Undercover

Put two and two together… this spy is now four!

hazy — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:07:04 +0000

** Undercover will most likely stay on hiatus for the rest of 2011. Though I might drop by every now and then to post something should I ever find the time (and the will) to do so. Thanks! **

And so, despite the utter lack of blogging activity on my part, Undercover turned 4 years old on the 3rd of June! Hurray~ And yes, I’m still alive and kicking.

Nothing new, really. I only managed to publish one post for the entire year (well two, if you include this), and it wasn’t even about anime (but it was for a good cause!) I’ve been either too busy or too lazy to write anything or finish any of my half-baked drafts lined up in my dashboard’s posts menu. Anyway, here’s the usual stuff: Stats, a new header, and some goals that I hope to achieve by year’s end.

Top 10 Posts (June 2010- June 2011)

Top 10 Search Terms

Haha, seriously. “Crossdress” is still one of the popular search terms all because I mentioned it in a Hayate no Gotoku! entry I posted during my rookie year in the blogosphere. xD So, here’s a little something to satisfy the crossdress searchers:

1. darker than black hei	1,067
2. hei darker than black	638
3. darker than black season 2	505
4. crossdress	474
5. happy meal	396
6. detective conan bourbon	375
7. hei	373
8. bourbon conan	272
9. bourbon detective conan	241
10. anime crossdress	214

And who’s the most popular of them all? A number of people are still curious about Hei and Darker than Black. Oh, the happy meal? Um, it was merely because of some Detective Conan stuff I got three years ago from a happy meal at McDonald’s.

Welcome to 8.0! Abe, Mihashi, Momokan, and the rest of the Nishiura guys from Ookiku Furikabutte will be gracing Undercover’s header until December (or next June).

What’s the plan? I’ll TRY to keep the staples alive: Anime season previews, anime series overviews, OP/ED themes posts, first impressions, and random babbles. A review/summary for Moribito book 2 (Guardian of the Darkness) is among the drafts I’m hoping to finish and post in a few weeks or so. I’m planning to re-read the book soon, so I’ll aim to finish that first. Series overviews for xxxHolic, Toshokan Sensou, Ookiku Furikabutte, Cross Game and a couple of J-drama digests are on the way — that is, if I manage to find my handwritten notes about those. I know they’re here somewhere in my room or desk… The episode summaries for the Darker than Black OVAs included in the season 2 DVDs are also planned, along with the way overdue summary for episode 2 of the Switch OVA (I plan on catching up and watching them by the end of 2011).

Honestly, I’ve been distant and out-of-the-loop with anime lately. The last series I’ve seen and completed watching were Giant Killing and Working!! I haven’t seen any new (or old) series since. I’ve been meaning to finish up a draft or two. Really! But I tend to get easily distracted by real life stuff… like work, a book to read, more work, marathoning or watching a TV series on my rare spare time, going out with friends, listening to music, still more work, or attending to social and family obligations.

Regarding the one and only post I did so far for 2011 (excluding this)… It was when the tsunami/earthquake hit Japan. Speaking of which, that post is still up, and Japan still needs our help with their recovery efforts. If you can, please do lend them a hand. Even the smallest act of kindness can go a long way. (^_^)b

On a related note, a friend and I went on a trip to Japan during the last two weeks of May. I was actually planning to blog about that… a brief travel diary or something, but I was too tired and too busy enjoying the trip, so I didn’t actually get around to writing about it. Maybe one of these days…

Oh well, I don’t wanna force myself to do any blogging because I don’t want it to become and feel like a pain-in-the-behind kind of chore. It’s supposed to be fun! (at least that’s how I see it) I want to actually be inspired or motivated and be enthusiastic to post something, not merely because I need to fill some space. So in the meantime, I think I’ll just keep my low profile, carry on with life, and post something when the mood strikes me. Hopefully, sooner than later.

For the past 4 years, there’s been 212,600+ views, 1100+ comments, and 203 posts. Not much, but they’re more than enough to make me glad just knowing that UC has come that far.

THANK YOU for continuing to visit Undercover, despite the lack of updates! ^_^

See you around~

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credit: Yukiko icon by ushitora icons

Sticky: Japan Needs Our Help and Prayers

hazy — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:01:20 +0000

On March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake that triggered a devastating tsunami and a nuclear crisis. Now facing the aftermath of these disastrous events, Japan needs all the help we can offer, no matter how small it may be.

Here’s a list of links to some ways in which we can help the relief and recovery efforts in Japan:

Japanese Red Cross Society - if you wish to send your donations directly to the Japanese Red Cross Society.
Network for Good - a list of humanitarian and nonprofit organizations that are accepting donations for emergency relief efforts in Japan.
GlobalGiving - connects you to over 1,000 pre-screened grassroots charity projects around the world. It’s an efficient, transparent way to make an impact with your giving. It currently set up a fund that will support organizations providing relief and aid to victims in Japan.

Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières – an international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe.
Google Crisis Response Page for the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami - lists quick links for donation, resources and other useful information.
GreaterGood.org – partners with and funds leading nonprofit organizations around the world in order to alleviate poverty and hunger, promote peace, address cancer and other widespread health problems, foster literacy and provide education, preserve vital habitats in peril, and provide protection and care to vulnerable animals.
Animal Refuge Kansai (ARK) – animals need help too. ARK is appealing for help for the animals made homeless by the earthquake and tsunami which devastated the Tohoku-Pacific area in northern Japan.
Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support – a coalition of three animal welfare groups in Japan: HEART-Tokushima, Animal Garden Niigata and Japan Cat Network. This is a link to the Facebook page that they created for their efforts. Funds from donations will be used directly for animal rescue and support.
Save the Children – they’ve set up a Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund to support Save the Children’s relief efforts and responses to children’s ongoing and urgent needs. You can also help make a difference by supporting all the work that Save the Children does to help children in need in the U.S. and around the world.
World Society for the Protection of Animals
The Salvation Army
World Vision
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

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People from the Japanese music industry are also participating in the recovery and relief efforts. One of such activities is the JACK IN THE BOX 義援金プロジェクト (JACK IN THE BOX CHARITY PROJECT) by artists and management of the MAVERICK DC GROUP in cooperation with the Federation of Music Producers of Japan (FMPJ). The charity will be active from MARCH 14 to APRIL 30, 2011.

