Andu's Blog - MyAnimeList.net

Aria

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:32:48 -0700

Aria, the best anime in existence. Words are not enough to describe how much i love the series and all the characters. Short blog entry is short, there's nothing to say. Everyone should watch this and after finishing, re-watch the entire thing (3 seasons, 1 special and 1 ova). Also, crying is allowed. There's nothing sad about Aria but i cried lots these past few days, re-watching. IRC log related (18:22:18) (+I-Love-Akari) i've cried 3 times watching aria today (18:22:37) (+I-Love-Akari) aria is the only anime that i would really like to be real (18:22:55) (+I-Love-Akari) but i know it wont happen so i went emo for a while :/ (18:23:05) • +NogizakaHaruka huggles I-Love-Akari (18:23:10) (+NogizakaHaruka) there there (18:23:13) (+NogizakaHaruka) dun cry (18:23:22) (+NogizakaHaruka) akari is happy (18:23:25) (+NogizakaHaruka) be happy for her (18:23:29) (+NogizakaHaruka) shit (18:23:36) (+NogizakaHaruka) now u make me wanna cry too (18:23:47) (+NogizakaHaruka) since i can't escape the fact that aria has ended (18:23:48) • +NogizakaHaruka baws (18:24:07) (+I-Love-Akari) the feeling that you know you can't have something you want so bad (18:24:12) (+I-Love-Akari) one of the worst things ever (18:24:28) (+limitbreakingcat) bawww (18:24:58) (+NogizakaHaruka) bawwwwwww

A year in MAL

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:36:00 -0700

So yea, that's all there is ...

I joined MyAnimeList.net exactly one year ago. It's been a fun year and i hope this year will be even better :)

Ah yes, i joined as Andu but now i'm THE TROUT KING ~~~!!!

A small side note, Kanon and Death Note are related to this entry by being the first anime series i added to my list

Norther - N

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:13:52 -0800

Label : Century MediaGenre : Melodic Death MetalTracks : 12Playtime : 48:54Release : 13-02-2008 Norther’s fifth studio album, simply entitled N, is their self-declared most mature and diverse effort to date. The successor of Till Death Unites Us as recorded and produced by long-time partner Anssi Kippo (Children Of Bodom) at Astia Studios and mixed by Fredrik Nordström (Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, In Flames) at Studio Fredman in Sweden. These two men (Kippo being responsible for the production of Mirror Of Madness and Death Unlimited and Nordström who recorded Till Death Unites Us ), who are both very conscious of Norther’s capabilities, have one a great job in creating a very solid record when you look at the production.Norther’s sound on N is however a little less heavy than on the previous records. Opening track ‘My Antichrist’ is hot as fire, starting with furious melodic death metal and a catchy chorus, and also ‘Frozen Angel’ contains some brutal outbursts, but after listening to the complete record you feel way more relaxed than you would presume after hearing only the first two tracks. Songs like ‘Savior’, ‘If You Go’ and the final track ‘Forever And Ever are more down tempo and even hint towards ballads.The slight change of their sound also causes that they’re loosing their immemorial “CoB-rip off”-predicate more and more. I find the sound on N, as they say by themselves, more one of their own. It’s full of great musicianship. Endless melodies by both guitar and keyboards pass by, and also the drums are of an excellent level.The only thing I can carp on are the aforementioned few down tempo songs, as in they are meant to be more radio-friendly. Further on, just top class melodic death metal.Highs: Epic tracks, Frozen AngelLows: Nothing of extreme greatness.Overall rating : 68/100Line Up:Petri 'Pete' Lindroos - Harsh Vocals, GuitarKristian 'Kride' Ranta - Clean Vocals, GuitarJukka Koskinen - BassTuomas Planman - KeyboardsHeikki 'Kermis' Saari - DrumsTrack Listing:01. My Antichrist02. Frozen Angel03. Down04. To Hell05. Savior06. Black Gold07. We Rock08. Always&Never09. Tell Me Why10. If You Go11. Self-Righteous Fuck12. Forever And Ever

Wtf, boredom and Hidamari Sketch.

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:50:26 -0800

Yep, it's exactly as the title suggests.

