Mirage of Blaze

Imagine having to share your body with a historical figure and particiapting in a war that's been going on for 400 hundred years. That's what Takaya Ohgi has to go through the day he found out he's the reincarnation of Kagetora, adopted son of Kenshin Uesugi.

This 13-episode series has a mix of history, supernatural and romance. The spirits of the warlords and samurai of 16th century Japan have been fighting all along as 'possessors'. Kagetora was given the task by his father Kenshin to fight and exorcise the spirits who are siding with the Feudal Underworld. He was reluctant to acknowledge these revelations at first and in fact could not remember anything from his previous reincarnations. This locking away of memories would later prove to be vital in understanding his relationship with Yoshiaki Tachibana, Nobutsuna Naoe's reincarnation, the man who swore to protect him and who revealed Takaya's identity.

Takaya's power is tested during a battle with his bestfriend Yuzuru Narita, who is possessed by Shingen Takeda. Soon thereafter he began to improve his abilities and slowly recovered parts of his lost memories. He also remembered that Naoe was in love with him and the terrible act that made him want to forget the past.

Later in the series, the other forces which made up the 4 major powers during the Warring states also started moving. The lesser force Oda was also mentioned. Soon they had to confront the Hojo and Fuma clans who had been trying to increase their power.

I would not recommend this to anyone who is not familiar with the events and people that comprised the age of Warring states, particularly the time between the Ashikaga and Tokugawa period. There were places, events, artifacts and people mentioned that will easily confuse the viewer. The characters will not explain everything. One must also pay close attention to the conversations or else they'd get lost in the story. Names will be mentioned and so it's important to know beforehand the roles those people played during the wars.

It also has yaoi hints so it isn't for everyone who is not into this kind of anime. I did not actually expect it from this series but that little surprise surely made me happy.

I liked the parts where they dealt with the supernatural - and there's plenty of such scenes. Instead of sword fights as expected of the former samurai, possessors fight using magic. They use it to exorcise and block attacks. It was also fun to see a different twist in these historical characters.

The animation is good although some of the characters almost look the same to me. I wasn't very fond of the opening theme though.

It's a pretty decent series. I wish Naoe and Kagetora had more moments together but I guess I'll just leave it to my imagination. I'm giving it a 7 out of 10 rating.

Note: This series also has a 3-part OVA.

From the Corner of His Eye

Every good deed no matter how small resonates and affects the lives of people we don't know and the next generation to come. Not the exact words of Dean Koontz but that pretty much sums up what he was trying to say in From the Corner of His Eye. This is one of his books that shows the contrast between good and evil. Just black and white, no grays. This has been the trend of his most recent works and I was not surprised that Agnes Lampion and Enoch Cain, Jr. were so different from each other. They represent the two extreme sides of humanity. The former is considered a hero loved by everyone, the latter is human dirt, despised by all those who see him.

Enoch Cain, Jr. or Enoch is perhaps the craziest Koontz villain I have read. Not only is he a megalomaniac, he lacks remorse, has a really bad temper and is also prone to superstition. It was not explained how he became like that, although there were hints that he had been abused by his mother as a child. Unlike Koontz's older books, I guess he did not need to justify Junior's madness. His death, if it can even be considered as death, was too quick and unexpected but looking back I think it was the best way for him to go. His crime aftermaths are so funny and unique. I haven't seen characters from his other books react that much.

In contrast to Junior, the other characters look like saints. Although I don't have issues with such type of characters, Agnes Lampion seems way too over the top. Like Junior, she was abused but she did not turn out so bad. Instead of becoming like her father or making herself a victim to someone else, her experiences did not leave emotional scars on her. Her brothers however were traumatized. But they coped better than Junior too.

Other than that it is a typical Koontz book: in-depth character development, vivid descriptions, unusual weather occurences during important events, and a formidable villain.

Some of the most memorable things I've read are his descriptions. It's one of the things that makes Koontz really special because not a lot of writers could write like he does.

