Cats, Cats and More Cats

So while I'm neglecting to finish outlining my essay, I decided to watch The Cat Returns, this month's March movie for the anime/manga club. This is one of the Studio Ghibli films that deserves more recognition cause it really is good. And no, I unfortunately have not seen Whispers of the Heart but I would love to if I got a copy.

This film is a story of a girl named Haru, a shy and clumsy high school student. Her normal life takes a turn when one day, she saves a cat from being hit by a truck; a talking cat for that matter. That same evening, a ton of cats visit her front door and express their thanks for saving not just any cat but the prince of the Cat Kingdom. But everything turns for the worst when the cats send her gifts of catnip, mice and even the prince's hand in marriage. Their constant harassment makes her consult the "Cat Bureau", led by a cat figurine brought to life named Baron, to get help.

And well that's as about as much as I can give of the plot without spoiling. This is one of the shortest Studio Ghibli films at 75 minutes. Overall, it's just plain cute (not meant in a bad way). If you're a cat person you're gonna love the visuals they present with all these cats and it can be very hilarious. Speaking of, a lot of what makes The Cat Returns a good movie is the comedy presented. There's just so much hilarious dialogue and the situations the characters are put in. You'll get quite a few good laughs out of this movie.

And I rather enjoyed the English voice acting too. The cast includes big stars like Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle and Tim Curry. Dubbing's not an easy job but they make it work in providing so much emotion and over the top reactions to make these characters interesting and stand out.

The animation: You all know it. It's Studio Ghibli. Everyone knows that whatever they produce, it's going to look fantastic with the worlds they create with beautiful imagery and some occasional very creepy facial reactions (mostly the Cat King voiced by Tim Curry).

Overall, it's just a good movie full of fun entertainment for everyone of every age to enjoy.

All's Well that Ends Well

A few weeks ago I borrowed some anime from a friend just for something quick to watch. So today I finally finished it, and I absolutely loved it. This 12 episode series is known as Okami-san and her Seven Companions.

This romantic comedy features a tomboy named Ryoko Okami. She works as a member of a "trading" club known as Otogi High School Bank. Here, Ryoko and the other members fixes problems for students in exchange for returning the favor later. Now Ryoko seems to have a bit of a load on her hands when classmate Ryoshi Morino is recruited to the Otogi Bank after a failed love confession to Ryoko. And the majority of the series other than some rather silly requests being fulfilled by the Otogi Bank is Ryoshi trying to become stronger for Ryoko and be able to protect her while fierce, wolf-like Ryoko appears to be getting a crush on the shy boy while trying to hide the hurt girl "wearing a wolf's clothing".

As far as romantic comedies go, it's got your basic mixture of the two genres. A lot of fluffy and cutesy stuff with the tsundere girl still trying to be tough and not really show directly that she has feelings for the guy with really great comic relief. There's even a narrator that makes way for occasional fourth wall jokes and a lot of the comments she makes are pretty hilariously delivered.

Though surprisingly I did see some genuine drama in this that's almost a tear-jerker. When you find out about Ryoko's past and the pain she went through and the current struggle she's going through to stay strong, it's really heartbreaking. I seriously wanted to cry. And I like this about Ryoko and girls in general like her; she can be tough and fight her own battles but can still be vulnerable at times. She has a strong sense of independence but can still rely on others to help her in times of need and doesn't always have to mask her feelings. I like characters like that who don't always have to be pitch-perfect and have flaws; that makes them more realistic.

And speaking of characters, the rest of the cast is great too. Everyone is memorable with their unique personalities and quirks and have their own back stories to give them character. Of course I do love Ryoshi with how he changes throughout the series wanting to be strong for the girl he loves. It really makes him such a sweetie.

The animation is really nice with that shoujo sense of giant expressive eyes and bright colors. My favorite aspect of the animation style in this anime was the fighting scenes. It's pure eye candy to see the characters move at such a fast pace in these battles and gah! I just love it.

And last but not least, the story and morals it teaches are great. There are subtle allusions to multiple fairy tales in the episodes and I think it's creative in developing these characters.

Check out Okami-san if you're looking for something cute and funny to watch.

Okay so I may be cheating..

