HOWLING by abingdon boys school (OP of Darker than Black)

Title: HOWLING
Artiste: abingdon boys school
Lyrics: Takanori Nishikawa
Music: Shibasaki Hiroshi

sosogareta mabuta kara nagare dashita namida
kuri kaeshi mushimareru risei to chi no kakera

I don't want anything anymore
(abaki dasu kanjou ga around Turn round)
I don't feel the way as before
(Gang Bang Son of a gun)

karameta futatsu no mune no sukima de
hoshigaru dakedo kawaita kono karada ga

kegareta yubisaki de yoru wo sosogi konde
chigireru made kimi wo kouji akete
asai nemuri no naka hakareta omoi kishimu
nami mo kamo ima wa subete keshisaretara

Sun will rise Close your eyes
Downfallen (Fallen) Falling
Hold inside
Just HOWLING in the shadows

taema naku furishikiru ame ni utare nagara
shigami tsuku sono senaka ni fukaku tsume wo tateta

I don't need anything anymore
(No one else can take my place)
I don't see the way as before
(I've been lost without a trace)

dareka no fureta yume no tsuzuki wo
saegiru you ni tozashite ita kokoro ga

kegareta yubisaki ga nando mo dakiatte
ate naku kimi wo tekuri yosete
awai kioku ga mada nokoshita itami ni nijimu
te ni ireta mono ga subete ayamachi de mo

ushinau tabi ni mezamete yuku chikara de

kegareta yubisaki de yoru wo sosogi konde
chigireru made kimi wo kouji akete
asai nemuri no naka mugareta omoi kizamu
nami mo kamo ima wa subete keshisaretara

Sun will rise, Close your eyes
Downfallen (Fallen) Falling
Give me sight to see inside
I'm calling
Take a bite night by night
Downfallen (Fallen) Falling
Hold inside
Just HOWLING in the shadows

Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo Ep 105 - 108: Maken no Mori no Satsujin 魔犬の森の殺人

Kindaichi goes on a trip with Miyuki and 2 of his classmates, Senka and Yao to a cottage owned by Yao's family. However, they are aghast to find that the place is in ruins despite what Yao had described. Being bewildered at why the place is in such a state, they decide to walk around to look for lodging to spend the night and ends up stumbling at a building when they lose their way. They meet an old man who wants to chase them away as he's mistaken that they are after something but a group of medical university students staying there for a summer camp decides to take them in. Kindaichi then finds out that the group of students are there to look for something.

It is then revealed that the building used to be a research facility and they are searching for some research reports which are said to be here according to rumours on the Internet. Thanks to Kindaichi, the group then stumble upon an underground cell supposedly meant to keep huge dogs especially the Cerebus. The thought that the Cerebus may be lingering around spooks the group who decide to return to their rooms for the night. However, the food supplies being in a mess as if devoured by someone marks the start of a series of happenings including the consequtive murders of the university students. In addition, the fact that the building is surrounded by wild dogs apparently inflicted with rabies causes a dire situation for the group...

Animes to watch in Spring 2007

Here's a list of animes I will try to watch this coming spring. Somehow, I find that my list keeps getting shorter with each passing season. Does that mean I have higher expectations of what I watch or is it due to the decreasing quality of shows these days? I have no idea how many I will watch from the start till the end too so this list doesn't give a clear indication of whether I will cover the series after all in this blog.

I know I haven't been writing reviews these days so I will have to find time to play catch-up slowly. And who knows when that will be as the backlog gets bigger? ^___^

Victorian Romance Emma The 2nd Act 英国恋物語エマ

O.A. 16 April 2007, Mondays

Story:

Continuation from the first series which ended with Emma leaving William. She begins life at a new mansion, under a new master and it seems like there's a new suitor too. On the other hand, although William cannot forget Emma, Eleanor is waiting for him to change his mind and this puts pressure on William in the process.

Reasons for watching this:

1) This has got to be the No.1 anime I'm looking forward this coming spring. I wasn't too happy with the way the first series ended so now, there's a tinge of hope that Emma and William might end up together after all. However, if the story wants to create problems for them to manifest the theme of "true love never runs smooth", I guess we will be seeing lots of crisis-filled developments along the way. By the way, the new suitor looks like a weirdo to me...seems like a psycho?! What's the hand doing there in the picture?

