Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel: Kyun Kyun Tokimeki Paradise!!

I had a nice review of episode 1 typed up...but...It got lost because I forgot to save my post! So, let's do it this way...

Things I Learned from Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel etc., etc., Episode 2!

1. Boobs are a great place to hide things...

...unless you have a small chest.

2. Crayfish can fly.

3. And butlers are known for their ability to tunnel underground.

4. Oh, and if a guy who looks just like your crush steals your underwear, relax. It's probably just some hillbilly.

In all seriousness though, this is probably one of the worst shows I've seen in the magical girl genre. I can't expect much if it's based on a pachinko game, but even with that in mind this show defies expectations. There's no semblance of a plot, no explanation for how the girls got their powers, and no actual characterization. Moreover, the show lacks the things that make up for being so crappy. The character designs are junk...no one is particularly cute. The action feels lacking, the villain is neither scary, cunning, nor funny, and the cliches don't seem to be intended as parodies. If they are, they fall far shorter than is acceptable. After watching the first two episodes, I have no idea whats going on. Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel is without a doubt the worst anime of the summer.

In the words of one My Anime List user " As someone who has underwent chemo-therapy 4 years ago, I can justifiably say this show is worse than cancer."

Gotta get it together

So, how is everyone? it's been a while since I posted, huh? I've been busy with school and getting ready to go to Japan. ^-^ I'll be there for a month. I'm super excited! You can bet I'll bring back a buttload of figures.

It seems like my feelings about Madoka are old news now, so I'll just leave you with this neat image I found on 4chan's /a/.

The summer seems like it'll be a pretty slim season for magical girl anime. When it comes down to it, I'm pretty picky about my mahou shoujos. I need there to be a certain degree of character development evident. I need the premise of the show to be something I can care about. That's part of why I can't get into Suite Precure. I just can't care about the Melody of Sorrow. >.< I'm sorry, Precures!

I think for the time being I'm going to stick with trying to come up with more thorough essays, rather than doing blow-by-blow reviews of anime episodes.

Now that that's outta the way, I've found some cute images to share!

End of Madoka-Take 1

Aaarg, I'm trying to watch it but our internet is being a dick and watchanimeon.com is such a crappy site and AAARG.

QB is right about t he cattle thing, I fucking hate that fuck.

How does animecrazy.net manage to have ads? I thought these streaming sites were illegal. -.- Okay. I think I've got it. "Emotion is a mental disorder". I hate this. He's so fucking right. Dear god, i'm gonna have to re-watch this whole series and make sense of it again. This is the first anime i've seen in a while that deals with death, actually acknowledges it as a damaging thing, not just something you pick yourself up from. This is such fatalistic "you cannot advance" bullshit.
Aaand, on to part two. Where's my Morning Lescue commercial? ;-;

Here we go. Some heart-wrenching HNNNNGGGG, googly eyed Madoka...shit, this is too sad. Homuro, I'd save you from that sadness if i could.

Ah, okay, now i see why they postponed airing this one. Evacuation, evacuation, anime Katrina tiem. Oh WHAT THE FUCK green elephants, shit just got real. This is it, Homura. This is it. Do your best. I know you can't save her, but please make her proud...
Neat trick with that truck, by the way...all that object levitation is quite cool actually and oh, wait, they're not in a pocket dimension, fuck. Tokyo just got fucked. Or..wait, were they in one? No, no, the area was evacuated.

So, Homura has basically acquired a kind of terrible immortality, she has no choice but to keep fighting and keep losing. I can't accept that fate, not when she's worked so hard.

No, no, Madoka, take your mom with you. She can fix it. I'm sure, sure, sure she can change things. You just need to do something different and unexpected and you could break the cycle. Or not. Damn it.

Ahn. But, is this the first time she's lost without Madoka? Maybe, this will make a differences. Homura, hang in there! Don't die, please dont die. No. No, no nononononononononono fucccc-wait.

Madoka's got this. We'll get our happy ending, I'm sure. Make the right contract, Madoka.

On to episode 12. I hope there's more later. Advertisement, again. L.A. Noire looks like a terrible game.

Alright, back to the show. Madoka seems to finally understand...but, god, Homura...I don't want to see her suffer...(guess I've got a favorite character). Why hasn't anyone wished for the world to never end? Maybe they have...

Fucking QB eyes.

Whoa. She just..undid reality.

YES! MADOKA IS MY GOD!

YES!

...now what?

A new reality? Pineapple cake?