NOTE: Kindly check MAVERICK DC’s official site for donation details and updates: http://www.maverick-dci.com/ (in Japanese). An English translation of the text is posted at an LJ community of ~~my favorite J-rock band~~ L’Arc~en~Ciel (the band is part of the MAVERICK DC family).

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**For residents of the Philippines:The Philippine Red Cross has launched an SMS campaign for donations to Japan. You can give monetary donations through text to the Philippine Red Cross, who will direct the donations to the Japanese Red Cross Society. This service is available to Smart and Globe subscribers. Here’s a link for details and instructions: http://www.redcross.org.ph/news/175

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credit: icons made by Kalliope Icons and deadweasel icons

partners with and funds leading nonprofit organizations around the world in order to alleviate poverty and hunger, promote peace, address cancer and other widespread health problems, foster literacy and provide education, preserve vital habitats in peril, and provide protection and care to vulnerable animals.

Two steps forward, one step back, another year survived!

hazy — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:38:11 +0000

**Note: Work is totally taking so much of my time since we’re understaffed in the office. I write all day at work and I just feel too drained to think and write/blog whenever I get home lately. Hence, Undercover will be on hiatus for a while. I might pop in now and then to post something should I find the time and will to do so. Thanks~ **

Man, time flies by quickly, doesn’t it? Undercover is now 3 years old! Booyah~

Like my previous anniversary post, I’ll include a brief stats summary for the year that was and a quick preview of things to come. And of course, having a new header is my self-imposed requirement to mark this yearly occasion. ^_^

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Top posts and pages:

Top search terms and related terms:

darker than black, hei, darker than black ova (season 2, episode guide, episode 26)
detective conan, bourbon, okiya subaru, detective conan manga, black organization, detective conan spoilers, detective conan end
cross dress anime, hayate crossdress (I think it’s because of my episode summaries for episodes 23 and 25 of Hayate no Gotoku!)
happy meal, mcdonald’s philippines (just because of my Detective Conan happy meal post)
the abuse of greatness is when it disjoins… (from Eden of the East post)
la corda d’oro secondo passo
minami-ke
honey and clover drama
lovely complex episode summary
anime preview, 2008 anime

Lol, I still get a lot of hits from “hayate crossdress” as a search term. It’d be a shame if they won’t be able to find anything related to that. So here you go. xD ;P

Some amusing search terms:

crossdress paradise (lol, wut?)
guild wars 2 character art (I don’t even have a single post about this game 8D)
suou pavlichenko cosplay help (lol)
garten j-drama (???! I miss Memento)
demondog14 (huh?)
kidnapped and tried to crossdress (xD)
lemons dipped in honey (lol, probably looking for a recipe? too bad he/she got directed to my lovely complex episode summary summary – Koizumi made it for Otani in ep 17 :3)
revenge “dress him” (someone plotting a revenge? ahahaha)
psgels toradora (oops, wrong site :3)
book character design (probably because of my Moribito book 1 post)
casshern pics
fangirl squee
bat beautiful undercover (a beautiful spy with a baseball bat? )

Welcome to version 7.0! Watanuki, Doumeki, and the enigmatic Yuuko from xxxHolic will grace Undercover’s header until December.

So, what’s coming? Of course, the staples will remain: Anime season previews (Summer preview is in the works), anime series overviews, OP/ED themes posts, first impressions, and random babbles. A review/summary for Moribito book 2 (Guardian of the Darkness) is also on the way. It’s already in the drafts folder, so I’ll try not to be too lazy when I have days off work and finish that draft. Same goes with the series overviews for xxxHolic, Toshokan Sensou, Ookiku Furikabutte, Cross Game and a couple of J-drama digests. A fangirl post about Takagi x Satou from Detective Conan is also halfway done. The episode summaries for the Darker than Black OVAs included in the season 2 DVDs are also on the way, along with the long overdue summary for episode 2 of the Switch OVA (I plan on catching up and watching them this month). There also might be a series of special random fangirl babble posts this month (probably something to do with L’Arc~en~Ciel, seiyuu, and stuff). We’ll see how that pans out. I’m also thinking of catching up with Eden of the East, but that may take a while since I’m still stuck on episode 5. Maybe I’ll just wait until all the movies are done (how many movies are there again? Two?).

I had a bit of a setback with my blogpost plans for the previous year, so most of what’s coming are just restatements of that plan. ^^;; My schedule and workload is still crazy, but I’m quite certain that I’d be able to stick with updating the blog with weekly/monthly blog posts whenever I get some downtime. I’ll keep it at my pace so I won’t get burned out and still find enjoyment in anime blogging for (hopefully) more years to come.

For the past 3 years, it’s been 170,000+ views, 1000+ comments, and 200+ posts. They’re not big numbers, but they’re more than enough to make me glad just knowing that Undercover has come that far.