2) For the sake of Ueda Yuji as Hakim, my favourite character in this series. He's sure to lend a helping hand to William and Emma and I can't wait to see Hakim up to his antics again.

Love Complex (Love Con)ラブコン

O.A. 7 April 2007, Saturdays

Story:

A tall girl and a vertically-challenged boy's relationship. Previously made into a real-life movie starring Koike Teppei and Fujisawa Ema

Reasons for watching this:

1) This seems to be a light comedy which should keep me happy. I just hope it doesn't go the way of Bokura ga Ita i.e. emotionally-heavy when it comes to discussing the issues of how height affects the couple in question. I want it to be relatively light-hearted all the way.

2) Seiyuus...well, although they aren't the leads...seeing their names is enough: Tsuda Kenjirou, Suwabe Junichi and Onosaka Masaya. Inui, Atobe and Momoshiro in the same anime?! That's something to look forward to...

Darker than Black Kuro no Keiyakusha 黒の契約者

O.A. 5 April 2007, Thursdays

Cast:

Kiuchi Hidenobu, Fukuzono Misato, Sawaki Yuuya, Ikeda Masaru, Mizuki Nana, Shimura Tomoyuki, Fukuda Nobuaki, Toriumi Kosuke, Inamura Yuna, Sakamoto Chinatsu

Story:

The unexplainable appearance of the Hell's Gate in Tokyo brings about the loss of Tokyo's real sky. This leads to a group of people with special abilities who trade their powers to obtain information for spy organizations and carry out tasks like killing people. They are called the Keiyakusha 契約者.

The lead character Hei (Black) disguises himself as a foreign student from China, Li Shunshen and blends into the streets of Tokyo while carrying out his tasks. He is known for his strong ability and ruthless methods thus earning the title of BK201 The Black Death God.

Reasons for watching this:

1) Kiuchi Hidenobu. I'm totally obsessed with his voice so the moment I saw his name tagged to the lead character's name...I made my decision immediately. ^__^

2) I like stories with mysteries and suspense so this suits me just fine in terms of its genre. As to whether it will turn out to be as bad as TOKKO which was wrapped up too hastily, I certainly hope not.

Romeo & Juliet

O.A. 4 April 2007, Wednesdays

Cast:
Mizushima Daichuu, Mizusawa Fumie, Toriumi Kosuke, Nojima Yushi, Matsurai Yumi, Hirohashi Ryo, Ohara Sayaka, Okiayu Ryoutarou, Kawasumi Ayako, Tachibana Shinnosuke etc.

Theme song: Inori ~ You Raise Me Up ~ by Lena Park

Reasons for watching this:

1) Familiar names like Toriumi Kosuke (Sengoku from Tenipuri), Okiayu Ryoutarou (Tezuka-bucchou from Tenipuri), Ohara Sayaka (Rika-san from Hachikuro) and last but not least, Kawasumi Ayako (Nodame!!) Seiyuus who I like and are familiar are usually a big pull factor when it comes to deciding what new animes to watch.

2) The story is a tried-and-tested formula which never goes out of fashion over the years so I guess there's no harm in refreshing my memory of this Shakespeare classic. Besides, the images look quite nice to me and the background setting should be as good, if not better than what I saw in Gankutsuou, given that the two main characters come from rich and influential families.

Wellber no Monogatari (Sisters of Wellber)ウエルベールの物語

O.A. from 3 April 2007, Tuesdays

Cast:
Rita Shioru (Takahashi Mikako)
Tina Rota (Takeuchi Junko)
Sherry (Sendai Eri)
Girano Do (Borujuraku Cho)
Gernia Han (Kusuda Toshiyuki)
Garabad Aigar (Namikawa Daisuke)
Heidel Shioru (Kamibeppu Hitoji)
Roden Shioru (Sugita Tomokazu)
Jin (Terashima Takuatsu)
Vice (Tsuruoka Satoshi)

Story:
Ever since the major war 10 years ago, the Wellber kingdom has been trying hard to maintain the peace and order. However, the King, Heidel fears that history will repeat itself as his neighbouring country, Sangatras seems to be harbouring intentions of attacking Wellber. In order to prevent such a move, Heidel decides to let his daughter, Rita get married to the prince of Sangatras, Gernia.

However, Rita stabs Gernia and runs away to avoid punishment. The King of Sangatras is furious at this development and orders that Rita be captured and openly executed in 14 days or he will declare war against Wellber. Rita decides to run away to a neutral nation, Gurita so as to seek help.

