[#006] Along With All My Busy-ness...
...I've been watching lots and lots of vids. (And these are mostly the Japanese ones. XD I'm totally not going to mention how I've been overdosing myself on Power Rangers episodes--Operation Overdrive for example. coughcough.)
Before that though, a little complaint. DDDDD: My damn torrent for The Quiz Show WILL NOT MOVE. T.T Anyone know how I can improve my bitcomet's torrenting capabilities because a;sldfkjasldfkjkl I'VE BEEN WANTING TO SEE THE LAST TWO EPISODES FOR AGES, but I can't seem to finish downloading episode nine. And watching episode ten before nine would be kind of ridiculous, now wouldn't it? (frigging no ddl. DDDDD:)
Another aside, went to a debut on Friday. It only made me wonder why my parents hadn't had one for any of their children (then again, they have three daughters and MAN that would've been expensive), but it's interesting. I kind of feel like I missed out having one of those big parties for myself, but ahaha, preparing for it probably wouldn't been so crazy that I would've wished I didn't have one. You know, in this hypothetical situation. XD lol I would've liked to wear the pretty dresses at least. *_______________*
And LASTLY. Aiba has a drama and fandom goes nuts! Personally, I would've preferred Aiba to stick to variety shows because he's good at them and because I've seen Aiba's acting and couldn't stop cringing. XD But here's to hoping that since then Aiba's grown (somehow) as an actor and he can pull this off. I'll still be watching it though because, god, I have a freaking Aiba-bias and you can't tear me away. (I has many many issues, I know.)
Buzzer Beat: [ep.1-2] Of course I'm watching this! Godohgod. First thing's first, I love that the director/producer/whoever keeps having Yamapi in shirtless situations. They sure as hell know who they're catering towards. lol As for the drama in general though, it's okay. Nothing terribly special--totally predictable in some areas. I mean really. Keiko's Riko yelling "Idiot!!!" at Yamapi's Naoki and him suddenly getting better? Totally saw that coming. Although, while watching, all I can think of is that the initial synopsis that we got of the drama is kind of all sorts of LIES because Naoki's fail is not very large. As Junpei's Shuji says, he's cool most of the time. So I don't understand why they led us to believe that Naoki's fail like all the time. He chokes a little (okay, a little more than little) when under pressure, but like, during the scene when they're teaching the kids, Naoki was ALL SORTS OF COOL (and adorable--whenever Yamapi smiles, I smile).
I have to mention some of my favorite scenes--they had a boobie joke! I couldn't believe it when I saw it and kind of died laughing when Yamapi cupped his own moob. OH GOD SO FUNNY. Also, Kanjiya's Mai is hysterical. I love her so hard. Her worrying that Utsu's gay for the coach was just too good. Another joke I couldn't believe they included. Um. I'm still kind of wondering why Natsuki sticks with Naoki when she fakes so badly when she's around him. I can't reason in my head why she wants to stay when she could probably just as easily just leave him. I mean, it'd probably suck for him since they do work together (to some capacity anyway) but he'd get over it. Also, my sadness that Maya Miki is pretty much in a throw-away role. Really now. What the fuck. SHE CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER. DDDDDD:
And lastly, since I am watching Long Vacation for jep_cast, I kept trying to see why people were comparing the two--so I've heard anyway. And honestly, I can't figure it out. Maybe it's because I'm only up to episode four and the comparisons come later, but I really can't see what makes the two dramas similar. None of the characters are alike, the situations are totally different. I mean, the only thing I can see so far is the damn billboard. Please, someone enlighten me because it's going to drive me crazy. (Unless it involves spoilers, then hold off because I'm actually going to be good and not look into spoilers for Long Vacation like I normally would do. XD)
