Last November, I published a KimiKiss Deep Frying post, highlighting the lack of EroKawaii-ness as one of the main reasons why many game fans disliked the anime adaptation. A few weeks back, I visited 2ch, to check out the discussions and KimiKiss hate threads that abound, only to realize the falsity of my previous claims, which was simply based on what Iā€™ve seen in the novels and the manga.

Looking at the sentiments made by fans in the discussion threads, I found a number of reasons justifying the fanā€™s sentiments regarding the anime, excluding the erokawaii factor which only the manga and the novel counterparts had. The game is really pure and innocent, from what Iā€™ve seen in the game videos (from youtube).

To highlight the sentiments of fans regarding the changes made in the anime…

Note: (g) indicates the game counterpart of the character, (a) is for the anime counterpart

On Eriko

To put it bluntly, Eriko isnā€™t a bitch in the game. She is still the genius Futami, but not the emotionless ice princess of the anime. Based on what Iā€™ve seen in the manga (which recently started her arc), as well as the game, she seems like a free-spirited girl, rebellious, sarcastic, blunt, and mysterious. In the very first chapter of the manga, we already see her smile (sarcastically as it might be), and I think this stays faithful to her character in the game.

A naturally smiling Eriko that the fans <3

Eriko: The population will just decrease by one if I die. No biggie.

Hereā€™s more proof, the game version of the aji-onchi (messed-up taste buds) episode of the anime (episode 8):

I actually donā€™t have complaints against Eriko(a), because that will supposedly give her character development more depth, from an ice princess to a human. That is, until episode 11 came with the sudden dere-dere development of Eriko. If the animators sticked to Erikoā€™s original game character, that kissing scene with Kazuki wouldā€™ve seemed more natural, not forced and shoved-on-your-face, like how it all turned out in the anime =____=

On Mao

Mao(g) is the fun-loving and naughty oneechan we see in the anime, especially when sheā€™s with Kouichi. Since thereā€™s but a single lead guy in the game, we donā€™t see her

Her original game self is set on Kouichi, the sole lead guy of the game, so we donā€™t see her dilly-dallying over her feelings with someone like Kai. I donā€™t particularly dislike the anime Mao, but the changes made to her personality put her in a worse light in the anime, albeit being realistic, who we see fall head over heels for Kai (somewhat) early on, only to realize her true feelings laterā€¦

Mao(g) steals kisses from innocent Kouichi from time to time, but it wasnā€™t portrayed to be seductive and ecchi like the manga, much to my surprise.

I also looked at this scene in the game where Mao reveals the root of her studying allergy, and for some reason, I was able to empathize with her, unlike in the anime. Perhaps because of the serious mood portrayed in the game, compared to the half-baked comedic portrayal of the anime? I was struck by the ā€œgive me back my youth!ā€ line in the game, as I was able to see how she can be mortified with failing the exams that time. She wasted much of the springtime of her youth on studying, only to end up getting sick and failing. Not to mention her mind also went all blank during the interview >__<

This little trick Kouichi (or rather, you, as the player) did in the game to get Mao into studying was nifty, btw I wouldā€™ve preferred seeing this scene in the anime, but sigh~

On Asuka

My previous claims regarding Asukaā€™s character in the manga stands true in the game. Manga-wise or game-wise, Asuka is cuter, sweeter, and more girly, so to speak. Itā€™s but natural for fans to be offput by the boyish and macho Asuka(a) who brawls with men (in a non-moe way for that matter). The blushing and cute Asuka we see in episode 12 (and even the episodes after that) would probably best describe the ā€œreal Asuka(a)ā€

In short, Eriko, Mao and Asuka are more moe in the game.

On Hiiragi

dependable Hiiragi~ (theyā€™re talking about a problem with Yuumi, perhaps the moving out issue? ?__?)

Hiiragi(g) isnā€™t simply a side character, heā€™s supposed to be Kouichiā€™s buddy, a trusted adviser, a great ā€œsupport characterā€ for our main lead, especially in his love life. Heā€™s not the arrogant narcissist Hiiragi we see in the anime, who brags about having a girlfriend and looks down on puny men who donā€™t have romances in their lives. Because they took away this redeeming quality of Hiiragi, Mao became the love doctor for Yuumi and Kouichi, which messed up the supposedly flow of events in the original story, and tainted the characters if KimiKiss, particularly Hiiragi and Mao.

