~ Sitting, waiting, wishing.

Happy Ho-Ho-Holidays!

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 04:03:06 GMT

~ Wishing you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! ^_^

Anime on the big screen!

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:08:26 GMT

I saw an anime for the first time on the big screen today! It was English-subbed too, and the subs were, well, huge and easy to read! xD

My fellow Filipino anime blogger, usagijen, kindly invited me to watch the 2006 anime film Toki o Kakeru Shōujo (it is also referred as TokiKake for short, or The Girl Who Leapt Through Time for its English release) at the cinema at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall as part of the J-Pop Anime Matsuri hosted by the Embassy of Japan, which in turn is part of the Eiga Sai 2008 brought to us by the Japan Foundation, Manila, in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the UP Film Institute. The best thing about it? It was an AWESOME anime and it was FREE!

It was my second time to meet another blogger friend, usagijen, she was really nice (The first blogger/online friend I met in person was the the lovely strawberrychips). Despite a little mishap initially with the free admission tickets (which we settled nicely, thanks to usagijen’s friend and Batman! ;P), I had a wonderful time!

I think you have to see it to really appreciate it. And seriously, TokiKake was a very enjoyable anime film to see. It’s really funny, touching and meaningful at the same time. I absolutely loved it! I’d say it was very well written and well done, and I’d definitely recommend you to watch it too! ^_^

a change would do you good...

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:18:03 GMT

... or so I've heard. Hence, in time with the new year, I figured I should change the layout and some userpics. =)

I am SO loving Ikuta Toma right now (see userpic). I get all giddy whenever I see or hear him. *blush* The Honey and Clover live-action drama needs more love!!! I also added added/changed a couple of userpics including Yamada from HachiKuro and Shirota Yuu *melts*.

This LJ layout has a header, so I made a header for it... hehe, it's not made especially for this though, this header was made for my anime blog header and just cropped it and tweaked it a little to fit the alotted header space for this LJ one (lazy me, I know. ~Lol) This LJ layout is courtesy of grrliz from thefulcrum and gossymer

On a whim, I wanted to see Amanda Bynes' new comedy film Sydney White but when my day off came, it was no longer in the theaters. Phooey! My brother wanted to see National Treasure 2 instead but I wanted to see something that's more of a comedy... so we settled for Alvin and the Chipmunks instead... it was shown late here because of a local film festival during the Christmas season where they show only local films... Anyway, I enjoyed it. I've always been quite fond of those chipmunks, watching the cartoons on TV when I was little. They did an acapella version of "Funkytown" in the film and I thought it was awesome! Haha.

Yep, I better go to bed or I might oversleep and miss my graveyard shift later. Heh. (^_^')

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 14:32:42 GMT

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
I wish you a wonderful holiday season and the best years to come!
Take care! ^_^

**holiday icon by kotae

lights, camera, live-action!

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 23:41:42 GMT

Oooh... a couple of live-action dorama news... Honey and Clover + a 2nd Detective Conan installment.

Honey and Clover: It will be adapted into a Japanese Drama Series, Hachimitsu to Kuroba, and will be aired on FujiTV, Tuesday 21:00 starting January 8, 2008, with Narumi Riko as Hanamoto Hagumi and Ikuta Toma as Takemoto Yuta. (from: drama wiki )

Detective Conan: The new live-action episode is tentatively titled "Kudo Shinichi no Fukkatsu! Kuro no Soshiki to no Taiketsu" (Return of Kudo Shinichi! Showdown with the Black Organization). Conan attends a party for the "Miss Japanesque" awards, where he happens to eat a cake that temporarily transforms him back into Shinichi Kudo (Oguri). While there, a murder takes place and he has to solve the case. The special will also feature the first live-action appearance of the Black Organization. Shun Oguri, Tomoka Kurokawa and Takanori Jinnai are reprising their roles as Shinichi, Ran and Kogoro Mori. NTV will air the special during Winter 2007. (from Tokyograph)

I'm curious with the Honey and Clover drama adaptation... I loved the anime! I haven't really seen the movie since I didn't hear much positive reviews about it and I didn't want to be disappointed. I think this drama would at least have more time to explore the characters and the story and may be able to make a more faithful adaptation of the manga/anime. (I hope the Nomiya/Yamada arc will be included! *fingers crossed*)

The Detective Conan live-action wasn't epic and looked a bit kiddie but I found it enjoyable to watch so I'm kind of looking forward to the 2nd live-action special. Oh, and Haibara will be there as well along with Gin from the Black Org... .this would be interesting. Here's a photo of the cast including the actress playing Haibara and the actor playing Gin, Prof Agasa and Conan. Haha. I appreciate that they're trying to make the live-action characters look like their anime/manga counterparts. :P (see photo/cast guide)

edit: I forgot to add the Nodame Cantabile Paris Special airing in Jan 2008! I absolutely loved the live-action series of that one, so I'm really looking forward to see that!

no, no, noooooo!!!

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 08:57:55 GMT

I just heard an anime news that affects me greatly... Darker than Black has been licensed by FUNimation... after merely 12 eps, its now licensed! Aaaahhhhh! Do you know what that means?! No more subbed episodes for me... *sits in a sad corner, Tamaki-style*

The fansub group that I'm familiar with who's working on DtB have announced that they'd now be dropping it from their projects as it's now licensed ... I'm not sure about the other groups, but they most likely will follow suit and drop it too (I'm still hoping one of them will keep subbing it *sheepish grin*) Obviously, it'd be removed from crunchyroll too. :(

It's probably good news that it's been licensed, I guess... that means more DtB followers and possibly more episodes or something like that... but still, I'm sad that I won't be able to watch it subbed anymore. I wish I can speak Japanese, then I'd have no problem seeing it raw... *sighs* Anyway, I wish DtB all the best, in my opinion, it's a really good series so it's kind of not that surprising that it got licensed right away.... but still... *sighs, sighs*

On a lighter note... HARRY POTTER!!! My brother and I already booked theater tickets for the 5th film on July 11th and as a bonus we'll watch it on IMAX! It'd be my first time watching a film on IMAX format, so this should be interesting... I just hope the film is done well. ^_^

mecha madness

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:13:46 GMT

I've seen the Transformers film yesterday.... What can I say about it? Two words... Simply. Awesome. Read my review. I've been wanting to see it since the day it was released here on June 28th. After graveyard shift at work yesterday morning, I went straight to the theaters as it was my day off. I've never really been into mecha, more so mecha films... but it was just WOW! I also had my fix of Shia LeBeouf so... yay! *squee* ^_^

I've made a new wordpress blog account. I decided to make this LJ a more personal one while the reviews and stuff will go to wordpress here. It's also called "Undercover"... ~Lol. Anyway, ~~I'll change this LJ's title to a more personal one~~. I basically just imported the reviews I've written here at LJ to wordpress. It was so cool, I didn't have to write it all over again! *squee* I'm still finding my way around wordpress, though... I'm more used to LJ now on posting entries and stuff. Haha. So it's still a wee bit messy there. Feel free to browse around there. Check out Undercover.

