anime review: ao haru ride

ao haru ride.....

my reaction when someone introduced me a shoujo anime: it's just the same storyline, right... cliche and overused, right?

though, i must say, there's really nothing impressive much about this anime, it managed to keep me hooked up till the end.

i'm not saying that this anime is bad, it was good even, especially to shoujo lovers. but it really wasn't my cup of tea.

the plot is kinda nice but in my opinion, it keep reusing the same formula. their on and off relationship, which i dont really get. the pace was slow but a bit rushed to the end. and futaba talks/thinks so much... i guess that is normal because this is shoujo anime and she's the main character.... but we only got a little peek on what Kou is really thinking and feeling.  their past relationship that was revealed little by little and the secrets that Kou is hiding....
to be honest, i can't relate with Futaba. maybe this is the reason why i don't really get this anime.

the art and animation was nice, as expected from shoujo anime. at least, this anime don't have too much of those sparking, kira-kira background moment.

the music. the openingand ending was okay and nice. but the song that i really love is the one in background, I Will by Chelsy... i don't know why but the melody just get my attention so much, better than the opening and ending.

in all, i'd give the anime 6/10, which is quite high for a shoujo anime in my book.

book review: 13 reasons why

Review:
"I have something i need to talk to you" these words usually made us think all the bad things we have done. This is practically what Hannah Baker said to the peoples on her list.
"I have something i need to talk to you, you are part of the cause of my suicide,"

And Clay jensen are one of the peoples who received the tapes.

This novel is a series of event told by a dead girl to those who matters. Those who had in one way or another leave a mark on her life, her confident and her self. This is her tell-all stories. Of secrets and crimes and what should have and should not have happened. A mystery and eulogy.

Upon picking this book, i was wondering if i can really understanding it. Did i have to go few pages back to understanding the story? Fortunately not. Even with the two narratives, this book was easy to understand. The two narratives was weaved smoothly that even it was on the same paragraph, i can imagine myself as Clay and as Hannah.

Easy to understand doesn mean that is is really a simple story. No, it was much more deep and complicated than that. I can imagine one night on clay's life where he's gone from one star to another, reliving the story from hannah's point of view.
His fear and anxiety of where do he really belongs in this series of tapes. What is the possible truth that hannah know about him or relating to him. Why he was obsessed to her and her voice-recorded tapes.

And hannah, why did she do that. Taking on her own life. Leaving series of voice recorded tapes to them and make them.listen to it. Spilled some secrets. Make them see each other in new light (or dark, for that matter).

What you really did do and didn't do, Clay Jensen?

anime reviews: psycho Pass

Anime title: psycho-pass

Episodes: 22

Director: Naoyoshi Shiotani

Series composition: gen urobuchi

The series has been on watch list for too long. I just didn’t find the right time to watch it. But because of the persuasion from a friend, I did. Two words, mind-blowing.

Plot:

In the future, a new way was developed in order to valued a human stata of mind and personality. The information was computed and processed as Psycho-pass, a meter to measure wheter a man is suitable in the society or not and their destiny. The story revolves around, a group of CID officers and Enforcers who work to as the police to uphold the system, putting the people the system deemed unsuitable away from the society and  managing crime in the somewhat, perfect world.

Characters:

Main

Tsunemori akane: a newly appointed CID officer. Have to dela head first into a serious case and at the  workers. Very bright nad always have positive Psycho-pass readings.

Shinya Kogami: a latent-criminal in the eye of Sybil systems. Work as an enforcers along with tsunemori Akane and the others. Have a very good hunch over criminal analyzing. He is as good as the criminal himself.

Nobuchika Ginoza: another detective and the group. A senior to Akane, he is very keen on maintaining the hierarchy order between the detectives and the Enforcers

Shougo makishima: the anti-sybil. He is as manipulative as it can get.

All I can say is the characters design is quite usual. The newly CID,  the old, yet wise hound and the slippery criminal.

