[Fall 2008 Anime] Chaos;HEAD 1&2

Chaos;HEAD

[episodes 1 and 2 review]

3.5/5 hearts -Akia Tomiyo

3 & 2/3 out of 5 stars-blazefreak

4/5 stars- Domo

Introduction (from Akia):

Welcome to yet another edition of 'Fall 2008 Anime'! This time around things will be done a little different on account of there are two special reviewers present to give second opinions! The person to my right calls himself blazfreak; he's part of a fansub group called AEN and is also part of Itadakimasu! Studios® (a group of which has a goal to 'enlighten the world of East Media '). To my left you'll see Domo, who I met via his youtube v-logs a year or so ago; he's also part of Itadakimasu! Stuidos®!

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And guess what!? I too am a member of Itadakimasu! Studios®. If you click on this link you'll be redirected to the 'About' section of IS official site. The last time I checked, blazefreak and Domo were listed as promotional agents where as I'm listed as the assistant editor under writting dept. Be sure to check out the other sections of the site, especially 'contact us' if you would like to join the team!

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Credits and Disclaimer(s):

All opinions expressed here are that of their individual owners and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Goggle Blogger nor that of their partners. The above image belongs to Nitorplus, The 6pb, and Madhouse. I claim no ownership to any images used in my blogs unless stated otherwise, nor do I claim all these opinions as my own; just the ones that have Akia and/or Akia Tomiyo beside them (unless I'm the only one reviewing because then all the opinions are mine unless stated otherwise).

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This editon of 'Fall 2008 Anime' would not have been possible without the program Skpe! If you have Skype and would like to add me (Akia Tomiyo) then go ahead -> snuggumsuggums. Skype is a free instant messenger service that allows you to call landlines via your computer for free and mobile lines for a small fee. It also has video chat, games and other nice features. No wonder Itadakimasu! Stuidos® uses it to hold their twice weekly meetings.

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-Intitial Impressions-

Akia: Initially, this anime was one of those I decided to watch solely based on the type of anime it is. By now, most of my readers should know that visual novel based anime tend to be really good (at least in my opinion) but ones that have a horror aspect tend to turn me off... yet the preview for this anime made me want to check it out. Now, I find myself anxious for the new episodes to finally be fansubbed. The anime itself isn't that amazing, but the story seems to be going somewhere and the hikkamori theme always seems to make for a interesting plot!

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Blazefreak: I was bored at first until he [he= Takumi Nishijō the main character of Chaos;HEAD] started chatting to the commander guy and [I] was like, "woah thats trippy!" [I] was [also] confused about his hallucinations about the Naime girl.

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Domo: It's a violent pshychological journey through the hikkikomori thought and how they live day to day and the hallucinations varied inside. Welcome to the NHK is a great parallel.

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-The Music-

Akia: I've said this in my Fate/Stay Night anime review, visual novel based anime always seem to have the best music! The only difference with this anime is that the ending theme has yet to make sense within the first two episodes... I agree with what blazefreak had to say about the ending theme. As far as the english part goes, I'm used to Japanese singers sounding like that when singing in english. When it comes to background music, I find that the music itself really helps to set the moods the pieces need to set. I absolutley love the opening theme!!

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Blazefreak: I'm ok with the opening, but the ending music just doesn't seem to go with the anime. It's like "I was watching Chaos;HEAD and this is the ending theme!?" The beat to it is nice though [the opening and ending themes], but the singer's english is questionable. The background music makes it more of a horror then psychological... and the calm melody parts make it seem more of an eroge.

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Domo: The opening is pretty good and gives a great precursor to the anime itself and what's to come. I like the background music, it gives that horrfic edge to the anime. The ending theme is a bit awkward though.

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-The Visuals-

Akia: The character designs do what they are made to do- get the attention of 'otaku' and 'akiba'; anime fans who love cute (aka 'moe') girls. On that front, I'm not too impressed. I usually love the character designs in this genre of anime... yet this time around I deducted hearts because the character designs make me want to watch something else.... yet the character designs have a crispness not all anime have. Then there's the background art and opening/ ending visuals! Despite my love/hate relationship with the ending theme for Chaos;HEAD, I absolutely love the visuals in the ending video. So far, the art is crisp but on the side of average.

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Blazefreak: The animation is smooth, though I have seen better from Madhouse. The caligraphy has pixels in it (which is quite unnoticeable but still there). Character proportions seem right except the guys hair changes around.

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Domo: I think its fairly well done; but the character designs and animation style is not unique when comparing to other anime released from Madhouse Studios.

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-The Story (so far)-

Akia: When compared to other anime of this type, the story isn't too original. I'm biased due to my love of visual novel bassed anime yet I want to judge this one with all my might! It may be pretty, and the story may be captiviating but parts of the story still make little to no sense (I know it's a mystery and horror anime, so I can't fully judge the story just by two episodes)... making giving this a full 5 hearts impossible. I have to see where the strings will be tied! I'll be watching this one to the end... even if I have to suffer through every bloody moment. Here's to being creep out and fan girling every time the main character is acting stupid.