~THANK YOU for your continued support! ^_^

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**header texture by hybrid genesis, Yuyu Hakusho/Kurama icon from loveanime18

Notable OP/ED themes: Spring 2010

hazy — Mon, 10 May 2010 12:43:50 +0000

Yet another OP/ED themes post, this time for the Spring 2010 season. Please note that this is quite subjective list as it’s ranked according to my preference, followed by randomly listed titles as “special mention.”

~ Format :: “Song title” by band/artist (OP#/ED# – anime series title)

My Top 5 OP/ED themes this Spring:

1. “Natsuzora” by Galileo Galilei (OP#1 – Ookiku Furikabutte ~Natsu no Taikai-hen~)
– watch: anime OP — music video

- Really nice song. Catchy beat too. The band’s sound is pretty good. I like the vocalist’s voice and I simply love the high notes~♫

I think I’ll check out and listen to their other songs sometime. ^^

2. “CALLING” by FLOW (ED#1 – HEROMAN)
– watch: anime ED — music video

- Nice song. Love the beat and the guitars, especially in the instrumental part of the song. I’ve heard several of FLOW’s songs and I do like most of them.

The PV has the boys jamming around in an empty warehouse. I found it fun to watch them jumping around, though.

3. “Shisou Densha” by CureaL 「 チュール」 (ED#1 – Ookiku Furikabutte ~Natsu no Taikai-hen~)
– watch: anime ED — music video

– Very nice melody and I just love the music~ particularly the guitar and bass phrases, which I thought meshed really well together (best heard in the intro and instrumental parts of the full song/music vid).

The band is a duo of Shigematsu Kenta (guitar) and Sakai Yurie (bass, vocals). Yurie has a cute voice, but I don’t think it’s annoyingly cutesy. I’ve only listened to one of their other songs (見てみてよ), but I’m liking their sound so far. ^^

4. “My Story ~Mada Minu Ashita e~” by THE CHERRY COKES (OP#1 – Giant Killing)
– watch: anime OP – music video

– I’m not familiar with this band until I heard this song and they reminded me a bit of a certain Irish band I like. ^_^ I thought the accordion, bodhran, harmonica, and tin whistle were a nice touch; makes the song stand out from the rest. I especially like the “Ohhhh~ United we stand! Fly a flag!…” part, which somehow makes me feel like cheering for the team too xD

5.1 “Sakasama Bridge” by Suneohair (ED#1 – Arakawa Under the Bridge)
– watch: anime ED — music video

– Tie for #5! First is this ending song from AUtB. I like the beat. It’s a pretty good song. I haven’t listened to much of Suneohair’s songs since the Honey and Clover days, so it’s nice to hear an ED theme from him again.

5.2 “Yokan” by heidi (ED#1 – Kaichou wa Maid-sama!)
– watch: anime ED — music video

– Tie for #5! Second is this ED from Maid-sama. Nice melody. I like the chorus and bridge part the most. The PV isn’t anything special. Just the guys jamming on a rooftop. I haven’t heard of this band before, so I had a certain visual image of them in my head when I listened to the song… and their image wasn’t what I thought it would be when I saw the PV. Haha~ I guess because I had more of a Uverworld preconceived image of them than a SID one. 8D

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These *almost* made my Top 5: (just click on the song title to watch & listen to the anime OP/ED, opens in a new window/tab)

“Koinu to Ame no Bitou” by Asian Kung-Fu Generation (OP#1 – The Tatami Galaxy)
“Roulette” by TETSUYA (OP#1 – HEROMAN)
“Sign of Love” by immi (OP#1 – House of Five Leaves) – OP animation has beautiful background art.
“Kazenagi (風なぎ)” by Suga Shikao (ED#1 – xxxHolic: Rou) – not exactly a new song by Suga-san, since it’s in his 2004 album “TIME.” It was also used as an insert song in Honey and Clover II episode 9. I’m not sure about the romaji of the title, though. The updates section of xxxHolic‘s site (scroll to 2010/1/18) says it’s “Kaza Nagi” 「風（かざ）なぎ」– I haven’t learned the kanji 風 in my Japanese class yet, so I dunno if the furigana is a typo or what. Although, I did check my Japanese dictionaries, wiki, and Google translate for 風 and they say it’s read as “kaze.” Either way, the song is still the same nice ballad, no matter how you read the title. :3
“Go to Heart Edge” by Fukuyama Jun, Ono Daisuke, Kamiya Hiroshi (ED#1 – Working!!)
“Brave Soul” by Tada Aoi (ED#1 – Angel Beats!)

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Special Mention: (because they sounded quite nice too ) – in random order -

“Venus to Jesus” by Yakushimaru Etsuko (OP#1 – Arakawa Under the Bridge)
“Get Tough!” by G.P.S. (ED #1 - Giant Killing)
“Toumei Datta Sekai” by Hata Motohiro (OP#7 – Naruto Shippuden)
“Change” by miwa (OP#12 – Bleach)
“Stay Beautiful” by DIGGY-MO’ (ED#23 – Bleach)
“Yakusoku” by MUCC (OP#1 – Senkou no Night Raid)
“We’re not alone” by coldrain (OP#1 – Rainbow – Nisha no Rokubou no Shinchinin)
“A FAR OFF DISTANCE” by Galneryus (ED#1 – Rainbow – Nisha Rokubou no Shinchinin)
“Hello Mr.my Yesterday” by Hundred Percent Free (ED #35 – Detective Conan) – I included this again because I think it’s still this series’ ED song when the Spring 2010 season started, although they also used “Pray” by B’z in some episodes…
“Till the World Without Betrayals” by Rayflower (OP#1 – Uragiri wa Bokuno Namae o Shitteiru)
“Someone Else” by Asumi Kana, Fujita Saki, Kitamura Eri (OP#1 - Working!!) – Cute and fun song. I love the OP sequence. ^^
“My Soul, Your Beats!” by Lia (OP#1 – Angel Beats!)
“Listen!!” by Toyosaki Aki, Hikasa Youko, Satou Satomi, Kotobuki Minako, Taketatsu Ayana (ED#1 – K-ON!!)
“Twilight Star” by Megamasso (ED#14 – Major)
“Kokoro e” by TRIPLANE (OP#6 – Major)
“Rain” by SID (OP#5 – Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
“RAY OF LIGHT” by Nakagawa Shoko (ED#5 – Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
“ft.” by FUNKIST (OP#3 – Fairy Tail)
“Gomen ne. Watashi” by Nanba Shiho (ED#3 – Fairy Tail)
“Kimi no Kioku” by mao (ED#1 – Hakuoki Shinsengumi Kitan)
“Kami-sama no Iu Tori” by Sunahara Yoshinori (ED#1 – The Tatami Galaxy)
“all I need is…” by Rake (ED#1 – House of Five Leaves)

