[AOW] World God Only Knows II (11/4-10/2012) [#68]

For the past week or so I haven't really watched any anime; mainly because I was busy packing up for my move that was made this past Saturday. Today I'm finishing up unpacking/ setting up my new room! You can see plenty of pictures on my Facebook fan page. I particularly love my new Hetalia America flag, and thanks to having this new place I have somewhere to hang it. The place I was living before (in a spare room at a friends house) didn't have much room for anything and I really wanted to hang this flag over a window, which I was able to do. *cough* Anyways, enough about my move (I have plenty of space to talk about that on the fan page).

Since I haven't really watched anything or read anything (other than a few pages of the Oreimo manga) I decided this week to feature an anime that has always stuck out to me (it's one of my favorites as listed on my MAL page). I have featured TWGOK before (but that was season one, since there has been a second season added).

Full Title: The World God Only Knows II (Season 2)

Image © Manglobe

The World God Only Knows is one of my favorite anime for several reasons but mainly because of the main voice actor Hiro Shimono who does some of the funniest voice work I have heard in anime. Well, while looking up who'd be doing the English voice of Keima, I was pleasantly surprised it's Chris Patton who'll be a guest at an anime convention I'm helping put together for it's 3rd year in 2013 (but more about that convention later). Overall TWGOK is a great ride in hilarity about a gaming otaku. And there aren't very many good anime out there about otaku, let alone ones that can make it to a second season and have some spin offs and prequels.

Type: Light novel adaptation

Genre(s): Comedy; Romance; Harem; Shounen; Super natural

# of Episodes: 12

Synopsis:

With some familiar faces and new ones joining this seasons cast of characters Keima and Elsie continue the hunt for lose souls all while Keima deals with the trouble of having to romance real life girls when he'd rather being God of Games like he always has been. Who has time for the real world when virtual ones are so much better?

[AOW] Genshiken (10/28-11/3/2012) [#67]

Image © Palm Studio

The Genshiken manga recently (well about a year ago) started receiving new chapters with a new cast of characters and the return of old ones. Because of this, I have decided to feature the anime (which sadly was never a real accurate adaptation of the manga in the first place but it is still a fun series worth watching for otaku's of all types). I don't remember the anime being nearly as good as the manga, but that could just be due to the anime not adapting the whole series =/ Eh, oh well.

Type: Manga adaptation

Genre(s): comedy, otaku, slice of life

# of Episodes: 24

Synopsis: 

This is the story of college freshman Kanji Sasahara and his fellow members of the college club he joins, The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture (aka Genshiken), as he goes shopping for doujinshi, attends conventions and slowly but surely makes his way down the road to fandom. [ANN]

Limit vol.1

LIMIT vol.1

Creator: Keiko Suenobu

Publisher: Vertical

Release Date: Oct. 2012

Price: US $10.95 / $11.95 CAN

Length: 192pgs

The premise behind Limit isn't all that exciting or unique- a group of second year high school students are on their way for a trip known as "Exchange Camp" when the bus driver happens to lose consciousness, thus causing the bus to crash into the middle of some forest looking area. Most of the students (which oddly this manga seems to be missing any interaction with male students, despite them being there) end up dead. The few that do remain (at least that were found in the first volume of this manga) meet up and end up forming some weird patriarchal system because of one student in particular who was seemingly indirectly bullied throughout that year of school.

You would think a manga about a bus crashing could end up being more exciting. Maybe it's the shoujo format and the theme of bullying that is suppose to be explored here... but this manga seems to be falling flat on it's face. I wasn't thrilled by any of the characters- especially the main "villian" Arisa who was seemingly forced into the villain position by the manga artist just because this manga is suppose to explore the topic of "high school bullying". Most painful of all in this manga was the inclusion of a scyth... since when did high school students ever use scyths when on a school trip!?

I can't in good consciousness recommend this manga. It's plain, borring and painful to read. There isn't anything new here and the characters are just so bland. I do feel like I wasted $11 purchasing this... maybe volume two will be better.

[AOW] Negima!? (10/21-27/2012) [#66]

Image © Shaft

Don't worry my nettaversers, I know you must be in awe of that chupacabra; especially since Asuna has created the perfect rendition of one for her "Chupa Club" series of shirts- but the Chupa Club is here for a reason!! To hunt down a chupacabra of Asuna's very own... or is it really a cover for Sensei Negima being a magician?

