4. [Anime Review] Aldnoah Zero Season 1

Let Justice be Done. Though the Heavens Fall

One word for that tagline is EPIC. WTF !! The word itself is like a poetry.

Today I'm going to talk about MY SLAINE Aldnoah Zero Season 1. I knew this anime from my SHORT sister (not blood-related, we just called each other like that xD). She said that I'm going to love the anime since I loved Code Geass 1&2. Both have the same Mecha theme and feels, strategic battles, and so forth. Then, I had nothing to do at that time so I decided to give this anime a go.

And I kinda regretted it. Not because the anime was bad but the total opposite. I watched this right before my FINAL EXAM and I couldn't stop...

JUST COULDN'T STAPH PRESSING THE NEXT EPISODE BUTTON XDDDD

Synopsis : The story begins with a young teen boy named Kaizuka Inaho,who apparently always emotionless, stoic, and quiet from outside.He rarely talks and only replied to people who asked him something. He has other friends, mainly Inko Amifumi,Calm Craftman, and Nina Klein. He also has a sister named Kaizuka Yuki who is like a protective and nagging sister who cares deeply for her brother. The stories sets in the future where war mecha robots are used to fight. Other than people of Earth, there are also people of Vers (from Mars) who have the power called "Aldnoah Activation" skills.

A princess of Vers, Assseylum Vers Allusia, was in a journey to Earth in order to establish a good relationship between two races. Her "maid", Edellrituo accompanied her for the visit. Asseylum has a bestfriend named Slaine Troyard, who accidentally, actually a boy from Earth. Slaine teaches Asseylum lots of things regarding Earth, leading her to admire and love Earth from the bottom of her heart. Unfortunately, when she finally visited Earth, an unknown group landed a bomb, killing her and destroying the entire city in the process.

The Vers Empire perceived this accident as a doing of the Earth, thus they commended a war with Earth and BAM ! THE EPIC STORY BEGINS


Storyline/Plot (8.5/10) ; Fak. Couldn't stop pressing the next button. To tell you the truth, because of this anime my final exam score got AB AHHAHAHHA even though the subject is Personal Development T^T *cries for heaven's sake* AHEM !

Story-wise, it is very entertaining and a breath from the hefty heavy romance shoujo feels. The mecha actions are done nicely from the developer. The stories are really hard to predict since there's no "guide" (manga/LN) while everything could happen in the next episode. LITERALLY EVERYTHING. You love a character here and BAM! The next episode he/she got killed. Since I love Code Geass very much (will do another review of it later), the same happens with me in this story. The battle scenes are all intense and you could never guess how the hell could Inaho figured out everything to take the enemies down ! (yes, nearly every episode like this though I don't mind). The epic battles of the average and weak-looking human who, at first glance, powerless VS The strong Vers Soldiers who acquired the "Aldnoah Activation Code", enabling them to use Kataprakht (the Vers's mecha robots), might seems hideous at fist. Like a gang of feeble humans VS 1 Vers "Count". However, I thought this what makes it exciting, on how Inaho read the enemies' abilites and cracked the flaws within their armors and weapons.

Yet, the Vers always have something in their sleeves to destroy Earth, not to mention in further episode, the series highlight another interesting issues on what the Vers actually after. In short, Mecha-War-Romance-Mecha-StrategicPlanning-MoreMecha makes this series worth the watch.


Characters (8/10) : Another point is my anime crush in this one. One SLAINE TROYARD <3333

SURAINE-SAMA <333333333333333

I just can't say NO to the super-loyal-light-colored-hair-boy-who-is-innocent-and-willing-to-do-anything-for-himesama right? RIGGGGGGHTTTTTTTTTT? *insert evil smirk here*

It's interesting to see how far Slaine is willing to do to save Asseylum from Earth people, while in the meantime, finding nasty TRUTH behind Vers itself, making him confused on which side is actually right and wrong. Nevertheless, our Slaine still do whatever he could to ensure his Hime-sama safe and sound. WHICH IS A PART I REALLY LIKE <3 A LOYAL GUY AW <333 AND HE IS EFFING AWESOME ! HE COULD FIGHT WITH MECHA AS WELL (even though the series make him a weak-will/unable to harm others kind of man in the first episodes urgh) AND CALCULATING STRATEGIES TO WIN YEY.

