heavenly_pearl: (Default)
2025-07-05 06:33 pm

2025 Spring Winter Review

The Apothecary Diaries - Whoa, there was some dark stuff in the first half of this season, but the second half goes even darker...and it's so, so good! I think the part where Loulan Spoilers! )Also, yay, Maomao finally knows who Jinshi really is, although neither of them know who he really REALLY is. Could have lived without him attempting to force a kiss on her twice in the last episode, though. Ugh. At least both times they were interrupted. Anyway, thrilled that another season has already been confirmed!
 
Anne Shirley - Oh, my childhood! I loved the Anne of Green Gables series growing up. It's because of Anne that I came to believe that Anne-with-an-e was the prettier, more elegant spelling (even though my mother and sister use the plainer Ann as their middle name), and I'm pretty sure I can pinpoint my love of red hair to Anne Shirley as well. Needless to say, I'm loving this anime so far! Granted, it's probably been at least thirty years since I last read the books, so I can't really speak to how faithful an adaptation this anime is, but they've kept all the most iconic scenes that I remember: Anne breaking the slate over Gilbert's head (obviously!), Diana accidentally getting drunk, Anne trying to dye her hair, etc. The animation is just beautiful as well, looking like something out of a storybook! All in all, with the world seemingly going mad, this show has been my happy place every week (even with a few sad moments), and I'm so, so glad this is continuing for another cour. 
 
Black Butler - I don't really get the point of the five-minute recaps that began a couple of the later episodes -- surely if there wasn't enough canon material for an episode, they could have added a filler scene or two instead of a totally unnecessary recap -- but other than that, the Emerald Witch arc was another fantastic cour, revealing a big twist that I had been spoiled about beforehand but which still managed to come off as a surprise. Spoilers! ) I also really liked Sieglinde and Wolfram, and I'm curious if we'll continue to see them in future arcs. I assume so, since Ciel took them back to England with him? We'll see. I believe the manga is getting close to the end, so hopefully we'll get another cour fairly soon.
 
Kowloon Generic Romance - I really loved the retro look of this anime, which was the perfect way to accentuate the running themes of nostalgia and wanting to live in the past. I also liked the way it explored the idea of "identity". I just wish the mystery was a little more...hmm, concrete, I suppose? We learn "what" happened and mostly "why", but the logical "how" is pretty much completely ignored in favor of a more symbolic, psychological approach -- which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not really what I was expecting. I don't think it helped that the manga is still ongoing but about to end, so they had to rush the ending of the anime to fit into the one cour they were given (presumably with notes from the mangaka about what was planned). It probably would have made more sense to wait until the manga actually ended to make the anime, or else plan for a movie or another season to properly wrap things up, but I get why there would be no guarantee of that, so they felt they had to do it all at once. That all being said, I still really liked this show! I just think it needed more episodes to go from great to amazing.
 
Witch Watch - Cute and funny, and gets bonus points for an unexpected figure skating backstory (although loses some points for the use of a magical disability cure). The characters are a lot of fun as well. I really appreciated the fact that even though Nico's spells often cause trouble, it's not because she's a bad or stupid witch. To the contrary, her spells often work TOO well! It's more of a "be careful what you ask for" type of thing. Also, as opposed to a certain other show further down this list, the relationship between Nico and Morihito is more along the lines of what I'm looking for in a good friends-to-lovers type story, even if romance isn't a heavy part of the show. Happy this is continuing for another cour!
 
You and Idol Precure - Just in time for Pride Month, Pretty Cure brought us what may be the franchise's first official queer couple in Meroron and Purirun. Like, I don't know really see how you could interpret their relationship any other way? Some may try to downplay it by pointing out that Meroron calls Purirun "Sissy", and they are technically siblings since all the fairies are born out of the same tree (similar to Ail and An from Sailor Moon), but, still, Meroron constantly says she loves Purirun and acts like a jealous girlfriend whenever she thinks Purirun is paying more attention to Uta than to her. Heck, even Meroron's Precure form is called Cure Kiss! It seems pretty clear to me that Meroron is romantically in love with Purirun, although I suppose it's debatable if Purirun feels the same (or is possibly in love with Uta instead -- which, still, gay). That all being said, I always do get annoyed when the fairy characters start getting more attention than the main Precures, so as ground-breaking as their relationship may possibly be, I'm not exactly loving the current focus on Meroron and Purirun. (Doesn't help that I find them both kind of annoying, tbh.) Hoping the show will get back to focusing on Uta, Nana, and Kokoro soon!
 