Studio Shaft really got me with this one. Their, as I like to call it, "sensual" style of animating really suits many scenes of this series. I particularly LOVE the way Asuna's twintails create their own emoticoms such as being the shape of a heart in order to enhance her emotions.

 Negima!? isn't an exact adaptation of the manga of the same name; it's actually an alternate retelling of the series and while not perfect, it is well worth watching (as long as you know not to expect an amazing story that ties up all holes by the end of the two seasons).

Type: Alternate Retelling of Manga

Genre(s): School life, magic, fantasy, drama, comedy
# of Episodes: 26
Synopsis:
Wizard Negi Springfield may be a boy, but he has a man-sized job to do! Fresh from the Academy of Magic, Negi continues his training as an instructor at Mahora Academy in Japan. But before he can get his Masters in magic, the 31 schoolgirls of Class 3-A are gonna keep him up all night cramming for a final exam in will power. Temptation aside, Negi has more on his syllabus than flirting and spells. Darkness is closing in, and Negi is gonna need help from his lovely student bodies to drive the ghouls from their school. These girls want to prove that they're the best in class, and extra credit is available to the cuties that aren't afraid of after-hours phantom fighting! [MAL]

[AOW] Claymore (10/14-20/2012) [#65]

image copyright goes out to Madhouse

I'm only featuring Claymore because I plan to try and make an Alicia cosplay for a convention in 2013. Instead of having to read the manga which is still going I thought why not just try and watch the anime which is much shorter and a good way to introduce myself more into the series. And my friend is a huge fan of this series so I'd like to know why.

Type: manga adaptation

Genre(s): Dark fantasy, action, drama

# of Episodes: 26

Synopsis:
The series is set on a fictional medieveil island where humans are plagued by Yoma; humanoid shape-shifters that feed on humans. A Mysterious group, known as The Organization, creates human-Yoma hybrids to kill Yoma for a fee. These female warriors wear Roman army-like uniforms. The public refer to them as "Claymores" alluding to their Claymore swords, or "silver-eyes witchers" due to their silver eyes.

[Moosic] Erasus

[AOW] FMA: Brotherhood & Star of Milos (10/7-13/2012) [#64]

Image copyright goes out to BONES

I remember being excited every Saturday to watch the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime on TV. While that series was not canon (it didn't follow the manga for the most part, especially in regards to how the humunculi were created), it still retained a fairly big following even to this day. I thoroughly enjoyed the original  and was told that it did not compare to the remake, Brotherhood. Brotherhood is a more mature version of the anime; this time being based on the manga (well, more of it than the original was based on). When people say the original doesn't compare, they mean it! There's way more story behind how the humunculi were created, how Ed/Al are tied into this whole alchemy mess and even a whole lot more characters (which for the most part all are like able despite being "good" or "evil"). If you watched the original and like it, I highly suggest giving Brotherhood a watch as well!

Oh, and in regards to the movie (Star of Milos) I haven't seen all of it yet. As of posting this, I'm on episode 48/64 of Brotherhood. After finishing the anime, I plan on giving the second movie a watch but I was told the movie is not canon soooo my hopes aren't as high for it being as good as the anime has been thus far.

Best part about this series is that FUNimation has it streaming (for free and dubbed in English or subbed if you so prefer) online and on Netflix! The only downside to Netflix is only 39 episodes of the 64 are on there (well, at the time of posting this), so you will at some point have to switch to FUNi's website (which is what I had to do).

OH, and last thing! This time around I'm writing the summaries myself (well not the Milos one because I haven't seen the movie). Usually I take them from ANN or Wiki, but I've decided in order to make this articles more personal and cool that making my own summaries is  a good way to do that.

~FMA: Brotherhood~

~FMA: Movie- Sacred Star of Milos~

Type: Manga adaptation

(the movie is a non-canon side story)

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-fi

# of Episodes: 64 + 4 OVA

Summary:

~FMA: Brotherhood~

Edward and Alphonse Elric are two brothers who were seemingly abandoned as children. One day their mother passes away from an incurable disease  Stricken with grief and loneliness, the two boys perform a taboo in the alchemy world known as human transmutation; in the process Edward lost an arm and leg while his brother Alphonse lost his entire body. In order to gain their bodies back, Edward becomes a state alchemist in order to find out how to make a philosophers stone. What the boys don't know is making such a stone could cost them more than they would ever know....

~FMA: Sacred Star of Milos~

[ann]