oh boy i may regret this

So... i Like Ys.
A lot
too much.
i haven't even been a fan for terribly long... around 2009 or 10...
But everything about this series makes me smile.

Well almost everything.
putting that aside recently Ys VI Arc of napishtim was released on pc through various sellers.
Now I have (to date) played one version of every Ys game that has made it's way to north america
you can also read that as i haven't played Ys 5
This includes ys6.
...
and i hated it.
Like... controller throwing hated it.
I have only thrown a controller in frustration a handful of times.
most of those times were thanks to ys6
i'll just say the long jump... i'm glad it was never used again.
anyways this is a game i have played and i didn't care for... it was fine just... annoying...
still i owuld have the chance to move from "i have played 1 version of every NA ys game" to "i own a version of every NA ys game"
but i'm not going to buy a game and then not play it...
plus the translation is new
besides it's been... uh... apparently i beat it on may 31 2012 so... 3 years almost... anyways maybe i changed my mind in that time... maybe i was just terrible at it and thats why i hated it more then ys1 (which i have softened on now that i played a version with the bump mechanic intact)
no it's just kinda shitty.

but i'm not here to rag on ys 6... a game i will beat again cause i'm dumb.
no i'm here to discuss the one this i love/hate more then anything else in the series.
the time line.

i'm just gunna ramble so feel free to ignore.

There is one game we know without a doubt takes place first.
Origin.... it's like 900 years before the first game with Adol so.... no matter what it's number one.

And adol is the youngest in Ys 1 (16 or 18?) so that takes place next.
Ys 2 takes place immediately after Ys 1.... [spoilers i guess] you beat dark fact and end up on ys... no gap...

So yeah.... no matter what
Origin>1>2
ok... good...
but what comes next?
you would think 3... you would be wrong but you would think logically it would be 3... however between Adol being older (18-20?) and there being a large gap where he and dogi travel together.... that does leave room for another adventure.
I believe, Thanks to "To start a new adventure"

Which is From Ys 4: Memories of celceta...
anyways this one puts this game before ys 3.
because the last few notes are the same as the theme "premonition =styx=" from Ys 3

So now we have
Origin>1>2 > 4 > 3
i don't know where 5 actualyl goes but judging by the fact that there is a character i have never met in 6.... i'm oging to go out on a limb and say she was introed in 5.... therefor.

Origin>1>2>4>3>5>6
but then i came across this

wait.... 6 years.... like... i know that this is game 6.... but it's not like each game takes place in a year....
6 years puts him at 22-24
there is a lot of time where we could have missed some of adol adventures.
so assuming
origin = -900
Ys 1 - 16-18
Ys 2 - 16-18
Ys 4 - 17-19
ys 3 - 18-20
Ys 5- ??
Ys 6 - 22-24
thats a pretty big gap....
not evenmentioning that i'm pretty sure he's 24 in ys 7.
so then... putting ys 8 inbetween 3 and 5 or 5 and 6 makesa lot of sense... it isn't out yet but those are the rumors.

so i decided to look~
http://isu.wikia.com/wiki/Adol
well look at that
off by one year on everything... i'm actually kinda pleased that i got the timeline right too
yay
anyways i know ys 8 wontbe after 7.... so.... yeah... we'll see where that gets dumped.... i just wanted to talk through my thoughts before checking the timeline.
yeah i like this series too much...
but yeah..... i like that adol isn't always just a kid... he grows up...
sure it's not the 25 years that the series has actually been around but it's still something.
he also changes his title quite often... still i like Adventurer.... better then some silly chosen one (which he only technically is once.... then he just decidesto ruin everyones day cause it's fun.... ok there more to the plot then that but in his saving civilizations he really does ruin a lot of stuff)

ok sorry if you read this
like really sorry
so extremely sorry.

never get me talking about ys.... it's better for everyone

Artists Asks!

So this was posted over on tumblr but no one ever actually sends me asks so.....
screw it i'll write them all here~

• Do you prefer traditional drawing, or digital?

I prefer sketching traditionally but ink and colour i mostly use digital mediums like Paint Tool sai (4 years), Photoshop (13 years) or clip studio paint (2 months)
I do also paint, almost exclusively in watercolour but it's very expensive and time consuming so i always tend to lean towards digital

• How long have you been drawing?

Honestly i don't remember how long... i remember vaguely when i was little i hated it but then i drew something that looked okay and i just wanted to continue to improve... i'm guessing based on the fact that my memory of the time is so vague it happened around 7 years old.

• How many classes have you taken?

I took a few media arts classes in highschool and i went to Art college for a 3 year program... so quite a few though i still consider myself self taught... the stuff i learned in college was mostly to improve the things i had a difficult time with (painting/anatomy)

• Do you have a DeviantArt, personal website, or art blog?

