Rewind: Fate/stay night

Since I already did one post tonight, about Anime-Planet and Crunchyroll, and I'm behind on both homework and sleep, I'm going to take the easy way out for this Rewind post. Here's a link to my 2010 Anime-Planet review of Fate/stay night. I gave it a 7.6/10 and concluded, "Fate/stay night is a must for fans of magic and some types of fantasy. I’d put it in the same genre as Kaze no Stigma. It has magic, a tiny bit of romance, fights, and age old heroes. If you enjoy this genre, you’ll probably enjoy Fate/stay night. Otherwise, I'm not sure."

Screenshot of the title. Yes, I really am too tired to bother getting
a proper screenshot. My apologies.

In case you aren't aware, the main character in this show is Shirou, whom you may know as Captain Obvious from his line, "People die when they are killed."

So yeah, I liked it well enough. But for some reason, I don't remember the parts I enjoyed very well. I suppose I should re-watch a few episodes to help me remember the good parts, so I can give more balanced comments in conversations about it. No, I haven't seen Fate/Zero. Do I plan to? Eh, probably, eventually. Yeah, I've heard it's better. I just... have other priorities, I guess.

Anime-Planet Just Got Even Better

I know it's Rewind day, but I'm putting that post on hold in order to make a special announcement. I'm a little late on the ball, so many of you already know this: Anime-Planet now streams full episodes of anime thanks to a partnership with Crunchyroll.

I'm watching Naruto Shippuden on Anime-Planet. I never
thought this day would come, but it has.

Just in case you aren't aware, Anime-Planet is one of my favorite websites. I talk about it so much, it has its own tag here on my blog. It's a great way to keep track of what I watch and to get and give recommendations. But it's more than a tool; it's a community, and a very important part of my online history.

I don't hang out in the forums there anymore; I got busy with real life and elsewhere on the web. I also got bashful about returning after leaving so suddenly. Still, if it weren't for Anime-Planet, this blog wouldn't be what it is today. That website introduced me to online community. Just like a physical place, that website has become a part of who I am, a source of nostalgia, warm fuzzy feelings, and an occasional wince when I remember awkward moments.

That's why I try to make recommendations at least on occasion, and why I rely heavily on ratings, recs, reviews, and blogs by Anime-Planet users when I'm considering an anime. It's why I follow Anime-Planet on Facebook and Twitter, and why I'm excited to give what help I can to promote the new feature.

The full press release is on Anime-Planet, with follow up from the overlord, Sothis, so I'll just comment on a few things.

On the Feature Itself

I like that I only need to go to one website for most of my anime needs. When I go to Crunchyroll, I usually have Anime-Planet open at the same time, anyway. I also like that as soon as I watch the latest Daiya no Ace or Tonari no Seki-Kun, my list will update. I've often wanted to update my anime list, only to find that Anime-Planet hadn't registered the latest episode count. This should help with that.

There is one hiccup I've found, though. The video on Anime-Planet doesn't have the same options listed for quality. That doesn't matter if you're not a Crunchyroll premium member or have consistently good internet speed. I do have an anime membership, and I get 1080p streaming automatically. My internet can't always support that quality, especially when there are other people at home using the network. If I want a smooth viewing experience, I often have to go down to 480p. I can't make that change when watching on Anime-Planet, so I won't get to make full use of this feature.

Still, overall, this looks great! And there's a link directly below each video to the anime's discussion thread. This may coax me back into the forums. While I do comment on Crunchroll videos from time to time, those comments aren't a good way to discuss much.

A Couple More General Notes

Anime-Planet is a site by anime fans, for anime fans, and it shows. Kim Cameron, better known to most of us as Sothis, is the founder and overlord of Anime-Planet. Yes, overlord. The press release says "CEO," but that brings to mind long polished conference tables in skyscrapers, people in stuffy suits, profit, and big corporations... none of which describes Anime-Planet.

