can anyone tell me what is happening in this series? just where is the plot getting to? it is just piles of dead bodies, zombies and demons again.

those that are killed in first episode are dead alright and we have a totally new cast this week which 80% are from the manga. i wonder if keisuke will appear too. we might get closer in term of cast if more characters shows up next week. what are the roles of the dead cast of last week?

yomi is the so-called villian from the first two episodes. she totally pawned everyone out, not even kagura is her match but for the first time, i have never seen a villian so cool and attractive. i don't mind seeing her continue killing everyone, just that the plot will get no where with a world roamed by demons.

i didn't expect to see two animes which you can say it is basically just painted with blood. not that i doubt japan's ability to create bloody works, they have lots of it which i can name a few without thinking.

i was comparing to most of the other series for this season, these two stands out quite a lot. there is still another one about a boy being involved with murder cases too but not so interested in a useless male lead.



Ga-rei zero:

the most shocking thing is the first episode ended with every single one dead. i wonder how the story is going to go on. random curiosity said it could be the last episode instead which is used in some anime which the last is the first episode too. i personally felt it could be an illusion because of the butterfly scenes everywhere in the anime. butterfly has been used as a symbol for 'illusion' in  a few works like clamp's cardcaptor sakura, xxxholic or kekkaishi. the second episode will reveal what is the significance of the first episode's climax.

the character design is really cool. the fighting scenes are really cool, mature and dark which is lacking in the manga. i enjoy both since they are totally different styles. however, the anime is rather lame sometime, especially the use of the bike as an weapon which the female lead turns it like twisting a piece of paper. please, even if it is an anime, this is just not 'realistic' at all. then, trying to make the male lead cool with having him standing on the bike is so........hard, he has steel bars in his legs that lock onto the bike......................................it's not cool, it makes me want to laugh instead.


kurozuka:

the two distinctive features i will say is Miyano Mamoru and Paku Romi. Paku romi is totally amazing here. I couldn't recognise her voice at all, it is after i checked the seiyuu list and saw her name, then i realize it's her. i am aware she is a versatile seiyuu but to this extent is unexpected. then, it is benke and his design. is that son goku when we finally get to see him with his hood down. rofl.

the fighting scenes are really smooth and a matrix type of approach. i wonder if the production can keep this up. 

from the looks of the opening song, i guess the setting of the anime should be in modern Japan and the familiar concrete jungle scene than the 12th century's natural jungle. based loosely on the tales of genji which just the names of yoshitsune and benke is used. let's not get into history, it is boring.

as compared to the opening song, i like the ending song better on one basis, i like rock but not this kind of rock music.

for the sake of watching this anime, i decided to read the manga for this series before the anime for a main gist of the story. the manga itself is moving on quite fast. at first i thought touma is just going to be protecting Index for the whole series but no, seems like it is different. i will say it is focusing on interaction a lot. however, relating it to the manga often proves to be inaccurate so comparison is not useful either.

although episode 1 has followed the manga very closely, which is rare but it has removed the part of index being chased around before she 'landed' onto touma's veranda and the detailed fight of touma with mikoto. i guess it is due to screening time and to push Magnus out than ending the episode with touma roaming the street.

i look forward to seeing the role mikoto played in this series since her role isn't much shown till chapter 10. i wonder if she will be an aid or foe to touma in the future. her power will be en enormous aid.


i am more taken aback by magnus's resemblance to gojyo of saiyuki. that hairstyle, hair colour and the cigarette all spells 'Gojyo' into my face.

 


overall:

i am very pleased with the animation quality. i hope J.C staff will continue with this. i don't want distorted faces.


question:

- i have seen review comparing this with shakugan. other than the loli, i don't see how the two stories connect. for one, touma isn't even  weak either though he doesn't have luck at all. what is the basis for the comparison? 