 Yes, i'm sure creative with my user name on DA... it's raichana...
cause.... that pretty much my user name everywhere... i get a little sad if it's taken.
but yeah Raichana.deviantart.com
i used to have a personal website but i made it when i was 16 and i was no good at designing a new one so... yeah i don't have it anymore... maybe one day i'll get off my lazy bum and make a new one... honestly i'm not in any rush.

• What’s your favorite thing to draw?

um... i think my favorite thing to draw is probably eyes, i don't know it's just really fun. 

• What’s your least favorite thing to draw?

Short male hair (like if it's spiky i'll just be a puddle of tears) and hands... though i am getting better at both.

• How often do you use references?

because i have two monitors i will often pull up google image searches to see a lot of what i'm trying to draw but i almost never use one specific reference for any one thing. so i guess both a lot and not at all

• Do you draw professionally, or just for fun?

Considering i get paid for making art i do consider myself a "professional artist" however i still do a lot of stuff that could be considered "just for fun"
it's a bit of a trick question since a lot of artists easily fall into both categories 

• How much time do you spend drawing on an average day?

when i'm not working i try to spend 3-5 hours a day on something art related... when i'm working i can only really spend an hour a day plus any days i get off.

• Are you confident about your art?

Depends on the piece, sometimes i'm super happy with something and i just want to shove it in everyones faces (those ones rarely get any attention) and others i just wanna bury in with all the other crappy pieces i produce (which of course get a lot of attention) so yeah... both decently confident and not confident at all.

• How many art-related blogs do you follow?

A few, mostly aggregate type art blogs so i see a lot of different styles

• Is it okay for people to ask you about your process?

yes but my process is practically just "throw more colour on it, theres not enough colour, MORE"

• Do you prefer to keep your art personal, or do you like drawing things for other people?

If people pay me i will draw whatever they want (within reason, i have turned people down)
if I like you as a person and the thing in question takes less then 5 minutes i will do that for free....
but other then that... i pretty much exclusively draw what i want to draw... i'm too stubborn to be told what to do without the incentive of a payday

• Do you ever collaborate with others?

not often, i'm not against collabs but i'd rather just work on my own stuff.

• How long does an average piece take you to complete?

3 hours depending on complexity. Something small like a chibi is 1-1.5 hours... same with a bust of half body. Full bodies are 2-3 if theres only one person, 3-4 if there are two and add up to 2 hours if it's extremely detailed.
I know most people can spend 10 hours on a piece... i can't i go a little batty and want to move onto the next thing
granted i have spent as much as 8 hours on a piece.
but yeah the average is 3

• Do you draw more today than you did in the past, or do you draw less?

Right this moment i draw less cause i'm working 12-13 hours a day 5-6 days a week (stupid film industry) however when i'm not working i draw way more then i used to. 

• Do you think you’re justified in giving other people art advice?

if i see something thats not right i'll point it out to people cause most artists hit a point where after looking at something for so long you can't see the mistakes anymore.
so i guess i feel justified in it... but i don't do it much because some people cannot take critique and i don't want to make people angry. that or they wont fix it no matter how many times i mention it so why waste my time. 

• What are you currently trying to improve on?

poses, i'm getting too complacent with my poses. 

• What is the most difficult thing for you to draw?

same as the other question, short spiky male hair and hands.  oh and i guess i have a hard time making things not pretty or cute....
i mean i can but most of my stuff ends up cute.

• What is the easiest thing for you to draw?

Cute stuff, mermaids, fairies, anything i can throw a mountain of colours on. 

• Do you like to challenge yourself?

yep, occasionally i'll be like "time to draw something you don't wanna draw"... i useually do this when i'm already in a 'art block' which is a term i don't really believe in but i understand why people use it. 

• Are you confident that you’re improving steadily?

I hope so, a lot of the time i feel like i'm just coasting at the same speed... or that i'm actually getting worse... btu occasionally i'll draw something and be like "wait.... was that really me? did i really do that?" and it feels great

• Do you draw more fanart, or more original art?

Depends, right now i'm in a fanart mood but i do try and keep it more original stuff with a sprinkle of fanart occasionally

• Do you feel jealous when you see other people’s art, or inspired? (Be honest!)

I used to feel jealous when i was little but going through college showed me that every artist is different and that doesn't mean any one person is better.  So i just don't worry about what others are doing and continue to do my own thing. which is really freeing. plus sometimes my friends do some pretty cool shit

• Do you like to draw in silence, or with music?

Music... silence is bad.... bad bad silence. 

• For digital artists: what program(s) do you use?

as mentioned before i mostly use Sai, touch ups in photoshop and if i'm doing a comic page i use clip studio

• For digital artists: how many layers does a typical piece require?

1 for lineart
1 for shines
1 for each  colour plus a posibility of 2-3 clipping masks
i've had as few as 8 and as many as 30... i try to keep it small

• For traditional artists: what medium do you like most? (Pencil, charcoals, etc)

pencil and watercolour

• For traditional artists: How do you usually start on a big piece? (Light sketch, colored lead, sketchpaper, etc)

pencil, then i'll use either inking pens or a brush with india ink before i get to painting. 