I'm soo damn bored right now. Just finished rewatching Hidamari Sketch for the 4th time this week and i'm considering doing it again. That, or finish sketchbook and ninomiya ..

Introducing : Miyako and Yuno from Hidamari Sketch. Setting her looks aside (which is not that easy, imo :P), Miyako is perhaps the funniest character i've seen in an anime lately. That is making me want to raise her in my favorite char list (which i recently reconstructed). Maybe even to the first position. Anyways, Hidamari Sketch is a highly recommended series to those who enjoy slice of life and comedy. A really awesome time killer (and you can watch it several times in a row and still laugh :P).

I think a short introduction is in order.

Hidamari Sketch is a slice of life anime series. It circles around four girls and the art school they study in (oh yea, shouldn't leave Yoshinoya-sensei unmentioned :D). Yuno is the main character of this one. She has short hair and a black X in her hair (hairclips, but i just had to point it out, i find them funny :P). She has a classmate, who lives in the same house she does, named Miyako. Miyako is loads of fun. The main thing about her is probably her appetite. Then there are two girls that are a year older than Miyako and Yuno. Hiro lives directly under Yuno's appartment. She likes sweet stuff a lot (like cakes) but worries about her weight too much, going on diets quite often. Sae is Hiro's childhood friend who works as a manga-ka. She is studying to be able to illustrate her work on her own. Sae has quite a few masculine qualities and tends to lie loads about her love life. Yoshinoya-sensei is a teacher in their school and likes to dress up in different costumes.

This is a short introduction and i hope it encourages someone to watch it. I enjoyed it, rated it with a solid 9 and am planning on rewatching it again since i'm just that bored ...

Feito-chan and MSLN

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 11:45:12 -0800

This is about Fate T. Harlaown. The almighty godess to me, some might call her The Divine One, most prefer Feito-chan. Who is Feito-chan, you might ask. I'll answer this : Feito is a character in the series Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha / A's / Strikers. In the first season, she starts as the bad/evil one. However, her character development in the first season is what made me fall in love with her. As the story progresses, i come to like Feito even more. After Strikers (which earned her the name Feito-mama), i saw that i was obsessed with her.

This is our scythe-wielding goth-loli. A powerful mage, a fearsome opponent but extremely cute at the same time :). The first season ends with Feito going under trial for whatever she did wrong in the first season (yea, i think she can do no wrong :P). The second one starts with Nanoha getting smashed by Vita. Feito rushes to help her. This is the start of the best yuri pairing out there :

This is, of course, not the best example of the pairing but it gives you the general idea (how cute it is, mainly). Also, you can look at my profile picture for more nosebleeds. The second season ends with all the characters beam-spamming the ubermonster, introduced as the book of darkness.The second season also introduced the character i probably hate the most throughout my entire anime library : Yagami Hayate. Don't ask why, i just do. Anyways, time passes and Feito-chan is adopted by her employer (sorta ...). When the third series starts, Feito-chan, the milf is born. No longer loli, no longer goth but still as sweet as possible :

The greatness of Feito-sama is something everyone can celebrate. Now, i strongly suggest watching Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and you will fall in love with Feito-chan too. If you see a moe-contest anywhere, vote for Feito. Besides, her name isn't Fate T. Harlaown for nothing :)

Join The Fate T. Harlaown Goddess fanclub now

NORTHEERRR!!!

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:06:11 -0800

I discovered this recently. Norther fkin owns. It's one of the finest melodic death metal bands out there. What dissapoints me is their similarity to Children Of Bodom is around 80%, maybe even more. The only thing CoB has and Norther doesn't is Alexi Laiho, the rest is irrelevant. Oh yea, the lyrics are, sadly, quite emo. But the songs are good, nevertheless.

So this is Norther. As visible on the picture, the band members, names and positions. Petri Lindroos, a person i look up to, also plays in a pretty awesome band, Ensiferum (my favorite band a short while ago). However, ever since my tonsils were removed, i've had trouble growling like he does. High growls basically. Alrighty, enough of this ...

The best album by Norther, if you ask me, is Dreams Of Endless War. Death Unlimited holds a firm second place.

