Axis Powers Hetalia

Axis Powers: Hetalia was created by Hetaria Akushisu. It began as a comic and was later adapted into a manga and an anime. The series is an allegorical interpretation of different events in history, whether it be political or otherwise, featuring the countries as actual people with personalities.

In general, the Hetalia crew is quite an interesting one. They all have their -slightly- racist quirks, which is what makes the series so special (and so epic!). For example, it pokes a lot of fun at Italy's cowardice- as the actual country has had a tendency to do a lot of surrendering in the past. Germany is cast as a bit of a bully, as most of the series takes place during WorldWars I and II. America is the young, overconfident self-proclaimed hero. It follows the world through thw two wars, as well as covering accounts beforehand- such as the Revolutionary War between America and his 'daddy', England- and afterward.

The anime is fun, bright, and colorful, full of hilarious 5-minute episodes. The animation is done well, and the English voice actors did just as well as the original Japanese cast had, in my opinion. There isn't much of a storyline between episodes- it's actually really random sometimes, and even though it's cute and silly, it can be confusing. At least, if you know aboslutely nothing about history! The good news is, this show happened to help me pass my last history test- no joke there! I don't think I'd ever have been able to remember who was part of the Axis Powers and who was part of the Allies if it weren't for Hetalia!

The manga is, sadly, no less confusing. In fact, I'd say it's a little more so. But the art is great, and the comedy is as fantastic as ever.

I haven't seen the Web comic, but I'm really satisfied with the manga and show, which I happen to rate in my top ten on both lists! I completely recommend the anime, though you may want to be careful when considering the manga.

Wolf's Rain

Getting my Organization 13 cloak in a few days for the local con coming up in two weeks!!!!!



I've looked over my past posts and just recently realized that I've been ranting and raving about all these awesometastic anime and manga series. And most of them ARE amazing, and most that I find are through recommendations, which means that they're worth watching. But there are a few disappointments out there- that's why we have a Worst list to the right. There ARE some bad animes- one of which I'm here to save you from.









At first glance, Wolf's Rain seems like a fun sort of anime. But it is actually a bucketful of hellish depression in disguised as a cutesy action show. It takes place in a post-war world where wolves are extinct and no longer exist. People have killed them because of their violent nature and the belief that they are demonic creatures. But only humans think that wolves are ectinct- in actuality, they are still very much alive, though fewer in number. They disguise themselves as human, so we cannot see their true form. Four wolves meet under unlikely circumstances and spend the series searching for a place the lead character, Kiba, claims is Paradise, where they can be free and happy in their true forms. We follow their journey to find the Flower Maiden, who is the key to Paradise. But they are not the only ones after the Flower Maiden, Cheza. Scientists are searching for her to disover the truth of her magic, as is the Lord Darcia, the lord of the people who created Cheza. The wolves have to fight to keep Chez alive long enough for her to lead them to paradise.

Now. The series begins well, and was even addicting to me for a few episodes. The characters are interesting, I do love the storyline, and the English dub was done as well as the animation. The script is great, and you laugh and want to cry. But then it gets tiring. There is less comedy and a lot of seriousness, not to mention a LOT of cliches and cheese. And not the delicious kind of cheese.
slight spoiler...

Then comes the monotony- simply recounting every bit of angst in this broken, post-war world, and suddenly nothing it cute or funny anymore. And that would be okay- I'm good with angst, and I'm alright with seriousness. In healthy doses. But this was just DEPRESSING. These wolves travel and starve and learn horrible truths, believe they find Paradise and are let down again and again, and there is never even a point to it, because

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER!!!!!!

they all DIE. That's right. They DIE. Of course, this is a sort of Hitchcock ending which lets you decide what you think- you see the wolves in their human form, traversing New York City as if they have reincarnated- could that have been Paradise? We have no idea. But I would NEVER rewatch this series. It was good, at least in the beginning, and I would love there to be a spinoff series simply because I loved those characters. But there was no point to that series. There doesn't have to be a happy ending- but there has to be a POINT. It has to make SENSE. And Wolf's Rain, unfortunately, did not make the cut.