Setting:

Time setting: 2111

Place setting: future Tokyo

Society setting: the age where technologies can control every aspects of human lives and human just live their laives as deemend suitable for the by the Sybil system. It was considered the perfect world, where the crime is nearly sero and everybody have their own happiness by the path chosen for them.

Music:

Nice use of some classical pieces as BGM, even those that we can consider unfitting.

The openings was quite grasping the essence of the series and the endings are perfect answer to it.

Art style/animations:

Considering the time and place setting, I have to say the art is quite nice and suitable for the future that we imagined. Though, I sould really mention that this series is quite graphic. Yet the gore, didn’t take over the anime that make it into a horror anime.

The animation is well done in my opinion. I think the animators and director did do the animations for certain things other animators and directors wouldn’t. especially in the fight scenes.

References:

I’ve never wrote about the references in anime before but this I just cant resist.

There are quite a few writers, artists and philosophers were quoted in the series. And i am ashamed that I didn’t know nearly half of them.

The most notables ones are Shakespeare and plato. A writer and philosopher respectively. Shakespeare, well-know for his dark humour and beautiful tragedies and Plato, who philosophy made us question the meaning of life.

There are alwo a few books reference in this series, all in which philosophical and in a way questioned human wort and value.

Theme:

To me, the theme of the series is technology and humanity.

My reviews:

After watching this anime I cant help but categorize the characters into these categories.

Kami: Sybil system

Tenshi: WMPSB

Akuma: shogo makishima

Ningen: the society

Via the sybyl system, the society has become the perfect world and the perfect beings. The Tenshi help to uphold the system and the akuma wants to stir the system.

And I thought about something that is related to us all. Can human values be controlled and determine by the system that was created by human? What is the ideal human? we are valued everyday, in schools via test and exams and in workplace. But, was the value really matter to us?

I’ve always know that humans are not black and white. We are the shades of grey. Something that we perceived as right maybe is wrong in the eyes of another and vice versa. In this anime, the right to be grey was revoked by the system. You are either balck or white. Human are valued and determined whether they can be with the perfect society or not.

Deeper into the anime, I thought, was Sybil syetem really the kami of the society. Was WMPSB really the tenshi. And what is Shogo Makishima is right in a way? What is all the roles was messed up?

I value the live I have now. Yes, I made afew mistakes but that is life. Without mistakes you’ll never learnt. But, Sybil system didn’t even allow you even think about mistakes. You just have to be perfect, as directed by the system. Sucks to be in that kind of society.

Makishima seems to realize this. He realized that the value of human can be determined by the system alone. We may thought makishima as the bitter loner, isolated by the system. Even the system wanted to erase his existence. He do things to stir the system to shows that he is not affected by the systemand other people shouldn’t too. Along the way, he realized that Sybil system cant really determine human value. It was all just computation programmed. It’s just that he took the much more drastic way, befitting those writers he quoted.

In the end, no matter how perfect the system is human are better because we have judgement and we are all have shades of grey inside us.

new place, new life,

first of all, my blog hasn't been personal for so long. i used it to do review on books, movies and anime but i rarely post about anything about me. and it really went against the real point of the blog. in my defence, i always thought that my life was boring and there's nothing exciting to share with. even the reviews are getting lesser. i did watch movies and anime and read books, but i don't find any motivation to post a review about it. plus my internet was shitty.

but now, back on how my life progressed so far. i just finished my studies in a teaching college in Kuala Terengganu and now after 4 months of being unemployed, i am working as a teachers S.K Taman Dato' Harun (Satu), petaling Jaya, selangor. i was excited but at the same time, nervous as hell.
i mean, i was raised in countryside and to live in a bustling city with the highest rate of population really got me off my edge.
for now, i live in a rented room with my friend. i was lucky because she is with me. we went to the same college so i was at some point relaxed. and she used to live in selangor so she showed me bit and pieces about living here.

i wanted to be a teacher since i was you, so i was glad, no more like, i AM EXCITED!!!! i feel like i was walking in the air right now. is it even real? so for now, i must try to work my best so that i can be a good teacher. for now i'm teaching a jumbled subjects like science, english, PE, Health education, art and civic.

