Sticky: Japan Needs Our Help and Prayers

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.

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

** 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.

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

**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. ^_^

Notable OP/ED themes: Spring 2010

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)

Anime Preview: Spring 2010 First Impressions

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!!

Notable OP/ED themes: Winter 2009/2010

A Winter 2009/2010 season OP/ED themes post! Kindly note that this is quite subjective as it’s listed as “Top 5″ ranked according to my preference, followed by randomly listed titles as “special mention.”

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

Anime Preview: Spring 2010

I’ve been so swamped with work these past few weeks, but I finally found the time to blog again (just in time for spring! hurray~). So, here’s a rough list of anime that will be airing this Spring 2010 season. I’ve been eagerly waiting for this season because of a certain couple of series~ ^_^

I skipped the first impressions for winter, but I *think* I might manage to make a batch list of it again this time after I’ve seen the first episodes.

Anyway, here’s the information I’ve been able to gather (listed in alphabetical order). All of the series in this list will start airing this April.

A quick review of REC (anime)

Synopsis: Fumihiko Matsumaru is an average salaryman with no girlfriend. He invited his colleague Ms. Tanaka to a movie but was stood up. Right at the time he was about to toss tickets into a trash can, a cute girl appeared and asked him not to waste those two tickets. After movie and dinner, he escorted her home and found they live in the same neighborhood, yet unfortunately her apartment caught on fire hours later. Having nowhere else to stay, rookie seiyuu Aka Onda moved to Matsumaru’s place, and the two had started a “more than friends but not yet lovers” relationship under the same roof while keeping this secret from their employers. (from: ANN)

Genre: Romance, comedy, drama
Status: Anime – completed, 9 episodes + 1 DVD-only episode (Feb to Mar 2006)
Manga – ongoing (10 volumes as of 01/2010)
Age rating: The anime contains some mature content (nudity, suggestive scenes and dialogue, and the like), but I heard the manga does indeed contain mature content (R-18?)

Thoughts / Review: The OP was your typical upbeat tune, though it did sound a bit different than the usual ones on similar types of series. It was done by SHAFT, so there were some touches of their unique visual style/elements present here and there. It has 9 episodes in total plus an extra DVD episode. Each episode is just approximately 12 minutes long (or short, however you wish to refer to it), so I managed to finish it in one sitting.