Okay stop. So, the development of the MAIN characters (Inaho, Asseylum, Slaine) are progressing and satisfying so far. Inaho becomes more emotional later in the series while Asseylum still in her naive mind of uniting both sides, becomes more realistic on how the world works, Slaine becomes more like a man (HELL YEAH) while deciding on which side to take for his vow. Other characters like Inko, Calm, Nina, others,Rayet, especially RAYET really develop well as well. The developers don't go all like WE-JUST-NEED-TO-FOCUS-AT-MAIN-CHARACTERS-COS-THEY'RE-THE-HOT-ONES like that which makes them also important to the stories. I love Rayet's development the most probably because it's appealing to see how her facade got "destoyed" on each series, revealing us the true RAYET (WHAT THE HECK AM I SAYING?!).

BIRDIE FLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Music & OST & Art (11/10) : TOTALLY WORTH THE POINTS ! I EXPECT NO LESS FROM HIROYUKI SAWANO-SAMA. The musics are definitely one of the most beautiful you've ever watched in anime saga. I'm not exaggerating, all of the OSTs are extremely amazing (placed in every RIGHT corner of the RIGHT scene !!), OPENING AND ENDING SONGS ARE ESPECIALLY GORGEOUS AS WELL. Having Kalafina as our opening singer truly a feast to ear <3 (reminding me of Ar Tonelico 0_0 songs lol, which all sounds godly)

I ESPECIALLY LIKE Breathless-Mika Kobayashi as my first OST in this series ! It's like the song of when epicness is going to take over and you will be so so so amazed at it *^* or when Inaho starts to kick some Vers' ass ! Still not having enough of the song till now.

Art-wise, the art is very clean and crisp for me, mecha-designs are futuristic and unique, background designs are realistic, and so forth. No complains from me since I loved this kind of art as well ! Oh, and I love SLAINE HEHE :3

3. [Anime Review] Mirai Nikki

IT'S YANDERE TIME !

Hello my fellow readers! Welcome back to my humble cryptic blog </3

I've actually finished this anime 2 weeks ago, but I've just had the chance to share my thoughts about this awesome anime with all of you.

Yes, awesome anime because I thought the origin of YANDERE characters begin with this one.

YES VIOLENTLY BUT NOT IN THE S&M WAY (if you know what I mean :P)

So today, we are going to review an anime with the title of :

GASAI YUNO'S #$#%$!#@#$% LIFE !

Just kidding, It's actually Mirai Nikki (Future Diaries in English) ! The anime has been published since 2011. Yeah it's 2015 now and I'm WAAAAY TOOO LATEEE to watch this. But hey ! Who cares?


Let's begin with the introduction of the MAIN character. No, this girl is definitely the NUMBER ONE REASON why so many people interested to watch and ACTUALLY want to watch the whole series.

INTRODUCING YOU

THE QUEEN OF YANDERE

"I'm going to protect you, Yukki "
-Gasai Yuno-
THE EPITOME OF YANDERE MEMES IN THE WHOLE INTERNET WORLD

FML ! XD SHE MAKES THIS WHOLE SERIES WORTH IT ! It's effing creepy in its own way but also interesting :D (WTF ?!)
I really mean it.
IT'S SO CREEPY YOU'RE GONNA WONDER FOR A WHILE WHY PEOPLE BOTHER TO WATCH EVERYTHING!
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.
And then you're going to follow their path to watch the whole series. (Well, that's what happened to me xD)


*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Storyline/Plot (8.5/10) : The stories begin with the introduction of a young teenager boy named Amano Yukiteru who lives his life normally. He has the habit of writing the situation in his surroundings to his cellphone's memo, which later on becomes his "diary". He writes them in detailed explanation from time,place,and what's happening. From he was little, he couldn't get along well with others for reasons and he decided to isolate himself with the reason of "saving" himself and others.

He's actually not that bad if it's not for his usual "YUNOOOO" screaming :3

ONE VERY NICE BRIGHT SUNNY DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY !

He suddenly found his cellphone "weird". Usually, he would start the day typing at his cellphone as usual but that day his memos are already full. It's like the "future" him had written everything for the "present" him. Yukiteru tested his memos to find out that the memo and what actually happens really the same ! He was surprised and used his "future diary" to his freedom.