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Most of the songs are from anime I’ve seen (or at least seen 1 episode of this season, or heard the OP/ED song somewhere, or was recommended to me by someone), so I might’ve missed some good songs from series I didn’t check out.

~ Which OP/ED songs made your “favorites” list this Spring 2010?

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*credit: image taken from this site

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You might also want to check out my other posts:

Anime Preview: Spring 2010 First Impressions

hazy — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:06:24 +0000

Here’s my quick first impressions on some of the Spring 2010 series.

In this entry: (1) Arakawa Under the Bridge (2) Giant Killing (3) Heroman (4) Kaichou wa Maid-sama! (5) Ookiku Furikabutte ~Natsu no Taikai-hen~ (6) Sarai-ya no Goyou (7) Senkou no Night Raid(8) Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitte Iru (9) Working!!

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(1) Arakawa Under the Bridge
More info – Official Site

Production: SHAFT

Cast: Kamiya Hiroshi, Sakamoto Maaya, Saito Chiwa, Sawashiro Miyuki, etc.

- An adaptation of Hikaru Nakamura’s gag comedy manga of the same title.

- Why I checked out this series: (a) Kamiya Hiroshi leading the cast! ♥ One of my favorite seiyuu. He’s good. And I simply love his voice. (b) Nakamura Yuuichi in a supporting role, which is a bonus for me~ ♥ Same reason as (a).

- For me, it kinda seemed to be a Zetsubou Sensei-ish style of series (without the despair or perhaps a different kind of despair?) and this one levels up on the weirdness factor (for instance, a “village chief” dressed up as a kappa and believes himself to be one? Huh?)

- It’s weird, yes. But quite funny. I found myself laughing out loud here and there.

Watch it? Hmm. I’ll probably watch it every once in a while when the mood strikes me, but it’s unlikely that I’d be following it this season.

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(2) Giant Killing
More info – Official Site

Production: Studio DEEN

Cast: Seki Tomokazu, Ono Daisuke, Asano Masumi, Mizushima Takahiro, etc.

Notes: A television anime adaptation of Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo’s Giant Killing soccer manga.

- Both the OP [My Story ~Mada Minu Ashita e~ by THE CHERRY COKES] and ED [Get Tough! by G.P.S.] sound quite nice.

- Why I checked out this series: I don’t know much about soccer and I’m not a big fan, but I like sports…

- … And this turned out to be an enjoyable watch. I really liked the first episode. The story is pretty good. I also liked the lead character, Tatsumi. By episode 3, I couldn’t resist it and started reading the manga. Yeah, I’m such a spoiler spy, I know. xD

- Ono Daisuke in a supporting role. I’m not a huge fan of his, but I do like him. His voice is very nice (loved him as Hosaka in Minami-Ke and Sebastian in Kuroshitsuji), and he fits really well as Gino (Oji~!) with his princely/obnoxious-ish voice mode on.

Watch it? Yes, please. ^_^

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(3) HEROMAN
More info – Official Site – Watch preview

Production: BONES

Cast: Komatsu Mikako, Suyama Akio, Cho, Yasumura Makoto, etc.

Notes: Stan Lee (co-creator of the Spider-Man and X-Men comics) planned this new animated series for television with the same BONES studio behind Fullmetal Alchemist and Soul Eater.

- Why I checked out this series: Um, primarily because its OP theme ["Roulette"] is a single by tetsuya of L’Arc~en~Ciel ♥ :3

- The ED theme ["Calling" by FLOW] is a very nice tune, too.

- Oh, and I was also curious how Stan Lee’s collaboration with BONES will turn out.

- It’s an OK series. Typical Stan Lee stuff, I guess. An animated Stan Lee appears in a cameo, too (at least in episode 1, which is the only ep I saw)

Watch it? Joey is such a nice kid, but I’ll pass. The story doesn’t interest me much.

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(4) Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
More info – Official Site – Watch preview

Also known as Maid Sama!; Class President is a Maid!

Production: J.C. Staff

Cast: Fujimura Ayumi, Okamoto Nobuhiko, Kobayashi Yu, Ueda Kana, Toyosaki Aki, etc.

- Why I checked out this series: Based on the synopsis sounds like it will be a funny and enjoyable series.

- The OP is nothing special. Just your typical upbeat anime song ["My Secret" by Saaya Mizuno]. I think the ED song is way better ["Yokan' by heidi]

- A slice-of-life romantic comedy. This is totally right up my alley~ It made me laugh so much, all the way through episode 4 (the latest ep I saw at the time of this entry)

- Man, Usui is hawt. And he’s extra adorable when he’s looking out for Misaki, who isn’t your typical crybaby, damsel in distress kind of lead girl. She’s strong-willed and tough. Her character reminds me a bit of Kyoko (Skip Beat!) and Haruhi (Ouran HSHC).