While most writers settle for a few simple words to describe a character, this passage shows Koontz's power to take one metaphor even further:

"Ned - call me Neddy - Gnathic was as slim as a flute, with a flute-quantity of holes in his head from which thought could escape before the pressure of it built into an unpleasant music within his skull. His voice was always soft and harmonius, but frequently he spoke allegro, sometimes even prestissimo, and in spite of his mellow tone, Neddy at maximum tempo  was as irritating to the ear as the bagpipes bleating out Bolero, if such a thing were possible."

Other writers would simply just settle with the flute. Here's another one describing a character's teeth:

"White as a Viking winter, these magnificent choppers, and as straight as the kernel rows in the corn on Odin's high table. Superb occlusal surfaces. Exquisite incisor ledges. Bicuspids of textbook formation nestled in perfect alignment  between molars and canines."

I liked how Koontz was able to integrate religion and science in the last part of the book. What the others would have taken pages to discuss, he was able to explain in a few paragraphs. He was also able to include the theme that people are interconnected through some ways we cannot see. In this case, the characters were united because they were inspired by one person's words and because they have to wield the same words against a foe.

The last part of the book took a bit too long because the special abilities of Thomas, Bartholomew and Angel are only slightly connected with Junior's story.

This isn't one of my favorites from Koontz but I still enjoyed it.

Special A

Stories of two people who used to fight, become friends and end up falling in love with each other is cliche. But the formula never fails to work among the hopelessly romantic viewers. Special A tells a story of childhood friends and rivals, Hikari Hanazono and Kei Takishima. They met through their fathers who were also friends and pro-wrestling fans.

As kids they've always competed with each other at wrestling. Hikari had always wanted to beat Kei ever since she was defeated in a match. She began competing with him in everything from school to athletic activities. She would always take it as a challenge as long as Kei is involved in something.

Hakusenkan has a different class for the top 7 students of their school, apart from the A to F sections. This class is called Special A. The members of this class include Kei (1st) and Hikari (2nd) and five other students in order of ranking: Jun Yamamoto (3rd) who has a dual personality; Megumi (4th), Jun's twin sister; Tadashi Karino (5th); Akira Toudou (6th) and Ryuu Tsuji (7th).

Kei and Hikari

While Hikari is intent on defeating Kei, she is unaware that her rival is in love with her. Everyone else seemed to have noticed this including the girl's parents, but it wasn't until Kei asked her for a date that she started to examine her feelings for him. She denied this at first, telling herself that he is a rival until she heard that Kei has a fiancee.

There were also other pairings in this series. But I'll leave that to the viewers.

What made it so appealing to me was that the guy was chasing after the girl. Most anime have it the other way around. The characters aren't airheads as well. These are kids who are at the top of their class and it showed that even they could be like normal kids at school. I enjoyed Hikari's ignorance about Kei's feelings. It made the chase even more exciting. Although Hikari excels at a lot of things, she is not portrayed as a perfect woman - which is good. She may be brilliant at school but she's unaware of Kei's feelings and she isn't a good cook. She couldn't beat him in the challenges and exams as well.

It took so long before Hikari finally admitted that she liked Kei. Me and one of my younger sisters finished the series in one day (went to bed at 3 in the morning) because we could not wait for Hikari to make a move.

This is not just about romance though. This 24-episode series also discussed the issues of friendship and loyalty. In the later part of the series, the SA class' determination to stay together was tested when Kei dropped out and the Special A class had to be dissolved.

I liked how they used the Japanese voice actors for the opening and ending themes. The animation was not bad but some of the characters looked too thin. But overall it's a good series. There are no squeaking, annoying cutesy girls present. The characters are likable and funny. Anyone who likes romance will find this interesting. I'm giving Special A a 9 out of 10 rating.

Junjou Romantica Season 1

This series revolves around three main stories of three couples: Misaki and Usagi, Hiroki and Nowaki, and Miyagi and Shinobu.

It's a fun, naughty and cute series sure to make yaoi fangirls squeal. This isn't just about steamy kissing scenes though. It has explored the different issues ordinary couples go through.

