Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru

This series revolves around the activities and members of the "Service Club", a school organization dedicated in assisting the students towards the fruition of their wishes. The Club is composed the pragmatic pair of Hachiman, Yukino and the cheerful Yuigahama. Eventhough majority of the members are somewhat pessimistic on their views on human relations, they work together with their "client" in order to get things done and fulfill the request behest upon them.

They lend a hand to students of their school with different problems, be it family related, in student relations, or in romance, he trio are exposed to a wide range of personalities and circumstances that they believe, in some ways, they should have not meddled in the first place. This resulted in a lot of misunderstandings, rumors, and a lot of cases where they think they solved the problem, only to find out that no real change had occurred in the life of their client. Making things complicated is the eventual feelings developed by Yukino and Yuigahama towards Hachiman, which he casually brushes off.

Among the characters, Hachiman is a peculiar one. With his bad experiences with people while in middle school, he developed a pessimistic (often referring to it as being a realist) outlook on human relations and thinking of the status quo, and forms a barrier around himself, living the life of a high school loner. He constantly reads between the lines when talking to people, and sees through screens held by others to appear different as they seem to be. Thinking that way makes him difficult to trust and accept people at face value. Just the same, he still hopes for a "genuine" relationship and continues to have a normal thought process and aspiration of a high school boy in the background.

The series goes on about the true nature of human behavior, "genuine" relations, being true to ones self, self awareness and self development, but with all those episodes, nothing seems to be resolved, The main premise of the plot seems to be stretched to fill the episodes of both seasons of this anime, but when you get down to it... all those face-offs and discussions about their real feelings and intentions were not resolved. It was kinda closed in the first season, but not met by the end of the seocnd season. Did they intentionally do that in the hopes of going on for a third season? But an OAV is in the works, set to be released on November 2016, so we have to wait for that to see what all this infighting drama is all about... what is the root of all this tensions in relationships.

But...

Their discussion and misadventures were enough to keep me interested in the next development of the characters and their relations. And the hints of romance between the characters, sometimes intensified with a tinge of tension, kept in glued and awaiting the next episode.

ReLife

If someone offers you a "one year, limited edition of youth", would you take it?

In a "Morpheus meets Neo" like moment... he offers you a pill. And if you take it, you get to go back to highschool, redo things and live with no regrets.

This is what is offered to Arata Kaizaki, a 27 year-old, out of work "freeter" who is also a partial "shut-in" (hikikomori). Due to a string of back luck, Arata is offered to be a test subject of the ReLife experience, a new program in cooperation with a research laboratory to curb he growing number of "shut-ins" in society.  He will be given the looks of a high school student through an experimental medicine, be paid to live as high school student, move forward from the cause of their social awkwardness, and land a steady job either within or by recommendation of the laboratory.

But with the combination of Arata's social stature, past experiences and the fact that him being in an experiment that cannot be foreclosed to anyone, living the life as a high school student again can be quite a chore. He acts with more social and emotional maturity than his classmates, and often ends up giving "old man" like advice to those around him... even though he fails in a lot of tests and exams at school... and confused with the new ways of the youth than he was used to. In the end, all those around him start to change, gain a mature outlook, and better themselves so they may move forward without regrets.

I like the way this anime tackled the concerns and social topics which affects both teens and young adults alike. Underneath all that funny and light moments, is a lingering hint of melancholy, about fading away, being not needed, and being forgotten. For someone already saturated (and bored) with all that romanticized view on Japanese high school life, this series tackles the issue on point without being too serious or too cliche. A balanced portrayal which makes the series enjoyable and interesting.

Animation production wise, there was also a  balance of the designs to meld well with either the serious or comedic tones of the story as needed. The character development was also well paced, so you den't need to be a fan, or knowledgeable, of the web manga series to enjoy the story. Actually, you might get your interest roused because of this (which I surely am, now...).

" A way to fix your past..."

Its like a dream for anyone with some sort of regret from their past. Through this anime (and hopefully the manga as well), you get to see it unfold.. in an experiment situation, to think, is it really worth it... or are you glad you went through that experience in the first place.

Anime: Mangaka san to Assistant san to (The Animation)

 

The series is about the manga artist Yuuki Aito and his assistant Sahoto Ashisu. Based off the four panel strip in the seinen magazine published by Square Enix, its a fast paced comedy satire about being a manga artist.

