Date A Live

What would you do if you met a pretty girl and were forced to date her? What if she's a little strange...and has the power to potentially destroy the world. Well, that's kind of the situation in one of the new Spring 2013 titles, Date A Live.

In the story's setting, phenomena called spacequakes often occur and cause widespread destruction. These spacequakes are caused by spirits. One such spacequake killed about 150 million people. Since the initial one 30 years ago, smaller spacequakes have been irregularly happening around the world.

The series revolves around Shidou Itsuka, a high school boy. During one of the aforementioned spacequakes, he comes across one of the spirits. After that meeting, he is told by his sister that it is his mission to make spirits like her fall in love with him. With that, he makes contact with that girl (who he later calls Tohka) to begin his hectic life of dating these "spirit girls."

Anyway, this series looks to be a fun and interesting one. I have already watched episode 2 and can say that I do find Tohka quite likable. She reminds me of Houki Shinonono (a character I like from the anime/light novel series Infinite Stratos). Subbed episodes of Date A Live can be watched on Hulu.

End of Winter Anime...

With the Spring Anime Season starting up next week, the Winter one comes to a close, which includes the endings of some anime that I have been following this season. Some have ended pretty good, while others leave me hanging and hoping for more.

Zetsuen no Tempest

Zetsuen no Tempest finally ended. It was one that I have been following for a couple seasons. The story managed to wrap up all the loose ends and gave me a good feeling at the end. While I am still sad about the fate of my favorite character in the series (Aika), I am certainly glad that the series ended on the note it did. No loose ends, no cliffhangers. It gave the feeling that the story was in effect done and there was nothing more I missed.

Girls und Panzer

Girls und Panzer, while not an anime I was following this season (only episodes 11 and 12 came out this past season), finally ended as well. Like Zetsuen no Tempest, this anime ended nicely. Though there is room for more stories to tell about the girls of Ooarai Girls' Academy, I am well satisfied if this is the end on the show.

Boku ha Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT

Boku ha Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT ended with its 12th episode. Unlike the previous two animes, this show ended on a cliffhanging note. I am a bit peeved they chose to end the series like they did because I really want the series to continue, especially because the ending ended up having my favorite character leave. There are light novels I can read to fill me in, but I really would like to see it visually in an anime as well. I can only hope that they will animate the next bit of story soon.

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha also ended its run with its 12th episode as well. I have got to say that despite the seemingly boring concepts buried within the plot (economics and politics), I did manage to enjoy the anime. Sadly, though the story was not finished, they ended their season and are leaving it open for more development later on. Hopefully, the same with Haganai NEXT, Maoyuu Maou Yuusha will have the next part of the story animated soon.

Love Live! School Idol Project

Though I have not watched the next episode yet, Love Live! seems to be ending too. This is one show that I didn't expect to like as much as I do right now. Right now, the current story has almost moved me to tears. I can only hope that things will turn around for a happy ending if the anime does end with the next episode. Still, it will be a little sad to know that this anime has ended. The girls of Muse entertained me well and I got to say that I really would hate to see them go.

In any case, I have to say that despite being thoroughly being disappointed with Naruto and One Piece, I have really enjoyed this past anime season. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't find anything to love, but I was proven wrong. If you'd like to check out these anime, Zetsuen no Tempest, Girls und Panzer, Maoyuu Yuusha, and Love Live! are on Crunchyroll.

Gundam SEED

Over this past weekend, I spent some time watching Gundam SEED Destiny. This series came out quite a few years ago. In this upcoming season, a remastered version of the series will also be released.

Anyway, Gundam SEED Destiny is a sequel series to Gundam SEED. These two series take place in the far future when man has already colonized space. In addition, genetic manipulation has become somewhat commonplace, giving rise to the Coordinators - humans that have had their genes manipulated at conception. However, because of this, a war broke out between the Coordinators and Naturals (normal humans).

In the first series, events start to spiral out of control as the war intensifies between the two sides. Even neutral nations are dragged into the conflict. One boy, Kira Yamato, a neutral pacifist, is put into an impossible situation where he must fight as the pilot of a giant mechanical mobile suit called Gundam in order to protect his friends. The second series starts up after the war has died down. Once again lines are drawn and the war begins to engulf the world. Once again, Kira Yamato must find an end to the conflict as a Gundam pilot.

Out of all the Gundam series (and there have been very many), I found this series to be my absolute favorite. There is quite a bit of action and drama as Kira struggles to find his path and what he must do to protect the people closest to him. Though some of the plot is overused from the older Gundam series, I do think that it matched well with story.

Along those lines, if you like military-type shows or just love giant robots, any of the Gundam series are great anime. Please feel free take a chance with some of them (like Gundam SEED or another one I like Gundam 00). You might be surprised and find yourself liking them too.

Spring 2013 Anime

As the winter season begins to close, I look forward to what anime will be released for the coming season. So far in the Winter Season, I enjoyed Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Next, Maoyuu Yuusha, Love Live!, and the continuation of Zetsuen no Tempest.