Misaki Takahashi was about to go to college. He has to pass the entrance examinations in order to get into Mitsuhashi University to fulfill his brother Takahiro's dreams. He needed a tutor for the exam and this task fell on his brother's friend, Akihiko Usami, a fiction and Boys' Love novelist. Takahiko and Usami have been friends for a long time and the latter has fallen in love with the former. Takahiko does not seem to notice this although during the first episode Misaki caught Usami clinging seductively to his brother.

Misaki and Usagi

Usami finds out later that Takahiro is engaged. Misaki knew Usami is in love with his brother and felt sorry for him. Misaki cried for him and it was when Usami started seeing Misaki in a new light.

Takahashi and his wife Manami moved to Osaka so Misaki had no choice but to stay with Usami a.k.a Usagi. They became lovers although Misaki tried to refuse - unsuccessfully.

Hiroki Kamijo has been in love with Usami but he knew his friend wanted another guy. This loner associate professor met Nowaki Kusama in a park while he was crying and thinking about Usami. Nowaki, an orphan, asked Hiroki to be tutor but later on confessed that he just wanted to be close with the man. He is studying to become a pediatrician and has to find time for his six jobs as well.

Nowaki and Hiroki

Nowaki became obsessed with trying to catch up to Hiroki's success. Hiroki had doubts about their relationship and was not good at showing his love and support for his partner. The couple always has misunderstandings but they find ways to solve things eventually.

Miyagi and Shinobu

Miyagi Yo is Hiroki's co-worker at Mitsuhashi University. He is haunted by his love for his former teacher who died a long time ago. Recently divorced, he was confronted by his former brother-in-law Shinobu Takatsuki who confessed his feelings for him. Shinobu insisted that it was 'destiny' that brought them together, recounting past events that made him fall in love with the man. Miyagi could not let go of his past yet and he was aware that the kind of commitment Shinobu was asking invited trouble. The Dean was Shinobu's father and they had a 17-year gap. When Shinobu was about to give up and leave for Australia, Miyagi went after him and told him that he will try to love the boy. He finally let go of his love for his teacher.

The rest of the characters are: Keiichi Sumi, Misaki's friend and classmate; Ryuichiro Isaka, Usagi's friend and editor; Eri Aikawa, Usagi's fangirl and editor. Most of the characters in the series are related to each other by blood or are friends with one of the couples.

Misaki and Usagi's relationship in the first few episodes developed too fast and they already started sleeping together. But except for Usagi's perverted ways, they were like normal couples trying to get to know each other. Usagi was the possessive type. Misaki on the other hand could not accept the type of relationship he's having with the famous writer. But he would get jealous though when he noticed how close Usagi was with coworkers and friends. Personally I liked Usagi's aggressiveness because it showed how dedicated he was to Misaki. It was always the source of conflict however. The first season focused on how Misaki slowly developed his love for the man and his struggle to adjust with Usagi's personality. He knew little of the man's past but he eventually had to admit to himself that he could not live without him.

I find Hiroki and Nowaki's story so amusing. They are like children always bickering about different things. They experience problems that workaholic couples sometimes experience. In one episode, they did not have any communication for a year when Nowaki left to study abroad because he is afraid that if he wrote a letter, his feelings will overwhelm him and he might try to get home; while Nowaki was so absorbed with work he could not remember the conversations they had together. Nowaki has a lot of plans and was determined to catch up to his partner so he could stand at his side.

Miyagi and Shinobu had less exposure but it was obvious from the start that the complications that their affair would bring would be worse than the previous couples. Miyagi is trying to learn to love Shinobu. The series tried to explore if this is possible.

Kissing scenes and bed scenes aside, this series focused more on romance and the issues involved in different kinds of relationships. They may be all boys but the problems they encountered were no different from a heterosexual couple.

I wouldn't recommend this to people who are not into yaoi. Usagi is super aggressive too and it might turn off some viewers. Story-wise I think it's one of the best romance series I've seen. I can relate to some of the characters when it came to issues like jealousy and choosing between work or studies and spending more time with a loved one.