Ninkyo Helper: [ep.1-3] Oh man, the surprise drama of the season. Of course I was going to pick it up--I mean really now, Kuroki Meisa as a kick-ass yakuza boss? Sign me up. But this drama hits all the right buttons episode after episode and is so emotional that it just pulls you in. The plot is nothing to speak of--yakuza bosses working at a senior care center (or whatever it is), but it's how they make everything work together that makes this drama so good. I'm going straight to episode 3 because I think that's a good example of why they're so good at making this drama work--it's because they eliminate the "easy" in the situation. In episode three, the story centers around this grandson who abuses his grandmother. Fucking abuses her and she takes it because he's family and he's living with her. And of course, our yakuza bosses--Meisa and Tsuyoshi (or rather Riko and Tsubasa--why is there another Riko? o.o Popular name this season)--want to make things better because God, that is MESSED up that the grandson would go so far in abusing his grandmother. DDDDDDDDD: But when they do take him out of the equation (in this case, he turns himself into the police for doing drugs), things don't get better for the grandmother. In fact, it gets worse and worse to the point that Yusuke's Izumi has to restrain her just like her grandson had done to her when they were at home. Except this time, that's not abuse. It's for her own good. But that doesn't excuse the fact that in the end, they're doing the same as her grandson--and in this case, it's worse than when she was being abused because this time, she's not as accepting of the situation (not that her acceptance makes things better). It's just. They don't make it so that everything ends in a neat package with a pretty bow. And I like that they do that--because it does tug at your heart more and more. And trust me, the first two episodes are just as jarring. Episode two with the old man that almost gave up his dignity and wore the diaper (and ends up tossing Tsubasa over his head and being kick-ass). But really episode one with the old lady who took to Tsubasa so much (mistakening her for his son actually) but then forgets about him at the very end? Oh man, so heart-breaking.
But possibly the best relationship for me has to be that little boy/Tsubasa/Riko. I'm totally adding Riko in there because she's totally involved in their relationship--helping out the little boy as well whenever she shows up. That little kid is ridiculously cute and it makes me SO SAD that he's getting bullied by all these kids. DDD: And seeing Tsubasa take to him (even though he's valiantly trying to act aloof around him) is just as cute. ♥♥ I have nothing really much to add past that.
In the long run, watch if you aren't because I really think you're missing out.
P.S. Yabu is actually pretty good in this. I was surprised.
P.P.S. I was on dramawiki (to look up names because you guys know I suck at it) and I saw that the ratings for ep 4 were higher than even the first episode. ...I say it's a combination of how good this drama is and the fact that Yamada Yuu was on that particular episode. XD
Call Center no Koibito: [ep.1-3] I picked this up for the sole reason that I wanted to give most of the dramas that are airing this season a bit of a chance. And then I continued watching because Mimura's Aoyama Kyoko is just so bizarre a character that I want to find out what she's thinking/motivated by/how she's pissed of Aisu so much that Aisu pretty much hates her. Not to mention, the fact that the very first scene we see is Koizumi Kotaro's Tokura on freaking Tetsuko no heya (that's the show right?) promoting some book and calling out for Aoyama. (Dude, when I saw that, I had seriously gotten confused and wondered if I'd downloaded the wrong show or something.) And from there, I'm still wondering how things led up to that and why Tokura's calling out for Aoyama when so far, he doesn't really like her too much--he's interested in her motivations, but he totally doesn't like her.
This drama is just... it's definitely a feel-good drama. It's not anything special or complicated. It's a freaking call center after all. Although the part where they analyze their customers through their past purchases is a bit of a reach, but it's really nice seeing how things unfold--how they figure things out and then the happy end result. This is pretty much the opposite of Ninkyo Helper in that respect, because everything does end in that nice little package with a bow on top. And really, that's the type of drama that'd fit it. Sure, in the first episode, the guy ends up going to jail, but when Aoyama goes "cut what you wanted to get cut!" and he goes and cuts that peach from the tree, all I could do was laugh because WTF, THAT IS JUST RIDICULOUS. And yet I kept watching. I am seriously weird. It's a drama I'm mainly watching to pass the time. And to find out why Aoyama is so dedicated to her job and why she just stays in that call center pretty much 24/7. XD
P.S. I couldn't figure out why the fuck I recognized Koizumi Kotaro so much. Until I wikied it. Attention Please. I have such a bad memory.