*Safe to read*

And this, my dear friend, is why Wolf's Rain is, while alright to watch and definitely not the worst of the bunch, is on our Worst list.

So now you know. And now you are protected. WAYOR. Watch At Your Own Risk. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to try the series, though! It's really not terrible. I won't say I told you so if you end up being disappointed.

Happy Thankgiving

To those of you viewing from America :) Ladies and gentlemen, my absence shalt be explained in four syllables: NaNoWriMo. National November Writing Month had been my challenge for the past twenty five days, and yesterday I finished the challenge five days early, resulting in a strange mixture of self-satisfaction and disappointment. I have to wait for the e-mailed pep talk from my favorite pep-talkers, Holly and Chris, concerning the After-Nano Rush: What Do I Do Now? Well, I already know half the answer to that question. Edit and revise, make new drafts and make better the old ones, until your story has reached a publishable level. Of course, for me it'll take a while to reach that point, and even longer since I have an official (Okay, not-so-official) editor on the job. She has to read through it on her own time and, though I love her feedback, it takes much longer that I myself working on it would. But it's always better to have an outside opinion. As Stephen King has stated: "Writers are often the worst judges of what they have written." So I will wait, and anxiously so.

Meanwhile, I have no idea what I want to do with myself, as the writing is finished and I am left with this itch to write and nothing to fulfill it, neither fill the time. So I will attempt to dive headfirst back into my studies, which have dropped in the past month thanks to NaNo, and, of course, jump right back into the watching of anime and reading of manga, and for good measure, I will write to you about it. Because I could not leave well enough alone.

That being said (In summary, I'm back!), let's get down and dirty with a sexy anime:

Death Note

This is basically the Harry Potter of the anime world: If you haven't seen it or read it, you've heard of it, without a doubt, unless you live in a hole in the ground in the middle of the tundra. In short, there's no freaking way you've never seen or heard of this anime/manga.

Death note is a fantastic story of a boy, ironically called Light, who comes across a notebook called Death Note. He quickly discovers that if any name is written in the notebook, that person will die within minutes. Light, drunk with the power, weaves a fantasty of the ultimate Utopian world, which he plans to create and rule over by basically killing off every bad person on the planet with the Death Note. Soon enough, though, the government notices jail inmates dropping left and right, and they conduct an investigation to find the killer, led by who must be the world's smartest kid- L- because he gets onto Light's track immediately.

Though I'm sure you didn't even need that summary. Then again, until about two weeks ago I would have needed it as well. Though I had the basic gist of the show, I still had no idea what anyone was talking about when they discussed Death Note. It's an intriguing concept, which was why after a year and a half in the anime world, I finally decided to get a taste. And I loved it. Besides Light being extremely hot, the entire idea of the show is mind-blowing, and Light's reaction to the newfound power was sort of refreshing; you don't find many main characters going crazy murdering people. I mean, I know he's still a good guy because he's just trying to make the world a better place, but he's murdering one-time shoplifters, for God's sake. Oh, and I forgot a little detail: A shinigami appears to Light, and follows him around everywhere, being creepy and hilarious as he gives Light information about the Death Note in useful pieces as the show progresses.

I have yet to pick up the manga, but I'm searching for the first volume at my local library. Meanwhile, if you haven't watched Death Note yet, you really should. It's a fantastic show- I know this and I haven't even gotten to the apparent love interest ;) The plot is insane, the characters very real and very likeable, and there are smatterings of humor if you need comedic relief amongst all the dark emo stuff going on. SO WATCH IT. SRSLY. DO EET.

P.S..... Zexion cosplay finally achieved. And yes, I know the picture is blurry, I photoshopped it to look like that. Shut up.

Anime club, memory lane, and Strawberry Panic???

Wazzup, Internet?

