Zettai Kareshi and FMP theme song

Zettai Kareshi
Just completed the entire drama and manga and have to say wow... Did not see that coming... I had thought that when I picked up the series, it would be one of those simple high school shoujos with the entire story all wrapped with a pretty bow and roses surrounding the bishonen. And there was plenty of that except for the pretty bow at the end was more like a batch of cut open onions. I cried buckets at the ending of the drama and I have to say that I am not one to cry at dramas, mostly due to me intentionally avoiding all dramas that even have a hint of being a tearjerker. Unfortunately it had disguised itself well when I had started the drama and totally didn't expect it have such a heart wrenching ending. But the last episode nonetheless was one of the best dramas I have ever seen and one of the most memorable as well. I did not enjoy the manga as much despite what others say. It simply did not have as much of an impact on me. Somehow the main character seemed more wishy washy and stereotypical in mangaform.One of the best aspects of the drama is definitely the ending theme song. Very rich and sweet. Considering how much they played that song, I thought I would grow tired of it but instead I continued to enjoy it at the end of each episode. It's on my audio section if you would like to check it out, called "Okaeri."
Karenai HanaRunning on a tangent, I heard a song that I hadn't heard in a really long time called, "Karenai Hana." The tune definitely has a nostalgic feel to it that brings me back to the feeling of being back in high school perfectly. I'm sure it was the intention of the creators of Full Metal Panic (one of my fave animes) to pick such a nostalgic sounding song as their ending song. I wonder if they had taken the music for it from another older songs and remade it like so many other Asian songs. Regardless, the lyrics are so beautiful and simple as well. It's one of the few Japanese songs I can actually sing to without too much screwing up.

Original / Romaji Lyrics
English Translation
Kokoro ni, chiisana, hana ga, saiteru,Kimi kara, moratta, karenai hana ga,Shinjiru koto mo, kowagaranai kurai,Tsuyoku nareta kara...
A small flower is blooming inside my heart,The unwithering flower you gave to me,I was able to believe strongly enough in myself,So I'm not afraid anymore...
* Kimi ni aete, ureshikatta... Tsunaida te ga, hokoridatta, Ima wa, betsubetsu no sora, miagete itemo, Hora, arukeru...hitori demo...
* I was happy meeting you, And proud of our holding hands, Even though we look up to different skies now, See? I can walk on my own now...
Kanashii, toki hodo, warau, watashi o,Nani mo, iwanai de, daite kureta ne,Koori tsuita douaga, sotto hiraku you na,Sonna, kigashita yo...
I laugh more during sad times,To hide the pain I feel inside,But you hugged me gently without saying a thingI felt as if it were like opening a door frozen in ice...
Kimi ni aete, ureshikatta...Kodoku sae mo, wakachi aeta,Ima mo, kono sora no shita, tsunagatte iru to,Sou, omoeru...hanarete mo...
I was happy meeting you,Even though I could only share my lonliness,Even though we're separated now, I still feel that we're somehow connected under this sky...
Arigato mo, ienakatta...Yakusoku sae, dekinakatta, Dakedo, ano hi to onaji, kaze ga fuitara,Mata, kanarazu...aeru yo ne...
I didn't say thank you...I couldn't even promise...However, like on that day, if the wind blowsThen I know we will surely meet again...
Repeat *
Repeat *

School Rumble manga ending

So, I recently started watching School Rumble season 2 again. I started but never finished as I got distracted by the millions of other animes I have on my list to continue and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately due to a computer glitch the last episode didn't work so I will have to go back into it later and give deeper analysis of it as a whole.

Anyway back to the main point being that School Rumble manga is finally ending after 6 years! Another manga that I had held back in wait before beginning an effort to read through from beginning to end. If Inu Yasha was any hint of the joys of manga binging, I am insanely excited for what is to come when I have my School Rumble. Now the question is who will be the final pairings. And most of all, what is up with Karasuma? I thought that the alien explanation of the first season's ending seemed so very logical too? Now, I wonder what other kind of crazy endings they could come up with or if they may actually try for a serious explanation of his character.

I am a huge Karasuma and Tenma fan although Harima's story with Tenma is also very well-done. I am not a big Eri fan so if I had to have Harima with someone, I'd pick Imouto-san... I do have to say that I enjoy the love triangle b/t KTH just because they're all so hilarious.

