Hurry Spring 2010 Anime! Save me from my boredom!

Can the new anime season please start already? There are only so many times I can scream at this Eevee for not evolving or jump/fly/punch in the Pokeathlon before I got stir crazy! I guess I could go outside and get some fresh air (or exercise as we just found out how much the Japan Rail Pass costs!!!) but that would make too much sense!

But yeah. I don’t want to commit myself to watching an older series before the new stuff comes out because then I really will have too much on my plate. But as the days go by and I am not blogging on my normal days I get a little antsy.

I still have the manga though....

But I think I am really just suffering from Kobato withdrawals since it is Wednesday. Kobato is happy though! I should be happy for her.




Angel Beats is scheduled to air April 3rd. Since this series is so popular I think that it could possibly be subbed the next day. So perhaps that will be my Sunday blog posts. A post in a sea of posts of course.

Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan is scheduled to air April 4th. I haven’t seen too many people excited about this series but it almost has a Fushigi Yuugi feel to me. Also there aren’t many pretty girls to look at so OH NO boys won’t like it. So if all goes well this might be my Tuesday blog post.

Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitte Iru is going to be a little late to the game. It is scheduled to premier on April 11th. I am not sure how this show will go over with me or the rest of the world but it might be a Monday blog post if it’s available on time. Perhaps if I pick up all these shows it will really depend when they are available to me and I can play it by ear. But I usually like to do things on certain days each week. MMM order.

K-On!! is probably one of the most anticipated shows of the season and it’s going to premier on April 7th. A Wednesday. :( I am sure it will be subbed by Thursday, the day I am SUPPOSED to be at work all day (that is if people stop cussing at me which causes everyone to side with them and blame me for their mental breakdown thus sending me home early…). But even though I scheduled to be at work almost all day on Thursdays and Fridays I will blog K-On!! as soon as possible. Wish it was airing during my time off though or my easy working days. :(

Of course I am not considering that Japan is like 12 hours ahead of us (or at least I think so) so this could go to crazy town and nothing will happen the way I want it to. But as it stands I am going to have something to watch on most of my days off which means I can get blogging done on time. YAY ME! But no pressure on subbers. XD I rather have good subs than hurried subs.

So….I still have a few days before the new season starts for me. And I am sad right now because I can’t figure out to download the new Pikachu route on my pokewalker. But it’s only a few more days and my laptop will be filled with new animes to watch, hopefully ones that I will like. For now…I will keep earning money to shove down that Eevee’s throat because I want Espeon. So hang in there fellow anime fans, we only a few more days to go until the new spring season woohoo!

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Eden of the East movie: King of Eden

Shocked and...well just shocked.

Back when Eden of the East was airing everyone was pretty gunho about the two movies. Especially after the series ended after 11 episodes with a bit of a cliffhanger. Okay a lot of a cliff hanger.

But when movies premier in Japan it takes a little while for them to get on DVD. Logic. So many people who enjoyed the series thought OH it will be worth the wait and all these unaddressed issues will be addressed right?

Wrong. I might be alone in this opinion but I am pretty disappointed in the Eden of the East: King of Eden movie.





I was so disappointed I almost don’t want to blog about it now and wait for the 2nd movie to see how everything is going to end. Because this movie didn’t solve anything, brought up more issues, and felt like 3 episodes instead of a standalone movie.

This movie was only for those who watched the original series. If you didn’t you are going to be quite confused, more so than those who have watched the series. Not to say that those who have watched the series understood what was going on but it helps to at least know who the characters are while watching this movie.

The art was spot on as usually so no complaints there. Some people have actually been complaining that the art was too similar and should have been better given that it was a movie. Not understanding that train of thought, I rather the art be similar in the movie and the anime.

Rollin with the punches as usual.

Akira forgetting who he is again is a bit sad and frustrating but we knew at the end of episode 11 he erased his memories. Not sure WHY as it might be easier for him to become the King of Japan if he knew why he was being thrust into that position and he would be able to protect himself and Saki from the other Selecao who are out to get them. But despite him forgetting who he was Akira is still Akira. Maybe he is too quick to believe all the craziness going on around him but I like his personality. Makes me sad that he forgot about Saki though.

I'm armed and dangerous!

I don’t think Saki is as strong as she was in the anime. More wishy washy looking for my guy kind personality going on. I thought maybe her working in the industry of her dream would make her happier but of course she is more focused on Akira which makes sense. I think she is still in the dark about the whole Selecao issue thingy and I thought it was a really bad move of her to suggest to Akira to not be the King of Japan. His life is already in danger, might as well be the King while he is at it.

Juiz has more personality this time around.

I think the issue I had was….I had no idea what was going on in the entire movie. Why does Juiz think making Akira the Prime Minister’s illegitimate son would be a positive step towards becoming King? That just sounds like a plan of fail. Why did that Selecao go to great lengths to stalk Saki and Akira? Maybe he is a just a crazy person but I have no idea what his issue is. Why are the other Selecao’s (the kid and the ex-government official) so gunho on blowing up Japan? The way to save Japan is to blow up parts of it so people can be happy they survived and work together towards a better future? Dude didn’t they already do that?!

I am not sure how the Eden program was a big help towards to other Selecao’s plans or why erasing Akira’s past was going to destroy/help anyone. It was such a dramatic point of the movie and I don’t get it. I don’t get the entire movie but that might be because we have meet the more dangerous Selecaos and we aren’t meant to know as this movie is just Part One. I am not sure how many people are going to be around to care about Part Two but that is the way they chose to work things out. I personally think it would have been better to do back to back releases. Two cliffhangers in a row 6 months about is just bleh.