On the other hand, a female thief, Tina sneaks into Wellber for the sake of some treasure and happens to see what happened when Rita stabbed Gernia...A man by the name of C is seeking Tina's whereabouts so as to take revenge for his parents and ends up being Rita's bodyguard on her way to Gurita.

Reasons for watching this:
1) This is from Production I.G and the crew of Tennis no Oujisama. Being a fan of Tenipuri, I'm rather curious to see what the team can come up with this time round.

2) Familiar names like Takahashi Mikako, Kusuda Toshiyuki, Namikawa Daisuke and Tsuruoka Satoshi from Tenipuri are back. There's also Sugita Tomokazu from Hachimitsu to Clover. What's more coincidental is that Kusuda and Namikawa play buddies again...a renewal of the relationship between Shishido and Ootori from Tenipuri? And Takahashi and Sugita from Hachikuro (Yamada and Mayama) become siblings this time round? That's why I'm rather eager to find out how their voices feel like in a different setting.

3) From the trailer, it seems like there's quite a bit of tension and action going on so I guess it will be interesting to see how the plot unravels.

Romaji lyrics of "Allegro Cantabile" by SUEMITSU & THE SUEMITH (OP of Nodame Cantabile)

Title: Allegro Cantabile
Artiste: SUEMITSU & SUEMITH
Lyrics by: SUEMITSU atsushi
Music by: SUEMITSU atsushi

hachijuu hachi no bamen no naka ni
chirabatta oto saki atsumeta te
kotoba ni naranai omoi narabeta
gosenfu no ue ni oikoshita hibi

kousa shiteiku sando wo kasane
koko ni hibikasete

utau you ni massugu ni
uta no ue wo nobiteiku
hoka ni wa nani mo dekinai
toki no subete atsuke nagara
jiyuu ni toki hanatareta
sunao ni kake meguru yubi
owari naki kuresshendo wa fukaku
dare ka no moto e mukau

me no mae ni hirakareta sekai
kuri kaesu atarashii pureryuudo

hachijuu hachi no yume monogatari
otoshita kyuufu kawaru haamonii
shizuka ni sotto todoeta iki
irubeki katachi tori modosu made

saki kesareru sando wo kasane
koko ni hibikasete

utau tabi ni shinjiteita uta no soba wo hazurete iku
intenpo de tsumazuite
tsurete iku soukyou no naka e
hiki kaesu michi ga kieru
ugokasareru nami ga chikaku
ushinatta koe no merodi dare ka no moto e mukau

me no mae wo tozashite iku tobira kanashimi wa
tsumi agerareta echuudo

ishiki mo naku togarasete tsukanda kara furi kitta
itsumademo wasurenai de utau hodoku kokoro no mama
utau you ni massugu ni uta no ue wo nobite yuku
owari naki kuresshendo wa fukaku
dare ka no moto e

suteeji no hachi no pianisuto e
ikiru koto konna uta no subete
ima kono me no mae ni hirakareta sekai
kuri kaesu atarashii pureryuudo

Romaji lyrics of "Konna ni Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay (ED of Nodame Cantabile)

Title: Konna ni Chikaku de
Artiste: Crystal Kay
Lyrics: Mutsumi Junyo
Melody: Ryosuke "Dr.R" Sakai
ED of Nodame Cantabile

koi ga setsunai to sugu soba de kizuita ano yoru
datte hoka no dare yori anata no koto wo shitteiru kara

itsumo no sarigenai yasashisa sae
kono mune wo shimetsuketeku

konna ni konna ni chikaku de mitsumete mo
doushite doushite tada no tomodachi na no?
donna ni donna ni tsuyoku omotte itemo
tsutaerarenai you don't understand
I'm so in love with you

[genki nai yo ne?] to anata kara iwareta shunkan
namida kakusu akubi de [nebusoku kana?] tte iiwake shita

ichiban taisetsu na hito ni
uso wo kasaneteku...ima no watashi

mainichi mainichi mune ga kurushii kara
ikutsumo ikutsumo nemurenu yoru wo koe
hajimete hajimete deatta ano hi ni mata
modoreru no nara ii no ni ... I'm so in love with you