The running gag within the series is the perverseness of Aito, and the patience of Ashisu as she keeps up with him even after being the target of his perverted jokes and way of thinking. While working on their mid-poplar seinen series, Aito wants to spread his love for women's underwear through manga, while Ashisu strives to improve her skills by being Aito's assistant. Along the way, with his childhood friend who is also his assistant editor, an airhead second assistant who doesn't know how to draw but admires and loves Aito's works, and a young super assistant who does better work than most manga artists she works for, Aito's studio-office-apartment became a venerable harem where the girls are the targets of his perverseness, but they hide a certain level of affection for him.

although almost all anime girl stereotypes are represented; the tsundere, the airhead, the logical one, the quiet loli and the imouto-type, its not your typical harem genre of comedy. As much as he is perverted, he still values the relationship he has with them.

A series for light, casual viewing, the story line is appropriate for the 13 to 15 minutes each episode has to offer, without stretching the plot out too thin. Although each episode is divided into 3 - 4 part chapters, it still leaves you wanting more and looking forward to the next one.

J-Drama: Toshi Densetsu no Onna

This police-detective comedy drama stars Nagasawa Misami as Otonashi Tsukiko. A newly assigned detective who is cooky and has amazing deductive skills but is so obsessed with linking crimes to urban legends or myths. She does her best in connecting the crime on each episode to a major Japanese urban myth, but always ends up solving the crime and proving otherwise.

As a rookie detective who is young and attractive, she never shy in using allure and somewhat seducing suspects, persons of interest and fellow officers to get information and favors. She also admits to it that it is the reason why she wears such skimpy skirts that shows much of her legs.

The series also explains the premise and origins of various urban myths that is made famous around Japan. If you love crime-mystery dramas and a bit of the occult and superstitions, this is a light hearted series for you.

... Although I got into it first because Misami looks like my crush, Otsuka Chihiro during her "Attention Please" days...

Anime: Hanasaku Iroha

Whew!... haven`t really wrote anything here in a loooong time. Well, life has been a roller coaster ride of mostly downs...but anime always somehow gets my ass off the pity couch and experience the world once more.

I have myself a list of anime titles I collect from Facebook with the various anime and cosplay groups I belong to, mostly cute and light hearted comedies, but this one I got from a fellow blogger and photographer Mack-niisama. On the top of his recommended list is a series called "Hanasaku Iroha".

Its a slice of life - school life - coming of age - love - comedy story/ tale of a girl, who was brought up to rely on no one else, to suddenly be plunged into the world of the service-hospitality industry by being a waitress in a traditional inn run by her grandmother.

Aside from dealing with the detached relationship she has with her grandmother, she also has to deal with the wide variety of personalities of the staff she had to work with, which pretty much looks negatively at her "do it all/ know it all" attitude. Add to that the seemingly whirlwind romance and love triangles she gets mixed with...especially with her childhood friend whom she left behind.

With so much stacked against her, she always gets herself and the people around her into funny and "kilig" (yes...its a valid word now in 2016...look it up in the dictionary) situations that makes you yearning to see more each episode. Unlike most anime, this one is not open ended. But it does leave room in the end of its 26 long episodes for a sequel or a few "omake" OAVs at best.

The production, animation style and character design and development is really superb. PA Works, the animation studio that worked on the series, did a very good job with the animation. Its reminiscent of their past works such as Angel Beats and Another. Very human like motions that exudes frailty, motion, action and emotions. Just the thing that added to my "addiction" to the series.

In the end, you can never get enough of the misadventures of the characters in the series. although it was a long series by its standard. You will be glad you went through the journey with them.

Anime: Kampfer

Background:
Kampfer are girls with special abilities respective of their weapons (gun, blade, chained weapon or elemental summoning ability) who are chosen by a race of aliens called "Moderators" to fight to the death.

Twist:
Natsuru Senou is an ordinary highschool guy who one day woke up as a girl as he was chosen to be a Kampfer (although he is a guy). When another Kampfer is present, or he needs to use his ability, he transforms into a girl.

In a Nutshell:
A sexy-cute yuri fan service if I ever seen one. There's a lot of girl-on-girl turn ons and harem ploy (but in this case, all of them are girls, with the main "girl" Natsuru as the harem master). A confusing, gender-bending love story for the un-initiated...but a light hearted treat for yuri fans.

Afterthought:
Very nice character design and animation. A lot of inside jokes about "seiyuu" actors in the beginning of the series that might tend to alienate those not closely following seiyuu actors.