Profit is not the goal of this site, and it's clear in the little courtesy things. For example, Sothis doesn't assume that we want everything automatically updated for us. Everything is opt-in. This applies to connection with Twitter (you know how some websites automatically tell Twitter everything you do, until both you and your followers are annoyed and you finally disconnect your Twitter account? Yeah, Anime-Planet does not do that - so I've connected my account without fear of abuse). And it applies to the new feature, too: we can choose for our "watching" lists to automatically update when we watch Crunchyroll videos, or we can stick to our manual ways.

Sothis is the chief developer of this website, and she integrated Crunchyroll with A-P with help of only two other people, one in particular, known as Xesxen. This took a long time, and she's been giving us hints of a big change for a long time. She's been great about communicating without giving away the secrets. I've been curious about the update since months ago, when we could no longer scroll through character lists on each anime's profile page (now, we have to click "see all characters"). More recently, she gave us a visual hint on Facebook. I'm sure she enjoyed watching our guesses and mounting excitement. The hint showed a corner of a Crunchyroll video player, and I suspected that Anime-Planet would be able to give us full episodes. Still, it's so different than anything this site has offered, I told myself not to assume anything. Congratulations, Sothis, you have successfully surprised your users, to put it mildly.

The most amazing thing? This isn't even close to the end of it. Check out what Sothis said at the end of the announcement:

"As the press release hints at, we have some really exciting stuff coming up in the future. We originally planned to hold some of it back until the big redesign was done, but as that's still some months away, we'll likely have another big announcement to make shortly. Stay tuned, and thanks as always for your support of A-P!"

Part of me is wary of big change because, well, I'm a little emotionally attached to this place. But I've decided to trust Sothis, and I'm very excited to see what comes next!

Despite Suspense Abuse, Hunter x Hunter Develops Well

If you're giving a speech or telling a story, and you want to highlight how sad something is, what do you do? The easiest thing is to emphasize something happy right before the sad. If you want to highlight life? Put it next to death. A flower growing among ashes is more powerful than the same flower growing in a healthy field.

What do you do if you want to highlight suspense? That one's a little trickier. By definition, suspense takes some time. It's not happy-danger-dead in two seconds. It's happy, sense of danger, then unknown result. Still, it takes a master's touch to maintain suspense for a very long amount of time. If you're not careful, the audience will become accustomed to it. Sequences of mounting danger become monotonous without some other mood to contrast with it.

Long running shounen anime are particularly vulnerable to this type of suspense abuse. Unfortunately, Hunter x Hunter is no exception, and it started to feel tedious early in the season. Episode 116 was a little better. It successfully got me concerned about Gon's wellbeing - not his physical wellbeing, but mental and emotional. He's not the same joyful, forgiving kid we met at the beginning of the series. He still can't be older than thirteen, but he's encountered evil. His friends have been hurt. One of them in particular, Kite, has been torn apart mentally and physically.

Gon is consumed by thoughts of revenge and hate. On reflection, this hardening of his heart has quietly built for at least several dozens of episodes. It's refreshingly realistic, but it's also heartbreaking. I no longer want him to battle and defeat Pitou. He's gone beyond the kind of righteous anger that I can agree with. He's not just angry for Kite's sake anymore; if he were doing this unselfishly, as his old innocent self, he would think about the girl's life and Killua's feelings. When (if) he battles Pitou or anyone else, I want it to be for justice and defense. In his current state, fighting her would only harden the blackness creeping into his heart.

I'm also intrigued by Pitou's willingness to sacrifice herself for Komugi. Yes, she's just doing it for the King. Still, it's like she and Gon switched places for the episode. She's humbled herself for the sake of another. Helpless, she kneels, upturned hands outstretched. Her face is often shown in light, with Gon's face shown in shadow. I don't think she's redeemed herself by healing that girl, but Gon is not in the right state of mind.

For those reasons, episode 116 got my attention, as I showed Tumblr. But, after episode 117, I said Hunter x Hunter is in a holding pattern, likely because suspense was stretched thinly over too many battlefronts. On further thought, it's kind of like what brought the downfall of Rome: it became too great for its own good, and didn't have the resources to deal with it. Of course, the Roman Empire didn't have the ridiculously loyal fan base that Hunter x Hunter and its cousin shows have.