being an official teacher is a lot more hard work compared to during practical time. now, there a no lecturer to cover you asses when you got more that 40 periods a week. and the workload.... i just say i was a bit lucky compared to my friends. yet students were all the same to me. same extra energy to burn, making me tired after each class. but i must say i had fun.

good morning, class

moving to Petaling Jaya also give me a chance to meet my friends from high school. and it was our first reunion since 2008. i am glad i've got to meet them.

anime review: watashi ga motenai no wa dou kangaetemo omaera ga warui

when i started this anime i was hoping for a buck load of laughs. i do get them, but after each laugh, i bury my head in shame. this anime really prick on my consciousness.  as a minor case of misfit myself, i can relate to the main character, Kuroki Tomoko. i really pity her and at the same time i want to "shout get over it, dumbass!"

what make this story hilarious is that Tomoko is disgustingly positive with herself and always ended up in disastrous and hilarious result. she had a seemingly foolproof plan for the day but it always went haywire thanks to her inability to talk to people around her.

Tomoko has a serious case of shyness and had a nervous breakdown when people talking to her or when she tried to talk to people. in this anime, Tomoko was not bullied. there are always people around her that was nice to her but she close herself up because of her shyness. i laugh in a lot of scene but then i buried by head in the pillow and think, why is she like that? she reminded me of something in my younger days and i hate that.

the opposite case of Tomoko is her middle school friends Naruse Yuu. she and tomoko both were once an otaku and quite a misfit but she breaks her shell nicely and become a butterfly. tomoko could do the same but in my opinion, she didn't even break her shell. she didn't even really try or maybe she had expected that she would fail so she didn't even bother trying.

here's a little tidbit of the anime:

the plot is about a high school first year trying to become popular. she had simulations on it many times and confident that it will work out but the moment someone talks to her, she had a nervous breakdown. even a simple conversation is hard on her. but she didn't give up and formulate plans after plans, albeit failed to execute it as she hoped.

the animation is this story really center around Tomoko so the animators wahsed out the background and the other characters. but there are also times when the one being washed out is Tomoko. it is to show how she didn't feel like she didn't belong there.

the opening make me expect a fighting scene of some angsty lines but there are none. the ending song was either this one cute pop song on how she feel or random songs that fit the moment. i kinda like the idea of putting random songs in it because it gave a fresh feel and it relate to the episode quite well.

watamote is a hard slap on reality on our face. we are either Tomoko or we know a Tomoko. we are either helping them or we ignore them. we know that Tomoko need help and there are times when we really wanted to reach our hands to her. but then come the Tomoko side of story, which she unknowingly rejected people's help and build a fence around herself.


it was funny and sometime it was depressing especially for those who had  experience of being a missfit. it wasn't an emotional rollercoater but at the end of every scene i look back into myself and feel depressed. for the anime to be able to bring out the deepest feeling and dark secret of the person watching it, it was a really good anime.

anime review: monogatari (1st season)

i have already read the light novels of this series and to be honest i kinda watched it according to the time flow of the novel, not the release sequence of the anime.
the story center around Araragi koyomi, o boy who was turned into a vampire then turned back to being human. after he return back to normal human it seems like he life got involve with more Kai (oddities/monster/ spiritual being). this story tell his journey in helping those affected by the Kai and the stor of the Kais itself.

what really got me hooked up on this is two things. the first one is the involvement of supernatural beings in the series. a guess every girl love supernatural things. what make it much more enjoyable is that you could reseach on the kais on your own. the idea of using japanesse kai and folklore really make this story stand out.