LJ title... I changed it to Sitting, waiting, wishing. Probably doesn't make much sense... ~Lol. It's from a title of a song by Jack Johnson. :)

Lovely Complex

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 10:05:29 GMT

This is also known as "LoveCom."

Synopsis: Lovely Complex is a story of a boy and a girl. The girl, Koizumi Risa, is 170 cm tall - much taller than the average Japanese girl. The boy, Otani Atsushi, is 156 cm - way below the average height of the average Japanese boy. They are known as their school's comedy duo because there is a popular comedy duo that has a similar height difference. One day, a very tall transfer student shows up and Risa immediately falls for him, as she has had bad luck with boys in the past because she is tall. There is a girl that Atsushi likes as well, so Risa and Atsushi decide to put aside their differences and help each other get their love interests. But as they get to know each other better, Risa's feelings for Atsushi begin to blossom.
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovely_Complex)

Genre: Romance, comedy, shoujo
Status: Anime - Ongoing, (11 episodes as of 06/16/2007)
Manga - 16 volumes, completed.
Began airing: April 2007

Thoughts / Review:
TO START OFF... The opening theme, "Kimi + Boku = Love?" by Tegomass, is pretty catchy and I think it is quite fitting based on the story. The opening animation is colorful as well. The ending theme is "Kiss ~ Kaerimichi no Love Song" by Tegomass. I'll just do a quick rundown on the characters, a bit more comments on the 2 main characters (Koizumi and Otani) , mention the others in passing, and share my two cents about it . Shall we?

AND THE CHARACTERS ARE... KOIZUMI RISA is the tallest girl in her school and she has some issues regarding this because boys often get intimidated that she's taller than them. She's outspoken and impulsive. She does have a soft spot, a really nice and kind girl. OTANI ATSUSHI is quite short in height for a boy. He can also be quite outspoken and a bit rude, but despite that first impession, you'll learn that he's really a kind and thoughtful person. The other characters include their circle of friends NOBUKU (Koizumi's bestfriend) and her boyfriend NAKAO (part of the basketball team along with Otani), CHIHARU (Koizumi's other bestfriend) and her boyfriend SUZUKI, and there's also HARUKA (Koizumi's childhood friend who really likes her).

MY IMPRESSION... Koizumi and Otani are sooooo funny! One of their teachers called them the comedy duo "Hanshin-Kyojin" and it got stuck... Lol. I can't help but giggle everytime that is mentioned. Moving on, Koizumi is a really nice person, and her reactions are just so hilarious! She's quite emotional and outspoken. Probably, the only thing I don't like about her is that I think she cries a bit too much publicly. But it's not too annoying. I still like her character. Otani is also the type who speaks his mind. He's very skilled at basketball regardless of his height. He is also hilarious! They're not coined by the teacher "comedy duo" for nothing! Haha. They're all out when they're going on about each other and saying insults back and forth, like a bickering old couple. (They kind of remind me a bit of Heiji and Kazuha from 'Detective Conan' when they bicker... so cute and funny!)

I also kinda like Haruka, I know he's a bit rude to Otani but still... you can't deny the fact that he looks pretty! Hehe. I also feel a bit sorry for him too because he really likes Koizumi but she likes someone else.

The animation is quite good and the colors are nice. The dialogue isn't too sappy or overdone to the point of cheesiness, I think it's just about right. One of the reasons I liked this (besides it being so darn funny!) is that it struck a chord in me. I can see myself in Koizumi's position being all confused and emotional like that sometimes. It's so funny but it's also realistic enough that you'd get to relate to one or more of the characters and identify yourself with them in most of the situations presented. It has tons of comedy, it has romance and it's share of tears.

I think I enjoyed this a little too much intertwined with moments of sighs and a tinge of sandess. I love to have a good laugh every now and then and I'm rather fond of comedy and the 'not-so-serious-all-the-time' kind of shoujos so this is just about right for me. I think the elements of comedy and drama are well balanced in this one. I also find Otani quite adorable so that's a plus for me! Lol. I love it when he grins and it just about melts me when he goes all thoughtful. Seeing him and Koizumi enjoying themselves together is just so fun to watch! (hehe... the rickshaw, Umibouzu concerts and slide is just Lol.. their facial reactions are just priceless!) Did I say it was funny? Lol.

If you don't mind laughing too hard or get a bit on the emotional side once in a while, you'd definitley like this anime. It's really fun to watch! ^-^

(PS... Btw, if you're into comedy, you should also try "Hayate No Gotoku!" I break into fits of giggles every few minutes!)

Have you seen it too? What do you think? :)

graphic of the month: June

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:03:22 GMT

I am going to start doing a "graphic of the month" thing starting this June. (edit: okay, I didn't manage to do it "every month" at all, but will try to do so in the near future, or at least add more of my past graphics stuff, when I get around to it. :D ) I will be picking some of my previously made wallpapers and icons to feature each month, or at least until I run out of ideas and graphics to post. Lol. Anyway, here goes...

My first pick is related to "Alias." It was one of my favorite TV shows, particularly its seasons 1 and 2.

:: graphic of the month (June) ::
- icons (7) + wallpaper (1) set
- subject: "Alias"
- like it? kindly credit upon use. Thanks! :)

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7.

< click here to view the wallpaper >

-- I made this wallpaper ages ago... in 2005, I think. I sort of made the icons recently by just "cutting" bits of the wallpaper into 100 x 100 size because I got too lazy to make separate new ones. Haha. This wallpaper was originally (and still is) archived in my no-longer-updated Alias fansite from before.

Seirei No Moribito

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 13:17:07 GMT

This is also known as "Guardian of the Sacred Spirit."

Synopsis: Balsa the spearwoman is a wandering warrior, who takes on the task of saving lives in atonement for a past sin. On her journey, she happens to save a prince and is tasked with becoming his bodyguard. And he is going to need one, for his own father, the emperor, wants him dead.
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardian_of_the_Sacred_Spirit)

Genre: Fantasy, drama, adventure
Status: Anime - Ongoing (11 episodes as of 06/16/2007)
Manga - 10 volumes, completed

Thoughts / Review:
TO START OFF... The opening song, "Shine" by L'arc en Ciel, is pretty catchy. It may sound a bit too pop-ish for some, but it sounds okay. I especially like the beginning of the song. I think it captures the relationship between Balsa and Chagum well. The ending theme is "Itoshii Hito e" by Sachi Tainaka.

The story centers around Balsa the spearwielder and her quest to protect and save others, her "road to redemption." She is a female warrior who has recently undertaken the job of a bodyguard. It is later revealed that she herself as a young child was entrusted to a bodyguard (a man named Jiguro) to protect her life and in that process, Jiguro's friends became enemies as a bounty was offered in exchange for Balsa's life when she was young. She grew up to be a warrior and has decided to be a bodyguard to make up for all the lives that was taken for her sake. Balsa is around 30 years old. She is a very skilled warrior and clever as well. Since she began her road to redemption, she has not killed a single opponent.