A lot of exagerrated circumstances that, thinking about getting into the same in the real world, would seem too much.

Only the main character's backstory are developed, leaving you to wonder what happened to the other supporting characters.

Story is crammed into the 12-episode series. I wish they developed that characters more, and their relationships with each other.

Weird dance moves by the main characters on the ending theme.

Album Review: "Stalemate Guards for Defiant Hearts" by Masha

"Stalemate Guards for Defiant Hearts" is the first album by local alternative rock band "Masha", set to be launched on Nov.7, 2014 at the B-Side Collective, Makati City.

The 10-track album presents songs, each with their own character...with words, sounds and grooves imbued with energy, intense emotion, paced like a story being told by a close friend sharing their closest secrets and thoughts.

It also helps that scattered within the songs are various hooks that makes you want to listen to it again and again. I know I did.

Aside from their previously released singles "Satellites" (my all time fave track) and "Cyanide", the band displays their musical and lyrical prowess through experimentation and playful arrangements, word play, and the like...never a dull moment.

Songs like "Ang Naghihintay sa Akin" and "Sa Paglalayag" are powerful rock-ballad inspired pieces that dabble into the heavier, melancholic spectrum of emotions. But hold on to your bleeding hearts, because there is the more heavier, more emotional "Kundiman", which I foresee to be the next anthem for the broken-hearted souls. And a seemingly 'western drama'-ish inspired "Stalemate Guards For Defiant Hearts", their title track, which seems to act like a prelude to the story of the whole album which is about to unfold to the listener.

These are balanced with some catchy, a-bit-lightly arranged songs like "Dirty Bones", "Alas Singko", reminiscent of the good old 90's pinoy rock with a more modern outlook.

Then there's the reggae-rock groove of "Keep an Open Eye", which they claim to be of a more happier tone, but still keeps that serious storey-telling tone.

And the more dynamic "Your Shame", whose arrangements and climaxes reminds me of the works by the Japanese band L'Arc n Ciel.

This is a definite "must not miss" for all you music lovers out there, and don't forget to come and join the fun at their album launch.

Anime: Dangan Ronpa

Based on the visual novel by Spike Chunsoft, its a more extreme modern twist into your typical "the butler did it in the dining room with the candle stick" dinner mystery theater.

 Certain visual and theme elements from the PSP game are also integrated to the anime.

The anime is truly a crazy mix. Its like having the animation production quality and direction of "Magister Magi Negima" (season 2) amped up with a lot of mixed cell and CGI animation on climaxes, with the moods of "Serial Experiments Lain", "Tantei Gakuen Q", "Scott Pilgrim", mashed with plot elements of "Saw", "Battle Royale" and "Ace Attorney" injected in your typical "who dunnit" detective drama. A real visual treat that teases the mind and leaves you begging for more.

Anime: Gundam Build Fighters

This series must be taken from a GunPla-maniac or mecha-fanatic's wet dream. Imagine a world where there is a tournaments where Gundam models are pitted against one another. Well, you might say, there is that type of contest already called Build Tournaments. Hold your horses, in this world, that tournament brings those models to life, and engage on battles, on simulated battlegrounds, with laser beams, missiles and stuff that blows up, with you at the pilot's seat. Friggin amazing, don't you think?

This is the world of Sunrise's "Gundam Build Fighters", where GunPla enthusiasts, like the main protagonist, high school student Sei Iori, engage in tournaments where heavily costumized GunPla models are brought to life in an arena which emits "Plavsky particles" (a play into Minovsky particles) which only affects the plastics in GunPla models, brings them to life and also creates the battle environment and the weapon effects therein.

What I love about this series is there are mobile suits from various Gundam series, heavily modified and costumized, and going at it in very well animated and framed battle scenes (I think because the battle scenes are a bit short, so there are no repeat animations or redundant battle scenes and transformations reminiscent of Gundam SEED or Gundam 00).

Although most of the scenes are life-stuffs that I don't give much about, but as the series progresses, you come to care on why some battles or situations turn out the way they are.

Just can't wait till I have enough time to see the series through.

Anime Review: Shingeki No Kyoji

A friend of mine passed me an episode of this series, and I must say, i was instantly hooked.