- Usui is voiced by Okamoto Nobuhiko. I’m not too familiar with his work, but I love him as Usui. As a result, I checked out his CV and found that he also voiced John Brown (Ghost Hunt) and Layfon (Chrome Shelled Regios) Lol, that made me exclaim “Oh, really?!” Those are the only two series from his CV in which I distinctly remember the character’s voice. I didn’t recognize that from his Usui voice at all. xD

Watch it? Yeah! Bring on the laughs and the cutesy moments!

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(5) Ookiku Furikabutte ~Natsu no Taikai-hen~
More info – Official Site – Watch preview

Second season. Also known as Oofuri; Big Windup!: Summer Tournament Chapter

Production: A-1 Pictures Inc.

Cast: Yonaga Tsubasa, Nakamura Yuuichi, Fukuyama Jun, Shimono Hiro, Taniyama Kishō, etc.

- I like the OP ["Natsuzora" by Galileo Galilei] much more than the ED ["Shisou Densha" by CureaL] son, but they’re both nice.

- Quoting from my Spring 2010 preview list:

I’ve seen the first season and I simply love this series to bits~ ♥ ^_^ It’s one of my favorite mangas too. This calls for another re-watch and re-read before season 2 airs. I’m looking forward to see the characters back in their animated glory once again.

- Strong cast of seiyuu and I love the characters. Baseball, teamwork, friendship, and loads of funny moments. I also love the monologues. Abe Takaya is probably my favorite of all the anime characters that Nakamura Yuuichi had voiced so far~ Yonaga Tsubasa as Mihashi and Shimono Hiro as Tajima were perfectly cast too, IMHO. Heck, I think the entire cast did a great job. But hey, I may be too biased about this. Why don’t you just go ahead and check it out yourself? ;P

Watch it? Absolutely~

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(6) Sarai-ya Goyou
More info – Official Site – Watch preview

Also known as House of Five Leaves

Production: Manglobe Inc.

Cast: Namikawa Daisuke, Sakurai Takahiro, Takahashi Ao, Kinoshita Hiroyuki, etc.

- Nice upbeat OP ["Sign of Love" by immi] and the background art shown throughout the OP sequence is just beautiful. The ED ["all I need is..." by Rake] is a nice pop song, too. I think like it better than the OP.

- Beautiful background art, really. I’m not fond of the character design and the all-black-colored eyes creep me out a bit, but I could deal with it enough to get me through episode 1.

- The white-haired dude reminds me of the lead guy from Mushishi. And speaking of Mushishi, I’m still stuck on episode 3 or 4 of that series. ^^;;

- So it seems the “Five Leaves” is a Robin Hood type group of bandits/kidnappers.

- I’m not too familiar with Sakurai Takahiro‘s seiyuu work because I haven’t seen most of the series that he had been in. I’ve only taken notice of him since I heard him as Meme in Bakemonogatari and Azuma Yuuhei in Cross Game. His voice is really nice~

Watch it? Hmm. I might check out an episode or two more, but I doubt I’d be following this one.

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(7) Senkou no Night Raid
More info – Official Site – Watch preview

Production: A-1 Pictures, Inc.

Cast: Namikawa Daisuke, Yoshino Hiroyuki, Hoshino Takanori, Ikuta Yoshiko, etc.

- Why I checked out this series: The synopsis sounds interesting, animation looks good, and it has spies in it.

- Both the OP ["Yakusoku" by MUCC] and ED ["To the Future..." by HIMEKA] sound OK to me.

- The animation is pretty good, coming from A-1. The character design is quite nice too.

- It was kinda cool to hear the characters speak Chinese. I can’t speak Chinese, though so no comment on that. I think it’s a tough language to learn though, so I’ll give them an “A” for effort! ^_^

- I almost fell asleep halfway through, but then the action started and the hand-to-hand combat scenes were pretty cool~ Teleport guy is awesome.

Watch it? I don’t think so, but I might watch a couple more episodes if I remember to do so.

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(8) Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitte Iru
More info – Official Site

Also known as Betrayal Knows my Name; Uraboku

Production: J.C. Staff

Cast: Sakurai Takahiro, Hoshi Souichiro, Ishida Akira, Ono Daisuke, Fukuyama Jun, Miyano Mamoru, Inoue Marina, etc.

- Long title is bloody long :O Thank goodness for ctrl+c and ctrl+v! No wonder it’s shortened to “UraBoku”

- Why I checked out this series: The premise kinda sounds interesting and it has a strong line up of seiyuu. Three of my favorites: Fukuyama Jun, Kamiya Hiroshi, and Hamada Kenji~ ♥ Plus, Sakurai Takahiro, Ono Daisuke, Mamoru Miyano, and Inoue Marina being part of the cast is an added bonus.

- Animation is OK. Characters are mostly bishounens, albeit pointy chins (those didn’t bother me much though, I was too busy trying to identify who’s voicing who xD)

- I didn’t get much of the story other than the lead guy (who seems to have been a girl in a previous life or alternate universe or something?) has the power to feel/have a glimpse of other people’s pain, there’s some omniscient-ish being who wants the lead guy dead, and there are bishounens (and a bishoujo) who are out to protect him (or something like that).

- It kinda reminded me of the series 07-Ghost. They’re both filled with bishounens with supernatural abilities and leads with emo backgrounds. But UraBoku has a more serious tone and 07-Ghost is not BL.