But I'm gonna review Avatar. Not the blue aliens Avatar. I mean Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I know it's probably cheating since it is technically an American-made cartoon, but I consider it an anime not solely for animation style, but of the great essence it has that makes it an anime: a flowing story, tremendous creativity, energy from great voice actors, great subtle messages, and overall, in my opinion, the best show that Nickelodeon has ever released on television ever.

In the world of Avatar, there exist four nations where it is capable to bend elements. These nations and elements are the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Air Nomads. Benders have the ability to bend one of these elements except for the Avatar. The Avatar has the ability to bend all for elements, but he or she also has the responsibility of spiritual connection to the world to maintain peace and balance. All of that is disrupted when the power-hungry Fire Nation decided to lead an attack against the rest of the nations to gain world power. While the Avatar is meant to prevent such wars from happening, he mysteriously vanished when the world needed him most.

A hundred years passed and it appears victory for world conquering for the Fire Nation is inevitable. Our story begins with two siblings from the Southern Water Tribe named Sokka and Katara who discover the new Avatar trapped in an iceberg with his pet flying bison. This Avatar is a 12-year-old airbender named Aang, who's been trapped in the ice for a hundred years and without any knowledge of a war happening and the fact that since an airbender was next to become Avatar, his people were all killed by the Fire Nation. Together, this trio takes off to the Northern Water Tribe to begin Aang's journey to master all four elements and save the world from its imbalance, while facing threats of capture from the Fire Nations especially by the exiled prince, Zuko, who is seeking to regain honor from his father.

Everything about this series is just brilliant. The characters, the stories, the philosophies of the spiritual side of being the Avatar and the physical side with the different types of martial arts used in the different bending styles. Compared to some of the odd TV shows coming out at the time for kids in the mid-2000s, this was like a piece of art.

Every single character on this show no matter their significance, if any at all, is unique and memorable. I probably could go on forever with Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, the list just goes on.

Something I kinda do appreciate about the series is that it has continuity and no matter how seemingly pointless an episode may be, it does serve purpose to a series whether it's character development or we see the same place or characters again in a later episode.

What else can I say about this series? It's just fantastic, the live-action movie adaptation sucks, and I'll do a separate review on Legend of Korra

She's a What Kind of Mental?!

If you're looking for an anime with the oddest set up possible that somehow turns out as a great series full of action and entertainment, then Samurai Champloo is for you. How odd are we talking about compared to all the weird shit I've seen through my years of watching anime? Try mixing the Edo period with hip hop references and styles. No joke, that's literally the set up of the anime. One would think this would be the worst possible thing to be made by the Japanese, but thank God that impression is one hundred percent wrong. Well let's get on with the story.

It all begins in a tea shop where clumsy waitress Fuu is harassed by a band of samurai. She is saved by a mysterious vagabond known as Mugen, yet it escalates into a huge fight between him and a ronin known as Jin in a fight to see who's the better swordsman. Their combat leads to the restaurant catching on fire and burning down, taking the life of the village prefect's son. They are arrested and sentenced to be executed, but with the help of Fuu, both Mugen and Jin manage to escape death. Fuu is also able to get the two to set aside their fighting and accompany her on a journey to find "the samurai who smells of sunflowers".

The whole series is this trio traveling through Japan, meeting interesting people and saving them from the corruption of lords, Christian persecution and foreign prejudice.

A small warning that this is a pretty mature anime. Contains blood, violence, swearing and sexual references. Just in case this isn't your cup of tea then you have been warned.

Despite how weird and silly the hip hop references are placed and displayed, none of it is entirely forced in your face and a lot of the time, it's just funny to watch how awkward some of these situations are made. There's one episode where they're playing baseball against Americans and it truly is hilarious and one of the best episodes of the series.

The culture seen from the Edo period is really interesting and you do get some history as to what Japan was like in that time. And of course, our three main characters are fun and interesting people you want to follow on their travels through Japan (even though I think Fuu is annoying as all hell).

A perfect anime full of adventure, action and comedy for historical junkies.

Sometimes God Cannot Forgive You Unless You Forgive Yourself

This is what I read on the back of the DVD case of a new anime I got for Christmas titled Haibane-Renmei. Unlike the Soul Eater DVDs I also got, I've never heard of this particular anime and the summary on the back sounded really interesting. So I popped the disc into my computer, watched it over a span of two nights, and I'm here to say it did not disappoint.

