Omari Mio is a normal 17 year-old girl. She goes to school and works a part-time job to help support her family. Because her father is dead and her mother's sick, she often finds it hard to make ends meet.
One night, as Mio is coming home from work, she meets a handsome stranger who suddenly steals a kiss from her, and then throws money at her offering to buy her. Who is this mysterious stranger that stole Mio's first kiss?
http://www.tenmanga.com/book/Desire+Climax.html
The two characters who do manage to stick around for the second half of this play – Ayumi and Hayami – aren't exactly main character material. While a lot of emphasis is put on Hayami's feelings for Maya, there really isn't any reason to get attached to him outside of the fact that he's supportive of Maya's career. As for Ayumi, she goes out of her way to drive away everyone in her life in order to strike out on her own, and because of this turns into a giant, cold-hearted fake of an actress whose sole purpose in the show is to contrast Maya's lovable, heart-felt style of acting. There are other characters and relationships established – two new boys enter her life, who might as well be called “Love Interest 2” and 'Love Interest 3,” and jealous actors continue to do things to hinder Maya's progress – but all of these fail to bring fresh tension to the story.
While most series might suffer when the best part of a show falls limp, Maya and Ayumi's roles and the lengths they go to learn them definitely come through and manage to save the day. Maya playing a doll brings her closer to understanding what it will take to play the non-human lead in The Scarlet Angel, and the journey both girls go through to discover their own way to play Helen keeps you on the edge of your seat. Even the shift to TV brings new ways for both girls to grow, and the more time the series spends focused on their acting roles over the characters around them, the better.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Bokura ga Ita Chapter 66 我们的存在
The start of high school life. To the girls, that also meant the start of their love lives. For brand new first year student, Takahashi Nanami (Nana for short), it was no different... She happens to end up in the same class as the incredibly popular Yano Motoharu, who rumors say that two thirds of all the girls are guaranteed to fall in love with. But will that hold true for Nana, who says that if she had to choose between like or dislike, she'd say she dislikes him!?
In 2005 Bokura ga Ita won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo.
http://www.mangareader.net/1055/bokura-ga-ita.html
Adding insult to injury is the animation, which looks like they had the Gonzo intern do it on weekends when he had some spare time. The 3D CG in this show is incredibly sloppy; any of it could have been rendered many years ago in some ancient MS-DOS modeling program. The frame rate is all out of whack, contrasting with the poorly done, choppy 2D animation. It's like trying to marry a dead duck with a bowl of week-old cereal. They're both miserable enough on their own, but they're made so much worse by being forced together. Gonzo clearly has problems maintaining a high level of quality and only certain shows can manage a consistently polished look; Zaion was obviously an afterthought during their budget meetings, and the show suffers because of it.
In 2005 Bokura ga Ita won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo.
http://www.mangareader.net/1055/bokura-ga-ita.html
Adding insult to injury is the animation, which looks like they had the Gonzo intern do it on weekends when he had some spare time. The 3D CG in this show is incredibly sloppy; any of it could have been rendered many years ago in some ancient MS-DOS modeling program. The frame rate is all out of whack, contrasting with the poorly done, choppy 2D animation. It's like trying to marry a dead duck with a bowl of week-old cereal. They're both miserable enough on their own, but they're made so much worse by being forced together. Gonzo clearly has problems maintaining a high level of quality and only certain shows can manage a consistently polished look; Zaion was obviously an afterthought during their budget meetings, and the show suffers because of it.
Bokura ga Ita Chapter 65 我们的存在
The start of high school life. To the girls, that also meant the start of their love lives. For brand new first year student, Takahashi Nanami (Nana for short), it was no different... She happens to end up in the same class as the incredibly popular Yano Motoharu, who rumors say that two thirds of all the girls are guaranteed to fall in love with. But will that hold true for Nana, who says that if she had to choose between like or dislike, she'd say she dislikes him!?
In 2005 Bokura ga Ita won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo.
http://www.mangareader.net/1055/bokura-ga-ita.html
The one bright spot Zaion has to offer (aside from being the only science fiction series to include the name ‘Zaion’ that doesn't feature a ten-minute rave sequence or Laurence Fishburne) is the soundtrack. Both the score and the English dub are very well handled. The music is performed by the irreproachable Kenji Kawai, the mastermind behind the score to Ghost in the Shell. It's haunting, beautiful and minimalist, and is a truck stop of pleasure on the highway of pain. The dub is fantastic; ADV hired a lot of excellent voice talent to drive this show, and the result is a professional, natural-sounding dub laced with some fantastic line readings. The dub almost makes the show worth watching, since… well, no it doesn't. The best acting in the world couldn't save this show from being the megaton bomb that it is. The cast deserve kudos for making lemonade with extremely sour lemons, but it's a shame such talent was wasted for a totally mediocre pile like this.