So, let's talk about songs. Released is the third song from Dreams Of Endless War. Actually i could rant forever about these (actually, i just need to mention that Released is basicaly one of four songs i've listened to this whole week) but im gonna write a short review on these songs. Released, in itself, is nothing special. Starts out like most songs by Norther, but what is that makes this song so special ? I mean, i had it on repeat for around 36 hours. The key : lyrics. The lyrics are not that awesome, but the way they're pronounced and growled, is just uber. It mixes so well with everything. Words are not enough to describe this work of art, you just have to listen to this yourself ...

What's next ? Perhaps my second favorite song, Hollow from Death Unlimited. Well, it starts out with a growl (surprisingly :P ). Well, what's so great about this is the shouts backed up by sweet sounds from Petri's guitar. Seems to be all about it. I don't care about lyrics when it comes to this song, i haven't even looked them up and i probably never will.

Next up, Victorious One. The 6th track from Dreams Of Endless War. It starts with a shout : "KILL". Like every other song i've mentioned so far, this song has everything a song needs. The thing that makes it special is the chorus. It's way too emo but it sounds so good that you have to check it out.

Some other good songs include Dream, Endless War, Death Unlimited, Darkest Time and Deep Inside. Good, but not good enough to be my favorites.

Anyways, enjoy. Norther is heavily recommended to everyone who likes melodic death metal and listens to stuff like Kalmah and Children Of Bodom.