In a walled city known as Glie there exists people known as Haibane who are born from cocoons and resemble angels with small, nonfunctional, charcoal gray wings. Upon being born, they have no memory of any life prior to the current one and are given a new name based on the dream they had when they were in the cocoon.They now have and abide by certain rules such as being required to work and only own second-hand possessions.

Our story follows a new-born named Rakka after her dream of falling. She lives with a group of Haibane who live in a place known as "Old Home". As she bonds with her new friends, especially the kind and loving Reki, she searches through Glie in search of a job and learns the rules set by the Haibane-Renmei, an organization that looks over the lives of the Haibane. Rakka's curiosity of her surroundings grow, wondering what is beyond the walls of Glie that everyone is forbidden to cross over.

The first few episodes follows a slice of life sort of plot; just showing the lives of the characters and explaining about the Haibane at a slow and easy to understand pace. However over time, several questions crowd Rakka's mind of her existence, the purpose of the Haibane, and even the secret past of her closest friend, Reki.

Well...That's as much as I can give away without idly throwing out spoilers. This really was something different with a unique set up with interesting fantasy and traditions surrounding the Haibane. The only downside would be that nothing is really explained in a lot of detail, but it does allow you to reach your own conclusions about the Haibane and the world they live in. Again, I won't throw out spoilers, but I did make my own interpretations about the series, and they are very somber interpretations. Trust me, it'll become that way once you reach the last episode (By the way, this anime is only 13 episodes so it's short).

The animation is good, and I like how it never has characters have over-exaggerated expressions because it felt like this anime wanted to take itself seriously and not go off on any silly tangents. The backgrounds are really something to look at cause it's literally looking at water color paintings and I do appreciate how slow the series is so you can just breathe and enjoy the artwork someone took their time creating.

Check it out if you're looking for something not too long to watch with an intriguing set up and developed characters. It is most definitely worth your time.

World War II

What comes to mind when you think about it? Of course everyone remembers the major events and the important people involved. Adolf Hitler, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bombing of Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and the most tragic, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended the war between the United States and Japan. However there was also another event five months before the war ended known as the bombings of Kobe.

On March 16 and 17, 1945, the United States executed a strategic bombing on the city of Kobe, Japan because it would be easily burned to the ground and would cut off the country's largest port with the largest shipbuilding and marine-engine manufacturing as well as damage transportation and business. Unlike the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they didn't just drop a nuclear bomb to wipe out the city in one hit. The American bombers came back six times after the first raid and continued to ensure that Kobe wouldn't recover and help Japan to get back up and win the war.

This is when our anime feature film takes place. I am talking about Grave of the Fireflies.

Being an anime film that has the subject such as the second World War, you could probably tell this will not be a happy film. It is based off of a semi-autobiography of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, and it is the most beautifully tragic piece of work I've ever seen out of Studio Ghibli and that says a lot seeing as how much I love Spirited Away. This is a pure classic done by the studio and I'm surprised it's not as well known as its other films. I will point out that this is not directed by the famous Hayao Miyazaki but rather another important co-founder that has helped to produce many Studio Ghibli films, Isao Takahata. But enough talk, what's the plot of this film that sounds so fantastic?

Well along with being set around the Kobe bombings, the story focuses around 14-year-old Seita and his family unfortunately getting caught during the first raid. Although Seita and his 4-year-old sister, Setsuko, survive from being destroyed with their home, their mother is horribly burned and eventually dies from her injuries. Seita is now left alone to protect Setsuko while they live with a distant and cruel aunt while awaiting their father to return home from the war and enduring constant raids.

Now how can this be a tragic film? The first picture I have shows the two main characters looking happy and surviving the war. That's actually the beauty of the film. Seita and Setsuko still have to deal with great struggles like keeping a roof over their heads and malnutrition. On top of which, they're just children. Seita does take a heavy responsibility to take care of his little sister, but he's still just a kid. He's impulsive and self-centered while still being a loving big brother.

While this film has its very dark and graphic imagery, there are many moments where you just see pure beauty and moments where Seita and Setsuko are giggling and just having fun despite the tragic circumstances. It shows that even in a seemingly cruel world, there still some sign of hope and happiness if you just look hard enough. It makes way for the most beautiful animation I have ever seen.

