Srsly.

Games, anime, manga, and anything else that can be thrown in… they just don’t mix. I truly cannot balance them. Part of it is cuz I get so sucked into whatever it is I’m doing.

It’s probably a curse but honestly, I rather enjoy losing myself in my interests.

Usually.

In case it wasn’t obvious, games are winning lately.

No, that’s not true. Being lazy and fuckin’ around wasting time is winning.

Games are second. Among them, Odin Sphere is leading. The game feels like such a throwback to the old school shit yet it also feels so refreshing. For one, I would’ve never expected 2D to impress me so much.

Umm… there is no “for two.”

I’m sure I’ll watch something… eventually.

I opened the box.

Another anticipated series for this season and sadly, another one that didn’t quite meet up to my expectations.

It wasn’t bad, though.

First and foremost, I love the ending song. What is it about me and anime songs today? Anyway, the opening song isn’t too shabby and ZOMG, like, there’s English in the lyrics and it’s actually pronounced properly. Now, back to the ending song, I really dig it. It has a poppy R&B sound… two different worlds yet that’s what I get out of it.

On to the actual series… it’s definitely darker and more serious than I thought. I wasn’t expecting another Hikaru no Go since Shion’s shogi playing origin is much darker than Hikaru but I still presumed a lil more light-hearted mood alongside the dark stuff. There was like, zero light-heartedness in this first episode. Saori provided that initially then did a 180 to keep up with the rest of the mood.

Also, Shion is younger than I assumed as. My assumption was purely based on the pictures I saw prior to watching and I totally didn’t peg her to be in elementary school. Hell, she might be as young as 10 years old and I put her at least around 14-15. She’s still a child… is she really doing all this to find her parents killer? She seems too young to really have the drive to play shogi for that reason.

Did I mention how dark this series is?

I think part (if not all) of my minor disappointment is due to what I expected. I suppose I can’t blame the series for that.

If anything, I must keep watching to hear more of Kawasumi Ayako’s kiddie voice.

Oh snap, I caught an episode 2 of something this season.

Of course, I already had it… wahaha.

Let’s start off on what’s most important. The ending song continues to be fantabulous. Additionally, now that I’ve heard the opening song in a clean format, it is also fantabulous. That makes it doubly fantabulous!

No wait!

The ending song was already doubly fantabulous! This means this is thrice the fantabulousness!

No, wait yet again!

The opening song is at least doubly fantabulous! That is quadruple-ice the fantabulousness! …shit, I should have stopped at “thrice.” I don’t know the right conjugation for “quadruple” in this silly ass thing I’ve been doing.

But seriously, the opening and ending songs are both great.

The episode itself was mellow. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first episode since it featured more characters. Sora and Hazuki (what little of her that was shown) continue to remain fun characters while the others have yet to shine. I suppose it couldn’t be helped since the show has to involve the rest of the named characters somehow.

I want more Hazuki moments. Her quirkiness… nay, her downright silly thoughts have the potential for some utter hilarious moments. I want more scenes like that udon scene in episode one.

This show is extra interesting since I can relate to some of Sora’s thoughts. It’s unusual to watch anime and go “Oh hey, I do that too!”

I hope this show will last.

Slice-of-life’s pwn me.

They can contain any subject matter and I’ll still be drawn to them.

It’s quite the mystery… and one I won’t complain about.

Cuz this one was fantastic.

I need to watch more to really figure out what’s so great about it. Sora is cute and likable and my interest for her will probably continue to increase. Hazuki is quirky so I like her, too. The rest of the characters are so-so for now.

But enough about the non-important stuff.

That ending song is doubly fantastic. I listened to it 6 times. It reminds me of some of the Korean ballads that were rampant during the 90’s. It’s also a wonderful ending song for such a peaceful anime series.

DOO WANT!

I had moderate expectations going into this one. Prior to this fall season, it was barely on my radar but since it was mentioned (and liked) by a few anime bloggers that have similiar tastes as I do, it went up a few notches.

Hell, I could’ve severely anticipated this one and I still would’ve enjoyed it.