True Laughs in True Tears?

It sure is!

So today I watched... true tears 7, the recent high drama episode everyone has been raving about, only I found i totally lolz. Yes, something must be wrong with the part of my brain which is support to govern my emotions, which may just explain my thoughts in my previous post (on CLANNAD's attempt so far in taking me on a emotional roller coaster ride... only I'm still stuck in the queue).


Take the catfight between Hiromi and Noe for example. Two girls feeling shitty about the same boy they like taking it out on one another - when it's really the guy's fault for making them feel shitty in the first place! Okay, so maybe Hiromi's just feeling shitty over her possibly incestuous feelings (come on, this is anime, it's the place to be incestuous!). But when Hiromi dies of bird flu through eating Noe's chicken-pecked bentou, wouldn't it be Shinichiro's fault for not paying attention to the chicken girl then? And Hiromi's friends' attempted intervention with the basketball and mop? Yea, real useful girls...

Oh, and the scene when Ai tosses the scarf thing at Shinichiro as a blind to dive in for the kiss... More drama, only I'm thinking of the scene in Muteki Kanban Musume where Kankuro thinks of using a love letter in the same way to blind Miki and moving in for the kill... At least Ai succeeds in her intentions :P

But really, the true hilarity pertaining this episode is reading Jason's post right after (or in my case, before) it. Have to agree with Calawain's comment there about the post being more entertaining than the show itself (well just this episode anyways).

Rather than just mindlessly poke fun at true tears, I will give it credit for delivering what I expect from it: there's the drama, the well paced plot and character progression, with each girl getting their developments simultaneously, and how they act is at least justified within the confines of the story (Noe's quirkiness, Hiromi's moodiness and Ai's desperation - and how the last two can be attributed to Shinichiro's denseness and unwittingly disastrous actions. Yes, this last point should be frustrating, but I find it quite amusing to note really, since we don't expect much from the lead male in these shows anyways, so why not make them the cause of all the drama?). What gives the show extra points would be Noe's lovable nonconformity, which makes her an instant fan-favourite, as well as how they've so far succeeded in weaving a web of conflicts between the characters without coming across as too contrived.

In short, I'm enjoying the show for what the more serious aspects it offers, but there's nothing wrong with getting a few unintentional side laughs as well =P

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So today I watched... Mnemosyne 1

I could use a little 'water' myself after watching all that...

So to totally eschew the atmosphere of today's occasion, I decided to forgo Kimikiss or true tears (not that I had their latest episodes on hand anyways) and go for something I knew would so totally be against the spirit of St Valentines... Hence Mnemosyne.

Starts out with a female private investigating duo hunting down a stray cat (very reminiscent of the detectives in Darker than Black. Similarities don't end there), which naturally leads to much bigger things. Amongst the many such bigger things this introductory OVA has to offer are generous amounts blood, tits, and alcohol. If you want a more serious reason to watch, there's also some sort back-story that isn't fully fleshed out yet about immortals, cloning and zombies(?) which involves some serious action and (for now) a boatload of intrigue... Honestly no use in asking me for more, will just have to wait for the release of the subsequent OVAs to find out more.

A few things to note: Noto Mamiko as the main femme fatale Asougi Rin is once more stepping out of her usual 'voice of grace' into edgier territory (good). Wish I could say the same thing about Kugimiya Rie (*yawn*). Oh, and Tanaka Rie as the villainess (oh so divine :D) - albeit for this episode only... or maybe not considering the recurring theme of immortality. Was personally pleased that the episode didn't end as 'cleanly' as I thought it would (spoiler: clone guy didn't kill himself in the end. though that would've been obvious if I actually paid attention to the OP). Last but not least, not something I'd recommend for those with queasy stomachs, there's a torture scene which would easily outclass the Sonozaki's of Higurashi if we were shown anything more than the beginning and end of it. (If your loved one suggests curling up to this OVA on V-Day... I'd say clear out, or get ready for a very kinky night...)

All in all, not a bad day to end V-Day/SAD. Though I came out of that OVA feeling like I needed to unwatch small portions of it, that desire has totally been eclipsed by the desire to unsee this (NSFW warning... Thanks a lot Kurogane...) Thankfully there's still more chocos to the rescue... Yum...?

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So today I watched... ZENRYOKU USAGI 1

Ever wondered what Animal Yokocho (Animal Alley) really looks like behind that trapdoor? Unfortunately I have no idea whether or not this is revealed later in the series since I've no means of watching it thus far :(


Well, whatever it is, there's a good chance these guys here were the ones responsible in constructing/deconstructing/reconstructing the place (And you wonder why in Animal Yokocho Iyo, Issa, and Kenta spend so much time in Ami's room? Besides to torment the girl, of course). Zenryoku Usagi (Give It All Rabbits), this season's offer to the kiddies (and the kiddy-at-heart-otakus *ahem*) is a show about bunnies GIVING IT ALL THEY'VE GOT in construction work. And GIVE IT ALL THEY'VE GOT is what they do, be it their morning dance/warm-up routine, the construction work - or the inevitable deconstruction and reconstruction that follow.

They're even asked to GIVE IT ALL THEY'VE GOT when they're pissed at one another and have to bust each other up on the site! This being a kid's show after all, they naturally have to make up afterwards WITH ALL THEY'VE GOT as well.

Our main bunny is the spunky but fragile Minarai, who doesn't leave for the worksite without his trusty pen marker-ed eyebrows (LOL!). He tries to GIVE IT ALL HE'S GOT on the worksite, but most of the tasks prove too difficult for him, so he usually ends up emitting moe-waves when he's distressed(double LOL).
The other bunnies on site include the old geezer bunny who's constantly telling everyone to (you guessed it) "GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT", the foreman who's tough on the outside but a mommy's boy at heart, the tough-girl bunny, the lovesick nee-san bunny (voiced by Mitsuishi Kotono, which makes her the Misato bunny =P) and the Kouki Miyata megane bunny (which concludes today's 'spot' the seiyuu game). They're all in the first pic of the post and should be easily recognized, otherwise you can read usagijen's post =P.

There's also this guy here who may or may not be an actual bunny considering that he(?) has jet propulsion and the ability to multiply itself at will. It'll be awesome too he shoots beams out of his ears as well =P
So yea, Zenryoku Usagi may not be on the typical healthy 18 going on 19 year old's viewing diet... At a glance the show's 'kiddiness' is probably on par with Animal Yokocho, and it also begs the question of whether or not kids in Japan actually watch series like these considering the jokes are probably a tier higher than you're average episode of Doraemon/Shin-chan (Would they actually follow Misato bunny's cement mixing love rant this episode? 'Twas pretty WTF). But I'm obviously a fan of all things zany and at least a little off the beaten track, so what the heck =P

Zenryoku Usagi may lack the awesome punnage and unpredictability level of Animal Yokocho, but it's still a bundle of good 'clean' fun, and I just can't help thinking that every one of the Give It All Bunnies has a part of their bunny cousin Iyo from Animal Lane in them. XD (Though on second thought this show reminds me more of Sweet Valerian than AniYoko... yet another reference that will probably earn me very strange looks =P). And what with my relatively light watchlist right now, the only thing stopping me from following this show is my combined noob-ness in listening to raw Japanese and reading Chinese subtitles! No worries, so long as they don't pull out any fancy puns, I'll just have to...

GIVE IT ALL I'VE GOT for now (=P *dodges smelly fruit*)

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