Emma Ep 4

A little progression for William and Emma... He didn't actually confess his feelings to Emma but Hakkim already knows what is going on. I wonder if Hakkim is really in love with Emma or he just wants to get William anxious about him snatching Emma. The way I see it, Hakkim seems to be rather taken by Emma so I doubt he proposed to her for fun. William and Hakkim were so funny when they were browsing pornographic books in the bookstore and happened to meet Emma. Both sides were embarrassed for their own reasons i.e. Willaim reading a porn book while Emma borrowed a romance novel. And since Eleanor is obviously in love with William, she's proving to be an obstacle between William and Emma if his dad gets wind of his meetings with Emma soon. Maybe an arranged marriage is coming up? I can't deny this possibility though. Much as the story seems to be getting predictable, I am still watching because I think the graphics are nice, the music is soothing and of course, I'm interested to see how things evolve between William and Emma. I'm not a sucker for such love tragedies, i even doubt that there is a tragedy in place since they probably won't do a Romeo and Juliet thing but it's going to get painful when they get separated because of their social status gap...

Emma Ep 3 - Kokuhaku (Confesssion)

I thought William would be the one to confess his feelings to Emma but it turns out that it was his friend, Hakkim, a royalty from India who got smitten by Emma. Oh my god, here's another love triangle again. It's obvious that Willian and Emma like each other but Eleanor likes William and now Hakkim comes into the picture. I just hope this doesn't get draggy even though I know such twists would make the story more interesting. Unless something happens, I doubt William would dare to make his feelings known to Emma soon in case he scares her off.

This anime is getting to be more interesting than I thought initially. Among the new season animes, it's the only one I'm following faithfully. Did I mention this before? ^__^ Well, I see from the next episode's preview that Eleanor is appearing again so something may happen between her and William. And I don't think it will bode well for William and Emma.

Emma Ep 2 - Futatsu no Sekai

This is the only new anime I'm following since the rest doesn't seem to really interest me. Eyeshield 21 which is in the old Tenipuri slot bores me because I don't like American football and most of the other offerings are genres which I don't fancy like fantasy or yaoi. Oh, I forgot about Monster but it's not a new Spring 05 anime while Kyou Kara Mou is in the second instalment.

OK, coming to Ep 2 of Emma, it was quite sad to see Emma avoiding William because she saw him with some beautifully dressed ladies (actually, they are William's siblings)and seemed to sense the disparity in their status. And William was so disappointed when he waited for Emma the whole day but she didn't appear. Besides, I think the appearance of Eleanor would most probably cause more trouble since she seems to be infatuated with William. Thus, things are not looking good for Emma even though she has the indirect support of her employer cum William's ex teacher. I agree the story is quite old fashioned but sometimes, the simple storyline might be more captivating given that the aesthetic effect of this anime is appealing to me.

Marmalade Boy (so far at 6 eps)

Generally, an interesting anime based on the episodes so far and surprise, Okiayu-san appears again as the seiyuu of Matsuura Yu, the lead character!! Haha, it really must be fate for me to watch three animes which feature him i.e. Tenipuri, Slam Dunk and now Marmalade Boy. This also means that he is in the business for a long time since MB was made more than 10 years back, around the same time as Slam Dunk. ^__^

The female character's voice is a bit screechy though and the graphics not that fantastic. I can't really complain since it's an anime so far back in time so I can't use the standards of today to compare. Anyway, what matters most to me is the storyline rather than the graphics. Besides, I think the picture quality is affected by the relatively small size of the files. Each episode is less than 100 MB so there's not much to expect.

Songs-wise, it's quite catchy and memorable though and is very typical early 90s pop. Just cannot stand the fact that the guys' shorts are really SHORT when they play tennis (tennis again??!! - I can't seem to break away from tennis ^__^ ). It must be the fashion trend back then. I'm thankful that Tenipuri is made in the present day or else it would be so hillarious to imagine the guys wearing such tight and short pants!!!

Will have to watch more episodes if it is really that good as what I hear about...

Yakitate Japan Ep 25

Somehow, this anime is getting a bit boring at times. The reaction is too exaggerated and repetitive. It may be interesting at first but too much of it is getting to me. And what's weird is that the No.3 placing match seems to be more exciting than the champion match with a singing vs dancing French bread clash. Well, I just hope that they don't overdo it and lift expectations too high. Anyway, they are taking a break for the next 2 weeks so I'll be looking forward to it nonetheless.

The next issue is how they will progress from there. Since Azuma has won the Pantasia Newcomer title, there is the chance to go to the HQ to work and to France to learn bread making. Will they end it at there where they send Azuma to France or will new developments come up? Since the manga is also in progress, they might just decide to slow down the anime for the manga to move further ahead... A lot of maybe(s) popping up here and then...

Emma - Ep 1 (Okuri mono - Present)

New anime from TBS. It's better than I thought because its setting is in 19th century England (well, not that ancient since they do have horse carriages and planes) and story is by Jane Austen so it kind of gives me the idea that it can get boring. It's a story about a maid and a rich man's son who fall in love. Typical it may be but I find the graphics and the mood of the anime very soothing and entertaining. And the main character is played by Kinouchi Hidenobu who also plays Oshitari in Tenipuri BUT wait a minute, I visited the official website yesterday and his name is no longer there. I guess he is not playing William after all. Anyway, seems like Kinouchi is in quite a number of animes I'm seeing these days like Monster although I still like Tezuka, Atobe and Sanada's voices the most. ^__^

Coming back to the story, what I find entertaining is the interaction between the couple concerned. So "innocent" and doki-doki when I see them turning red in the face so easily. Sometimes, it's the simple things that make such love stories appear so interesting. Anyway, seems like the first difficulties will crop up in the next episode where the sub title is two different worlds...Sigh, the course of true love never runs smooth...

Otogizoushi Ep 26 - Miyako (Capital)

If I have to use one word to sum up how I feel about this episode, it would be DISAPPOINTED. Well, I wasn't expecting very much in the first place since in effect, Ep 24 would have concluded the entire Otogizoushi series. The two specials (Ep 25 and 26) are supposed to have no major effect on the main story but somehow, I wonder what is the meaning of having these two SPs in the first place? As mentioned before, Ep 25 was plain and went around the bush before they showed how Urabe came to know Hikaru and gang. Although I expected more from Ep 26 because Mansairaku was around, the only thing he did was keep lamenting where time comes and goes as well as chatting with that ordinary old man whom Mansairaku had thought was like him. Well, I almost fell asleep even though I was paying more attention due to the fact that I was watching a RAW so you can see how bored I was. It didn't help that I was already exhausted from work and it really defied my expectations.

Anyway, my previous conclusion still stands. Otogizoushi would have been a VERY GOOD anime in my personal ranking if it had ended at Ep 13 when Hikaru and Mansairaku died together. Sure, it was a bit sad that they cannot end up together but the quality of the anime up till that point was consistent and well done. Somehow, the Tokyo arc went downhill with weird looking characters and a bit non-sensical storyline which got worse with the two SPs. Besides, Hikaru and Mansairaku cannot get together in modern day Tokyo. It's as if their paths cross but their destinies is not in the same direction. Mansairaku can never age because he is Abe no Seimei while Hikaru is still an ordinary human being after all. No matter how long he waits for her, they cannot be together. I'm starting to think what if, Mansairaku had decided to be with Hikaru in the Heian arc and stopped his plans to destroy Kyo for the sake of the world's rebirth, would they have been able to stay together happily ever after?