...what are you watching...

Wanted to finish these dramas before starting the new ones:

Saikou no Jinsei no Owarikata 9-10! the end. The family says goodbye to their brother. The Iwata case is solved by a rather uneventful climax. The end. The series didn't push the likable features of the characters as much as I thought they would, so it wasn't as fun to watch as I had hoped. ~6/10 rating~ Overall, death isn't to be feared..good lesson.

Hungry 11! the end. Eisuke and gang predictably don't get along with Aso's conditions for Eisuke's Paris training. And they convince the landlady to let them keep the warehouse. Every wraps up rather neatly at the end. Promising drama, but the real humor died off early in the show. ~6/10 rating~easy to watch, but so-so drama. French food only appeared to be mildly delicious.

Very sad I couldn't see Laruku at NYC over the weekend; positive NYTimes and Fuse reviews (the Ken video at the Fuse link was funny). Looks like their world tour ends with 2 concerts in Hawaii...interesting.

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Natsume Yuujinchou Shi 13! the end...again. What the writer does really well is make you feel sympathy for Natsume...every single episode...for the same reason over and over. And you don't get tired of it..even though it's the same thing..it must be the cat. Brilliant, really. In this episode Natsume remembers a bit of his childhood and finds his parents' home. I liked this season as well as the previous. The story arcs tied a few more characters together. I was still waiting for more development on Reiko...but even the manga hasn't gotten that far. ~8/10 rating

Hunter x Hunter 2012 24! features a cute flashback with Killua and Canary.

Hungry 10! It was very amusing that the landlady brought her own salt & pepper and sprinkled it all over Eisuke's food...and kicks them out of the building. Eisuke goes to France to train.

Nisemonogatari 11! this very quick arc ties Kaiki, Oshino and Kagenui's interesting views together while resolving Tsukihi's story. This series didn't have as much action as Bakemonogatari did, but Araragi did get a thorough beating here. Shinobu helps Araragi, but sadly, her fight is off-screen. This was a really good second season to the series. Araragi's relationships evolved and his love for his sisters was really nice (though humorously perverted). ~9/10 rating~ top-notch visuals, thoughtful dialogue, and well-timed comedy once again entertain oh so well. Very good end. Darn teaser.

Hunter x Hunter 2012 23! Gon, Leorio and Kurapica open the gate together. The first version allowed them to open the gate individually with Leorio being able to open an upper gate. Then Gon gets beat up by the young servant with the cane.

Hungry 9! The chef at Gasterea challenges Eisuke during his friend's wedding.

Nisemonogatari 10! Just finished an online translation of Kizumonogatari. Despite the fan translation bumps, you can tell the movie should be epic as if the trailer didn't convince. This episode was fun. Loved the Mister Donut scene (though bitter that all the local Mister Donuts closed up a long time ago) and the second half was even better.

Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam 20 (or 18 depending on who's counting)! Now, we're getting somewhere. Could they next point the gun towards the other 3 characters; Fam, Millia and Sara.

Hunter x Hunter 2012 22! Gon et al meet the Zoldyck's gatekeeper. There are a handful of scenes in the original series that made some characters more endearing. Some of that gets lost in this semi-speedy version.

Hungry 8! Eisuke and curly-haired guy get stuck in the freezer. Eisuke and his mates reconcile. Good episode.

Saikou no Jinsei no Owarikata 7-8! Haruka discovers who her online crush is. Masapyon finds out about his brother's tumor. Sakamaki's sempai is killed during an investigation. Masapyon finds that he has been talking to Sakamaki's dead grandfather. tbc.

Aquarion EVOL 9! filler episode about Andy and Mix. Zzz.

Natsume Yuujinchou Shi 9! A nice arc with Natori. Natsume pretends to be a god to help win a contest and save a mountain.

Hungry 7! Some (pseudo-Michelin) food critics eat as Gasterea and later, Eisuke's newly named Harapeko Kitchen. Eisuke unknowingly blows his chance by fighting with his friends.

Saikou no Jinsei no Owarikata 4-6! Caught up with this show. It moves a little more quickly as background noise. The problem with Masapyon's younger brother and younger sister are resolved in these episodes. Sleeping with her teacher...meh, whatever. I'm interested in the old guy who is implied to be a figment of Masapyon's imagination.

Full Metal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos movie! I can't really remember what the first movie was about, but there were Nazis and gypsies, right? The first movie wrapped up the first version of the series in a weird way. This new movie is about a border country whose residents are looking for the star of Milos for power...salvation...etc. Three guesses on what the star is. This takes place before the end of the manga story. Ed and Al meet a female journalist, her brother, some corrupt border officers, and a group of people who need saving. Basically the journalist and her brother mirror Ed and Al. It's a decent movie with great action. Nonetheless, the story pales next to the actual tv series. ~7/10 rating~

Nisemonogatari 7! so the climactic action featured Karen pummeling her brother, and not Araragi against Kaiki. Cute.

