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…

1. 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.
   
2. 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…

1. 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.
2. 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. ^^
   
3. 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.
   
4. 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.
5. 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)
   
6. 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.
   
7. GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class – Sounds like a nice laidback series.
   
8. 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.

“Second Movement” (special episode 2 of 2)

Note: There are some bits of (fangirl side comments) from me throughout the summary. :3

SUMMARY: While feeding some cats, Kanazawa-sensei (or Kanaya, as they call him) apologizes to Hino about Kira’s rude behavior to her. Hino says it’s all right. At ensemble practice, it’s just Fuyumi, Hihara and Shimizu who are present since Yunoki had to go abroad to get ready for school, Tsukimori will be running late because of a rescheduled lesson, and Tsuchiura had soccer practice. Kanaya is quite worried because they don’t have much time left for ensemble practice.

At soccer practice, Tsuchiura is a bit anoyed because his teammates aren’t playing properly against him because they are worried he might get hurt and can’t play the piano in the upcoming festival. Meanwhile, Hino is practicing her violin playing at the school rooftop. On the school grounds, Ousaki runs into Kaji and they talk for a bit. As they hear Hino’s playing, Ousaki notices she’s having trouble with a certain part of the piece (I’m not too sure, but I think she’s still practicing “Sicilienne” by Faure throughout this episode). Kaji asks Ousaki if he’s acquainted with Hino. Ousaki says he knew her since he kept his eyes on her as she was a newbie in the concours. He asks Kaji if he wants to join the ensemble. Kaji declines, saying he had quit playing the violin/viola. Ousaki says that’s too bad since he liked hearing Kaji’s playing. We later see Kanaya and Kira having a brief exchange of words. Kanaya says there’s much work to do with the ensemble, Kira notes  Kanaya needs to shape up too (Kira addressed Kanaya as “senpai,” so it seems they were schoolmates at Seiso before).

In another part of town, Tsuchirua is seen practicing piano at the music store (owned by the kind Ojii-san we saw in ~primo passo~, who’s friends with Tsuchiura and Hino). After practice, Tsuchiura sees Kaji outside the store. Apparently, Kaji heard someone playing the piano beautifully and stopped to listen. He then compliments Tsuchiura’s talent. The next day at school, Kaji asks Tsuchiura about Hino, wondering why her level of playing has changed. Tsuchiura says he doesn’t know either and that it changed halfway through the concours, adding that she even said she’d quit playing the violin. He notes that she ended up not quitting and tried her hardest to play well. Tsuchiura says Hino’s strength taught him that the most important thing is to face things head on instead of running away. He relates that he used to hide the fact that he can play the piano, but thanks to Hino he can play freely again because he realized how pitiful he is for keeping something like that a secret. Kaji wonders why Hino tries her best. Tsuchiura replies it’s simply because she loves the violin.  We later see Kaji wandering in one of the school’s rooms, looking lovingly at a viola and later playing it. As Hino was walking down the hall, she heard the music playing and is surprised to see it’s Kaji! She says that he’s really good at it. Kaji is a bit embarassed that she heard it, saying she was the last person he wanted to hear him play. Hino is surprised to hear this, then asks if anything was bothering him since he looked troubled (she remembers the time they went to the theme park on episode 1).

Kaji says that when he and Ousaki were kids, they attended the same violin school, but he got overwhelmed by Ousaki’s incredible talent. He said he told himself that Ousaki’s better because he’s older, but then he heard a chibi Tsukimori playing with exceptional skll during a performance and he was the same age as him. That made him lose hope, so he quit the violin and started playing the viola in secret.Kaji says he was touched by Hino’s music because it was heartwarming and he can feel her love for music, and that’s something that he feels too, but he is not satisfied with his playing skills. Hino notes that she thinks it’s wonderful that Kaji loves music so much and that his music is full of emotion. Kaji sadly walks away, saying his playing isn’t anything like that at all.

While walking outside, Kaji overhears Tsukimori’s violin playing in one of the practice rooms. Kaji tells him that it sounds beautiful and his technique is flawless, that it’s not a surprise Tsukimori was the winner of the concours. Tsukimori responds that technique isn’t everything since it can’t move people’s hearts. He takes Hino as an example, saying that she’s a bit unskilled but she plays with all her heart and this resonates in her music as she puts love into her performance. He adds that technique is important that’s why he’s working hard, but some things are not measured by technique alone. Tsukimori relates that he heard someone play the viola before, and although it wasn’t perfectly played, it was a very good performance.

