This movie in particular was recommended to me by my brother most likely because of my personal interests are very evident in this awesome live-action graphic novel adaptation. Music, specifically playing the bass guitar (there are band battles and Scott Pilgrim is in a band and plays bass), Games (the movie runs like a video game with video game SFX, and enemies turning into coins when stamped out) and a lot of Game-based awesome action scenes. To be exact, the Universal Studios intro playing on 8-bit music and the short Zelda track at the beginning of the movie instantly got my "gamer blood" raging. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. What really kept my eyeballs glued to the screen was the movie's lead female, Ramona Flowers... ahhh.. <3

   
Toradora! is one of the most memorable, and one of the best romance series I've ever watched. Though romance really isn't my thing, Toradora! gave me a far different and permanent impression. The progression of the storyline, the timely execution of the plot twists combined with the characters' dramatic outbursts and a perfect dose of comedy definitely had me going on a roller-coaster of  emotions.


The story starts out as Takasu Ryuuji enters his second year of high school and tries his best to clear his image of all misconceptions about his personality by altering his "yankee" (delinquent)  looks (which his mother, Yasuko - who claims she's eternally twenty-three, is so proud of, having Ryuuji inherit his real gangster father's looks). Obviously, a little hair gel didn't do the trick and his eyes still give off an aura of trouble causing fear among other students. Luckily, he's classmates with his old friend Kitamura Yuusaku who's willing to help him clear up again his image in the new class and his ultimate crush, the cute and hyper airhead Kushieda Minori. But the misconceptions of his personality blew off unexpectedly quick after his first encounter with the infamous "Palmtop Tiger", Aisaka Taiga whom he accidentally bumped in the hallway, taken an instant dislike to his disgusting "yankee" face and sent him face flat on the ground with a single knockout punch. Turns out Ryuuji wasn't that tough after all. What's worse is Taiga also happened to be in his class and is Minori's best friend. Way to go Ryuuji.

Crazy romance ensues as Ryuuji found out Taiga coincidentally lives next door after a violent, late evening encounter regarding a misplaced love letter for Kitamura and an exchange of secrets on who their crushes are. They then settled on an agreement to help each other out in winning the objects of their affections. Ryuuji also found out that Taiga lives alone due to family issues, doesn't know domestic chores and lives mostly on convenience store food. So, Ryuuji being the nice and helpful guy he actually is, cooked good food for Taiga and even cleaned out her messy apartment (not to mention her hellspawn-ridden nasty kitchen sink). Taiga, taking advantage of the fact that Ryuuji would do absolutely anything in order to get closer to Minori and would even follow her like a loyal dog to do so, turns it into a master-slave relationship and decides to spend most of her time at Ryuuji's enjoying free meals and the warmth of a real family.

As they try to help improve each other out for their crushes, the more they were seen together, and the next thing they knew, rumors spread like wildfire that they were a couple. Well from there on, things began to move in a different direction as the two slowly got along more and more with each other.

 

There's something in this world nobody has seen yet.
And if you had been able to put your eyes on it, then you would yearn for it.
For this world has hidden it quite well, so that it is difficult to obtain.
But at some point someone will find it.
And only those who should obtain it will be able to find it.
That's just how it is.

    
I chanced upon Welcome to the NHK! (the anime series that is since there's a manga and a light novel) in a very unusual manner. I happened to be looking at some anime terms and japanese jargon (since I'm learning Nihongo) in Wikipedia when I found the term "Hikikomori". Basically it means a "shut-in" kind of person with some social issues. Upon reading further it references to some anime characters as examples. Nakahara Sunako from "The Wallflower" (its Shoujo. Personally I'm not into Shoujo) and Tatsuhiro Satou of this anime. I'd admit this touches a personal side of me thus, my curiosity in taking a peek at Satou-kun's life. Truth be told, It was way better than I expected and I was in for some reality shock.
  

Welcome to the NHK! is a dark albeit comic series about the unchanging and miserable life of a certain hikikomori, Tatsuhiro Satou and his struggle to escape the clutches of what he believes is the reason for him becoming a hikikomori, the NHK which stands for "Nihon Hikikomori Kyoukai". (Japanese Hikikomori Association, not the japanese cable TV channel) He meets Misaki Nakahara, a young girl who happened to be doing religious rounds of solicitation in his apartment building. Misaki assured Satou that he can escape his miserable hikokomori life through her help and wanted Satou to become the subject of her "project" of hikikomori recovery support. Misaki hands Satou a contract regarding their daily counseling sessions and other things in relation to his hikikomori recovery and also indicates the fine of 1 million yen in case of a breach in the contract. With some trouble though Satou did sign afterwards in hopes of its success in relieving him from the clutches of the NHK.