The fantasy/ sci-fi/ tragic world of Shingeki no Kyoji, where 3 to 15 meter tall giants dominate the planet, leaving mankind almost to the brink of extinction, made me moody, pessimistic and melancholic... but the progression and development of the character as it is interwoven into the progress of the story leaves you hanging for more. As if a 30-minute episode is not enough to fill your need for soldiers barely out of their teens, flying, spinning around in their 3D maneuver gear and twin cutter blades like a homogeneous transmogrification of Spiderman and Cloud (from the Final Fantasy franchise).

A lot of times, the characters' emotions are drawn in such a way that it drives the mind into shock and horror, like a playful carnival ride into psychosis and mental anguish. And the giants (or titans) are made to reflect the mindless drive of sin and degradation of greed, avarice and lust.

Trully and addictive series to look out for.

This anime is an adaptation of the popular manga series of the same name written by Hajime Isayama.

Rurouni Kenshin (live movie adaptation)

I'm not much of a 'Samurai X' fan, but judging from the trailers, I think the live action movie adaptation of the anime and manga classic,"Rurouni Kenshin" is worth watching.

And I was right. All my expectations were vindicated. And if I may add, I think this movie will not only cater to the numerous Samurai X fans out there but also serve as a good stand alone movie even for people who are not fans, or not quite familiar with the series. And even for those not familiar, there are flashback scenes that explains why the things here are the way they are. As I was walking out of the theater, this guy asks his GF what she thinks of the movie, the girl responds with a hearty "nanka omoshiroi", although it is evident she's nota fan or unfamiliar with the series.

From some of the few episodes of the anime that I was able to watch, a lot of the actors were dead on in the potrayal of their respective characters. Satou Takeru (who I first mistook for Kazuya Kamenashi) was able to bring out the clueless carefree nature of the reformed Kenshin (I love the scene where he skips down the street and sees a wanted poster with his former alias on it, blurting out "Oro!!"), and when he changes to his "Battousai" mode where his voice lowers and brandishes a 'yankee'-ish diction.

But most of the comedy was stricken off the movie to make it in a more serious tone. Most of the goofing around is handled marvelously by Munetaka Aoki, who plays Sanosuke (my fave Samurai X character). Emi Takei also did a good Kaoru, and Taketo Tanaka did a noteworthy and awesome job with his natural potrayal of Yahiko. But Yosuke Eguchi somewhat remolded Hajime Saito and made it his own while retaining some aspects that are found in the anime.

Fight scenes are not that intense but was good...very good. Well planned and well executed.

You can count on this movie adaptation to be one of the movies I would watch again and again.

Boku no Kanojo wa Saibo-gu (Cyborg She)

This 2008 Japanese movie written by Korean director Kwak Jae Yong features Haruka Ayase as the unnamed female cyborg and Keisuke Koide as Jirou Kitamura, the lonesome college student who celebrates his birthdays alone and buys presents for himself on that occassion.

Its a whirlwind romance-comedy drama of some mysterious events concerning a beautiful girl who he spends time with, falls in love, and never asks her name, even it was time for her to go... a cyborg who looks like her that Jirou sends back in time to protect his past self from a disaster, a grandmother who is actually his mother, and a real human girl who looks like the cyborg and falls in love with Jirou because she "experiences" what the cyborg went through by downloading the memory to his chair which runs on the same concept as the chair in Total Recall then decides to go back in time to pursue Jirou (which would explain the opening scene and the two different personalities of that girl, who went back twice to be with him).

Aside from the crappy title translation (Boku no Kanojo wa Cyborg is literally translated to "My Girlfriend is a Cyborg"...what the heck is this "Cyborg She" crap? Me Grimlock...you Jane...be afraid not...dictionary good), utter disregard for the concept of Time-Space theory ("time will heal itself ..." say what? I think you've been sniffing the wrong shit, man), the movie is a pretty decent thing to watch... enjoyable, funny, and with a dramatic epilogue for an ending. And with most of the situations in the movie, it makes you fall in love along with them...to a certain point. I find it hilarious the way the human and cyborg 'she' overcompensates to make herself blend in with that era's society and culture. Her inquisitive nature, and high intolerance to alcohol. Its like Terminator meets Chobits meets Ghost in the Shell meets Time Cop. There are a lot of scenes in the movie that makes you want to fast forward to the good parts, though.

There are also a lot of references that parodies or pays homage to the 'Terminator' franchise leading me to believe that the writer is either a fan of the series or of Arnold, which adds to this film's comedic charm.

Highschool of the Dead

I used to hear about the series 'Highschool of the Dead', but it was only recently that I came around to watch it.