- just how much trouble would touma get himself into in this anime?

at first, i wasn't really interested in seeing a weak helpless male lead with 3 girls.................tend to be ecchi. however, the character looks good so i gave it a try. i was so wrong, more like the summary given everywhere is so misleading.

i have also taken a new found liking to sawashiko miyuki. i usually don't bother about female seiyuu except paku romi and matsumoto rica. however, i can't help but notice her voice, a slightly coarse type of beauty engraved in it. 

The summary goes like this: The story revolves around a quartet of teenaged heroes: A super-strong girl named Hime, a mind reader named Ao, a conjurer named Kotoha and an ordinary, powerless boy named Akina. The three girls and Akina protect the city of Sakurashin from supernatural threats.

After watching the episode, i am seriously doubting the reliability of review sometimes. why is it written this way everywhere, in random curiosity and memento too? obviously all taken from the same source. need to check the official website if it is written this way too.

i strongly disagree with the 'ORDINARY' and 'POWERLESS' if the meanings coincide with our understanding of the two words.

one - would someone who can use some sort of power that force an evil energy out of someone and whose hair grew long in few seconds and changed back again be ordinary? if he is ordinary, i am abnormal.



second - he is capable of protecting himself and others, would you call him powerless? able to summon something is nowhere near powerless too. if you need to say powerless, a whimp like kirie in te first 90% of the series is more suitable for the word. if he is powerless, would ao hide behind him? wouldn't you hide behind hime instead?




overall, the animation is not bad though the face of hime sometimes is distorted as shown above. both songs are to my enjoyment which i prefer the faster opening.


questions:

- who is the other kitsune youkai?
- related to ao or akina as he is depicted as a kage of akina in the opening song.
- who is gin? could it be a youkai hiding inside akina and so the kitsune shadow in the opening and the power of akina to disperse the evil energy?

やっときた。もう待てらんね。

as compared to hakushaku to yosei, kuroshitsuji is way more entertaining and pleasing. after watching episode 1 of hakushaku, i don't really feel like continuing with it. the animation quality isn't that great either. nico the elf is the only thing that will make me watch episode 2.


at first, i thought ono daisuke may not be up to the job as sebastian since his previous works are more sunny while sebastian is basically the opposite (especially when compared to akira of monochrome factor). i will say ono daisuke has a done a great job in episode 1.

( impression of the anime vs manga )
red lady is appearing next episode already, the anime sure is moving on fast when the manga is just mere four volumes long at the moment only.

the opening and ending songs are wonderful. the songs are nice and the animation is even better. the ending is so cute, it will make you melt.

some screenshots:



for more: click here

sebastian kept this face throughout the chibi ending animation, a face that says 'idiots......' which does agree with his personality. sebastian really doesn't think very highly of anyone, not even of ciel.



questions in mind:

- what is the contract made between him and ciel?
- what does sebastian get from this contract? ciel's life/soul when ciel dies?
- what are the conditions binding the contract?
- does sebastian absolutely has to listen to ciel?


from the opening song, when ciel changed into a feather after sebastian touched him is as if sebastian will have killed ciel one day. from the manga, sebastian doesn't really seem bothered if ciel dies even though he saves ciel at the best he could.

yes, the autumn season officially started with this anime.

so few comments about episode 1,

1) the opening song is pretty nice. not that i have any encounter with acid flavor before but this song is catchy (personally). i am looking forward to the animation of the opening and ending songs.

2) quite a strong cast of seiyuu for this anime. if we throw in paku romi, jun fukuyama and takahiro sakurai, it will be even better. however, midorikawa hikaru, sigh, i just can't help but hates his voice because of tamahome. his voice is too distinctive. paku romi will be in kuro shitsuji as a guest character for an arc (if it follows the manga strongly). 

i remember saying jun fukuyama is over-used in last few seasons and looking at this season, i should say the same for miyano mamoru. production teams should stop using the same few seiyuu all the time. i don't think there are lousy seiyuu, just seiyuu i hate or like, give other seiyuu a chance. i believe there are other beautiful voices floating around.  

3) why did lydia allow the hakushaku make her back up all the way to the end of the long cruise? just stand firm and tell him 'no'?! or gladly throw yourself into the water. allowing herself to be threatened...............................