After all the pep talk he got from Tsukimori and Tsuchiura, Kaji gets over his emo-ness and is inspired by Hino. Etou (who’s coincidentally wandering around the school grounds, probably just so he could bully Kaji ;P) sees Kaji and goes all snippy, saying he can try as hard as he wants but getting the technique right is hard work. Kaji retorts what he heard from Tsuchiura, Tsukimori and Hino, that technique isn’t everything, feelings of love for music and the feelings of the audience that make a moving performance. Etou says that’s just an excuse of those who can’t play well, and its not as simple as Kaji thinks it is. Kaji tells Hino that and says he won’t run anymore, and that he will face playing the viola head on and put his heart into playing. Hino seems to finally understand that too (and she gets over her emo-ness as well).

As the guys (and girl) is having ensemble practice, they hear Hino’s playing from the outside and they all go out to see her play (omg, a bunch of talented and kind bishounens watching you play the violin and cheering silently for you! how cool and lucky is that?!). As Hino plays her piece, she still doesn’t get a certain part right, but nobody seems to mind. She says she was afraid to go on stage because she doesn’t think it’s okay to face the audience with her low level of skill, but she’s not scared anymore. She finally accepts Ousaki’s invitation for her to play at the children’s concert at the festival. Kaji then asks if he could participate in the ensemble. Yunoki notes Kaji isn’t a concour participant, so Kanaya says he’ll try to convince Kira to let Kaji be play. Kaji then drops on one knee and thanks Hino, kissing her hand, surprising the guys (lol, it looked like a marriage proposal xDD).  Hino is surprised and a bit embrassed about it. Just as luck would have it, Amou (the reporter girl) catches it on camera, so Hino chases her.

On the day of the school festival, Kaji is part of the ensemble too, and they all give an excellent performance. As Hino watches, she notes that Kaji looks like he’s enjoying himself (Tsukimori’s parents are also in the audience). Shimizu thinks to himself that when Kaji came, everyone’s individuality came together and his sound seems to have connected everyone. Ousaki notes they make a good ensemble, Kanaya agrees. Of course, Kira and Etou are also among the audience. Etou gives a smile then tells Kira that he thinks that’s about an appropriate level for him and that he’s looking forward to next year. After the performance, Hino leaves with her friends and they wish her luck for her performance, we then hear her saying “Now let’s go to my next stage!”

~ end of the 2-episode special

IMPRESSION: What? That was the end? It wasn’t enough, considering we had to wait more than a couple of months for this second episode! ^^;  It was quite open-ended, so there’s room for other special episodes or maybe even a new season… Anyway, it’s good that I wasn’t expecting much from this special episode, that way, I still enjoyed it a bit. When Kaji kissed Hino’s hand, the guys’ reactions were so fun to watch. Haha. Look at those adorable shocked faces! :3

As with the first ep, our resident bishounens also took a backseat in this one. They merely served as supporting characters for Kaji and Hino. Tsuchiura, Tsukimori and Shimizu took most of the supporting roles, while Hihara didn’t say much and I think Yunoki just had a single line. xD

The first ep focused on Hino’s emotional slump while the second ep focused on Kaji’s. I think these 2 episodes are actually a pretty good precursor for a new season, should they decide to do so. Etou, Kira and Kaji still have a lot more backstory, I’m sure. There’s also the games, too. I’m totally behind in the Corda manga, but I think they have enough material to go on with another season.  Here’s to hoping!

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You might want to check out my other posts:

• La Corda d’Oro ~secondo passo~ [special episode #1]
  
• Other La Corda d’Oro-related entries

Also known as Seirei no Moribito and Guardian of the Sacred Spirit

After finally getting around to reading, collating stuff from the novel + anime, and tweaking, here’s a little review of book 1, as promised. ^^

In this entry, I won’t be writing a detailed summary of the book since the story is pretty much the same as the anime adaptation (save for several anime-original episodes). I just included some of the story’s highlights and some of my notes/comments that I jotted down while reading the book. I also compared the book a bit with the anime adaptation by Production IG (yes, I re-watched the series while/after reading, too :3)…

So, um, if you haven’t read the book or seen the series: **SPOILERS ALERT**

A QUICK 411…. Guardian of the Spirit (Seirei no Moribito) is the 1st of 10 books in the Moribito series written by Nahoko Uehashi.  It was first published in Japan in 1996. It was translated into English by Cathy Hirano with illustrations by Yuko Shimizu, which was published in North America by Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine in 2008.