Dandy Daddy: [ep.1] Man, this drama. So, at some point during the first episode (somewhere near the middle when Tachi's Ryunosuke was giving the speech about parents worrying about their children), I had twittered something along the lines of how I wondered if I was (surprisingly) liking this drama because I had such a bias towards family-related dramas. Peyton's response was something like, um, yeah, duh. lol Seriously, that kind of sums it up. This is 100% a family drama--centered around the relationship between a father/daughter (well, okay, and probably daughter/boyfriend). Which only made me wonder wtf, Tachi Hiroshi is doing another protective father role? Wasn't the first one weird enough? lol. Okay, so this one doesn't have any weird let's change bodies!!!! kind of plot, but still. I think what amuses me the most is that Ryunosuke tries so hard to be the cool father--insisting that he'd totally be okay with it if Akari would get a boyfriend or trying to give her advice on how to snag guys and all that kind of stuff. But then when he finds out that she may be dating someone, he goes over to her school and tries to act like he was just "passing by." lol So slick. Which is why the speech he gives that stupid girl on that show he's on about how of course parents are going to worry about their children was just so moving, because it's like he's finally voicing what he's realizing. That even if he says it's cool, he would really really REALLY worry about whoever his daughter is going out with. And then they make it all funny by making him say "...is what Sasaki would say" just made me go "awwww, Ryunosuke, you're adorable." He's seriously endearing as a father and I adore seeing him worry--because really, this is what a parent would do--okay, maybe not to his extremes, but still.
Also, him going, ahahah sure you could date my daughter to Kobayakawa was just so obvious that they didn't even HAVE to have that scene at the end of episode one where Kobayakawa and Akari announce to Ryunosuke that they're dating. Totally obvious that that was going to happen. I totally know this drama's going to get repetitive but I'll probably hang on for a bit until that annoys me. XD
Futatsu no Spica: [ep.1-4] I LOVELOVELOVE Futatsu no Spica. I probably should be glad I didn't go back and rewatch the anime, because while I'm not sure how much it follows the original storyline, I'm pretty sure it's already very different. Um. How can I be coherent about this? I think what I love so much about this is the writing. The dialogue in this is all sorts of brilliant--moving and funny and precise all in one neat package. I understand why the ratings are so low, but I think if more people gave it a chance, they'd like it so much more. The relationships and the striving for their dreams and how Asumi is trying to achieve something that the important people to her keep trying to tell her "no" essentially. I just love it. Plus the reason I laud the writing is because they do so well during those emotional scenes where you need that perfect line. Well, so I say anyway. I can't help but get swept away episode after episode because it's just so GOOD. I love it. And the acting of the five students is pretty damn good. I even liked Tanabe Seiichi in this as Sano-sensei!! To the point that when he left in episode 4, I practically wibbled during that entire scene--and lord knows I hated him in Kami no Shizuku. I also really like Nakamura Yuichi (yes, Nakamura and not Nakamaru. lol) as Shu. omg, he's probably my favorite character, tied with Fuchuya. a;lskdfjalsdj They're both ridiculously amazing and I KINDA CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FIFTH EPISODE BECAUSE I SEE YOU PREVIEW. ;alkdjfalskjfa Um. Mukai Osamu was great, but now he's gone and I have NOTHING TO FILL MY DAMN MUKAI OSAMU FIX because now he's not on this and his role in Ninkyo Helper isn't even a five minute role--it's a fucking five second role. And I didn't even include Asumi on that list because of COURSE I love her. I mean, she's the big pull of the drama for me. I love her character and how we don't only see her overwhelming optimism, we also see those times when she does feel like she's going to break--when she wonders if she'll actually succeed. It's not endlessly YAY WE WILL DO IT. There is a level there where we do see her struggle--outside and inside. And I love that. a;lksdfjalskdj All in all, I WANT THE NEXT EPISODE REALLY REALLY BADLY. a;lskdfjalsjdflajsd