Watch it? I don’t think I heard all the voices I was looking forward to hear in the 1st episode, so I’ll probably watch a couple more episodes for that simple-minded reason when I feel like watching it. 8D Wiki says it’s an adaptation of a BL manga… and that genre is not my cup of tea. If the anime will go in that direction, then no thanks.

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(9) Working!!
More info – Official Site – Watch preview

Production: A-1 Pictures, Inc.

Cast: Fukuyama Jun, Asumi Kana, Ono Daisuke, Kamiya Hiroshi, Kitamura Eri, etc.

- Hmm. I just noticed this is the 3rd A1-Pictures production in this list. They’re active this season! 8D

- Why I checked out this series: The premise sounds interesting and I like slice-of-life comedies, plus Fukuyama Jun, Kamiya Hiroshi and Ono Daisuke are in it~ ♥ :3 (I think it would’ve been perfect if Nakamura Yuuichi was in it too… Oh wait, that’d be Durarara!! xD ;P)

- OP and ED are both character songs. Fun OP theme ["SOMEONE ELSE" by Kana Asumi, Saki Fujita and Eri Kitamura], but I prefer the ED ["Go to Heart Edge" by Fukuyama Jun, Kamiya Hiroshi and Ono Daisuke] because I like the rock n’ roll-ish melody. D-d-don’t be silly. Really, I like it for the melody and n-not just because those 3 sang it. I-I-I’m not that shallow. :3

- I really enjoyed the 1st episode. Made me laugh a lot~ I even picked up the manga after a couple of episodes.

- Looks can be deceiving? Lol, the characters are all so amusingly flawed. Satou and Taneshima are probably the most normal ones among the rest xD My favorite characters would be Kyouko, Satou, and Takanashi~ ^^

Watch it? Yeah!

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This season, I’m surely following Giant Killing, Oofuri, Maid-sama and Working!!

~ So, which titles made your watchlist?

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You might also wanna check out my other posts:

When:Production:Cast:Synopsis:

I was so preoccupied with so many other things that the summer anime season totally slipped my mind! ^^; But they say it’s better late than never, no? So here’s a rough list of anime that will be airing this Summer 2009. I might have missed a few other titles, but either way, here’s the information I’ve been able to gather (listed in alphabetical order, by month). A couple of series will start airing in June while the rest will air in July. As usual, batch lists of my first impressions will follow when the subs are released.

OK, enough with the talk. Here’s the Summer 2009 anime preview list!

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JUNE

Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!!
More info – Official Site

When: 06/25/2009

Production: Studio Hibari

Cast includes: Takagaki Ayahi, Takahashi Hiroki, Fukuhara Kaori

Synopsis: The story revolves around Puragu or Jūden-chan, a mysterious office lady (OL) who came to our world from a parallel world to “charge up” dejected people. (from: ANN)

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Umi Monogatari ~Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto~
More info – Official Site

Also known as Sea Story.

When: 06/24/2009

Production: ZEXCS

Cast includes: Asumi Kana, Kotobuki Minako, Horie Yui

Synopsis: The “transforming magical girl action” story centers on Marin and Urin, two “pure” sisters who live alongside the fish in the sea, but yearn to be in the world beyond the water and above ground. One day, a beautiful ring falls in the middle of the sea, and Marin and Urin retrieve it. The two decide to leave their waterbound world for the first time to deliver the ring. After an arduous journey, they come across an isolated island where a high school girl named Kanon lives. The encounter between Marin and Kanon — the maiden of the sea and the maiden of the skies — awakens a hidden power as the world is threatened by an enveloping darkness. (from: ANN)

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JULY

AIka Zero (OVA)
More info – Official Site

When: 07/05/2009

Production: Studio Fantasia

Cast includes: Koshimizu Ami, Ohtsuka Akio, Noto Mamiko

The first episode will get a special premiere on the AT-X premium television channel on July 5, before the August 25 DVD release.

The story of the young female agent-in-training takes place after the AIKa R-16: Virgin Mission prequel, but before the original Agent Aika video project. Noriyasu Yamauchi is designing the characters and supervising the animation in AIKa ZERO as he did for the earlier AIKa projects, but he is also directing this time. (from: ANN)

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Aoi Hana
More info – Official Site

Also known as Sweet Blue Flowers

When: 07/01/2009

Production: J.C. Staff

Cast includes: Nakahara Mai, Noto Mamiko, Gibu Yuko,

Synopsis: Fumi Manjoume, an introverted, bookish teenage girl, is beginning her first year of high school at Matsuoka Girls’ High School. She enters the school year with her heart broken by a previous relationship. At about the same time, she reconnects with her best friend from ten years ago, Akira Okudaira, who is now attending Fujigatani Girls’ Academy as a first-year high school student. As they reconnect, they both deal with their own respective romantic problems, and help each other get through them. (from: ANN)

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Bakemonogatari
More info – Official Site

Also known as Ghostory.

