Mouryou no Hako 魍魎の匣 (The spirit in the box) - Autumn 08

Title: Mouryou no Hako
O.A. 7 October 2008
Showing on: NTV
Timeslot: Tuesdays, 1.29am
OP: Lost in Blue by Nightmare
ED: NAKED LOVE by Nightmare
Official website: here





The novel, Mouryou no Hako by Kyougoku Natsuhiko is the 2nd instalment under the Byakkiyakou series and won the 49th Japan Suspense Writers Association Award.

There is a real-life adaptation movie shown in Dec 2007 starring many famous actors including Tsutsumi Shinichi, Abe Hiroshi, Shiina Kippei. More information to be found here.

Mouryou is a collective word to describe spirits which reside in mountains, rivers, trees, stones and tombs.

Cast:

Kyogokudou (Chuuzenji Akihiko) - Hirata Hiroaki
Enokitsu Reijiro - Morikawa Tomoyuki
Sekiguchi Tatsumi - Kiuchi Hidenobu
Kiba Shuutarou - Seki Takaaki
Toriguchi Morihiko - Namikawa Daisuke
Aoki Fumizo - Suwabe Junichi
Kusumoto Yoriko - Takahashi Mikako
Kusumoto Kimie - Tsuda Shouko
Yuzuki Kanako - Tomatsu Haruka
Yuzuki Youko - Hisakawa Aya
Chuuzenji Atsuko - Kuwajima Noriko
Sekiguchi Yukie - Honda Takako
Mimasaka Koushirou - Tanaka Masahiko
Amamiya Noritada - Hiyama Noriyuki
Masuoka Noriyuki - Miki Shinichiro
Fukumoto - Ueda Yuji
Sasakawa - Koyama Rikiya
Ishii - Ugaki Hidenari

Nodame Cantabile Paris-hen - Autumn 08

Title: Nodame Cantabile Paris-hen
O.A. 9 October 2008
Total number of episodes: 11
Timeslot: Thursdays 12.45am Noitama
Broadcast by: FujiTV
OP: Sky High by Gospellers
ED: Tokyo et. Paris performed by Miyamoto Emiri & solita


Cast:
Noda Megumi (Kawasumi Ayako)
Chiaki Shinichi (Seki Tomokazu)
Kuroki Yasunori (Matsukaze Masaya)
Son Rui (Ohara Sayaka)
Tania (Itou Shizuka)
Frank (Asanuma Kintaro)
Jan (Morikawa Tomoyuki)
Yun-ron (Hino Satoshi)
Oclare (Kiyokawa Motomu)

Natsume Yuujin Chou (夏目友人帳) - Natsume's Book of Friends

Title: Natsume Yuujin Chou
O.A. 7 July 2008, Mondays, 1 am
Showing on: TV Tokyo
OP: Issei no Sei 一斉の声 by Kita Shuuhei
ED: Natsu Yuuzora 夏夕空 by Atari Kousuke




Cast:
Natsume Takashi (Kamiya Hiroshi)
Nyanko-sensei (Inoue Kazuhiko)
Natsume Reiko (Kobayashi Sanae)
Natori Shuuichi (Ishida Akira)
Tanuma Kaname (Horie Kazuma)
Fujiwara Touko (Itou Miki)
Sasada Jun (Sawagi Miyuki)
Nishimura Satoru (Kimura Ryohei)
Kitamoto Atsushi (Suganuma Hisayoshi)
Natsume as a child (Fujimura Ayumi)

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) 2009 Calendar

Catalog No.: NEOIPS-166
Publisher: Nippan IPS
Release Date: 19 November 2008
Price: 2000 yen (inclusive of tax)
Item weight: 500 g

Itazura Na Kiss 2009 Calendar

Catalog No.: 2009CL-201
Publisher: Try-X
Release date: 18 October 2008
Price: 1890 yen (inclusive of tax)
Item weight: 300 g

Nodame Cantabile 2009 Calendar

Catalog No.: 9784063579895
Published by: Kodansha
Release Date: 30 November 2008
Price: 1800 yen (inclusive of tax)
Item weight: 500 g

Itazura Na Kiss to have a complete ending in the anime version

As the manga version of Itazura Na Kiss was left unfinished due to the sudden demise of its author Tada Kaoru, fans have been coming up with their own expected endings and discussing what could have been the ending if Tada was around to complete the manga. In the last volume of the manga (Vol 23), there was the big question of whether Kotoko was pregnant. The anime version will thus create an ending to round up the story based on memos left behind by Tada. From the 23rd episode to the final episode (No. 24), Kotoko's pregnancy and childbirth will be depicted in detail. In addition, developments in the other characters' lives will also be mentioned. It was a tough task to produce these two episodes and the script of Episode 23 was even re-written 9times.