• What inspires you to not just make art, but to be a better artist?

The people are me... i want to show those who think i can't make it work that screw you i can do what i want with my life... and those that support me i want to show that they were right in giving a chance...
but most of all i make art for myself, to vent to explore an emotion or just because it's fun. I love making art, nothing makes me smile more then completing something and being happy with the result. 

so yeah... hope you enjoyed this thing no one asked for.
back to work~

A moment of Clarity

So today i my plan was to catch up on all the shows that aired yesterday and today....
one of those shows is "The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan"
which i'm gunna either call Yuki-chan or Disappearance AU depending on my mood.

Now i own three volumes of the manga for this Spin off/canon AU... yet i only made it halfway through the first one before i put it down and read something else.
I enjoyed it well enough but something about it made me a little upset.

It's a cute concept... uh... spoilers for Disappearance of haruhi suzumiya...
ok now that that's out of the way.
The concept is cute because it's simply "what if kyon hadn't changed the world back... what if Yuki, Itsuki, Mikuru and haruhi were just normal?"


So i finished watching the show and kind of sat back a moment... the feeling i had was so familiar... "why am i not enjoying this?" i thought... Haruhi's showed up... it's pretty much exactly like the middle of the film.... other then it took longer then 2 days to get everyone in that room... it's just an exploration of a concept so why am i pouting so much?

I looked over to my shelf behind my Huge Cintiq screen.... i have my super duper special edition of season 1 of the show... my 'buy it all at once cause Endless Eight is a whole lot of bullshit' season two and my dvd of the Disappearance film.

This film.... i will use any excuse to watch it despite being over 3 hours long. I adore this movie... If i had to pick my all time favorite movies it may not be number one but it would be pretty damn high (right up there with Princess Bride [which i could probably quote line for line if i tried] and The last unicorn)
The film fills me with joy i have a had time explaining.... when Ready? is playing i can't help but feel a little braver and it has gotten me out of more then one anxiety attacks.

The song in question. (also even though I really like all the music in the movie i bought the OST for it solely for this song)

However Rewatching the movie was a mistake... cause i realized something that i can't believe took me this long.
Yuki-chan isn't about "what if Kyon chose the normal world"
Yuki-chan is about "what if the world was normal"
I think thats whats been rubbing me the wrong way about this AU.
I found it odd that in episode three Haruhi never once finds anything familiar about Kyon.... there is no mention of writing strange stuff on tanabata 3 years prior... instead she was doing it on a smaller scale at christmas.
Perhaps this AU doesn't follow the same rules as the AU in the movie. Maybe he's not john smith... because there was no john smith.
Or perhaps it does and i'm just being far to unfair to a show thats only 3 episodes in.
but still... even if things change... I'm not happy... Kyon even said "you could asking me a million times and my answer wouldn;t change" and i know thats the kyon from the Original universe but if this AU kyon has ALWAYS been AU kyon then the concept cannot be "what if he chooses the normal world"
The reason Original Kyon searches out AU Yuki is cause he knows Original Yuki... in this is seems they just meet and he joins the club and... that means he didn't choose the world... thats just the way it was and it completely takes away 99% of what makes disappearance so good.

I get it... it's a goofy canon AU... but that doesn't mean i can't feel like it's a bit of a ripoff.
Am i pissed because it's been 5 years and no Original line sequels? hell yes... it kills me that i know in my heart we will never get more original line haruhi unless another studio animated it. And if the people over at Kyo ani did actually make another season i would worry about another Endless 8 debacle...
I love this series... and the books get even better after Disappearance... Hell Disappearance is only like the 4th or 5th book out of 10 (well 10.5 but whose counting)

And while the spinoff is a nice guesture... i know it's not what i want... and i will never get what i want so i just have to deal.... but i had to vent...
and i'll continue to watch Yuki-chan.... and i'll hope it gets some of it's personality back... but at least now i know why i can't seem to smile and watch it.

well that and i really don't ship Kyon x Yuki...... Kyon x Haruhi 100%

anyways... thanks for reading (though i'm actually kinda sorry if you read all this... just the ramblings of an upset fangirl i guess)

The Slayers, Slayers Next, Slayers Try

I probably should have done these one by one but they came in a boxset like this so... yeah.

Ok... story time, back when i was in high school (which i'm just realizing is over a decade ago... wow) I had a friend who adored The Slayers series.
Like... she like The Slayers as much as i like Natsume Yuujinchou.

One day she decided to lend me the three seasons... she didn't bother with the OVAs or anything since they are pretty much just goofy fun.

So i watched it, enjoyed it well enough and then kinda forgot about it... i'm really bad with names and some of the names in the series are so ungodly stupid it would just make me roll my eyes.
Still i didn't have any bad memories of the show other then it just kinda stops after Try.