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: [entire series] THIS. I was recommended this by streetrat and was going to pick it up anyway because I'd seen her mention it a couple of times on her LJ. And I totally wasn't disappointed. SO GOOD. Oh god. My heart kind of wrenched at the end of this because so many people had died and I wanted so badly for things to work out. T.T That ending scene with Nia/Simon and then her disappearing after they finally got married? I was just SO FUCKING SAD. Also, Yoko never wins--first Kamina dies (OHMYGOD WAS I SURPRISED THAT THEY KILLED HIM. ...Even though I'd already known it was coming because coughcough, i read spoilers, coughcough) and then Kittan dies. T.T Both right after kissing Yuko. lol I was reading through some forum or another and they were like, Yoko's just the kiss of death. I laughed. Because it's so true. XD
Um. As for the anime as a whole, at first it was a little slow starting. I was kind of getting tired of Simon's BUT I CAN'T DO THIS and Kamina's obnoxious WE CAN DO ANYTHING. But then somewhere it took a turn and I started to really like them. Or really, I should say that I was seriously starting to love Kamina because he was RIDICULOUS but he was still very much about striving. About taking those extra steps--no matter how crazy or impossible they were. I mean the move where he picked up Lagann and stuck him on top of Gurren's head? SO FUCKING FUNNY. But it WORKED. Nobody thought it would, but it WORKED. And that was just fucking awesome. I loved him. Which is why when he does eventually die (SO EARLY ON), it seriously killed me. T.T I had to pause and watch that particular episode a billion times because I just didn't want it to HAPPEN. T.T Just so sad. But it was Simon's reaction that really struck me. It was so obvious that Kamina was Simon's glue to... I don't know, his confidence. His drive. His everything really--which is why when he crashes, and boy does he crash HARD, it's totally buyable because to Simon, Kamina orchestrated everything. Without Kamina's direction, nobody--especially himself--could get anywhere.
Um, Nia. Oh man, Nia. At first she was too perfect for me. The way she just so easily trusted everyone and the way she believed so heavily in everyone's abilities--particularly Simon--just didn't mesh right with me and it took me a while to get used to her character. And from there, I was able to reason HOW she was like that. And I think it's due all to the fact that she hasn't really experienced being disappointed. Or at least hadn't until she found out about her father. Before that, everything was perfect and happy and what did she know about being hurt and disappointed? Her dedication to Simon is especially key because he was the one that saved her--and in turn, she ends up saving him. Which is just perfect and beautiful and I love how in the second half of the series, how she's still there for him--even when she's really that other person and whatnot. She's STILL there. She still believes he'll save her. And she sticks around long enough so that they can get married. That was just so beautiful. And so HEARTBREAKING.
I don't want to ramble too long so in the end, it was such a good anime. (I didn't even mention Rossiu!!! Who I totally loved. And omg, Gimmy/Darry WHO I SO SHIPPED. THEY WERE SO RIDICULOUS AWESOME IN THE SECOND HALF AS PILOTS. YES, KICK-ASS.) I'm so pleased I watched it. *________________*
Omg, i almost don't want to see how long this post is because O.O I can just imagine. All in all, I just realized, everything I mentioned here is watchable and nothing where I rant about how bad so-and-so is! SO HAPPY. I is watching good stuff.
P.S. I still have to watch Orthros no Inu ep1 (which is kind of funny as I TIMED the damn thing). I already know what happens in ep2. Which is probably even funnier. I also have Buzzer Beat ep3 waiting for me. And now that Rescue is done subbing, I have to watch 3-end.