ON CHARACTERS... Episode 1 introduces us to BALSA and her fateful meet with the young prince Chagum. CHAGUM is the 2nd prince of the imperial family. A couple of months earlier in the story, his body became "possessed" by a water spirit originally defeated by his ancestors. It is later revealed that this water spirit inside him is an egg, and he acts as a guardian until that egg hatches. Due to this, his father (the emperor) wants him killed in order to get rid of the spirit which is considered a "taint" to the imperial honor. An attempt to kill him happened while Balsa was around. The Ox dragging the prince's cart suddenly went out of control and fell on the river. Balsa rushes to his rescue and manages to save Chagum in a very impressive move with her spear and her cool bracelet. She was later invited by the 2nd empress to the palace and was asked to protect Chagum's life. This meant that Chagum would leave the palace and his mother and stay with Balsa while the bounty on his head exists. This is basically about their adventures together.

We also meet a number of other characters like TANDA - a skilled herbalist/doctor and a bit of a shaman. He is an old friend of Balsa since they were little. TOUYA and SAYA - orphan boy and girl, respectively, who were saved by Balsa previously. They regard her as their elder sister and would do anything to help her out. SHUGA - a star diviner who was Chagum's tutor and a friend of the 2nd empress.

MY IMPRESSION... I think this anime is pretty cool. It has impressive animation with cool camera panning and backdrop settings. It also has awesome fight scenes!(you'll see what I mean when you see episode 3 when she fights against the elite shadow warriors of the emperor) . The writing is good. The story isn't too fast paced, but it isn't slow either. It unfolds gradually with enough elements to explain what's going on and learn some backstory.

I think this is one of the best animes that I've watched. It's sort of reminiscent of Rurouni Kenshin with the warrior's quest storyline, but it's also unique and impressive in its own way. If you're fond of the adventure/fantasy genre, you have to check this out. It's really pretty good. ^-^

Have you seen it too? What can you say about it?

Darker than Black

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:52:41 GMT

"Darker than Black" is also known as "Kuro no Keiyakusha"

Synopsis: An inscrutable and abnormal territory, known as Hell's Gate, appeared in Tokyo and altered the sky. At the same time, people who possess various special abilities emerged, and the night sky was altered. The stars disappeared, replaced by fake stars which correspond to those people with special powers. However, the cost of gaining those abilities is the loss of human emotion. Kept secret from the knowledge of the masses, these individuals able to murder in cold blood are known as Contractors. Various nations around the world use Contractors as spies and agents, often resulting in violent battles for information. Hei is sent to Tokyo under the guise of an ordinary Chinese student, Li Shun Sheng, but is really a Contractor working for an unnamed organization. His Messier code or star number is BK201. Hei fights against other Contractors with unpredictable abilities while carrying out missions and gathering information for his Agency.
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darker_than_Black)

Genre: Drama, mystery, noir, sci-fi
Status: Anime - Ongoing (10 episodes as of 06/14/2007)
Began airing: April 2007

Thoughts / Review: The opening theme is "Howling" by abingdon boys school. I kinda like it. It's rock without too much screaming and yelling. I especially like the intro part when the title is shown. The ending theme is a ballad "Tsukiakari [Moonlight]" by Rie fu.

JUST A QUICK 411... There's a bit of vocabulary introduced in the series regarding the abilities and such. I'll try and give the gist of the major terminologies used. HELL'S GATE - an off-limits area in Tokyo that appeared 10 years prior to the timeline of the beginning of series. Contractors and Dolls came to exist due to this. CONTRACTOR - individuals with superhuman abilities due to Hell's Gate. They are notrious for being ruthless and able to kill in cold-blood. They are capable of showing emotions but generally seems to lack conscience. DOLL - passive mediums in the form of a human; an observative spirit. Lacks emotion. Can be programmed with personalities and memories and mimic normal human behavior. REMUNERATION - when one becomes a Contractor, part of the contract is remuneration which is a sort of a "payment" in return for using their abilities. After they use their powers, they must perform this act each time (it can be varied from eating flowers to gross ones like breaking your own fingers). It is often done against one's will but there isn't a choice but to do it anyway.

There are a few more terms used, but these 4 are basically the main ones used in the first 2 episodes. Let's have a look at the characters, shall we?

AND THE CHARACTERS ARE... HEI is the lead character. He is an elite Contractor with the Messier code BK201 who works for a secret organization. He usually wears a white mask and a long black coat when carrying out his missions. He has the ability to manipulate and generate electricity at will. Hei's weapon include a big knife with a metal wire attached and a handy-dandy grappling hook. He is quite notorious as a Contractor known as the "Black Death God." I thought his remuneration was eating huge amounts of food but it was later revealed in a later episode that it was a habit of his to eat a lot. His remuneration is currently unknown so far. Hei takes on another identity in his daily life, a Chinese exchange student in Japan by the name of "Li Shun Sheng". Along with Hei on their "team" working for the Organization are: YIN - a blind Doll who is able to hear and see various settings whenever water is present both in her vicinity and the person to be tracked. MAO - another Contractor whose ability is to possess animals. He previously lost his human body and now resides within a black cat. The characters on the good side of the law include KIRIHARA MISAKI - a detective of the National Police Agency who is in the division investigating Contractors. She has several subordinates working by her side. They also work alongside the Astronomy Department because whenever a Contractor begins to exist, a star also rises that represent their existence. A falling star represents a death of a Contractor.

MY IMPRESSION... The 1st episode is a bit confusing to watch by itself, you have to watch the 2nd episode as this is a two-part thing. So far, all the episodes comprise of two-parters up until episode 10. There isn't much backstory introduced. Basically, in the 1st 2 eps, a bit of the basic things are explained with regard to Hell's Gate and the existence of Dolls and Contractors in the first 2 episodes. Later episodes gradually give us a bit of backstory on Hei. The 1st episode wasn't too much of an attention-holder as it was a bit confusing for me but the premise of the series intrigued me so I still kept watching it. I see it as sort of a cross between "Heroes" and "Alias" with the missions and the superhuman stuff.

It can be a bit gross to watch some scenes, one involved a remuneration of a breaking his own finger; some involve blood and a bit of gore when killing targets and the like.

I like Hei. I think he's pretty much likable. He can be quite cute when he's acting as Li (the exchange student, his other identity, remember?) but can be a bit creepy when he's in his Contractor mode. He seems to have his own reasons for working for the Organization. He can be unpredictable in making his decisions and is quite unorthodox with his methods. He can be pretty cool to watch during fight scenes too. As per his own words, "One must be careful of Contrators. They are liars and traitors" or something to that effect. It's interesting to watch him switch characters as he's a very good "actor" playing his part as a kind-hearted and good student but with a secret identity. His backstory intrigues me very much that I want to know more and what really happened and what is this mysterious Organization he's working for. For me, it's very suspicious, the kind which is reminiscent of the Company in "Heroes" and SD-6 in "Alias." Curious.

I also like Kirihara. She's a pretty cool detective. Determined and motivated. She has guts. The best you can do against these superhuman beings are the best guns and other sorts of weaponry, but in the end they still have that advantage of superpowers. For herself and her team to go against and investigate Contractors, you have to give them some credit, no?