When:07/03/2009

Production: SHAFT

Cast includes: Kamiya Hiroshi, Horie Yui, Sakurai Takahiro

Synopsis: The story centers on Koyomi Araragi, a third year high school student who is almost human again after briefly becoming a vampire. One day, a classmate named Hitagi Senjōgahara, who infamously never talks to anyone, falls down the stairs into Koyomi’s arms. He discovers that Hitagi weighs next to nothing, in defiance of physics. After being threatened by her, Koyomi offers her help, and introduces her to Meme Oshino, a middle-aged homeless man who helped him stop being a vampire. The series tends to introduce only one new heroine per chapter, each involved with a different “apparition”. The events of the previous chapters play an important role in the subsequent ones. The series primarily focuses on conversations between characters; it contains a fair number of parodies of other series, as well as Nisio Isin’s trademark wordplay and metahumor. (from: Wikipedia)

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CANAAN
More info – Official Site

When: 07/04/2009

Production: PA Works

Cast includes: Sakamoto Maaya, Sawashiro Miyuki, Tomatsu Haruka, Tanaka Rie

Synopsis: The modern-day story centers on a group of people, from all walks of life, who are brought together in the Tokyo neighborhood of Shibuya by bizarre events with worldwide implications. (from: MAL)

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Element Hunters
More info – Official Site

When: 07/04/2009

Production: NHK Enterprises, HeeWon Entertainment

Cast includes: Enemoto Atsuko, Kuwashima Houko

Synopsis: In 2029, a large scale ground sinkage occurred in Mediterranean Sea and chemical elements such as oxygen, carbon, gold, molybdenite, and cobalt suddenly disappeared from the earth’s crust. Human population was decreased by 90% in sixty years. Researchers found out that the disappeared elements were drained into a planet “Nega Earth”, which located in different dimensions. To save the Earth, a special team “Element Hunter” is organized. All the members are under 14 years old because young and flexible brains are required to access to “Nega Earth”. (from: MAL)

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GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class
More info – Official Site

When: 07/06/2009

Production: AIC PLUS

Cast includes: Horie Yui, Tomatsu Haruka, Sawashiro Miyuki, Tokunaga Ai, Nazuka Kaori

It is an anime adaptation for Satoko Kiyuzuki’s GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class manga. The slice-of-life manga revolves around five freshman girls in a high school art class. The manga has been running in Heiwa Shuppan’s Comic Cute! magazine and later in Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara Carat since 2004, and two volumes have been compiled and published. (from: ANN)

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Hetalia Axis Powers – season 2 (ONA)
More info – Official Site

When: 07/24/2009

Production: Studio DEEN

Cast includes: Namikawa Daisuke, Takahashi Hiroki, Yasumoto Hiroki, Konishi Katsuyuki, Kisho Taniyama

Synopsis: The “cynical gag” manga and anime take the archetypal characteristics of about 20 countries and regions, and anthropomorphize them as (mostly) bishōnen characters. The story re-imagines various historical eras including World War I and II. 700,000 copies have been sold of the two published manga volumes since 2008. (from ANN)

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NEEDLESS
More info – Official Site

When: 07/02/2009

Production: Madhouse Studios

Cast includes: Endo Aya, Koyasu Takehito, Kitamura Eri, Katou Emiri, Taniyama Kisho, Minori Chihara

Synopsis: The action gag comedy with “bishōjo x violence” is set in 2130, when large swaths of Japan have been quarantined as polluted “Black Spots (BS)” in the aftermath of World War III. However, there are people who have settled behind the massive walls of the Black Spots, where they have developed mysterious powers. The city people on the outside have a label for the Black Spot people they have ostracized: “Needless.” (from: ANN)

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Princess Lover!
More info – Official Site

When: 07/05/2009

Production: GoHands

Cast includes: Terashima Takuma, Katou Emiri, Koyasu Takehito

An adaptation of Ricotta’s adult adventure game.

Synopsis: In the original game’s story, Teppei Arima is a second-year high school student who lost both of his parents in a traffic accident on their way home from a family trip. His grandfather, Isshin Arima, happens to wield the puppet strings in Japan’s vast economy and demands that Teppei becomes his successor as the head of the Arima Group. To prepare for his debut into high society, Teppei enrolls in an elite academy for the scions of the rich and powerful. (from: ANN)

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Sora no Manimani
More info – Official Site

When: 07/07/2009

Production: Studio Comet

Cast includes: Maeno Tomoaki, Kanae Ito, Tomatsu Haruka, Hayami Saori

Synopsis: In the story, Saku Ōyagi is a quiet bookworm who moves back to his former hometown as a high school freshman. He meets his childhood friend, Mihoshi Akeno, although a traumatic incident long ago had left their friendship in an awkward state. Despite this, Mihoshi brings Saku into the astronomy club she founded, and this sets the stage for the slapstick romantic comedy that ensues. (from: ANN)

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Spice and Wolf II
More info – Official Site

Spice and Wolf’s 2nd season. Also known as Ookami to Koshinryou.

When: 07/08/2009

Production: Brain’s Base (season 1 was animated by IMAGIN)

Cast includes: Koshimizu Ami, Fukuyama Jun

General synopsis: Kraft Lawrence, a 25 year old peddler travelling from town to town selling and buying various things to make a living during a period much like Europe in the Middle Ages. One night when stopped at the town of Pasroe, he finds in his wagon a 250 year old pagan wolf deity girl named Holo. She appears to be that of a 15 year old girl, except for a wolf tail and ears. She introduces herself as the town’s goddess of harvest who has kept it blessed with good harvests of wheat for many years. Despite having the responsibility to watch over the town, she wants to go back to her homeland in the north called Yoitsu, she believes the people have already forsaken her anyway and that she has kept her promise to maintain the good harvests. She manages to bargain her way out of the village by making a deal with Lawrence to take her with him. As they travel, her wisdom helps increase his profits, but at the same time, her true nature draws unwanted attention from the church. (from: ANN)

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Taishou Yakyuu Musume
More info – Official Site

Also known as Taishou Era Baseball Girls.

