Kantai Collection: KanColle

There's something about this anime that took me a while to understand, especially as I hadn't played the game in which this is based. All the girls are ships. Actual battle ships. And there are no guys what-so-ever.

I started the series without a clue as to what would happen, and there was no synopsis that I could find at the time, besides mentioning that it is a TV adaptation of an online card game.
The story follows Fubuki, a new destroyer ship sent into the action packed world of war. That's what it seems to me. Think of each girl as a battleship on water, they need to be repaired and upgraded, and they have weapons attached to them (though not all of the time). And if they sink, they basically die.
Fubuki is new to all of this, she's never been in battle before and so she's really nervous. But the show follows her journey of determination and motivation (two things I lack) to become better and join her idol in a specific group based on rank.

YOU are in this anime. Well, you are the Admiral, like you would be if you played the game, you are the over-seer of everything that goes on. You also appear to be calling the shots and deciding who goes where and who attacks the enemy. However, screaming at your screen will not change the outcome of the anime (I wish it did though).

This explains it better:
"Set in a world where humanity has lost control of the oceans to the "deep sea fleet," the only hope to counter this threat are the Kanmusu, a group of girls who possess the spirit of Japanese warships. The story revolves around Fubuki, a destroyer who comes to the Chinjufu base to train with other Kanmusu. Watch as their stories unfold!" ~ MyAnimeList and CrunchyRoll.

Fubuki game card on CrunchyRoll.

I don't know if I like this or not, there was something about it that made me want to watch the new episode each week, but I also feel that I could have dropped it at any moment if I really wanted to. I was just intrigued at the style this anime took, by involving the viewer. This made me want to watch it, and now I want to see what is in store for the second season which has been promised, even without a date.

Anyway I will leave it here for now.

Unconditional love

Cazzie x 

Six Days!!!

Six days until the Tokyo Ghoul sequel.
I can't wait!!!!

Unconditional love, 

Cazzie x 

Tokyo ESP

Ok, so it's taken me a while to watch the last two episodes and write this up.

The first episode is confusing, it shows a city in utter chaos, and the citizens only hope has been locked up due to some law. The second episode starts the story from the beginning, explaining many aspects, good and bad, leading up to the destruction of the town. Somewhere near the end of the series, you realise where the first episode roughly slots in.

There were parts that made me gasp, some where I cringed, and others that almost brought happy tears to my eyes. However, it isn't as interesting as some series that I have watched. In my sister's words, 'We've set a high standard for anime early on, so watching good anime isn't as amazing as others e have watched.' I think she sums it up quite well, we started off with recommendations of series that people have absolutely loved, and then expected all anime to be that good. In truth, not everything is, and it is obvious which ones I like the most by the way I write the review.

If you enjoy watching dark anime such as Tokyo Ghoul, this is great. The themes vary but the storyline stays on track, which is damn helpful.

I'm sorry I've gotten worse at writing these reviews, but you can see why. This was a good series, but not a mindblowingly amazing series. I realised when I moved address and didn't feel like I was missing the series because I didn't have internet for a week. It's something to pass the time, but not something to obsess over.

This is just my opinion, and I may be less interested because my university life has gotten hectic and I'm prioritising my work over leisure. I probably won't be watching any or many series this winter, so don't expect any major posts until after Easter, when my course is drawing to an end.

Unconditional love,
Cazzie x

Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus

W..T..F?!

So I watched this with my sister and we were amazed that it was only ten episodes long. The beginning is intriguing, and unlike the first series, this takes on just one case throughout. It starts shortly after the curry contest in the first season, and Agni is back of course. :)

I don't know what to say without giving too much away.. Well, Ciel is in his London townhouse instead of his luxurious mansion, so we have a change of location. We see more of the servants fighting skills, oh, and there's a mysterious circus that Ciel and Sebastian join. The new cast makes scenes cheerier at first glance, but there is something sinister going on. Something worse than I could have thought possible.

Don't get me wrong, I love Kurohitsuji so much but this was too dark. It even added a new theory to my brain (I haven't read the manga at all) and kept me thinking all the way through. I just didn't like the ending. It was too dark...

SEBAS-CHAN!!! Grell also makes his appearance and is always infatuated with his Sebby. Grell is just so cute that I wanna pinch his little cheeks. :3

That is all I can say... I shall remain with my jaw hanging open and staring at the screen. Wishing for more.

Unconditional love,
Cazzie x

Black Rock Shooter

8 EPISODES!? Only 8 episodes?

I think this is the shortest series I've ever watched, excluding OVAs, and obviously, it was watched in one session with my friend.

A little fetish escaping into anime?