P.P.S. I also have PR Operation Overdrive's last 7 eps waiting but we're not acknowledging that. XD
Before that though, a little complaint. DDDDD: My damn torrent for The Quiz Show WILL NOT MOVE. T.T Anyone know how I can improve my bitcomet's torrenting capabilities because a;sldfkjasldfkjkl I'VE BEEN WANTING TO SEE THE LAST TWO EPISODES FOR AGES, but I can't seem to finish downloading episode nine. And watching episode ten before nine would be kind of ridiculous, now wouldn't it? (frigging no ddl. DDDDD:)
Another aside, went to a debut on Friday. It only made me wonder why my parents hadn't had one for any of their children (then again, they have three daughters and MAN that would've been expensive), but it's interesting. I kind of feel like I missed out having one of those big parties for myself, but ahaha, preparing for it probably wouldn't been so crazy that I would've wished I didn't have one. You know, in this hypothetical situation. XD lol I would've liked to wear the pretty dresses at least. *_______________*
And LASTLY. Aiba has a drama and fandom goes nuts! Personally, I would've preferred Aiba to stick to variety shows because he's good at them and because I've seen Aiba's acting and couldn't stop cringing. XD But here's to hoping that since then Aiba's grown (somehow) as an actor and he can pull this off. I'll still be watching it though because, god, I have a freaking Aiba-bias and you can't tear me away. (I has many many issues, I know.)
Buzzer Beat: [ep.1-2] Of course I'm watching this! Godohgod. First thing's first, I love that the director/producer/whoever keeps having Yamapi in shirtless situations. They sure as hell know who they're catering towards. lol As for the drama in general though, it's okay. Nothing terribly special--totally predictable in some areas. I mean really. Keiko's Riko yelling "Idiot!!!" at Yamapi's Naoki and him suddenly getting better? Totally saw that coming. Although, while watching, all I can think of is that the initial synopsis that we got of the drama is kind of all sorts of LIES because Naoki's fail is not very large. As Junpei's Shuji says, he's cool most of the time. So I don't understand why they led us to believe that Naoki's fail like all the time. He chokes a little (okay, a little more than little) when under pressure, but like, during the scene when they're teaching the kids, Naoki was ALL SORTS OF COOL (and adorable--whenever Yamapi smiles, I smile).
I have to mention some of my favorite scenes--they had a boobie joke! I couldn't believe it when I saw it and kind of died laughing when Yamapi cupped his own moob. OH GOD SO FUNNY. Also, Kanjiya's Mai is hysterical. I love her so hard. Her worrying that Utsu's gay for the coach was just too good. Another joke I couldn't believe they included. Um. I'm still kind of wondering why Natsuki sticks with Naoki when she fakes so badly when she's around him. I can't reason in my head why she wants to stay when she could probably just as easily just leave him. I mean, it'd probably suck for him since they do work together (to some capacity anyway) but he'd get over it. Also, my sadness that Maya Miki is pretty much in a throw-away role. Really now. What the fuck. SHE CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER. DDDDDD:
And lastly, since I am watching Long Vacation for jep_cast, I kept trying to see why people were comparing the two--so I've heard anyway. And honestly, I can't figure it out. Maybe it's because I'm only up to episode four and the comparisons come later, but I really can't see what makes the two dramas similar. None of the characters are alike, the situations are totally different. I mean, the only thing I can see so far is the damn billboard. Please, someone enlighten me because it's going to drive me crazy. (Unless it involves spoilers, then hold off because I'm actually going to be good and not look into spoilers for Long Vacation like I normally would do. XD)