Not too much longer after a 4th season gets announced (i think it was 11 years since Try ended but maybe 2 or 3 since i watched the show)
The problem was back then if you were watching anime online you weren't doing it legally.
so i just didn't watch it.
Funimation did get the license but they were charging stupid prices for 13 episodes (and by they i really mean the people sellign their stuff... rarely saw it for less then 60 bucks and that was when we were at par)

However Last Christmas Rightstuf put on one of their lovely holiday sales and i managed to pick up 1-3 boxset for 24 and 4-5 bluray for 22.
the entire series for less then 50 bucks (ignoring that when i actualyl got charged our dollar had tanked and my entire order cost a lot more then expected)

Last time when i watched it it was in english... i don't remember it very well but i also don't remember it being bad.
The japanese was really good... well... on character made me sad but i'll get to that when i get to next.

anyways for those who haven't seen the show.

Lina inverse is a 15 year old sorceress who, by chance, meets a swordsman named Gourry Gabriev. They adventure together and eventually meet up with a chimera named Zelgadis who wishes to return to his human form and a princess/justice loving freak named Amelia.
They also meet other characters.
Sylphiel - a Shrine maiden who is Gourry's childhood friend.
Martina - Only in season 2 and is a complete waste of time and space. should have been a bit character at best and should never have joined the party.
Xellos - doesn't show up till Season 2 and is a mysterious Priest who seems to be leading the group down a specific path.
Fillia - Not introduced till season 3, a golden dragon/priestess who has had a prophecy that involves a human, originally they go for Lina's older sister but soon they find out it's actually about lina.

The Slayer:
This season focuses mostly on introducing the world and the characters. The big bad is... uh
Shabrinigado... a monster as black as pitch and capable of destroying the world. Trying to figure out who is friend of foe she works to defeat the evil.
However in the search to ressurect the monster one man manages to create a monster far worse.

Of the three this is probably my least fav season, the gags are just a bit too much and it's missing some of the charm in Next or try.
at least when she uses a certain spell there is a tangible consequence for it even if it's gone the next episode.

The Slayers: Next
Second season and we get introduced to Xellos... who is voiced by Natori.
I had no idea he had been working for so long... and playing a "is he good or bad" character like Xellos was enough to make me wince.
The focus of the season is Turning Zelgadis into a human.... well it is until they decide they need to find something called the Claire bible... which may have a spell to change a chimera to a human  but more importantly has a few spells that have been lost to time, one she even used in the previous season but without knowing all the risk she took.

For character interations this season is my fav. Especially Lina and Gourry... they get some adorable bits.
For plot this one gets a little silly near the end but it's still pretty good.

The Slayers: Try
in this seemingly final season we find out a barrier that had surrounded the area has been broken and they can now travel the world... the outside world has very little knowledge of magic but much more lore regarding dragons, gods and monsters.
We learn more about Gourry's sword.... Gourry becomes useless for most of the season but overall the plot is much better then any season before it. there are some stakes and not too much "will i, wont i" in regards to certain magic.

To this day i haven't seen the OVA's at all... or at least i don't think i have like i said i don't remember too much.

and starting tonight i'll be watching "revolution" followed be "evolution - r" (but i'mm gunna call it what the Bluray calls it.... Revolution-R)
if you have a chance to watch the show, pic it up... it's extremely 90s but a lot of fun.

First Impressions: Spring 2015

And just like that a new season starts.
It feels like this just happened to be but pretty much every show i watched in Winter has ended.
The two shows i am 'continuing' i'm on the fence about.

Kuroko's Basketball
It has to do something incredible to win me back over. between the named moves, the zone and the fact that the main character has barely played... i am just kind of sick of the whole show.
The only reason i continue is cause Akashi is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya... and as much as i like his voice it's not enough to get me to keep watching a show.
Like... Bakemonogatari... he's in that... i don't watch that show cause it creeps me right out...
so yeah... fav voice actor be dammed the show has to get better... or at least less stupid... and shorter matches.  also if they start the spring part of the season with the match for 3rd i will potentially lose my shit.

Sailor moon
BORED
bored bored bored bored bored
so boring
do something
stop yelling peoples names (mostly mamo-chan) and do something!
and the art
it's so bad! and the CG is still so damn rubbery.... I HATE being this negative about the show that got me to love anime but when a gag mahou shonen show is better and more thoughtful then you.... then you must be doing something wrong.
but then again you'd have to be doing something to mess it up... still..... BORED

Some ground rules:
1. No webshows, i sometimes make exceptions but for the most part i can't stand waiting a week for a 3-15 min long show... also they tend to be comedy and unfortunately some comedy isn't universal.
2. No shows with Brother or sister in the title.  Japan has this odd obsession with having family members be love interest, almost always falling back on the "well they aren't actually related" argument... i can't stand those types of shows and a good portion of them have Brother or sister in the title.
3. No card game shows.... i just never like them.
4. I will try to watch everything i can legally get my hands on (read as on Funimation, Crunchyroll or Daisuki) for one episode but i'm allowed to drop out early, i'll let you know when i stopped watching and feel free to let me know if things change after that. 
5. My taste tend to be more on the shoujo or slice of life side but i try to give everything a fair shot. If i end up not liking something that doesn't mean it's bad it just means i didn't connect with it.