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes - I love the original My Hero Academia, so it's fun to see some of the older heroes we know fight in this prequel spinoff. It took me a while to warm up to new characters that make up the main cast, though. It wasn't until Makoto joined the group (so to speak...she's not a vigilante, but she knows their secret and helps out behind the scenes) around midway through the cour that this series started gelling for me. I love Makoto! Too bad Koichi, the main character, isn't all that interesting, especially compared to Deku from the main series. He really is just a generic nice guy -- in fact, his first name as a vigilante hero was literally Nice Guy until he changed it to The Crawler instead -- with a rather boring Quirk of being to slide around fast. Even when it came to defeating the main villain of this arc, he and Pop Step really didn't do anything at all, which was a strange plot choice, if you ask me. Yeah, Knuckleduster had the more personal connection to the villain, but you'd expect the main character to at least be a part of the first major "boss" fight!
 
Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive? - *sigh* Is it too much to ask for a really good friends-to-lovers romance anime? Every time I'm excited when I see one on the seasonal list then end up disappointed when I actually watch it. What sucks is that this show did some things well. The main characters do have good chemistry, and Yu's dream of opening a shop to sell flower accessories is something rather novel for a male teenage character. But, oh my god, Himari could get on my last nerve! She's so emotionally manipulative, constantly flirting and being salacious toward Yu only to turn around, laugh at him, and say "Just kidding!" when she's obviously not. Honestly, I didn't really like any of the characters in the show aside from Yu.
 
Lazarus - It's interesting, because when this show started airing on Toonami, I was coincidentally in the middle of rewatching my favorite Shinichiro Watanabe anime, Carole & Tuesday, and I gotta say...Lazarus does not come out well in comparison. What's worse is that there was a lot of buzz about Watanabe wanting to be his masterpiece, so it's so strange that it feels so...I don't know how to describe it. Not really disjointed... Random maybe? The premise of a ragtag group being tasked with finding the location of a brilliant doctor so he can make an antidote for a drug he created that's due to kill everyone who used it (including himself) in 30 days should be exciting and high states, yet none of the characters act with any sort of urgency. The way they run the investigation feels like they have all the time in the world. Then when we finally find out the whole backstory...eh. It's definitely no Cowboy Bebop, that's for sure! At least the fight scenes looked great?
 
Go! Go! Loser Ranger! - *sigh again* Gah, this series! Like the first cour, this part started off pretty strong with an interesting time loop mission that focused on a small group of characters made up of Fighter D's new teammates. I thought that was going to be the formula going forward, going on missions that let us get to know the characters better, but again, it did the same thing as the first cour, going into an extended battle arc with the full cast of characters -- and. there. are. just. way. too. many. of. them. It also feels like plot points are missing, if that makes sense? Like, it's skipping stuff that I assume was in the manga? There's just something weird about the pacing that made everything even more confusing.
 
Next season looks to be a season of watching sequels for me. In addition to continuing with Anne Shirley, Witch Watch, and You and Idol Precure, I'll be watching the second seasons of My Dress-Up Darling (yay!) and DAN DA DAN (didn't watch the simulcast of the first season, but I've since caught up and I'm looking forward to more), the third cour of Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun (glad we didn't have to wait too long this time!), and the fourth season of Rent-A-Girlfriend, which will hopefully continue building on the good will earned during last season's surprisingly touching cour (but I have my doubts...). I'd also like to check out Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus since I watched and liked the first season of Rascal, but I haven't seen any of the three sequel films yet, so I'm guessing I'd be lost. (Oh, it looks like Crunchyroll does at least have the first movie. I'll have to put that on the watch list.) I'm not sure about brand new shows. The only one that really caught my eye was The Summer Hikaru Died, but that's on Netflix, so it'll have to wait until I decide to subscribe again. Guess I'll have to see what looks good in the ANN preview guide.
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
2014-10-25 10:17 am

Well, that totally sucks...