Satou also meets people from his high school. His former high school junior Yamazaki happened to have been living next door to his apartment room and quite similar to Satou is living as a hardcore otaku. He also happened to come across his former senpai (senior) Hitomi who is responsible for introducing him to the thought of conspiracies. Like Satou, Hitomi has been emotionally troubled. She admitted to Satou she had been relying on some drugs to inhibit her depression and anxiety and even recommended some to him. Satou, still in his right mind, promptly declined.




As the story progresses, Satou discovers many life lessons and insights as he deals with the sad realities of life, not only in his personal problems as a first-class hikikomori, but also the intense emotions and different problems of the characters and other people which eventually lead to bigger ones and drastic measures of escape.



One of the most highly-rated and acclaimed anime series out there, I couldn't agree more. Like many critics say, this is fitting enough to become than just a TV series and is on par with J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" with Tatsuhiro Satou comparable to Holden Caulfield of the said novel. Without a doubt, it perfectly touches the events surrounding the life and thoughts of a hikikomori. (from me who experienced the same stuff firsthand) This definitely deserves my praise (for giving me extreme emotional highs and lows, cries and laughs) and being my number one and most favorite anime series of all time.
  
Oh yeah, the opening theme "Puzzle" by Round Table ft. Nino is cool too!
  

     
Female knights galore! Well, my fetish for ladies clad in knight's armor got the best of me the instant I saw some images and background description on this anime series. True enough, the numerous blonde babes in medieval armor, wielding large swords, each with her own unique identity and awesomeness really gets me excited. Though I make it sound like a harem, its totally different and way deeper than that. Claymore is a classic tale of revenge mixed with a bit of romance and tons of bloody action. Somewhat along the lines of the popular movie series Kill Bill but in a medieval setting where demons, called Yoma, abound, terrorizing humans and an organization of exterminators-for-hire comprising of blonde, silver-eyed female warriors wielding huge swords, called Claymores exist to protect humans from Yoma.



The story revolves around Clare, a Claymore and Raki, a boy whom Clare took under her wing -which is unusual for Claymores who are usually cold towards humans- as a cook after being abandoned and thrown out of his village because his brother turned into a Yoma. Unlike normal Claymores, who are half-human and half-Yoma, Clare had another Claymore's flesh and blood infused in her body thus making her quite an incomplete fusion of Yoma and human.




When Clare was still a young girl, she had requested the organization to turn her into a Claymore using the severed head of a fallen Claymore. The head of the  previous number one and the strongest Claymore in the organization's history, Teresa of the Faint Smile. Teresa saved the life and took care of Clare and even went against the organization just to do so but was slain in battle by the current number two, Priscilla who in the heat of the battle became an "Awakened Being", a Claymore turned Yoma with powers far greater than a normal Yoma. Clare travels along with Raki from town-to-town on her Yoma hunting jobs all the while, waiting for the time to come when she'll finally be able to meet face to face Priscilla and avenge Teresa's death.



I should say, this is one of those titles that kept me glued on my seat until I've finished watching every arc. The story is very commendable and really gripping especially the character development on Clare and the story's progress on each arc. I really hope a second season would be made as the ending feels open-ended, not to mention, the series isn't even half the story on its manga.

     
I happened to chance upon 5 centimeters per second while I was browsing for some new animated movies to watch. The wonderful artwork, CG rendering and the Studio Ghibli-esque (I am a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki's work) rendition of its characters instantly captivated my lenses and made me decide to pick this one up. I admit though, being somewhat uninterested in the romance genre of movies, not to mention the drama that goes along with it, but being one critically-acclaimed anime and receiving lots of positive reactions and high ratings in anime sites, I really ought to give this one a try.
   
5 centimeters per second is a collection of 3 short yet touching episodes that chronicles three chapters in the life of a young boy, Tohno Takaki and his continuing love for a girl, Akari Shinohara. Tohno and Akari have been very close friends since childhood and eventually their friendship had blossomed into something greater at a very early age. Unfortunate for the two, fate seemed cruel that both their families had to move slowly drifting the two apart. As time went by the two lost communication between each other yet Tohno still held on the hopes of seeing Akari again.
  