The 23rd and final episode will be shown on 12th and 19th September respectively.

Antique Recipe 1 ~ The sourness of a reunion 再会の酸味

If you have watched the drama version of Antique which featured Takizawa Hideaki, Fujiki Naohito, Shiina Kippei and Abe Hiroshi, rest assured that this anime is not a rehash of that drama. It is because the anime has an entirely different focus and even dares to touch on yaoi so openly which is a taboo in programmes which can be seen by children. I have no idea how BL animes are structured since I've never seen one before but this is rather daring already, in my opinion.

The drama was shown during primetime so that could be one of the reasons why the story didn't touch on gay relationships at all. As the anime is shown in a late night timeslot meant for mature audiences, it is no wonder that the anime stays closer to the original manga. That being said, I wouldn't classify this as a yaoi anime too. There are some direct references to homosexual relationships BUT it is not the main theme of the story. I probably wouldn't be able to withstand it if this was all about yaoi.

The four main characters in the story are Tachibana Keiichiro (Fujiwara Keiji), Ono Yuusuke (Miki Shinichiro), Kanda Eiji (Miyano Mamoru) and Kobayakawa Chikage (Hanawa Eiji). Among these seiyuus, only Hanawa is a new name to me. Although I've seen some of his roles before, I don't have any impression of that since they were mostly small roles which did not have that many lines. Fujiwara and Miki are both veterans in the business and are buddies in real life. I like Fujiwara best when he was Hughes in Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi and Hanamoto Shuuji in Hachimitsu to Clover. As for Miki, he can be heard in many animes such as Fujiwara Takumi in Initial D and Mansairaku in Otogizoushi. And for those who know Death Note, you will be aware that Miyano played the lead role of Yagami Light in the anime. As such, from the lineup, this is pretty much a star-studded cast.

In case you are unfamiliar with the story, let me just go through it quickly. Tachibana is a rich man's son who has nothing to worry about, on the surface at least. However, due to a kidnapping incident he was involved in as a child and which went unresolved for years, Tachibana started to detach himself from the world, unconsciously and tried very hard to be nice to everyone. And he developed an unexplainable dislike for cakes which he attributed to being fed by the kidnapper with cakes on a daily basis. One day, he suddenly decides to open a cake shop despite disliking it and reunites with Ono, his ex-schoolmate in senior high school who was introduced to be the patissier in his shop. And there was a story between these two.

Apparently, Ono took a liking to Tachibana at that time and even confessed his feelings to the latter. However, Tachibana was so disgusted with the thought and even told Ono to go and die. This made Ono decide to give up all reservations and be open about being a gay. In a way, Tachibana helped Ono be himself and accept his sexual orientation BUT he felt a bit guilty about the way he treated Ono then and had reservations about hiring him. Tachibana believed Ono's story that he had forgotten what happened during high school but in reality, Ono remembered everything.

As for Eiji, he is a promising boxer who has to give up his career because of a detached retina. In the first episode, he has yet to meet Tachibana and Ono thus the focus within this episode was on the reunion between them. Eiji will subsequently join the team as an apprentice. Likewise for Chikage, he will be featured later in the story.

If you had watched the drama and anime, you would have known that the drama revolves around Eiji but in actual fact, the manga and anime focuses on Tachibana. Frankly speaking, I like the Tachibana focus better, probably because I prefer him to Eiji. And he's my No.1 favourite character followed by Chikage, Ono then Eiji. Guess it's because I prefer older guys. ^__^ Another significant different between the two versions is that Ono is potrayed as a gay in the anime instead of the drama dropping hints that Ono has a different sexual orientation but it turns out that the scriptwriter paired him up with a woman at the end. For those who are very against yaoi themes, I suggest you drop this now. Or else, you will be in for a nasty shock when it gets further into the story. I for one, isn't too keen on yaoi but I can still stomach the directness of the reference to such relationships, so far.

The story is appealing not just because of the humour but I would say it's the underlying theme of how everyone has a side which is little known by others and we all have our problems no matter how great we appear to others. Tachibana is bothered by the kidnapping incident, Ono has problems with his sexual orientation which alienates him from his family and causes a lot of issues with his past employers, Eiji's forced to quit and has to seek out a new path in life while Chikage is so dependent on Tachibana and vice versa to the extent of belittling himself all the time. As such, these four guys will unknowingly or indirectly help one another overcome or cope with whatever problems they have as time goes by. I have no idea how the story will end since I did not read the manga. However, based on what I've seen so far, some episodes did end with a heartwarming tone so it has a feel-good element which makes this more enjoyable to watch.

As for the theme songs, I like the OP better probably because it's more catchy. And the idea of using 2D characters in a 3D setting is unique. I complement the staff for thinking of such an idea.