Dimmu Borgir - In Sorte Diaboli

Thu, 31 May 2007 02:38:58 -0700

Dimmu Borgir In Sorte Diaboli Norway`s finest, DIMMU BORGIR, strike back with their eighth opus “In Sorte Diaboli”, and it is their most elaborate and thrilling effort so far! Again produced by Swedish mastermind Fredrik Nordström, the nine new DIMMU BORGIR tracks are a true lesson in fierce yet melodic Northern blackness... Combining all DIMMU BORGIR trademarks such as brutal highspeed parts, catchy hooks, ethereal melodies and complex song arrangements, “In Sorte Diaboli” certainly was worth the wait. Recorded in the famous Fredman Studios, this album will certainly see the band grow larger than life and definitely larger than Black Metal itself! Dimmu Borgir is probably the most spat-on black metal After Cradle Of FIlth. They are back to piss off those “trve” black metal fags who still have the strength to care about screaming “Sell out!” when a band doesn't make an album cover in black & white. As usual, Dimmu Borgir don’t give a toss what 5 necro trolls in a cave think and neither should you. Good music is good music, no matter the image or origin and while DB’s taste for symphonic flair and bombast might rub some folks the wrong way, the keyboards and orchestration is by now an integral part of the bands sound. Personally I dig it when it’s reined in a tad, like it was on “Puritanical euphoric misanthropia”. At times like that it provides a strong counterpoint to the guitar-riffs and rhythmical drumming style, while on “Death cult armageddon” Mustis (keyboards) must’ve gone totally nuts, and the album felt more like a movie soundtrack than a metal piece. To my delight it seems like DB has rectified that problem on “In sorte diaboli”, and in songs like “The Serpentine offering” and “The Sacrilegious scorn”, the balance between metal and Wagner is just right. Another welcome return is the clean backing vocals of I.C.S. Vortex (a.k.a. Simen Hestnaes) which were sorely missed on “Death Cult Armaggedon”. They are as always highly dramatic and distinct, but provide a great counterpoint to Shagrath’s snarled growls. When it comes to the actual songs I find that pretty much every part of them is detailed and played very well, be it riffs, melodies, vocals or drum-fills, that keeps my attention and makes me want to hear the songs again. Previously, there’s always been a fair share of filler-material in the bands albums and while it’s a problem not fully rectified here, it’s a couple of steps in the right direction. The production is classic Studio Fredman, meaning good separation between the instruments, punchy guitars but a slightly sterile soundpicture. A huge surprise was that Hellhammers drums actually sound like a drumkit (well, most of the time) and not an assortment of trig-samples chosen by Stevie Wonder. Or maybe it’s just the fact that nothing can sound worse than previous drummer Nick Barker’s triggers… All in all this is probably my favourite Dimmu album next to “Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia”. Whether it will have what it takes to survive in the long run remains to be seen, but for now I’m well pleased. Song analysis 1. The Serpentine Offering . An extremely powerful introduction to this album. Starts with melodies beneath the grave, continuing with Sagrath's vocals, which have developed quite a lot since the last album and this song also has the clean vocals of Vortexics, which makes it even better. The problem with this one is that it drags on too long and gets really repetitive towards the end. I think 7/10 is fair for this one. 2. The Chosen Legacy . Starts out fast and agressive but they mess with the rythm a bit too much and some passages just aren't smooth enough. Vocals are really good tho and Hellhammer definitely does his job well. Mustis mixes thing well enough. He doesn't have a too big role in this but it has enough power as is. another 7 should be fine 3. The Conspiracy Unfolds . The voice distorter sounds rather nice. The lyrics are interesting, the distribution of speed in this song is good, passages are alot better than in The Chosen Legacy. A nice keyboard piece here as well. The problem is the same as in The Serpentine Offering - the same riffs and lyrics over and over and over but it doesn't get as repetitive as in the first song on this. The last 40 seconds are extremely good. I think this deserves a 8/10 4. The Sacrilegious Scorn . The lyrics COULD be better but i don't really give a shit about that. It starts our strong, speeds up and stabilizes in a few seconds. Also has clean vocals which are well placed. That "Time has come to step up ..." part could get by with less repeating but overall I can totally see myself listening to this song more than just for this review. 8.5/10 5. The Fallen Arise . Instrumental. Rather good, really. Gives a nice break from all those growls and guitars (which in some cases get on my nerves if listened to for too long). Putting this in the middle of the album is a good idea and fits the story of the album rather well. Wouldn't listen to this too much tho, only when listening to the whole album from the start to the finish. If i want something without lyrics and whatnot, i've got some OSTs that beat this every way possible. 8/10 6. The Sinister Awakening. Gives off a similar vibe as The Sacrilegious Scorn. It gets remarkably slower ~2 minutes in and stays at that pace til the end. The skill of the band members shouldn't be questioned by anyone but this song doesn't really show what they're capable of ... Overall a mediocre song at best. 6/10 7. The Fundamental Alienation. The beginning of the song reminds me of Shade Empire's song Victory (but that one just couldn't be any more better than this is). I'm beginning to see a pattern here, related to vocals. It's similar to all the other songs on this album and seems they built the entire album on repetition. That, or my hearing isn't as good as it should. Probably won't listen to it any more than this. Still, considerable effort has been put to this and it shouldn't get any less than 6/10. 8. The Invaluable Darkness. Kills my headphones. It's scratchy and the volume is at roughly 70% -___- Just when i thought this album was going downhill as it progresses, I came across this one. It has potential. The same problem with lyrical repetition persists however its nowhere near as bad as it was on the first few songs. Derives from what I mentioned as "the norm" for this album. It's a good effort, really. Every instrument is played out well, the passages are good and the vocals fit this song better than any other so far. Just that ... there's this something about this song. Weird. Anyways, 8/10. 9. The Foreshadowing Furnace. Interesting start but gets less and less interesting as the vocals come in. Really nothing much to say about this. Maybe the lyrics would bring it salvation but I was never the one to care about those. Average 7/10, it's rather hard to evaluate, really. Total would be roughly 7.27/10 Wow, that dropped by more than 1 with this re-evaluation. They also made a video for The Serpentine Offering, I find it good and the video version of the song is a lot better than the album version (although you might think a band like Dimmu Borgir has enough cash to make a full lenght video..). YT it, cbf to link it here. Edit : Score justification. I realised i never put this here. The reason these scores are as high as they are... Dimmu Borgir's sound has improved tremendously over the years. I know there are loads of elitist pricks that bash DB without end, however, if you have even the smallest bit of musical hearing, you can agree with this. And yes, this is, in fact, black metal. And indeed this is one of the best bands Norway has to offer. If, for some reason, you want to praise bands with inexperienced members that produce songs with awfully shallow lyrics and terrible sound then go ahead, i won't stop you. But bare in mind that you shouldn't stop me from praising bands that are actually worth it.