I'm giving this series a 10 out of 10 rating.

D.N.Angel

Niwa Daisuke seems like an ordinary teenager having troubles in his studies and romance until he learns he has an alter ego - and a powerful one.

Daisuke and Dark

Daisuke carries in his genes the ability to turn into Dark Mousy, a thief, and what made the situation worse was that he transforms whenever he sees his crush, Risa Harada. All the years of training he went through under the guidance of his mother and his grandfather finally made sense. Only the males in their family are gifted with the ability. At first he didn't like the idea of having someone else inside his body.

As he tries to cope with his alter-ego, he meets an interesting boy at school. Hiwatari Satoshi seems to have taken interest in him and it was already clear in the first few episodes that he was to be Daisuke's rival - or friend?

In the first few episodes, he gets to test the extent of his powers but most of the time, the story focused on Daisuke's relationships with family, friends, as well as his lovelife. It was not clear at first why Dark needed to steal artifacts, mostly artworks and why it's passed on in the family. It also became obvious at this point that Satoshi was the other half of Dark - Krad. But it seems Satoshi is manipulated by his father and Krad against his will. He was determined to stop the famous thief without using his alter-ego.

Satoshi and Krad

Later on, Daisuke finally meets his father after so many years. He also learned why his mother wanted him to do his best everytime he's on a mission as Dark.

In the last few episodes, Daisuke realized he was falling in love with Risa's twin, Riku. At this point in the story, a direct attempt at Daisuke's life was put into action. 

Episode 25 finally explained why Dark needed to steal and seal the artworks he has stolen. Apparently, the artworks, made by Satoshi's ancestors contain harmful magic. One of these was used to try to kill Daisuke. With the help of friends and family and even Satoshi, Daisuke was saved - but at a price. Both Dark and Krad were sealed in the Black Wings.

Overall, the series wasn't bad, although it did not focus on the nature of Dark and Krad and the explanation came in much later. Except for having an alter-ego, Daisuke's life is something a lot of youngsters can relate to. It's light, funny and easy to understand. Anyone who's new to anime will like this. 

I liked the songs they used in the series. The animation isn't one of the best but it's good enough. I'm giving this 26-episode series a 7 out of 10 rating.

Samurai 7

Samurai 7's story may be typical but asking seven men to defend an entire village from bandits and the Emperor is not something you could see on a day-to-day basis. This is an adaptation of the 1954 movie by Akira Kurosawa, Seven Samurai, considered a masterpiece. This anime certainly does it justice.

The village of Kanna is in a dilemma. They have to give away almost all of their rice every year to the bandits. The invaders have also taken women and children. Without any other choice, the village leader sent three people out to look for help. They looked for samurai who are willing to work in exchange for rice because they don't have anything else to pay for the services.

The three villagers, Kirara Mikumari (water maiden), Komachi Mikumari (Kirara's little sister) and Rikichi, set out for the capital. They met Shimada Kambei who at first rejected their offer. The rest of the seven samurai are: Okamoto Katsushiro, a youngster willing to learn to fight for the first time; Katayama Gorobei, who earned his living as a performer and is skilled at invading projectiles; Shichiroji, Kanbei's long-time friend, whose girlfriend the other characters will also meet later; Kikuchiyo, a cyborg samurai who is well-loved for being loud and cheerful; Hayashida Heihachi, the mechanic of the group and known for his precision in swinging an ax (for chopping wood). He is haunted by his past; and Kyuzo, the silent and deadly former bodyguard of Ayamaro who considers Kanbei his greatest rival. They promised to battle each other once their task is done.

While looking for samurai to hire, Kirara was kidnapped by Ukyo's men to be a part of his harem. Ukyo will play a big role later on in the series. Kirara was rescued and Ukyo since then tried to pursue the group.

During their adventures, they met Shichiroji's girlfriend, and the Moribito whom they learned had a contract with the Nobuseri (bandits). Kikuchiyo was captured but was successfully rescued.