On Kazuki

As we all know, Kazuki is an anime-original character. The first complaint of fans regarding him is his carrot-top, considering how all the hair colors of the original KimiKiss main characters are all plain and simple, just black or brown. This makes him an oddball of some sort, not to mention that his fiery red hair really stands out, compared to the rest of the characters. I think this, and the lack of redeeming qualities (as far as the first episodes are concerned) made him an even more annoying character to fans, who were rooting for Eriko, ranked #1 in the KimiKiss character polls, to end up with no one else but the lead guy Kouichi.

Why The ā€œKimiKiss pure rougeā€ title?

Ever since the series first aired, Iā€™ve been wondering what the ā€œpure rougeā€ in the title signify, if any. There has been speculations that it might have something to do with the cosmetics term Rouge, more commonly known as blush-on, but I donā€™t think the connection between these two was settled. After seeing all these differences between the original KimiKiss game and its anime adaptation, I have come to the conclusion that this ā€œrougeā€ must have something to do with all this. They entitled the show KimiKiss, yet itā€™s nothing but a faƧade to this anime, whose characters are no longer who they originally were in the game. We have the not-so-Mao-like Mao, the not-so-Eriko-like Eriko, the not-so-Asuka Asuka, etc etc. The names are nothing but pure rouge.

Director Kasai and the rest of the KimiKiss staff most likely changed things in KimiKiss for the better (duh?), and I actually applaud(ed) him for the courage to go these lengths to alter the original material, so it wonā€™t become like other usual harem series. But after looking at the game counterpart, you can just see why most KimiKiss fans canā€™t accept the anime as an adaptation of the game they loved. The only similarities this anime has with the game are (1) its title, (2) the charactersā€™ names (except the original ā€œKouichi Aiharaā€ which was split in half), and (3) some aspect of Kouichiā€™s character, as well as Yuumiā€™s. Out of all the characters, Yuumi was the one who suffered the least fatality from all the changes. From what Iā€™ve seen in episode 12, I think they even made Yuumiā€™s character more admirable in the anime. That still wonā€™t suffice for the rest of the changes they made, however, especially the more popular KimiKiss girls.

I can now empathize with DarkNemo2000, unlike before, now that Iā€™ve been enlightened to the plight of the fans.

What Made It Even Worse

These changes made to KimiKiss already pissed off many fans. Whatā€™s worse is that there was no mention of these alteration plans, until the show finally aired and the fans were struck with the bomb. I personally noticed this too, as there was no single info given regarding the ā€œplotā€ of KimiKiss beforehand, hence our vague synopsis for the show. It was not until the show aired that they updated the site with the rest of the info regarding the additional guys in the show.

The staff were also interviewed a week before the show hit the airwaves, but not even a single hint was given regarding the ā€œsurpriseā€. Iā€™m not sure if they were already expecting this overwhelming reaction of the fans (in a negative way), hence they kept silent about this. But given the fact that the staff isnā€™t making any statements regarding the changes they made, many fans saw this as a sign of cowardice, as though they are running away from the issues. It was speculated that the staff most likely lacked in-depth understanding of the characters; otherwise, they could explain the reason behind the decisions they made in the Kibina High School Weekly Special column of the official site, to appease the fans, at the very least.

Afterword

The main point of this post is not to diss the anime, because it is a wonderful romance anime in itself. Side-by-side the KimiKiss game however, one can see that itā€™s not really worthy of being considered an adaptation of the game, as it turned out to be its bastardized counterpart. As Iā€™ve also mentioned, itā€™s like the ā€œKimiKissā€ of the title was a pure rouge to this show, which simply borrowed its characters, some aspects of their personalities, and the rest was up to the discretion of Kasai (and the rest of the staff), how they want to make these dolls act according to their fancy, without taking into consideration the plight of the fans.

When they say that the fruit does not fall far from the tree, the KimiKiss anime is an exception.
Not a very good adaptation of the game, but a good romance anime on its own. Let me repeat. On its own.

with this, I am officially done with the 12 Days of “Christmas” ABC. Do check out the posts of other participants in this ABC project:

Owen
Mike
DS
Martin
0rion
Nekonron
Moogy
CalAggie
JRoxas
CCYoshi
Quinn
IKnight

^________^

Related posts:

1. The Final Countdown Before the JLPT1 Doomsday

The Christmas title isnā€™t appropriate anymore so I changed it. This is actually the last post I have for the ā€œ12 Days of Christmas / New Yearā€, but since I still havenā€™t finished my supposedly 11th day post, here goes~

A retrospective post in my otaku life (or life in general) for the year 2007.