Just found out that Dish had to drop Cartoon Network/Adult Swim due to contract disagreements, meaning no more Toonami for me (unless they come to a new agreement, which I assume they probably will since CNN was also dropped because of the deal, and I doubt anybody is happy about that.). Boooooo! Well, at least the only new shows I was watching were Attack on Titan (which is ending in a couple of weeks anyway) and Hellsing Ultimate (which they aren't even going to air the last two episodes of). I can just stream those last few episodes online, so not a huge loss at the moment. (Although I was thinking about watching Dragonball Z Kai, which is starting next month...) I was also checking out the dubs of Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell, but not getting to see the rest is no big deal since I've already seen those series before.

Still, very disappointing. I hope a new agreement can be reached soon, especially since Cartoon Network was basically one of the few cable channels I actually regularly watch.
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
2006-05-17 08:00 pm

Updates, updates

It's been a while since I actually wrote a real entry in this thing. O.o

Well, first of all, allow me to vent my frustration at Ch. 5 of ATR. I thought once I finished Ch. 3 and Ch. 4, things would be easier, but then I had to be stupid and stick something in Ch. 4 that I didn't originally plan to do. So, now I have to take that change into account in later chapters, and it's such a pain. Gah!

(Let this be a warning to anybody who might be tempted to "skip around" while writing a story. Don't do it. Just...don't. (Unless you have an extremely detailed outline or something of the sort.))

*screams* 

There, I feel better now. ^_^

What else has been going on? Well, Mama surprised me last weekend by treating me to a little shopping spree at Cato's, one of my favorite clothing stores. I got some really cute stuff. ^_^ Most of it is in layaway at the moment, but I did get to take home a rather sexy black lace T-shirt and a beautiful black-and-white dress that I think looks like something Jackie Kennedy might have worn during the days of Camelot. It's mostly black with a white satin sash around the neckline that ties into a bow near my left shoulder, and I absolutely adore it. The stuff in layaway is another black lace shirt, a matching long black skirt with lace around the waist, and two 2-piece (tank top with sheer blouse) tops, one black and one white. (I really didn't mean to just get black-and-white stuff; it just turned out that way. *laughs*) 

Mama liked the two brooches I got her for Mother's Day, and she gave me $25 for our family's made-up holiday of Daughter's Day (the day after Mother's Day). The money will most likely go into my "Buy a GBA" fund. ^_^

Speaking of video games, I've been feeling really nostalgic lately, ever since I found my old NES console a couple of days ago underneath my bed with Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom still inside from the last time my sister and I played it. (We finally beat the game on December 31, 1999. ^_^) I don't know where any of the other games are or even if the console is still in working order, but it really brought me back. Maniac Mansion, Vegas Dreams, Adventures in the Magic Kingdom, Gold Medal Challenge, Barbie... Good times, those were. ^_^ (And Samuraiter, gamer extraordinaire, is just in awe that I have the Princess Tomato cartridge.)

Lessee...what else?

I got the fifth disc of Cowboy Bebop from Netflix yesterday. It seems to beat the odd-number curse, since I actually rather liked it, save for that stupid episode about the Mad Pierrot, or whatever his name was. The Feng Shui and Cowboy Andy episodes were fantastic, though, so they kind of made up for that one.

Oh, and for Fruits Basket fans, if you're looking for good fanfiction, I highly recommend checking out Ysabet's stories at http://ysabet.velvetangel.net/fanfic/furuba/. She mostly writes Rin/Hatsuharu angst, but there are a few stories that have other characters in the spotlight. The Ceremony of Innocence, in particular, is a fantastic end-of-the-series fic that's sure to satisfy both the Kyo/Tohru fans (waves Kyoru flag) and Yuki/Tohru fans. ^_^

I'll just wrap this entry up by saying, "Go, Katharine!"