A group of students (with some teacher) trapped in the city that is over run by the undead (referred in the series as "Them"). As the 'monsters'rise up and run over the lives of the living, a different kind of monster emerges from the hearts and minds of various antagonists that are introduced within the story.

The anime series based on the manga by Daisuke Sato and the art of Shouji Sato, it brings about a deep, dark, melancholic storyline as the series progreses.

A sort of Survivor/Harem/Fan Service Overload type of anime with dark overtones as the group of surviving students go through the ordeal of locating their loved ones amidst a zombie pandemic happening around the world.

Along with the abundance of boob, ass and upskirt fan service, the ragtag team of survivors also fit your common stereotypes which a lot of otakus find 'moe'. Take your pick; a blonde bombshell airhead of a teacher/nurse Shizuka, the genius tsundere Saya, the slick and cool sword weilding Saeko, the tough but softie of a 'childhood friend' Rei, and the innocent lolli Arisu. Mixed into the fray is your typical all around good guy Takashi and the gun and mecha otaku Kota.

Takashi tries out one of those new comfy sniper mats

Aside from the tons of eye candy every few seconds, the storyline is a pretty decent one to keep my interest in the progression of the story. You can't wait to see how their adventure progresses on. Character development also takes you through some twists and turns as they appear twisted in some ways.

Semi nude apron covered sword weilding warrior chicks: AWESOME

Although watching only a few episodes, It was enough to make me look forward to watching other episodes.

Captain America: The First Avenger

I'm not much of a Captain America fan, to tell the truth, I was only forced to watch this because my son wanted to.

But I must say that the film was well done and good, with a solid plot, direction and development. Well, there is a solid story behind it all to begin with. Its just something to give a background story for the upcoming Avengers movie. Still, they did a bang up job.

As a fan of the Marvel Universe, I do know a lot about Captain America to let me follow the story as it goes, explaining to my son additional bits and pieces why some events came to be, or how it was on the comics.

The thing I admire about the movie is that it follows the story of Steve Rogers according to Marvel, without much jazzing it up to fit the modern times. The development of his costume, from the classic WWII era uniform and shield, to the more modern conception (which is cooler than the blue and white scale armor in the comics) was nicely woven into the story. And the infusion of the idea that Capt. America is not just a fanatical, flag-waving, right-wing something, but just a good and honest person that wants to do the right thing.

The teasers after the ending credits was a doozy...it really built up the anticipation for the coming Avengers movie.

Sucker Punch

I didn't know anything about this movie. I only got to know about it when my buddy and I went out to buy some DVDs, and there was this intense fight scene being shown on a big ass LED TV in the shop. I was like, staring, ogling, just plain hypnotized by the fight sequence and the pretty girls that were lashing it out with hordes of robot gunners.That was my introduction into Sucker Punch, the 2011 action-fantasy movie by Zack Snyder and Steve Shibuya.

Its the story of a girl, referred in the movie as 'Babydoll', trying to escape from the asylum , after a bunch of horrible events perpetrated by her stepfather, who was also the one who interred her in the institution. Unbeknownst to her, her stepfather made a deal on the inside that would silence her if further investigation is held about the before mentioned horrible event.

Seems like a simple plot, and it is really, but the twist to the storytelling is that Babydoll moves in and out of her fantasies to help her cope with the events that are unfolding. These fantasies are also metaphors for the missions or tasks Babydoll and her friends had to got through to accomplish their goal of escaping.

Within these fantasies is where the intense fighting sequences takes place. You'll see them face off with enemies and scenarios which is made with an eclectic mix of World War 1 , Medieval Japan, Knights and Orcs, Mecha and Zombie soldiers. All inter layered seamlessly, amidst all that modern firepower, intense melee-type fight scenes, hand to hand combat, and flying around like kungfu masters. Which, by the way, are sooooo awesome!! I never stared in awe at action sequences like this since the first Matrix film.

Its like a fanboy's (or otaku's) fantasy movie where petite-katana-wielding-double-pistol-waving-school girl like uniform wearing vixen faces off not in a girly manner but in a battle that rivals sequences from anime's like 'Basilisk', 'Gundam' and 'Fists of the North Star'.

For me, I could get enough of all the fight sequence, but the story is too depressing. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Babydoll, for all the things she had gone through and will be going through.

But unfortunately, that's all there is to it. A story which could be told differently, or shorter, spiced up with tons of effects and fight scenes. I alone enjoyed parts of the movie while the people I saw it with was lost and appalled with the movie, trying to make sense of it all.