In 2005 Bokura ga Ita won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo.
http://www.mangareader.net/1055/bokura-ga-ita.html
The one bright spot Zaion has to offer (aside from being the only science fiction series to include the name ‘Zaion’ that doesn't feature a ten-minute rave sequence or Laurence Fishburne) is the soundtrack. Both the score and the English dub are very well handled. The music is performed by the irreproachable Kenji Kawai, the mastermind behind the score to Ghost in the Shell. It's haunting, beautiful and minimalist, and is a truck stop of pleasure on the highway of pain. The dub is fantastic; ADV hired a lot of excellent voice talent to drive this show, and the result is a professional, natural-sounding dub laced with some fantastic line readings. The dub almost makes the show worth watching, since… well, no it doesn't. The best acting in the world couldn't save this show from being the megaton bomb that it is. The cast deserve kudos for making lemonade with extremely sour lemons, but it's a shame such talent was wasted for a totally mediocre pile like this.
Bokura ga Ita Chapter 64 我们的存在
The start of high school life. To the girls, that also meant the start of their love lives. For brand new first year student, Takahashi Nanami (Nana for short), it was no different... She happens to end up in the same class as the incredibly popular Yano Motoharu, who rumors say that two thirds of all the girls are guaranteed to fall in love with. But will that hold true for Nana, who says that if she had to choose between like or dislike, she'd say she dislikes him!?
In 2005 Bokura ga Ita won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo.
http://www.mangareader.net/1055/bokura-ga-ita.html
Avoid Zaion. Unless you're a Gonzo collector and simply must have everything the studio churns out, stay away from this show. Sometimes even the best talent will misfire and wind up releasing something that just isn't special no matter how you frame it. It's a marvel ADV put as much effort in to this title as they did; it comes with a fancy full-color booklet, beautiful packaging and a load of DVD extras. If only they'd put this much in to a show that's actually worth watching. Perhaps they should rename the show Zaion: ~You'll wish you were dead~.
In 2005 Bokura ga Ita won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo.
http://www.mangareader.net/1055/bokura-ga-ita.html
Avoid Zaion. Unless you're a Gonzo collector and simply must have everything the studio churns out, stay away from this show. Sometimes even the best talent will misfire and wind up releasing something that just isn't special no matter how you frame it. It's a marvel ADV put as much effort in to this title as they did; it comes with a fancy full-color booklet, beautiful packaging and a load of DVD extras. If only they'd put this much in to a show that's actually worth watching. Perhaps they should rename the show Zaion: ~You'll wish you were dead~.
Bokura ga Ita Chapter 63 我们的存在
The start of high school life. To the girls, that also meant the start of their love lives. For brand new first year student, Takahashi Nanami (Nana for short), it was no different... She happens to end up in the same class as the incredibly popular Yano Motoharu, who rumors say that two thirds of all the girls are guaranteed to fall in love with. But will that hold true for Nana, who says that if she had to choose between like or dislike, she'd say she dislikes him!?
In 2005 Bokura ga Ita won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo.
http://www.mangareader.net/1055/bokura-ga-ita.html
Juna and Tokio's relationship continues to fray at the ends, and Juna struggles to cope with her newfound sensitivity to the environment around her. Cindy teaches Juna that if she listens closely, the world around her will reveal itself to her; Juna succeeds, with some unfortunately harrowing results. Things get worse, however, when it's revealed that Tokio's father runs a major Biochemical plant that's been leaking toxins into the nearby forest--toxins that could eventually spell doom for the Earth as we know it.