Ninkyo Helper: [ep.1-3] Oh man, the surprise drama of the season. Of course I was going to pick it up--I mean really now, Kuroki Meisa as a kick-ass yakuza boss? Sign me up. But this drama hits all the right buttons episode after episode and is so emotional that it just pulls you in. The plot is nothing to speak of--yakuza bosses working at a senior care center (or whatever it is), but it's how they make everything work together that makes this drama so good. I'm going straight to episode 3 because I think that's a good example of why they're so good at making this drama work--it's because they eliminate the "easy" in the situation. In episode three, the story centers around this grandson who abuses his grandmother. Fucking abuses her and she takes it because he's family and he's living with her. And of course, our yakuza bosses--Meisa and Tsuyoshi (or rather Riko and Tsubasa--why is there another Riko? o.o Popular name this season)--want to make things better because God, that is MESSED up that the grandson would go so far in abusing his grandmother. DDDDDDDDD: But when they do take him out of the equation (in this case, he turns himself into the police for doing drugs), things don't get better for the grandmother. In fact, it gets worse and worse to the point that Yusuke's Izumi has to restrain her just like her grandson had done to her when they were at home. Except this time, that's not abuse. It's for her own good. But that doesn't excuse the fact that in the end, they're doing the same as her grandson--and in this case, it's worse than when she was being abused because this time, she's not as accepting of the situation (not that her acceptance makes things better). It's just. They don't make it so that everything ends in a neat package with a pretty bow. And I like that they do that--because it does tug at your heart more and more. And trust me, the first two episodes are just as jarring. Episode two with the old man that almost gave up his dignity and wore the diaper (and ends up tossing Tsubasa over his head and being kick-ass). But really episode one with the old lady who took to Tsubasa so much (mistakening her for his son actually) but then forgets about him at the very end? Oh man, so heart-breaking.
But possibly the best relationship for me has to be that little boy/Tsubasa/Riko. I'm totally adding Riko in there because she's totally involved in their relationship--helping out the little boy as well whenever she shows up. That little kid is ridiculously cute and it makes me SO SAD that he's getting bullied by all these kids. DDD: And seeing Tsubasa take to him (even though he's valiantly trying to act aloof around him) is just as cute. ♥♥ I have nothing really much to add past that.
In the long run, watch if you aren't because I really think you're missing out.
P.S. Yabu is actually pretty good in this. I was surprised.
P.P.S. I was on dramawiki (to look up names because you guys know I suck at it) and I saw that the ratings for ep 4 were higher than even the first episode. ...I say it's a combination of how good this drama is and the fact that Yamada Yuu was on that particular episode. XD
Call Center no Koibito: [ep.1-3] I picked this up for the sole reason that I wanted to give most of the dramas that are airing this season a bit of a chance. And then I continued watching because Mimura's Aoyama Kyoko is just so bizarre a character that I want to find out what she's thinking/motivated by/how she's pissed of Aisu so much that Aisu pretty much hates her. Not to mention, the fact that the very first scene we see is Koizumi Kotaro's Tokura on freaking Tetsuko no heya (that's the show right?) promoting some book and calling out for Aoyama. (Dude, when I saw that, I had seriously gotten confused and wondered if I'd downloaded the wrong show or something.) And from there, I'm still wondering how things led up to that and why Tokura's calling out for Aoyama when so far, he doesn't really like her too much--he's interested in her motivations, but he totally doesn't like her.
This drama is just... it's definitely a feel-good drama. It's not anything special or complicated. It's a freaking call center after all. Although the part where they analyze their customers through their past purchases is a bit of a reach, but it's really nice seeing how things unfold--how they figure things out and then the happy end result. This is pretty much the opposite of Ninkyo Helper in that respect, because everything does end in that nice little package with a bow on top. And really, that's the type of drama that'd fit it. Sure, in the first episode, the guy ends up going to jail, but when Aoyama goes "cut what you wanted to get cut!" and he goes and cuts that peach from the tree, all I could do was laugh because WTF, THAT IS JUST RIDICULOUS. And yet I kept watching. I am seriously weird. It's a drama I'm mainly watching to pass the time. And to find out why Aoyama is so dedicated to her job and why she just stays in that call center pretty much 24/7. XD
P.S. I couldn't figure out why the fuck I recognized Koizumi Kotaro so much. Until I wikied it. Attention Please. I have such a bad memory.