This week's episode was better, and I have tentative hope that it will continue to climb up after this. There are multiple elements that stuck out to me, so I'll start with the smallest one: I've been wondering for a while where Palm went, and this episode reminded me of her danger. I'm glad the focus hasn't shifted back to her. For her situation, at least, there is a suspense simmering (although I admit I don't care that much about her). In her case, I think no news is good news, even if she said to assume she was dead. Oh, and the Ikalgo situation was rather interesting, though no more than it has been for several episodes. And I shouldn't forget what Pouf's doing behind that smoke in his cocoon; that's developed in a surprising manner, too.

For the first time in weeks, I was actually concerned about Knuckle. I'd thought that he was smarter than Youpi, but it turns out I overestimated Knuckle and underestimated his opponent. I watched and thought, Oh snap, even with the Shounen anime survival statistics, he might not get out of this one.

My face must have shown my tension. I could feel my expression change, and I decided I didn't care if the others in the library saw. When the screen switched to a rose losing its petals, clearly symbolic of something, I felt Knuckle's chances of survival drop.

I'd forgotten that Killua wasn't with Gon anymore.

Then, of course, came the usual, "Yay! Killua! And Knuckle is saved. And cool Killua!"

But when Killua said, "Sorry, but what is about to happen is just me blowing off some steam," I got concerned again, this time for him. It's not his coldhearted willingness to kill, or even his method of blowing off steam - that's something that he learned from childhood, and it's an old concern for me and other audience members. Still, the fact is, Killua has had to hold in his emotions, be cold and calculating, and support the team and his revenge-crazed best friend. He cares about Kite, too. And, remember, he's still a kid, a kid who had no real friends until Gon (not counting that servant girl). Now, he has several friends, and most of them have their lives on the line. Gon had helped him have moments of normalcy, helped him escape his mother's hold and the brainwashing of his brother... now, Gon is too absorbed with Pitou to give any support.

The ending frame in this week's episode. Killua looks like an
angel of vengeance, coming from heaven. I wonder if I'm reading
into it. Either way, this has the potential to completely break the
holding pattern.

Yes, selfishly, I'm excited for Killua's battle with Youpi. It looks like he's going to show us a new level of his lightning. It should be more electrifying than ever, excuse the pun. If Gon and Pitou ever fight, that will excite me, too. And I think both the original mangaka and the crew behind the anime want me to be excited. But it would be a shame to focus so much on the physical conflict that I miss the psychological. That part was carefully thought through, too, and we ought to be duly concerned.

In the process of writing this, I realize that, despite the tedious suspense abuse and overbearing narration, something wonderful is building. Gon and Killua's character development have me as in love with Hunter x Hunter as ever. It's not a blind love, but it's still there, pulsing on.

Rewind: Blue Exorcist

Every Saturday night, my Twitter feed floods with Tweets from Toonami faithful. I only follow three or four actual Toonami tweeters, but they send out more tweets that there are minutes in the shows, and they retweet others for good measure.

I could get annoyed with these tweets... but I don't. I find them entertaining, especially since I've already seen a lot of what's airing. I was especially entertained as Sword Art Online aired, and I'm kind of sad it's over. Those 140 character rants were often more fun to watch than the actual show, which I watched over the summer. 

As the Toonami Faithful said goodbye to SAO, some sadly, some with relief, they mentioned the next anime coming to Toonami: Blue Exorcist. 

I know that anime, too. I wrote about it two years ago, in one of my most popular posts. Apparently, I'm not the only one who was initially wary about its treatment of Christianity. Since it pops up in my stats, I've re-read it several times, so it's fairly fresh in my mind. Plus, Silvachief just posted a review of Blue Exorcist last week.

Basically, Blue Exorcist was the easy choice for today's Rewind post. Plus I think this might possibly get me a couple extra views, since it's more of a "current event" now. 

Rin's adoptive father, Fujimoto Shirou, tells him more about his
heritage in episode 2. I'm surprised to realize I remember this scene,
and I know it's because of the lovely visuals.