2007 is such a memorable year for me. Not to mention I actually greeted the 2007 New Year with a bang, when dengue mosquitoes danced in glee the moment I became their prey T__T As such, ā€™07 marks my first hospital confinement experience, where I went through the horror of regular blood checkups and change of dextrose every so often. Oh the pain. >__<

Letā€™s forget that and move on to the happy memories of 2007~

• The birth of our blog! =D
• My first ever credit card! (given by the bank, like a New Year present)ā€¦marking the start of my anime spending spree~
• Joining the Japanese Speech Competition, where I spoke about my otakuness! (sort of) ā€¦though it turned out to be a laugh trip than an inspiring story of success .___.
• Passing JLPT3, and also JITSE/PhilNITS (though Iā€™m still wondering how I passed the latter examā€¦ ?__?)
• First Trip to Japan! ^____^ Now I wanna go back~~~
• Nihongo studies, studying for JLPT2, which will hopefully pay off~
• My new console baby Wii~ (last year was PSP)
• New friends, reconciliation with former enemies. <3

Hopefully next year, Iā€™ll slack off less, become more productive and active in blogging (and reading other blogs) despite work, andā€¦ get my lazy butt to finish my translating tasks! >__< Sorry, risey (entropy) and Kal (SIH). Uguu~

Hereā€™s to hoping that I wonā€™t become a victim of Dengue Fever again~ And I hope my connection gets fixed within the year too, so I can say goodbye to my sucky upload years~! (I wanna go back to my generous raw manga/game/etc provider self~! >__<)

Chibi Amu greets you Ake-Ome~ :3

Happy New Year everyone!!!
Thanks especially to all our beloved readers and commentators~! ^-^ *Hugs* =D

Oh, and I scanned these piccies here so please ask if you’re gonna use them anywhere else, or at least credit our blog for it

Related posts:

1. Life Goes On… with Honey and Clover
2. The Final Countdown Before the JLPT1 Doomsday

Initially, I wasn’t planning on watching any more of KimiNozo, after what I remembered as a suffocating and depressing ride with the original series. But after looking at some coverage from other people of the OVA that recently came out, I decided to watch it anyways, in the hopes that my sentiments for KimiNozo will change. As it turns out, this alternate ending seemed like an alternate universe of some sort, where we see Takayuki as a completely different person, and Mitsuki left out of the scene, with no explanations whatsoever. I’ll leave my judgments for the OVA till I get to watch more episodes, and reminisce my ride with KgNE instead.

I watched KimiNozo about 3 to 4 years ago, because it was highly recommended by people. I now remember it as a horrible part of my memory I never want to go back to. I think the fact that I marathoned it in 1 or 2 days made that even worse =__=. Contrary to how Ouran lifted my spirits when I was down, KimiNozo was its complete antithesis. It made me sooo depressed even when I’m supposed to be not. /me slits wrist. Saying “I hate KimiNozo” might be a sweeping statement. The more appropriate way to describe what I felt about the series, is that I hate how all the tragedies happened because of the actions and crappy decisions of the characters.

Going through it one by one: Haruka tells Mitsuki that she’s in love with Takayuki, despite sensing the feelings these two have for each other. Mitsuki on the other hand becomes the martyr best friend and decides to pair her up (with the help of Shinji as well) with Takayuki, despite their mutual feelings for each other. Bakayuki didn’t grow the spine to decline the offer, pressured as he was that time, and never fought for his love for Mitsuki. Then the tragedies followed after. *SIGH* As the episode went by, I found myself hating the characters more and more, except Haruka, who seemed to be the only character who grew on me as the series came to an end.

Another thing I disliked about the series is how the characters found sex as a means to cope with their frustrations, guilt, and/or depression, particularly how Mitsuki slept with Shinji, who wasn’t able to decline the invitation because he has the hawts for her as well x__x Sorry for being conservative. Justifiable as the characters’ actions might have been, I really think that there are tons of better ways to cope with such depressions, something that won’t involve other parties at that. I know the series would not have been as melodramatic and the KGnE it was without that aspect, but I believe it serves as a role model of what not to do to cope with depression, in a real life scenario.