Can I just say, that by the time I finally realised what was going on in the first and second episodes, and how they related both parts of the story, they introduced a new character to confuse me again. Also, the graphics are amazing. Not just the art, but how they created half of the scenes using 3D animations techniques, and then converted this to the 2D anime we all know and love.

Two worlds co-exist and take on the 'pain' of that world. Black Rock Shooter (yes, that is her name) lives in a world without emotional pain, but solves everything with violence. Her very existence is a battle to stay alive in a world that would no make sense to us. To cope with this world, she can transform her arm into a canon to aid her efforts.

Mato and Yomi

Meanwhile, Mato Kuroi is a middle-school student trying to reach out to befriend a classmate who keeps pushing her away. Although there is a reason for her classmate Yomi Takanashi to stay alone, Mato does not give up easily. This makes her school life a little more complicated than it used to be.

But, how do these two worlds relate? Why is survival for Black Rock Shooter more intense, action packed and filled to the brim with danger? Why does she literally have to fight to survive?

Alone, as two separate anime series, Mato's story would be too ordinary to be labeled a series in it's own right, and Black Rock Shooter's story would seem too action filled, without a break to be decent. However, the way they interlink and contrast each other make this a fantastic series to watch. A balance of calm and desperation, the way other characters interfere, and the difference in drawing styles to match each world.
I have found a stark contrast in reviews, a number of low scores equal to a number of high scores make this anime just like Marmite. Love it or hate it, at least give it a try. :)

Vocaloid (Hatsune Miku) and Black Rock Shooter. Not the image which inspired the song.

* * This started off as a drawing, turned into a music video sung by Hatsune Miku, and then an anime and film adaptation. Please note, I have only seen the anime series and not the film which is classed as the OVA at 52 minutes. (myanimelist.net) * *

Unconditional love,
Cazzie x

K

What is this, Cazzie? Why is there a random letter for a title? Where have you been?

I have been under the recent pressure of finding a house to live in so that I can return to university later this month. Hence not uploading any more reviews (that, and I currently have 3/4 ongoing series to watch that are not yet completed and will all finish around the time I start classes again). I had a guarantor for a house, my papa, but he failed the checks due to 'circumstances unrelated to money'. Like really? He's a landlord and, even out of the country, still earns enough to cover my rent if needs be. But, whatever...

Now to answer the second question, well, second... 'K' is not just some random letter. Yes, it may be near the middle of the alphabet, or used to express that something is 'okay' but that is not why it is posted. IT'S TIME FOR.... (drumroll please).... ANOTHER ANIME REVIEW!

*      *      *      *      *

Meet Yashiro 'Shiro' Isana.

Firstly, can an anime title get any more ambiguous? I didn't see one letter 'K' floating around, nor did they mention it in the series. This series has two alternative titles as well, very similar in nature though: Project K and K Project. This makes a little more sense further into the 13 episode series.

It follows the protagonist over roughly a week of his life, in which he finds out that he is soon to be killed. What is doesn't know is; what for? Once he does find out that it is for the murder of another person, he barters for his life on several occasions, buying more time. This proves difficult with highly reliable evidence and more than one person or group wanting to take his life. However, for a fairly popular person at school, proving an alibi gets increasingly difficult as more and more students forget about him. The more he thinks about and questions his life, the more things get complicated.

If this wasn't hard enough for any viewer to understand, in come the other characters. There are 7 clans, each with their own king, a ranking, specific traits and a colour (only six are mentioned or shown which leaves one clan and king completely unknown). Oh, and these clans do not work together with or for the human race (as humans do not know about them), but against each other, having battles and wars often and with mixed reactions. So, imagine having two clans after Shiro, one to presumably lock him up, and the other to take his life.

Neko

Kuroh Yatogami

But, it's time to also meet two other important characters, Kuroh and Neko. Neko is, you guessed it, a cat. I mean, if you like having cats turn into naked human girls, I'm not judging ;3 Oh, and she sees Shiro as her pet, not the other way around...
Kuroh is not only dark in name, but seemingly in nature too. A relentless fighter who is creepily attached to his king.



As much as I loved this series, (I'm a bit ill today, not sick but in pain, so this is when I watched it), there are some flaws. I took a little while to get certain aspects of it, I think it was episode 9 or 10 when my sister mentioned Neko's real reason for being around, but I didn't get it until after they had explained it on screen.
One character reminded me of Hitler, even though I believe this is set in a different world to our own. There was a scene set in the past, Berlin, and they spoke in German, running experiments which ran into the line; 'superhuman race'. Oh, and his first name is Adolf.