OK.... onto new shows...
and by new shows i mean sequels and spin offs with a few original titles thrown in for good measure.

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
wtf does japan think eating food is like.
between the show last season that i don't remember the title of
and this...
like... serious wtf
ok... i bailed at, and i wish i was kidding, personification of a tentacle coated in penut butter wrapping itself around a girl while she screams no cause it tastes so bad
so... 2:30ish
uh... ok... next

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
.... no
i don't want to
the title.... it's so stupid.... i would have a "no stupid titles" clause but i've been surprised by shows with terrible titles.
but this... i highly doubt it.
This show has something against having frabric against ones back.... ok minor gripe i guess
also she has this string that goes aroudn her arms but under her bust
i'm sorry but what could that accomplish
anyways... honestly? not as bad as i was expecting... dunno if i'll keep watching cause when it wasn't bad it wasn't interesting either.
we will see i guess?

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO
Yay~
ok from here on this wonderful show with a stupid title will be just called SNAFU 2 cause... easier.
Ok so way back in.... uh... 2013 according to MAL, I saw the title for this show and quite literally went "well that show is going to be terrible... still i'm giving everything a chance so lets see" and it ended up being among my favs that season.
Right off the bat i need to comment on the animation, it's a little different then season one (makes sense... different studio) Based off the whopping 25 seconds i have watched i am enjoying it even more then the old style... it's just really fluid and the shading and lighting is just a bit more pleasing to the eye.
The intro song animation kinda reminds me of a persona type game...
I do find it a little funny that the show is based largely around the fact that Hikigawa is creepy/not pretty/beady eyes...
and this animation studio has made him look just a bit prettier, i find it kind of funny at least.
Anyways so far the second season looks to be as good as the first... maybe better. I'm just happy we are getting more.
I suggest watching season 1 and then this (all on crunchyroll for North america at least), it's worth it.  Do not be fooled by the stupid title.

Re-Kan! 
Now every time a show starts with food i a little worried...
Right off the bat i think it's a little interesting that they are trying to immitate depth of field and the shifts within it as the focal point changes... but i am finding it a little bit distracting.. i find 2d  animation has to be pretty phenominal to pull that kind of thing off and this, so far, isn't.
ok so super moe with a spalsh of horror visuals... well why not i guess?
So it's technically a comedy anime but Comedy isn't universal... this just isn't doing it for me.
The gag is that she can see ghosts and it freaks some people out but most are okay with it and isn't it funny.
yeah... maybe i'm spoiled by natsume yuujinchou... but this fluffy 'all is well' stuff just is a little too boring.
ok... yeah that was just a lot of dullness... next

*reading the news between shows* Gargantia 2 was cancelled?... no... That was one of the shows i was looking forward to the most in the fall.
I am so sad now.

Gunslinger Stratos
I wasn't sure if this was a sequel to something so i checked MAL, apparently it's based off an arcade game... lets see if this ends up making any sense...
Okay so it's a future where these is only on gov, or corporation with all the power, and there are wars and... yeah
seems interesting enough... i'll probably give it a few more episodes before i decide.

Plastic Memories
Oh.... oh this is going to hurt isn't it?
...
Well... i can't think of many other shows that have gotten me to cry episode 1...
Hell Natsume yuujinchou didn't get tears from me till episode 2.
... uh... okay so.
Theres a company that has been able to create robots with artificial souls and personalities. they are pretty much identical to humans in every regard but they only live for approximately 9 years and 4 months.
before the robots break Retrevalists are sent in teams of two (one robot and one human) to get the robot back.
Some part willingly, others are a bit less willing to give up something they grey attached to for 9 years. only one thing is true... The job never feels rewarding.
So far, of the new IPs, it's the one i've been most invested in... it was really good...
but damn, if the robots look any younger... (they can be built to look any age from the looks of things) i may not be able to continue despite how much i enjoyed it... there are somethings i cannot handle.
still best 'new' show so far


Tesagure!
wow... uh... i shoudl have added no sequels to shows i haven't seen but i didn't realize this was a sequel till i hit start.... but wow
this is UGLY
there eyes are litterally poping off their CG models... it's just... wow
no.
Also it's the third season of a 'show' i never heard of so... yeah no.
als i dropped out at about 5 seconds in... new record~ 
 
Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign
this doesn't look like it'll be my kind of show... but giving everything a chance...
The reason i was unsure about this was because
a) i do not particularly care for Vampire stories, they almost always end up a little too overpowered in Anime.
b) Plague stories tend to trigger Anxiety attacks for me
However luckily the plague aspect of the show is limited only to the first few minutes so... yay.
A mysterious Plague hits all of humanity and the only survivors are Vampires and Children under the age of 13. Not wanting to be livestock for the rest of their potentially short lives a group of orphans do their best to escape the facility. However a group of children takign on powerful vampires seems like an insurmountable task.
And you know what? i enjoyed it... at least enough to give it another episode. I'm surprised (especially considerign i watched this shortly after Plastic Memories) that i didn't cry... cause yeah it's not happy... i figure it's jus ta sign that i'm not emotionally invested just yet.
But still not bad at all... next.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan
I'm 99% sure this is the same artist as Full metal alchemist. *checks* yep, same character designer... not the same creator though.
I do wish Anime would stop using CG for large crowds of people... it almost never looks good.
Hm, The first episode was okay but not enough to base an opinion on. it's mostly an info dump on the world and rules so this will probably get 2-4 episodes before i make up my mind.
Two nations are at war.
Arslan, a timid prince has a chance encounter with a child prisoner of war and is forced to question what his nation's happiness has been built on.

Show By Rock!!
Moe girls in a band at school...
I always have a gut reaction of get away when these types of shows come out... still i'll give it a chance... i guess.
CG in anime that is kinda cute? Unheard of.
Well... that was.... stupid
not bad... but very very silly
not my cup of tea but conisdering it's half CG and half animated... it actually has a nice look.
but no... no thank you.

Hello!! Kinmoza
Not going to talk about this since i hated season 1, just reminding everyone that if you like the first episode of season 1 then remember the rest of the show is nothing like that.
how this got a second season just baffles me.
like i get that Gargantia was cancelled for reasons similar to why Gen Urobuchi only worked on the first few episodes of Aldnoah... but it was a million times better then Kinmoza.
anyways... onto the next thing.

Ultimate Otaku Teacher
Oh this looks like a stupid piece of.... no
no no no
Hiroshi Kamiya?!
*torn*
the sound mixing on this episode is so funky it actually took me a second to figure out it was him...
but.... ok i'll give it a try.
I really hope other episodes fix the sound mixing... it's really distracting.
OK... think great teacher Onizuka but instead of the teacher being a pervy punk he's a Nerd obsessed with Anime.
it's a little less violent then GTO but still... fine so far... i'll watch for a bit longer (yes cause hiroshi's in it.... granted if they don't fix the sound i may not conitnue for long)
still that title.... *sighs*
ok next~

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan
If i had to pic a fav storyline from the Haruhi Suzumiya series... it would be a touch choice between disappearance and Surprise.
I love this series.
before Natsume yuujinchou it was among my top anime/novels of all time (right along with Princess tutu)
Part of me is sad that we are getting the spinoff instead of animating the rest of the novels.
The novels have been done for years... another season (or more realistically 2) and you could complete the story... hell have Snowy mountain syndrome be another film like disappearance... it would be really good.
That all being said... I love that they are adapting what is essentially (in all manners of the term) and Alternate universe.
I currently have 3 volumes of the manga, i haven't gotten to reading it cause... well the pile of unread manga by my bed is quite literally 30+ volumes
But i did read the first volume and despite some of the moe bullshit it is a really cute idea.
and i'm always up for more kyon, i think Kyon used to be the character i had the most figrues for but... natsume has beaten him (cause they made more... i still want all the kyon figures ever... he's so cute)
anyways what do i think of the show?
on one hand it's strange seeing something Haruhi Suzumiya related (i know it's a spinoff) not being animated by Kyo ani....
on the other hand i haven't enjoyed a Kyo Ani animation in the past... 5 or so years so.... part of me is okay with this
the music is terrible though.... or maybe i'm just pointing cause it's so different.
the art style is pretty reflective of the manga... *pouty mode activate* however kyon isn't as pretty... he's much more blobby and... *sighs*
ok i'll be honest with my other reason i'm a little bummed that we are getting this and not more of the main line.
I'm not the biggest 'shipper' in the world... i almost never ship any characters that aren't established to have a bond.
... what i'm saying is i ship Kyon and haruhi... Yuki is a great character but yeah... i just don't see her and kyon together so... thats also making me pout. i know haruhi is in it but.... come on...
John smith *pout* that scene....
READY?
*rolls* if the movie weren't 3+ hours long i would watch it right now... maybe this weekend.
right... the show the show.
The show is fine... it's really moe... i hope as it and the manga continue it adds a bit more seriously/thought provoking stuff...
but i know it probably wont... i'll just re-read the novels... they are pretty short. *sighs* and we'll never get the rest animated
*looks at the size of this* sorry... i just... really like Haruhi suzumiya stuff....
yeah.... ok next

Takamiya Nasuno Desu!
2 mins long? no thank you... if i hear good things maybe i'll marathon when it's over.

