After her father having run away due to gambling debts, and being evicted from her apartment, Nanami meets Mikage, a strange man who is afraid of dogs. Nanami "saves" Mikage from a dog and tells him her story. He gives Nanami his house as a thank you for saving him. Nanami accepts the offer, due to having nowhere else to go. Mikage draws her up a map showing her where to go. Upon arriving, she finds that it is a rundown shrine. Nanami is then almost killed by Tomoe, who was expecting Mikage to finally return after his 20 year absence. She is then greeted by both Onikiri and Kotetsu, as the new land god of the shrine. Unable to accept Nanami as the new land god, Tomoe mocks her then leaves the shrine, which, without Tomoe's power transforms back into a run-down state. Not wanting to rob Tomoe of his home and realizing that her powers as a god are too weak anyway Nanami leaves, but eventually is brought back by Tomoe after she seals a contract with him, making him her familiar.

Kenn's Comment: From what I remember back when I read a bit of this many moons ago, it's a fairly standard, orthodox shoujo series. Granted, I didn't exactly read a lot of it, but that's the impression I got from it. Standard, yes. Bad? Not at all. Nanami's balancing between godhood and human creates an interesting dynamic, especially when it comes to the guys in the story.

The art looks great, and Tomoe's voice is, by all means, probably going to be quick the bishounen kind of voice.

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In order to capture the vampire lurking in the school, Mana the exorcist transfers in, but Okamoto-kun, the vampire in question, says vampires have evolved and no longer preys on humans but lives on blood transfusions! What is Mana to do with this not so threatening, carefree, easy going vampire? 

Kenn's Comment: From the get go, this one comes off as cute and happy as can be. Okamoto really steals the show with his unabashed happy-go-lucky attitude...to everything. Later demon boys share a similar pattern of making the exorcist's life difficult.

The art is really quite nice, complete with sparkles when needed (for fabulous characters). It's not a heavy series, so it's quite a nice series to wind down to. Maybe Okamoto will share some of his happiness?

If you ever have the chance, check the first chapter (or was it the prologue?). It'll give you a quick bite of how the series will feel, with it's comedy and easy going atmosphere.

It's been a long time since I had Lily on the blog...






Title: WAVE
Producer: niki
Genre: Electronic - Pop
Vocaloid: LILY

Kenn's Comment: It's pretty darn good. Well, I like it a lot. I think this may be the first time I've listened to something by niki, and I think I might have been missing a lot.

Vocaloid activity on channels I follow have slowed down a lot, so if I do skip a week, it would be because either I haven't found a song I really like, or there hasn't been any updates.

Anywho, enjoy the awesome Lily!

Jonah is a child soldier, born amidst the chaotic conflicts that rage across West Asia, his family lost to a war fueled by weapons supplied by the so-called Merchants of Death--international arms dealers. Despite Jonah's hatred of weapons and violence, he employs both extremely well in the service of high-flying arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar and her band of mercenaries. Their journey through the dark underbelly of the world's arms markets may lead only to damnation, but will Jonah one day make his way back to the light? Only one thing is certain: it's going to be a long, hard road out of hell... 

Kenn's Comment: Before I say anything, if you take a quick look at the official site, you'll notice a little Black Ops II crossing with the series. What is it? Beats me, but if I had to guess it'd likely be something to do with DLC stuff in Japan. Who knows?

Anywho, really looking forward to this. Jormungand was one of my favourite series of the spring and that one was really good too. If you haven't watched the first season yet, I strongly suggest you do. Violence wise, it's a bit toned down compared to Black Lagoon, so it should be fine for those who found Lagoon too much. Jormungand also has much more emphasis on the business side of things, while Lagoon's on the shooting.

I'm only comparing to two because of how similar they come off from the surface. But I digress. Watch it.

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Yoshino Takigawa is visiting his friend's family grave. After getting there, he encounters Evangeline Yamato, a woman in search for his friend, Mahiro Fuwa, who left a month ago to find his family's killer without any clues to who it might be. Evangeline informs Yoshino that two places where Mahiro has been spotted have been quarantined, due to an epidemic.

When Evangeline is questioning Yoshino at gun-point, Mahiro comes out of nowhere and swiftly saves him and can stop bullets in mid-air, claiming to have a deal with a sorceress; not just any, but the strongest sorceress, Hakaze Kusaribe, who promised to help find his family's killer with her magic so he can kill the killer himself.

After saving Yoshino, Mahiro informs him about the epidemic, a curse that turns living things into metal, claiming the Kusaribe clan plans to revive the Tree of Zetsuen that could destroy the world. 

