Showing posts with label anime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anime. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Nodame Cantabile : The Anime Review

Hi everyone! Today I'm writing about Nodame Cantabile, one of the funniest and most touching anime series I have ever watched.

Nodame Cantabile's story revolves around two music students who are completely different yet by some weird freak of nature, find themselves bunched together by their circumstances, or mainly, the heroine's incessant need to be attached to the uncooperative hero.

Enter Noda Megumi and Shinichi Chiaki.

You can clearly see the huge expanse of difference between the two characters which is what makes the story alluring. They both go to Momogaoka College of Music where Chiaki is the top student, coming from wealthy family of musicians, while Nodame (a mix of her first and last name) is your typical piano student who barely gets by.

Chiaki meets Nodame purely by accident by showing up dead-drunk in her doorstep only to awaken surrounded by garbage and other toxic materials he'd rather not figure out! Haha!

Naturally, Nodame is drawn to Chiaki's physical attributes immediately while Chiaki takes a longer while to appreciate Nodame and all her quirks. What's more, the series is surrounded by dramatic moments that definitely had me squealing, sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation, and all but tearing my hair out in frustration!

They meet a whole range of different characters, some start out as Chiaki's fans, some end up as really good friends, and some eventually find out the gift that is hiding behind Nodame's unique personality.

What I liked the most about this series is the overall production. Despite the art and character designs being pretty simple, it incorporated a lot of comic expressions and extras that make them more memorable. Also, the music is note-worthy, a good sign that the anime production focused on the character's roles as music students.

All in all, it is a feel good anime series with a lot of character growth, which is all I could ever ask for in any story. There is definitely a good mix of laughter and tears to be had with this series, making it a must-watch for music-lovers out there.

Also, the manga is so awesome that they turned it into a live action series which had two live action movies as sequels. Pretty nifty, huh? So go and watch it!

Til next time, live long and prosper!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Saturday Lady Day: Sheryl Nome

You can be my Universal Bunny anytime, baby!

Welcome to Geeky Alien's 2nd Saturday Lady Day! Here I will choose another woman who is iconic beyond what she looks like. Basically, I just talk about women who I have found a liking for no matter the genre, be it video games, movies, anime, cartoons, etc etc.

Today's Geeky Alien Lady of the Week is the Galactic Fairy, Sheryl Nome.

Sheryl Nome Album Cover

Following the footsteps of her predecessors, Sheryl Nome is one of the singing sensations found in the Macross anime series. Since it is the only Macross series I've watched so far, I am simply biased towards her.

Sheryl Nome is a strong-willed, independent woman who appears to be spoiled rotten. Her fame reaching far beyond time and space, she joins Macross Frontier's leading man *coughprincesscough* Saotome Alto and his gang when she visits Frontier for her galaxy-wide concert.

Universal Bunny - Sheryl Nome

Sheryl is unexplainable! From her color-changing hair to a seemingly volatile personality, she grabs attention no matter where she goes. Her self-confidence is overbearing at times but as the story moves on, things are revealed as to why she is who she is.

I believe she is real as reality in anime can get. She can stand alone and be herself no matter what happens. And don't we all want to do that? And with everything that happens in the story, you will definitely find yourself loving her for who she is and what she represents!

How I would love to be those suds...

Sheryl appears in most episodes of the Macross Frontier series and a slight twist in her story happens in the Macross Frontier movie - The False Songstress.

Oooh, apparently a second movie is due to come out and hopefully this time, the princess will choose wisely!

Kimonos are <3

Til next time, fairy-lovers, live long and prosper!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Anime-te Me!

I was thinking about something geeky today. ... Don't I always? Anyway, I realized how effective anime is as artwork. Whether translating something from a movie or a television series, you find yourself marveling at how people create their own artistic editions of whatever comes to their minds.

Harry Potter Character Fan-Art

I usually hear art students, depending what school they're from, argue about how anime may or may not be "art." Oh... no... don't get me wrong, I won't get into that very sticky situation of arguing about that topic. I basically just want to talk about this animation phenomenon going around in our generation.