Alright, going to bed now, as I have to finish the rest of Zettai Kareshi tomorrow, skipped ahead and did not enjoy the end of that one but still worth watching.

Inu Yasha Part 1

So after 56 volumes for 4 days straight, I have completed Inu Yasha manga. And I have to say, "wow." I couldn't believe it took Rumiko Takahashi 12 years to complete this and before reading this, I wondered truly how the story could continue on for such a long time. Now after reading it, I realize that it could have gone on indefinitely and I would have been just as happy. I'm not saying that I would have wanted an open-ended conclusion like Ranma 1/2 or Urusei Yatsura but that she could have easily made a "lifetime" piece and continued for another 12 years and I would have been still quite happy. Although I suppose that would mean waiting for it for another 12 years but I enjoyed my binge very thoroughly. I am very glad that I waited for its completion before reading it despite my spoiling myself a little with 100 episodes of the anime.

A few topics I have to discuss:

Sesshoumaru and Rin
Ok, so I definitely have some mixed feelings about this in terms of whether I favor them being a romantic couple or not. I am totally in favor of their relationship in that it is extremely touching and I love Sesshoumaru's emotional growth. I thought it would have been sweet if it was a romantic love if Rin had been older but then after she grows up it may turn into one. I think sometimes it's good not to classify love at least in this case. Some people like thinking of it as brotherly, paternal, etc, but in their case, I just want to classify it as love and leave it at that. Afterall, whether it grows into romantic or not adds a little mystery. Their arc was one of the best stories I have ever read.

Deathnote

Love it. What else to say? It was the cause of my return to the anime world. I have been collecting and watching anime for the last 12 years, way before the Pokemon phenomenon and among my friends a sorta anime godmother. It is bad that I've become such a snob about anime after seeing so many that I can't enjoy most animes anymore. But despite this anime being a "popular" anime which usually means it's overrated or eventually eventually goes into fillers, this was actually quite decent. You know I was just thinking how truly happy I am that I waited until the anime was completed and I stopped hearing nonstop hype over it that I decided to watch it. No need for nailbiting and checking obsessively for when the next episode comes out. So two things I am thinking of right now...
First what anime is completed and has been truly great the last few years? I have read good things of XXXholic, Black Cat, Hagurashi, etc. But I have to say that there are several I have watched before I got hooked again with deathnote that I found horribly lacking. Fate/Stay night which I had heard great things was nothing too much out of the ordinary, artwork being one of the main enjoyments for me. And Trinity Blood made me remember why stopped being so devoted to anime. Ah, the list goes on... But anyway, I will try to sift through the crap and find the decent ones I hope.
Second I have recently been inspired to go get back into my artwork as well: pastel, painting and other various mediums. And I love doing anime art and have been trying to think of good couple artwork. I especially like odd pairings but am not getting enough creative juices going. I really like Misa and L for some reason and see very few artists doing them so they are one of my new subjects and I will certainly have to post a few just for fun. And a few others I've been playing around with are Ranma and Lum. Ah well, if any random anime fan happens upon my ramblings I would love to hear suggestions.

Full Metal Panic!

So I have recently rewatched 2nd raid after reading more of the light novels and now I am absolutely hooked once again to the FMP world. After several hours of stubbornly browsing through millions of webpages, blogs and forums, I happened upon the translations of the most recent FMP books. So for those uneducated about this series, it was based on the light novels and so the stories go way beyond the anime. And after reading them, I have to say that the novels are way better in so many ways although I still absolutely love the anime adaptations.
It's unfortunate that bomf hasn't completed the translations but I did find the summaries of all the FMP up the most recent novel.
http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=33290
So I feel it my duty to share the wealth... If anyone is interested in DVMC, ODBD, COMO, you are free to email me at kodocha2@gmail.com. Please post a response first so that I know to look for your email.

Obsessions...

So this shall be a blog devoted purely to my obsessions: Anime, Asian dorama, bento-making and any other crazy hobbies of my choice. Unfortunately the first post shall be short and to the point as it is getting late and I will be have to be up at 5 am... Insomniacs unite! ^_^ hajimeimashite....