I really did enjoy this series, found some parts funny either due to the comedy or because it would remind me of something else. I just don't know what took me so long to hear about and watch this. Once again, any reviews I write are my recommendations and you should take a look too. I don't write negative reviews because that would mean I dislike something, and I don't watch things I dislike. This series borders on dark anime, and for some reason, that's all I'm watching this season. I did have more criticisms for the end, but I forgot (can't be that bad then, right?) so if I remember, I'll post them later and at the end. Have a great time.

Unconditional love,
Cazzie x

Monochrome Factor

I actually watched this alone and over a longer period, but ah well.

This 24-episode anime series is full of deceit. In fact, the deceit is deceitful :O

So, there's this slacker, Akira, who must return to his school one night with classmates where they get attacked by shadow monsters. Up comes a (full of himself) stranger, who explains that the balance between light and dark is becoming unbalanced and so turns Akira into a 'Shin'. Shirogane (the stranger) then fights alongside Akira against the shadow monsters. Full of mystery, light shonen-ai themes and plenty of action, this is a definite recommendation.

Will you figure out where the lies begin and the truth ends? Let's wait and see.

Unconditional love,
Cazzie x

Next Week

I can't wait!

*Jumps up and down squealing like a fangirl*

Next weekend is going to be one of the best of the year. Not only does the Japanese festival begin again in Brighton (it's later this year for some reason), but I also move back to London.

The festival is a yearly occurrence in Bartholomew Square, where various events take place, and a 'market place' of stalls sell various items from manga, to tableware and clothing. It usually lasts around ten days, this year is from Saturday 14th September until and including the following weekend. I always go with my sister, Iris, and my best friend (I pretty much force him to come along). We enjoy the day, and will spend the whole day there. We only go to the Saturday events due to our schooling, and although I'm finished school and uni starts after that weekend, my sister still had classes.

Then there's moving back to uni. I love the independance! I have so much freedom there, and frankly, almost 4 months of summer is wayyyyyy too long. I need to start packing though :/ FRESHERS, HERE I COME!
London is a wonderful place, and I miss it so much, no matter how many times I visit. There's always somewhere new to go, some place new to explore. It's full of opportunities, life and laughter.


"If you get fed up with London, you're fed up with life." Jay Neill - actor.


That's all for today :D x

I'm Trapped!

So my sister, Iris, showed me the Korean version of this which came out two months ago, and I really liked it. Shh, don't tell her ;) She over played it and I got sick of it in a few days...

Anyway, Henry has just released the ENGLISH version of his song and now I actually love it. It's a great example of why I prefer Korean music, despite the fact that this is in english. They don't sing about drugs, sex, and the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. They sing about things we can all relate to. Take a listen :) It's so catchy, but because I know the other version so well, it took me a while to figure out what he was singing and we had to find a lyric video.

Also, check out my sister's blog with her friend Lilley* at www.sokyutelike.blogspot.co.uk for more East Asian stuff.

Born In The Wrong Culture

Ok, I mentioned in an earlier post that I like anime. That's a bit of an understatement. I wouldn't call myself an obsessed fan but I do love it. Along with all thing Eastern Asian, my family have a huge interest in the music and programmes. Two of my sisters love japanese music, while I prefer Korean. We all watch japanese dramas from time to time, and my mum likes some Korean music (especially when it is sung in English, haha). My sister also listens to some Chinese music, although not much.

Here's a small list of anime that I have watched all the way through, from beginning to end, in no particular order. I have seen various episodes of others, or unfinished series (where I broke my laptop and forgot what episode I was on) but these will not be included. These are also recommendations  to anyone wanting to watch something a little different. Most of these are English Dubbed (in English), although not all of them are.

• Black Cat
• Kuroshituji 
• Kuroshituji II
• Vampire Knight
• Elfen Lied
• Karin
• Ouran High School Host Club
• Rosario + Vampire
• Rosario + Vampire capu 2
• Death Note
• Clannad
• Blue Exorcist (Ao No Exorcist)
• Code Geass
• Fruits Basket
• Gravitation
• Angel Beats
• Mermaid Forest
• Baka + Test: Summon the Beasts (Seasons 1, OVA and 2)
• Toradora!
• Karneval
• Danganronpa
• Daily Lives of High School Boys
• Gosick

I know it isn't very long, and I only really got into it about 3 years ago. I have also taken time out to get on with my studies, and other times I just have too much of a social life to sit down and make time for even one episode. Let's not forget that there are also loads of anime films, Japanese dramas and Korean films to watch. Of course I've seen the anime that actually gets broadcast on TV and as I never know if it's the complete series and I may miss episodes, such as:

• Pokemon
• Sailor Moon
• Dragonball Z
• Power Puff Girls
• Mew Mew Power (Tokyo Mew Mew)
• Pretty Cure
• Beyblade
• etc...

That's all for now, bye :)