So yesterday was the first day of Anime Club, formed at my school but held at the library for our school's lack of screening rooms. I was nervous as fuck walking in, but then I remembered... wait... these are ANIME people... they're going to be NICER than people at school 8D
So I walked in without fear and, low and behold, had an awesome time! The people were friendly, though it was the first meeting so we were all overexcited and refused to shut up (Still, sorry about that, Mr. Vice Prez XD). They had some trouble getting the show up and running, so we watched a couple YouTube videos called "AMV Hell""- fricking hilarious! Severealy perverted, though 0_0
Anyways, once they got it up and running, we watched the first episode an an anime called "Strawberry Panic." I can't judge very well, as I only watched one episode and I had a very biased and judgemental person whispering in my ear the entire time (DEMYX T_T), but I don't think I'll be continuing that anime past the first few episodes. I admit, though, I was turned off of it the moment I heard the word "romance." The series is, as far as I can tell, a Shoujo about an all-girls' school. There is a new student and basically EVERYONE is obsessed with her, like toddlers with the shiny new toy or something. She finally reaches the school and, in her excitement, falls down a HILL 8 down there, she meets the most beautiful girl she's ever seen, who kisses her. Then she passes out and wakes in the hallway, where her roommate meets her and her school year begins.
On the bright side, it seems like it would be a very cute, very FUNNY anime, and pretty much everyone in it is a lesbian so it's not sexually biased or everything. it was actually a refreshing change, to see this as the norm instead of her freaking out because she realizes she's gay and whatnot. ANYWAY. *Ahem*. I was a bit bothered by the fact, though, that the beautiful girl and the new student (Sorry i've been forgetting all their names DX) seem to be in love before they even know each others' names. THAT is why romance bothers me.
Otherwise, it seems like it would be a very good anime to people who aren't bothered by homosexuality or love-at-first-sight-type romance. I think I'll watch one or two episodes to make up my mind and add it to the list if I think it's worth watching.

On a more personal note, yesterday was a very weird day for me. My mom and I were alone that night, the rest of the family out of the house for at least two hours, and normally when that happens we just grab a movie and some snacks. Which is why I thought it was a bit strange that my mom decided to take the dog and I for a two-hour walk instead........??
But it turned out to be one of the best nights I've had in a long time. See, a few days ago I admitted to my mom that I remembered basically NOTHING about my life before we moved into this new house, where we are now. I was about five or six when we left that house, so I WAS young, but you would think I'd remember SOMETHING, right? I guess that bothered her or something, because she drove me down to our old neighborhood and we walked the dog through it, talking about life and everything, and every time we passed something interesting or another house she recognized or I posed a question, she would tell me some sort of tale about it. It was so interesting, and funny a lot of the time, and a bit surreal because of all these pictures that flooded into my head. "This was where your babysitter lived" suddenly brought this vision of laying in bed, watching my sitter Jessica leave the room, and listening for mom's voice to see what she thought of the spaghetti Jaqueline and I had made for her and dad out of paper. I asked my mom and, as it turns out, that is a real memory. She used to play Candy Land with us.
I saw a lot of interesting things and now I have all these memories that feel new but have just been buried; it's a weird feeling. But I had an awesome night- I hope I don't forget it.

The last con....

No, not for me. I'm still going to cons whenever possible- though I think this year I'm skipping ColossalCon, if just because I need to save money for some serious cosplaying here!! (Zexion wig, HERE WE COME!) But someone we all know and love has gone to his last anime convention this past weekend. NDK Denver

That's right. Chris Patton.

Christopher Patton voices a lot of small characters and a few mains, but ALL of them I love! (Except in Narama Daikon Brothers..... but that's just because I couldn't stand the panda >_>) Including Greed in FMA, Asura in Soul Eater, Souske Sagara in Full Metal Panic, Lavi in D.Gray-Man, Hajime in Ghost Stories, Fakir in Princess TuTu, and Tatsuhiro in Welcome to the NHK. And those are just the ones I know by name!
The guy is not only an epic voice actor, but he is an amazing guy. Friendly and always good to his fans- and utterly HILARIOUS XD His last con was NDK in Denver, the one before in Michigan, where I met him for the first and, sadly, the last time. He says he had a blast, he thanked his fans on his Facebook page, and even though he's leaving the anime business I'm going to continue following him. I mean, he's not only a great guy, but he's strong and I like the way he thinks. I like to hear his thoughts and about his life.
So, congrats to the fantastic Mr. Patton for doing everything you wanted to do and now heading off into the sunset. I'll miss you in the anime world- still, I'm following you ;)

Manga: Full Metal Alchemist

Full Metal Alchemist, by Hiromu Arakawa, may just be the greatest manga ever written.