And these trailers are for...?

I think the most confusing thing about the movie was at the end where everyone’s trailers were getting blown up. What do the trailers have to do with the Selecaos being in the game or not? If they are so important to keep a secret why were they out in the open and so close together? It was totally bizarre and came out of nowhere. It seemed like an easy way to get some of the Selecaos out of the picture without them spending all their money. Please explain this issue before any others okay?

I do like that the Selecaos don’t really die when they run out of money. I was a bit sad at the thought that the doctor dying when he truly worked hard to make Japan better. But the issue of people losing their memories AGAIN is a bit much.

Remember where you came from and eat cheap food!

Pantsu has left the house and participates in the outside world! I love that he admonishes the others about forgetting their NEET roots. XD I mean, it is naturally to be upset at someone who leaving their past behind but the very nature of making it possible to be a NEET and do what you want in life will end in either being successful or being a basement dweller. You can’t be upset when people succeed right?

I am glad that Juiz is confused too. XD

I know that this post hasn’t been brimming with information but at this time I am just confused and wouldn’t be able to summarize this movie properly. It will probably make more sense when the second movie comes out. Since the second movie just came out this month I speculate in 4 months we shall have our answers. For now

I am disappointed, perplexed, and mad that my dumb Eevees apparently don’t have enough Friendship to evolve into what I want them to evolve into! So yeah…the movie could have been better but I will hold out hope that the 2nd movie will save everything.

So…I guess my recommendation is to wait until the second movie comes out and watch both of them at the same time! XD Yay for waiting!

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Harajuku Lovers Sunshine Cuties

I had promised myself that I wouldn't buy any more Harajuku Lovers perfume after my adventures in home shopping and free stuff for Tenchi palooza. Not that I don't love the little sweeties but I think I have enough perfume until the zombie apocalypse hits. So when the Sunshine Cuties were first announced I was like No my friend, not this time. I have enough for a while.

But I am a sucker for free stuff. Those people who get paid the big bucks to do marketing and advertisement for people have found the way to sell overpriced bottles of cute perfume: Give away free swag. It might not even be free stuff you need but somehow it sucks people in.

This was a hit and run picture as the saleswomen were giving me the stink eye. They were lucky I didn't steal the display.

So when I learned that HL was giving away a free beach towel (thanks dad for bringing that to my attention) I dragged my husband out of the house and onward we flew to buy more perfume that I didn't need but really wanted. XD Also how cute are those displays?! This store went all out for the event. This display was the first thing everyone saw when walking into the store. WANTS!

For a limited time only=words that make compulsive buying so easy and hard to resist.

The reason why the first picture has big holes on some of the display was because I ran over and picked up to the perfume+towel sets already. XD I am not sure if there are more of these babies in the back but I wasn't taking any chances. Just because the sale lasts until the 4th doesn't mean any will be left by then. This store already had two perfumes bundled with a towel but I waited until the saleslady was looking the other way to switch out the ones I wanted. This one MIGHT be for a certain friend of mine who is equally as excited about the free gift. XD

Love for Tenchi. XD

Of course one of the bottles I picked was Love. She is my personal favorite although her glasses are a bit too big for me. A note to all is that the Sunshine Cuties smell a little different than the normal HLs. Love smells a little sweetier than usual but still very nice.

Showing Music some love.

Music was not in any of the bundles at the store! What's up with that? Everyone should love Music. I actually think her outfit is much cuter than Love's but we should go by smells and not looks when it comes to perfume right? Again the scent is slightly different but I like it.

Can you see through those things? X_X

FROG TOES! That is the very first thing I thought when I took my little Sunshine out of her box. But putting aside that fact Love is very cute. The big glasses are even starting to grow on me. XD Love her swimsuit design. As for the bottle itself it is very simple and doesn't take away from the main attraction.

Music is ready for the beach!

Music looks so cute with her little bikini and flower in the hair deal going on. She is rather simple compared to the other girls but sometimes simple is fun too.

What were you thinking...

This is a major issue with the designs of all the girls. They have the FROG TOES and no real leg definition. As in when the girls are wearing clothes the fabric just extends around the body and the designers don't know how to change that when they are dealing with an actual leg. I really wouldn't have minded white space. It would have been better than this weirdness. So this....whateverness takes away from an otherwise really super cute HL bottles.

Free towel part one!

Free towel part two!

Yay for free stuff!

So here is the reason why I braved the mean streets of such and such town today. The reason why I decided to buy the Sunshine Cuties (because eventually I was going to buy them even though I really, REALLY don't need them). Say hello to Sunshine Cutie Beach Towel.

I was actually pleased that it was a full sized towel! Sometimes with these spend $XX and you receive a free gift things the free gift is kinda lame. Not this time! The towel is a normal sized beach towel and is full of super cuteness. You can chill out pool side or dry off after a dip in the ocean with this big towel and do so in style. A very useful free gift if I do say so myself.

So that is my adventure in swag lag. An Easter present to myself I suppose. If you are already a HL fan this set lets you enjoy the cuteness you are used to with slightly different scents. If you are new to the HL scene this is a great time to start your collection and with free swag! I would buy these lovelies sooner rather or later. Only while supplies last.

Harajuku Lovers LOVE me for making this free gift. ;) Just had to say it.

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To catch them is my real test

Pokemon has official taken over my life again.

Goodbye spare time and hello new DS game!

The fact that Pokemon has been in my life for over 12 years now is either really amazing, really pathetic, or really...X_X. But in any event I feel a bit old now. And my brothers, who cried when Butterfree and Pikachu left, are no longer little kids. :( Sad Tenchi is sad.