the second thing that got me hooked up is the animation. the animator of this anime is shaft studio. i like how they just eliminate unnecessary characters in the anime, even it is a scene in the school but there was no other students, just araragi and whichever girl (hitagi/hanekawa/kanbaru) he was dealing with. i figure out that everything that appear in the anime is related to the story, wheter to emphasis or to give a clue on something. oh and, don't forget the head tilt. only shaft can do it and it convey different emotions,

the plot:
to tell the truth the plot was kinda messed up for first timer.  i already read the light novels so i can understand it quite well. basically it is a story of a former vampire, dealing and helping girls that was affected by Kai or spiritual beings. in a way it seem like those who was affected by kai will always ended up meeting Araragi, or he himself seemed to attract those who was affected by kai.

characters:

araragi koyomi- a boy who was attacked by a vampire and became and vampire during his spring break before third year. with the help of oshino meme and hanekawa tsubasa, he gained his mortality back along with few vampire traits.
he is an honest person and selfless, often hurting himself in order to save the girls. after the mayoi snail arc, he and senjougahara hitagi started going out.

Senjougahara hitagi- one of the girls that was affected by the kai, the Burden/Weight Crab, causing her to lose her  weight. Araragi helped her to gain her weight back and since the she was thankful to him. she consider herself a tsundere and quite abusive towards Araragi Koyomi, even after dating. however she seemed much more normal and opened up after the Tsukuhi Pheonix Arc. despite being abusive, she really loves Araragi Koyomi.

Hanekawa Tsubasa- the epitome of goodness. she is the class representatives in Araragi class. she is so righteous that it sickened oshino memes. however, in Nekomonogatai, it is revealed that Hanekawa has a serious family issues. an issues big enough that a bakeneko possesed her and harmed her parents and lots of civillian in order to release her stress. hanekawa is smart and knows alot of things with her taglile 'i don't know everything, i just know what i know'. araragi first thinks he was in love with her but Araragi Tsukihi said that he just lusted after her. however, she is one among the peoples Araragi trust and cared so much, mainly because he owe her a life debt.

Araragi karen- the middle child of the Araragi household. she is into martial arts and had a lot of energy to spend. she is a part of the fire sister and always ready to uphold justice. she is a bit of hot headed, a trait that caused her to be bitten by the kai bee that caused her a terrible fever.

Araragi Tsukihi- the youngest of the araragi siblings. she is sweet like any younger sister should be but also prone to histerics. she loves to do indoor activity and also part of the fire sister. in Nisemonogatari, it is revealed that, tsukihi is not really their sister but a pheonix llike kai that had taken a residents in their mother's womb and born as Araragi Tsukihi. this pheonix like ability gave her a regenerative ability.

HAchikuji mayoi- a elementary schooler that Araragi met at the park on mother's day. she is playful and always mispronounce Araragi's name. Mayoi is actually a lost snail kai that led those who didn't want to go home astray, a role even she herself didn't like. after the help from Araragi and Hitagi, she become the wandering ghost, which suit her best because she can travel around. while being the lost snail kai, only Araragi and Hanekawa can see her. implying that both teenagers didn't want to go home.

Kanbaru Suruga- a star basketball player that was in love with Hitagi. Kanbaru was affected by the Rainy devils, a power that make her tried to kill Araragi because of her jelousy towards him for being with Hitagi. kanbaru is boyish and always bright and positive.

Oshino Meme- a kai experts that helped Araragi gain his mortality back. he is the man that araragi will consult any girl with kai problems to him.

Oshino Shinobu- a former vampire that bit Araragi and caused him to become a vampire. when araragi return to his mortality, she alse stripped of her power, leaving her in a child body. she suck Araragi blood daily so that she can stay alive. in akemonogatari, she stay silent and brooding in a corner but in nisemonogatari, she lives in Araragi shadows and speak. she has an obsessive fondness of donuts.

