Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (Kare Kano)

Finished watching this yesterday.

I can't say that I like this anime. Reason being, there are so many flashbacks of what happened in the past and they actually dedicated 2 episodes just to recap what has happened. That is why I ended up forwarding through some of the more boring content.

However, there were a few scenes which I liked:

-Miyazawa holding Arima's hand at the meeting to signify that she likes him too. That was simply so romantic and sweet!

-Tsubaki and Tonami kissing on the tree. From what I see, they do feel something for each other. Tonami is anxious to prove that he has changed to show Tsubaki that he's no longer the chubby kid in the past but Tsubaki doesn't seem to realise who he is. In his haste to attract her attention, I can see romance sparks flying between them.

-Miyazawa and Arima sleeping together. I don't mean it in a bad way but that scene was done in a romantic manner. Nothing offensive about that. It's all up to the viewer's imagination. ^__^

If not for the repetitve content and some of the noisy and a bit nonsensical scenes, I would have rated it higher than 5 out of 10.

Monster's beginning story

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea,
having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns,
and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast
and they worshipped the beast, saying
"Who is like unto the beast?
Who is able to make war with him?"”
(The Revelation of Saint John the Divine, 13:1-4)

It takes a more ruthless monster to kill the beast...at least in my opinion...

The Nameless Monster

The Nameless Monster

Once upon a time, there lived a nameless monster.
The monster was dying to have a name so badly.
So the monster decided to set out on a journey to find itself a name.
But the world was such a large place.
So the monster split into two and went on two separate journeys.
One went to the East and the other went to the West.
The monster that went to the east found a village.

There was a blacksmith at the village entrance.
"Mr.Blacksmith, please give me your name" said the monster.
"I can't give you my name" replied the blacksmith.
"If you give me your name I will jump inside you and make you stronger in return." said the monster.
"Really? I'll give you my name if you can make me stronger.", the blacksmith told the monster.
The monster jumped inside the blacksmith.
The monster became Otto the blacksmith.
Otto the blacksmith was the strongest man in the village.
But one day he said:
"Look at me! Look at me!"
"The monster inside of me has grown this big!"
*Chomp, chomp, munch, munch, gobble, gobble, gulp*
The hungry monster ate Otto from the inside out.

The monster then went back to become a monster without a name.
Even though he jumped inside Hans the shoemaker....
*Chomp, chomp, munch, munch, gobble, gobble, gulp*
He went back to being a monster without a name again.
Even though he jumped inside Thomas the hunter.....
*Chomp, chomp, munch, munch, gobble, gobble, gulp*
He still went back to being a monster without a name.
The monster then went to a castle to find a wonderful name.
Inside the castle, there was a very sick boy.
"I'll make you stronger if you give me your name" said the monster
In reply, the boy told him "I'll give you my name if you can cure my illness and make me stronger."
So the monster jumped inside the boy.
The boy became very healthy.

The King was delighted.
"The prince is well! The prince is well!" said the King.
The monster became fond of the boy's name.
He also grew fond of his life inside the castle.
That's why he endured even when he became hungry.
Every day, even when his stomach became very empty, he endured.
But then he became so hungry....
"Look at me! Look at me!" said the boy.
"The monster inside of me has grown this big!"
The boy then ate his father, servants, and everyone.
*Chomp, chomp, munch, munch, gobble, gobble, gulp*
Because everyone was gone....
The boy left on a journey
He walked and walked for days.....

One day the boy met the monster that went west
"I have a name" said the boy.
"It's a wonderful name."
And then the monster that went west said...
"I don't need a name."
"I'm happy even if I don't have a name."
"Because we're monsters without names."
The boy ate the monster that went west.
Even though he now had a name....
There was no one left to call him by his name.
Johan.
It is a wonderful name.

Decided to put this story up here...meant for future discussion. Another reason is that I'm really attracted to this story...It seems to be so simple and yet so profound.

Which Monster character am I?

You Are Nina Fortner
You're probably the kind of person that comes to mind when people think of 'The boy or girl next door.' You're self-reliant, hard working, and friendly. Some people may be envious of you, but most people enjoy being around you once they've gotten to know you better.
Take the Which Character From Naoki Urasawa's Monster Are You? Quiz

Emma (The End - 12 Eps)

Why did this have to end so abruptly? After going through so much, they still parted ways? Naze? Doushite? I thought that when William reached the platform to stop Emma, she would probably give in but she didn't. Will there be an OVA? I had hoped that they would be together but it was so sad that they have to separate.

The both of them thinks too much. Even though they love each other, the more they consider their circumstances, it takes away their courage to be together bit by bit. William doesn't want to force Emma to adapt while she doesn't want him to spoil his family ties because of her. Sometimes, it takes a certain amount of rashness when it comes to love. Being too logical will spoil the whole thing. Of course, you can't go into the relationship without seeing reality.