For me, it's sort of in the same league as Death Note, but of course with a different premise. It does leave you a few questions after watching with no immediate resolution after a few episodes. I started watching and basically kept on watching because I found the story quite intriguing and interesting. If you liked Death Note and the like, I think you should give Darker than Black a shot. It's pretty good and it gets more and more interesting as each episode unfolds. It'd be one of the good shows to watch if this kind of genre is your kind of thing. I'd recommend you to give it a shot.

Have you seen it? What did you think of it? :)

glued to the seat

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 08:10:21 GMT

I've been doing some anime watching on my days off work... I'm such a couch potato for a day and then chores on the next day. I basically have 2 days off each week (one is on-call).

I've seen La Corda until ep 13 now, strawberrymint subs just released the 13th opus this week. Yay!

I did the review on Hayate No Gotoku! for the first episode... I was planning to write it episode-by-episode, but it seems so tiring and I only get to watch it in one sitting for a day. I have until episode 3 written down, so that will be it for that. I've seen Hayate until episode 9 though, and will continue watching it since it's very entertaining and makes me LOL everytime. ^-^

I've seen Darker than Black until ep 9 subbed. I've seen ep 10 raw, but I don't speak Japanese, I just watched it coz I got curious what happens next since it was the 2nd part of ep 9, so I'd still be waiting for the subbed version of it. Series review will be written this week. Same goes for Seirei No Moribito.

My brother invited me to watch Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer tonight, so we're off to the theater for the last full show. I wasn't too impressed by the 1st one... Anyway, we'll see how this one goes.

Hayate No Gotoku! (episode 1)

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:58:33 GMT

This anime is also known as "Hayate the Combat Butler". My first review on one of the animes on my "2007 animes to watch" list.

Synopsis: An unfortunate high school student, Ayasaki Hayate spends his days working at part-time jobs to support his extravagant parents. After incurring a debt of 156,804,000 yen, they disappear, and Hayate was left holding the bag. Whilst running away from the debt collectors, he tries to kidnap a girl for ransom. However, the girl misunderstands his intentions and thinks he is confessing his love to her. Almost immediately, he botches the kidnap attempt but then manages to save her from other kidnappers, causing her to fall in love with him. The girl, Sanzenin Nagi, is actually the daughter of a millionaire family. In recognition of his services, she hires Hayate as a resident butler and even pays off the debt collectors.

This is how Hayate becomes a combat butler. In order to serve and protect his mistress, Hayate’s life-or-death butler life begins.
(from; http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,3961,dseptv,hayate_no_gotok.html)

Genre: Comedy, romance, shonen
Status: Anime - Ongoing, (12 episodes as of 06/12/2007)
Manga - 11 volumes, ongoing
Began airing: April 2007

Thoughts / Review:
JUST A QUICK 411... This is an anime adaptation of the Japanese manga series by manga author Kenjiro Hata about a boy who starts a new job as a butler and the events he experiences with his employer. The style of the manga has a comedic gag with a slightly harem feel which constantly breaks the fourth wall. The series includes references to other anime, manga, and other things popular culture.
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayate_the_Combat_Butler)

TO START OFF... This is episode 1 of a three-episode introductory arc on the story. We meet 16-year-old boy, Ayasaki Hayate, and learn why he's the one working instead of his irresponsible parents. He's been in and out of different jobs, currently known as the fastest bicycle delivery boy in town. He's pretty well-trained and has a stronger body than most at his age due to his various work experience. When he goes back to the office, he gets fired by his employer because he learned that Hayate lied to him about his age and that he is underage to be working. His employer learns this little secret from Hayate's parents who dropped by the office and took Hayate's paycheck. Hayate gets worried that his paycheck was given to his parents, so he hurriedly went home. Their house is empty and he gets a note from his parents and a some spare change (about 12 yen) left from his paycheck which his parents used away (his mom gambles and his dad is unemployed). He gets another note saying that they have a "gift" for him since it's Christmas... the "gift" is his parents' load of debt off the local Yakuza. They say that he's the one to take care of paying that debt. The debt collectors come to their house to collect the debt and take Hayate away as payment. Hayate escapes, thanks to his quickness and agility.

He goes to the park and sees a young girl, Sanzenin Nagi, puzzling over the vending machine. He thinks the only way to pay his debt is to kidnap this girl and ask for ransom. While pondering over whether to kidnap her or not, 2 rude guys corner Nagi and bullies her. Hayate, out of instinct, jumps to her defense. He gives her his coat (which Nagi criticizes as cheap) as she is cold. Nagi is thankful for his kindness anyway and as her "thank you" tells Hayate she will do whatever he asks of her. Hayate decides to kidnap her but uses the wrong set of words saying that he'd like "to take her away." Nagi mistakes this as Hayate's confession of love, and says "yes." Hayate asks for Nagi's guardian's number to call for ransom, but he mistakingly says his name while calling. The moment he left Nagi by the vending machine, another 2 bad guys kidnaps her. Apparently these 2 bad guys has a large debt to the same Yakuza and has sort of the same plan as Hayate to kidnap and ask for ransom. Hayate goes off to save Nagi but eventually collapses from the cold (as he lent his only coat to Nagi). A girl named Maria finds him lying on the snowy ground and asks if he's ok. Seeing that he's cold, she gives him her scarf. Touched by her kindness, Hayate feels sorry that he resorted to kidnapping. He also learns that Maria is looking for Nagi, so he sets things right by saving Nagi from the 2 bad guys. Nagi is again thankful for his rescue and says he wants to repay him. Before collapsing from getting run over by a car, Hayate says he needs a job. Nagi decides she will make him her new butler.

MY IMPRESSION... Initially, you'd feel really sorry for Hayate because he's so burdened by the troubles of his situation wherein he has to act as the head of the family and act as the responsible adult since his good-for-nothing parents are so absorbed in nothing else but themselves and their wants. Grrr. That part really made me mad, especially when they left all 156, 804,000 yen debt for him to pay. That was just plain heartless, abandoning him like that.

Anyway, moving past that, I think all I ever did from the start to the end is just laugh all the way through. They talk back and argue with the narrator. "Hurry Hayate, the introduction is about to start!", "That intro was way too short!" Lol. It was a cold winter night and Hayate was commenting about dying like Nello and Patrache from "A Dog of Flanders" Haha. I saw that anime when I was little so I found that funny. When he was pondering whether to kidnap nagi or not, an tiny angel and devil Hayate shows up advising Hayate on what he should do, the angel says he should kidnap Nagi and then refers again to Nello and Patrache saying they're in heaven cheering Hayate on saying "Avenge us!" Lol. Then Hayate tells the 2 rude guys to "stare at Ruben's painting and reflect on your actions" (another Dog of Flanders reference... Lol). After instinctively saving her at first, he decides to kidnap Nagi anyway so he can pay for his parents' debt to the Yakuza. Hayate's wrong choice of words saying "Go out with me. I want to take you away" when he tries to tell Nagi he wants to rescue her and Nagi mistaking it for a confession of love, that was just so funny. Inevitably, this moment becomes the start of his adventures as Nagi's butler.

ON CHARACTERS... Hayate is just adorable. You can't help but root for him because he's such a good boy. He's hardworking, such a gentleman, kind, and cute to boot!