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Blazefreak: Trippy. The fact that its only 2 episodes so far, there are a lot of things to be explained.

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Domo: [Domo has yet to decide on a 'The Story (so far)' opinion... so untill later this will be left blank]

[Life Post] Sizzling Magnets >:]

I love these magnets (the video is me playing with them which I couldn't stop doing yesterday). My sister originally said I was acting like a kid because I wanted a toy for people ages 5+, but people in high school were brining them to school last year! I'm slightly behind in the times... but when it comes to manga and anime I'm right on track with the Japanese english subtitled releases by fans =D

[Anime] I'm excited....

It seems since Geneon is no longer with us as an American market (actually, true american ota's have known this for a while) and FUNimation seems to be getting all the good anime lately! So, I'm excited to post this little list of FUNimation anime I'm excited for =0

The date (or year) is the current set release date! =D

Baccano

Claymore [10/14/2008]

D.Gray-man [2009]

Darker than Black [11/25/2008]

Ghost Hunt [Ep. 1-13 set already out]

Heroic Age [spring 2009]

Kaze no Stigma [2009]

Kenichi [March 2009]

Ourian High School Host Club

Romeo x Juliet

[Life Post] Their names Change 0___0

I vaguely remember the good ol days when I was a child who cried for her dead giga pet. There was this one I had that strapped onto my wrist; it was a dinosaur! It lasted me two whole months before the battery, not the gigapet itself, died! I cried a lot (at least, my dad says I did). I also remember one day walking around the block only to see a gigapet of the same kind laying on the road broken! Being the stupid lover of gigapets I was, I picked it up only to end up crying again because it was cracked.

for my 18th birthday this year I decided to get the best of the nest of recent gigapets- the 'Tamagotchi Connection' version 5! This time around, you get a set of three little creatures to take care of. As of posting this, mine have already grown in size two times. I don't ever remember them being made to grow so fast! It's kind of scary. And to boot (though I dislike this part), their names change when the grow up =[ Man, and I really like'd my 'daughter' having the name Sakura-ichi!!

[YA Novels/ Manga] What I'm reading... [#1]

Ok, to be honest I haven't sat down for hours on end to read a book in one or two days like I used to! Being a senior really keeps people busy. I'm a tad bit on the 'busier' side than most seniors for more than one reason: volenteer work at my church (on wedsndays I help with 3 and 4 year olds in a program called AWANAs and on thursdays I welcome people at my youth group because I'm on the welcoming comittee), dual credit classes and being an anime/manga nerd =D Ha ha, being an anime/manga nerd is a lifestyle that people have to have a bunch of time set aside for! I honestly spend at least 4-5 hours watching anime, reading manga or playing some sort of anime/manga rleated game a day (unless it's wedsnday because by the time I get home from school I have about an hour to eat and get ready to go).

When I'm not being a nerd, I'm usually reading a book. Recently, I've read some more of the book called City of Bones. I really like the book, but life keeps getting in my way of reading it! Right now on top of my usual busy schedule I have SAT Academy on saturdays untill I take the SAT on November 1, 2008. Ok, the truth is after reading Breaking Dawn (the 4th and final Twilight book) nothing seems to catch and keep my interest fro very long. Actually, there's this one book at my high school's library called Beige that looks really good... but I promised myself to read the bazillion and one books I have right now that I've bought over summer 'till now! Actually.... these books I have (some of them) date back to the four or so months before summer of 2008 started! There's even one my dad bought for me two summers ago. GAH! What's happened to me!? I used to buy a book and read untill I finished (or had to go to the bathroom, sleep, eat, school, ect). *sigh*

I'm pretty sure my list is imcomplete because I can't remember all the YA, adult and light novels I currently have to read that I bought. There's even more when I add in the one I borrowed and all the Star Wars books I have to read that my dad owns (he has 99% of the ones out). As far as the manga is concerned.... the list just has the bound ones I have not the manga on my external hardrive =[ Wowzers.........

Books/ Light Novels:

City of Bones

Pendragon: The Pilgrims of Rayne

Pendragon: Raven Rise

Midnighters: Touching Darkness

Midnighters: Blue Noon

Med Center: Virus and Flood

Missing: Letter of Misfourtune

The Host

Ballad of a Shinigami #2

Manga:

Amazing Agent Luna v.1-3 omnibus

Stellvia v.2

Gentlemen's Alliance Cross v.1

Kurogane Communication v.1

Code Geass v.1

Kitchen Princess v.5

Dragon Drive v.9

Fall in Love like a Comic v.2

Wild Ones v.1

Dorothy of OZ v.1&2

[Anime] I'm currently (re)watching... [#1]

Paradise Kiss

[12 Episodes]

[This image is copyrighted to Animax (Japan) and Fuji TV(Japan). Since Geneon is out of business, I'm not sure if an US/Canada copyright is still held. But, just in case, I posted Geneon.]