This movie, in my opinion definitely catches the sad reality of the slow pace in which some people who have started together but due to the inevitable, drift apart from each other. The slow yet painful realization and process of moving on in life and leaving the past behind, hence the title 5 centimeters per second.
  
Hats off to its director and writer Makoto Shinkai for such a wonderful yet somewhat a tearjerker of a movie. Though I don't usually go and pick up titles of this sort, I'm definitely adding this to my favorite movies of all time. Great storyline and majestic artwork and animation, not to mention the great ending song which landed the final blow and made my eyes go watery, it really kept me glued to the screen 'till the end and made me realize again that I had a soft spot too for some drama since Grave of the Fireflies.
  

Yesterday I had a dream.

A dream of long ago.

Within the dream, the two of us were still thirteen.

Standing upon the vast fields blanketed in snow as far as the eye could see.

In the distance, the lights shimmering in houses were set sparsely, far and wide.

All that was left upon the newly fallen snow were our footprints.

Just like that, we wished without hesitation that one day the two of us would be able to see the cherry blossoms once again.

      
 Interestingly different, Hyakko OVA doesn't seem much of an OVA, in my opinion, as much as I would expect an OVA to be some sort of a short movie. Running for about 10 minutes, this OVA could only pass as a short special or as one of its regular series episodes showing a very different side of Kazamatsuri Touma since in this one she hangs out and gets infected with her wild opposite, Torako's antics.
  

What makes Hyakko OVA seem more like a regular episode is that it chronicles another crazy day in the lives of Kamizono Gakuen students, much like how a regular fun-filled episode of the Hyakko series would go, only in this one, It's just Touma and Torako trying out a bunch of different sweets.
  

Touma's favorite café has closed down and apparently she is looking for another quiet spot where she and her reading fetish could hang out. Torako happened to overhear the situation and impulsively pounced on the chance to catch Touma's friendly side. With Torako's legendary persistence, Touma unwittingly, and just as to shut Torako up, accepted the offer. But it isn't just the quiet café, the weirdness of its "master", or the mounds of pastries and sweets. It's more of Torako's crazy and infectious antics.



I have read some reviews about the OVA mainly showing the disappointment of some fans, perhaps due to its length or the lack of a better and proper story, yet in my opinion, its not that bad or perhaps it could have been released with other, maybe similar, story shorts although I would say, this is better than nothing. Still, I had a good laugh.

     
I remember watching this television series from ANIMAX years back when we still had cable TV. Being one such action-packed show with the heroines' amazing power to control paper and use it as weapons, shields and summoned creatures really astounded me. But what really made me remember this awesome anime is its cool opening theme. Really funky basslines, jazz horns and that cool guitar vibe (combination of tremolo-delay-wah effect for those who have technical know-how on guitars) gives you that super-agent, James Bond-esque kind of feel. Not to mention, its similarly cool ending theme with its relaxing, feel-good reggae beat and that smooth sultry singing voice which is Kazami, one of my favorite singers in anime music.



ROD The TV is a sequel to its three-episode OVA, Read Or Die. The TV series' story revolves around three sisters who are, like Yomiko Readman from the OVA, are papermasters (not to mention bookworms with an exception to the youngest sister) - wielding the power to manipulate and control paper and turn it into weapons and tools of sorts - and Nenene Sumiregawa, a prodigy writer and novelist and is a close friend of Yomiko Readman. She has been unable to produce new material for some time due to Yomiko's sudden disappearance which happened after the destruction of the British Library (where Yomiko worked as a secret agent) 5 years prior to this series.

Having a keen and extraordinary talent, the three paper sisters have formed an agency called the "Three Sisters Detective Agency" and have been doing odd jobs requiring their unusual skills and have been working as super agents for Dokusensha, a company similar to the British Library (from the OVA) with underlying shady businesses regarding collecting books which are said to contain unimaginable powers.



Eventually, the Three Sisters Detective Agency was hired out to protect Nenene Sumiregawa during her trip to Hong Kong where her latest novel was to be made into a movie. During an autograph signing, as expected by Nenene's managers, an attack threatening Nenene's life was executed by a local novelist who was extremely envious of Nenene's achievement. Lucky enough, Nenene escaped certain death having hired the paper masters as bodyguards. With her life under constant threat, her paper master bodyguards, had to stay in her apartment as part of their job of protecting her. Although it was a bit too much trouble for Nenene having to put up with the sisters' eccentricity - especially with the spitfire, hot-blooded Anita - eventually, they formed a bond of friendship.