Later when they were preparing for an attack in the village, they discovered that there was a traitor among the villagers. At episode 16, Gorobei dies and thus marks the start of terrible losses that were soon to come. Meanwhile, Kambei went to the capital and claimed that he killed the royal envoy. He was to be executed.

Ayamaro's foster son, Ukyo, by this time was proclaimed as the next emperor. But he could not wait to take the throne and decided to murder the emperor Amanushi. This also gave him the freedom to exact his revenge against the villagers of Kanna and the remaining samurai.

Ukyo ordered the samurai in the country to help the other villagers and follow the example of the seven. At the same time he also ordered the Nobuseri to continue harassing the farmers. Through this, he can incite a war and get a chance to eliminate both sides at the same time. He would also appear to be a kind emperor by helping villagers against the Nobuseri.

Kambei managed to escape being executed. They made their way back to the village and prepared for the battle. Katsushiro left the group after a spat with Kanbei. He went back to the village alone and oversaw the preparations.

Kambei and the others tried to get into the capital. When they found Ukyo, they failed to kill him even if Kanbei wounded him. Meanwhile, Katsushiro assisted Heihachi in separating the engine from the capital. Heihachi died in the process.

Later when Katsushiro met the rest of the group, they had to fight their way out of a room. As Kanbei was about to be stabbed from behind, Katsushiro picked up a gun and fired, not knowing Kyuzo was standing just behind the enemy. They lost Kyuzo in the battle. Kukichiyo also perished when he tried to block the capital from going further and reaching the village. The cyborg samurai melted as Ukyo fell down the ravine clutching his cut abdomen.

***

It's one of the best series I have seen. The fight scenes were good and I wish I could have seen Kanbei and Kyuzo battle the second time. But what really got me into this 26-episode masterpiece was the story. There is nothing special or unusual about it yes, but it was able to affect me emotionally with its themes of love, friendship, bravery and even death. I was sad to see some of the characters go, but this is better than the other series who do not touch this theme. Death is as important as life.

Ukyo's portrayal was effective too because by the middle of the series, I was really pissed off with the character, although his obsession was justified. The part where they tried to rescue Rikichi's wife also made me angry. But it was explained well why she decided to do such a thing.

I liked the opening and ending themes as well. The animation was good too. I liked the slow-mo scenes with Gorobei in action. The battle scenes did not drag on and on and there was less talk involved, something which is so common in other anime with the same genre. It wasn't short on comedy as well. But overall, the atmosphere of sadness pervades the series. Most of the characters seem to have a shadow beneath their smiles. Not that this is a bad thing at all. It lends a maturity to the series and lets the viewer think about certain things in life.

I would not recommend this to people who are looking for a feel-good series. And this is not certainly for people who want to see weak youngsters trying to get into the battlefield. This anime is about fighters (except perhaps Katsushiro) who are tired of oppression and wars and see the inevitability of death. This isn't about success and growth, but about how to accept defeat but still try to hope for the better and to try to make something good out of the bad.

This anime gets a 10 out of 10 rating.

Ghost Hunt

Taniyama Mai likes ghost stories. What she did not know was she was about to embark on an adventure filled with more than just stories. She was forced to work as assistant to Kazuya Shibuya, whom she calls Naru (narcissist), manager of the Shibuya Psychic Research (SPR) when she broke a video camera during SPR's investigation of a haunted building in Mai's school. She also injured Naru's assistant, Lin Kojo, in the process.

During the various investigations they conducted she discovers that ghost hunting after all was serious business. She also unlocked her hidden psychic abilities.

From left: Mai, Masako, John, Takigawa and Ayako.

The anime focused on eight different cases spanning 25 episodes. Although it was a short series, the story was captivating because it has explored the different abilities of the characters. Hosho Takigawa is a Buddhist monk; Ayako Matsuzaki is a Shinto miko or priestess berated for her inability to exorcise; John Brown is a Catholic priest; and Masako Hara is a spirit medium. Lin also had special abilities. He's an onmyoji. Two other characters, Osamu Yasuhara and Madoka Mori, although they did not have psychic abilities, were involved in the later investigations.