I find it interesting. I am a frustrated artist so I have this need to surround myself with artistic people, be it in traditional arts, digital arts, music, etc etc. I like creativity because I cannot produce anything creative at all! So, that's why I find this anime sensation going around quite giddy-ish and exciting!


It's mainly eye-candy, yes. BUT, it's a good way to get your imagination going!


Can you imagine what would happen if these artworks were part of the actual story? You can re-create your fandom in so many freaking ways! So many endless possibilities, all at the tip of your pencil, tablet or lead!

AHHHH! I am so jealous of people who can draw! But I applaud all you artists out there. Without you, I have nothing pretty to look at and I might not have any inspiration to write anything at all!


Til the next post, guys! Live long and prosper!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Geeky Quickie: Fruit Drops and Tears

I found something marvelous today! Besides being such a huge sweet tooth, I am an avid fan of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli films. In fact, I have an entire movie collection on my desktop just waiting to be re-watched!

Anyway, guess what I found??


Some fruit drops! In a freaking can!



Dear God, the moment I saw this in some Japanese grocery in the Little Tokyo area, I just HAD to buy it. I bought it at the Yamazaki Japanese Grocery at around 70php. No matter the emotional connotation linked to this can of fruit drops, it was just too important to miss.

Most people would recognize this can of candy from Studio Ghibli's traumatic animation: Grave of the Fireflies...

Grave of the Fireflies Movie Poster

Setsuko opens her can of lollies

This movie is just Hayao Miyazaki's take on the life of two siblings in Japan during World War II. It is pretty gruesome and not for the faint of heart. Serious with its undertones, the strength seen in children is definitely something found in Grave of the Fireflies.

To say the least, it made me cry buckets. But I'm extremely happy and excited about my Sakuma Drops!

Seita and Setsuko with her Fruit Drops

Til the next random finding of geekery, live long and prosper!

Ouran High School Host Club : The Anime Review

Isn't it just every girl's dream to be surrounded by a crowd of hot pretty boys? What's more if you get stuck with them in a series of compromising yet hilarious situations? Well, Ouran High School Host Club is definitely one way of making that dream come true!

The Ouran High School Host Club

I'm not so fond of any shoujo harem manga or anime, male or female. To top it off, Ouran came out almost the same time as Hana Kimi did and boy, was that something completely overblown! So when my friends told me how awesome it was, I did not believe them. However, I found out, after being bored one day, how utterly lovable it was!

We're talking gender-bender hilarity with the subtlest hint of character development. It's so small, you can barely catch it. And that is exactly why I love it!

Art from the Manga

The plot is simple. You have your typical Japanese high school scholar heroine destined for epic greatness yet before anything happens, going to school, Ouran High School, is a must. The plot will further explain as to why this school is the chosen setting.

This unwitting heroine gets stuck with a bunch of eye-candy bishounen misfits due to some unfortunate circumstance. And unluckily, they are part of the school-famous Host Club. Thus, their hosting adventures begin!

Their expressions make me LOL

It's all very exciting and cheesy sometimes as Haruhi, the main character, is forced into unwanted situations. But she pulls through in the nick of time, dragging along everyone's heart with her.

It's not a typical Mary Sue story. Haruhi has her own share of problems and complexes as do her male counterparts. Yes, I said counterparts. *insert squees here*

Ouran High School Host Club would not be what it is without its gang of handsome young men. These main characters - Tamaki, Kyoya, Hikaru, Kaoru, Mori-senpai and Hani-senpai will surely steal your heart away with their respective characteristics and stories.

I am pretty sure that the manga is still going pretty strong. However, the anime has been completed with a total of 26 fun episodes.

Ouran is charming and will worm its way into your mind and soul. Some episodes are just stupid enough to bust your gut out from laughing while others might bring that rare tear to your eye.

This is definitely one of the best scenes ever!

It is one anime series I highly recommend to everyone out there.

Til next time! Live long and prosper!