Thank you Soul Silver for taking away much of my free time. I would say something like "Aw memories!!!!!" but since it was only 1 year ago since Platinum took over my life...yeah. Pokemon has staying power in my life.




I think my favorite new thing about Soul Silver is the pokewalker. I remember the days of high school with my Pikachu pedometer on my hip. I loved that thing to death. Too bad the washing machine didn't. But now the pokewalker has a useful purpose. Or it just makes me look like a crazy person when I check it continuously at work.

Something I do not like about the new game is the lack of places to plant berries. I suppose it makes sense as berries don't play as an important role (what with no Contests and all) but it makes the scenery a little lonely now.

I can't remember the last time we got the Amulet Coin so late in the game. I feel so poor.

I think the battles with random people have gotten a little easier too. My husband was level 37 when he went to the Elite 4 for the first time. X_X That has never happened more!!

Some people think the Pokemon have changed too much in appearance as the years have gone by. I personally like the newer, slicker versions of the Pokemon. Charizard was one scary looking dude back in the day!

Soul Silver is completely different from the 1999 Silver version. So while it takes me back I like how there is more to do. In the older games you would just rebattle the Elite Four over and over again. Now there are Pokethlon events and a radio to list to. So while it is the same basic plot there is much more for a player to do.

I hope that Pokemon continues to produce great games like this one. And I also hope that the core fan base for this series doesn't consist only of us who have been there from the start. XD I hope that the younger generation finds Pokemon as fun and interesting as us old folks.

I would continue but I am determined to win the jump portion of the Pokethlon no matter how many stars my Pokemon have in Speed. Wish me luck!

I want to be a winner!!!

Gotta catch them all!

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Whose in your Death Note?

In light (OH SNAP) of this breaking news story I thought it would be fun to make my own Death Note list. Only I won't be dumb enough to actually name names and bring it to school. Do kids not know the art of sneaking stuff into school nowadays? Lazy kids!

This is all meant in good fun. I truly don't mean for anyone to die or suffer a heart attack or be stalked by an invisible apple eating freak. Just simple messing around and letting out frustrations okay? Don't be calling the police on me or thinking I am a psychopath. Just a girl who has moments of RARW and needs to let off steam.

Should we be giving props to teachers for actually understanding what the Death Note was? Or did the students who turned it in told them MOG this is so dangerous? I has questions!

Now just because we are killing people doesn't mean all the rules go flying out the window.

My cat. As I am writing this he puked 8 times. In 8 different spots of course.

A certain singer whose songs are all over the radio and for the life of me I can't figure out why she is popular. Maybe I will glue muppets to myself and I will become popular too.

Old people who drive 25 miles an hour down a 45 mile an hour road.

People who slow down about a mile from where they want to turn until we are barely moving.

People who order 3 dollar lunch specials and try to pay with a 100 dollar bill.

Yanma. My husband got this Pokemon in Heart Gold by simply walking Route 35 ONCE. I have killed, sorry fainted over 130 Pokemon. Statistically I should have accidentally seen one. Wait for the swarm he says....

A certain co-worker. Let's just say I can write a book about the ways he pisses me off. The latest being that he cussed at ME yet my hours got cut to keep the tension low. Makes sense right?

James from Survivor. Oppies I named a name. XD How dare he get my favorite Survivor of all time voted out this season. Love you Stephenie!

The person who lives below me. She is convinced that people LIVE IN THE WALL thus makes tons of noise at night to scare them away. Maybe the noise she hears are the neighbors banging on the wall telling her to shut up?

The character Janet from As the World Turns.

The lady whose pizza I cut into 8 pieces instead of 10 and she wanted me to be fired.

Edward. And Jacob. And Bella. Yay Team Spike!

People who believe that the customer is always right.

The person who started the "wear you pants at your knees" fashion trend.

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Kobato Episode 23-24: Final Episodes!

What is this crap?!??!!!?

I have never typed an episode post with tears in my eyes before. Let’s see how this works shall we!!!

As always I made a mistake. I was not aware that episode 24 of Kobato came out at the same time as episode 23. Had I known that I would have waited until Wednesday night to watch BOTH of the episodes at the same time. But no, not me! I decided lalala MOG EPISODE 23 IS UP MUCH WATCH NOW! Then I find out Oh Hai, episode 24 is also up and it will probably be subbed by the time you come home from work Wednesday afternoon so now you are suffering for nothing. This is my life every single day of the week.

Seeing as refreshing every anime site known to mankind isn’t really working I shall blog episode 23 now. Then when I come home from work Wednesday I shall blog episode 24 and hopefully the mood will be a lot happier. About 2476 percent more happy. Do you hear me CLAMP?! MORE HAPPY!

Spoilers. I has them. You want them.





Kobato is DEAD!

Episode 23 summary:

Her help is not appreciated most of the time....

Kobato is dead. But we don’t know that yet. Kobato has decided to help Fujimoto out in his daily trails since his arm is still busted and there is no nursery to run. Fujimoto is not really keen on this idea as Kobato tags along. Ioryogi also is not very fond of this idea as Kobato needs to get candy and she has spending all her time helping an ungrateful Fujimoto out. She manages to drag him to a park and explains she just wants him to be happy. She tries to row them around a lake but that is made of fail. She tries to feed the fish but he stomps off all moody. Ioryogi warns Kobato again and tries to get a random Kohaku walking by to agree with him. But Kobato says she has made her decision and leaves Ioryogi with Kohaku as she hunts Fujimoto down. She tries to be perky and tells him she cares about him when a messenger bunny appears. She then tells Fujimoto that she can’t spend the day with him tomorrow. He says something like GOOD you annoy me anyway and Kobato just smiles. Fujimoto is an asshole in case someone needs me to point that out to them.