I'm the type who adores short anime because they get to the point without adding in much useless 'fluff'... yet with Paradise Kiss I really wish there was more episodes because the ending wasn't very satisfying! I'm not saying that the anime was bad or anything like that, it's just the anime ended on somewhat of a bad note. *sigh* I can't really describe to you what I'm getting at but I can tell you this anime is a prime example of what short animes should be like (just ignore the stupid last episode so you can make your own ending). It's such a good example, I'm always finding new details within it when I'm re-watching it like I am now. I highly reccomend this anime to several types of people, but if you're the typical otaku who does not like the odd nor different anime, Paradise Kiss is one you should stay away from. I love odd anime. Something about anime that doesn't follow the norm -that takes thought- is appealing to me more so than the typical otaku drawing anime (though, I happen to like those anime too).

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H20: Footprints in the Sand

[12 Episodes]

[This image copyrighted to Zexcs (Japan) and Kodakawa USA (United States)]

In all honesty, I have yet to find what is suppose to be good about this anime (I've only watched episodes 1-5)! I downloaded all 12 episodes because of the type of anime this is- visual novel bassed. I've had excellent luck with anime of this type because all the ones I've seen are some of the best anime I've seen to this day (Air, Kanon, Clannad, Ef: A Tale of Melodies), yet H20 has yet to prove itself! ... I'll watch all of it, but as of now I'm pretty sure I'm bound for dissapointed or to be completly blown away.

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Doujin Work

[12 Episodes]

[This image is copyrighted to Media Factory (Japan) and Media Blasters (US)]

While watching this last year (or has it been 2 years since it came out in japan?), I found myself lauhging all the dang time! This anime is by far the most comedic I've seen to date. None of the fall 2008 anime have proven to be as funny as this! I'll be posting a review after I finish rewatching it, but please don't wait untill then to go watch it =D

Tommorrow (or pretty soon) I'll be starting....

Solty Rei!

[26 Episodes]

[This image is copyrighted to FUNimation Entertainment (US/Canada). It is one of the slim pack pictures]

[Life Post] Happy #18

[This image is copyrighted to Akia Tomiyo... because she took the picture.]

Come tommorrow (10/13/2008), I'll be 18 years old... I really don't feel like it's time for me to even be that old! It seems like I just turned 17 a few months ago. When they say being in high school is fast, they are understating that fact. Oh well, I'll be 'legal' tommorrow! Um... though things probably won't change untill the summer. Being a senior is nice. I don't have to worry about standardized tests and I have the SAT early on so I don't have to worry about it. All I'll really have to take care of are scholorships, financial aid, applications and getting a job. Ok, that is a lot of stuff to do. Now on to what I bought with my b-day money today because I'm celebrating my b-day today instead of tommorrow since I have school tommorrow.

[This image is copyrighted to FUNimation entertainment (US and UK) and Madman Entertainment]

The first store I went to was Target. My great aunt always gives me a gift card for Target on any holiday and on my birthday. I ended up buying a 'Tamagatchi Connection' giga-pet. If you don't know what a giga-pet is and you were born before 1995.... go look it up. I then went to Best Buy to buy some anime. At first, I was going to buy the first part (which containes the first 8 episodes) of Toward the Terra... then I remembered I had previously seen those 8 episodes thusly deciding to wait untill the was a complete collection or season one collection released. Instead I bought the complete collection for Solty Rei. I wanted this anime for a while now, so seeing a complete collection compelled me to buy it! I recently read a few reviews on it where people said the begining was cliche-ish but the end was amazing. So, I'm really looking forward to watching this anime. Review to be posted once watched =D

As far as manga and other stuff is conserned, my collection grows significantly during my birthday month and in December. I'm not complaining... I'm very close to having no room left on my bookshelfs! Actually, I already have no room when I put my books in normally... *sigh* I'll show you a video soon (maybe I'll make it this weekend) of my room so you can see what I mean by that! for now, you'll just have to make do with knowing the fact that I am pretty much out of normal room. Ha ha =D

The store I went to (Barnes and Nobles) was having a buy 2 get 1 free for a pretty good selection of books. To my surprize, Dorothy of Oz had volumes 1 and 2 in that pile, I picked them and Wild Ones volume 1. I was going to get Magical JxR but... I couldn't find volume two which made me sad somehow. I decided to get Dragon Drive volume 9, Fall in Love Like a Comic volume 2 and Kitchen Princess volume 5 along with the new issue of Yen+ that was released on newstands this month. In the end, I was happy with my choice of manga because most of them were ones I've been waiting to get.

The other stuff I purchased were 2 bottles of Ramune, a pack of strawberry Hi-chew, some Tic-Tacs, a Tomagatchi Conection family edition and a can of that candy from Grave of the Fireflies <3

Credits and Disclaimer(s): All opinions expressed here are that of their individual owners and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Goggle Blogger nor that of their partners. I claim no ownership to any images used in my blogs unless stated otherwise, nor do I claim all these opinions as my own; just the ones that have Akia and/or Akia Tomiyo beside them (unless I'm the only one reviewing because then all the opinions are mine unless stated otherwise).