That 2012 post I linked to, "Blue Exorcist - My thoughts upon finishing it," could be called an informal review from a religious perspective and a just plain critical perspective. Looking back, I think it was a good for me to write that. It gave me practice in looking at religious elements in anime. 

I have an embarrassing moment attached to that post, though. For some reason, I assumed the original mangaka, Katou Kazue, was a man. She's not. A commenter corrected me, I thanked them, and I went back and changed all the pronouns. I now do my research properly before I list names.

My old post gives a pretty good idea of my opinion of Blue Exorcist. But I can elaborate on it. Over the past few years, I've started to see Blue Exorcist in a more positive light, probably because of positive comments and posts around the web. So, when I look back at my Anime-Planet rating, I'm surprised to realize I only gave the show a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I guess I was starting to get a little harsher with my star ratings by then. Not long before, I'd been terribly generous, giving out 5s like free candy.

I enjoyed Blue Exorcist, but, in my [past] opinion, it didn't get very far past mediocre. I plan to re-watch a few episodes on Toonami, to see what I think now. In fact, I already re-watched through part of the second episode on Crunchyroll, and I definitely looked at it in a slightly different light. It will be interesting to try the English dub. Plus, it's an excuse to use the TV in my rented room - that thing has been useless since the last episode of Sherlock aired on PBS.

I plan to use Blue Exorcist as practice more purposefully this time around. I've been thinking about what it means to thoughtfully consume media, and, in the past year, evaluating worldview and religion in media has been a theme in my classes. I've also grown a little more aware of how things look on the screen and who's behind it (only a little - baby steps). For example, I'm starting to take note of studio names; Blue Exorcist came from A-1 Pictures, as did Working!! and Servant x Service. Sure, I got it mixed up with Production I.G., but hey! I'll take the improvement, even if it's embarrassing that something so small is still a very recent accomplishment. 

ABC Award

Judge (Nick Kwan) of Moar Powah! nominated me for this award two weeks ago (read his ABC list here). I decided to participate... and then I realized how hard it actually is to write 26 things about myself using letters of the alphabet. I mean, I like writing about myself. I blab about myself all the time, but this was still difficult. Thus, the long delay in posting.

Anyway, here are the rules. I'm actually going to follow the "nominate" rule this time, even though I'm normally too shy to do that kind of thing. I spent a lot of time on this, so I can't let the chain end!

1. Download the award logo and add it to your acceptance post.

2. Nominate a few fellow bloggers and share the award.

3. Since the award is ABC, take each letter of the alphabet and use it to tell something about yourself.

Annalyn's Alphabet

A is for Anime-Planet. I talk about this website a lot, partially because it introduced me to the online anime community, and partially because it's useful. It might not have the most comprehensive collection of anime information, but it's still the site I go to the most, whether it's to get anime recommendations, make recommendations, or simply keep track of what I'm watching.

B is for blogosphere. I love that word. And twitterverse, and aniblog, and fangirl, and otakudom, and all the words that fans have adopted and merged to describe things in their world. I'm in a class about the English language right now, and we've discussed the development of language and the way words are changed and added over time. When the professor asks for examples of compound words, I want to say, "fangirl! fanservice! fanart!" When he asks about vogue affixes, I answer, "-dom is popular! Otakutom, geekdom, fandom..." He asks how the word "complex" has changed over time, and I immediately think about brother and sister complexes. I love the vocabulary I see used, so it's hard not to talk about it in class... I'm pretty sure everyone in that class would count me as an anime geek. Oh, and that's another thing - not everyone sees "geek" as a compliment! 

C is for Creative Writing. Part of the way through last semester, I finally switched my major to English: Creative Writing. I'd been messing around with undeclared, Business: Information Systems, and Math Education. I even thought I might enjoy history and perhaps a political science major. I finally came to my senses and realized that what I love to do could actually be a part of my studies and my future career. I have two English classes this semester, and I'm enjoying them. 

This is my first time taking out my pastels in a long time. I enjoy
this. Especially when, like now, I'm procrastinating on homework.

