There was a time when I liked Ken Akamatsu’s “Love Hina” because the story was somewhat cute (especially for a gal person like me who likes the idea of keeping old promises since childhood). Unfortunately, it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me and as the series went on, I grew tired of it (heck, I sort of forgot the ending of it, I think). So when we saw his latest work “Magister Negi Magi” (or Negima for short), I wasn’t very excited about it, the first reason being the fact that I saw Keitaro and Naru clones in the cover page. But for the heck of it, we decided to try it out anyway.
And I’m happy we did. Negima’s story was by far, much better and funnier than its predecessor. Though there were some flaws, it’s an overall good story. And with the right timing because of the Harry Potter hype. Negi seems to be Japan’s answer to the currently most popular boy magician. ^^;;
But Negi does not go to school and learn magic (well, he did but not now), instead he’s just in a regular school and is actually a part of the school faculty. Hailing all the way from England, Negi’s mission when he graduated from magic school was to be a Japanese school teacher. So off our 10-year-old hero to Japan where he got assigned in Mahora Academy (probably the biggest and most luxurious all-girls school I’ve ever seen).
While the class of 2-A find the idea of having a child teacher adorable, one girl is obviously against it – the Naru-clone Kagurazaka Asuna. The girl has a killer crush on their middle-aged teacher and she won’t let him be replaced by some brat. However, because of some unfortunate circumstances, Asuna witnessed Negi’s display of magic and must keep it a secret or else Negi gets in big trouble. Thus, the start of their chaotic relationship.
Ken Akamatsu seems to love putting lots of obligatory fan service shots in his work (read: panty and naked-ish girls shots) which are in my opinion, unnecessary but I guess it had become a trademark in his work ^^;;. But other than that, the whole story is quite amusing as well as the bevy of cute and unique students of Negi’s. It’s worth the buy because the volume includes a lot of extra information like Japanese/English references as well as Ken’s character sketches.
I thought that the hype and the rave over newcomer singer Kitchie Nadal would not last long. Sure, her debut single “Wag na Wag mong Sasabihin” was a phenomenal hit thanks to the combined powers of superb lyrics/tune and the fact that it was used as the theme song for one of the most popular and unforgettable Korean dramas in the Philippines (Lovers in Paris). But after that, I thought that Kitchie Nadal might just be a one-hit wonder. Thank goodness I was wrong. I think I’ve become one of her fans. ^^;;
I first heard of “Same Ground” through MYX. It was definitely one of the most frequently played music videos in order to promote the song. The video got me interested because it showed a different side of Kitchie compared to her rocker and slightly no-care-about-appearance and poorly-fixed-hair image (she was featured as a somewhat fairy slash princess in this video).
The song lyrics are a little complex for me but you’ll get used to it (if you listen to it many times like I did, lol). There are two versions of “Same Ground”, one is the piano version (which was used for her music video and the one I’m sharing here) and the probably original version which has a slow pop beat.
Anyone who has seen the anime "Victorian Romance Emma" would find this bgm very familiar. It's probably the perfect instrumental for the series. Aptly entitled "Emma" after the protagonist, this song has two other variations - a harpsichord and piano version. This one that I'm sharing is the original version and in my opinion, the best one among them.
The song is frequently played all through out the series and especially during really nice scenes like when Emma brushes her hair and takes a rest after a day's work or when she reflects (and blushes, kya~) about William. It's a really uber-great instrumental song. *gushes* Perfect for ze love day today. Happy Valentines! XD
First off, I seem to have a fondness over cat-inspired boys. I love Fruits Basket's Kyou, I find Loveless' Aoyagi Ritsuka adorable (complete with ears and tail) and somehow I find Saotome Ranma's phobia over cats funny (but I love it when he got possessed by the cat and he snuggles to Akane, hee!). So when I found that there's a series by Gonzo about another cat-inspired dude, I checked it out as soon as possible.
The story of "Black Cat" started off as somewhat cliche to me. The main character, Train Hearnett (ze cat boy), is a lone wolf type of guy who works as a member of an assassin organization called Chronos where he is known by his number "XIII" and the code name "Black Cat"). But after a twist of events and tragedies, Train realized that he would very much prefer to have freedom and he'll be able to get that by leaving Chronos. Unfortunately, the organization and its members are not willing to let him off that easily - especially his sort of partner-in-crime Creed Diskenth who became so obsessed with getting the old heartless Train back (really, he's an obsessed freak when Train is concerned) that he ended up being quite a delusional character.
Train has his own band of co-members to join - the eccentric but well-meaning Sven Vollfied, the innocent bio-weapon Eve and the busty and energetic Rinslet Walker. Together, they meet more comrades (some were former enemies) that came in handy when they discover that what they were actually fighting a much bigger opponent than what they expected.
Perhaps what made me a little disappointed of this series is the slow pacing of the story. Too many characters were introduced but not much about their background was revealed and you're left wondering if they even had a role at all. All in all, it was somewhat a forgettable series for me.
The background music was satisfactory - the composer was the same person who did the jazzy music of the "Read or Die" series. The graphics and art were of course, very good since "Black Cat" was handled by Gonzo but other than that, I'm afraid I wasn't too impressed with this series.
A-chan's rating for Black Cat: 6.4 / 10
Today's photocards feature has a bit of everything. A card with a single character, a pair and a group. ^_^
First up is a very adorable chibi-fied Tezuka Kunimitsu from The Prince of Tennis. I just love the chibi versions of the PoT characters but Tezuka is especially the cutest (read: No nose! hahaha). Even in chibi form, Tezuka is not smiling, dang. Ah well, he got distorted enough in the chibi episodes so it's okay, lol. ^_^
Next is a pair. A very nice-looking pair. I haven't seen Gundam Seed yet (only got as far as three episodes, gyahaha) but I think Lacus and Kira look really good together (of course, my muddled head would also find Kira and Athrun nice together but that's an entirely different story, lol). The colors of Gundam Seed is very...vibrant. :)
And last, a group picture, featuring the wacky Ranma 1/2 main characters. :D I love P-chan to bits and I feel sorry for Ryoga in many ways but I'm still a Ranma-Akane advocate (and sometimes Ranma-Ukyo but well, there's Akane, hahaha). I hated Shampoo in many episodes but she's cute with Mousse. :P I think Ranma-chan (girl version) is criminally cute! Sometimes I wish she stays that way, hahaha. But then there won't be a Ranma/Akane pair anymore sooo... :D I just love that episode when Ranma-guy got possessed with his fear of cats and ended up giving a cat-smooch to Akane. Kyaaaaa! So cute! XD
Yatta, a rock song, lol. When I hear about Aerosmith, I am bombarded with nostalgic images of high school life, hahaha. Anyway, I like most of the songs that Aersomith popularized (like "Pink", that's one cute song, lol) but "Hole in My Soul" is definitely my top favorite.
Probably, one of the more emotional-type songs by this band, "Hole in My Soul" talks about a persona who got heartbroken and emotionally depressed. He feels that there is a big void left in his heart - thus the title "hole in my soul".
I think the music video for this song was quite good and suitable too. It featured a nerdy guy who kept on trying to find the girl who is right for him. He is accompanied by an equally nerdy girl who listens and silently watches his futile attempts. The guy even went as far as to build a machine to produce his "perfect girl". Sadly, all of these inventions were a failure. At the end of the video, he realizes that it was the nerdy girl who was the perfect match for him. ^_^ Haha, cute, ne? :)