In 2005 Bokura ga Ita won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shoujo.
http://www.mangareader.net/1055/bokura-ga-ita.html
Juna and Tokio's relationship continues to fray at the ends, and Juna struggles to cope with her newfound sensitivity to the environment around her. Cindy teaches Juna that if she listens closely, the world around her will reveal itself to her; Juna succeeds, with some unfortunately harrowing results. Things get worse, however, when it's revealed that Tokio's father runs a major Biochemical plant that's been leaking toxins into the nearby forest--toxins that could eventually spell doom for the Earth as we know it.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
free Air Gear chapter 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41
Read Air Gear Manga Online
Minami Ikki Itsuki, is a student and a delinquent. Also known as the Unbeatable Babyface, Ikki is the leader of the youth gang by the name of East Side Gunz. Upon his return home after being humiliated by a street gang of Storm Riders called the Skull Saders Ikki discovers a secret hidden from him by his benefactors, the Noyamano sisters. The sisters belong to a group of Storm Riders who go by the team name of Sleeping Forest. Keen on helping Ikki to regain his confidence and pride, they supply him with a pair of Air Trecks (abbreviated as AT). Ikki eventually settles his grudge with the Skull Saders, but in the process he receives more than the simple satisfaction of revenge. Determined to experience the sensation of flight for as long as he can, our headstrong protagonist is quickly sucked into the mysterious, yet irresistible world of Air Treck.
http://www.mangareader.net/137/air-gear.html
King of Bandit Jing is something of a conundrum. Beneath its polished and abstract artistic trappings lies the basic formula for an everyday shounen action series. Jing is, essentially, the Himura Kenshin or Luffy D. Monkey or Uzamaki Naruto of his series; the best (fighter, pirate, ninja, baker, construction worker) in the world, who goes around fighting for truth, justice, and all that stuff shonen heroes fight for. He even has a spunky talking animal sidekick. While the episodes on volume two do little to stray from the established story formula, King of Bandit Jing has one thing going for it that sets it apart from the vast sea of Kenshin-alikes out there: art direction so unique it defies description.
Jing is worth watching for the visuals alone. It's impossible to name all the different sources this series is pulling from to create its visual style. In episode five alone, you can see visual references to The Beatles' Yellow Submarine, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Salvador Dali's various works and a whole host of others. If that sounds strange for an anime series, it is; frequently the show lapses into fits of nearly anarchic visuals, eschewing common anime technique for a totally chaotic and abstract experience. Jing's adventures in ‘Technicolor Town’, a city washed out in bleeding reds, lime greens and baby blues is a visually stunning artistic device and should not be missed, particularly if you're an art student.
Minami Ikki Itsuki, is a student and a delinquent. Also known as the Unbeatable Babyface, Ikki is the leader of the youth gang by the name of East Side Gunz. Upon his return home after being humiliated by a street gang of Storm Riders called the Skull Saders Ikki discovers a secret hidden from him by his benefactors, the Noyamano sisters. The sisters belong to a group of Storm Riders who go by the team name of Sleeping Forest. Keen on helping Ikki to regain his confidence and pride, they supply him with a pair of Air Trecks (abbreviated as AT). Ikki eventually settles his grudge with the Skull Saders, but in the process he receives more than the simple satisfaction of revenge. Determined to experience the sensation of flight for as long as he can, our headstrong protagonist is quickly sucked into the mysterious, yet irresistible world of Air Treck.
http://www.mangareader.net/137/air-gear.html
King of Bandit Jing is something of a conundrum. Beneath its polished and abstract artistic trappings lies the basic formula for an everyday shounen action series. Jing is, essentially, the Himura Kenshin or Luffy D. Monkey or Uzamaki Naruto of his series; the best (fighter, pirate, ninja, baker, construction worker) in the world, who goes around fighting for truth, justice, and all that stuff shonen heroes fight for. He even has a spunky talking animal sidekick. While the episodes on volume two do little to stray from the established story formula, King of Bandit Jing has one thing going for it that sets it apart from the vast sea of Kenshin-alikes out there: art direction so unique it defies description.
Jing is worth watching for the visuals alone. It's impossible to name all the different sources this series is pulling from to create its visual style. In episode five alone, you can see visual references to The Beatles' Yellow Submarine, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Salvador Dali's various works and a whole host of others. If that sounds strange for an anime series, it is; frequently the show lapses into fits of nearly anarchic visuals, eschewing common anime technique for a totally chaotic and abstract experience. Jing's adventures in ‘Technicolor Town’, a city washed out in bleeding reds, lime greens and baby blues is a visually stunning artistic device and should not be missed, particularly if you're an art student.
