“As my love first came to realization, Word had already spread.”

It’s kind of amazing how you look at something differently after watching it the second time. I spent yesterday and a bit of today re-watching the first season of Chihayafuru (and unbeknownst to me so was chungky). For those of you who don’t know it, Chihayafuru is a manga/anime about a bunch of high-school kids playing karuta. Karuta’s basically a game based around the hyakunin isshu, a collection of 100 poems by 100 poets.

Chihayafuru really changed for me when I re-watched it; most probably because my understanding of karuta was a lot better, but now that I knew some things were going to happen, I could pay attention to others instead. For example, there are times in the story where they use the poetry from the hyakunin isshu to illustrate the relationships between the characters; before I thought they were just pretty words that relate really well to the situation. But my second experience with Chihayafuru found the description to be so beautiful, I’ve quoted some of them in this post!

Let’s start!

I read the Chihayafuru manga before the anime came out, and I’ve been captured by it from the very beginning. Maybe it’s my own bias for stories that use the ‘childhood friends’ card; I always feel that the relationship between children are a lot more direct, honest and simple (e.g. not manipulated by hormones yet). So anyway, the three main characters are 1, the heroine (Chihaya), 2, the transfer student who introduces her to karuta (Arata) and 3, the bully/friend (Taichi). I’ll be going off on my own rant about it from here on, so spoilers will follow. But if you’re like chungky who went all “Well, don’t mean to spoil it for you, but looks like the bully’s gonna get her,” when I’d only explained what characters were in the story and nothing about storyline, then we all never had to worry about what ultimately would or would not happen.

BUT THAT’S THE THING!!

Shingeki no Kyojin – Chew on it Bro

Shingeki no Kyojin (進撃の巨人) / Attack on Titan

Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by titans. Titans are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, and devour human beings. A small percentage of humanity survived by locking themselves in a city surrounded by 50m walls. Flash forward to the present; the city has not seen a titan in over 100 years. However, this all changes when a colossal titan appears and breaches the wall that had protected them for a century.

Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Shounen, Tragedy

Status: Currently airing, planned for 25 episodes

Original work by Isayama Hajime, directed by Araki Tetsurou and produced by like a massive bunch of companies including Production I.G.,  FUNimation Entertainment, Mainichi Broascasting, etc. etc.

Rated  R17; and like guys, pay attention to that rating because I (and I think a lot of other people) really got the shock of their lives from watching this anime. Speaking of which, I’m wondering why none of the genres mention ‘psychological’ considering the fact that watching this probably leaves you with some mental scars.

Let’s start!

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What do you mean you haven’t watched it?!

I think it’s pretty solid to say that the anime of the season right now is Shingeki no Kyojin; I know it’s not much of a reference but whenever I read comments off 9gag, there’s always someone putting in  some titan joke or yo’ momma is a titan or whatever. Even chungky who doesn’t usually watch anime (much less one that is quite graphic, to say the least) has got a bit of an unhealthy obsession with it,as mentioned previously, “following the anime religiously and even re-watching it like a cow regurgitating grass,”.

Anyway if you haven’t watched Shingeki no Kyojin by now, you have no idea what you’re missing out. I cannot remember the last time I’ve been this floored by an anime; there’s something very brutally blunt about the way the story is executed. This post does contain spoilers, but nothing beyond like the 4^th episode. The basic premise is that humanity has been hiding behind 50m walls for the past 100 years to hide away from the titans, who are these humanoid creatures that come in assorted sizes (usually larger than yo’ momma) and have pretty much been snacking their way through the human race. This post shall henceforth primarily focus on the aforementioned snackers.

Found ya

Chungky’s Mini Fall/Winter Anime Rant – Tonari No Kaibutsu-kun | Kamisama Hajimemashita | Suki-tte Ii Na Yo

Welcome to my short winter anime rant post! Why a mini and not a thorough cover of winter anime? Because first of all, I’ve always been a more manga-oriented person. Second, I don’t watch anime as extensively even though I love it(kind of overlaps with point one but oh well…). Third, I only watch what I like, as in, I don’t really bother to check up on things that I don’t normally venture into(which is kind of hypocritical, unless people HIGHLY recommend it). Fourth point is unnecessary, but watching everything is a bit insane.