Nagi is also a cute character. I think she's 13 here. She can be such a brat sometimes saying hilarious things like " stop breathing, you're polluting the air! Be kind to nature!" Hahaha.

Maria is Nagi's 17-year-old maid. She is smart, kind and pretty. Hayate is touched by her kindness when they first cross paths. I'm rooting for Maria and Hayate to end up together someday... They look cute together. BUt I kinda have a feeling it'll be Hayate and Nagi anyway... but still, I want Maria and Hayate... Heehee.

They are basically the 3 main characters introduced in this ep.

Some funny moments also to note are the various references on pop culture, mainly other animes/mangas themselves. Lol. Everytime they mention them there's a *bleep* noise and only includes the first or last part of the word like ***dam or Pika*** (Gundam or Pikachu) There are even several images on screen of other well-known characters like Detective Conan .. .Lol... there's a Detective Conan statue. Haha. I'm not so sure though whether it's in this ep or ep 2. My mind's probably a bit wonky from too much laughs. I think there's also a bit of a parody of Death Note in there... one scene reminded me of a shinigami. There are probably more parodies of others that I missed and not able to take note of because I'm not familiar with them. My anime knowledge is not that vast.

They also word some of the dialogue in a sarcastic manner, like saying Hayate's mom is "investing money in her dreams" instead of saying directly that she's a compulsive gambler. I think it has something to do with the network's strict guidelines on violence, etc. or something like that. There's also this litle icon chracter that shows up with a holding a sign with "Can't show!" written on it whenever something violent happens, like when Hayate starts bleeding... Lol.. Nagi only says "Hayate there's red liquid coming out from your head" and then the "can't show" sign appears over Hayate and the camera pans upward.

I've seen only until episode 5 so far because I'm also watching Darker than Black. I think they have until episode 11 that's already subbed.

I just can't stop laughing out loud, it's very entertaining. I'm definitely gonna watch this and follow all the episodes. I'll be eagerly anticipating each subbed episode that is released. If you're into comedy and don't mind the cute animation, try watching it, I highly recommend it!

Have you seen it too? Have you caught some of the other parodies and references that I have missed? I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. :)

Bishounen fever!

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 06:29:20 GMT

Something to say on La Corda D'Oro characters... I liked them so much I deemed it necessary to post a separate entry to ramble on. Lol. Fanservice? Perhaps quite a bit. Bishounen galore in one take. *wink*

A lot of good-looking guys with wonderful skills in playing their respective instruments. The ladies aren't too shabby themselves.

I have 4 favorite characters... (1) Tsukimori, (2) HIhara, (3) Tsuchiura, and (4) Hino. Let's start from the bottom up, shall we?

ON HINO... I didn't find her annoying at all, unlike a few heroines that I've seen before that I just couldn't stand watching. She may complain and whine and cry sometimes, but she also has a sense of getting herself together and doing the best she can. She seemed to be made just right, in my opinion.

ON TSUCHIURA... He has something about him that'd make you feel you could trust him right from the start. He seems to be the perfect guy in terms of personality, abilities, looks, etc. (I find him to be a bit like Vaughn in "Alias"). He's just so caring and gentlemanly. Another factor, I guess, is that he plays the piano (my 2nd favorite instrument.) I learned to play when I was little (but lacked practice so I'm no good now) so I'm pretty much biased with regard to that. Ahehe.

ON HIHARA... As for Hihara, I just find him so adorable with his easy outgoing and friendly personality. I like him because his personality is my opposite, so I guess I like him because I see him as a compliment. He's lovely to watch because he's funny and is a total kid at heart. He isn't complicated and finds joy in the simple things.

ON TSUKIMORI... He's on my top spot for my list of favorite characters on La Corda. I know, I know... He may seem obnoxious and proud but I'm just drawn to him. I can't help it. Maybe I have issues or something. Haha. First off, the violin is my favorite instrument (I have one myself, although I'm pretty useless at playing it... ^-^). Besides him playing the violin, it's this lack of social interaction and mysterious side of him that intrigues me. I guess I'm just drawn to these kinds of characters, the not so perfect, damaged ones (like Dr. House. Mr. Darcy, Hei). Rough on the outside but there is a certain kindness on the inside. I think he's my Mr. Darcy, anime style. *sighs*

ON YUNOKI... He may be charming but he kind of creeps me out, although maybe that's just me. Lol. He just seems too perfect, that in itself is kind of suspicious to me that there's something he's hiding.

ON SHIMIZU... Everytime he talks, I feel a bit breathless because he sounds so tired and sleepy that I'd like to take a a short break and have a bit of rest myself. Haha. He's brilliant with the cello, though, one of the instruments that I've dreamt of playing (but is too big and heavy and expensive as per my dad, hence my violin...).

I have a list of anime guys that I liked ever since I started watching anime when I was younger... but I think that calls for another post some other time, I should collect my thoughts and try to remember them and probably make a top 10 or something.... Yes, I think I will sometime soon. *dreamy smile*

How about you? Which of the La Corda characters do you have a liking for?

La Corda D'Oro

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 06:03:06 GMT

This is also known as "Kiniro No Corda"

Synopsis: La Corda D'Oro (Italian for "The Golden String") is about Hino Kahoko, a 2nd year student at a music academy where the students are divided into two groups: those who wear the gray uniforms are the normal students, and those who wear the cream colored blazers have chosen a musical instrument as their course of study. This musical academy was founded by a musician who loved everything about music and made it his life to learn as much as he could. One day, he found a small fairy who he from that day on, decided to care for on his own. This fairy, Lili, suggested that he create a school which teaches music and that is how this academy was formed.

Hino meets Lili at the school's entrance as a surprise to both of them because only a select few people have the ability to see Lili, and those who do are chosen by Lili to participate in the school's music contest. In the past, only music students participated have participated in this annual contest, but this year the normal student Hino Kahoko will compete. At first, she is completely against this as she has never played an instrument before that day, but Lili reassures her and gives her a magical violin that can be played by anyone, as long as they have the music in their heart. Reluctantly, Kahoko finally agrees and competes in the contest.

As a result of entering the music contest, she meets the other contestants and must face the pressures from her peers and prejudice from the music students to the general education students.
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiniro_no_corda)

Genre: Comedy, romance, shoujo
Status: Anime - 25 episodes, completed
Manga - 8 volumes, ongoing
Aired: Oct 2006 - Mar 2007

Thoughts / Review:
TO START OFF... The opening song, "Brand New Breeze" by Kanon, sounds okay to me. I initially didn't like it much but I guess it kind of grew on me after the 3rd episode. It's not too ballad but it's not that upbeat either, somewhere in between. The tune is kinda nice. The ending theme is called Crescendo by Stella Quintet.

The first two episodes introduces us to Hino Kahoko where, basically, what happens is what is written in the synopsis up there *points up there* (kindly scroll a bit upward and refer to that). This anime has a reverse harem feel to it with a bunch of good-looking guys with Hino as the leading lady character. The magic violin is given to her and she is able to play it from the heart. Every episode, she gets to learn a valuable lesson in life and she is able to apply this in her music and play beautifully. Playing from her heart, the people watching the concours also feel this emanating from her music. There are 4 selections for the concours and each selection, the 7 participants are ranked based on their overall performance. For each selection there is a certain theme and the participant would choose a piece to play related to that theme.

