for someone so hooked with books. Still, I feel sad for her because she lost her memories.

On the other hand, I think the disclosure of Asuna’s past is drawing near.

I was very disappointed that the one in the TV series is just a “fabricated storyline” to end the story… The magic cancel ability of Asuna still lies as a mystery for everyone. Though the one told in the series is just so possible… or maybe not?…

Anyway, I think Ken Akamatsu is forgetting Haruna and Anya… I wonder what is happening to those two?

I have been waiting for this chapter… I thought I’ll be reading the scanlation later in June since Aquastar is still in the middle of chapter 212. Thank goodness there was a good Samaritan than volunteered to sub the copy out of his boredom. Considering it was his first time, he pretty made a good job I guess. The raw and the translated dialogues came from the Carlos Net and the typesetter and editor was Rehwyn.