【企画】ポフィンをどうぞ【ぴくトレ】 by patty

If you found the top part of this post pointless(which probably is) please read on!

The one thing in common between these three anime(besides being romance & shoujo) is that I followed all three of the manga series right from when they were serialised. When it was announced that all three were getting an anime this winter season, I had this hipster moment and obviously I couldn’t help but cry out to people that “I TOLD YOU SO.” It’s quite satisfying to know that manga that I’ve followed from the beginning(back when no one even heard of them) managed to receive anime adaptations. I guess in that sense it kind of tells us avid manga readers that they’ve made the cut(shallow comment).

Now to the anime. Only one was impressive. The other two were pretty disappointing and I’m kind of holding back a nasty word to describe them. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun exceeded my expectations. Kamisama Hajimemashita was average though it did have it’s little bright moments(nevertheless disappointing). As for Suki-tte Ii Na Yo, don’t even get me started. Pardon my French, but I thought this was absolutely horrid to put quite bluntly. At one point I saw a glimmer of light at the middle but boo…

I initially written a more comprehensive post but I decided to give each of these series an individual post since I was going way over the limit of a rant.

I’ll start from my absolutely favourite to the the absolute hated.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun | The Monster Seated Next to Me

So let’s start with Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun.

Curtain Close for The iDOLM@STER

The iDOLM@STER ( アイドルマスター)

Based on the XBOX 360 game The iDOLM@STER 2, The iDOLM@STER follows 13 aspiring idols aiming to reach their goals

Genre: Comedy, Music, Slice-of-life

Status: Completed at 25 episodes

Co-directed by Takao Touko and Nishigori Atsushi. Produced by Aniplex and A-1 Pictures.

———

First of all, we wish you a rather belated MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone as well as a HAPPY NEW YEAR! MW just turned one year old a few months back, and the stark difference in the amount of things going on in our life compare to back then is.. @_@

A year ago we had so much plans with how far we could take MW (or at least Chungky did, while I gave my pessimistic input) but now we’re simply too busy to execute it even when we have the platform to do so. Writing it down in solid form reminds me of the ending of The Idolmaster, actually. That said, this post does contain spoilers, but in general what I think is appealing about this anime isn’t it’s story as much as the characters themselves so go ahead and read on =D

After not writing anything up for so long, I’ve chosen to do a post for The Idolmaster as compared to something else like maybe Mawaru Penguindrum. When I thought about it, I did look forward to Mawaru Penguindrum a lot more and I did enjoy it a lot more, but since I know that there’s a much larger fan base for it, and time constraints are only gonna let me do a single post for now, I’ll leave it to the other fans to do it justice =D Most of all though, I’m hoping this review would encourage those people who were turned off by the whole ‘yet another harem’ label attached to The Idolmaster to see that it’s an anime about the idols rather the male protagonist – after all, it’s not exactly a dating sim.

Autumn Anime Rants!

Well first I just want to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU to all our readers who’ve been following us, especially those who’ve been doing so since we started. It’s already been one year, and when we started this project I was being a real pessimist about it and honestly didn’t think I would be writing this much but voila! Just look at the stuff life throws at you. It’s been a hectic year with Chungky; we’ve laughed, gossiped and squabbled over the most minor things over MW, and despite all my ‘Dude, are you sure you wanna do this?’ and ‘Dude, I don’t know if it’ll work…’ comments, I’m glad Chungky bulldozed all those comments down and brought together what we all now know as Manga Weekend… so let’s all have some cake! =D

Un cafe, per favore by 四々九

So ever since uni started, I’ve hardly had a break. Five weeks since the start of term and I finally get one weekend to myself. Life is currently even busier than when I had my internship over the summer SOBBBBB T-T I meant to post this up aaaaaages ago but life wouldn’t let me.