Oh.... Kyo Ani next... alright... lets do this.

Sound! Euphonium
Anime, for a while now, has been doing this depth of field thing... and sometimes it works well... you don't tend to notice it it's done so well...
this show is adding a bit of colour abberation to the edges and... i dunno it's just distracting... the show is pretty....
Haruhi pretty? no
Clannad pretty? not really...
but pretty
It's nice to see that Kyo Ani is diversifying their look a little but... *sighs* i really with all their stuff didn't look like K-on.
The show seems fine, not too moe or anything but also not really anything to hook me in.
Maybe i'll watch when it's done? or if i suddenly hear everyone talking about it.

Rin-ne
This show is cute, brought to us by the same person who made Ranma 1/2, Inu yasha and Maison Ikoku.
my issue with rumiko takaharhi is solely that her beginnings are good... and then things get stupid and long and never end and... yeah this should have that problem cause it's only 25 episodes (unless it gets more seasons but cross that bridge later)
what i saw was cute and with a bit of a late 80's early 90's vibe... it was decently funny.
Basically the story is about a girl who can see spirits who happens to see a shikigami and ends up being dragged into helping him (mostly because she has some money)
i'm hoping it continues to but cute and funny.

MY love STORY!!
I was hoping this would be good.
I'm so glad that it is.
It's a story about an extremely tall/scary looking guy and his best friend the pretty boy... he is super sweet and falls in love easily but all the girls fall for his friend and so he's started just giving up.
By a chance encounter he helps a girl deal with a groper and his friend seems to be, for the first time, interested in a girl. but of course he has fallen in love as well.
it was very funny, so far it's the show i enjoyed the most (that hasn't made me cry) so yeah... looking forward to more of this.

Triage x
wow... uh, so just a crapton of fanservice and no.... not having it.
Also the sound mixing was really off so... painful to listen to.. the dialogue was so quiet and the BG just loud and annoying


Wish Upon the Pleiades
Gainax has always been hit or miss with me.
This was a miss
right off the bat it felt like a moe madoka cashgrab
but i don't care about any of their characters and i'm actively rooting for the bad guy.
so yeah pass

Punchline
I was going to go into this blind but my friend warned me.
So this is Panty Shot: The anime.
so if thats your thing... enjoy.
moving on...

ETOTAMA
Another anime that has cg chibi sections? again focusing around animals... and again it doesn't look half bad.
welcome to 2015 i guess?
Oh wow... i haven't seen crunchy explain the japanese puns like that before... interesting.
once again, comedy is not universal.. .and while i loved the punnyness of Cute high... uh... the awesome magical boy show from last season that everyone needs to buy.... i loved it cause i understood/could hear it....
my japanese isn't good enough currently to know that Fuka means (or sounds like at least) both soft and deep (i'm guessing Fuka vs fuuka or Fu-ka)
so yeah... i probably wont continue with this just cause there is a language barrier.
so much Nya
too much Nya to handle
again maybe it's good... i can only handle so much plotless moe.
and by so much i mean not very much at all. 

Mikagura School Suite
4 minutes... well... i don't like meteors...
um from what i could tell the main character was an annoying brat who just wants to play Yuri dating sims all day and then i'm guessing after the meteor there is a magical girl aspect or something... again there is some shit i just don't want to see. The animation was a bit whiplashy... the first bit almost looks animated by trigger but then it gets all fluffly... but in the end i guess i'll never know.

Hm... still have another week of new Airing shows and i've already seen the titles i was excited for... heres hoping in week two there is something to surprise me~

Nisekoi:
So happy this got another season... 20 episodes just wasn't enough.
So yeah... technically a Harem anime but more so a rom com. it's just a lot of fun and i look forward to the rest of the season... i'm still cheering for Onodera even though i know chitoge is the more likely match.

Blood Blockade Battlefront
It's funny... i used to only be able to do the voice thing with characters i liked.
But Natori's voice is in so many things... and.... now i hear it immediately cause i hate him (the character, not the voice actor who is immensely talented) and it just sends a chill down my spine.
It's bad enough that he's actually playing a villain in the show...
oh... the show itself... uh...
Okay so it's set in new york (we know this cause we see the statue of liberty and hear some jazzy music)  and something happened a few months prior that essentially made it so the normal and abnormal were both there in abundance.
A young boy named Leo has a chance encounter with a group named Libra (hey it's my start sign~) and figures they hold the key to learning more about what happened to himself and his sister when everything went down.... Libra in turn things he has an ability that could be the key to everything.
I don't know what i think of the show overall just yet but luckily Funimation put up two episodes at once so maybe that'll help me decide.... the Bump of Chicken song at the end was really nice though.
Oh the song is actually the intro, neat.... love Bump of Chickens Voice.
The show seems ok, not sure if i'll continue cause i still dont have much invest but who knows.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
I was worried when i saw the title just cause... it sounds like a harem anime title and i'm not too big on those.
I do think it is a harem anime but that is not the hook.
After falling down the stairs the main character, a delinquent, and a female honour student end up switching bodies.
in fact the reaction to finding that out is one of the better ones i've seen portrayed.
anyways they work together to find out how to swap back sicne the original trigger isn't working... apparently when they fell they kissed and apparently thats the real trigger.
only the switching doesn't only work between the delinquent and the girl... as far as we know the delinquent can swap with ANYONE after one smooch.... gender be damned.
Honestly the episode was really funny and well done, it wasn't too fanservicy (so far) and i laughed a lot... we still don't know about the 'seven witches' or why the switch happens but honestly i'm surprised how much fun it is so far.