And for those who get hungry easily, don't watch this on an empty stomach. It will prompt you to look for something to eat at the end. And I've developed a craving for cakes these days partly due to this anime but then it's hard to find a shop like Antique which has nice cakes and nice-looking guys. ^__^ Keep watching this anime to satisfy your craving then!

Winding Road by Porno Graffitti (1st ED of Tenpo Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi)

Title: Winding Road
Artiste: Porno Graffitti
Lyrics & melody: Okano Akihito

nagaku nagai tabichi ni
boku wa kimi ni koishita
kisetsu meguri toki ametsuki
kokoro wo sotto nurasu
toki ga nani ka kaeru nara
douka douka sotto shite
kimi to aruku ima dake
shizuka ni tomatte iku

mizube no hotori ni
tsuzuita winding road
konna futari ni wa oniai nandarou
hitotsu no kasa ga kanashii

mada kimi ga suki dakara
sunao ni uketomerarezu ni
kono ame ni nagasarete subete ga uso dato
mou ichido hohoen de

fukaku fukaku hataneta yubi wo sotto hanashite
saigo ni miseta tsuyogari
hontou wa hanashi takunai

zutto kore kara mo wasurewa shinai darou
kimi ga koishitemo boku ga koishitemo
tashika ni kanjita eien wo

tada kimi ga suki dakara
kimochi ni uso wa nai no ni
doko ka de kake chigaeta botan wo hazusenai mama ni natta
mou sugu fuyu ga yatte kuru
kono yubi ga jikamu mae ni
yatto ima hazusete yokatta
tsumetai kaze ni makesou dakara
nukumori nokotta mama nara oware sou de

Ougon no Tsuki 黄金の月 by Sugashikao スガシカオ (Insert song in Ep 19 of Hachikuro Season 1)

Title: Ougon no Tsuki (The golden moon)
Artiste: Sugashikao
Lyrics & Melody: Sugashikao

boku no jounetsu wa ima ya
nagashita hazu no namida yori
tsumetaku natte shimatta
donna hito yori mo umaku
jibun no koto wo itsuwareru
chikara wo motte shimatta

daiji na kotoba wo
nando mo iuou to shite
suikomu iki wa
mune no tochuu de tsukaeta
donna kotoba de kimi ni tsutaereba ii
haki dasu koe wa itsumo tochuu de togireta

shiranai aida ni bokura wa
manatsu no gogo wo toori sugi
yami wo seotte shimatta
sono usu akari no naka de
te saguri dake de
nani mo kamo umaku yarou to shitekita

kimi no negai to boku no uso wo awasete
rokugatsu no yoru eien wo chikau kisu wo shiyou
soshite yozora ni ougon no tsuki wo egakou
boku ni dekiru dake no hikari wo atsumete
hikari wo atsumete...

boku no mirai ni hikari nado nakutemo
dare ka ga boku no koto wo
doko ka de waratte itemo
kimi no ashita ga minikuku yugandemo
bokura ga nidoto junsui wo te ni irerare nakutemo

yozora ni hikaru ougon no tsuki nado nakutemo

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) TV Anime to be back!

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist)'s TV anime series will be back soon! According to the official website, there are plans for the anime to continue from where the first series and movie ended. However, the release date has not been announced thus I will keep all informed when there are updates.

Death Note Relight 2: L wo Tsugu Mono DVD

Death Note Relight 2: L wo Tsugu Mono will be released on DVD format, following its TV broadcast on 22 August 2008!

Date of release: 21 November 2008
Catalog number: VPBY-13241
Running time: 93 minutes (exclusive of special footage)
Price: 3990 yen
Special footage includes a collection of promotional CMs

The 300th post

This is the 300th post for this blog. Actually, over a span of about 3 years and 8 months, this works out to about 6.8 posts per month. However, for those who frequently visit this site, you will know that updates come as and when I feel like it. There were also prolonged periods of inactivity mainly due to work and study commitments. To put it simply, laziness is probably the biggest obstacle to me when it comes to updating my blogs. I usually need some motivation to get started especially when I have something which I'm dying to share.

Well, this wouldn't be a long post though because I just have some things to clarify in case you are wondering:

- Regarding synopsis / reviews of anime episodes for past series which I have been covering e.g. Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi or Suzuka or Yakitate Japan, it may be a bit difficult to catch up on that. Main reason being, my PC went dead so I lost the files of many anime episodes. Unless I have the motivation or resources to write those remaining reviews, chances are, I'll leave them as they currently are. Sorry to disappoint those who may still be waiting for a new update to those series.

- For newer series which I plan to cover e.g. Antique or Itazura Na Kiss, I will focus more on the review aspect rather than doing a full-blown synopsis. It is way too tiring and time consuming to do those detailed posts. To see what I mean by "detailed", check out episode synopses for the older series.