D is for Dango. I have never had a Japanese dango, but after watching Clannad and Clannad After Story, I sing about them every day. So far, I have the first five lines of "Dango Daikazoku" memorized. By the time I finished writing this post, I only had two and a half lines left to memorize. Of course, I'm learning the shortened ED version, so that it seems less overwhelming. Yes, I know this isn't impressive. But I don't speak Japanese, I'm not an auditory learner, and I don't make a habit of memorizing songs, even in English. The only other songs I have purposefully set out to memorize since middle school choir will come up under H. Also, I really like to draw members of the Dango Daikazoku. 

E is for Elements of Style. This is one of my favorite handbooks on grammar. I haven't carried it around or referenced it as much lately. That probably isn't a good thing. Now that I'm an English major, I should be relying on it and similar resources more than ever.

F is for fan. This is what I call myself: an anime fan. "Otaku" seems to imply a little more obsession than I have, and I feel it would be presumptuous of me to take the title on. Similarly, I'm not sure I qualify as a "geek," even though I identify with "geek" culture. People from real life don't typically peg me as a geek or even an anime fan. Apparently, I'm good at blending in (maybe it's because I like makeup, and I'm too much of a tightwad to spend money on clothes with anime-related prints). Then, of course, they get me talking, and then I'm pretty sure they think I'm obsessed (they clearly haven't met any true otaku, or any of the people online who awe me with their knowledge).

G is for Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. This wasn't a top favorite anime of mine, but I did write one post on it over the summer. Another post idea has been floating through my mind ever since I first watched it. I can't shake the picture of all those Hideauze babies, and I know I'll eventually have to write a post related to it, even if it leads me down a controversial path.

H is for Horrible Histories. I discovered this BBC show via YouTube, and I can't tell you how many hours I've spent looking up the shorts and music videos clipped from this show. Thanks to Horrible Histories, I now know all the monarchs of England since William the Conqueror (which is sad, considering I couldn't list all the presidents of my own country, especially not in order). I've also memorized George IV's song, and most of Richard III's (hey, I had to sing something under my breath while I washed tables at work). When our history class covers a topic mentioned in one of the Horrible Histories songs, I post the video on Facebook.

I is for Imagination. I like to imagine characters of mine in the everyday scenes around me. I know Lila would be sitting quietly to the side, perhaps chatting with those around her, while her brother stood nearby, wishing he was somewhere else. Also, coming up with something for all 26 letters of this alphabet is taking imagination. 

J is for Jesus. He's too important in my life not to be mentioned. He's the best man a girl could ask to have in her life, and as one with the Father, he's the only God worthy of the title. Even though I often disobey and ignore him, he's faithful, and our relationship continues to grow. Even now, He's watching me type this, and I like to think He's smiling.

Season 2, episode 6: Kuroko does something awsome (again)

K is for Kuroko's Basketball, one of my favorite currently airing anime. I get pretty excited during Seirin High's games.

L is for Long. This post is taking me a very, very long time to finish.

M is for Math Education. When I started college a year and a half ago, I was a math ed major. I was absolutely positive I wanted to teach math. Then I decided I didn't want to teach after all, which meant I didn't have any use for more math classes. I switched to a double major - math (because I wasn't ready to let go) and Business: Information Systems. I soon realized that, while I honestly enjoyed my economics class, buisiness wasn't for me.

N is for Naruto. Yeah, I know that was too easy. If you're new to this blog, I'll fill you in: Naruto is what got me started on anime fandom back in the summer of 2009. I still follow Naruto Shippuden, finding what joy I can in the fillers and fangirling over the main plot. However, I have not seen any of the movies, and I've only read the first volume of the manga. The movies and the manga are harder to legally get my hands on, especially since I don't want to spend the money on it. One of these days, I'll probably watch some of the movies. 

O is for okay, or O.K. I like to spell the word "okay" out when I'm writing. I feel like OK interrupts the flow of things. It's like a bright, blinking orange sign in the middle of a peaceful garden tea. But it's not wrong. In fact, since OK stands for oll korrect, it's perfectly proper to slam those two initials in the middle of an otherwise lovely paragraph. So I can't get all fussy about that when I edit, unless someone tries to use both "OK" and "okay" in the same work. I might consider "OK" to be an eyesore, but it's a matter of taste - just like zebra stripes or lawn gnomes. 

