Lucky Star Konata and Kagami Nendoroids Chara-Ani version

I actually just collected this yesterday, when I pre-ordered it back in September 07. I admit they look nice, really nice, and they really wanna reawaken the dormant otaku blood in me, but I need to show some restraint. With my poor financial situation and my lack of otaku-geekiness now, I should probably sell these.

Damage: $90 each

Verdict: SELL

Evangelion Unit 01 Model

This was kind of an impulse buy for me a few months ago. It took me only one night and one morning to finish assembling it, without spray painting and the detailings of course. Its not as nice without the spray and the decals and filing and buffing, but then again, I’m not so hardcore into these anyway.

Damage: $56

Verdict: SELL

Yuki Nagato Puzzle

Like the previous, an impulse buy for me. I never got around to actually opening it, since I don’t have time to do jigsaw puzzles and I’m not really a Yuki fan now, though I still think she’s the coolest character ever to appear in Suzumiya Haruhi.

Damage: $23

Verdict: SELL

Eiko Shimamiya: Hikari Nadeshiko

A rare full length album from Eiko Shimamiya, the obaasan from I’ve(KOTOKO’s from I’ve too!), I pre-ordered this a months back, and I’ve only listened to it once. The album was pure suckiness, and I only liked two songs out of the entire album. I’d rather loop JayChou than listen to this crap.

Damage: $60

Verdict: THROW

The above items are all in mint condition(except for the Eva Model of course), and if anyone is interested in buying, they’re going for 80% of the orginal price mentioned up there. Singapore buyers only!

Tears came close. Pretty close, but not that overpowering. The ending was kind of expected I guess. It makes sense, since FFVII:CC is just the prequel to the original FFVII, and so at some point in time we know ‘he’ is going to die! The various familiar scenes just makes it all the more painful: the truck, the Shinra troops, the famous cliff overlooking Migard(remember the cliff where the buster sword laid in FFVII:AC?)

Thats the ending CGI scene. Its perfectly okay to watch it, because it doesn’t give anything away. Its what we know back even before FFVII:CC is released. That ‘he’ died.

I’m not going to be a perfectly perfect perfectionist and complete the game in hard mode with all missions cleared, because frankly I believe its a waste of time to replay a game for no story at all.

Currently in the process of obtaining FFVII for psp, hahaha! Even though the graphics sucks, I guess I’ll play through to see the story of what is generally known as the best Final Fantasy game in existence(storywise).

On top of these, I’ll be catching up on some older drama series like Gokusen and Honey and Clover. Yeah, I do have alot of free time on hand.

PS: Don’t be too expectant on a review of the anime listed above. I’m just too lazy nowadays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryH1TB4gEUY

Very nice video of DOA girls vs FF girls. I don’t play these two games myself, but still, the animation is fluid, the details are there, the fight cheorography is nice too.

Only downside is that youtube quality sucks. Still looking for a higher resolution video!

Kaoru Utsumi, a rookie detective who has just been reassigned to the criminal division, finds her investigation of her first murder case stalled by the seemingly supernatural phenomenons surrounding the event. She seeks help from Shunpei Kusanagi, a senior detective at the police headquarter, who introduces her to his college buddy and an associate professor at Teito University, Manabu Yukawa. Yukawa is a tall, handsome, and brilliant man who is interested in nothing but physical science, while Utsumi is a hot-blooded girl with a strong sense of justice. Together, the odd pair solves many difficult and seemingly impossible crimes with their individual talents.

Lifted directy from wikipedia.

I actually liked this drama quite alot, because it was a refreshing change from all the romance dramas I’ve been chewing on. Think of it as similar to Trick. I am especially impressed by the way the plot moves, the killing techniques and how everything is related to physics.

There’s also a running gag in the series, in which Yukawa will have a sudden burst of inspiration and scribble equations on whatever surface he can find, even though some problems doesn’t need equations at all! Some include stone on the wall, writing on condensation on car windows, carving into wood. It seemed lame after a few times, but still, I did look forward to the inventive ways on how he can do his scribbling!

All in all, its a very nice drama, something that will appeal to those who love thrillers and detective stories. Actually, even if you don’t, you’ll be drawn to the science and mysteries in this drama. Thats why, take a look at it!