Dandy Daddy: [ep.1] Man, this drama. So, at some point during the first episode (somewhere near the middle when Tachi's Ryunosuke was giving the speech about parents worrying about their children), I had twittered something along the lines of how I wondered if I was (surprisingly) liking this drama because I had such a bias towards family-related dramas. Peyton's response was something like, um, yeah, duh. lol Seriously, that kind of sums it up. This is 100% a family drama--centered around the relationship between a father/daughter (well, okay, and probably daughter/boyfriend). Which only made me wonder wtf, Tachi Hiroshi is doing another protective father role? Wasn't the first one weird enough? lol. Okay, so this one doesn't have any weird let's change bodies!!!! kind of plot, but still. I think what amuses me the most is that Ryunosuke tries so hard to be the cool father--insisting that he'd totally be okay with it if Akari would get a boyfriend or trying to give her advice on how to snag guys and all that kind of stuff. But then when he finds out that she may be dating someone, he goes over to her school and tries to act like he was just "passing by." lol So slick. Which is why the speech he gives that stupid girl on that show he's on about how of course parents are going to worry about their children was just so moving, because it's like he's finally voicing what he's realizing. That even if he says it's cool, he would really really REALLY worry about whoever his daughter is going out with. And then they make it all funny by making him say "...is what Sasaki would say" just made me go "awwww, Ryunosuke, you're adorable." He's seriously endearing as a father and I adore seeing him worry--because really, this is what a parent would do--okay, maybe not to his extremes, but still.
Also, him going, ahahah sure you could date my daughter to Kobayakawa was just so obvious that they didn't even HAVE to have that scene at the end of episode one where Kobayakawa and Akari announce to Ryunosuke that they're dating. Totally obvious that that was going to happen. I totally know this drama's going to get repetitive but I'll probably hang on for a bit until that annoys me. XD
Futatsu no Spica: [ep.1-4] I LOVELOVELOVE Futatsu no Spica. I probably should be glad I didn't go back and rewatch the anime, because while I'm not sure how much it follows the original storyline, I'm pretty sure it's already very different. Um. How can I be coherent about this? I think what I love so much about this is the writing. The dialogue in this is all sorts of brilliant--moving and funny and precise all in one neat package. I understand why the ratings are so low, but I think if more people gave it a chance, they'd like it so much more. The relationships and the striving for their dreams and how Asumi is trying to achieve something that the important people to her keep trying to tell her "no" essentially. I just love it. Plus the reason I laud the writing is because they do so well during those emotional scenes where you need that perfect line. Well, so I say anyway. I can't help but get swept away episode after episode because it's just so GOOD. I love it. And the acting of the five students is pretty damn good. I even liked Tanabe Seiichi in this as Sano-sensei!! To the point that when he left in episode 4, I practically wibbled during that entire scene--and lord knows I hated him in Kami no Shizuku. I also really like Nakamura Yuichi (yes, Nakamura and not Nakamaru. lol) as Shu. omg, he's probably my favorite character, tied with Fuchuya. a;lskdfjalsdj They're both ridiculously amazing and I KINDA CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FIFTH EPISODE BECAUSE I SEE YOU PREVIEW. ;alkdjfalskjfa Um. Mukai Osamu was great, but now he's gone and I have NOTHING TO FILL MY DAMN MUKAI OSAMU FIX because now he's not on this and his role in Ninkyo Helper isn't even a five minute role--it's a fucking five second role. And I didn't even include Asumi on that list because of COURSE I love her. I mean, she's the big pull of the drama for me. I love her character and how we don't only see her overwhelming optimism, we also see those times when she does feel like she's going to break--when she wonders if she'll actually succeed. It's not endlessly YAY WE WILL DO IT. There is a level there where we do see her struggle--outside and inside. And I love that. a;lksdfjalskdj All in all, I WANT THE NEXT EPISODE REALLY REALLY BADLY. a;lskdfjalsjdflajsd