I thought that this anime was fine until the end where they couldn't be together. Or else, this would be one of my most favourite animes to date.

Emma Ep 9 and 10

It doesn't seem that there is any hope between William and Emma...

Now that Kelly had passed away and William's dad, Richard is still against them being together, Emma's revelation to Hakim that she wants to go back to her hometown would mean that Emma is giving up William.

William hugging Emma in front of his family entrance simply makes me go WOW! However, that seems to be insufficient when it comes to going against Richard in this matter. Why didn't he chase after Emma after she ran away from his house?

He's going to regret it once Emma leaves the city...

Emma Ep 8: Tokei (Clock)

An emotionally heavy and sad episode. :-(

William tried to convince Richard to let him be with Emma but the latter refuses by making William think about his responsibilities as the eldest son of the Jones family. And he's powerless to fight back even though he does love Emma.

On the other hand, Emma knows that William is putting up a losing fight and confides in Kelly who wants to support her in this matter. However, Kelly passed away suddenly, leaving Emma to fend for herself. Now that her employer is not around, Emma might not be able to stay in the city anymore. This will probably create more problems for them...

Yakitate Japan Ep 30

Seems like the Monaco Cup arc is going to be extremely interesting....It's probably going to be quite confusing remembering the contestants who will appear though. Anyway, Azuma and Suwabara are quite a good match in terms of their skills and the Pantasia team should win the Monaco Cup (according to anime world logic). The issue here is whether Kawachi will agree to being the clown and lose deliberately to increase the odds against the Japanese team.

The OP and ED changed too....Well, at first hearing, the OP is OK but the ED doesn't go down well with me due to the screechy vocals...Hopefully, it will get better after repeated hearing. Anyway, the OP was unchanged since the start so it's been on for more than 6 months. The ED keeps changing though...

Emma Ep 7: Crystal Palace

Wow wow...so romantic! I was swooning and giggling all the way through this episode. If not for this episode, I would have almost forgotten that this is a love story. ^__^ Anyway, just a quick rundown on this.

William brought Emma to the Crystal Palace (something like an exhibition mall) and they got locked in because they were too engrossed in talking and did not know it was closing time. And being together in the same place helped them to progress quickly when they KISSED!!! Oh, that was simply sizzling...Well, it's not so much of a passionate kiss but it was so sweet seeing them finally admitting to each other about their feelings.

I have the urge to rewatch this episode again, especially that kiss scene...

Monster Ep 50 and 51

Johan doesn't appear in these episodes while Runge, Tenma and Grimmer appear quite a bit. Anyway, I'm starting to realise that Johan and Anna's (Nina) mother is linked to the Franz Bonaparta who was not only an author. He also holds a PHD in medicine and is a psychiatrist. That means he must have done something to Johan and Anna when they were kids. I'm getting all hyped up over what would happen next. And it seems like the truth can get pretty ugly because Johan's experiences so far have been quite traumatic e.g. wandering at the Czech-German border, living in 511 Kinderheim. Besides, the letter which Runge found behind that potrait in the Mansion of Roses, that seems to suggest that Franz Bonaparta could be the father of Johan and Anna? And where did their mother go?

However, Tenma has been arrested in Prague so he's going to be sent back to Germany. What will happen now that he's in captive? Won't there be anyone to go after Johan anymore? And where is Nina and Dieter now? Lots of questions but only bits and pieces of facts so far. When will the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fall into place?

I'm going to have to wait for the subs to come but in the meantime, I'll satisfy my curiousity with the raws first and hopefully, they don't use a lot of German or Czech to confuse me. ^__^

Emma Ep 6: Houmon (Visit)

I think William's dad, Richard seems to know what is going on between him and Emma. He's an old, wise, willy fellow and he looks almost the same as William. I couldn't differentiate the two initially. ^__^

Anyway, that's why he decided to visit Kelly out of the blue when he heard that she was injured after falling from the stairs. Of course, his visit is not just to see Kelly and his words would definitely cause some trouble for William and Emma's budding relationship. He said that in England, although it is one country, there are two types of people i.e. the nobles and the others. As such, he is implying that these two groups should not mix and to Emma, it is an outright rejection of her and spells doom for any hopes of being accepted by Richard into the Jones family. And William is unable to speak up as he does not dare to go against Richard. In addition, Richard also mentions about letting William and Eleanor get married where William objects vehemently but he cannot reveal that he's in love with Emma. Unless William has the guts to rebel against Richard, there is no way he can be with Emma.

Hakkim's presence is in a way good for William because he's the only one whom William can speak his mind to. However, I think Hakkim is also quite unhappy with William's wishy-washy attitude and weak stand against his father. I doubt he is as frivolous as he seems and when he chats with William, that air of wisdom from Hakkim is quite strong.