AND THE CHARACTERS ARE... The 7 participants of the concours are: (1) HINO KAHOKO is the leading lady character of the story. She is slightly a klutz, considerate, kind, good-natured and pretty. She is a 2nd year general education (gen-ed) student. She sees Lili on the campus and is given the magic violin to play. As a result, she becomes a participant of the concours, which was initially against her will later on decides that she would do her best to improve her skills and not rely on just the magic of the instrument she plays. (2) TSUCHIURA RYOUTARO, the first of the guys that we meet. He is also from the gen-ed department. He's nice, seems mature for his age, warm and accomodating. He's in the same year as Hino. He's been giving Hino some pointers and a bit of pep talk regarding the concours and even saves her butt in episode 2 by being her accompanist in time of her need in the 1st selection. We eventually learn that he is a genius at playing the piano, being included in the concours for the 2nd selection. He is also part of the soccer team. (3) TSUKIMORI LEN comes across as obnoxious and proud (he kind of reminds me a bit of Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice ^-^), but we eventually learn why he tends to be like this. He and Tsuchiura get off on the wrong foot. He initially is cold to Hino, but later warms up to her. He is a student from the music department and specializes on the violin. He sees Hino as his rival in the concours as they play the same instrument. He is also a 2nd year. (4) HIHARA KAZUKI is a very energetic, aggressively friendly 3rd year music student. He is very outgoing, carefree and enjoys playing music. He is also part of the orchestra club. He is a brilliant trumpet player.

(5) YUNOKI AZUMA is another 3rd year music student who is highly popular with girls of the school with his good looks and charm. He appears to be very kind, considerate but seems to have a secret side with his own agenda. (6) SHIMIZU KEIICHI is a 1st year music student and is the youngest male participant in the concours. He is a "pretty boy" and is always drowsy and tends to fall asleep almost anywhere. He is very absorbed in his music. He specializes in playing the cello. (7) FUYUUMI SHOUKO is the only other female participant. She is quite shy and hesitant and looks up to Hino. She plays the clarinet. Another character is LILI, the cute little fairy who gave Hino the magic violin. He believes that music should be shared and enjoyed by everyone. There are also a few other minor characters like Kanazawa-sensei (assigned as the head for this set of concours), Ousaki who lays the viloin (a graduate of the music department who previously won the concours; helps out with the orchetsra club), Amou (a gen-ed student who is from the press club; follows the events of the concours for the school paper), and a couple of Hino's friends and some accompanists.

I have some more thoughts on the characters but I decided to ramble about that on another post (see next entry). ^-^

MY IMPRESSION... I love music and I like watching anime. I found this, read the synopsis, watched the first 2 episodes, liked it, and ended up getting hooked. I find it different because it explores classical music. My anime knowledge isn't that vast, so for me this is the first one that I've seen with music as part of its central theme. Besides me having a penchant for shoujo, I also liked it because it seems to have quite a good balance of story and music and doesn't overshadow each other's elements. The story isn't confusing either. I also like the touch of comedy, and although there is a hint of romance in it, it isn't too mushy to the point of being tiresome. Everything is just about right for my taste. The little bits of music trivia right before the preview at the end is also a nice touch. It's light entertainment The colors are good and the animation isn't too cutesy, although the characters are drawn to have sort of a fanservice in mind as the good-looking guys abound, so I'd consider that element as a bonus. Lol.

So, if you don't mind those points I mentioned, then I think that there's a high probability that you'd have a good time watching it too. I know I did. :)

It's a total of 25 episodes. I've only seen until ep 12 because that's where the subbed episodes are at the time of this entry... so I'd plug in a quick shout out to strawberrymint subs, thanks for your hardwork! We really appreciate it. ^-^

How about you? What did you think of it? I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. :)

update? check.

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 09:49:14 GMT

Things to do LJ-wise:

1. Gakuen Alice anime review. Check.
-- see previous entry.

2. Upload icons. Check.
-- I finally found the time to re-organize my old personal site (see Painted Wings). I uploaded 7 icons (2 actors, 4 Alias, 1 House). There are 20 wallpapers available but no new ones uploaded. I place them at my personal site at Painted Wings. Just click on the "graphics" page there...
OR just click on the link below to view them right here in LJ. :)

1. Robert Sean Leonard ("House")
2--5. "Alias"
6. Jennifer Garner
7. Keanu Reeves

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

7.

3. Upcoming...
-- Review on animes Ginban Kaleidoscope and La Corda D'Oro. (Done watching them. I'll post it either this week or the next)
-- Anime: I looked for new animes to watch... the synopsis of these interested me, I might have a go and try to watch them on my spare time: (a) Darker than Black, (b) Hayate no Gotoku! aka Hayate the Combat Butler, (c) Lovely Complex, (d) El Cozador De La Bruja, (e) Seirei No Moribito.

That's all the updates for now. :)

Gakuen Alice (anime)

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 09:14:12 GMT

My first anime review in this LJ! Without further ado, here goes...

Synopsis: Gakuen Alice or Alice Academy is the story of a 10-year old girl, Sakura Mikan, who is devastated when her best friend, Imai Hotaru, transfers to a special school for "genius" kids in Tokyo. Mikan runs away from home to seek out her dear friend, and finds that the school Hotaru transferred to, Alice Academy, is specifically for children who each have a special power called an "Alice". After a teacher at Alice Academy, Narumi, discovers that Mikan has a unique Alice, she is admitted into the school. The story is primarily about Mikan and her experiences at the academy.
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Academy)

Genre: Comedy, fantasy, shoujo.
Status: Anime - 26 episodes, completed.
Manga - 13 volumes, ongoing.

Thoughts / Review:
TO START OFF... It opens with a really fun and catchy tune. I found myself humming it well after watching the series. Some may find it too cute but I think it's okay. The scenes during the opening song shows Mikan following Hotaru around while Hotaru alwas slips away, mostly trying to avoid Mikan. This in itself is a sort of preview on the series' premise and the comedic theme it also has. The colors throughout the series are mostly brilliant and bright.

The 1st episode introduces us to Mikan and Hotaru and how they became bestfriends. Mikan is generally a fun, carefree, kind and emotional girl. Hotaru is intelligent, logical, tends to be aloof. Contrary to Mikan's emotional and sensitive personality. Hotaru appears cold and indifferent towards Mikan; but in reality she cares for her bestfriend a lot and she also is a kindhearted person, just not too good with handling emotional stuff. To make the introductory story short: Mikan + Hotaru = bestfriends. Hotaru transfers to another school. Mikan becomes sad. Decides to follow Hotaru. Finds Hotaru's whereabouts. Arrives at Gakuen Alice. Adventure starts.

Due to the circumstances at hand presented in the 1st episode, While at the gates of the academy, she encounters some bad guys, gets saved by and meets Narumi-sensei (one of the teachers), crosses paths with Natsume (who has the ability to conjure fire). Narumi-sensei realizes that Mikan also has an Alice, one that is quite rare and reminiscent of someone he knew back when he was a student at the academy himself. She incidentally got admitted through Narumi-sensei's help.

