WE (that’s right, we) are moving!! (The Major Announcement)

So, about a week and a half ago, I start the new quarter at my college… and honestly, even though it just started, I’m swamped.  I realized early on, that if I wanted to keep the blog running, I was gonna need some help.  And help is exactly what I got, from two of my good otaku/engineering friends, who (after a little coaxing) volunteered to join this blog.

Of course, this caused one small but critical problem… This blog is called Tekky99’s Anime Blog, but Tekky99 is no longer the sole writer.  Okay so I change the name, no big, right?  Well, even if I change the name, the URL is still tied to me.  So after some thought, I figured it’s for the better if everything moved to a brand new site/URL.  

So what does this mean for YOU?
– First off, all the posts have already been imported to the new blog, so you can find them all there.  Some may not be formatted properly for the new theme.
– The group blogging format gives you  more opinions and features the single blogging format offered.  This includes more episode reviews, series reviews, and brand new manga reviews.
– More frequent blog posts. The biggest problem plaguing this site is the inconsistent blogging schedule.  That’s just caused by my school schedule deciding when I have free time and when I don’t.

That being said, thanks for supporting the site, and hope to see you at the new site:

Psychedelic SoulJam

(url: http://psychsouljam.wordpress.com)

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT (on thursday)

How a Gundam says “Happy New Year”

A very belated Happy New Year to everyone.  I just thought I’d do a quick status update on this blog for now.

I’m currently being overwhelmed w/ finishing fall series, previewing winter series, and the start of the new term, so blogging Chaos;Head and Clannad ~After Story~ is on hiatus for the time being.  I’ll catch up/finish em ASAP.

Anyway, as the post title indicates, on thursday I’ll be making a major announcement regarding the future of this blog (and no, I’m not quitting blogging).  Some of you already know what I’m talking about.  For those people please keep it a secret.  Anyway, hope you all are having a very good new year.

Winter Pilots: Ride Back

It’s hard to say what I thought of this episode.  I’m usually able to give an accurate review if I can tell where the story is going (ie genre, plot synopsis).  This episode didn’t really iron what it would be about.  On one hand, we had Rin’s story about ballet and her attempt at redemption through Fuego all while the overarching political story wasn’t glossed over.  So I can’t judge it off of the story.

The artwork is mixed.  On one hand, I loved the background drawing, but on the other, character designs kinda turned me off.  The last scene w/ Rin’s first outing on Fuego was probably the highlight.  Everything else was kinda boring.

I’ll keep watching this show for a few episodes to get a better idea of the story, before deciding if I want to complete it or not.

FIRST IMPRESSION: 7/10

Winter Pilots: Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo

There are good shows, there are bad shows, and then there are shows like this… Shows that are just sooo horrible, that you can’t help but be entertained by the epic fail.  Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo (an obvious pun off the popular film, Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo) has one of the most amusing first episodes I’ve ever seen.  And I don’t mean that in a good way.

Flat character, unmemorable soundtrack, weak action, and Lelouch(Jun Fukuyama) as a megalomanic robot yelling “FUCK SOCIETY!!!”, should be enough to constitute a trainwreck of an anime.  But just like watching an actual train wreck (as long as no one is getting hurt), there’s just something cool about it.

Well, that being said, a failure is a failure.  Oh, but what a memorable failure it is.

“I Have Control!!” XD

FIRST IMPRESSION: 5/10 (Giving an extra .5 out of sheer entertainment value)

Fall Finales: Kannagi

Melodrama?! in my Kannagi?!

Here is probably my 2nd finale review in which I’ll be diverging greatly from the general opinion of a show.  Kannagi was rather hit or miss for me.  After a lackluster first few episodes, I was ready to drop the series.  However, episode 3 ended up being one of the funniest episodes I had seen in a while.  It was enough for me to continue watching until the end.  In fact these first 3 episodes should’ve been more a warning as to how the series would progress.  Hilarious when trying to be funny, and fail when trying to be dramatic. 

Essentially, the drama was overdone.  Drama can work on comedies if used sparingly.  Kannagi went for pure melodrama, in its dramatic moments.  Making the series feel almost bipolar.

Episode 3 to 9 emphasized the comedy, and I thought this show hit its peak around that time.  Sadly, the last 3 episodes returned to the drama that just wasn’t working early in the series.  As such, the finale left me with a rather mixed feeling.

As such, my final rating reflects my mixed opinion, and it will probably be controversial for some of you.

FINAL RATING: 7/10

Winter Pilots: Kurokami

Now THIS is what I’m talking about.  I was completely blown away by the first episode of Kurokami.  A great combination of suspense, horror, and action.  Yeah some things were changed from the manwha, but I almost feel that it was for the better.  Keita ended up being much more likable in this version then he did in the manwha.  And Kuro’s dark side was very well portrayed.  

The emphasis on the doppelgangers and doppelliners were what brought this show home for me.  Especially that last scene, I could feel how horrified Keita was when he saw that girl die in front of him.  And give props to Sunrise for not censoring that out, REALLY added the impact.