Despite how I supposedly hate this series, it has managed to carve a permanent scar in my little bunny heart and mind, which goes to show how strong its impact was on me… sigh T__T

P.S. I only recognized Kishou Taniyama’s voice as Bakayuki when I watched the OVA. WRYYYYY. I hear TsundeLen’s voiceee. Noooo. D:

Related posts:

1. Kimi ni Todoke: From Around The ‘Sphere to You
2. Kimi ni Todoke Reached My Soul: Sawako-chan is so SawayaKYAA~
3. The Final Countdown Before the JLPT1 Doomsday

Emily of New Moon~ probably the most underrated series of 2007. Many people (including subbers of course) gave it a thumbs-down, probably due to its classical and non-mainstream nature? The ones I know who faithfully kept up with this series are psgels and hashihime, both of whom give such a high regard for this series. Impz also praised this series when it aired.

Episode 10 brought me goosebumps and giggles

Objectively speaking, moe-, GAR-, bishie- factor (or other such factors) aside, this anime is one of the best of 2007, if not THE best this year. And yes, I can say that even though I’m only halfway through the series (in watching / blogging). The glaring gripe one would commonly have for this series is Emily’s big forehead, but once you get past that, you’ll find a well-rounded series whose story, characters, and production values are simply amazing. If you’re into classics, or this kind of show is your cup-of-tea, I assure you that every time you spend on this series is time well-spent

I recall when I watched the first episode, I had goosebumps of excitement, that I somehow got infected by Emily’s poetic-ness and came up with this post (pardon the grammar errors, ok?) In most of the episodes I watched, I remember being infected with the mood and positive vibes given off by the show, inspiring me to actually reach for my own dreams. Forgive the cheesiness~ I am a sentimental person, which makes me love the series even more because of how it brings me tears of joy, more than anything.

Thanks to Digital Panic, 13 episodes of the series have been subbed so far, and of course, more to come~ =D Hopefully with the remaining days of the vacation I have, I’ll get back into watching/writing about Emily of New Moon again, and spread the word about this wonderful series!

Related posts:

1. The Final Countdown Before the JLPT1 Doomsday
2. Darker than Black: Under the Same Sky, Gazing at the Same Stars

There’s nothing special with mangas being turned into jdramas, as it’s been done so in the past, though the number of these adaptations are considerably less compared to manga turned animes.

Other notable adaptations in 2006 include Kurosagi, Iryu, Teppan Shoujo Akane, and Sapuri. Upon further checking, I discovered that there are a total of 13 manga-based jdramas in that same year, though most of the titles it was based on is something I have yet to come across with.

Things changed in 2007, particularly during Spring and onwards, where the influx of manga-based jdramas became evident. There’s a total of 30 of these adaptations in this year alone, more than twice as much as last year’s. The year started off with only two(2) manga to jdrama adaptations for the Winter 2007, before the influx kicked in: Spring (9), Summer(11), and Fall(8).

I noticed this sudden rise in the number of manga-based dramas this year during Summer, as it was the season where Hanakimi aired. My brief stay in Japan also allowed me the convenience of seeing a glimpse of the dramas airing during this time, such as Yamada Tarou Monogatari, LIFE, Hotaru no Hikari, Boys Este, and Tantei Gakuen Q in its jdrama forms, whose mangas Iā€™m fairly acquainted with. I was surprised to see Hotaru no Hikari and Boys Este among the jdramas, as they are not one of the mainstream ones, yet whose mangas are something I was able to read a few months back.

Another thing I noticed is that, shoujo mangas have more chances of being turned into jdramas (most of the adaptations are actually shoujo mangas, if you haven’t noticed), particularly those involving the lives of OL people, or normal slice-of-life ones, most likely because it’s easier and cheaper as compared to adapting action-packed shounen mangas.

Here’s a detailed list of these adaptations I’m talking about, a comparison of some sorts for the year 2006 and 2007:

In all this, I think this post will all boil down to the message…

See how well the little microbes blend with the 3D world? It just has to be made into a jdrama!

I want to see Moyashimon jdrama-fied! \o/

Related posts:

1. First Taste of Spring Anime 2009 [Update]
2. First Taste of Spring Anime 2009 [Update 04/27/09]
3. The Final Countdown Before the JLPT1 Doomsday

Among the many manga to jdrama adaptations shown this year, Hanakimi is one of the few ones I set my eyes on right from the start, as an avid fan of the manga myself. It’s always interesting to see various forms of media with crossdressing elements, especially a girl disguising as a guy. And with tons of bishies gathered for this show, what more could fangirls ask for!