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: [entire series] THIS. I was recommended this by streetrat and was going to pick it up anyway because I'd seen her mention it a couple of times on her LJ. And I totally wasn't disappointed. SO GOOD. Oh god. My heart kind of wrenched at the end of this because so many people had died and I wanted so badly for things to work out. T.T That ending scene with Nia/Simon and then her disappearing after they finally got married? I was just SO FUCKING SAD. Also, Yoko never wins--first Kamina dies (OHMYGOD WAS I SURPRISED THAT THEY KILLED HIM. ...Even though I'd already known it was coming because coughcough, i read spoilers, coughcough) and then Kittan dies. T.T Both right after kissing Yuko. lol I was reading through some forum or another and they were like, Yoko's just the kiss of death. I laughed. Because it's so true. XD
Um. As for the anime as a whole, at first it was a little slow starting. I was kind of getting tired of Simon's BUT I CAN'T DO THIS and Kamina's obnoxious WE CAN DO ANYTHING. But then somewhere it took a turn and I started to really like them. Or really, I should say that I was seriously starting to love Kamina because he was RIDICULOUS but he was still very much about striving. About taking those extra steps--no matter how crazy or impossible they were. I mean the move where he picked up Lagann and stuck him on top of Gurren's head? SO FUCKING FUNNY. But it WORKED. Nobody thought it would, but it WORKED. And that was just fucking awesome. I loved him. Which is why when he does eventually die (SO EARLY ON), it seriously killed me. T.T I had to pause and watch that particular episode a billion times because I just didn't want it to HAPPEN. T.T Just so sad. But it was Simon's reaction that really struck me. It was so obvious that Kamina was Simon's glue to... I don't know, his confidence. His drive. His everything really--which is why when he crashes, and boy does he crash HARD, it's totally buyable because to Simon, Kamina orchestrated everything. Without Kamina's direction, nobody--especially himself--could get anywhere.
Um, Nia. Oh man, Nia. At first she was too perfect for me. The way she just so easily trusted everyone and the way she believed so heavily in everyone's abilities--particularly Simon--just didn't mesh right with me and it took me a while to get used to her character. And from there, I was able to reason HOW she was like that. And I think it's due all to the fact that she hasn't really experienced being disappointed. Or at least hadn't until she found out about her father. Before that, everything was perfect and happy and what did she know about being hurt and disappointed? Her dedication to Simon is especially key because he was the one that saved her--and in turn, she ends up saving him. Which is just perfect and beautiful and I love how in the second half of the series, how she's still there for him--even when she's really that other person and whatnot. She's STILL there. She still believes he'll save her. And she sticks around long enough so that they can get married. That was just so beautiful. And so HEARTBREAKING.
I don't want to ramble too long so in the end, it was such a good anime. (I didn't even mention Rossiu!!! Who I totally loved. And omg, Gimmy/Darry WHO I SO SHIPPED. THEY WERE SO RIDICULOUS AWESOME IN THE SECOND HALF AS PILOTS. YES, KICK-ASS.) I'm so pleased I watched it. *________________*
Omg, i almost don't want to see how long this post is because O.O I can just imagine. All in all, I just realized, everything I mentioned here is watchable and nothing where I rant about how bad so-and-so is! SO HAPPY. I is watching good stuff.
P.S. I still have to watch Orthros no Inu ep1 (which is kind of funny as I TIMED the damn thing). I already know what happens in ep2. Which is probably even funnier. I also have Buzzer Beat ep3 waiting for me. And now that Rescue is done subbing, I have to watch 3-end.
P.P.S. I also have PR Operation Overdrive's last 7 eps waiting but we're not acknowledging that. XD