Hunter x Hunter 2012 20! I think the first series' recap of the matches was better than this version, but the interaction between Killua and Illumini made more sense here than it did in the past. It's nice that the recent manga arc mirror this part in the anime...or at least provide resolution of some sort.

Inu x Boku SS 6! Ririchiyou becomes friends with Roromiya and Watanuki. Despite the cast's potential, the show is sorely lacking in good dialogue and a good story. The rare moments of supernatural and cute aren't enough to fill the episode. Zzz...dropped.

Hungry 6! Curly-haired Smap guy challenges Eisuke again. He says the food is delicious but not French.

Lucky Seven 5! I don't think the Nitta arc was very well written (or well translated). I suppose it left the bigger questions open to resolution later. After the first episode, the show hasn't been as good, so plop, dropped.

Akino with bless4 performing the opening to Aquarion EVOL. Lovely voice, but she looks older than I thought, and the fashion and dancing is sooo...jpop.

Nisemonogatari 6! Didn't think much of Hachikuji the first season, but she's definitely one of my favorite characters here. Araragi is able to take half of his sister's curse into himself, and convinces Senjougahara to allow him to accompany her to her meeting with Kaiki. I like that this season is one continuous story. Shinobu is an added plus.

Hunter x Hunter 2012 19! Gon and Hanzo fight. Cute.

Hungry 5! Eisuke has to take care of his former manager's fat child. At first the child refuses to eat Eisuke's food. Eisuke wins him over with fried rice with cream sauce...gotta start somewhere.

Lucky Seven 4! Nitta takes photos of something that gets the detective agency into trouble. It seems too early in the show for this type of storyline. The comradery of the agency hasn't been established yet. Zzz...

Black★Rock Shooter 1! bring on the merchandise.

+ Decent production
- Dull story

Quick impression ~ I thought this was supposed to air weeks ago. An average school girl wants to become friends with megane, quiet girl. Megane girl invites the other to her house. Enter evil wheelchair girl. Average girl feels hated. There's the fighting action in a fantasy world, but I think it's a manifestation of the girls' thoughts and feelings. The style of the show reminded me a little of the Magica Madoka show. The violence in the other world would have more impact if it made a difference in the physical world. Yawn. Though Hatsune Miku's concert looks pretty darn cool, and supercell's songs are catchy, the digital voice is kinda grating; can't imagine listening to a full album of that voice. Hope supercell's ending song is good.

Hungry 4! Eisuke starts a part-time construction job to pay off the restaurant's bills, and so that he can afford to pay his staff. The curly-haired rival gives him 11 homard lobsters to test his skills.

Nisemonogatari 4! Shinobu speaks! barely recognized Maaya there. Araragi gathers information about Karen's disease. Love the way they make the lengthiest of conversations visually interesting...even if it's a bit perverted.
Inu x Boku SS 3! Ririchiyo starts school and immediately alienates some classmates with her snobby act even though she is insecure on the inside. Dull and sappy episode. The next one looks more promising.
Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam 15! This was mostly a filler episode after the annihilation of the north (unfortunately the old geezers did not have another weapon up their sleeves like I had thought). The politics of this show are terrible. After she conquered so many countries, Augusta decides that killing was probably not the right approach to take, and she abandons Luscinia.
Hunter x Hunter 2012 17! Killua quickly gets his target's plate while Gon teams up with Kurapika and Leorio to help Leorio get his.

Hungry 3! The vocalist from Eisuke's band is released from jail and becomes the restaurant's waiter/host. Eisuke's girlfriend feels uneasy about his new dream. Fairly predictable story, but the show is light-hearted fun.

You Are My Pet kmovie! based on the manga Kimi wa Pet (please never ever use the US title). Eun-yi (Sumire) is a hard-working career woman who is subject to jealousy from her peers. She picks up a young man, In-ho, in a box outside her apartment and he agrees to be her pet, Momo. There was a small change in how they meet in the beginning of the movie, and various changes throughout; mostly cutting out the side characters' roles. And yay, Jang Geun-suk (Momo) sings in this movie. The flaws lie with Kim Ha-Neul who plays Eun-yi rather unconvincingly. Eun-yi is less of the hard-arse career worman than Sumire was, and doesn't seem in love with either Momo or whatshisname. The movie also focuses too much on the fluffy parts of the story. It makes it rather tedious to sit through. On the upside, the movie is rather attractive and there's an unexpected musical element at the end, but I do prefer the tv jdrama. ~7/10 rating~


Saikou no Jinsei no Owarikata 1! Masato is a regional manager of a chain of pubs played by Yamashita Tomohisa(heeey, it's been a long time since I've seen Yamapi in a drama). His father suddenly dies leaving behind the family funeral parlor business. Masato's older brother had disappeared, and he has three other siblings to take care of. The death of one of his subordinates makes him take on the business. He also befriends a policewoman which gives the drama a little more CSI feel. Episode 1 was interesting enough for this to go on my maybe-list.


Hungry 2! Eisuke finally has a concept for his restaurant and has normal guests. This continues to be lighthearted and yummy to watch. Plus, subs are done well and fast...it's a keeper.