P is for Princess. Sometimes, I pretend I am a princess. I tell myself stories of adventure and romance as I lay in bed at night. I'm not a princess as often anymore. At least, I'm not one in my stories. Outside of my stories, I'm a princess and I know it. Not just the type that sits in the tower (although I have a story for that, believe me), but any type of princess I want to be.

Q is for Queen, which naturally comes after princess. Actually, I feel a little silly for not noticing this lovely fact before. Sure, it's a coincidence that Princess starts with "P" an Queen starts with "Q," but I still find this interesting.

Ground beef, pees, carrots, spinach, beef ramen, and one egg.
Delicious.

R is for Ramen. This semester, I moved out of the dorms and dropped my meal plan. Now, I have Top Ramen multiple times a week. Before you get concerned or judge-y about my eating habits, know that I love ramen nights. In anime, I noticed characters often add ingredients to their instant ramen, especially eggs. I'd seen a friend add an egg to her ramen once, but I'd never tried it. So I decided to Google the topic, and I found this article. This article opened my horizons. I don't refer to it much. Instead, I experiment on my own. Now, as I told Tumblr, I am a ramen evangelizer, seeking to tell the world the good news of instant ramen's potential.

S is for Sports anime. This might be my favorite genre, which is not something I ever expected to be true. Action, fantasy, and adventure have always drawn me, no matter what medium of storytelling is used. But sports? That's unique to anime, although my enjoyment of Kuroko's Basketball and others has made me more open minded to the topic in other fiction, and perhaps even real life. 

T is for Tumblr. It's been a couple weeks since I got one, and I still can't decide whether that was a good idea. I will say this, though: when I get several likes or a reblog, I see why people get so addicted. 

U is for United States of America. That's where I live. To be more specific, I'm on the mainland, so not Hawaii. That's about as specific as I'll get on my blog or Twitter, even though any stalkers can probably narrow it down to at least a time zone based on what I've said around the web. 

V is for Verbose. I'm a bit verbose a times... okay, a lot of the time. What can I say? I like words, and, like I mentioned at the beginning, I like to talk about myself (probably more than I should). Still, believe it or not, I value conciseness. When I'm very serious about my writing, I make liberal use of my delete key (after I've saved the more verbose version, of course, just in case I cut too much).

W is for Wattpad. I posted a few stories on Wattpad.com. Then I told my followers that I'd write a sequel to one of the novels. I finished that novel a year ago. All I have for a sequel is a chapter and a lot of prewriting. I feel somewhat sorry about that. 

X is for X TV. Apparently, that's the only anime I've watched that begins with X (I checked my Anime-Planet list since I was desperate to get this done). Well, I started xxxHolic, but I must have gotten bored, because I dropped it. That was back when I had less patience.  I remember liking X, and I remember that there was action. But I watched it some time before I got an Anime-Planet account, so I don't even have a star rating to look back on.

Y is for Yes. Yes, I am stretching to find words for all these letters.

Z is for Zip. That's the name of my first truly "special stuffie," a black and white cat my grandma gave me when I was six. Before Zip, I didn't play favorites; my newest stuffed animal always got to sleep with me. I think I felt like being attached to a special stuffie was a requirement for a kid. Eventually, I really did get attached to Zip, although she had to make room for BB two years later. BB became my top favorite and accompanied me when I got my baby K9 teeth pulled out. Both stuffed animals came with me to college. I don't need them, of course. But they help make this place home, and they're good for cuddles.

-
So, the last time I did something like this, I was too shy to nominate anyone else. But you know what? I spent a ton of time finishing this post. So I'm going to nominate people. If none of them want to do this, that's fine.

Okay. Let's see who I can come up with who hasn't already done this (or whom I've seen nominated by someone else). If I don't nominate someone who wants to do this, I'm sorry. Your name either slipped my mind, or I was too shy. Pick the option that offends you least. Both come from my quirks and have nothing to do with what you've done. So speak up if I should have nominated you!