[aishiteru] to tsugetara kitto
mou nidoto egao ni wa modorenai kamo shirenai
keredo mo tomodachi no mama tsukuri warai wa
kore ijou watashi dekinai kara

honto wa honto wa zutto suki datta no
itsudemo itsudemo aishi tsuzuketa no
anata ni anata ni todoketai kimochi wo
aoi sora e to sasayaita I'm so in love with you

konna ni konna ni chikaku de mitsumete mo
doushite doushite tada no tomodachi na no?
donna ni donna ni tsuyoku omotte itemo
tsutaerarenai you don't understand
I'm so in love with you

Romaji lyrics of "the world" by Nightmare (OP of Death Note)

Title: the world
Artiste: Nightmare
OP of Death Note's anime version
Melody & lyrics by RUKA

hirogaru yami no naka kawashi atta kakumei no chigiri
aishita yue ni mebaeta aku no hana
kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete wo
dare ni mo jama saseru wake ni wa ikanai kara

kajitsu wo tsugeta mirai
risei wo wasureta machi
kuroku yuganda ima wo
yume, risou ni kaeru

doushite? boku wa kowareta messiah?
dare mo ga nozonde [owari] wo

hirogaru yami no naka kawashi atta kakumei no chigiri
aishita yue ni mebaeta aku no hana
kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete wo
dare ni mo jama saseru wake ni wa ikanai

itsuka boku ga misete ageru
hikari kagayaku sora wo

doushite? boku wa kowareta messiah?
dare mo ga yume mita [rakuen] wo

hirogaru yami no naka kawashi atta kakumei no chigiri
aishita yue ni mebaeta aku no hana
kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete wo
dare ni mo jama saseru wake ni wa ikanai

itsuka boku ga misete ageru
hikari kagayaku sora wo

Romaji lyrics of LUCY by ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES)

Title: LUCY
Artiste: ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES)
Lyrics: ANNA
Melody: COZZI
3rd OP of the anime, "NANA"

Baby I'm standing alone
wasurenu Rainy day
anata no kage wo otte
And it's over suna no you ni
I sigh every night
I scream like a child & cried
shizuka ni tadayou sorrow
Please Please god tsumi wo yurushite
I don't need to hide no more
aoku hikaru hou e
nagareteku going on

You've got the chance now
You've got the power
kizuite so true yourself
I show you my life now
I show you my love now
I show you everything yeah yeah
Baby don't be afraid

Baby I'm lying alone
mezamenu drowning days
owari no nai my misery
Now I know that furi mukanai
Life goes round & round
Just silence surrounding me
moetsukite like a phoenix
And I'm falling ubawarete iku

I don't like to lie any more
yureru nami no you ni
ikireba ii going on

You'd better change now
You'd better catch now
kawaranai so be yourself
I'll show you my strength now
I'll show you my love now
I'll show you everything yeah yeah
Baby don't be afraid

You've got the chance now
You've got the power
kizuite so true yourself
I'll show you my strength now
I'll show you my love now
I'll show you everything yeah yeah
You'd better change now
You'd better change now
kawaranai so be yourself
I'll show you my strength now
I'll show you my love now
I'll show you everything yeah yeah
Baby don't be afraid

Review of "NANA"

Finished watching this movie and I must say that I'm amazed at how good this turned out to be. I was indeed sceptical about this despite hearing rave reviews but I'm now convinced that this is pretty good.

First of all, let me clarify that I've not read the manga yet so I do not know much about the storyline or the characters involved so there won't be a comparison of how well these actors/actresses fit the original characters. I'm assessing their performance based on how well they do on screen only.

The two leads Nakashima Mika and Miyazaki Aoi were chosen because they were said to resemble the characters the most among the hopefuls waiting to play the roles. Miyazaki is fine as Nana (Hachi) and she's so saccharine-sweet that it's hard to say no to her or stop yourself from pampering her. However, due to this, Hachi has a tendency to rely on others too much and put her own interests in the first place unwittingly. Although I won't say that Shoji is totally blameless when it comes to him betraying Hachi for Sachiko, Hachi does have a part to play in trying too hard to push her own views on others without realising that Shoji doesn't like her wilful ways. I usually dislike such act-cute characters but I didn't feel that much dislike for Miyazaki though.

