TropicaliaSoup's Blog

Anime Relations: NHK ni Youkoso!

I liked it a lot, especially by the end. Even though most of it seemed nonsensical but it entertained and got the message across. I liked the music, the art and animation were alright most of the time and pretty good other times, the story was nice despite it's simplicity, and the crazy characters with all their issues were some what likable despite annoying me most of the time. Perhaps the most engaging aspect of the show was my relative lack of familiarity with the subject matter. So yeah, It was an interesting show and I think it's great.

Anime Relations: Kekkaishi, Ookami to Koushinryou

I consider both very good series. Although, Some aspects of the shows didn't click with me so I wasn't too impressed. In Kekkaishi Yoshimori is a cool character, but not too different from other shounen jump heroes. Then the story is nice, but not as epic as I thought it would be. I still had a ton of fun with it though, I found it different enough from other shounen and quite entertaining.

With Spice and Wolf I got something that definitely wasn't shounen jump. I sort of glazed over and didn't try too hard to understand all the economics stuff, but i understood the gist of it all. Holo was a cool character, it's nice to see a strong female lead with a personality. By the end I felt I understood the main characters and was glad about the happy ending to the season. But, at times Holo got a bit annoying and the story lost my attention. I did enjoy watching it though, and I will certainly watch Spice and Wolf II. Oh yeah, the intro and outro to Spice and Wolf are awesomely beautiful and rediculously cute respectively.

Anime Relations: Serial Experiments Lain

I already know i'm going to watch this anime again, probably many times. I should have let each episode sink in, but I really wanted to know the story. The show certainly wants to make you think and come to your own conclusion of exactly what just happened. I say it works, and I loved it. It's longevity adds to my perception of how good it is. That intro is still stuck in my head. What a wierd one for an anime, although it's cool i can finally sing an intro song and it is a nice one. So yeah, Serial experiments lain is really wierd and makes you think, but it has become a favorite of mine.

Anime Relations: Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World

Wow. I fell in love with Kino's journey by the end of episode one. I just love it. I labeled it a masterpiece before I even finished it. Everything worked. I get it. The show certainly doesn't hide what it's trying to say, and that's another reason I love it. The show is simple, yet I find everything about it breath taking. The art is beautiful, the characters are a joy, the animation is lovely, the music is a treat, and the story always leaves me thinking about something new.

Kino herself has gained much love from me. Some people seem dissapointed at her lack of emotion. I myself love her personality. It's nice to see a different kind of character, especially one I can sympathize with. On top of that Kino's personality makes scenes where she does show emotion far more empactful. Kino doesn't wear her heart on her sleave, but she is clearly a wonderful person. She cares and she is smart. I loved watching her travels and I greatly enjoyed myself.

One of, if not the first, manga I ever read was a gender bender by the name of Ranma 1/2. I completed the whole thing and was disappointed by the anticlimactic ending. I moved on to reading more action stuff but not too long ago I went through a phase of searching for good gender bender manga. I went through a lot of silly, repetitive, and too ecchi stories, but i did find some good stuff. Hourou Musuko, Ouran High School Host Club, 1/2 Prince, and Boy of the Female Wolf are stories i'm still interested in. Gender bender's usually use the gender swapping for played out jokes or sexual situations, leading most to be too cheesy or pervy. Even some of the gender bender's I like are guilty of this. Now that I think about it, most if not all genre's have similar problems. I guess I will just always have to sift through the garbage to get to the good stuff.