Maki Horikita took on the role of Mizuki, who, despite being so obviously female, certainly brought her character to life, earning her the Best Actress Award for 2007 at that.

Despite Maki Horikita’s exemplary acting however, what I found to be the most eye-popping, mind-boggling, attention-catcher scene in the series is this… (I think the post title already gives a hint to that)

Warning: NSFW. Your eyes are gonna burnnn, especially if you’re a guy

Show ▼

Honestly, this was really unexpected. Who would’ve thought that they’d insert this BL scene in this drama?! o__O Looks like the staff went all out in making fangirls scream in delight with this… lol. What was even more amusing was Kagurazaka’s reaction afterwards…

omgz. my first kiss~ lol.

Related posts:

1. The Final Countdown Before the JLPT1 Doomsday

The “Tsun” Side

Kaze no Stigma started out as a potential epic. We have an antihero as the main lead, once regarded as a weakling by his very own family, but comes back with a vengeance, as a powerful Wind Contractor stronger than anyone ever imagined. Early on, we see hints of his tragic past, but we never saw him delight in angst (that is, until the last ā€œarcā€). He learned from all these experiences, evident in the very principles he imparted to both Ayano and Ren early on in the series. I remember Tj praising Kaze no Stigma when it first started, pointing out the GAR Kazuma as one of the biggest factors which makes this series enjoyable.

All was great at the beginning. In the Fuuga arc, we see the topic of elementals and principles of power being delved upon, how the weak wind can surpass the supposedly strongest elemental of flame, how the strong feeds on the weak. In the Misao arc, the appearance of Michael Harley proved to be a nifty foreshadowing to the tragedy that befell Kazumaā€™s lover Tsuoi Rin. But just when you thought everything was going all smoothā€¦ you suddenly see a humongous turtle make its appearance in the Tsuwabuki arc.

I have no complaints about the turtle, no matter how random that creatureā€™s appearance was. What I disliked most about this part of the series is how it didnā€™t contribute to the plot development at all. There is not a single connection between the Tsuwabukis and the Almagest, or the death of Tsuoi Rin for that matter, which simply shows how this entire arc was solely intended for showing Renā€™s character development. I donā€™t have anything against Ren, but I really think the anime couldā€™ve done without the episodes focused on him.

After this, the animators decided to take a break from the main plot, and switched to short-stories filler mode, which proved to be enjoyable, albeit butchered. They couldā€™ve spent their time wisely in the course of the episode fillers, like devising something ingenious to correct the flaws of the novel, but no they didnā€™t. They decided to stick to the original novelā€™s plot, with Wernhard and Tsuoi Rin, and never succeeded in gaining back the glory it had at the start. The topic of elementals was sort of forgotten as well, as we see the series focus on the world of the Pandemonium and real-life RPG.

A Deeper Look at the Novel

Having read the novels, Iā€™d say Kaze no Stigma isnā€™t fit to become an anime, not unless major changes are done to the storyline, particularly the Tsuwabuki arc and onwards. From what I can see, the author himself had dilemmas in devising the entire plot, uncertain as to what direction itā€™s going to take the series, after the Misao arc. GONZO likewise suffered from the same dilemma, and even worse. It was confused right from the start, avoiding showing all the gore and the dark Kazuma, butchering them together with the exciting parts of the book, yet ā€œstickedā€ to the novelā€™s overall plot up until the end. As such, it made the not-so-outstanding series, even more lackluster and crappier.

The “Dere” Side

After all this badmouthing, youā€™ll find it hard to believe that I still love Kaze no Stigma. I guess I owe that to reading the novels? The series has its flaws, made even worse by the anime which didnā€™t give it justice, but it also has its ā€œmomentsā€, which will forever be engraved in my mind. The entire ride with this series was pretty bumpy, yet despite how it turned out a mediocre series with an unresolved ending, that didnā€™t ruin my enjoyment for the series. This brings me back to what Owen also mentions at the start of his 12 Days of Christmas post, highlighting the difference between people who read or watch series for the ā€œmomentā€ rather than the ā€œresolutionā€.

Despite its mediocrity, Kaze no Stigma is definitely not forgettable. I remember reading an article on the net mentioning how he/she found Kazuma x Ayano as a typical anime couple, and the show forgettable over all, which completely differs from my opinion (the site isnā€™t available anymore, the last time I checked =| ). They might seem like your stereotype couple, with the tsundere Ayano and the cool Kazuma, but as weā€™ve seen throughout the series, their antics prove to be one of the most refreshing and unforgettable aspects of the series.