Poor Ioryogi is more depressed than Kobato.

Kobato packs her bags and the next morning tells Chitose that she is moving out. Chitose is sad and wants Kobato to keep in touch with Kobato avoids answering. Ioryogi has flashbacks to the previous day where he is expressing that this is a very bad idea but Kobato has made her decision. Oh by the way Kobato has such a positive attitude with this all it is mind blowing and heart breaking. Kobato packs up all her crap and heads to the park. She says she has no regrets as she was happy to be near Fujimoto. She gets to the park and a bunny appears which pisses Ioryogi off. Kobato shows her bottle of candy not filled all the way and the bunny is like NO SIR. Ioryogi gets more pissed but Kobato calmly tells him this is how it must be. She almost takes off her hat but Fujimoto comes running up yelling and trying to hide his concern for Kobato. Kobato again is ever cheerful about the situation.

OH HAI! I am a jerk!

Ioryogi chooses to talk to Fujimoto, revealing he is a talking plushie and tells Kobato to take off her hat. She does so and reveals that she is dead. Ioryogi explains her situation and that she had created a contract with god to be reborn one more time and try to fulfill her wish. Yet spending time with Fujimoto was more important thus Kobato fails. The bunny traps Kobato in a shield as Kobato cries and tells Fujimoto she was happy. Fujimoto finally gets it through his thick skull how Kobato feels and somehow this heals his heart. His candy is big enough to fill Kobato’s body up which turns all the candy into slug. This means that Kobato isn’t going to die…but that her original wish will be fulfilled and she will have to leave Fujimoto anyway. Did I mention that Kobato is smiling the entire episode?!Ioryogi is truly pissed and tries killing the bunny which is probably a bad idea since he is already in deep doo doo trouble. Kohaku’s voice tries to tell us that things happen for a reason and that CLAMP will not let us down. Kobato says goodbye and Fujimoto goes to hug her. Only she breaks into tiny flower petals and disappears. THE END!

WTF is going on?!

If you watched this episode and didn’t cry…well…I don’t know what’s wrong with you. Watch it again and maybe your eyes will start working correctly or something.

I swear this line gets said in every CLAMP series.

After months of speculation Kobato is dead. Not an angel or a bird but dead. DEAD PEOPLE! I went to drown my tears in sorrow but it turns out ice cream can go bad! Word to all: when ice cream tastes like sand DO NOT CONTINUE EATING THE ICE CREAM!

Fujimoto's candy is special candy apparently.

Now we/I still may be right. Kobato might be a dead angel or a dead bird or a dead Fujimoto’s mother (or sister as I see some people are speculating). And had I waited until both episodes were up I would know the answers to all this mess. But since I didn’t I am just going to have to suffer even longer without only half the puzzle. But at least we know right? We can be happy about that right?
Or not. Since Kobato is DEAD!

A cute crown does not make me feel better!

And don’t try to cute it up CLAMP! A crown?! That cute crown means Kobato is dead?! I hate you. All of you. Only I don’t which pisses me off. It just hurts that this happy, positive girl has been dead the entire series (okay she was temporarily reborn with the threat of being dead again) and yet still felt so strongly for other people. WHY CLAMP WHY!!!!

Also it breaks my heart that the person Kobato was talking about, dying from something minor, was her. Bring on the tears. :(

Why are you making me cry Kobato?! WHY?!

Why Kobato WHY! Why didn’t you spend the rest of the time you had getting all the candy you could get?!?! Oh that’s right. Either way you weren’t going to be with Fujimoto. You were either going to be dead or be at the place you wanted to go. WHY CLAMP WHY?!

Fujimoto is a typical boy. So he fails.

And seriously Fujimoto? Did I hurt your feelings? UM YEAH! You have been hurting her feelings for the past 21 episodes dummy! So don’t you think telling her to leave you alone was rude!? So yeah you hurt her feelings. Granted you didn’t know that she was DEAD and these were her last days with you but still. THANKS FUJIMOTO!

Money is overrated anyway...

Wait there was more to this episode? You mean the first 14 minutes? Oh. Yeah Kobato following Fujimoto was cute but I guess I can see how he got a little irritated with her. Even though in the previous paragraph I screamed at him. Since Kobato used all her time up and she had a month left she spent that entire month helping Fujimoto and his arm? Yeah I could see how that might drive someone who is already antisocial to the breaking point. Neither are at fault of course. Just a frustrating situation.

Stop being so calm!

Did I mention that Kobato is dead? And that CLAMP is special for thinking a magical crown that glows on someone’s head will be hidden by a hat? How about no! And how about we don’t kill Kobato. :( I think this is the most we are going to get out of me. This episode is sad people. Did you see Kobato break into thousand of flower petals! SADNESS FILLS MY EYES! Is it tomorrow already?

Why would you end the episode with this scene?! DO YOU HATE ME?!

BEHOLD IT IS NOW WEDNESDAY! Things are now right in the world but you already know that. Come, take a stroll with me as this day is much better than yesterday.