Since Naruto has been a big disappointment this past season (and Sword Art Online finished for now), I have found myself wondering what I can rely on to fuel my anime addiction in the coming months. Four animes have caught my eye: To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S, Date A Live, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kaku Outbreak, and Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Bride.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (A Certain Scientific Railgun) is the continuation of the spinoff series of To Aru Majutsu no Index. This series follows one of the heroines of the Index series, Misaka Mikoto, a Level 5 esper. Misaka Mikoto has the power to use electricity and is one of only seven Level 5 espers in the city. This season, the anime will follow her ordeals after she discovers her "sisters" in the Radio Noise project. Because I loved the original series and the first season of this series, more than likely I will find myself watching this one.

What would you do if you met the spirit that devastated most of the world? Would you think of dating her? Well, that's what will happen in the series Date A Live. I have only heard a little about it from a few people and reading the synopsis, but as a fan of some interesting love comedies, I think I will definitely take a look at this one. Also, it just so happens to be a light novel...which I might end up reading too depending on how much I like the series.

There have been a few Higurashi series. Honestly, I only watched them on occasion. However, since I have a few friends who love the series, I think this time I'll make a serious effort to watch. Anyway, this series will cover a particular event involving a mysterious virus and a certain village. The village was sealed off, leaving the Higurashi characters Keiichi and Rena to deal with the incident.

Lastly, Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Bride is the second season for the earlier Hyakka Ryouran series. While I didn't care too much for the first season (I hated the ending), I am hoping that the second season will fix all my misgivings about the series. Hyakka Ryouran takes place in a somewhat alternate time period where the Tokugawa Shogunate still rules Japan. Master samurai are warriors with incredible abilities that live to serve the "shogun." Most of the master samurai are all women...which usually develop a romantic relationship with their shogun master. Anyhow, the series will follow Muneakira Yagyuu and his companions.

Anime Conventions

It's about that time of year again when anime conventions start in full swing. Well...okay may you can find one going on somewhere in the world year-round, but personally, I start noticing once it gets closer and closer to Kawaii Kon, Hawaii's very own anime convention.

This year there are surely going to be some very cool guests at this year's Kawaii Kon which will happen on March 15-17. Guests ranging from DBZ's Piccolo's Japanese voice actor to up and coming fashion designer MINT from Japan to the American dub voice of Ichigo Kurosaki from BLEACH will be making their appearance over the 3 days. Unfortunately though, this year I will be missing out on the Kawaii Kon (for the very first time) due to some personal reasons which require me to be in California.

However, I am really jealous of all the fans who will get to attend this year's Sakura Con held on March 29-31 in Seattle, Washington. One of the guests of honor is Reki Kawahara, the creator of Accel World and Sword Art Online. Also, Aoi Eir will be performing some songs, one of which will undoubtedly be Innocence from Sword Art Online. Since Sword Art Online is my favorite series of right now, I couldn't be more envious of all the lucky con-goers that will get to experience such a special treat. I do hope that some time in the future, the Kawaii Kon will get to host them as guests.

Reki Kawahara, the creator of Sword Art Online and Accel World will be a guest at Sakura-Con in Seattle.

Anyway, there are a lot of Anime Conventions being held in the country. I invite you to check around and see if one will be held in your area. Even for those who are not fans of Japanese Anime, it is an interesting way to see a whole subculture that you might have never known existed.

To visit the Kawaii Kon page go here: Kawaii Kon Website
To visit the Sakura-Con page go here: Sakura-Con Website

Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou

Not long ago, I had written about Kenkou Cross and his Monster Girls, so it's probably not surprising that I love these non-human gals. Anyway, for a while now, I have been closely following Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou, a manga created by Okayado.

The setting for this manga takes place in Japan after a time when monster people have come out from hiding. They wish to now integrate with humans leading to a society that has to mix both human and non-human elements. Because of such, Japan is one of the stages starting homestay programs between individuals of the monster species and Japanese citizens.

One (lucky) guy becomes the host for one particular homestay, Miia, a lamia girl. The manga begins there, following the (lucky) guy's life as a host for the inter-species homestay program. As you might expect, the number of his freeloading homestay partners doesn't just stay with Miia. More non-human girls end up boarding at his home as well.

Centorea

This manga is surely one of my favorites right now. Right now, my favorite character in the manga is Centorea, the centaur girl. Anyway, It does contain some nudity and some adult situations, so if you dislike viewing such material, it's probably best to pass on reading this manga. The first two volumes of the manga are currently out in Japan with the U.S. release coming this October.

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai

Not to long ago, I enjoyed an anime that covered the life of a particular boy that had "no friends." This was due to his delinquent-like looks causing misunderstandings. One day, he stumbles upon the secret of a classmate - she has no real friends. The only friend she has is an "air friend" (like air guitar) named Tomo.

Because they have no friends and can't join any clubs, the girl decides to make her own club, the Neighbor Club, under the premise that they can learn to be good neighbors. With this, the stage is set for Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai.

The anime follows Kodaka, the delinquent-looking protagonist, during his life with the Neighbor Club. Originally, it starts off with just him and Yozora but over time, more members join hoping to learn how to make friends. The concept of the anime is pretty fun and strange (seeing as how they joined a club to learn how to make friends, and end up gaining them in the process without so much as realizing it).

Anyway, the first season of the anime ran some time ago, but currently the second season has aired a few episodes. So far, since the beginning of the series, there have been a lot of laughs and great moments, so all in all, it is a fun anime to get into. Unfortunately this anime is not on Crunchyroll, but it is on Hulu, so if you're interested, do check it out.