The book’s art was pretty good (although I very much prefer the character design by Gatou Asou that was used in the anime adaptation). The book also has some pretty classy page designs with a blue color theme, and a dark blue font to boot. It also has a helpful “list of characters” and “list of places and terms” in the latter pages of the book, followed by a note from the author. The novel is divided into 3 parts and an epilogue.

Part 1 (The Chrysalis) has 5 chapters: It starts with Balsa saving Chagum from drowning and ends with the fight against the elite warriors. Part 2 (Rarunga) has 5 chapters: It starts with Tanda rescuing Balsa and tending to her injuries and ends with the reunion with Torogai and getting ready to move to the hunting cave for the winter. Part 3 (Midsummer’s Day) has 9 chapters: It starts with the events at the hunting cave and ends with the successful birth of the water spirit and Chagum’s return to the palace. The Epilogue indicates that Balsa is going back to Kanbal [which will be the main story of the 2nd book, Guardian of the Darkness (Yami no Moribito), which I'll also write a review/summary of].

RANDOM NOTES/COMMENTS WHILE READING THE BOOK:

• In book 1, Tanda is 28, Balsa is 30, Shuga is 20, Chagum is 11 (turned 12 over winter), Toya is around 15-16 years old, Torogai is around 70.
• Jiguro was mentioned in passing as early as part 2, chapter I
  
• Tanda wasn’t introduced until part 2, chapter 1 when he came to rescue Balsa and attend to her injuries (he visited town and passed by Toya and Saya’s place in episode 1).
  
• In the book, Balsa has more sense of humor and a bit more affectionate
• Sagum, the First Prince, was not mentioned until part 2, chapter II
• Toya and Saya only appeared in part 1 of the book (they got much more screentime in the anime).
  
• After saving Chagum from drowning, there was no hostile encounter with soldiers looking for Balsa. Part 1 chapter 2 begins with Balsa already at the palace as the Second Queen’s guest to show gratitude for saving Chagum.
• The Second Queen wrote to Master Torogai to ask about Chagum’s condition; Torogai replied that Chagum can survive if he manages to keep the water spirit alive until the midsummer solstice.
• More detailed backstory regarding Toragaru, the first Mikado and founder of the New Yogo Empire.
  
• No earring memento from the Second Queen to Chagum (as seen in episode 1).
• In the book, Balsa didn’t mention her vow of saving 8 lives to the Second Queen.

• In the book, there was an incident of Chagum sleepwalking while they were hiding in Toya’s place. When Balsa wakes him up, he says he had the urge to “go home” (to the water). In the anime, Chagum glowed and seemed like he was having a bad dream so Balsa woke him up.
• More detailed backstory on how Balsa saved Toya and Saya and became friends with them, with emphasis on Balsa’s kindness despite her fierceness and toughness.
• No mention of hiding the treasure she received from the Second Queen (she hid some of it somewhere near Toya’s house and in a graveyard(?) in the anime). In book 2, it was mentioned in passing that Balsa entrusted it to Tanda for safekeeping.
• It was noted that Balsa wears a leather vest underneath her clothes, which is wrapped around her torso and functions as something like an armor to minimize body injury while fighting.
• Elite warriors’ descendants, each called by number (which serves as their codenames while in the Mikado’s elite force) Mon = 1, Jin = 2, Zen = 3, all the way to Sune = 8. They did all the secret missions and stuff for the Mikado.
• Pretty detailed description of the fight against the 4 elite warriors sent to kill Balsa and retrieve Chagum, making it sound a tad bit more brutal in the book, like when Balsa injured one of the warriors in the face with her blade (though not too brutal since it’s classified as children’s literature ;P). The fight scenes were awesome in the book, but they were even more awesome to see animated! ^_^

• There was no mention of Balsa’s loose spear blade while fighting nor did it come flying off (as seen in episode 3… probably added for a more dramatic effect, and as a segue for the swordsmith episode).
• When they were attacked, Balsa did not tell Chagum to run into the forest (as seen in episode 3). Instead, she fought the elite warriors while Chagum was somewhere near them.
  
• Balsa did not have a Jiguro hallucination while she was almost dying in the forest (as seen in episode 3).
• No Jin backstory, and no trying to kill Chagum himself to spare the Mikado the grief of having to kill his own son (as seen in episode 3). Mon was the one whose backstory was mentioned in the book (i.e., a previous mission he did as an assassin for the Mikado, how Mon’s father trained him as his successor to serve in the elite force while he was still a kid, etc.)
  