- Romaji song lyrics are up here because of one single reason: I like the song. Thus, it is almost impossible to get me to post the romaji lyrics of any song you may be looking for if I have never even heard of it or I detest it. Let's leave it to chance, if I happen to like that song, you will see it here. And the lyrics are mainly for people to learn the language or how to sing the song. If you want to post it on your site or your forum, I would appreciate a little notification. Thank you.

This may be a boring post to read but this marks the start of a new chapter in this blog's lifetime. As to how long this site will live or whether I will go into hibernation again before the 400th post comes around, I really cannot tell. Only time will tell.

Thank you for visiting this blog. Have a nice day! ^__^

Jikan yo tomare 時間よ止まれ feat. SEAMO by AZU (2nd ED of Itazura Na Kiss)

Title: Jikan yo tomare feat. SEAMO
Artiste: AZU
Lyrics: AZU & Naoki Takada
Melody: Kazunori Fujimoto & Naoki Takada

kimi to sugosu jikan atto iuma
kizukeba deeto wa mou shuuban
hanare takunai kaeri takunai
toki wo tomete zutto isshoni itai

tere kakushi na serihu mo
mitsume au shunkan mo
anata to iru jikan mo tarinai kedo
saishuu densha miokuru made
nigiri shimete kureta te
sarigenai yasashisa ga ureshii yo

otogi banashi nara sugu ni anata no
iru asu e yukeru no ni...

everytime, everyday, everything...
kotoba ni shinaku temo
anata wa watashi no tokubetsu na bassho
moshi mo tatta hitotsu negai ga kanau nara
futari dake no jikan wo kamisama tomete yo...

jikan yo tomare kono mama
boku no tatta hitotsu no wagamama
dakedo sore wa kanawanai
kono monogashisa tsutaetai yo
ichinichi tatta nijuuyo jikan
tarinai yo ato hyaku jikan
sore dake areba motto motto
mitsukeru yo kimi no ii toko

kondo wa itsu aeru no?
nando mo ittara shitsukoku omoware sou
fuan to kibou ga hanbun zutsu
kono omoi wa kawaranai tabun zutto
kimi wa boku wo dou omotte iru no ka...

everytime, everyday, everything...
koishii nukumori mo
kotoba ni naranai kokoro no koe wo
kore kara wa sunao ni tsutaete miseru kara
ugoki hajimeta toki wo kamisama tomete yo...

wagamama de ii no
kaeshi takunai to itte yo
anata ga watashi wo nozomu nara
mayowazu ni kokoro ni hana wo soeru yo

everytime, everyday, everything...
kotoba ni shinaku temo
anata wa watashi no tokubetsu na bassho
moshi mo tatta hitotsu negai ga kanau nara
futari dake no jikan wo kamisama tomete yo...

everytime, everyday, everything...
moshi hanare temo boku ga tsunagi tomeru yo
anata wa watashi no tokubetsu na hito
everytime, everyday, everything...
shinjiru yo toki ga tomara nakutemo
unmei nara itsu datte meguri aeru yo ne?

unmei nara bokutachi wa meguri aeru yo ne?

Life goes on ~ side D ~ by Chemistry (ED of Antique)

Title: Life goes on ~side D~
Artiste: Chemistry
Lyrics and melody: Kawabata Kaname / Douchin Yoshikuni / Taniguchi Naohisa



kanashii toki ni [kanashii] to tsugeru no wa
yowaitte koto kana
tsurai toki ni [tsurai] to uchiakete ii kana

I've just got to believe
yami ga semari yukiba ushinatta toshitemo
ima wa kimi ga soba ni iru
mayowazu ni fumi dasunda

nagashita namida wa kitto
hikaru kessho e to kawaru
yasashiku tsutsunde I'll be with you
I'll be with you
kimi ga oshiete kureta
jibun rashiku aru koto wo
dakara donna toki mo
shinjite susumu yo Life goes on

boku ga kimi ni shite agerareru kototte
nani ga arun darou
nigate na koto nara
takusan aru to iu no ni

I am to be with you
kimi no kotoba futo omoi dashite unazuku
hoshi ga tsukame sou na yoru
owaranu ai wo chikaou

nagashita namida wa kitto
hikaru kessho e to kawaru
furueru kokoro de You're by my side
You're by my side
kono koe ga todokazu ni
akirame sou ni natte mo
nigitta te dake wa
hanasazu susumu yo Life goes on

kimi to deaete yokatta

kaze wa taezu ugoite
bokura no senaka wo osu yo
toki ga nagaretemo You're my sweetheart
You're my sweetheart
mabataku hoshi no mukou
yume mita mirai egakou
dakara sono toki wa
issho ni iyouyo Life goes on