At the end of the movie, my son suddenly cried out, 'What the hell was that? its like an in-flight movie for crazy people....'

I had to pop in a DVD of Disney's 'Cars' just to calm him down.

(my son was surprised to see High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens in a revealing outfit, blasting caps and fighting with axes. I told him, they all had to grow up some time...)

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

I watched the latest installment of the Transformers movie franchise last month, entitled "Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon". And according to the tallies after, it was one of the highest grossing films opening that time.

But I must say, the character development and the dialogues are a bit thin, leaving me bewildered for at least a month. They do have a solid main plot, with the conspiracies and story continuity, giant robot battles spiced up with intense special effects, but the way the characters are shown makes one feel indifferent after leaving the cinema.

First of all, the script seems to be a dive into anger, sarcasm and the art of being assholes. Shia's character seems to me like a take on Ben Stiller with a pinch of Woody Allen, only more pissed off. So does his parents, co-workers and others. Its like being all cooped up with all this anger and nothing to vent it on.

The relationship between Optimus and Sentinel Prime is conveyed in a weak manner that its like two guys raising each others chair...so to speak, and it was weird. The character of Sentinel Prime is also transparent that you know instantly from the start that there is something wrong with him, which made the twist past the middle of the movie not that surprising.

Like I said to my wife there and then, this movie is really for kids, that don't look that much into the story or character development, but just wants to see some big robots kick each other.

(transformers poster from wikipedia)

Japan Foundation's "EigaSai 2011"

Japan Foundation, in lieu of this year's Philippine-Japan Friendship month, recently concluded their successful first leg of "Eaiga Sai 2011". Eiga Sai is a film festival which showcases the best in modern Japanese films to the masses for free. The next showcase will be held Davao on July 22 and then travel to Cebu on Aug.2. The Last leg will be held at the UP Film Institute on Aug17 to 20.

With today's youth and masses gobbling up anything Japanese, and with the rise of East-Asian dramas, the venue of the first leg (Shangrila Plaza, Mandaluyong) was less than capable to accommodate the hordes of movie and drama lovers to get a taste of modern Japanese movies on the big screen. Unfortunately, I was not able to get in...again. Lining up since 10am last Sunday only to be told that the venue won't be able to accommodate us people at the back of the 'snake' (or hairpin curve mountain, depending on your favorite anime reference), and that was by 7pm.

Not such a big loss, since I can still enjoy Japanese dramas and movies at the comfort of my own home. I just wanted to experience seeing it on the big screen like an actual movie. Like in the first Eiga Sai at Megamall where I fell in love with Rena Tanaka's character in 'Ganbatte Ikimasshoi'. Enjoying the selection along with fellow J-drama enthusiasts who started using dramas and movies as tools to train ourselves in Nihongo.

This year's major opus is the multi-awarded 'Okuribito'. If you can only attend one filming, make sure to catch this very good movie.

I only hope to attend next year's...

"Nihon Chinbotsu" A movie on Japanese Doomsday

"Nihon Chinbotsu" or "The Sinking of Japan" (or know by its other name 'Japan Sinks') is a 2006 remake of a screenplay based from the 1973 book by Sakyo Komatsu.

The film is about the geological catastrophe that will culminate in the nation of Japan to be split up and sink in the ocean. As the imminent disaster progresses, eathquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions occur throughout Japan making it hard for the goverment and the rescue workers to evacuate and save the people.

The main contributing factor in the upcoming disaster is the subduction of the tectonic plate Japan sits in, which in turn pulls the country under with it.

Along for the ride are people from different walks of the social, scientific and political backgrounds trying to get through this ordeal. The story also revolves around the effects on the lives of various key characters within the movie. The passionate geologist Yusuke Tadokoro, his ex-wife, Saori Takamori, who is a trusted colleague of the Prime Minister and Head manager of the crisis team. Submariner Tetsuo Onodera, Hyper Rescue crew Reiko Abe and the little girl they saved from the previous earthquake, Misaki.

Tadakoro devices an ingenious plan to save Japan by tearing the tectonic plate that carries it. The mission was a success due to the sacrifice of Onodera and his friend, Tatsuya. And Takamori was able to announce to the refugees to return and rebuild their nation from a temporary government headquarters on the amphibious carrier 'Shimokita'.