I can't wait to see how William handles the situation...He knows that he loves Emma but he also knows that he cannot throw away the Jones family label without a care since he's the eldest son. He just doesn't have the courage to give up everything for love in such a period where social classes matter a lot in society. It's so sad to see Emma being crestfallen over Richard's words and William not being able to console or even talk to her...

Yakitate Ep 29

This episode is simply...exaggerated and a bit ridiculous! Well, Yukino got some bakers from St Pierre to fight against Minami Tokyo but they found out about her scheme after eating Azuma's black bamboo bread. However, what's that sci-fi footage doing there?! They even had to put a reminder on the screen so that people know that the anime they are showing is indeed Yakitate Japan. I hope they don't do so much of this in future...

Anyway, they are heading off to Monaco in the next episode to take part in the Monaco Cup. Seems like Kuroyanagi is also going. What about Matsushiro, Kanmuri and Tsukino? Well, I'll find out next week.

Talking about this episode, that peacock belong to Kirisaki can use the public phone to call him and it understands human speech? How intelligent it is! Or should I say that they are going a bit overboard on these seemingly illogical stuff?

Emma Ep 5 - Bansankai (Dinner Date)

Not much happening between Emma and William. Main focus is the interaction between Emma and her employee Kelly and she finally admitted to Kelly that she's attracted to William. ^__^ I think I know why Kelly likes William so much and put his photo at home. He looks very close to Kelly's late husband who died 2 years after marriage when Kelly was just 20. Maybe William reminds Kelly too much of her husband so she takes a keen interest in what is going on between him and Emma. Another cause for concern is William's father finding out that he has been going to Kelly's place frequently. Of course, at this stage, he is unaware of Emma's presence but he's going to find out soon that William goes there to see Emma, not Kelly. And when that happens, he's probably going to stop this relationship from developing further by putting William and Eleanor together. Well, I can be a scriptwriter, right?

This seems to be where the story is heading towards. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out but what's keeping me glued to this anime is the style it's being made. Of course, the story may be cliched but the quality of this production is good. A refreshing change from some of the animes I'm watching like Yakitate Japan.

Yakitate Japan Ep 28

Now that the Pantasia Newcomer arc is over, I think the Monaco Cup arc should be starting soon since Kanmuri has made known his intentions to everyone. The thing is whether Kawachi will agree to making a fool of himself in that international competition so as to raise the odds against Azuma and Suwabara and earn enough money to overthrow Yukino who is planning to sell Pantasia to St Pierre's owner. It's a messy state of affairs since that owner should be the guy who inspired Azuma to make bread and Meister Kirisaki who holds great power in Pantasia is actually that owner's son. And Meister eavesdropped on Kanmuri and Kawachi's conversation about losing deliberately so what will he do? I really don't know if he's considered a friend or foe in this case. My only hope for the Monaco Cup is that they will make it harder for Azuma to win or else he would beat every single opponent who comes along and it would be rather boring and unconvincing. Of course, I recognise the fact that he's got to win the Monaco Cup but then, what's success without a few hitches along the way? ^__^

Monster (Up to Ep 49)

A very engaging anime and it's still continuing. I guess it should be completed by this year since it's already at Ep 52 and the general word is that it should be done by Ep 78. Too bad the sub versions are only at Ep 49 so I'm still waiting for the rest to be out and downloading raws in the meantime.

The story is well-thought and very much organized. Things which appear to be totally unrelated would definitely have a meaning in the later stage. I'm very much into mystery and investigative plots so this goes down well for me. Unlike the usual animes set in Tokyo, this is set in Germany from 1986 onwards to 1997 or so (at least that's the year so far in Ep 49) and the story has moved on to Prague, Czech Republic where Tenma, Grimmer, Nina and Lunge are on the journey to find out the roots of Johan and Nina. I have a feeling that Johan and Nina are related to that guy who was in the Czechoslovia secret police and wrote that eerie story book about the nameless monster. Somehow, the storybook seems to be reflective of Johan's life and we'll see the connection soon since Tenma, Grimmer and Lunge are supposedly going to the Rose Mansion to find out more about that author.

Johan and Nina certainly look so similar to each other and I would never have noticed it if not for Johan impersonating as Nina and killing a number of people who would have spilled the beans about his past. Why is he so desperate to hide this and what is he trying to achieve? I do not believe the theory that Johan has split personalities and has no control over what he's doing. To me, he's definitely consicious of the things he's doing and he's always one step before Tenma to stop him from knowing more. Johan is intelligent enough to make everyone spin round and round so it's scary to know that someone like him is messing around with your life.

Maybe when I get to the end of the anime, I might consider getting the manga. Heard from people that the ending of the manga would be different from the anime. And the manga has only 18 volumes so it would be easier to get a complete set...