She and Taylor are moving onto the American Idol finale next week. Whee!

heavenly_pearl: (Default)
2005-12-20 02:40 pm

It's tradition

Just got finished reading (and singing) Lianne and Amethist's Psychotic Sailor Moon Christmas Carols as I do every year around this time, and I'm happy to report that they're just as hilarious as they've always been. ^_^

Poor Michiru... They've really got it in for her.

Anyway, what to talk about... Well, I got the third disc of Cowboy Bebop in yesterday from Netflix. Unfortunately, I found the episodes on it rather boring. This series seems to be really uneven to me when it comes to liking it. I didn't really care for the first disc, loved the second one, and now the third one is blah. Weird.

On the writing front, I'm still pretty blocked on ATR so I've been taking Samuraiter's advice and working on one of the other stories that I've put on the back burner. The story I chose to work on is actually the first Someday's Dreamers story I started, even before FF.net made a section for it. I set it aside at the time because I didn't really like what I had written, but after rereading it again after a few months, I realize it's really not that bad. It's not really that good either, but it's decent enough, I suppose. I've rewritten the first part, tweaked the second and third parts, and I'm just about done with the last part, so I'm almost positive I'll be finished with it by Christmas. Hey, I may even finish it up today, so yay me!

Speaking of Christmas and writing, the entries for the ASMR Holiday Challenge are due today, so if you're planning to enter, please send it in. I was really hoping for more entries than the six already posted... *sigh*
heavenly_pearl: (Default)
2005-11-06 10:33 pm
Entry tags:

Stolen from Kate

Three Names You Go By
- Yumeko (or Yume)
- Margaret
- Meg

Three Parts of Your Heritage
- Polish
- Irish/Scottish
- Native American

Three Things That Scare You
- Change
- Driving
- Identity theft

Three of Your Everyday Essentials
- Computer
- TV
- Food

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now
- Black and white striped shirt
- Long black skirt
- Underwear

Three of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists
- Sarah Brightman
- Josh Groban
- Hayley Westenra

Three of Your Favorite Songs - at the moment
- "The Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera (particularly Sarah Brightman's version)
- "My Confession" - Josh Groban
- "You Are Water" - Hayley Westenra

Three Things You Want in a Relationship (other than Real Love)
- Fun
- Friendship
- Security

Two Truths and a Lie
- I have one sister.
- I don't have a driver's license.
- I've never smoked.

Three Physical Things about the Opposite Sex that Appeal to You
- Hair, especially red or black
- Eyes
- Facial hair, particularly goatees

Three of Your Favorite Hobbies
- Writing
- Watching anime and reading manga
- Singing

Three Things You Want to do Really Badly Right Now
- Watch one of my new Princess Nine DVDs
- Get a snack
- Finally finish my Someday's Dreamers fic to my satisfaction

Three Places You Want to go on Vacation
- Rome
- New York City
- Warsaw (Eh, I've always been interested in my Polish heritage)

Three Things You Want to Do Before You Die
- Learn Italian and Polish
- Write and publish a book
- Go on a date

Lessee, what else to talk about... Oh, I finally got the second Cowboy Bebop DVD in this weekend from Netflix after waiting for months for it to become available. I have to admit that this bunch of episodes was much better than the first one, which I wasn't too impressed with. I loved "Waltz for Venus" and the one with Jet's old girlfriend, and Ed is a lot of fun. ^_^ I also watched a couple of episodes dubbed since I heard how good it was supposed to be and discovered that it really is a great dub. *shocked gasp*

The funny thing is that my mom absolutely adores the show. I think she's more interested in it than I am, if you can believe that. She was actually disappointed when she saw the preview for the eleventh episode and found out that she would have to wait until the next disc to see it. *laughs* I have a cool mother.