It is a yet to be finished series about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who live in a world where alchemy is the science of life. After a terrible alchemic transmutation gone wrong, however, Edward lost his left leg and Alphonse lost his entire body. To keep his brother's soul in this world, he attached it to a body of armor by sacrificing his right arm. Throughout the series they persue the legendary Philosopher's Stone, an element that allows transmutation without equivalent exchange, so that they can get their bodies back. In order to do so, Ed has to become a State Alchemist, using the advantages of working for the government to help in their search for the Stone.

This manga is smart, clever, suspensful, and exciting. There is not ONE character in the series that I dislike- even the bad guys have personalities I can't resist! The action and adventure is broken up by comedic relief that makes me laugh out loud (so much that my family thinks I'm a lil' crazy! ^_^"). The plot is amazing- a storyline I could never come up with in a million years, and artistic skills to match. The amazing thing about this manga is that is doesn't patronize the characters- it's realistic, and it shows the flaws of characters and the world as they are. It's so clever that the simplest of people (*Ahem*... me....) can understand the politics- and somewhat relate them to our own world. The connection between the two is actually acknowleged at some point in the anime.... but I'm not allowed to tell ;)

I think this may just be my favorite manga of all time- it's definitely #1 on my recomendations list, if not just because it has a little something for everyone!
Come on, Miss Arakawa! I'm ready for more!!!!!!!

Soul Eater- Show

Soul Eater is, to say the least, a FANTASTIC series! The manga is by Atsushi Okubo, then the TV series was produced and just recently Funimation has finished the English dub.

The show is a great mixture of comedy, action, mystery, and sci-fi/fantasy type genres. The script is a perfect balance, as well as the characters. (EXCALIBURR..... EXCALIBUUURRRR!!!!) Comic relief is provided for the extreme action, awesome fight scenes, and scary, suspenseful mysteries.

The series is about a world where everybody has a specific Soul, and kids can be sent to the DWMA, a school to train fighters against evil souls. There are Weapons and Meisters, the weapons' wielders. The main characters are Maka Albarn and her scythe Soul Eater, Death the Kid (The Grim Reaper's son) and his twin guns, Liz and Patty, and Black Star and his weapon, Tsubaki. All of the students have totally different personalities and are best friends, striving to be the best, fight the best, and (In Soul's and Maka's case) gain enough souls to turn the weapon into a powerful Death Scythe.

It's a great series in general, the mood, the plot, the characters, the animation. The show follows the manga storyline very well for the first half of the series before veering away from the course. Nothing changes from the Japanese version to the English dub that really bothers me- except one thing.

No, the mouth flaps are great. Thescript isn't changed much at all, and in fact the dub is done very well. It's the voices that bother me. Or, rather, ONE voice.

What's up with Black Star, guise!?! He is voiced by Brittney Karbowski, who is (Obviously) female. The only problem? She makes Black Star sound female! HIS voice sounds like it belongs to a SHE. Black Star has a bit of an ego problem, and he shouts a lot, which doesn't help matters much. The voice is loud and annoying, and it just doesn't sound right after watching the whole series in Japanese, when Black Star has a rather deep and more natural voice for one of the world's strongest assassins. I don't mean to disrespect the voice actress, but I don't think this series was her best work.

That, in all, is the only thing of the whole series, Japanese and English, that bothers me! I've already stated everything else is fantastic- the only thing left to do with it is get EVERYONE to watch! ^_^