The one action scene shown was VERY well choreographed, and the soundtrack is very suited. So far, this is easily the best show I’ve watched so far this winter.

FIRST IMPRESSION: 9/10

Winter Pilots: Asu no Yoichi!

Well, that was quite OK.  And I don’t mean that in a good sense… nor do I mean it in a bad sense.  The first episode of Asu no Yoichi is remarkably unremarkable.  You’re not gonna find a more formulaic anime to air this season.  Buut, if a socially inept strong man, forced to live w/ tenants that don’t have a good impression of him, is something you like, you’re just in luck.

Asu no Yoichi doesn’t even TRY to separate itself from it’s set up, like adding a unique spin.  It’s like you pick up a new book, only to realize that it’s exactly like another book you’ve read except w/ different names for the characters.  That being said, the soundtrack was nice, and the main female characters might have an interesting background if the OP is any indication…

FIRST IMPRESSION: 6/10

Best Anime of 2008 – The Nominees

So unfortunately, my winter break ended up being more occupied then I would’ve liked it. As such a lot of my initial plans for the blog got scrapped. Included in this were a good 5-6 nominee listing for these awards. I’ll still include them on them final post, but I won’t be able to put polls up.

As for best anime of 2008, I tried to think of the 5 top animes that I could put relatively on the same level, and have no throw ups… but I could only think of 4. But hey, it’s my blog =P

So here we are… IN MY OPINION, the top 4 anime of 2008.

 

Macross Frontier

Macross Frontier had everything I loved in a sci-fi mecha anime combined with a stunning soundtrack. The entire anime felt more like a grand space epic that you’d see in blockbuster movie rather then an animated TV series. And thankfully (at least in my opinion), the story wasn’t skimped on. Add a grand storyline about romance, action, and survival to everything I’ve said before and the result is one of the most beautiful animes in recent history

 

Soul Eater

To call Soul Eater visually innovative is an understatement. Just take one look at the laughing sun and you’d know what I’m talking about. Early on, Soul Eater felt like something Tim Burton would do if he did anime. Okay, so what? A fun, kickass show is good and all, but it can only go so far. This is where Soul Eater excels where other shounen action series failed. There is a strong emphasis on characters that are, for the most part, very likable. If you haven’t seen this series yet, I HIGHLY recommend you to check it out.

 

ef – a tale of melodies

I’ve ONLY talked about this series for 12 episodes and a finale review. So if you haven’t read everything I’ve said so far, here is a quick summary. ef – melodies gave a lot of background to characters that we had been introduced to in ef – memories. A very well made drama that puts more emphasis on character emotions then the standard visual novel adaptation.

 

Toradora!

I’m sure some of you have heard the term “Toradorable”, and that saying couldn’t be more accurate of this anime. Toradora is one of the best slice-of-life animes that I’ve ever seen. I keep saying this, but the characters feel incredibly genuine. And the story isn’t completely comedy, nor is it complete drama. It’s a perfect blend between the two, something very reminiscent of high school life.

Happy voting =D

Winter Pilots: White Album

I wasn’t actually planning on starting winter series until I finished all the fall reviews planned… but after seeing the scathing reviews, I decided that I should check out this series ASAP.

So what can I say after viewing it?  The first episode might turn off a few viewers due to its slow pace and flat characters; I can see that.  What I can also see, is that this show has SERIOUS potential to be very good later on.  The seeds of some good drama were set towards the end of this episode, now all we do is see how it grows.  As for the two turn-offs, it’s quite hard to fairly judge a character in the first episode of ANY show.  As for slow pace… didn’t another to-remain-unnamed anime have a slow start as well?

As for aesthetics, I don’t think that that was the real opening animation.. the real animation will probably air next week.  The accompanying song was quite good though.  Aya Hirano looks like is using her Minato (Akane Iro ni Somaru Saka) voice for Yuki.  Lastly, animation quality and character designs were really good, the best I’ve seen this season.

I definitely need more episodes to accurately judge this series, but until then

FIRST IMPRESSION: 8/10

Winter Pilots: Maria†Holic

Wow, that was very toned down for Shinbo directed anime.  Of course when I say toned down, I mean the trap centered, yuri obsessed girl, obedient maid, creepy neko-dorm-president kind of toned down.  Or better to say, SHAFT comedy as usual.

First and foremost, Maria†Holic‘s first episode had great lines.  I found myself laughing hard when Kanako says “Don’t call me a lesbian! Yuri sounds much better!”.  Indeed, Kanako might actually be the best character is this anime thus far.  It was really amusing to see her ridiculous fantasies through “inner Kanako”.

While I did enjoy the first episode… I have a gut feeling that this is one of those animes that very good in the beginning but can’t stay good.  Also, this doesn’t look like a show that I can easily blog.  I’m cautiously optimistic.

FIRST IMPRESSION: 7.5/10