The series mainly explores Mikan's adventures in Gakuen Alice (or Alice Academy) -- a school for special people with Alices. An "Alice" is a special ability that a person possesses. Something that normal people don't have. It can range from trivial abilities to dangerous ones (i.e. the ability to manipulate shadows, conjure fire, exceptional technolgical genius, outstanding memory, read minds, etc.).

Mikan meets her classmates with "Alices." She initially is unwelcome in the class she was assigned to as she got on the wrong foot with Natsume. Being the new kid in class, they were a bit wary of her and unsure of her ability. She goes through several challenges and gets acquainted with new friends as the series progresses. We get to meet several interesting characters and learn a little bit of their backstories as the series progresses.

MY IMPRESSION... I found Mikan and Hotaru's friendship complementary. Though Hotaru appears a bit cruel to Mikan sometimes and even though she doesn't openly say it, you know Mikan means a lot to her. Mikan is absolutely hilarious. She comes up with a lot of bright ideas gone wrong but then it ends up unexpectedly helpful for others as well. She can be quite impulsive most of the times, doing before thinking, and she ends up in a lot of trouble. She always tries to have fun and is very considerate of others feelings. As Hotaru says mentions in the 1st episode, Mikan's smile is one of the things she likes best because it is illuminating and makes her forget her worries as well. Mikan has a pretty optimistic and sunny disposition, one of the admirable qualities her classmates find in her.

Some of the silliest, unrealistic things happen in the story and I found myself laughing out loud so much that I lost count how many times my tummy ached from hysterical fits of laughter. Amidst the generally light and fun theme, there are also some dark and intense story arcs but is lighetened up with some comedic dialogue inserted throughout those episodes. There is also one episode that made me cry. It's the one in which a new character was introduced, Tsubasa's friend Kaname. Yes, it really did made me sob a bit. It was, in my opinion, an very touching ep.

ON EPISODES AND SCENES... One of the episodes I liked best is when Mikan performs "Little Match Girl Mikan" that was one of the most hilarious scenes ever. I also like scenes whenever Hotaru blackmails Ruka-pyon. It seems cruel, I know, but I can't help laughing whenever Hotaru runs around showing Ruka the "incriminating" photos of his Alice in action and seeing Ruka's hopeless reaction. I also like the moments when Natsume calls Mikan names. He never runs out of embarassing names for her. Also, those episodes whenever they come across Mr. Bear... hahaha. Priceless.

ON CHARACTERS... There isn't really a particular character that annoyed me much, maybe just now and then. Although the mysterious and "evil" characters make me angry once in a while because of their cruelty to Natsume.

Some of the characters I liked best were Ruka-pyon (the "pyon" part was coined by Mikan with reference to their encounter in the forest with the giant piyo which was so darn funny), Natsume, Mikan, Hotaru, Tsubasa, Misaki-sensei, and a bit of Narumi-sensei as well. I also liked Noda-sensei but he was only in a few episodes with just a bit of screentim

TO WRAP THINGS UP... I cannot really compare this with the manga version as I haven't really read it yet. So I'm basically referring the anime on this one. It's about friendship, selflessness, kindness and loyalty.

Overall, I really liked this anime. When I came across this, I was just looking for some light entertainment and something fun to watch. If you like these types of shoujo and comedy (it's a bit on a bit on the kiddie-side sometimes), and if you don't mind cutesy characters and laughing over silly things, I'd say go and watch it.

Whenever I need a a good laugh, I give myself a dose or two of Gakuen Alice episodes. I still don't get tired of watching it. It's too bad they didn't get to make a 2nd season, it would have been really nice.

How about you? What did you think of it? I'd love to hear your thoughts about it. :)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Thu, 24 May 2007 04:22:43 GMT

My first review in this LJ! I managed to see Pirates last night with my brother. What follows is merely my personal thoughts/opinion about the film. Hopefully, this will be followed by a few more of reviews on movies, tv shows, anime, books, etc. that I've seen, and occasionally add some graphics I made (icons and wallpapers).

I saw it...
- when: 23 May 2007
- where: Theater
- why: I've seen the previous 2 films and wanted to see what happens next. I simply am charmed by the character Capt. Jack Sparrow (awesome Johnny Depp performance) .

Synopsis: Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones' locker, while the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones, under the control of the East India Trading Company, wreaks havoc across the Seven Seas. Navigating through treachery, betrayal and wild waters, they must forge their way to exotic Singapore and confront the cunning Chinese Pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat). Now headed beyond the very ends of the earth, each must ultimately choose a side in a final, titanic battle, as not only their lives and fortunes, but the entire future of the freedom-loving Pirate way, hangs in the balance.
(from http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808713062/details)

*** Warning: May contain spoilers ***

Thoughts / Review: This is one of the most anticipated movies of the year; the third installment of the Piarates series. The story picks up where the 2nd film left off. Capt. Jack Sparrow is trapped in Davy Jones Locker (according to wiki, one of the writers stated that Davy Jones' Locker is not death per se, but spending an eternity with the thing you hate or are afraid of most). Will, Elizabeth, Capt. Barbossa and the rest of the Black Pearl Crew set off to Singapore to meet Sao Feng to ask for help (a ship, a map and some extra crew) in saving Capt. Jack from the Locker to bring him back to this world. Each has their own reasons for saving Capt. Jack prompting him to ask "Did no one come to save me just because they missed me?"

The main cast reprise their respective roles as well as several of the main Black Pearl Crew and a few familiar faces from the British army also return. Some new characters are introduced, one of them is Sao Feng (I thought he was a bit scary), and some cameos (particularly Capt. Jack's dear ol' dad). There are lots of action, swordplay, shooting, some "ew, gross!" moments, a bit of singing, lots of betrayal, deception, and a few weird "huh?" and confusing moments plot-wise. There are some memorable dialogue as well, particularly from the beloved Capt. Jack. I, for one, have been waiting to see this film basically because I have been quite charmed by the quirky character of Capt. Jack Sparrow who never cease to make me giggle with his behavior and his sarcastic and witty lines. We also get a bit of a peep inside Capt. Jack's mind, some more background stories on the supporting characters, the usual Will and Elizabeth's romatic relationship.

It was a bit long though, it took about 2 hrs and 45 mins to watch. I don't really mind sitting in the theater for a film that takes more than 2 hrs, but for this one, some parts of it seems to take too long to explain a few things. The script seems a bit crammed trying to give fitting end to the series trilogy. The visual effects are impressive as well as the production designs/sets. Music by Hans Zimmer is fitting and sounds well done. The end of the film also seems to be a bit open to the possibility of another sequel.