Cajun Samurai at The Cajun Samurai
Frank at A Series of Miracles
Zeroe4 at Beneath the Tangles
R86 at Beneath the Tangles
Japes at Beneath the Tangles (Hm... I'm starting to see a pattern here...) or Japesland
Everyone else at Beneath the Tangles (I like you, but I realized that I'd have to inform all of you that you were nominated, and that's... kind of overwhelming for me, especially since some of you apparently don't have Twitter, which is my safe place... oh, and Charles has already been nominated by other people).
Rob at Christian Anime Review
Tommy Phillips at Anime Bowl

If you wish I hadn't nominated you, well it's your own fault for being a nice person and commenting or talking to me on Twitter... just kidding. You don't have to do this if you don't want to, or if you're too busy. Though, if you're less verbose than I am, this probably won't take you as long as it did me.

Rewind: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

The star of the show, Haruhi, in ep 8. Yes, she's always like this:
confident, cute, and sometimes abrasive. She tends to get her way.

It was early 2011, I believe, and I was on Anime-Planet all the time, active in the forums and frequently moving anime through my "watching" list to my "watched" list. Haruhi was a popular figure, featured in forum signatures and avatars. Her movie had just come out the year before. The year before that, a 28-episode version of the show aired.

I decided to check out The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Before I could start watching on Crunchyroll, I had to do some research. What was the difference between the 2006 version and the 2009 version? The 2006 version only had 14 episodes, so what did they change? Was one a sequel? Which one did fans recommend I watch? What were those related anime, like Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan, all about? Which one is her surname: Haruhi or Suzumiya? And why can't everyone agree which way to order her names in the translations?

I finally started watching the 2006 version of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. It was a fun ride. Unfortunately, I only remember bits and pieces of those thirteen episodes. I don't have any blog posts or even recommendations to use as sources for this post. But I know I laughed a bit and gave the show five stars (granted, I was more generous back then, so I don't know what I'd rate it now).

What I remember: poor Kyon is a normal guy surrounded by not-so-normal people. The important one, of course, is Suzumiya Haruhi. She's... well, here, read the Anime-Planet description. I'm tired, I have a cold, my memory is foggy, and I can't do Haruhi justice like this.

So, instead of saying anything else, Let me share a bit from my long-past adventures in Photoshop:

The theme for the Signature of the Week contest was "Insanity."
No, of course I didn't win, or even come close. But I had fun.

This one was just for fun. Look at those numbers! My watched
list was 83 titles long. That was quite some time ago.

I should probably get around to watching the 2009 version of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya sometime soon. I'd like to see the movie, too. Eh, I'll get to it someday.

Rewind: Brothers Conflict

Brothers Conflict fits completely in the reverse harem category. I used to enjoy the genre. The Wallflower was one of my favorite anime. La Corda D'Oro, Ouran High School Host Club, and Hanasakeru Seishounen all got high ratings from me, too. But in the past year or two, reverse harems haven't hit the right note for me.

A screenshot from the OP, showing "Chii" and all the brothers. Yes,
the one in the red dress is a brother. 

I suspect that I've grown out of this type of anime, at least to some extent. Cheap tricks like a collection of fawning bishounen can't woo me anymore. But a good anime, reverse harem or not, shouldn't need to rely solely on cheap tricks. Plus, I'm not the only one who was dissatisfied with Brothers Conflict. The average rating on Anime-Planet is 2.62 out of 5 stars (I gave it 1.5). Considering the high ratings that Anime-Planet users gave other reverse harem anime, I think it's safe to say that my dislike of it isn't just due to changing tastes.

In Brothers Conflict, a teenage girl, Hinata Ema (I'll call her Chii, since that's the name I remember her by best), suddenly gets thirteen stepbrothers. Most of them fall madly in love with her. Thankfully, the youngest and a couple of the oldest keep their relationships brotherly, so the anime doesn't cross the age line too badly.

However, plenty of lines are still crossed. One of the boys, a year or so younger than Chii, is a narcissistic, abusive pop star named Futo. He sexually harasses Chii, and she doesn't do much to put him in his place. At one point, while she sleeps, he seriously considers assaulting her, even going so far as to undo the top button of her pajamas. He's a sleazy kid, and his actions are never properly condemned, let alone punished.