Kenn's Comment: I've read the manga and (I think) it's pretty darn good. And with BONES at the helm, we can at least be guaranteed a pretty picture if all else fails. For those looking for the next big battle shounen, I'm afraid you're barking up the wrong tree. Zetsuen no Tempest has some action, but the brunt of it lies in in mystery and bluffs the characters pull. It's pretty impressive in the manga, and I'm looking forward to how the voice cast plays it out.

In one of the PVs, the song playing is, fittingly, Beethoven's piano sonata No. 17, op. 31 no. 2, more commonly known as 'Tempest'. 

More PVs up at the site under 'Movie'.

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It is the year 201. A device called the PhoneDroid, more commonly called the PokeCom, has gained wide-spread acceptance.

On the island of Tanegashima, Central Tanegashima High School's Robot Research Club is on the verge of disbandment. Yashio Kaito shows absolutely no interest in the Club despite the situation and being one of the club's only 2 members. He is fully absorbed in developing a robot fighting game. His attitude causes friction with Akiho, the other member.

Senomiya Akiho is the reckless Club President. She is determined to save the club by completing construction of a giant robot.

One day, whilst Kaito was in a park, working on his computer game as usual, he hears a girl's voice and discovers the A.R. annotation of the Kimijima Report. It is an allegation of a plot by one Kimijima Kou's with world-wide implications.

Kenn's Comment: The lead girl's hairstyle is like a cross between Hamuko (P3 Female Protagonist) and Poplar (Working!!).

Anywho, robots, clubs, and world domination. VN's from the people behind Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate (I'm noticing the semicolon relationship), so it's a bit hit or miss at the moment (C;H wasn't that great, S;G was amazing).

I'm all for giant robots, so long as they don't end up with annoyingly bad designs or action scenes as slow as the Reideen remake.

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After being kicked out of the main dorms for bringing in a stray cat, Kanda Sorata is forced to live in the smaller Sakura Halls where problem students are sent to live. Although he doesn’t mind his roommates, Sorata can’t wait to move out of Sakura Halls. But when Shiina Mashiro moves into the dorm, everything changes. Mashiro is an artistic genius who, at a young age, won many awards for her skills, but due to her childhood being so focused on art, she has no common sense and social skills. Forced to take the role of taking care of Mashiro, Sorata learns about himself and begins on a path of self improvement. 

Kenn's Comment: I don't know too much about this series, though I might find myself disliking Mashiro...for her lack of common sense. It's like a baby character...except not. Never was fond of those characters.

I'll be probably checking this one out. Looks and sounds interesting. The art and characters look really good...though it does still have J.C. Staff's trademark colour palette.

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Mei Tachibana has spent her 16 years without making either boyfriend or friends. One day, she drop-kicks a popular boy in school, Yamato Kurosawa, because of a misunderstanding but for some reason it seems that he takes a liking to her and one-sidedly claims that they

Kenn's Comment: A good, serious shoujo. MangaUpdates had comedy listed in this one, but after giving it a quick read through, I honestly don't feel that the comedy makes enough of a presence for me to list it as well.

The art is gorgeous (with fabulous male lead), and some realistic characters. The story doesn't meander around a lot, very often being straight to the point. It's directed towards an older audience compared to something like Special A, so don't be surprised if topics of sex and stuff like that come up.

If you're in to these kind of series, by all means, give this one a chance. You won't regret it!

Ryota Sakamoto is one of the top-ranked players of BTOOOM!, an online battle game. But no amount of simulated warfare could have propared him for what is to come ...Ryota wakes one evening to find himself dangling from a tree by a parachute with no recollection of how he got there. Before he can orient himself to his unfamiliar surroundings, Ryota is attacked. As a barrage of explosives rain down on him, Ryota realizes that he too has a pack of bombs ...bombs that look very similar to the ones used in BTOOOM! Ryota may have mastered the online game, but can he come out on top in this real-life game of survival?! 

Kenn's Comment: Another anime of a manga I featured up on the blog. Granted I believe I mentioned it getting an anime adaptation in that one, so I can't really say that I nailed it.

Anywho, I'm most certainly looking forward to this one. I'm a bit wary of how the staff will handle the violence.

Another thing to note: Ryota is voiced by a rookie voice actor. He's an actor, most known for his roles in Nana 2, and Prince of Tennis live action, as well as various other drama and movie works. It'll be interesting to see how he translates his experience on set to going behind the mic.

Opening is by Nano (she began on NND, fluent in English and Japanese, great voice too) and ED by May'N (need I say anything about her?).

PV:

This one's a really bouncy, fun and cheerful song.