Sengoku Nadeko- araragi junior and also one of his childhood friends (friend of his sisters). Sengoku was affected by double curses from both her friend and a boy that she rejected. she had a crush on Araragi and Kanbaru called her the final boss (in relation to Araragi love life)

arts:
the arts was simply stunning. the fact that Shaft used a lot of geometric elements in this make it quite exceptional compared to other anime. it uses the colour that is bright and vivid on the gray background.

music:  the opening song is different on each arc. i like it that way because it won't be redundant. the animation during the opening is also related to the girl in the arc, it gives the hist of the girls feeling and characteristic.

all in all, it is a must watch for those who love anime based on supernatural. the fact that it wasn't gloomy make it much more enjoyable. it is supernatural but it is not represented in a ghost story mode.

anime review: Yahari ore no seishun love comedy wa machigatteiru

or Oregairu for short. it just a fad for Japanese visual novel this days to have a long titles.

i watched this anime a few days back on a recommendation by some people. and, let me be honest. i totally can relate to hikigaya hachiman. his views on youth is twisted yet for me he was more on the realistic side, plus a bit of pessimistic attitude.

hachiman was forced to join a club by his teacher and there he met with the school ice queen, Yukino Yukinoshita. the purpose of the club is to help any students that ask for help (the volunteer club). then they met Yui yuigahama, a cheerful girl. together, they started to help various students settled various issues.

plot:

i don't think highschoolers can settle this =_=''

the plot in this anime is big on yuigahama (jk :3). the plot is the usual 'introduction, climax and ending' formula, yet to me the ending was quite shallow and it din't really wrap up the story (season 2, incoming? maybe?) however i like it. i find the story is easy to understand. it maybe centered around quite a difficult issue but they made it easy to understand. i  like how Hachiman tried to help the students that came to the club and at the same time didn't really lost his character. he became from the unknown student to hated students just so that he can express his ideas and feeling. and truthfully, the words he spouted is the same that other students are thinking yet only he is able to say it out loud. along the way, we can see Hachiman slowly build a friendship with Yukino and Yui and some other character.

art:
the art was nice but it has nothing to write home about. is the same old anime style.

music:
the opening and ending fit with the anime quite well. but i wasn't really hyped about it.

characters: (i decided to copy paste the description from myanimelist.com because i don't want to lose the real point of this anime.

hachiman hikigaya

Hachiman is the story's main protagonist, an isolated, friendless boy who is pragmatic to a fault. His most prominent feature is his set of "dead fish-eyes". He firmly believes that "youth" is simply an illusion created by hypocrites, for hypocrites, born from the ashes of past failures. In this state of apparent corruption, he is coerced into joining the Service Club by his futures advisor in the hopes that exposing him to the world will change his personality, and ultimately make him a "better person". He is called "Hikki" affectionally by Yui.

(Source: Vistrans, yahari wikia)
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/character/67065/Hachiman_Hikigaya#rCbGBZPZjHET3SBd.99

to me, i can relate ti hikigaya especially his blunt/ sharp tongued character. i'm like that too..

Yukino yukinoshita:

Yukino is the leader of the Service Club, of which she is the sole member until Hachiman joins her. She is smart, beautiful, and is nicknamed the "Ice-cold Beauty" for her icy demeanor. She has a twisted sense of "noblesse oblige", and believes that it is the duty of the exceptional (in other words, herself) to help the "lost lambs" of the world. Her personality often leads her to be disgusted at the naivety of others, particularly Yui's, and she does not hesitate to show it. Despite this, Yui still affectionately calls her "Yukinon".
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/character/67067/Yukino_Yukinoshita#6DjIW2ytaXAU3SRw.99

yui yuigahama

Yui is a cheerful, outgoing girl who becomes the Service Club's first "customer", asking them to help her bake cookies for "a certain someone". Her problems lie not with her personality, but with her inability to deal with issues by herself. She believes that talent is inborn, and often aspired to be like others until Yukino changed her way of thinking. Following her experience with the Service Club, Yui begins to attend Service Club sessions after school as well, despite Yukino's objections early on.

Read more at http://myanimelist.net/character/67069/Yui_Yuigahama#pd2wTEoIQCSCWsx6.99


all in all, i say that this is a good anime and really recommend it especially to teenagers that still looking for their own place in this world with the message GET REAL!

and oh, i LOVE the quotes in this anime, especially Hachiman's.