• In the book, Jin witnesses the power of the water spirit’s egg while walking along the river on the way to the Star Palace’s secret entrance to take Chagum to the Mikado.
• Balsa gets Chagum back after a spear vs. sword fight with Jin (in episode 3, she somewhat sneaks up on him and smacks his head with a stone, knocking him out).
  
• Tanda knows quite a bit about Nyunga Ro Im as he was told a tale about it by his grandmother. Remembers being told that the one who carries the creature will die if he fails to protect the spirit’s egg.
  
• It wasn’t until part 2 of the book when Balsa’s vow was mentioned (Tanda mentioned it in passing to Chagum, although he did not tell Chagum the details, saying it should be Balsa to do that).
• Backstory from Nina regarding the nahji, water spirit, and Rarunga was in the book but adapted differently in the anime. In the book, it was just Tanda who went to visit his grandfather’s Yakoo friends. Also, there was no incident of Chagum attempting to run away with Nina (as seen in episode 18).
  
• No manhunt for Balsa, and no “fake death” for Balsa and Chagum (as seen in episodes 5 and 6). Generally speaking, episodes 5 to 17 were anime-original episodes.
  
• In the anime, it was mentioned that Balsa and Tanda had an argument about her killing others to save someone else’s life, and since then Balsa had never killed an opponent again. I’m not too sure, but I don’t remember that part being mentioned in the book (I’d have to double check it when I read it again).
  
• In the book, the First Prince, Sagum, was never close with Chagum. In fact Sagum disdained Chagum. In the anime, they were quite close with each other.
  
• Karuna Yonsa – Balsa’s father, physician to the King of Kanbal; friends with Jiguro. His daughter’s life was threatened by Prince Rogsam if Karuna refused to poison the King (Rogsam’s brother).
  
• In book 1 , Jiguro Musa was a martial arts instructor to Kanbal’s evil Rogsam. (Book 2 elaborates on this: Jiguro was one of the King’s 9 spears and the best of them all. He was also the martial arts instructor to Rogsam)
• More Tanda x Balsa moments… ~hooray! ^_^

• At the hunting cave, Chagum becomes frustrated about his forced duty to be the guardian of the spirit. It came to the point when he yelled a lot and tended to be very irritable towards everyone.
• Much more Shuga screentime and involvement in the anime. In the entirety of the book, Shuga never met Balsa. He just stayed in the Star Palace to decipher the secret tome. He did not accompany the elite warriors to fight against Rarunga and save Chagum (as seen in episode 23). However, like in the anime, Shuga was basically a good guy who wishes for Chagum’s safety and to learn as much as he can from Yakoo wisdom to improve his knowledge.
• In the book, during the midsummer solstice, Mon took Torogai to the Star Palace in the Capital to talk to the Master Star Reader (Shuga talked to Torogai in his Master’s place). It was only Jin and Zen who went with Tanda and Balsa to pursue Chagum and fight the Rarunga. The other elite warriors got injured when the Rarunga previously attacked. In the anime, Shuga went with the warriors to the place of celebration and met Torogai there, while the 4 elite warrios assisted Balsa in protecting Chagum from Rarunga.
  
• Different circumstance why Torogai contacted Tanda through the water dwellers… While having a conversation with Torogai at the Star Palace, she and Shuga realize that Sahnan is the place of celebration. Since they won’t make it in time if they travel to Sahnan from the capital, so Torogai contacted Tanda through the water dwellers.
• When Chagum drank the Sig Salua nectar to attract the Rarunga, it was noted that he reeked of Sig Salua’s scent afterwards, which was why the Rarunga manages to track him.
  
• No mention of Balsa, Tanda, Jin, and Zen drinking the nectar of Sig Salua (as seen in episode 24). In the book, Tanda can see the Rarunga because he was a magic weaver apprentice. I have no idea how Balsa, Jin and Zen could see and fight the Rarunga (or I might have missed it, I’ll check again when I re-read it).
  
• Fight against Rarunga is much more dramatic in the anime, but more kicka$$ fighting details in the book, especially Balsa’s and Tanda’s heroic efforts.
  