There's also a lot of parts in the film where there's no dialogue and you just watch whatever's happening, or it's even just moments where it's pure silence. There are moments of action plus slow moments to provide for absorbing the atmosphere and even developing the sibling bond between Seita and Setsuko. Just seeing them together and play is really touching and sweet, especially seeing as how Seita will do anything to keep Setsuko happy.

The one moment that really began jerking tears out of my eyes was when little Setsuko asks this: Why must fireflies die so young?

That just sums up the suffering of the Japanese people during the Second World War. This is why I like the slow and sometimes silent moments of the film. It just gives you time to think that these people were suffering while we just kept bombing them mercilessly. At the time, we had no choice but to fight and not let just let the enemy win and take over our home, but at what cost? We caused the suffering and deaths of millions without giving it a second thought. And this movie is a real eye-opener to see the pain they had to suffer. But it's not like the American bombers were the only source.

Seita and Setsuko also experience neglect and abuse from adults. Their own people. People they would most likely call friends and family turned against them. Everyone is so occupied trying to survive the raids that they won't even look again at two orphans who have little to nothing to live off of. It's a bit of a reality check that there are always going to be people who are just don't give a care about what's going on around them and who's suffering as long as they themselves are happy. But again, it goes back to finding happiness in such a cruel world because Seita and Setsuko still remain happy and together no matter what.

I could go on more and more about this, but I think I may have accidentally spoiled you guys a bit too much.

Overall, this is the most powerful anti-war film ever, and it does everything that such a genre of film should do by displaying the horrors and pain of World War II, but also contradicts it with, for a lack of a better phrase, pure beauty. And it is the greatest emotional piece ever done in anime history. Forget the depressing scenes of Clannad, Angel Beats!, Air TV, Elfen Lied, and Spirited Away combined. This will rip your heart to shreds. And don't even try to argue that you don't easily cry. This is the biggest tragedy in film history period.

While it is greatly known as extremely sad, it's still beautiful and is a great classic anime film that deserves more recognition.

Top Anime Openings: Part Two

Yeah it's only been like almost a month since I've updated this thing.

So I'm gonna finish off the remaining songs in my top 20 anime openings. Once again, beware of spoilers and mature content and I'll try to provide the opening itself or the full song when at all possible and if the video gets removed cause YouTube is full of jerks, I provided the title of the song if you wanna look it up on your own.

So let's continue with...

~Liz's Top 20 Anime Openings (#s 10-1)~

10. Go!! Fighting Dreamers by Flow (Naruto)

Yeah I think any Naru-tard knows this song by heart and is obsessed with it. And it remains to be one of the best openings of Naruto ever.

It's just so freaking catchy, has a great beat to it, and well yeah, is memorable. Like I really gotta say much. It's another song done by the band Flow and they've done a few openings for this anime. This song of course is the best when the show was at a really good and exciting point that really just drew you into the action of ninjas and fighting. Even though I think the show's completely overrated, I still enjoy listening to this song every now and then.

9. Ready, Steady, Go! by L'Arc en Ciel (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Another opening that's most memorable in the original FMA series. I know I'll love this song till the day I die.

Played by L'Arc en Ciel which is mostly known for doing music for Fullmetal Alchemist, they created one of the best songs ever. It's very catchy and pulls you into the show. It's one of my favorite songs of the original series. Speaking of, will I be including any openings from FMA: Brotherhood? Well just stick around and find out.

8. O2 by Orange Range (Code Geass R2)

Orange Range is once again one of those J-pop bands that is known for the anime openings they do. And this is no exception.

While I did put another opening from Code Geass on the list already, I did find this one better than the opening by Flow. Not that it was bad, just this one was really better. I guess since the first season left everyone off on such a big cliff hanger they wanted to do something epic to start off Code Geass R2. And the opening does help quite a bit. It's fast-paced, energetic, gives great visuals, and does a lot that an anime opening does: drag you into the show itself. And sooner than later you're greeted with intense action and drama that is more than your brain can handle.

7. Hologram by Nico Touches the Walls (FMA: Brotherhood)


Yeah this was gonna pop up eventually. Sorry I can't get a video up because embedding videos is getting f***ed up big time...