Episode 24 Summary:

Kobato disappears and all memories/traces of her are erased by the bunny! Some time passes and Fujimoto seems to be less of a jerk now. He almost remembers Kobato when he sees her empty room and tries to remember why he is so depressed. He stops by where the old nursery was and Sayaka and the kids are there. A building is being built and one wonders if that building will have room for a new nursery making that whole plot useless. Fujimoto tries to think of why he could be so depressed. He does his laundry and a piece of Kobato’s candy falls out of his clothes and suddenly he remembers her! Fujimoto rushes around town trying to find someone else who remembers Kobato but he comes up empty. Until he runs into Kohaku.

My memories...they sparkle!

Kohaku invites Fujimoto inside and explains to Fujimoto what happened to Kobato. That a long time ago Kobato died in another world yet was given the chance to be reborn to earn the right to be by the side of her lover once again. While Kohaku doesn’t know where Kobato is now she explains to Fujimoto the basic rules of CLAMP that souls tied together will always be reunited. Fast forward like….10 years in the future. Maybe 8. More than 5 okay! Fujimoto is working at a law office and is asked to go look at an estate that is being passed down from grandfather to granddaughter. He arrives at the country side and finds the old house complete with a piano. He starts to play Kobato’s song and remembers the time they spent together. The granddaughter comes up the lane and starts singing Kobato’s song because OH HAI she is Kobato.

Well...that is Fujimoto being sad....

Fujimoto does his best not to freak out and tells her that song is from a lost love. Kobato wishes him well and sings one more time with him. She starts remembering her past life and starts to cry. Her tear turns into candy and KA-BOOM flower petals. She remembers being Kobato and says that she is so dumb, that the entire time she was trying to get back to him while she was with him! CLAMP style they hug because kissing is overrated people. There are tears and everything is sparkly and wonderful. As Kobato’s song plays the viewer gets to see what all the other character have been up to in whatever number of years have passed. The main preschool kids look around 13 now, Okiura is now running the new nursery with Sayaka, and all the animals…are still animals because Ioryogi is fine watching over Kobato still. It appears that everyone will remember Kobato as the bunny flies around with pink sparkles and all is well. THE END!

Kobato is no longer dead, is on Earth, and is with Fujimoto! CLAMP GAVE US A HAPPY ENDING WOOHOO!!! Fai lives, Kobato lives, CLAMP is on a roll! Now make Kamui and Subaru live and I will love you forever.

That being said…I can see how people may not be happy with this ending. Some people are never happy with good endings. Take Clannad for example. A lot of the fan boys were boohooing and crying in the corner that some MIRACLE happened (apparently they weren’t paying attention to the point of the show) and the do over was a copout. Well those fan boys suck. Happy endings rock okay?! There are plenty of animes that leave half the cast dead on the side of the road. Hell go watch X/1999 if you need a piece of CLAMP + blood=no happy ending. So if you are mad because Kobato lives go far far away.

Now…do I think there is a bit too magical that things worked out and some plot points were forgotten on the side of the road? Yes I do. Like I know this isn’t the manga but I thought a few weeks ago it might have been implied that Kobato might have been really, REALLY important to Ioryogi. But that was never covered.

ALSO I am disappointed that we never got to see where Kobato wanted to go. I know her wish changed to being by Fujimoto’s side and perhaps that was her wish before, just that Fujimoto had been reincarnated from another planet and has no memories of all this not making sense stuff. But I wanted to see the original place Kobato wanted to go to. I wanted to see that Fujimoto. Or that place. Or even how she died.

But if you take a moment to think about it that might not be possible. Let’s say that Fujimoto and Kobato from long ago lived on planet X. Kobato died of something horrible and wanted to have another chance to be with her lover. However while Kobato is in limbo Fujimoto dies as well and is reincarnated on Earth. Kobato goes to Earth and fulfills her contract which means she gets her wish filled. Her wish was never go back to planet X, it was to be with Fujimoto. SOOOOOO Kobato’s wish changed but it really didn’t?

The more I try to explain it the more the melodramatic antics of some of the characters make no sense. Okay I just walked away to make dinner and I thought it over. It makes sense that Ioryogi and Kohaku were sad face because they didn’t know Kobato’s original wish was to be with Fujimoto. They only knew that was her new wish. But still shame on you bunny! For not giving us hope and all that jazz. Things make more sense now that I think about it in CLAMP universe rules. So while it all might seem like a sweet candy filled ending…it is. But it does make sense if you really, really thing about it.

But I am still disappointed that we didn’t see more of Kobato’s past. Also was Kobato 6 when she was in love with adult Fujimoto? That part is kinda creepin me out. X_X

Also I am a bit insane with all the theories I had in my head. See how I was utterly wrong with all of them? I had so many this time I thought I had a good chance of one of them being right! But I was wrong. But I like being wrong.

You're happy with this all?! Crazy Kurogane...errr Ioryogi.

Even if I do think Ioryogi got a pretty bad ending. Of course it looks like he is going to get a really bad ending in the manga so him being happy watching over Kobato might be a good ending. I just thought there would be more about his story and his angel. I think the writers really ran out of time/wasted time and they didn’t cover Ioryogi like they should have. But I guess the real losers are Mr. Bear, Mr. Bird, and Ginsei. Especially Ginsei.

But hello people Kobato is alive!!!! That is all that matters people!

Something doesn't feel right.....

The first part of the episode could have used more Kobato. But since she was off being a teenager in the country side we had Fujimoto. I love how he constantly had thoughts of Kobato and didn’t suddenly remember her. It felt more powerful that he was on the verge of remembering her time after time. To me that signifies that he actually deserves to be with her. Even though he got all his memories back and most of those good times he was not a happy camper. That’s not the point though right? Yay for Fujimoto having strong feelings.

REMEMBER HER NOW!