Taak - Koerap��ri��

Mon, 28 May 2007 00:13:13 -0700

Taak

Koerapööriöö

Since I interviewed the lead singer of Nitrous for Nailboard Magazine, I found out that he also sings in Taak. Personally I find this group to be much more fitting for Mart Kalvet's preaching and howling voice. Taak plays old school riff-based Heavy/Doom metal with heavy keyboard overlays. I'm going to say straight away that these guys pose a considerable threat to muscles in your neck region and never fail to deliver on stage. On the record however the results may vary and that is largely due to the production. No, it's not bad, but I think they should've thought twice before sealing the deal - the guitars sound awfully dry and often lose their edge, something you definitely need to avoid when playing this particular style. In this album's case I can't help thinking how one or another riff would have felt like had it been more prominent, more clean. Also there's one more thing that the listener might find odd - the keyboards play an important role on "Koerapööriöö" and their prominence might discourage some people. But it's only a matter of taste and I myself think that the organic works give this album kind of a cool retro vibe. There's one more specific detail that disappointed me. Taak was formerly known as Dawn of Gehenna, and the last release bearing that name was "The Night Dog Sessions" with three out of it's five tracks also featuring on "Koerapööriöö". Sadly the two tracks left out of the initial debut LP were the ones I particularly enjoyed. Those two outsiders are in my opinion the coolest songs Taak has conceived, not to mention they could've contributed a lot to "Koerapööriöö" as far as the variety of the album is concerned. By now you must be feeling somewhat reluctant to have anything to do with Taak, let alone buy their album. I apologize for my little frenzy. The truth is, production issues aside, the entire package rocks your socks. "Punane Madu" ("The Red Serpent") for example is a must have for any doom fan, the main riff will, and I stress - will haunt you like a rabid ghost on drugs (a type of ghost that is very haunting, in case you didn't know). And I feel I must continue on the postmortem-allegory - "Tähist ja Tolmust" ("Of Stars and Dust") strikes an image of damned kings, dignified reminders of majestic ages - all that in your personal audio-system. There's a couple of faster tracks here as well but personally I'd rather not shift the focus on them as the slower pieces are the ones to take the prize. The bottom line is that Taak is surely a force to be reckoned with, especially if you're a fan of the genre and if you dig the slightly Glenn Danzig-ish vocals. All the members handle their instruments with excellence and the result is compelling and professional. The lyrics of "Koerapööriöö" are exceptionally in Estonian and the entire band seems to focus on the Estonian market but should you come across this album I'd recommend you to try it. Overall rating would be 8/10

Track list

1. Korjusepäev 2. Merevaik 3. Õiglane Jaak | mp3 4. Punane Madu 5. Tähist ja tolmust 6. Habemega nali 7. Trots | mp3 8. Öö 9. Ööliblikas 10. Hüljatu 11. Poeg on pätt

Next up

I guess Tharapitha, since i enjoyed them at the concert this Saturday . Gotta get my hands on their latest album before that tho...

The first, probably not the last.

Sun, 27 May 2007 11:57:04 -0700

At first i didn't know what to write here, but i have come up with an idea. Im gonna write some reviews on Estonian bands and albums, so here goes my first one .

Taak. Biography.

Taak (meaning "a heavy burden") was establisehd in November of 2005 as a parallel band of Dawn Of Gehenna. Taak has the same line-up as Dawn Of Gehenna and plays the same music, only the lyrics are in Estonian. As a direct descendant of Dawn Of Gehenna, which is a direct descendant of Mystique (est. 1989), Taak may be among the oldest active doom rock bands in the world. Taak call their music ugri-doom, meaning slow and Sabbathesque yet punchy kind of old school hard-rock combined with lyrics that – through a prism of self-irony – deal with hyperboreal angst and the bleakness brought on by daylight deprivation depression. Taak's debut full-length album entitled 'Koerapööriöö' was released by Nailboard Records in April, 2006 and has received loads of positive critique and feedback from all over the place since, culminating in January 2007 in being voted "Album of the Year" by listeners of the nationwide radio-show "Metallion" and readers of the biggest Estonian rock journal "Nailboard Magazine".

Line-up :

Andrus 'Anz' Rohula - drums Kaido 'Tsunami' Tiits - guitar Mart Kalvet - vocals Kristjan 'Christ' Virma - keyboards Urmas Jõgi - guitar Ott 'Otipowitch' Oras - bass

Coming up in my next entry, a review of Taak's debute album "Koerapööriöö"