free Air Gear chapter 315
Read Air Gear Manga Online
Minami Ikki Itsuki, is a student and a delinquent. Also known as the Unbeatable Babyface, Ikki is the leader of the youth gang by the name of East Side Gunz. Upon his return home after being humiliated by a street gang of Storm Riders called the Skull Saders Ikki discovers a secret hidden from him by his benefactors, the Noyamano sisters. The sisters belong to a group of Storm Riders who go by the team name of Sleeping Forest. Keen on helping Ikki to regain his confidence and pride, they supply him with a pair of Air Trecks (abbreviated as AT). Ikki eventually settles his grudge with the Skull Saders, but in the process he receives more than the simple satisfaction of revenge. Determined to experience the sensation of flight for as long as he can, our headstrong protagonist is quickly sucked into the mysterious, yet irresistible world of Air Treck.
http://www.mangareader.net/137/air-gear.html
Unfortunately, King of Bandit Jing amounts to a whole lot of flash and very little substance. At its core, Jing still follows the shonen formula to a tee. Each episode is basically an encapsulated adventure, wherein Jing tries to get some unattainable treasure that winds up getting destroyed or left behind for something more important. Everyone learns an important moral lesson (Jing is usually trying to steal something that symbolizes some nebulous human concept that's considered unattainable, like lost love, eternal life, that sort of thing… OK, we get it), Kir hits on the closest woman, and then fires a cannon from his mouth at whatever monster appears near the end of the episode. The end. Yawn. We've seen this sort of thing before, and if it weren't for the visual panache this show displays, there wouldn't be much to write home about.
It's unfortunate, really, that the art director, who obviously had ambitious plans for the series' visual style, got stuck with such tired material. Otherwise, this could have been a classic for the ages to appreciate. The production values are all top-notch, which is a good thing, considering that with such challenging art design, poor animation could have brought this entire production down in flames. Jing and his friends are animated with the utmost of care. Kir, the standout character design who almost looks as though he were ripped from the panels of a Krazy Kat cartoon, seems to suffer from a lower frame rate than the rest of the cast, but it might just be his bizarre design affecting how he moves on screen. Closeups are rendered lovingly by the animators, with flowing hair and shining lips and so forth. The music isn't half-bad either, provided you can take a little rock music and the occasional violin solo.
Minami Ikki Itsuki, is a student and a delinquent. Also known as the Unbeatable Babyface, Ikki is the leader of the youth gang by the name of East Side Gunz. Upon his return home after being humiliated by a street gang of Storm Riders called the Skull Saders Ikki discovers a secret hidden from him by his benefactors, the Noyamano sisters. The sisters belong to a group of Storm Riders who go by the team name of Sleeping Forest. Keen on helping Ikki to regain his confidence and pride, they supply him with a pair of Air Trecks (abbreviated as AT). Ikki eventually settles his grudge with the Skull Saders, but in the process he receives more than the simple satisfaction of revenge. Determined to experience the sensation of flight for as long as he can, our headstrong protagonist is quickly sucked into the mysterious, yet irresistible world of Air Treck.
http://www.mangareader.net/137/air-gear.html
Unfortunately, King of Bandit Jing amounts to a whole lot of flash and very little substance. At its core, Jing still follows the shonen formula to a tee. Each episode is basically an encapsulated adventure, wherein Jing tries to get some unattainable treasure that winds up getting destroyed or left behind for something more important. Everyone learns an important moral lesson (Jing is usually trying to steal something that symbolizes some nebulous human concept that's considered unattainable, like lost love, eternal life, that sort of thing… OK, we get it), Kir hits on the closest woman, and then fires a cannon from his mouth at whatever monster appears near the end of the episode. The end. Yawn. We've seen this sort of thing before, and if it weren't for the visual panache this show displays, there wouldn't be much to write home about.
It's unfortunate, really, that the art director, who obviously had ambitious plans for the series' visual style, got stuck with such tired material. Otherwise, this could have been a classic for the ages to appreciate. The production values are all top-notch, which is a good thing, considering that with such challenging art design, poor animation could have brought this entire production down in flames. Jing and his friends are animated with the utmost of care. Kir, the standout character design who almost looks as though he were ripped from the panels of a Krazy Kat cartoon, seems to suffer from a lower frame rate than the rest of the cast, but it might just be his bizarre design affecting how he moves on screen. Closeups are rendered lovingly by the animators, with flowing hair and shining lips and so forth. The music isn't half-bad either, provided you can take a little rock music and the occasional violin solo.
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