As for Nakashima, she was really good to have displayed the conflicting emotions of Nana which caused such a terrible emotional struggle. On one hand, she didn't want to rely on her ex-boyfriend because of pride and yet she still loves him so much. That scene when they hugged at the hotel was really heart-breaking as Nana kept telling Ren that she didn't mean to reconcile with him but she couldn't stop herself from doing so. Oh, there were two scenes when she was in the bathtub with Ren but there wasn't anything sleazy about that. It felt good to see them baring their thoughts and hugging each other.

I don't know if anyone feels the same way as me but Nakashima is really skinny in this movie. People tend to look bigger than in real-life when they appear on the TV / movie screen and if I already find Nakashima extremely skinny, who knows how thin she might be in real-life? She didn't use to look like that and it didn't feel good seeing her pencil-thin legs and her bony frame as if she had been starved for ages.

As for the guys, my personal favourites are Yasu and Shin. Yasu seems like a very interesting person where he's a drummer and a lawyer at the same time. Two entirely different types of image and they can be found in the same person. As for Shin, I just find him so cute especially when he told Nobu that he knows about Nana's story after Nobu said everything while he was drunk. It's as if he was teasing Nobu for being a blabbermouth and the latter didn't quite like the fact that Shin took away his chance of telling the story to Hachi.

With regards to those whom I didn't like, it would be Takumi (Tamayama Tetsuji) and Shoji (Hiraoka Yuta). It's got more to do with how they look rather than how their characters are.

Ito Yuna deserves special mention here although she only appeared in the last 30 minutes or so and she had only one English line. I read before that Ito did not know how to speak Japanese when she came from Hawaii for the auditions of NANA so that's probably why she spoke English in the movie. However, this is not the reason why I think she deserves attention. She sang two songs in this movie, one of them being ENDLESS STORY which is used as the BGM to explain what happened when Ren and Nana parted ways as he came to Tokyo to join Trapnest. That scene was really sad and coupled with Ito's strong and sultry vocals, it increases the impact of that farewell scene. Not to forget Ito's stage presence as the diva singer REIRA, she was absolutely captivating.

Frankly speaking, I really like Ito's voice and she sounds so good either on CD or live performances. However, I'm worried that she might strain her vocals too much as she becomes more popular since this is something very common among many singers. Nakashima sounded so steady during her debut but of late, I find that she's straining herself to hit the higher notes as if it is tough to do so. That's why I certainly don't want to see the same happening to Ito.

Anyway, with regards to the story, there isn't anything much to talk about since it basically lays the groundwork and introduces the characters. I believe the sequel will be meatier in terms of its plot so we'll have to wait for next year before that is shown. No doubt there were a lack of upheavals in the storyline, the two leads were able to convince me how they came to develop a friendship and the concept was easier to accept as a result.

Talking about the songs "GLAMOROUS SKY" and "ENDLESS STORY", I prefer the latter. It's not that I don't like rock numbers but on a comparison basis, I just like the ballad better than the rock song.

When you finish the film, watch the entire credits roll since that's when you will get to see Black Stones performing the full version of "GLAMOROUS SKY". Wow, seeing Yasu, Shin and Nobu jamming on stage was so enjoyable. I don't know if they are really able to play those musical instruments but even if it was just play-acting, they sure looked convincing.

Out of a score of 10, I would give it a 9. If the story was more exciting, I might have given it full marks for the high level of enjoyment it provided.

Death Note Real Life Movie DVDs release info

The Death Note movie DVDs will be released by Vap on 14 March and here are the details of the three version:

Death Note / Death Note - the Last Name - complete set
Date of Release: 14 March 2007
Catalog Number: VPBT-12688
Price: 7140 yen
Contents: 3 DVDs consisting of Part 1 (126 minutes) + Part 2 (140 minutes) + Special Footage (130 minutes) + Trailers + TV CMs + Hidden Footage + Booklet + Special CD with Amane Misa's CD cover featured in the movie (Heaven's Door) as the CD jacket








Death Note
Date of Release: 14 March 2007
Catalog number: VPBT-12686
Price: 3570 yen
Contents: Movie (126 minutes) + trailers + hidden footage












Death Note - the Last Name -
Date of Release: 14 March 2007 (Wed)
Catalog number: VPBT-12687
Price: 3570 yen
Contents: Movie (140 minutes) + trailers + hidden footage

Review of Death Note - the Last Name -

This review comes at almost a month after I watched the movie in the cinema. Actually, I had lots of thoughts and comments about the concluding instalment of the Death Note real-life adaptation movie but only managed to find time to get down to organising them now. As such, this review will be very long, probably longer than what I wrote for the first movie. And be reminded that there are lots of spoilers so if you haven't watched this and do not wish to find out about the ending or whose name was written last on the Death Note, please skip this review now.