Later on, there's actually another "future diaries" users beside him and Deus Ex Machina. the God of Time and Space who bestowed all of them the power told them to kill each other until the last one standing. Yukiteru who doesn't know anything at that moment, quickly becoming an easy target to be killed by fellow future diaries users. He got so many -Dead End- written in his diary meaning he will die.

BUT OF COURSE THAT WILL NOT BE HAPPENING HAAHAHAHAHA

WHY??

Because we have our badass yandere princess protecting him !

NO ONE GETS MY YUKKI

BASICALLY, Yuki was so confused on why Yuno following him around :3
But, since Yuno had had the plan to evade Yukki's -Bad End- EVERY.SINGLE.TIME

It makes Yukki unable to do anything to not let her get close to him.

OKAY SPOILERS STAPH ! So, it's about the YUNOYUKKI pairings VS all fellow future diaries which later on also vs Yukki's friends :3 (yes, because Yuno herself said she didn't need anyone else beside Yukki ! :o)

Reason I gave the score 8.5 is because the plot is unique. It makes you thinking about what ACTUALLY happens, not what is currently happening.  How Yukki is going to face all the trials with Yuno and how they are going to win against the impossible.

MAIN REASON IS BECAUSE I WE  LOVE SEEING YUNO OUTBURST AND PSYCHO HABITS !

Only YUNO can pull of this pose. Holding an axe while posing a cute face :333</333

SERIOUSLY, YUNO ALWAYS GO YANDERE MODE EVERYTIME YUKKI IS IN DANGER/BEING WITH OTHER GIRLS !

And you totally shouldn't miss watching how Yuno  and Yukiteru  killed every enemies done in a very cunning and intelligent way. The show itself has lots of hidden plot in each episodes which always leave me wondering what might happen next and who is Yuno going to kill next?

The story is kinda at a dark plot mode, being murder, bloodshed, rape, constant bullying, etc are expected in this series. What I meant by bloodshed is THERE'S GOING TO BE A HELLA LOTS OF BLOOD AND SPLASHES OF RED.

I
Meant
It

The miss for me in this series is probably I kinda get the feel they dragged the stories. Like how there's lots of pointless and not-logical actions in the series. Example is when Akise Aru gets to "game" with the fellow diary users to release Yukiteru. I mean COME ON ! EVEN WHEN I AM THE KIDNAPPER,  I WON'T FOLLOW SUCH A CHILDISH GAME! The series also create a "I-cant-believe-this-shit" situation when Yuno successfully "kidnap" Yuki to live with her at some run-down hotel. They need money and stuffs..

And how come Yuno could manage her living cost when-

Alright spoilers really stop. Watch the anime and you might know what I meant :D

Characters (7/10) : All of the characters at Mirai Nikki might seem bizzare and undoubtedly horrific at first glance. They are far from the definition of normal and their personalities are something like "fabricated" for average people. I, too am intrigued to find out what's more than just the eyes and the developers seem to give me what I hope for.

Their wrecked personalities are mainly because of what happened to them in the past or what they believe to be the "truth". This is why I tolerated their insane actions, because there's actually something that makes them like that and not just because the developers made them that way without clear reasons.

Nearly ALL of the characters / future diaries owners are a victim of social corruption in the past. The wounds create the following deep meaning to them and let them convey it to behavior. Development of the characters get 7 from these reasons.

I like the stories behind number 4,6,8,and 9 the most. Simply because their backgrounds and desires are making some sense and peculiar for me. I love Yuno the most though. Her background stories are just heart-wrecking </3 *GOT SLAPPED BECAUSE OF THE SPOILERS*

The missing 3 is probably because Yukki's friends do not get the spotlight. Instead, for me they are more like an additional characters to give Yukki a feeling of little friendship which I thought even if they weren't there for Yukki's sake then it's alright. And there's lots of nudity/sexual theme/kissing scene that are not needed aside for fan service. Yet, that fan service are not that entertaining because of the repetition. Example of Hinata and Mao you're going to meet in the series.

EVERY FANGIRL MUST HAVE ONE ANIME CRUSH !

MY MIRAI NIKKI ANIME CRUSH IS :

AKISE ARU <3

HELL YEAH FOR WHITE HAIRED, RED EYES, PALE SKIN BISHOUNEN !

He's simply awesome and smart <3 and GAY !

Alright, let's skip the last part I've mentioned because until now I couldn't accept that.