In fact, the movie IS like the anime. Its just an alternate retelling. Some of the differences I made out was

• the first battle was fully shown, instead of in the anime where Shinji recollected it.
• the movie did not show Shinji almost leaving at the train station
• Shinji and Misato got to see Lilith( I don’t think this part was in the anime)
• and of course, the brilliantly animated Operation Yashima

There were probably more, but I watched the anime quite some time back on youtube, and memory seems to be failing me now.

I was actually rather bored in the beginning, where most of the things were just replay. Things started to get interesting only in the later part.

Going back to Operation Yashima, it was definitely an eyefest. The CG was nicely done, the shapeshifting of the Angel was a refreshing change. It sure beats the original version, where the Angel was just a dumb piece of tetrahedron drilling from one of its corner and shooting beams from another. Much more detail was put into assembling, charging and placement of the Eva and the rifle. For some weird reason I love the tech speak and clanking of machinery LOL.

The final scenes were kinda shocking. Seele and Kaworu had some sort of a pact?

All the more to look forward to the next installation then. Asuka!

I liked how the series has ended. It wasn’t very romance oriented, rather, the theme was more on family. I got rather shocked when Tomoya confessed to Nagisa in the end though. He didn’t seem like that kind of a person!

On a side note, I managed to get my copy of KOTOKO’s Blaze today! Blaze sounded good to me, just a bit mellow for my taste. Sociometry was kinda a love hate song. I thought it sounded a bit too disco-like(can’t find a better word), but I did like the tune of it.

On another side note, Mami Kawada’s Savia is gonna be released tomorrow, but it won’t be till 2nd April( or later) before I receive it, because I ordered it with Eiko’s Hikari Nadeshiko. Yeah, I’m scrimping on shipping, and I’m pretty broke already! No matter, I’ll download preview Savia first thing tomorrow!

Crap, I forgot. There’s work tomorrow.

Dealing with real life.

Work is too consuming. I live in the west, yet I have to travel an hour to the east daily for my work. And when I do get home, I’m pretty much too drained to do anything. I don’t get the drive to download and watch anime even. Thats gonna change however, since I’ll be quitting my job and moving to one at my alma mater, as a lab technician. Its 5 mins from my house, so I should have more time on my hands now. Time I should make better use of. I’ve been plagued with issues the past few weeks too, of relationship, family, work, colleagues, friends. Hopefully I can resolve all of them soon enough.

As for anime, I expect a revival when I start my new job, or when I go back to Uni. Currently the only ones I’m watching are Hayate no Gotoku and Kimikiss( down to two!). I don’t even know whats on the upcoming season. Somehow I just can’t be the anime otaku I used to be. I don’t scream at the sight of Haruhi, I don’t see the point in figurines, and I’m starting to feel anime is expendable now.

So I’m afraid, guys, don’t expect too much over here. Its gonna be even more spastically updated from now on.

Ciao.

Clannad - Cause everybody’s watching it?

Hayate no Gotoku - Sanzenin Nagi. Tsundere rocks.

Kimikiss - Romance and catfights(soon to come).

True Tears -  Isurugi Noe. I realise I watch anime for the characters.

And thats all! Pretty pathetic huh? I wonder what will become of this blog.

Was watching CLANNAD and SHUFFLE! today
and it gets depressing when the main character has to choose which girl he goes with

I realised, the reason I didn’t like CLANNAD as much as Kanon was, Kanon takes the story one arc at a time, with the male character’s attention focused on one girl. On the other hand, CLANNAD brings out all the girls together, excluding Fuuko of course. The end of episode 18 was kind of sad for me as well, when the other girls come to the realisation that they can never take Nagisa’s place.

CLANNAD is not the only anime that employs this cruel plot. SHUFFLE, the D.C. franchise, and many others also pit the girls against one another, and what makes it all the more heart heart-wrenching is the fact that the end result is already predetermined.

Maybe its my nature of hating to make choices, but I do prefer animes which are more relaxed in nature, with much less competition between girls. Two is alright, like Kimikiss, but I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the breakfast scene from CLANNAD 18.