Part 1 ended with the cliffhanger of L supposedly seeing through Light's TV-in-the-potato-chips trick and taunting the latter by munching on chips before him. The sequel is where L and Light finally get the chance to pit their wits against each other, face-to-face. Light wants to join the Kira search team headed by L so as to eliminate his biggest enemy. On the other hand, L wants to find the proof to point to Light's identity as Kira and relishes the thrill of catching Light unawares at unexpected junctures.

I guess both guys enjoy the challenge of having someone who's as smart as you even though the other party is a life-threatening enemy. For example, their first "clash" at chess was such a speedy affair that the onlookers were stunned at how fast the geniuses made their moves as if they did not need to think at all.

The story here is jumbled up and the setting deviates from the manga to a large extent.

First of all, instead of introducing the Yotsuba arc in the story, the movie made Takada Kiyomi (Katase Nana) become the female version of Higuchi instead and totally erased the romantic link between her and Light. In the manga, Takada was Light's ex-classmate and considered an ex-girlfriend as well. Her reappearance was arranged to be right after the Yotsuba arc as a pawn for Light to get in touch with Mikami, the third Kira.

In the movie, Takada becomes somewhat like Higuchi who had made use of the Death Note passed by Ryuk under Light's orders to shake off L's suspicions. Takada plays a budding reporter in Sakura TV who wants to climb to the post of main announcer which is currently hogged by Nishiyama Saeko who had slept with the producer Demegawa to secure the post. Well, Takada has lofty aspirations about being a top class announcer without stooping so low but her conscience and ideals crumble when presented with the Death Note by Rem (instead of Ryuk). She follows the instructions to continue killing criminals with the Death Note and finally uses it for her own benefit by causing a freak accident for Nishiyama. This allows Takada to climb to the top but not at her own merit. L and Light pinpoint Takada easily from the various clues and manage to catch her redhanded. Eventually, Light kills off Takada once he regains his memory and gets back the ownership of the Death Note.

Frankly speaking, although Takada isn't that smart in the manga either (she was used by Light and died in a fire together with Mero), she comes across as a bimbo especially after getting hold of the Death Note. And I simply do not understand why the director had to arrange for Takada to show off her legs in such a manner which is obviously a visual treat for the guys. It only serves to strengthen the impression that the Takada in the movie is a brainless beauty. Given that the movie does not have enough time to cover the full storyline, I guess that's why the decision was made to potray Takada as Higuchi.

Talking about the newly added characters, I don't understand why Demegawa shrunk from an obese fellow to one scrawny lecherous chap. Nishiyama's addition was similarly meaningless and only served to be the reason why Takada went astray.

Amane Misa (Toda Erika) becomes someone of greater importance in the sequel as an infatuated admirer of Light who would do anything for him. To be frank, I simply dislike the Misa in the manga because I cannot understand her rationale of doing things and her blind obsession with Light although it's obvious that he's using her. To make things worse, her "cute" mannerisms got on my nerves, primarily due to my lack of tolerance for girls who try to act cute. However, Toda does pretty well as Misa and I can say Misa doesn't seem that annoying after all. Although Misa's ditzy nature did not change in the movie, I guess Toda managed to tone down a little bit during the more sentimental scenes e.g. the last part where she was trying hard to remember what happened to Light.

With regards to the two leads i.e. Fujiwara Tatsuya and Matsuyama Kenichi, I must say that the latter outshines his senior in many ways. Although Fujiwara was good at showing how twisted Light had become especially to the extent of trying to kill his father for the sake of securing his own survival, Matsuyama showed off a more varied performance. That mask he was wearing to cover his face, the antics he was up to when he appeared in Light's university and the way he fell off the chair upon hearing about Death Gods made everyone in the theatre laugh amidst the tense atmosphere prevalent in the movie. Yet, he also showed the serious and sentimental side of L when he was having the final showdown with Light, lamenting his inability to save Watari and how he was facing impending death alone. No wonder he managed to get so many awards and nominations for his acting in this movie e.g. Best Newcomer in Hochi Movie Awards, Best Newcomer in Yokohama Movie Festival and Best Supporting Actor in Nippon Academy Awards. I'm looking forward to seeing the L spinoff movie which will be shown in 2008. Details about the movie are still shrouded in secrecy but once information is available, I will post them on this blog.