This song is just so appealing to me. It's soft and touching but also upbeat and energetic at the same time. I just like how the singer sounds with his voice. It just really sounds beautiful to me. Once I heard it in FMA: Brotherhood, I would constantly listen to this to my heart's content and I will do so for as long as I live.

6. Resonance by T.M Revolution (Soul Eater)

Damn did this show know how to drag us into the scary imagery that was put in this show. And this opening sure dragged us into the intense action and horror that is Soul Eater.

The song itself is intense and fast paced and anticipates you to get a really great show. The use of guitar and other instrumental elements that make it the way it is. I don't really have any other words for it other than it's just a really f*** yeah! song.

5.  H.T by Tsuneo Imahori (Trigun)

While this is an anime I haven't done a review on, Trigun is definitely a classic that any otaku should check out. And trust me when I say that it's a good series; I just haven't gotten too far into it to do a review.

It's one minute and thirty seconds of nothing but electric guitar, and it's freaking awesome! Like the show itself, it's full of intense action that just keeps you on the edge of your seat every second. It's what I look forward to every time I play an episode is that opening for that amazing guitar, and I'll enjoy hearing it over and over.

4. Lilium by Kumiko Noma (Elfen Lied)
Again can't get the video due to embedding issues..Mature content warning. God, I'm just getting shivers down my spine listening to it.

Out of every anime opening that has ever existed, this is probably the most unique. Obviously, it's in Latin. Don't know many anime openings in Latin. And it's not like it's used for 10+ episodes and it's scrapped; Lilium is used in variations throughout the show, including a Tenors version, a music box version, a Saint version, and the original. It sets the mood for any situation to add intensity, drama and pure emotion to the scene that'll just jerk tears out of your eyes. It suits perfectly for such a dramatic anime.

You listen to the melody and it sounds really peaceful and calm and then the first thing you see afterwards is a severed arm twitching (Yeah I don't think I give much away when I say that). I think it's the Latin. Just the use of a dead language just makes it so ominous and unique. And some of the different versions can range from dark and terrifying to sweet and peaceful. That's what makes it a beautiful song.

I'm still questioning about the lyrics and the overall meaning of the song. I know that it has to relate to the anime and from what I can gather, the lyrics are used from biblical passages and a Renaissance hymn. If anyone has a proper translation of the song, I'd love to see it.

Plus, the drawings used in the opening are beautiful. They are based off of paintings by Austrian painter, Gustav Klimt which include The Kiss, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, and others. It really does give off quite a bit of artistic culture that's really fascinating

Eerie and beautiful, this song definitely ranks as one of the best openings of all time, but we still have a few to go.

3. My Soul, Your Beats! by Lia (Angel Beats!)
Embedding problems...

Any openings from animes made by Key are awesome. Including this one. Of course Lia has the best voice ever, and she helps to create a song that soft and emotional but also fast paced and dramatic. The opening is also unique by showing clips from the episode that foreshadow what will happen, but it goes fast so you don't get too spoiled. Even when it shows the characters, some will be added or some will vanish depending and what episode you're on and what's happening at the time.

I'm not too big of a fan of the version sung by the character Yui. I'm not saying it's bad; it's just that the original is so much better. Her voice works for some songs but not all of them. I didn't feel like that version had as much emotion as the original, but mind you that's just an opinion. I love the original version better.

2. Toki Wo Kizamu Ita by Lia (Clannad: After Story)

 A stronger sequel series calls for an even stronger opening.Again it's another song by Lia and it's beautiful. After watching the whole series, this whole song just reminds you of all those moments, joyful and tragic, and it really makes my eyes water up. I'm not gonna lie. Really, just watch the show and listen to the WHOLE song and tell me if it gets ya tearing up. It's really just nostalgic hearing this song and remembering what a fantastic anime this was, is and always will be.

And the number one anime opening is....

1. Tori No Uta by Lia (Air TV)


This.. It's just beautiful. It's upbeat but still has this sense of peace and beauty to it and just attracts me so much. I love it and it remains to be one of the best J-Pop songs ever!

What I also like is this song can have any variation, and it's still beautiful. Instrumental, piano, music box, it doesn't matter. It's just amazing in any form and I enjoy hearing it again and again. <3