Ahn...Mami-san? Is that you? ;-; I missed you...Apparently this is Madoka's psychotic break...It's peaceful. Can we stay here?

Whoa...Magi Madoka is really stunning...QB looks like he wants emotions...Im almost feeling sorry...no, strike that. I want to see him suffer...She's really doing it...she's won.

Holy shit, black magical girl, fuck me. I want a show about that one! AGH.

So, everyone ever is avoiding becoming a witch...Is it okay now?

What happened? Why is there only Homura? Oh shit. Hell of a soul gem. Looks...dangerous? Create or destroy arent they really the same thing, isnt our perception of time the only real difference.

Fuck me that's a serious monster. We lost? No. Eternal Madoka! Whoa, that hair that dress that reality-shattering KABOOM. Madoka is now god. And now she's erased, a non-being. But isn't it worth it?

She's happy with it? She is, isn't she. If it's better, why does it hurt so much? Oh, fuck, time for part 2. Here's that L.A. Noire ad again. Awful graphics.

So, Madoka is matter is god is time is reality is hope is love is immaterial. It's not okay...but it's the best we can hope for. And I'll believe in Madoka's miracle. I'll believe forever...

Here's the guy Sayaka died for. And Sayaka. I'm not too thrilled with either of them, to tell the truth. too small, too normal. Her wish was too noble. It clearly hurts her to be like that..And then she evaporated, apparently. They're becoming undone...

They don't become witches anymore, they just disappear. That's better, isn't it? To not suffer, at least. And Madoka is remembered, so maybe she will get her miracle. And...QB doesn't seem so bad this time around either. Those demons look awful...not witches though. there's that at least.

I need time to digest this. It hurts. It literally hurts in my chest. I haven't reacted this strongly to an anime since I saw Zoicite die (shut up >:( it was a big deal.).

Spring 2011 is a Bad Time for Anime

Remember those anime I said I'd review? I tried. I really did. But there's no way I can force myself to watch more than one episode of these things.

Let's start with Battle Girls – Time Paradox.

Boobs. Boobs and lots of them. Normally I can overlook a boob explosion, assuming there's anything else of substance in the show. But in this case, the boobs are really too overwhelming. The show is nothing but fanservice, with no substance at all. The main character, a girl who accidentally fell through time, is dumber than a sack of dead rocks. The time-travel idea isn't terribly original, and the gender-bending is poorly done...I can't watch another episode. Oh, and there's a talking dog with a samuri helmet at the end of the first episode. I'm saying that as an after thought, because that's apparently how the show's creators felt about it. It's like one of them said "Hey..you guys...does this seem kinda...awful?" And the others said "Oh, it is...lets add a talking dog, that should help!"

Speaking of dogs, I tried to watch Dog Days as well.
The issue with Dog Days is that it's basically a bad version of The Familiar of Zero, which was only good because Louise was so tsundere. It's another cookie cutter plot with no original thoughts aside from the fact that everyone has dog ears and a tail. Some crappy nobody from the present day is pulled back in time to become a medieval hero. What's up with the time travel shows lately? It's a popular idea, but every seems to be doing it so badly. The one thing this show has going for it is that it's cute. Well..it's cute if you think everyone having the exact same face and confused look is cute.

As for Suite Precure...
I'm gonna admit, I'm not especially enjoying it. Magical girl plots tend to be pretty predictable, but the first show in the series offered some nice takes on the standard 'friendship-love-purity' triumvirate. I didn't watch any of the other Pretty Cure shows, though...and I have the feeling that by Suite Precure the franchise is running thin.

In regard to animation...I had no issue with the style during Pretty Cure, but somehow it seems too stretched out and plastic-y in this incarnation. There's a happy medium to be found in animation-too dark and realistic is boring, but too bright and exaggerated makes it hard for me to think of the characters as anything but a bunch of lines on a screen.

Character development is predictable, but at least it's there. It's clear that, although the Precure series has been around for a few years, it's nto meant to grow with it's audience. Rather, it's staying on the same level and bringing in new viewers with each incarnation. That's alright, I guess. -.-

Mostly, it's Hummy that's making it hard for me to watch the show. It's too cute, too over the top, too...intolerable. Look at this thing, then look at QB.

Doesn't it seem kinda lacking? With a frozen face like that, I expect it to be more sinister.

Issues aside, it's a pretty good series. The musical theme is unique, and it's making good use of the standard magical girl themes and stock characters. I'm only up to episode 4, so there's still time for it to get awesome.