The movie seems like a 'doomsday what if' documentary than a film. The beginning of the film is like a National Geographic segment where they place the events that would indicate and justify the catastrophe that is about to take place.

As the first quarter of the film lacks character or drama, the sudden introduction into the lives of the character feels like being pulled out of a hypnotic trance. You're suddenly changed from a documentary-like mode of reception to a mode where you try to take in the emotion and relations of the characters in play, riding on cliches and stereotypes to make the cast attach themselves to the audience in a very short time, attempting to make a greater impact as the characters are killed off.

And since the screenplay is based on 70's Japanese racial and political outlook, it's take that Japan will be abandoned and sold out by its 'allies' during such a crisis can't all be that true. I think the screen writer underestimates the power of public opinion overseas. This part of the movie only seems to trigger latent fear and in turn, will become racial anger towards others. Well, just look at the global response at the Tohoku Earthquake.

Its not that good of a movie, but it does give you a perspective into 70's political rhetoric, paranoia and opinions.

Mr. Brain

I recently finished the J-drama 'Mr.Brain' and I must say, it held my intrest in the series so much that I wanted to watch continuously until the end.

Takuya Kimura stars as Ryusuke Tsukumo a genius neuro scientist whose quick wit, gut instinct and scientific deduction helps the police in capturing and solving criminal cases.

But it wasn't always like that. In the start of the series, he is sort like a clueless airhead but with a good heart and a good judge of character. After a freak accident, his brain was partially damaged making both sides of his brain work together to compensate for the damaged areas. The flurry of brain activity made it like a sponge and he was able to study well finishing Neuroscience. He was then assigned to the newly formed Brain Sciences Division of the Institute of Police Science, a braintrust that provides the police with data regarding cases while developing new approaches in Forensic Science.

Aside from an intresting plot, the story and character development, along with gripping developments within the way cases are solved. There's not that much plot twists that I would expect from a J-drama, though. Its like a cross between CSI, House, Team Dragon Iryu and Tantei Gakuen Q with Takuya Kimura adding his own twist into the character.

Lucky Star

Being not able to watch a complete anime series for a long time, my officemate let me copy his sister's copy of a series called 'Lucky Star'. Not knowing anything about the series, I decided to give it a try.

The series is about a group of young girls from Saitama showing events from their everyday life as they go through highschool. Along with special occurances in their school life, are ordinary and mundane scenarios that are a bit perked up with one-liners or situational punch lines. There are also some situations whose logic is questioned through the naive point of view of an innocent, truthful child.

At the end of each episode is a short skit called 'Lucky Channel', which is made to appear like a talk show starring the idol Akira and her assistant Minoru. Although Akira is a typical Moe idol, she acts all sarcastic and mean around Minoru.

The primary characters almost represent the most common moe stereotypes with a few sprinkles of surprises up their sleeves. There's the athletic Konata Izumi, who is ,in every sense, an otaku mainly because of her father's influence. Then there's the polar opposite paternal twins Kagami and Tsukasa Hiiragi. Kagami is responsible, smart, straight-forward and a realist while her sister, Tsukasa, is mostly like an airhead, emotional and easily drawn in to Konata's antics. Then there's the well endowed Miyuki Takara which is like a walking depository of trivia and knowledge who is also very mild-mannered, kind and polite.

The first few episodes were very uninteresting...it was very painful to watch, I basically watch them to help me fall to sleep. Then I found out that this anime is primarily based on a comic strip. I thought," So that's why there's no plot or story development...its essentially a four panel comic strip being extended to a 30-min anime". And using one voice actor for all the other extras, male or female, is so annoying...there's no variety, mostly ending up sounding like a tranny trying to sound like a girl or a boy.

But a redeeming factor is the opening theme "Motteke, Seira- Fuku", sung by the voice actors from the series. It became an instant favorite of mine the moment I started watching episode 1 because of its upbeat tempo and funky basslines. There is no ending theme, it usually ends with the girls in a karaoke room singing different songs and anime themes.

The series picks up around the 5th or 6th episode showing more character and story development, with more fast paced comedy which is more entertaining than the previous ones. Theres also a lot of reference to other anime series, showing over the edge voice overs and action. I really loved episode 6 where they parodied Initial D. And later episodes shows live action songs by the voice actors at the end, mostly by Minoru Shiraishi, which are very funny and leaves you wanting for more.

Cute character designs, funny subplots and running gags will make this anime series worth watching...at a leisurely pace.