I also loved how he ran through town panicked about Kobato. I wish he LOOKED for her but at least he did something. Also this proves that all the time he was being rude to Kobato and acting like she annoyed him he really loved her deep down.

Shocking?! Dude we already know this all.

Kohaku really didn’t give us any extra information. In fact Ioryogi gave Fujimoto almost the exact same information three months prior but meh. I wish that Kohaku knew more but then the ending wouldn’t have been as beautiful. I see that some people think that Kohaku should have had a bigger role but I think she did enough. This was about Kobato, not Wish 2…even though it might appear that way. You know, people getting second chances, God appearing to be unfair but really working in everyone’s best interest.

FAIL FUJIMOTO! FAIL!

I think granddaughter Kobato could have acted more Kobato like. Granted she wasn’t on screen that much but she was too laid back. I wanted that happy, goofy laugh. I wanted her to trip over something or talk Fujimoto’s ear off. I also wanted Fujimoto to be more shock to see her and act like this was a big deal! None of this I shall leave and just be happy that you are alive crap. Fight for her Fujimoto!

Kobato also proved that she deserved to be with Fujimoto when she started to remember him while singing. Granted Kobato proved the entire series that she deserved to be with him but that just hammered home all that stuff about destiny, same souls, and that other stuff CLAMP is always singing. And now the song she sang 5876 times makes sense too.

Everyone say AWWWWWWWWWWWW!

JUST A HUG?! Would it kill you to draw a kiss CLAMP?! Do you hate me that much? And Fujimoto, I know you are big and bad and are being all adult like but it’s okay to cry. You waited how many years to be with Kobato, someone you thought might be off on another planet being in love with someone else? It’s okay to smile and not act all tough guy.

I love it. Just truly Kobatoish!

But Kobato wears her heart on her sleeve. Even if she didn’t say I LOVE YOU. I’m back was enough for me. And that epic hug. Loved it!!!

Am I supposed to know the model?

I love that they are still friends. Also no love triangles!

I believe this scene. Only not.

I also love the “let’s see what everyone is doing” ending. This time it actually works as it is set in the future. Also I think the jump is more like 5 years as Granny with the baby has a new baby and the old baby looks 5ish. I loved every second of that closing even if it took away from the fuzzy Fujimoto and Kobato moment.

However the series did end with that hug. Kobato and Fujimoto deserved that moment and if you didn’t have tears in your eyes well people I don’t know what to do with you people! This was touching so you better be crying. I don’t care if you thought this was too happy of an ending you still need to be moved by this moment!!!

So 3000 words later….yeah I liked these last two episodes. Even if I think things were a little rushed and some issues (Ioryogi especially) should have gotten more air I like the ending. I think we all can agree this is a better ending that the original Tsubasa anime okay? So while I think people are going to be more satisfied with the manga ending (which will take its sweet time and cover more of the Ioryogi issue I am sure) the anime ending held its own.

The series as a whole could have done better had there been less fillery moments. You know, less friends of the week and more of the plot. I think at first the anime was trying to stay truthful to the manga and was stalling for time. But then when it became apparent that the manga comes out slower than crap it was a rush to the finish. That being said I enjoyed almost every single episode.

Kobato was my favorite character. Yeah she was a bit too cheerful and optimistic at times, sorta like she was constantly on happy pills. But that is who she is, a CLAMP heroine who sees no evil and only wants love. Also I love her constant outfit changes. She deserved to have her wish granted.

I still think that Fujimoto was a jerk a lot of time and only came to appreciate Kobato after she was gone. But since that is usually how things work in life it is understand Fujimoto regretted his actions. Also I think he protested too much. He surely enjoyed himself despite the angry faces he had all the time.

But now it is all over. We were all hoping that Kobato would be happy and she is. We were hoping that she and Fujimoto would get to be together and now they are. All we have left are the happy memories the show has brought us the past 23 weeks. Seems like such a long time but it really flew by. Every time a show ends it is a mixed feeling. You wait every week to see what happens but then the end comes and you want more. XD We humans are silly.

I enjoyed this show and I hope everyone else who watched it every week did too. Any CLAMP fan should watch this series. And if you are in the mood for a happy magical tale of love and silliness this is the series for you. Watch Kobato, I have commanded it. Thanks for sticking around all these weeks to read my silly theories and thoughts! See ya next series!

Rating: 9/10

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Shakugan no Shana episode Season One and Two review!

The Wizard of Oz? He doesn't have anything on us!!

Last week I spent three whole days watching nothing but Shakugan no Shana. And waiting for Megavideo to let me continue my Shana marathon. It was a good way to spend the week when my husband was away and I wasn’t allowed to play Pokémon just yet (probably why this post is a bit after the fact, Pokémon has taken over my life).

I blogged the first episode and my thoughts on how I thought things were going to turn out. Now it is time to talk about season 1 and 2 as a whole. And maybe the movie. DON’T SEE THE MOVIE! XD Or maybe just the second part of the movie.

This post will have spoilers. A lot of spoilers. And my honest opinion on the storylines, characters, and overall series. So if you have watched this series and want to read someone else’s take on it this post is for you. Or maybe if you are okay with totally spoiling a series for yourself to see if it’s worth watching at all. It is not for those who have not seen the series and want to be totally surprised.

You have been warned! XD

Credits for the screenies go to Random Curiosity and a random website that got lost in the shuffle. Also a bit sad that Random Curiosity is going to stop blogging but real life comes first. :(

Despite Shana's ability to cut you down she is super cute! Bring on the sweet treats!