I'm reserving judgment on Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, and Lotte no Omocha until I've seen more of them.

Fuck YES!

AAAHHH~~~
I found out the last two episodes of Madoka air on the 21st.

To say I'm excited it's a bit of an understatement. I've never really gotten so excited about an anime.
Speaking of which, I found this image on a chan board. It's kind of a spoiler, but it's too funny not to post.

Magical Angel Creamy Mami First Impression

I've decided to start watching some older mahou shoujo series, starting with Magical Angel Creamy Mami because, well....because that's what was available. As much as the title sugguests the series is some kind of porn, it's extremely innocent. The series seems to take place in a world of perfect peace (as evidenced by the fact that the police have nothing better to do than chase Yuu, the main character, around when she borrows her Dad's scooter), so I'm not expecting any kind of action or magic battles.

The main themes seem to be prepbescent ideas of sexuality and adulthood. Yuu is tomboyish and adventurous. Her best friend is Toshio, who is surprisingly interesting for a boy in a mahou shoujo show. Yuu clearly isn't concerned with being pretty, sexy, or cute. She just wants to have fun and enjoy her life. She's impulsive and rash-a prototypical genki girl.

The show has a very surreal feel to it. Yuu encounters some aliens that look like Snarf from The Thundercats, makes friends, and has a bizarrely symbolic psychedelic ride aboard their spaceship. As you do. Even outside the spaceship things seem a little too bright and pleasant to be real, much like the inside of a Hello Kitty coloring book. Since Yuu is able to see the spaceship when no one else can, she is given magical powers (just accept that, it's probably all the explanation we'll get) that allow her to transform into Creamy Mami, a 16 year-old version of herself. Creamy Mami will almost certainly be my drag queen stage name. In a lot of ways Mami is a parody of puberty-she's pretty and elegant, where Yuu is awkward and bulky. It's very idealized; right away I'm thinking that Mami won't need to deal with any of the troubling issues like eating disorders (or for that matter, zits) that real-life teenagers would struggle with.

Like I said, I'm not expecting much other than cute fluff and wish fulfillment from this show. It's a classic and one that helped established the genre so it seems worth the attention. I'll also be reviewing Suite Precure by the episode as soon as I get caught up. I'll be doing Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream, Dog Days, Astallote no Omocha!, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, and Sengoku Otome-Momoiro Paradox. Shooot, that's a lotta anime. ;-; I might not stick with all of these...But, I wanna keep the blog relevant. There aren't many magical girl shows this season, but these seem like they might be related.

As you may have heard, Kodansha USA has announced the re-release of the Sailor Moon manga, and the release of Codename: Sailor V! It may be old news, but that doesn't make me less excited. The original 18 volumes of Sailor Moon will be published as 12 volumes for the main storyline, and 2 for short bonus stories. Release begins in September (for some reason I think it'll be mid-September) for both series.

Conditions are a lot better for these series now than they were when Sailor Moon was released the first time. Precedents have been set for language faithfulness (which means Usagi will remain Usagi, not Bunny), content and format that simply weren't there in the early 90s.

When Sailor Moon was running in the US, I didn't buy it. Why? I have no clue. The manga format was pretty cheap-you remember those Mixx pocket manga, right? The binding seemed like it had been done with a glue stick, and if you opened the manga too wide the pages would pop out. At the time I had this bizarre delusion that the graphic novel format was somehow unique to the US and was a bastardization of the original Japanese 48-page comic book format. Why I thought that was the case is now beyond me...In all, I just felt like there was something off about the American release of the manga. I'd really regretted it, those manga are the one Sailor-related item I feel like I actually need.

Anyway, I'm absurdly excited about this upcoming chance to get better quality Sailor Moon and Sailor V manga with a good translation. Don't let us down, Kodansha.

If you can't wait until September to get your magical manga fix, Dark Horse will be releasing the second omnibus of Cardcaptor Sakura at the end of July. I've already got the manga in it's Tokyopop format, but I may still get the omnibi (omnibuses?) for the bonus material.

In other news, Madoka Magica is still delayed. The last few episodes should air sometime this month. Blue Disc releases are going to be about a month behind.

I've been thinking about why the new episodes are being delayed...could it be that Madoka will make a contract with QB, become a witch, and destroy the world (again)? If that were the case, it makes sense for the series to be delayed in response to the earthquake. Don't do it, Madoka! I still believe you can prevent everything from descending into chaos!