Nowww on with our Autumn anime. I must say, I was really hyped up for this season. However – I don’t know if it’s because of the anime or because of real-life constraints – I’m not really feeling it. I’ve got a few that I’m into, some that I think are okay and most that I’m just gonna chuck aside because I don’t have the time to give them a 3-episode trial run to see if they get better. I’ll only be ranting about those I’ve watched, which covers most of this season but most definitely not all. Usually I’d add in a summary, but I didn’t have time for that… =(

So let’s start with the ones I’m following for now! =D

Following Up From Last Season…

Mawaru Penguindrum

Yes. I’ve been pretty much hooked since the first episode, and 16 episodes later I still am.

The iDOLM@STER

I started watching The iDOLM@STER out of boredom, found it slightly interesting and grew to like it. The main appeal for me is all the girls and their different characters being equally represented, rather than having two or three main ones and everyone else just being part of a harem. Development is slow, but I do like finding out more about each girl with every episode so for me, it’s still on this season’s to-watch list =)

Following this Season

Chihayafuru

Chihayafuru was the anime that got me most hyped up for this season, and it does not disappoint. I started as a fan of the manga, and I’m glad to see the anime adaptation out. The genres of sport and slice-of-life have always been a handy combo to me, but the way in which it’s presented in Chihayafuru makes it really – well – beautiful? Sweet? Nostalgic…?  The flow of the storyline wasn’t exactly unsurprising when mixing it with the sort of coming-of-age story, but the characters and passion that I always love in sports manga is there; except that this time there’s this dose of something special that would leave you coming back for more.

Definitely something you should be watching this autumn! =D

One-Shot(s) for the Weekend – Fireball Charming ( ファイアボール チャーミング)

Fireball Charming ( ファイアボール チャーミング)

A 3D computer animation about a female robot duchess named Drossel von Flügel and her guardian servant robot Gedächtnis.

Genre: Sci-fi, Comedy

Status: Completed with 13 episodes

Produced by Jinnis Animation Studios in conjunction with Disney

———

I told chungky I’d try to have at least one post a week, but what with real life spamming itself into my face I was even hard-pressed to write up this one-shot. But I did promise – and honestly speaking I miss writing posts. So for this weekend when I really need the laughs after yet another tiring week, I bring you Fireball Charming – not just a single one-shot, but a dozen of them!

Okay so Fireball Charming is a bit of old news, being part of last season’s anime batch. It’s another one of those brief shows, and completely worth every scrap of time you can or cannot spare – it’s literally about 2 minutes for each episode.

Fireball Charming is no normal sci-fi anime, I assure you. It is different because of the comedy. And the comedy is different because of the sci-fi. And there is just something completely and hilariously out of this world about this anime that makes it a must-watch. The actions, gestures and interactions of both the characters are more than enough to make you laugh – the simply phenomenal seiyuu (Kawasho Miyuki and Ookawa Tooru) just makes it even better.The one thing I can never get enough of is of those robotic voices just talking. Even the top-notch animation seems to add to the overall joke of the whole situation through irony, in the way that despite all the comic and ridiculous situations, the animation is usually reserved for the kind of story with more – well – story.

After a whole week of not even getting enough sleep and anime, this is the definite must-watch!

Rating: 4.9/5.0

Special Summer Rant – Mawaru Penguindrum

Mawaru Penguindrum (輪るピングドラム) / Revolving Penguin Drum

Three siblings, twins Kanba and Shouma, and the in-and-out-of-the-hospital Himari who’s in poor health, live together at the Takakura home. One day, when the siblings are out on a trip to the aquarium, Himari collapses. The doctors state that nothing can be done for her anymore, but then, a miracle occurs…

Genre: Slice of life, Comedy, Fantasy

Status: Currently airing, planned for 24 episodes

Directed by Ikuhara Kuniko (Sailormoon and Revolutionary Girl Utena), who also did the script, screenplay and series composition. Produced by Brain’s Base and Mainichi Broadcasting.

———

It’s official. This is my favourite for the season. This summer where there’s a significant cesspool of not-so-great anime, this is like the Madonna among the Jenna Roses. I really, really liked the way the narration started and ended that first episode about fate – yes, there have been stories that went all ‘UP YOURS, FATE AND DESTINY!’, but this monologue went into a whole cycle and chain of why fate is Hitler. It’s probably what ensnared me from the beginning.