Shana was exactly how I thought she was going to be during the first season. She was very cold towards Yuji and just saw him as a special Torch/Mystes. She didn’t seem to care about the other Torches that were going to die and saw them only as objects. But she warmed up to Yuji, a little faster than I thought she was going to. She wormed her way into Yuji’s life under the excuse she was just guarding the Hougu within him but soon she was hanging out with Yuji’s friends and becoming jealous of a certain girl. Being as she was raised a little differently than most girls so it was hard for her to recognize what she was feeling was love. She became stronger throughout the first season with her resolve to protect Yuji and by the last episode she was able to admit to Yuji she loved him. Season One Shana was great.

You better pick me after all we have gone through!

Season Two Shana took a major step back from all the progress she had made in Season One. Due to the powers that be Yuji did not hear Shana’s love confession. Because durp durp, what fun would it be without a love triangle/square for Season Two! How dare those Season One people not know that Shakugan no Shana was going to be beyond popular and they needed to make more material for Season Two. So Shana spent most of this season pissed off at Yuji and unable to express herself to him. Why I am not sure. She said it once why couldn’t she say it again? Especially with more competition around. X_X Everything Yuji did pissed her off and there were multiple misunderstandings. Season Two Shana was not as cool or awesome as Season One. It was nice seeing her smile and having fun but her focus wasn’t really on the mission but on how Yuji needed to love her.

Yuji was a bit different than I was expecting him to be. I thought his pity party would last a little longer than…5 minutes? But since he went into damage control right away with his classmate being a nearly dead Torch he didn’t have much me time. Yuji was more of a “gotta help people out” kind of guy. He did think about how weird it would be once he was gone but most of the focus was him trying to spend his time left wisely. Then when he found out he wasn’t ever going to disappear he decided to shift his focus on how he could help out Shana. Maybe Yuji should have shown his vulnerable side a little bit more but overall Season One Yuji was pretty great. A little dense when it comes to a girls and their feelings but pretty good.

Yeah....stop looking at her before you get killed...

Season Two Yuji had some ups and downs. He was very focus on training and becoming stronger. Which I liked. Maybe he got stronger a little faster than I thought he would be I am glad he wasn’t connect on being dead weight/the cheerleader. But Yuji sucked when it came to Kazumi and Konoe (Hecate). I When Kazumi confessed to Yuji he should have been honest with her instead of stringing her along. Yuji should not have trusted/protected Konoe to the extent he did. I am not blaming him for not knowing that Konoe was Hecate but he should have trusted Shana’s judgment more. I think that when Shana got made at Yuji for his reasons for wanting to leave town that was a bit iffy. I chalk that up to being a boy and usually saying the wrong things. But Yuji shined in the last episode. Without his powers he was able to help Shana out proving without his Hougu he is still a strong person. So Season Two Yuji grew in some areas but acted slow in others. Like a normal teenager.

Sucks to be you!

Kazumi was bleh in both seasons. She always felt like the sixth wheel and waste of space. XD But I suppose a series needs two love interests right? Whatever would we do if two people liked each other without someone on the sides plotting to destroy their happiness! That being said Kazumi sucked as a love rival. She never really had a chance, what with Shana and Yuji sharing something so special and life altering. I wish she would have backed off when she realized that she was never going to be a part of their world but then I would have hated her for being a giver upper. I don’t know why Khamsin choose her out of a city of people to do whatever it was she did but now Kazumi has a reason to be in the know. I doubt if she uses the Hougu that Pheles she will die. She might nearly die but she is far too important (not my opinion, just observing) to the series to kill off. Although I wish she would XD

I think he knows that something is up but doesn't know how to bring it up.

I feel bad for Ike. He and Ogata are the only ones out their little group that don’t know about the Torch/Guze world. I think Ike tries very hard to maintain his relationship with his friend despite them growing farther a part due to the world being in danger. I do wish he did a better job at trying to court Kazumi so she would be out of Yuji’s hair. Ike suffers from best friend during peaceful times syndrome. He will be left behind eventually and it is no one’s fault.

Ogata doesn’t have it quite as bad as Ike as Eita eventually chooses her. She does seem to know something is going on in her town but trusts things will work out. Perhaps part of her doesn’t want to dig any deeper as a way of protecting her own understanding of the world. But I found her to be a cheerful and fun character. She was necessary for the plot in my eyes.

Love is a funny thing...

Satou was a bit all over the place with me. According to Wiki his character was really changed from the manga to the anime so maybe that is why I have mixed feelings about him. I do think it was odd that Margery randomly picked two people getting beat up to be her henchmen. I myself would go with the stronger ones but that is just me. His one-sided rivalry with Yuji made no sense but that’s fine. At least Satou was trying to be useful to his drunken Flame Haze. It was weird watching him interact with all his other classmates as he did not seem the type to care about outings and stuff. But since apparently he was supposed to be more friendly in the manga that could explain the discrepancy. I do like how he was so affected when Margery left them and I am sure there is a love issue that will happen between the two of them in season two.

I support his decision. He is protecting what is most important to him the best he can.

Tanaka was a bit unnecessary at times. It was almost like he and Satou could have been one person and the results would have been the same. But who wants to skip school alone? It is good he had a friend. However in season two it became apparently why he was around. He was there to show us that not everyone is down for saving the world after learning the truth about Torches and stuff. He and Satou experienced the same events and yet both of them reacted differently to them. Satou choose to stay with Margery while Tanaka pulled back and wanted to go back and try to experience a normal life. It was understandable that after seeing Margery nearly kill his girl he wasn’t onboard the Margery train anymore but it is also understandable why Satou wanted to stay and help prevent that from happening again. Tanaka is necessary to show us that some people aren’t up for saving the world and that is perfectly okay.

