Anime/Manga Review: No. 6

 Manga Ongoing | 11 Episodes | 2011 | PG | 8/10

*drumroll* It's the first ever combined review! Yay!

First off, a quick summary. No. 6 (pronounced "number six") is a series that is about a boy named Shion who lives in a utopia where everything is perfect and, being one of the especially intelligent people, he is allowed to reap all of the benefits of living there - a large home, security, education, basically anything he could possibly ever need. Until, one day his whole life changes when a bleeding boy named Nezumi (meaning "rat" in Japanese - quite a motif throughout the series) comes into his room and tries to strangle him.

Suddenly, Shion and his mother are stripped of their life in the high class neighborhood of No. 6 and are moved down to where the normal people reside which, mind you, still isn't all that bad. Four years later, Shion runs into Nezumi again after the government attempts to take Shion. Now, he must live in the awful "West Block", waiting for whatever it is they need to do. 

Manga Review: Suki; A Like Story (すき。だからすき)

3 Volumes | 1999 | CLAMP | 10/10

The title literally translates to "I like you, that's why I like you".

This is my first time reviewing a manga so please forgive me.

Suki, simply put, is a manga about liking. Simply, honestly, innocently. Hinata Asahi is a sixteen-year-old girl with the maturity of a little child. She lives alone in a giant house, and one day, someone moves into the house next door that has been empty for years. It turns out that this man is also her new homeroom teacher - his name is Shiro Asou. He is tall, dark, and according to her classmates, handsome. 

As Hina gets to know him, she slowly falls in "like" with him until it fully blossoms into "love" as he "does all of her favorite things" like holding her hand and eating dinner with her. 

However, there is something sinister going on behind the scenes... who is this man, and why are their fates so intertwined? 

First Impression: Tsuritama (つり球)

11 episodes (planned) | 2012 | PG?



Hello there! I just wanted to say that I am so super excited about this anime! I had never heard of it until today and I decided to watch it after reading a rave review. I am so glad I did! I am only disappointed that it has just begun airing because there are only two episodes.

This show has a bit of a weird plot (then again, what anime doesn't?). It's about fishing to save the world. The characters are a socially awkward orange-head, an alien, a quiet fishing pro, and an indian dude with a duck named Tapioca. Interesting, right?

I can tell this show is going to be good (for me, at least) because 1) there is a character named Yuki (I love Yukies), 2) the colors are amazingly brilliant, and 3) it has a great friendship story in the making. It makes me happy to just watch it because of the bright and happy animation. The sky is a cartoony blue that somehow works with all the pastels of Haru and the orange hair of Yuki. I am really excited to see where their friendship goes and what the alien stuff is all about and how the fishing motif ties everything together.

However, I know it is also going to be a bit sad because there are serious moments like a coughing grandma and a new mommy (I am trying desperately not to give too much information...).

Anyways, I know that I am going to diligently follow this anime and I hope that it meets my expectations because I have a feeling that it is going to one of my favorites. I kind of want to compare it to Princess Jellyfish, only with guys instead of female otakus.

Always dedicated!
Otaku R

P.S. Want to check out the official Otaku J twitter account? Visit it HERE! :D (Excuse my amateur tweets, I'm kind of new at this and don't quite understand hashtags and all that jazz.

Things I'm Working On!

Hey guys, things around here have been busy lately, so please excuse my lack of organization. Currently, I am so overloaded with shows I need to watch and things I need to read... I don't know where to start!

Right now, I am watching Ramen Fighter Miki, Soul Eater, D. Gray Man, Monochrome Factor, Moribito, Serial Experiment Lain, and a few others (as you can see, it may take me a while).

As for manga, I am re-reading Fruits Basket because I really think that it deserves a thorough review, I am also reading a few others but none of them are finished series so I think I will wait on reviewing them.

If any of these things interest you, then stay tuned! Hopefully everything will be up in the next month.

Also! If there is anything that you wish to request, please feel free to do so! I am always looking for new things to check out and I will try anything you suggest!

***
Now... random update time!!!

• Remember that post I did back in December 2011 about Tamayura? Well, apparently there are plans for a second season so if you really liked it, then keep your eyes peeled in 2013 for that pick! It's a really cute show!
• Black Butler volume 9 (IX) will be released in America on April 24th! (That's next Tuesday!) So if you're a fan of Kuroshitsuji, then get ready for the legal version! Also, if you're all ready to move on, Volume 10 is being released on July 24!

Thanks for your support!

Otaku R!

Image Source: www.hulu.com 

First Impression: Mysterious Girlfriend X (謎の彼女X Nazo no Kanojo X)

12 epsisodes | 2012 | PG-13

Hello! As I have said before, I absolutely love the Mysterious Girlfriend X manga. Today, I finally got around to checking out the first episode of the anime adaptation of it, so I will talk about that  a little bit.



(Sorry - I couldn't find it translated!)

The first thing I noticed that I loved, is that they kept all of the drawings and the colors the same. The original author, Riichi Ueshiba, drew in a very unique and retro way, with lots of marker lines and round shapes. I loved that because it was so different, and so I am really glad they kept it that way.

In fact, as far as I can tell (and remember) they have followed the manga almost exactly so far. It is really neat to see these characters come to life. But maybe not so neat to hear all that drool squishing around... I have to keep turning off my speakers whenever she gathers drool because it just grosses me out so much.

One thing I have to say though is that the voice actor who plays Urabe doesn't really fit the character well. I mean, her voice fits I suppose, but she uses too much expression in my opinion. When I was reading the manga, Uraba always gave me the impression of a nonchalant, expressionless, monotone girl - not in a bad way, that was just how she was - but in the anime, she sounds so happy and nice and excited! Definitely not what I was expecting.

Anyways, I am off to watch the second episode now and I am definitely excited to see if they stick to the manga in the future.

One again, many thanks!
Otaku R

Epiphanies?

Hey guys! So this is more of an update today. I apologize for any spelling mistakes... I'm typing it on my iPhone at school.

Anyways, I just realized that I post so many reviews of main stream anime... Like things that people have most likely already seen so why am I talking about it? Get with the game R!! Well, I think this is because I am relatively new the the whole anime realm. I mean, I've liked anime for almost 6 years now, but I've only really gotten into it in the last year. Really into it.

Another reason I review such popular anime is that I watch other kind of "underground" shows and really like them, but then in my head I'm usually like "oh this is really good, but people would probably find it weird so moving on... Black Butler? Oh I've heard of that before! Derp Derp Derp."

Ehem.

I think in order to get over this phase, I just need to watch all the popular anime just so I don't get so hung up on it, and then I can go into reviewing lesser known shows. But hey! If there's a popular anime out there that you're a little iffy about, I hope that this blog can help you in the mean time.

Thanks guys!
Otaku R :)

You Know What I Furinkan Hate?

Sorry... I felt I needed to include that genius of a pun.

If you don't get this, I don't blame you, but I am very disappointed.

Otaku R.