The fact that the OP (Nornir by Ruetsuko Yakushima Metropolitan Orchestra) that followed just next to tugged my heartstrings and pulled out my heart probably has a lot to do with how I’m obsessing over this after the first friggin episode.

Anime Amped! Mahō Shōjo Madoka★Magica (魔法少女まどか★マギカ)

Mahō Shōjo Madoka★Magica (魔法少女まどか★マギカ)

Beloved family, good friends, laughter and tears – these things make up the ordinary life of Kaname Madoka, a second year student of Mitakihara City Middle School. One night, Madoka dreams of a mysterious dark haired girl struggling against a terrible evil; the next morning she discovers that the girl, Akemi Homura, has transferred into her class. This encounter will lead to an incident which will alter Madoka’s fate forever.

Genre: Fantasy, Psychological, Thriller, Tragedy, Magic, School Life

Status: Currently airing, planned for 12 episodes.

Directed by Shinbou Akiyuki, produced by Aniplex, Shaft and Nitroplus. Written by Urobuchi Gen with original character design by Aoki Ume and music by Kajiura Yuki.

Rated PG13 (bloodless violence)

arawr: Okay, I actually looked up the rating and some sites said R17 and others PG13. This isn’t a kid’s show but I don’t think it’s that adult either, so I chose the lower boundary.

———

I started watching Madoka Magica under the (very) insistent recommendation of my brother – who I had strongly suspected to have gone mentally deranged back home while I was away – I mean, he was telling me to go watch a mahou shoujo anime. There was no way I was gonna watch some sort of PreCure show – then he started going on about what it really was about. I would say he glorified it a little too much since it didn’t meet the sort of earth shattering impact I thought it would  – but, despite all that I do believe that Madoka Magica is worth the watch for the Winter 2011 anime lineup.

Anime Amped! Level E (レベルE)

Level E (レベルE)

In the present day, hundreds of extraterrestrial species walk the Earth. Some are pacifistic, others violent. Some are here for research purposes, others are career criminals. However, humans don’t know they are here. Now, one more alien has arrived on Earth. One of the universe’s foremost geniuses with a personality that’s bound to attract all sorts of trouble.

Genre: Comedy, Sci-fi, Shounen

Status: Currently airing, planned for 12 episodes

Directed by Kato Toshiyuki, produced by David Production and Studio Pierrot. Based on the manga by Togashi Yoshihiro.

Rated PG13 (violence & profanity)

arawr: Okay, I actually looked up the rating and some sites said R17 and others PG13. R17 seemed a bit over rated so I chose PG 13 instead. It’s mostly because of the profanities – the violence isn’t that gory.

———

Honestly speaking I watched the first episode of Level E since there didn’t seem to be anything else to watch. I had a ton of work and reading that required more motivation than I was capable of generating so I just sat down and watched it.

I had no idea what I was in for.

Anime Amped – Yumekui Merry (夢喰いメリー)

Similar to how we have Mushroom Manga for mangas we want to recommend but are too lazy to review, we have Anime Amped for the same purpose. But for animes. We hope to amplify the anime out into the wide wide world; and with that I present to you our first Anime Amped post.

Yumekui Merry (夢喰いメリー)

Ten years ago Fujiwara noticed he had a power to see multicolored auras surrounding people’s bodies. Ever since then he’s been having a weird dream about a war with cats. One day he meets a mysterious girl, that, after being picked on by crows and fallen from a tree, goes to search for her lost hat. Later that day, Fujiwara finds himself in a daydream, being attacked by the same cats he fights at night.

Genre: Action, Supernatural

Status: Currently airing, planned for 13 episodes

Directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi, produced by J.C. Staff. Based on the manga by Ushiki Yoshitaka.

Rated PG13

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It recently came out this Winter 2011, but I do see quite a lot of potential in Yumekui Merry, also known as Dream Eater Merry. When I saw the promotional picture, I wasn’t that interested in it since it looked like the typical wimpy anime. It’s only been 3 episodes now, but I’ve actually really enjoyed it so far.