Futo's the worst, but he's not the only one to cross the line. A few of the brothers kiss Chii. It's inappropriate enough as step-siblings, but these brothers do it with absolutely no consideration for Chii's wishes or needs. She clearly does not return their lust (not love, lust, no matter what they claim). She loves them as a sister should love her new brothers, except she doesn't assert her rights and boundaries. It never seems to enter her mind that these boys have wronged her.

Chii is a typical doormat character: selfless, helpful, and a good cook. I like her physical design. Her style reminds me of high school girls I've known. And they made her a gamer, probably in an effort to make her more relatable to viewers who are geeks (or just plain have personalities). But I spent most of the show telling her to smack Futo, go to the police, and/or move into a friend's house until she graduates.

This is not, in my mind, a romance show. At best, it's a family drama. I watched it to the end, but only because I decided to be stubborn and finish what I started. The OP had a catchy, upbeat tune, at least.

Oh, and by the way, there's a talking squirrel in this show. Just thought you should know that before I end this post.

Kuroko's Basketball 2: "I Believe"

I doubt that people will get more excited about the Super Bowl today than I got about Kuroko's Basketball last night. The title of the episode, "I Believe," turned out to be fitting as I struggled to believe my favorite basketball team would win. 

Most of the time, Twitter is sufficient for my reactions to singe episodes of anime. Last night, after I watched Kuroko's Basketball, Twitter wasn't enough for me. I had too much to say. I thought about posting my thoughts here, but chose Tumblr instead, since I thought an episodic post would be out of sync with recent posts. 

But since when am I worried about continuity in writing style? I've posted rambles, Naruto Shippuden fangirling, reviews, poems, and deeper editorials, all on this same blog. I like the mix, and I shouldn't restrain myself now.

So here. Here's what I wrote on Tumblr last night. I think it's proof of how good Kuroko's Basketball is. It's amazing - a basketball game can get me more worked up than a life-and-death battle.

Spoiler Warning for Kuroko's Basketball 2, episode 17.

I admit it: I lost hope during the second half of this week's Kuroko's Basketball. Aomine entered the Zone, and as much as I wanted to believe in Seirin, my heart was already dropping.

I tucked my knees up against my chest and wrapped my arms around them. Maybe by hanging onto my knees, I was telling the Seirin team to hang on, too. Maybe the suspense was simply making me tense. Maybe I was comforting myself in advance, preparing for the loss I didn't want to believe would come.

This is the kind of tension I had when Naruto fought Pain two years ago, or when a certain character's life hung by a thread in Clannad After Story.

It's just a game, though, isn't it? I mean, yeah, if Kuroko and the gang lose, they'll be disappointed, but they'll be okay, right?

But it's not just a game. It's Kiyoshi's last chance to play in a high school tournament. It's the first time Aomine has been truly challenged in... forever, probably. And I get the sense that if they can't beat Aomine and his team now, then maybe they never will. My heart is tangled with this game. I know their hearts are in it even more.

So I didn't want to give up.

When Kagami asked to go one-on-one with Aomine, I began to have a spark of hope. Maybe Kagami can break a wall within him in these last few minutes. Maybe.

I hugged my knees and watched.

Stop thinking so much! I thought. Just play. Just get into the game!

Could he do it?

Maybe he wasn't ready after all.

Then, something snapped into place. It wasn't an audible snap, but it was there. Kagami's thoughts accumulated, not to a distracting mess, but to a point of action that broke beyond the thoughts.

I felt it. Then he moved.

The lightning flashed in his eyes.

My breath caught. I didn't breath normally for at least a full minute, I'm sure. I let go of my knees, then hugged them close again.

He's joined Aomine in the Zone.

They might actually have a chance in these last few minutes.

They might.

The episode ended like that. Of course it did. The person in charge of episode pacing just cut it off there, leaving us hanging. I can imagine them as a dark figure laughing manically in some dimly lit studio.