Last but not least, the ending of the movie which I'm sure everyone would know is different from the manga. In the manga, almost all those involved in the case in one way or another died and the only main character who survived is Near. Of course, there's still Matsuda, Aizawa and Co. who are left behind in the police force to think about the what ifs assuming Light aka Kira was still alive. In the movie, there were also many who died e.g. Light, L, Watari but there were many who survived to think about the what ifs. I like the idea of keeping the truth from people close to Light because they would have been devastated by his true identity as Kira especially Sayu and his mother. It was also a good thing for Misa to lose her memories of how Light died because she would have joined him in death which was almost a certainty.

In the movie, L is potrayed as the victor in the battle of wits against Light but at the expense of his life. He wrote his name personally in the Death Note to test one of the rules written within and to gain Yagami Souichirou's assistance in nabbing Light. Although he died later than Light, the final name written in the Death Note is Light since L used it on himself prior to the showdown. As such, this victory isn't a complete one for L but provides some consolation especially to L fans who should have been shocked and sad at seeing him die at such an early stage in the manga. That last scene of L facing death alone and feeling sad about not being able to protect Watari from harm was very upsetting. Although he died with dignity, that lingering sense of sadness made it very difficult for me to accept his death.

On the whole, I feel that the movie adaptation was pretty successful in many ways. First of all, most of the original characters and settings were kept as it was so as to manage the expectations of manga fans. At the same time, the deviations from the plot managed to churn up many surprises for those new to the story and manga fans at the same time. Adding to that was the competent performances of Fujiwara and Matsuyama made it a joy to watch their battle on screen. If I have to name the things which I'm unhappy about the films, that would probably be the handling of Misora Naomi to the extent of making her a brainless woman, the over-exposure of flesh from Takada Kiyomi as well as redundant changes e.g. the "shrinking" of Demegawa and oversimplying Takada's role as a woman hungry for fame and power.

Romaji lyrics of "Kuroi Namida" by ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES)

Title: Kuroi Namida (Black Tears)
Sung by: ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES)
Lyrics by Megumi Takeuchi
Melody by Hiroki Nagase
ED of the anime, "NANA"

Asu nante konai you ni to
negatta yoru kazoe kirenai
yume mo ai mo nakushi
ame ni utareta mama naiteru

kazari tsuke nai de kono mama no atashi de ikite yuku tame nani ga hitsuyo
jibun sae shinjirezu nani wo shinjitara ii no
kotae wa chikasugite mienai

kuroi namida nagasu
watashi ni wa nanimo nakute kanashii sugite
kotoba ni sae nara nakute
karada juu ga itami dashite
taerarenai hitori de wa

yonaka ni naki tsukarete egaita jibun janai jibun no kao
yowasa wo kakushita mama egao wo tsukuru no wa yameyou...

kazari tsuke nai de ikite yuku koto wa kono yo de ichiban
muzukashii koto?
anata kara morau nara katachi no nai mono ga ii
kowareru mono wa mou iranai

kuroi namida nagashi sakendemo
shiranu kao de ashita wa kite
onaji itami ni butsukaru
sonna hibi tsuzukeru nara
tooku kiete shimaitai
wagamama to wakattemo...

kuroi namida nagasu
watashi ni wa nanimo nakute kanashii sugite
kotoba ni sae nara nakute
karada juu ga itami dashite
taerarenai hitori de wa

kuroi namida nagashi sakendemo
shiranu kao de asu wa kite
onaji itami ni butsukaru
sonna hibi tsuzukeru nara
tooku kiete shimaitai
wagamama to wakattemo...

PV screenshots of "Kuroi Namida" by ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES)

Here are the screenshots of "Kuroi Namida" performed by ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES) which is also the new ED for the anime version of NANA.

In tune with the title, the whole PV is in monochrome with Tsuchiya Anna in a simple black dress. There isn't much variation in the setting except that you will get to see her being drenched by a shower tap or lying on the desert.

