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ファイト／ステイナイト 
For someone who spends the majority of his time discussing anime and animation, I seem to have a difficulty recognizing what is animated and what is real. When I first boot up Metal Gear Solid 4, I wondered why the eggs that a character called Sunny fries look so real. I really thought that the eggs are actually CGI but as it turns out, they are actually a film of real eggs that have been superimposed on top of the CGI. During the intro, I saw a bunch of characters that look like real humans but I wasn't sure if they are real or they are CGI that looks too close to reality until I saw David Hayter (Snake's English voice actor) as one of the character included. The same thing now happens with the new anime, Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto - Natsu no Sora (What's important for a magic user - Summer sky), otherwise known as Someday's Dreamer - Summer Sky. When I first saw the backgrounds, I thought they are real-life pictures. However, due to discussion between several posters, I now wonder if the backgrounds are actually CGIs that simply look life-like.
OP Theme: 「Fly Away」 by THYME - AVI version (25.6MB) | PSP version (11.7MB)
This is a rather interesting series and yet I'm still on the fence about it. This mostly got to do with the mixture of live-action and animation. It feels weird looking at it even though the live action scenes are very beautiful at times. In addition to this, at least in the first episode, the focus has been changed from the main character to her helping another character in need. I have to admit that I dislike this particular element of the original Someday's Dreamer. It's especially unfortunate to happen on this series because unlike the original, I feel that the main characters from this series are far more interesting. Because of this, I hope things will change in the second episode and will focus a lot more on Sora and her new friends. At any rate, let me know what you think of this first episode.
Well, here it is, the final episode of the first season. I think the series has been an okay adaptation so far. The adapted character design is good but it's clearly hard to keep up with the quality. I hope that the second season have better budget and better animation to boot. The OP and ED songs are surprisingly good and fit the series really well. They are definitely one of the better elements of the series. I also think that the voice acting, despite some inconsistencies are generally okay. My main concern is where things will go from here. I don't think that the writers should rush season 2 if the manga is still not complete. I was a bit concerned with the last few minutes of the episode but after thinking about it, I don't think this will have much impact on the storylines that haven't been told yet.
I don't know how BONES does it on a week by week basis but I'm surprised that even after one cour, the animation still looks consistently good. I mean it's not difficult to find other series where the animation has gone downhill very quickly even after the first episode. Maybe that ka-ching injections from Square-Enix does make all the difference. In other note, I thought the new ED theme will be included starting from this episode but that doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe it'll be released next week to coincide with all of the new episodes that will be released soon. I just hope that the new ED will be better than the current one because I can't tell if there's actually some kind of semblance of rhythm with the current ED.
This is slightly better than episode 11 mostly because it's filled with actions and surprising twist. There's also a good character development for Zero here and the story actually moves forward. At least now Kaname actually has some kind of purpose in the story apart from being a mysterious guy who saved Yuuki a few years ago. Although after watching this episode, I wonder how the writers will conclude the series this season. IIRC, the story that comes after this one is a rather minor story involving the council of ancients. I think that's a story that can easily be solved in one episode. In that case, I guess the first season will just end like a normal episode. The difference is that instead of waiting for one week for the next episode, the viewers have to wait for one season to watch the next episode.
Quantum of Solace - Teaser Trailer (Quicktime, various size) | YouTube version
Obviously this post has nothing to do whatsoever with anime so if you only like anime, feel free to skip this one. For everyone else, EON finally released the teaser trailer for James Bond 007's latest movie, Quantum of Solace. First thing first, if you're wondering about the title, the meaning is simple: a little comfort. It refers to what Bond probably would want after the incident that happened in the previous Bond installment, Casino Royale. It's unfortunate that Eva Green won't be in this film since she was really fantastic in Casino Royale. However, Gemma Arterton (St.Trinian's) and Olga Kurylenko (Hitman) are pretty good choices for Bond girls as well. The trailer looks pretty good as well, IMO. I was concerned that the writers will turn Bond into a perfect Ken doll now that he's a fully-fledged agent. Much to my relief, the guy still bleeds and gets bruised from his fight just like in Casino Royale. And with Craig acting as Bond, I hope the storyline holds up as well. I don't think there's anything else I can say but hit the cut for tons of screencaps of the trailer.
This is a return to the usual fun episodes that comes after 3 or 4 serious ones. As usual, I actually prefer this kind of episode since it's usually when the writers excel at their game. Plus, they can still insert some surprising moments in between so as far as I'm concerned, this kind of episode is a win-win situation. Anyway, this episode marks the return of a character that I thought was dead a long time ago. What surprised me is that some people actually already know about it way in advance even before the second series went on air. Maybe I just don't bother to keep up with all of the spoilers but the first season's finale kind of gave the impression that she bit it big time. Come to think of it, I noticed that the second season doesn't really give Lelouch too many new opponents. Gino and Anya are supposed to be his new enemies but they don't pose much of a treat due to their personalities. Although after what Anya discovers in this episode, I wonder if she'll become a bigger problem for Lelouch.
I meant to write this 2 weeks ago but obviously that didn't happen because I had more pressing thing to attend to. Unfortunately this means that I'm now 4 episodes behind, or rather, 3 episodes behind now that I've completed this one. I'm sorry for the brief summary but I can't possibly complete the series if I do my usual long-winded summary. Besides, I'm sure most people have already seen the episode and don't see the need to read the plot. Overall, I don't find this episode to be as enjoyable as the others but it's probably because the mood between all of the characters are so awkward. I think I've said this before but this is a good example as to why sharing a house with people that you have a crush on is not a good idea. When things unravel, things become uncomfortable and sooner or later, someone has to move to make things right again. Moreover, there's no telling what will happen to the friendship afterwards.
This has to be one of the worst ever episode for the series when it comes to character design. My analysis back in the first episode about how the character design can easily turns ugly in the hands of lazy animators turns out to be correct. When I see an episode like this, I wonder if it's because the budget is so small that the animators refuse to labor on their craft more than necessary or if they just lose interest in what they do. It's probably hard for animators to be excited about each series that they do so I wonder at what point does the hobby turns into nothing more than a job that needs to be completed. Anyway, for some reason Ichiru sounds a lot like Zero in this episode so does this mean Miyano Mamoru voices both characters? That would be weird but kind of amusing as well since both are supposed to be twins. Ichiru sounds more like Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club though, albeit an evil one.
I've been very reluctant to jump on to the HD bandwagon mostly because my television is still SDTV and a good HDTV will cost me a lot of money. Besides, I often wondered if it's worth it, since the majority of games don't look that impressive or HD-like, IMO. I actually tried to fight the urge to buy this particular console and I'm still suffering from a little bit of buyer's remorse. However, I really wanted the Hagane (Gun Metal) version of PS3 so I figure this is a good excuse to jump into the HD market. Much to my delight, it's totally worth it. The picture looks unbelievable even though my TV is only SDTV. As for MGS4, I've always wanted to play a game where the storyline is seamless with the game and this game offers that exact experience. I know a lot of people dislike having long cut scenes in their game but I love it since the enjoyment that I derive from a game is not only from its interactivity but also from the story that it is trying to tell. Without a story, a game will feel kind of hollow and an unfulfilling experience for me. Besides, it's really hard to tell where the cut scenes end and when the game starts in MGS4. The transition between the two elements is so smooth that it's impressive.
