...what are you watching...

Skip Beat 25! the end. Ren is enlightened, but we don't really know what he'll do about anything since well, this is the last episode. Kyoko kinda wraps things up with a generic, 'I am looking forward to Ren's performance and I, too, feel like a new person' - kinda speech. It's been a cute ride. Kyoko's internal monologues set her apart from other shoujo heroines. Marina Inoue did a pretty awesome job at Kyoko. She also voices Kana from Minami-ke. Despite the old-fashioned look to the anime, it was entertaining and quite faithful to the manga. This episode ends right before Ren wows everyone with his acting skills. It's probably good they stopped there. It was pretty 'corn'y in the manga. ~8/10 rating~ for the series. I'd probably watch another season should they decide to make one.

Minami-ke Okaeri 10! One of the funniest episodes yet. Fujioka's lap being the best seat in the household is a bit weird, but Natsuki's smile stole the show; such a creepy moment.

Skip Beat 23! Kyoko's interpretation of Mio is accepted. Ren now has trouble acting as Kazuki; y'know..finding his inner pedobear. For some reason the dramatic angst doesn't bother me in this series.

Kuroshitsuji 21! is about where Ciel's servants came from and how Sebastian recruited them. It was kinda cute...though not sure if it's canon.

Tengujin by Yumeka Sumomo or Sahara Mizu is another of her bittersweet, romantic stories. In a futuristic Japan where gods sorta rule, a boy, also a god, has to be married and eaten by another god. His twin brother wants to prevent it. It's actually a nice reincarnation story, too. It is/was originally printed in one of those unheard of magazines, so I'm sad Volume 2 is nowhere in sight. Aurora Publishing released it in the US. Their book is printed in Japan which might account for the smoother paper and ink. It's a nice, quick read with pretty artwork if anyone wants to try it out.

Skip Beat 21! Ren's manager's antics and comments are cute. Ren and Kyoko start filming the drama, Dark Moon.

Kuroshitsuji 20! Ciel was not the drug dealer...shock. The overall attention to visuals is decent though the cannonball scene was kinda silly. Lau is revealed as a bad guy and Aberlin is killed off. Sebastian gets slapped twice...oh noes.

Hetalia Axis Powers 5! Um, they (Germany, Italy and Japan) are very gay. I look forward to seeing America and the others.

Skip Beat 19! Amusing episode as Kyoko finishes the PV with Sho successfully. I didn't think Sho would be that important a character so soon, but it's nice that he's been made more human. The whole 'corn' flashback makes me laugh. Finished up the manga (up the the current chapter), and it's probably not a manga I would have wanted to read, but the anime's seiyuu have done well to bring the story to life.

Gundam 00 S2 19! 00's fairy dust makes everyone hallucinate. Saji tries to bring sanity back, but I think he fails. They are able to capture Revive, but Anew takes control of the bridge. Liu Mei appears to have blown up, and even though she's served no purpose at all in this series, I'm sure she survives to help the Gundams in some way. (Oh and the way Soma Peries' mech fits on top of Alleliua's Gundam? C'mon, pervy mech designers.)

Minami-ke Okaeri 7! a classic Mako-chan episode where the tanuki's tail is almost revealed. The mug story..too cute.

Sorta old news but here's the cast of the cdrama version of Hana Yori Dango/Boys Before Flower, ie. now called Meteor Shower. They don't look all too hot; probably because they look 5 years younger than their jp and kr counterparts.

And here're the main characters of the twdrama version of Skip Beat. Pretty cute.

Kuroshitsuji 15! This was a bizarre episode of Yakitate Japan. I don't think this anime can recover from the manga-what-manga turn it has taken.

Skip Beat 16! It's truu luba when the two main characters have nice thoughts about each other. Cute episode despite the sugar shock.

Minami-ke Okaeri 4! While the previous season featured the cross-dressing Makoto alot, Toma has a step-up in importance this season. It was cute when they had a photo that referred to the incident in the first season when Toma's brother, Natsuki, first visited. And we also get a new character, Hitomi, who thinks Natsuki likes her.

Kuroshitsuji 7! Despite their every attempt to create a dark atmosphere, the nyan chanting was just plain odd. Ciel and all investigate a demon-dog-infested town. Do they ever show the Queen in the manga? I'd like to see who Ciel is working for.

Kurozuka 7! This isn't living up to the hype created by the first episode, and it is mostly because the declining animation quality. In this episode, Kurou remembers a time when Kuromitsu sliced his head off; ah~ good times. Poison Ivy makes a guest appearance.

Vampire Knight: Guilty 7! The other vampire anime...what's a little vampire story without some incestual overtones. Pretty good episode even though the ever-present cheap animation kills the mood sometimes.



Junjou Romantica S2 7! Haven't mentioned this before, but I enjoy the internal letters-to-nii-chan dialogue that Misaki engages in. It's makes him more interesting than your standard uke. And likewise, in the manga I like the Usagi's memories-of-Takahiro omakes. In this episode Misaki receives presents from his brother in Hokkaido, meets Usagi's father, and tries to confess his feelings to Usagi. There are times that Misaki is really adorable, and this is definitely an adorable episode. No onscreen smut, but warnings for two-seconds of finger-fellating.

Hakushaku to Yousei 6! How often do they mention the fact that Edgar has ash-mauve eyes? Ash-mauve? Sounds like a goth rock band. The plot is stumbling along, but kelpie/chick scene was cute.

Skip Beat 7! Hey, I hear that this is licensed. I never watch anime on Crunchyroll. Their video quality is pretty bad for those who just want to watch for free, and their website design is pretty toilet-worthy. But hey, I suppose progress is progress. In episode 7, Ruriko and Kyoko continue to compete in the film, but Kyoko's injury makes her pass out. Kyoko is an engaging go-girl-power type character, but the story and the supporting characters are unimaginative. Gonna drop this show for now.

Michiko to Hatchin 1! Sexy black woman and orphan girl...an anime that takes place in Mexico?

+ Sexy, stylish, high quality production and music

Quick summary ~ Little Orphan Annie/Hana is treated like crap by her foster family. One day right before the family decides to shoot her (so that her 'mother' doesn't find out how she's been treated), the 'mother' who seems to be Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls crashes in to take her away. They both have mysterious tattoos.

Quick impression ~ Great season for high quality anime, but then the mid-quality shows really look like crap. Anyway, this show has a laidback attitude kinda like Cowboy Bebop. It also has a mature chick with a gun. I'm sure it will be quite popular.



Skip Beat 1-2! Initially passed over this since the animation style looked old and cheap(similar to Kaikan Phrase), but it got some good reviews by the manga fans. I never read the manga, but I guess it was pretty popular way back when.

- Lacking in attractive character designs
- Bland production
+ Silly main character

Quick summary ~ A girl follows her friend's climb up to stardom only to find out that he is a jerk. She gets a makeover so that she can get into showbiz for revenge.

Quick impression ~ Seems like a standard shoujo anime, but it's silly enough to entertain. I was amused by the Harry Potter and the evil pudding poster. It was funny when Kyoko came onto the stage with a butcher's knife in episode 2. I might watch for the entertaining fluff, but I wish they put more $$ into the production.