I liked the series because it has explored the paranormal theme and sprinkled it with a little bit of Japanese and Chinese culture. I commend them for including a Catholic priest in the lineup. When I saw the array of characters who were about to help exorcise the building in the first episode, I thought, 'wow, they covered almost everything'. It was a chance for me to learn the difference between the Buddhist and Shinto rituals or exorcisms, which in some anime get mixed up together. It wasn't all just superstition too. Naru's ways of investigation involved science. It also had a bit of romance but it did not focus entirely on that theme.

The Doll House file was creepy and was my favorite part of the series. But it wasn't just a collection of stories involving hauntings. The creepiest though was the Bloodstained Labyrinth file, which explored the Dracula-theme. Not the sparkly-type of vampire but it involved a man who literally killed hundreds just so he could have immortality. This has shown that even flesh and blood can create horrors that surpass ghost stories.

The following is a list of the eight stories in the series:
1. Evil Spirits All Over!? (3 episodes)
2. The Doll House (3 episodes)
3. The After School Hexer (4 episodes)
4. Ghost Story in the Park!? (1 episode)
5. Silent Christmas (2 episodes)
6. Forbidden Pastime (4 episodes)
7. The Bloodstained Labyrinth (4 episodes)
8. The Cursed House (4 episodes)

The series did not hold back on violence and death if needed. There were times I was sad  and angry. Sometimes I feel sorry for the victims or the spirits that haunt the places SPR has investigated.

The main female protagonist was alright. Mai could be annoying sometimes when she's nagging but she isn't useless like most characters of her type. Her dreams had the power to foresee danger or even solve mysteries.

Naru and Mai

It was a short series however. There isn't much to glean from the character of Naru or even his past until the final episode. I really like this series and I'll recommend this to anyone, especially those who love mystery, suspense and the paranormal. I wish it has more than 25 episodes. I was actually sad when it ended and it's definitely something I could watch again.

My Gaia Online Journey

So what's been keeping me busy these days? A game? A social networking site? A forum? Yes to all three but still wrong. My newest obsession (well, not really 'new') is Gaia Online. An avatar dress-up site complete with forums, mini-games, virtual hangouts, an MMO and guilds. It also has its own manga and NPCs.

I joined the site back in 2007 but wasn't active until last year. I did not explore it fully so I thought it was some sort of game where you get to dress up your virtual self, your avatar, and show off. For the next two years all I did was sign in and get the Daily Chance (freebies). It was also hard to earn gold and I wasn't interested in the forums (that was one way to earn gold). And then I discovered zOMG!

Gaia's MMO finally made me addicted to the site. I played for 10 hours straight on my first day. A few weeks after that I started exploring the other features. I played the mini-games. Most of them are fun but they need updates from time to time. Then I discovered homes. I was disappointed I could only upgrade it once. Then onto virtual hangouts. I enjoyed reading the conversations at first and then eventually the novelty died off. At that time I was already having problems with my PC so I could not play zOMG! like I used to.

Exploring the forums was a huge step for me. I'm not into forum-based sites despite the range of interests and hobbies I have. Then I got an idea when I saw the Petitions sub-forum (I don't know how I got there). I made a housing petition. After that I started exploring the rest until I found Gaia Community Discussion. It was scary at first but I was also excited because I never thought posting in forums can also be rewarding. Most of the time I'm ignored but it did not matter. I enjoyed sharing my thoughts and seeing people who have the same interests as me. I got into arguments but I also made friends.

It also gave me the opportunity to practice CSS and basic graphics for the first time. Not to mention, zOMG! was also my first MMO. I had a lot of firsts at Gaia so the time I spent wasn't wasted at all.

Gaia has a lot of things that need improvements but overall it's a good experience. Once you get used to the kind of atmosphere and the people in the games, hangouts and forums, you'll never want to leave it. There's always something new to try.

If you're interested, you can find Gaia Online here: http://www.gaiaonline.com
You can also check out my profile. My username is Ping of Death.