Art & Music (6/10) : THE FIRST OPENING OF MIRAI NIKKI IS </333333333333333333 !! It's heavily implied on gothic-themed and the "demon church" feeling (WTF IS THIS?!) that I got made me ALWAYS SKIP THE SONG ! I don't know why but it made me had a headache @_@  totally not a fan !

Although, the OST are quite nice and suited to the scene that is running. Both endings are in the general term of okay for me. Unfortunately, they're just not my taste.

Art-wise I think.....I think.....erm....
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.
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To tell you the truth, the art is nice but since the gore, blood, weapon,dead bodies nearly everywhere, it sometimes made me feel like a lunatic if I like these things.
Mirai Nikki successfully strengthen me overcoming these limits though xD !

2. [Manga Review] Zekkyou Gakkyuu

HELLO SWEETHEARTS <3

Today I'm going to review my favorite horror-genre manga that I've found pretty interesting. Actually, I really reaallyyyy efffinggggg haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaateeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee HORROR MANGA THINGS.

I MEAN WHY YOU SHOULD GET SCARED AND PISS YOUR PANTS IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT ?!! THAT'S A WASTE OF TIME AND YOUR SOUL </3

ME NO LIKEY GHOSTY GHASTLY STUFFSSSS T^T !

But with this manga, all of those changed in a poof !

The Manga Cover Volume 1

Presenting you, Zekkyou Gakkyuu by Ishikawa Emi !

Here is the link where you can read the stuff :

http://mangafox.me/manga/zekkyou_gakkyuu/

And the short summary :
Welcome to the classes of horror! I will be your guide to a world that lurks under everyday life. For these lessons, you don't need text books or notebooks.

If you're prepared for the worst...

First Impression  ; Horror. I really don't like scary stuffs except thriller. They're kinda different. I could tolerate thriller but no horror no ghosts ! T^T But since I knew this manga from a good friend of mine and he kept pestering me to read it even he knows I hate horror manga ( SUCH A GOOD FRIEND HE IS !), I decided to at least give chapter 1 a read.

MIND YOU ! WHEN THE SCARY STUFFS "TRIED" TO SHOW UP, I ALWAYS CLOSE MY LAPTOP SCREEN WITH MY HANDS!
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Plot/Storyline (8/10)  : Story-wise, what makes me love it in the end is because the stories are REAL-LIFE stories. It really happens at our environment and society circles. It brings up bullying, isolation, love life (romance-genre tagged here xD), families, and others. What shines the most to me is the manga highlights the dark side of human's heart. Their greedy, not-wanting-to-lose, ego, and many more. Also, the characters heavily implied on school children and teenagers, that's why the shoujo and shonen genre also got tagged! And that's another reason for me loving this manga.

The stories are seperated, so each chapter reveals new story line. It doesn't connected that much so if you skip a chapter and read the next one, you could still grasp the meaning of the story. It's a win-win to me since I don't like reading a long horror manga. OH ! They also have the background stories of the girl in the manga cover ! She will be your "guide" in all of the stories, only at the beginning and end of chapter though! xD 

Art (9/10) : The art is great and simple! I like these kind of arts! The characters are drawn nicely, the male/female characters are drawn handsomely and beautifully (well for my taste) and some of the ghosts are not that scary much at all! Not to what I expect to be simply gore and disgusting. 

HERE IS THE EXAMPLE : 

*SPOILER AHEAD*

The ghosts are not that scary. NO ! TRUST ME IT'S A REVERSE OF WHAT YOU USUALLY SEE IN YOUR USUAL HORROR MANGA !

Damn! It still sends chill to me, but for a longer look, it really is not that scary! xDD

Background-wise, the authoress do another good job! Though not that appealing, it's still neat and well.

ANOTHER SCREENSHOT OF THE MANGA :

THE BOY IS HANDSOMEEE <3 HEHEEH AND THE GIRL IS ALSO PRETTY !

Recommendations : I really recommend you guys who like to read episodic manga which has light horror genre in it. Yes it's light horror much to my dismay. I've played horror games also (yet another "forcing" from my friend!) and watched horror movies/anime which are way more scary than this. BUT if you don't like children abuse, nearly-rape,murder, and more "crimes" that children-related, then I suppose you could skip this manga.

Anyways for my overall rating : 8.5/10

IS IT WORTH READING? YES IT IS !

1. Small Greetings

Congratulations!! & Welcome!! > <