Overall, I found it quite entertaining. Lots of action and enough interesting plot to keep you watching. Though, I could seem a little biased here because I like the Sparrow's character and found that Johnny Depp's performance kept the film interesting to watch and entertaining. The cast gave a pretty solid performance. I'd say go see it yourself if you like the series and enjoyed the previous films. Let me know your thoughts/comments after seeing it. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts! :)

Genre: Action/adventure. adaptation, sequel.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images.
Running time: 2 hrs and 45 mins.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Mon, 21 May 2007 04:30:19 GMT

I saw it...
- when: 18 Nov 2005 (copied this review from one of my past word docs)
- where: Theater
- why: After months, even years, of anticpation for the adaptation of my favorite book in the Harry Potter series, I finally saw Goblet of Fire last Friday...

Synopsis: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) must contend with being mysteriously selected to compete in the prestigious Triwizard Tournament, a thrilling international competition that pits him against older and more experienced students from Hogwarts and two rival European wizarding schools. Meanwhile, supporters of Harry's nemesis, the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), send a shockwave of fear throughout the wizard community when their Dark Mark scorches the sky at the Quidditch World Cup, signaling Voldemort's return to power. But for Harry, this is not the only harrowing news causing him anxiety…he still has yet to find a date for Hogwarts' Yule Ball dance.
(from http://www.tribute.ca/movies/Harry+Potter+and+the+Goblet+of+Fire/9201)

*** Warning: May contain spoilers. ***

Thoughts / Review:
1. I liked the 4th much, much better than the 3rd one. I liked Cuaron's technical style in PoA but I just thought that he tinkered/changed the story a bit more than I expected. But hey, styles and adaptation ideas differ, right? as imagination varies from one person to another. So no big deal.

With GoF, I think the changes were quite minimal and I liked the continuity between the scenes and also this story with the past films. I still contend that it should have been made as long as the LoTR films, 3-4 hrs rather than 2.5! hehe. Too many scenes were condensed and deleted. I would've loved to have seen bits of the 1st task done by Krum, Fleur, and Cedric.

2. I liked the idea that GoF was more character-driven. It gives us a bit more insight into the development of the characters as they grow older. Personally, I'm a Ron/Hermione fan, hehe, so I would've liked to have seen a bit more bickering and moments. Hermione was a bit more emotional this time, I guess I haven't pictured it when I was reading the book... especially that part in the Yule Ball when she cried because Ron was so annoying, I pictured her to be more annoyed and debating with Ron rather than crying while doing that.

3. I thought Harry was so cute with his little crush on Cho. I liked seeing Harry get all nervous and uneasy around her. Funny and adorable! Oh, and that scene with Myrtle in the bath? hehehe. Just liked I pictured it in the book, except for the mermaid.

4. Speaking of funny, the film is quite dark as it tackles Voldemort's impending return... I liked the funny lines and the brief lighthearted moments that were cleverly inserted in scenes. The Weasley Twins, as always, never fail to tickle my funny bone. In the book, I loved that part where one of the twins asked Angelina to the ball..."Oi, Angelina!..." hehe. The dress robes... "Murder me, Harry" - LOL. Oh and the beginning, with Hermione waking Ron and Harry with Ron saying "Bloody hell..." then pulling up the sheets startled with Hermione... hehehe. Anyway, I just loved all the funny lines, well-delivered.

5. I liked Fleur, Krum and Cedric. I would've liked them to have had a bit more lines though, more insight to their characters and what they were like. I would've loved a bit more of the Quidditch World cup too. But alas, the limited time would not permit it.

6. Voldemort. Ralph Fiennes was good, as usual. The scene wasn't what I expected it to be though... I think I was looking for more action and a bit more explanation. Anyway, I think the graveyard scene, with Cedric and all, was as heartbreaking as it was when I read the book. I saw that in my mind while reading and it saddened me much, seeing it like that on screen, seeing how unready he was and how easy he fell made the sadness even more resonant. That scene, with the echoes and portkey and the cheering to the realizaton of the crowd of what happened, Harry holding on to Cedric, being so overwhelemed by his emotions and the events... I thought that was delivered brilliantly.

7. I kinda miss Dumbledore's explanation during the final parts. I missed that in PoA since Dubmbledore didn't even bother to explain much what happened. I hoped he would've said more about Voldemort's return, you know, for clarificaton purposes, especially for those who haven't read the books. I would've liked Fudge there with them arguing regarding Voldemort's return and the parting of ways. I would've liked to have seen more of Sirius too.

8. I liked the acting. The cast seem to have grown up with their characters and are more comfortable and confident in playing them. They've developed their acting skills and delivered it extremely well. I liked the tone of the film, the darkness, Newell's approach/style and technicalities of it. I still say it should've been 3-4 hrs long...hehehe(when will I stop with the length thing?!)

9. I probably just can't remember what to say more... I have more comments, favorable ones and I-wish-he-included-this-part-from-the-book moments and such, especially after I've seen it. I think I'll stop here with the ranting though. :)

-- Supposedly, books and film adaptations are not to be compared, no? as they do differ naturally, of course, but one can't help it sometimes. Anyway, I'm open-minded enough for that. You don't always get what you want. ;)

Well done, and good job for the those involved with the film! For the deleted scenes, I hope ther would be an extended DVD version of GoF, just like the LoTR films. Hopefully, the cast would sign on until the 7th adaptation... it would be so different to see somebody else in the characters' shoes... it would be so weird...

Overall, I loved the film. I guess I was just expecting a bit too much since Goblet was my favorite part and all, but generally, it turned out well and it's impressive enough for me. I really quite liked it. I'll go see it again... it's never enough for me to see it just once, ever.

Anyway, that's my long rant for the day... Have a great week... and go see GoF! ;)

Genre: Action/adventure, science fiction/fantasy, adaptation, sequel
MPAA rating: PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images
Running time: 2 hrs. 30 mins.

welcome note

Mon, 21 May 2007 02:39:15 GMT

testing 1, 2, 3. this is a test. let's see how it works. one, two, three. kendo.

Hey there, welcome to Undercover! A place where I could put reviews of various stuff (like movies, tv series, anime, books, etc.), some icons & wallpapers that I've made, a hint of my random thoughts and general blog. Why "Undercover", you ask? I'm not really that sure, lol, but I'm a fan of the mystery genre, spies, crime dramas, investigations and the like. So, I guess that's part of the reason why the word "Undercover" appealed to me.

I used to blog a few years ago. I wasn't able to update often and I think the last entry I made was 2005, as you might probably see in my personal site Painted Wings if you go there. I used to be active in making wallpapers and stuff that was usually "Alias"-related (the TV series on which I used to have a fansite of that I no longer updated when the series got a bit off-course to my liking in its later seasons and eventually ended).

I decided to re-start my blogging ways as sort of a hobby or something to take my mind off work. Made a new LJ account where I could post my random thoughts, some reviews of various stuff, re-post the icons and wallpapers I made so I can share it to other people who might be interested as it is a waste of hard disk space if I won't be able to share "my-so-called art." Updates may not be everyday, but I will update at least once a week. This LJ would mostly be public, but some personal posts (which I don't do often anyway) would probably be friends-only.

Comments (whether positive or negative) are most welcome and highly appreciated. Just keep in mind to be courteous and respectful of others' opinion as well to avoid unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings. Also, no spamming please. Feel free to browse around.

Thanks for taking the time to drop by! Have a good day! :)