• Water spirit’s egg popped out of Chagum’s mouth on its own; no need for it to be extracted. Also, it was Tanda who threw the egg up in the air to be retrieved by the nahji (in episode 25, Tanda and Balsa extracted the egg from Chagum’s body and it was Balsa who threw it to the nahji)

• Most of the dialogue in the final episode were in the book including the talk they were having at the campfire and the “Farewell, Chagum” part, but there was no order from the Mikado to assassinate Balsa after saving Chagum. Also, Balsa and company did not go back to the palace with Chagum nor were they rewarded. They parted ways and said their goodbyes at the Yamakage Bridge since only royalty and their servants are allowed to cross it.
• Except for Toya and Saya’s appearance in the final episode, the book’s Epilogue was pretty much the same in the anime: With Balsa on her way to Kanbal, walking in the rain and saying she would have loved to have eaten some of Tanda’s vegetable stew before she left.

There’s only so much I can take while going back and forth with reading the book, re-watching the series and taking notes, then re-reading the book… so kindly pardon me if I might have forgotten to include some of the other differences and details.

Impressions: While reading the book, I realized that there are actually quite a number of anime-original episodes/”fillers” — like the one with the swordsmith, Toya teaching Chagum to be an ordinary boy, Saya’s soul leaving her body, Balsa and Chagum faking their deaths… — basically from episodes 5 to 17.  Shuga, Toya, Saya, and Jin had more screentime and they tinkered a bit with Shuga and Jin while not including Mon’s backstory.  It seems that some of the events were excerpts from the book, and Production IG expanded the story to explain stuff. These episodes were probably supposed to help explain the situation and explore the characters’ personalities to add more depth to the characters.

In this regard, I think most of those anime-original episodes served their purpose (although as much as I absolutely love the anime adaptation to bits, there were still a couple of episodes that I think I’d rather they didn’t include as “fillers”). I liked how they connected the swordsmith in episode 8 with Balsa and Jiguro’s story; I thought that helped the viewers to understand better all the trouble Balsa and Jiguro went through for most of their life while running away from Rogsam’s evilness. I also liked episode 11 which involved the Sig Salua blossom that was the key to Saya’s soul returning to her body. I thought that gave a pretty good insight to how the world of Nayug and Sagu are connected and showed us a way how one can cross over in between. It also helped explain how Balsa, Tanda and the warriors were able to see and fight the Rarunga, since how they managed to see and touch the Rarunga in the book was not explained much.

So, overall, despite the filler episodes, I think Production IG did a good job in tying these fillers with the episodes directly adapted from the book, because by the time the anime ended, the dots in the storyline were connected.

Also of note, with regard to more details in Balsa and Jiguro’s backstory, it appears to me that IG included excerpts from book 2 (like the details of the conspiracy to poison the King of Kanbal, Rogsam’s evilness, Balsa’s vow to save eight souls while Jiguro was in his deathbed, to name a few).

In rough summary, here’s what the anime adaptation covered from the 1st book:

• Episode 1 (part 1, chapters I and II)
• Episode 2 (part 1, chapters III and IV)
• Episode 3 (part 1, chapters V and VI)
• Episode 4 (part 2, chapters I, II and III)
• Episodes 5 to 17 (anime original episodes), although some of the events in episodes 14 to 16 were mentioned in the book (like Shuga deciphering the secret tomes and learning more about the water spirit and Sagum’s death), but it seems Production IG added in most of the other details. So, in general, I think these episodes were anime original with bits of excerpts from the book.
• Episodes 18 and 19 (part 2, chapter IV with some excerpts from part 3, chapter III)
• Episodes 20 to 22 (part 3, chapters I, II and III, with some excerpts from parts 1 and 2 from book 2)
• Episode 23 (part 3, chapter IV with some excerpts from chapter III)
• Episode 24 (part 3, chapter V, VI, VII)
• Episode 25 (part 3, chapter VIII)
• Episode 26 (part 3, chapter IX and Epilogue)
• see episode list
  

I hope my chapter-to-episode estimates are accurate enough (I’m probably about 90.7% sure… ^^;)

TO WRAP IT UP… Except for the anime-original episodes and a few other stuff that were changed, I think the anime adaptation was as faithful as it could be with the book.

It’s actually quite a good read and I enjoyed it, although I might be a bit biased since I’m fond of reading children’s literature and I totally loved the animated series. ;P

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You might also want to check out my other posts:

• Seirei no Moribito ep 26 [FINALE]
• Seriei no Moribito – overview
  
• Other Seriei no Moribito-related entries

Just a quick fangirl squee over a piece of good news… It’s official,  Darker than Black season 2 is on its way!!! No word on the exact date yet, but it’s definitely coming (I’ll edit this post once I get the date).

I am SO watching and I’d definitely be blogging episode summaries of season 2 in its entirety (which may take a while, but I don’t really care xD).  I can’t wait to see my precious Hei once again. Oh, happy day! ^_^

Here’s to hoping for more backstory on contractors and dolls, more kicka$$ fight scenes, a stronger Kirihara, more good stories, and of course more Hei!