Title: Clap Hip Cherry
Producer: Junky
PV: たま
Vocaloid: GUMI (Power)

Kenn's Comment: Happy and bouncy perfectly describe this one. The detached guitar chords, and the...I'm not actually sure what it's called, but the synth'd melody are what really give it that feel. The vocal line follows suit. The line kind of rolls along, bouncing every now and then. Listen to it, and you'll see why I say that.

Also, I'm pretty sure this is another Red Riding Hood themed song. 

The story is about the Himenokouji twins named Akito and Akiko who got separated due to certain circumstances and after years of living apart they suddenly began to live under the same roof once again. Things were fine at first until Akiko began expressing her love for her older brother. Now Akiko must fight to defend her extraordinary love for her Onii-chan as she battles against all odds and three other girls who are after her beloved Onii-chan. 

Kenn's Comment: I haven't a clue about this series. I think I might have glanced over a chapter of it's manga adaptation at one point, but I honestly don't remember. From what I've read (not the novel, but off forums), the story itself isn't the interesting part - it's the characters. I'll be approaching this one with curiosity and mild expectations.

The site has slider puzzles of the various characters. They can be pretty challenging if you get a tough shuffle.

I think I wrote the abbreviation wrong.

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The continuing stories of the daily life of the students of the Hidamari Apartments at Yamabuki High School. This time, a year has passed since the first season. Yuno and Miyako are second years, Sae and Hiro are third years, and two new students, Nori and Nazuna, move into the Hidamari Apartments.

Kenn's Comment: YEEAAAAHH!! Hidamari Sketch is easily one of my most favourite and beloved series. I've been watching it ever since it first started all those years ago. I've always had a soft spot for this series. It's really relaxing in it's gentle pace, with comedy that will turn that frown on it's head. Even it's comedy is gentle on you. It's a genuinely funny kind of comedy, rather than the slapstick humour or exaggerated reactions that come up so often in series.

I'm hoping that Gotou's fully recovered before she sets out to take up the reins as Hiro once again. Hidamari has a passionate following, and I hope it's continued for as long as it can.

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Mizutani Shizuku is the type of person who only cares for her own grades. But when she accidentally delivers the lesson notes to Yoshida Haru, Haru becomes convinced they are friends.

Haru turns out to have a very innocent personality, but who would've thought that Haru would actually confess to Shizuku?

Kenn's Comment: You might remember this title from a while back when I featured it in a Manga of the Week. Just another one of the series I've put up that ends up becoming an anime! I've got a knack for finding them!

Anywho, this is one of a few Shoujo series this fall, so fans of the genre rejoice! Of the three, I'm quite fond of this one, as well as 神様はじめました. Never actually heard of the other one, but I'll get to that one eventually.

The manga is really good. The characters are quirky, and the story isn't bogged down by the common problems that plague rom-coms - constant denial, absolute density (though I'm guilty of that irl), and perhaps too much comedy. This one's a rom-com with emphasis on the rom. Comedy doesn't take away from what makes the series good. And with Brains Base at the helm, I'm certain this one will be great.

And that PV is awesome.

PV:
 

Is it odd that I can recognize Wakamura's MMDPVs without having to see the credit splash?






Title: Fake Doll
Producer: 八王子P
Genre: Pop
Vocaloid: 初音ミク

Kenn's Comment: An electronic-pop song by HachiojiP and it's pretty darn good. I'm more of a rock person myself, but I'm always up for a good pop song, especially when Miku sounds this good!

Visual wise, it's more or less your typical Wakamura PV. I've always found the MMD models to be a bit stiff in motion in his (or her) PVs. The effects are pretty spiffy though, I have to admit.

Don't mind the title - the song more than makes up for it.




Title: Masked bitcH
Lyrics: Q*Left
Music: ギガP
Genre: Pop
Vocaloid: GUMI

Kenn's Comment: If this doesn't remind you of K-Pop, I don't know what will. It sounds kind of like something an idol group would do! GUMI sounds really good in this. Like really good. The effects on her voice as well as all the background masks any imperfections. Unsurprisingly, heavy breathing using a vocaloid still sounds a bit funny.

Anywho, I chanced upon this song through two very, very awesome covers of the song.

The first, 96猫. Her cover  is quite similar to GUMI's version. A little bit lower in voice, but all in all, a very sturdy performance. The song itself suits Kuro's voice.



And here's the other one by おつも. Holy mother of God. He's great. Like awesome. He makes the song sound like it was an idol group song. If he had maybe one or two other guys with him (if they all sounded like おつも, we might have a dangerous song), then I think we'd actually have an idol group.



Anywho, enjoy the song and the two covers! I'll see you all back here for tomorrow's manga of the week.