wait.... am i done?
*checks the list*
other then one title every other show is either a sequel to a series i haven't seen or 5-15 mins long.
the one title i'm waitign on is Digimon adventure tri which i'm curious since the first cast of the show was the only one i likes.

in that case i think i'll post this and just update it if i realize i missed something.

IS this season going to as good as last season? probably not... last season had so many titles i simply adored (at least until the final episode kinda ruined two of them)
However there is a lot that i didn't expect to like but managed to make me smile... so whats my final verdict?

Shows i will most likely complete:
SNAFU 2 (crunchyroll)
Plastic Memories (crunchyroll, daisuki)
The Disapearance of Nagato Yuki-chan (more so cause at least it has kyon... i still want main story animated) (funimation)
MY love Story (Crunchyroll)
Nisekoi: (crunchyroll, daisuki)

Shows i am enjoying but still a little on the fence about:
Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon (this should be in the other category but i worry about it going down a crappy path) (crunchyroll)
Seraph of the end: vampire reign. (funimation)
The heroic legend of Arslan (funimation)
Ultimate Otaku Teacher (cause hiroshi kamiya) (funimation)
Rin-ne (crunchyroll)
Yamada-kun and the seven witches. (Crunchyroll)

so yeah no shortage of half decent shows this season... a lot of crap as well but thats always the case.
again i'll update this later if i find something else worth talking about...

Edit:
Just cause i was curious i wanted to see how lopsided my week would be if i watch all the shows i mentioned

Monday: Nothing
Tuesday: Nothing
Wednesday: rin-ne, my love story
Thursday: Nothing
Friday: Nisekoi:, is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon, Disappearance of Nagato yuki-chan
Saturday: SNAFU 2, Plastic memories, Ultimate Otaku Teacher, Seraph of the end: vampire reign
Sunday: Kuroko's basketball 3, Heroic legend of arslan, yamada-kun and the seven witches
so yeah... thats going to be fun. 

Dropped: Brandish

Well... i can't like every Falcom game...

Ok so, i'll be honest... My priorities when it comes to enjoying a game are a little odd.
1. it has to be pleasing to the ears... if the voice acting is bad or the music is painful i wont even give the game a chance.
2. the story has to be interesting.
3. it must be fun to play... be it gameplay or otherwise.

Now if one of those things is missing... i'll still probably enjoy the game.
but for the most part... i play games in the hope that i will be smiling (or even crying)
I do not play games for challenge UNLESS i know i already like it.


Brandish is one of the most stressful games i have ever played.
i'm only on the 4th floor and i feel a little sick from how stressed it made me.
I don't mind hard but fair... this felt so cheap.
The enemies have so much more mobility then you do.
you can kind of see when the floor will break but i can't tell what chests are trapped or what switches insta kill me.
and hitting triangle after every step is just too much for me.
Also the lack of an interesting story doesn't help...

Now... it could just be the genre.
I am not a fan of dungeon crawlers... first person being the worst for me (this one is third but it might as well be first with that camera)... it builds up a level of stress that i cannot stand.
and i've watched friends play Rogue likes (i know this isn't really a rogue like but i'm trying to make a point) and i wanted out rip out my hair it was just too painful.

But i figured... hey... ti's falcom... i like them... their music is always so pretty.
and to be fair this game has pretty music
but no... i'm done.
i'm happy i gave xseed some money... please continue to bring falcom stuff here.
but yeah... one day of this game and i think i'm permanently throwing in the towel... i just can't stand feeling this sick pit in my stomach of being so on edge anymore.

however if what i described sounds fun... or you like dungeon crawlers that are hard as hell.. please give it a shot.
A warning the camera is strange, you control it with the shoulder buttons and essentially your character is always facing forward. and you have to rotate the camera... and it's slow... and the enemies are so fast...
...
anyways i'm gunna go play a game thats a little more chill.... i haven't replayed ys 4 or 7 on hard mode yet... that sounds fun.
ok in all truth i'm gunna go play Atelier Shallie because it's adorable...
Judge me all you like it don't care.
But yeah... no more Brandish... not fun for me.