Anime, Manga & Figures Blog

I’ve seen the first three episodes of Haruka Nogizaka’s Secret, and it’s turning out to be a sweet romance comedy series.  The show takes the viewpoint of Yuto Ayase, your basic, undistinct, ordinary high school student, and his take on Haruka Nogizaka, the school’s #1 idol.  Haruka is refined, beautiful, intelligent, and rich.  The student body simply puts her on a pedestal, as if she is a goddess.  But Yuto accidentally stumbles on her secret—she is a closet, hardcore otaku.  And given the general distaste of the student body for otakus, she gets Yuto to keep her secret, thereby building the premise of this anime show.

This show very much reminds me of Gainax’ His and Her Circumstances (Kare kano).  Like Secret, His and Her was also a romance comedy revolving two high school students (school idols at that).  However, I think Secret’s storyline will be less dark and more straightforward compared to His and Her’s.  There’s a budding romance between Haruka and Yuto, and I think we can predict how that will turn out.  The secret will also be something that I think the show will resolve (and we’ve seen beginnings of that in episode 3).

Secret looks like a harem show.  Yuto wears glasses, and reminds me of Keitaro from Love Hina.  Haruka’s sister and maids supply the rest of the girls for the harem.  The student body and Haruka’s family will probably have some input on the Haruka-Yuto relationship.

If Haruka Nogizaka’s Secret ends up with even half the popularity of His and Her or Love Hina, then the show will be the anime hit show of the summer.

I just saw the first episode of Ultraviolet Code 44.  Given the fact that the show is about an assassin, “ultraviolent” would be a better title for this show!  The episode starts off with an assassination in the prelude, just to give the viewer a taste of what the show is all about.

The show is set in a future world.  Space travel is as common as today’s air travel.  And mankind has expanded to colonize other planets, and solar systems.  Yet, this futuristic world is not a utopia.  There are radical elements in society, that seek to liberate and form its own society and government.  And do you think the government in power would tolerate secession? 044 is the government’s tool and answer to the Phage movement.

The first episode sets up this background, and Ultraviolet Code 44’s place in it.  The show has a Blade Runner feel to it, dark and forboding.  It looks to be an interesting series, if you don’t mind bloody scenes.

Kyle Jones of ADV announced yesterday in AoD forums the passing of ADV Voice Actor Mike Kleinhenz.  Like many commentators who posted in the thread, I really appreciated his lively, and memorable work as Audrey Kalinin in Full Metal Panic.  In my view, FMP is an outstanding anime show in part due to great dub voice acting overall, and Mike Kleinhenz’s work was a big part of the reason why.

When I finally get to watch FMP The Second Raid (sometime in the near future), I’m sure I will think about Mike Kleinhenz and his family, as I listen to Kalinin talk in the anime show.  RIP. 

I’ve seen the first two episodes of Natsume’s Book of Friends (aka “Natsume Yuujincho”), and I see it as a mature, reverse version of Captor Captor Sakura.  In CCS, you have an elementary school girl who accidentally releases magical creatures kept in a book of cards.  And she takes responsibility by capturing all the released cards and putting them back in the book.

In Natsume’s Book of Friends, however,  a high schooler gifted with the ability to see dead spirits is burdened with a task left by his deceased grandmother, Reiko: to release the names bound in her Book of Friends.  So in this show, the protagonist is releasing spirits, while in the other show, the protagonist is capturing spirits.

But it would be a mistake to dismiss NBF on this note.  Each spirit bound to the book has a relationship with the grandmother.  And Natsume, along with the viewer, sees and understands this relationship when the spirit is released.   So far, the relationships and mini-stories are heart warming and unique.

It is fair to say that the storyline in Natsume Yujin-Cho is surprisingly rich.  In my view, this newly broadcasting anime show is THE ONE to watch this summer.

According to MediumAtLarge, the official blog of the New York Anime Festival, Japanese voice actress and singer Rie Tanaka will attend NYAF 08, for Q&As, signings, and peformances!!!  If this doesn’t draw attendees to NYAF, then nothing will. 

Rie Tanaka is definitely one of my all-time fav anime voice actresses, notably for her performance as Chii in Chobits, Lacus Clyne in Gundam Seed, Saki in Steel Angel Kurumi, and (in her DEBUT performance as a voice actress) Mitsuki Sanada in Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure.  Her vocal for Chobits opening theme is among the songs in my music player, and I listen to it often.

I’m confident that Rie Tanaka will enjoy New York City, and NYAF08. 

AnimeNewsNetwork.com reported that Kadokawa USA confirmed it is holding North American licenses to some recently aired anime shows, including Spice and Wolf, Junjou Romantica, and Renta Magica.  No distributor named at this time.

I’m glad Kadokawa has plans to have these shows released for R1.  Now if only FUNimation could make a bid for these properties. . .

ANN founder Justin Sevakis introduces a new video player that includes trailers, ANNtv, and eventually anime episodes.  The venture will be ad supported.

I’m surprised that ANN will engage in this kind of enterprise, because the costs will be extremely expensive.  And I don’t know if ad revenue will be sufficient to cover the costs. 

However, I could understand why ANN will do this.  The success of Bost TV and Crunchyroll in offering anime shows online mean that ANN cannot afford to NOT offer anime shows online.  Because the video players will draw visits and eyeballs away from sites that don’t offer this platform.  In other words, in order for ANN to remain relevant as a premier online anime site, they have to offer services, like a video player, that draw visits.

I’m looking forward to see what companies sign up with ANN.