Favourite animes of 2006

Although I've watched quite a number of animes in 2006, I found that when it comes to naming my favourites, only two titles come to mind i.e. Hachimitsu to Clover II & Death Note. I have issues with the rest of the titles I watched and there were a siginificant number of animes which I even dropped halfway. As such, I'm not sure whether it is the quality of the animes which has gone downhill or my expectations have gone higher which is leading to this situation.

First of all, let me talk about Hachimitsu to Clover II which should be my No.1 series for the year.

After watching the first season in 2005, it got me so interested in the story that I went to buy the manga once the series had ended its run. The bittersweet tone in the story makes it very engaging and anyone who has gone through friendship, school life, separation from friends or even one-sided love could easily relate to the circumstances of the characters. I think that's the power of Hachikuro which is drawing many to read the manga and watch the anime. I'm not sure how the real-life adaptation movie fares when compared to these two versions though because I've not watched it yet.

Anyway, coming to the second season, it's more like a resolution to the situation trapping these characters and how it appears that they have finally found a way out of the seemingly hopeless state which their lives are stuck in. The love triangle between Takemoto, Hagu and Morita did not have a conclusion though but it's rather obvious that Hagu feels something different for Morita and vice versa as compared to her views of Takemoto. On the other hand, Mayama has shown his conviction to stick with Rika while there seems to be some hope for Yamada and Nomiya to work things out one day. What was a bit surprising would be the fact that Hanamoto's feelings for Hagu which appeared out of the blue although it was obvious that his love for Hagu had already seemed overboard for an uncle and niece.

Since the manga has already ended, it doesn't seem likely that there will be a continuation of the series or even a spinoff. I feel that it's better to leave things as it is instead of spoiling the wonderful impression which viewers have of Hachikuro. It's important to know when to stop just as it is important to know when to let go.

The other series which has got me very interested would be Death Note. The situation for this title is slightly different from Hachikuro where I watched the anime before reading the manga. In Death Note's case, I've already read the manga before watching the anime so I'm very familiar with the story and knows what to expect.

I'm glad to see that the anime is following the manga's story closely instead of putting in nonsensical filler episodes like what NANA has been doing at times (the Junko no Heya recap SPs which get on my nerves). Even though there may be some developments which seem to be simplified to ensure that there is sufficient time to cover everything, the essence of the story is still very much intact. I also like the voice acting by Miyano Mamoru (Light) and Yamaguchi Kappei (L) and hope that the anime can cover up at least till the Yotsuba arc.

With the start of the new season coming soon, I can only hope for better works to come our way in 2007 so that I will have more titles to write about when the end of the year approaches.

明けまして、おめでとうございます！Happy New Year!

2006 is coming to an end and it's been a very busy time for me especially in the second half of the year. That's why I've not been keeping up with the updates on this site for as much as I would have wanted to do thus leading to queries from visitors as to whether I'm still maintaining this site. Rest assured that although the updates are slower than before, I will try to clear the backlog of stuff which I want to post at a comfortable pace. As such, I can only hope for your continued support and patience while I try to strike a balance.

I will be posting a recap on the anime/manga which I've enjoyed and disliked in the year 2006 so please keep a lookout for this feature which should appear within the next few days.

See you in 2007 and may you have a great year ahead!

NANA 2 real-life movie trailer

The trailer of the NANA 2 movie can now be viewed via its official website.

Although I enjoyed watching the first movie (unexpectedly), I'm not that thrilled about the sequel. The issue which bothers me most is the change in cast members. It's not that I have something against Ichikawa Yui but getting used to seeing Miyazaki Aoi as Hachi means that it's more difficult to picture Ichikawa in the same role. Likewise, Hongo Kanata taking on the role of Shin is totally unimaginable especially if the movie touches on his relationship with Reira played by Ito Yuna. I can't imagine those two doing a bed scene although Hongo does look closer to the Shin in the manga due to his age. To think I was looking forward to seeing Matsuyama Kenichi and Ito together on screen all the while! Last but not least, although I don't fancy Matsuda Ryuhei as Ren, it just feels awkward to see Kyo Nobuo taking his place. Well, that's the problem with being replacements for the original cast in sequels, they can't avoid being compared and criticised by viewers. And I happen to prefer that everything stays status quo unless the replacement can do a much better job.

My enthusiasm level for the movie is rather low but as to whether the sequel would turn out to be better than the first in terms of quality, I'll only pass judgement when I've watched it.