Thanks to the ever vigilant usagijen for the heads up! I was slaving away in the office when I saw her tweet. ~Lol.  I’ve been bottling up my excitement and eagerness to post this bit of news since morning. xDD

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You might also want to check out my other related posts:

• Darker than Black ep 25 [FINALE]
• Extra: Darker than Black [ep 26/OVA]
• Darker than Black – series overview
• Extra: Darker than Black – main cast interview
  
• Other Darker than Black-related entries
  

It’s with great pride that I celebrate Undercover’s 2nd birthday! ~YAY!

Now, since I’ve already done the obligatory historical account of Undercover last year, it’s not much of a tl;dr post this time around; just a quick look at some of the stats and a brief preview of what’s to come…

I didn’t include the stats in my previous anniversary post, so I’ll put in some of the figures from the past 2 years, from June 2007 to 2009.

Top posts and pages:

1. Anime Preview: Spring 2008
2. Extra: Darker than Black [ep 26/OVA]
3. Honey and Clover drama cast + preview
4. Anime Preview: Fall 2008
5. Detective Conan: Clash of Red and Black!
6. Extra: La Corda d’Oro ~primo passo~ [A Summer Encore/ep 26]
7. Anime Preview: Spring 2009
8. Detective Conan: Manga File 654 – The End of “The Return” arc
9. Anime Preview: Winter 2007/2008
10. Darker than Black DVD OVA
    

Top search terms (and related terms):

• darker than black OVA / darker than black mask / darker than black 26 / darker than black dvd / darker than black ep 25
  
• 2008 anime / spring anime 2008 / best anime 2008 / anime previews
  
• honey and clover drama
• detective conan manga / detective conan bourbon / okiya subaru (a character from Detective Conan)
• lovely complex episode summary
• la corda d’oro / la corda d’oro secondo passo
• switch OVA
• minami-ke
• kaze no stigma / kaze no stigma light novel
• shion no ou
• hayate no gotoku episode 23 / hayate no gotoku episode 25 / hayate no gotoku crossdress (lol, LOTS of hits from that last one xD)
  

Some amusing search terms:

• hayate crossdress, hayate dressed as a girl
• when they cry live action (lolwut?! I’ve never even heard of this title, let alone seen it, whether in anime or live action form xDD… well, now I know what it is)
• anime undercover characters
• happy meal (and this was only due to ONE POST in which I babbled about the Detective Conan happy meal that I bought )
• avatar the last airbender keychain (again, this was only due to ONE POST in which I referred to the series because of the cosplayers)
• cherrybark oak (lol, huh? probably because of Darker than Black ep 26/OVA which has “cherry blossom tree” in the title/entry)
• anime song transfers dimension (I have no idea xDD)
• there were a bunch of other more amusing lines but I lost my list… ahehe… I’ll try to keep better track next time for more lolz…  Anyway, moving on…
  

Welcome to version 5.0! ~ To show my LOVE for Cross Game, I made a CG header! So Kou, Aoba, and Azuma (with a tiny Wakaba and an even tinier Nomo) will grace my blog until December. The layout stays the same because I’m quite fond of this theme.

So what else is coming, you wonder? I’ll be continuing with the batch episode summaries of Eden of the East until its finale. As usual, anime previews, first impressions, and notable OP/ED themes posts will keep their regular appearances. Expect my review of book 1 (Guardian of the Spirit) in the Moribito series of novels anytime this week. My review/summary of the 2nd book (Guardian of the Darkness) is also in the works. Also, more series overviews and random fangirl babbles on the way, including Detective Conan, Cross Game, Toshokan Sensou, Ookiku Furikabutte, and xxxHolic, to name a few.  Work can be really crazy at times, but I’d still continue to update whenever I find some free time to blog, mostly sticking with weekly/monthly posts.

For the past couple of years, it’s been 165+ posts, 110,000+ views,  and 690+ comments. It’s not much, but I’m still glad that people do bother to come around and read my babbles, even sharing their thoughts now and then.

… And of course, to my dear readers, whether old or new, strangers or acquaintances, passers by or regulars: ~ A BIG THANKS TO YOU! ^_^

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** Header texture by hybrid genesis, Ookiku Furikabutte icon by deadweasel icons, Darker than Black icon by me, but I don’t know who made the Hayate no Gotoku! crossdressing banner (I got it from a forum in Crunchyroll)