Chigusa and Kantaro only exist to make Shana feel more a part of the family and to show Shana what it is like to be human. Chigusa was very harsh on her son at times but took a lot of crap from others which confused me. Also the confession after Chigusa reveals she is pregnant makes me go X_X. The fact that Yuji is a twin makes me wonder if the “real” Yuji didn’t die at birth as well and that Yuji has always been a Torch thus he has always been real. Also I wonder about the other baby and if somehow that fact won’t reveal itself later in the next season to be important.

Everyone's favorite drunk woohoo!

Margery was a bit hit and miss with me at times. But I realize most of the time she annoyed me was when she was being used for fanservice so that is a bit unfair. I wish she didn’t get drunk all the time but if I had a crappy past I might drink away my blues too. Margery is a little similar to Shana in the fact she doesn’t really care about humans/Torches as much as she cares about the Balance. And even then she was more concerned about killing the baddies and finding Silver. In the second season when she goes insane I think that was a bit much given how she had progressed during both seasons but again she has been put through a lot. She could have been more apologetic to Tanaka after she squished hid girlfriend though. I am glad she stayed in town even though this ruins the whole Flame Haze’s work alone deal. Naturally that means everyone gathers in the same place and somehow lives in peace.

Even though Wilhelmina hates her boyfriend she will never stop protecting Shana.

Wilhelmina was a bit harsh at times. Again that comes from the fact that she has been around for a long time and has become jaded to the plight of humans. They are not there to save lives, they are there to keep the balance in check. That being said she didn’t need to be that gunho about killing Yuji. I get that he is major danger but let’s work towards a solution that keeps people alive. But I guess killing him would be the easiest way to solve the problem right? I liked Wilhelmina’s funny antics and cooking disasters. A little more expression when she got the crap beat out of her would have been nice but meh.

I am still a little bit confused on what exactly the Crimson Lords were supposed to be. Are they baddies with a conscious or simply beings from the same world as the baddies who wish to work towards peace? Never could get whole was a monster and who was a Flame Haze down. This series wasn’t great at explaining things at times.

Alastor was annoying at times but I chalk that up to him being around forever and being harsh sometimes gets results. Save many at the expense of a few. His hatred towards Yuji is only kept at bay due to Shana. I don’t doubt for a second if he could he would off Yuji. Marchosias entertained me the entire way through. He snarked Margery when she deserved it and helped her out when she needed it. And dude he was a magic carpet! Tiamat who? Yeah she was boring. Nothing to see here.

This is the mood for most of Season two. Yay?

I think Season one was stronger than Season two. Season two was almost a set up for Season Three while Season one was made to be stand alone. Season two didn’t end with anything resolved except that Yuji might have picked Shana (if he understood what it meant to truly pick one of the girls). There was also more danger and to the point action in Season one than two. But it was nice to see the characters have fun in Season two and not worry every second of the day. Sometimes that was overshadowed by the Shana angry at Yuji for being a dumb boy plot though.

Creepiest baddies were the brother and sister team. They were making out all the time and looked like small children which made the incest factor even more X_X. They were also not flushed out well as characters. Like what were they after? Sorath wants a sword? Tiriel will help her brother get a sword even if that causes her death? Yeah they sucked as baddies.

Friagne was killed way too soon. I thought he was going to be a big part of the series and he was killed off by the 6th/7th episode. I think he had more potential than that. He had the bad guy thing down and I thought maybe there was a spark of hope in him. But he was smushed off rather easily. I wonder what happened to all the Hougu has had.

More of them next time please!

I think my favorite baddie from Season two was Pheles. That being said she wasn’t very bad. XD Funny how that works. I understand the reasoning behind her wanting to kill Yuji but she will be considered by the rest of the group to be a potential danger. I hope there is more of her later in Season three as she and Johan brought something fresh (briefly though) to the series.

Truly I will get everyone killed.

I am not considering the Bal Masque as they were all over the place and still baddies. Or maybe we still don’t know what they were up to and the events we have seen are tiny little pieces in their big plans. Hecate will probably be their downfall when that happens while Bel Peol will be killed without fanfare. More details are needed on these people before I make my final opinion about them

Overall I thought the art was great. I don’t remember thinking um, ew someone took the day off when it came to that scene. The music was also pretty spot on towards whatever mood they were trying to set at the time.

This series was not perfect for me but then again nothing ever is perfect. XD I do think that Season two could have been stronger had they actually been focusing on that season instead of how to milk more money from this franchise.

Shana has flame wings. The only way this series could reach more people is if there were mechas involved.

But the characters were pretty likeable, the plot (from what I could understand of it, stupid terms) made sense most of the time, and the silly antics were enjoyable. You could see where most of the characters were coming from most of the time so it was hard to categorize them as a baddie or a unfriendly comrade. They simply were themselves. I also think this series did a great job focusing on the emotional aspect of all the drama going on instead of just AWESOME FIGHT SCENES.

We have each other and that's all that matters.

In closing this series is for anyone and everyone. There is magic, hot girls, PLOT, romance, action, and real human emotions. Yes it takes a while for all the terms to make sense and at times you want to scream when characters make wrong decisions but overall the experience was very positive. Maybe not so much the movie which reminded me of Endless Eight. But I would recommend this series to anyone as it works well with all audiences. Shakugan no Shana was a great way to spend three days alone with no Pokémon! So if you find yourself bored anytime in the near future you should take the time and invest in this series. Shana and her crew are worth the time and effort.

Rating: 9/10.

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