When: 07/02/2009

Production: J.C. Staff

Cast includes: Ito Kanae, Nakahara Mai, Ueda Kana, Noto Mamiko, Hino Satoshi, Kitamura Eri

Synopsis: It is an adaptation of the light novels by Atsushi Kagurazaka. The two novels are set in 1925 when two 14-year-old Japanese high school girls named Koume and Shōko decide to start a baseball team in Japan where few baseball teams — male or female — exist at the time. First though, the two girls have no clue where to find nine players, how to use the equipment, and what even the rules are. (from: ANN)

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Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
More info – Official Site

When: 07/09/2009

Production: BONES, Kinema Citrus

Cast includes: Hanamura Satomi, Kaida Yuko, Kobayashi Yumiko

Synopsis: The series is set in Tokyo after an earthquake measuring 8.0 magnitude on the Richter scale shakes the city’s foundations and landscape, resulting in the Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge and other noted landmarks falling. It will follow siblings Mirai and Yutaka, who were visiting a robot exhibition on Odaiba on the occasion of their summer holidays having just begun, as they struggle to reach their mother in their house in Setagaya, assisted by a female motorcycle deliverer named Mari. (from: Wikipedia)

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Umineko no Naku Koro ni
More info – Official Site

Also known as When Seagulls Cry; When They Cry — Seagulls.

When: 07/01/2009

Production: Studio DEEN

Cast includes: Ono Daisuke, Inoue Marina, Ohara Sayaka, Horie Yui

According to Wiki, it is an adaptation of a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion. The story focuses on a group of eighteen people on a secluded island for a period of two days, and the mysterious murders that befall most of the people. The goal of the game is to discern whether the murderer is human or of some other supernatural source. Umineko is the third title in the “When They Cry” series, preceded by Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai.

Synopsis: Umineko no Naku Koro ni takes place in the year 1986, during the time frame of October 4 and October 5 on a secluded island named Rokkenjima. The head of a wealthy family named Kinzo Ushiromiya, who lives on and owns Rokkenjima, is near death, and eight of his family members arrive on the island to discuss how Kinzo’s assets will be divided once he is dead. Also on the island are three family members who live there, five of Kinzo’s servants, and his personal physician. After the eight family members arrive, a typhoon traps them on the island and shortly after people start to get mysteriously murdered. (from: ANN)

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Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou
More info – Official Site

Also known as Properly Learned Modern Magic.

When: 07/11/2009

Production: Nomad

Cast includes: Nonaka Ai, Tomatsu Haruka, Nabatame Hitomi

Synopsis: The story revolves around Koyomi Morishita, a clumsy high school freshman girl who is often mistaken for a grade-schooler because of her shortness. Koyomi becomes a disciple of Misa Anehara, a 25-year-old graduate student who happens to be one of the most powerful modern-day magicians. (from: ANN)

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Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
More info – Official Site

Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei’s 3rd season.

When: 07/04/2009

Production: SHAFT

Cast includes: Kamiya Hiroshi, Nonaka Ai, Inoue Marina, Sawashiro Miyuki

Synopsis: Itoshiki Nozomu is the world’s most negative person. To his way of thinking, there is no hope or meaning in this existence. Even the three kanji of his name become the two-kanji word zetsubou, “despair”, when compressed. What an ironic twist of fate, then, that he becomes teacher to a class containing his precise opposite, the invincibly positive-minded Fuura Kafuka. (from: ANN)

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Other than two titles, I don’t have a definite watchlist as of yet but in the meantime, based purely on the synopses and the looks of it, the titles which sound interesting to me are:

Will definitely watch…

Spice and Wolf II – I liked season 1. It’s animated by a different studio this time though, so it might take some getting used to with the colors and stuff. I hope it turns out as well (or even better) than the first season.
Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei – I’m not done with season 2 yet though, so I’ll finish that first, then the OVAs. I’ll most likely get to watch this season 3 some time after it airs.

Will probably check out…

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 – The synopsis sounds dramatic, but interesting. It’s also taking the coveted noitaminA timeslot in Fuji TV, so I’m kinda curious that it might have great potential to be a good series. Being animated by BONES is also a plus in my book.
Bakemonogatari - I’m not really into horror-ish stuff, but it says it has some humor in it and it sounds interesting. Plus, it’s a SHAFT production, so I’m at least sure to see some nice visuals. Who knows? I might even enjoy it as much as I did Ghost Hunt. ^^
Umineko no Naku Koro ni (When Seasgulls Cry) – I’ve never seen any of the When They Cry series, but the mystery aspect is making me want to check this out. It has a pretty good cast list, and Studio DEEN ain’t so bad either.
Taishou Yakyuu Musume - Sounds interesting. It’s a slice-of-life series about baseball with a solid cast list, and another J.C. Staff production. Might be worth checking out.
Hetalia Axis Powers (season 2) – the characters are so adorable! Must catch up with season 1 soon (I’m sure I can finish it in one sitting as it takes only about 5 minutes per episode)
CANAAN - Not much info about it so I’m not too sure what it’s all about. Looks like there’s action though, so I might check it out.
GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class – Sounds like a nice laidback series.
Sora no Manimani – It’s a slice-of-life, romantic comedy. Might be fun. Oh, and I’d get to hear Maeno Tomoaki again too. :3

~ Which titles made your watchlist this season?

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As usual, thanks to Fansub Wiki where I got the Summer 2009 series list.

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You might also wanna check out my other posts:

Batch 1 of my quick first impressions on some of the Fall 2009 anime series. This will be divided into two batches.

In this batch: (1) Miracle☆Train ~Oedo-sen e Youkoso~; (2) Nyan Koi!; (3) Kobato.; (4) The Sacred Blacksmith; (5) Kimi ni Todoke; (6) Letter Bee; (7) Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini; (8.) Seitokai no Ichizon.

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