The author might have failed in terms of delivering an epic story, but it certainly succeeds in bringing out the chemistry between these two. This couple has found its way to my ā€œgreatest couples of all timeā€ list, whom I regard as the most kickass and powerful couple, ever since Fullmetal Panicā€™s Chidori x Sousuke, whose antics are something I look forward to every time (which is what I love about the Ignition short story novels, Kazuma x Ayano antics <33).

Aside from these two, the author also managed to bring life to the other characters in the show, that even the side characters Yukari and Nanase grew to become endearing characters.

I still am, and will forever be a Kaze no Stigma fan~ :3 Having read the novel immensely contributes to the overall enjoyment of the series, otherwise the anime is very much "incomplete" in itself.

If I were to rate the anime, I'd give it a 3.0. Deduct a 0.5 if you don't like Kazuma x Ayano or the emo-turned Kazuma, and perhaps another 0.5 if you didn't like the filler episodes.

For some KnS updates… the 5th Ignition novel has been released last December 20, with more interesting Kazuma x Ayano-centric chapters (like this chapter with a Black Kazuma vs White Kazuma). I have yet to get hold of this volume, but I have to go make a review / summary of Ignition volume 4 first… =[

Related posts:

1. Yamato Takahiro X Kaze no Stigma: In Memoriam
2. The Final Countdown Before the JLPT1 Doomsday

Since I wasn’t able to mention much about the Japan trip I had last July, I guess this is but the time to look back and share more about my lucky Fukuoka escapade~ The only thing I seem to have shared about it is… the pile of loot I bought amidst the Hare-Raising Storm, in this post. My entire trip was far more exciting than that, filled with random interesting sightings and discoveries~

The “mystery” bunny

First, look at this bunny over here. Guess what its true identity is…

the lolicon bunny!

…It’s the lolicon bunny! It loves glomping lolis~ LOL.

More Anime-Related Sightings

Anpanman brightens up the night!

I stumbled upon this Anpanman lamp while taking a walk one night… outside a pre-school or daycare center, somewhere around Hakata.

Doraemon, rocks! (literally)

Here’s this pricey Doraemon guitar I found in a mall. It looks cute. The price is also cute~ (64,260 yen! >__<)

3-d puzzles

Call me a n00b, but this is the first time I’ve seen a 3-d puzzle. I should’ve bought one of these before I left, to satisfy my curiosity for the said puzzle =[

Gegege no Yamakasa

Bumped into this while looking for some place to dine. It’s one of those shrines for the Yamakasa festival, and another guy actually took a pic of this same Gegege Yamakasa Shrine in Shintencho. Speaking of Yamakasa, I wasn’t intending to become a spectator of the said festival, because I’m not interested in seeing old men in T-back. But unfortunately, I suddenly saw a bunch of them running along the streets of Tenjin *shudder*

Majin Buu-like poddle statue

The poodle statue beside Nishi-Nippon bank near Hotel Twins Momochi, the hotel where I stayed. It’s pink, and oddly resembles Majin Buu o__O

My favorite “hangout” place

And of course, my stay would not have been complete without Mandarake~ <3 It's the ultimate anime/manga/games stop, where almost all the goods are sold at a discounted price o__O Even the brand new stuffs are sold at a much cheaper price! And that's still a mystery to me up until now o__o

Misc Sightings

Umbrella Locker

This umbrella locker is so cool! Obviously, it’s the first time I’ve seen this as well. It’s free for public use, for visitors of the Kyushu National Museum.

Japanese wearing “display only” Korean costumes

Now these… two cute Japanese, who decided to wear the “display only” Korean costumes being exhibited in the museum… ^^;;;;

Bear hug! >o<

This is such a cute scene~ this kid was so mesmerized with this Sanrio Tenorikuma Bear :3

Windows error! LOL

Microsoft haters will be glad to see this scene… hahaha. It’s a Windows error message in the information screen of the train station! XDD

My lovely seal babies~

My two lovely seal plushies! With this, I had two more plushies to accompany the Care Bears plushie I brought with me :p

Hope you enjoyed the picture spam~

Related posts:

1. The Slippery Slope of a Super Speedy Shopping Trip to Akihabara
2. The Final Countdown Before the JLPT1 Doomsday

Ouran is one of the most successful shoujo manga adaptations to date, and one of the few series out there whose anime outweighs its original manga counterpart. Truth be told, I didnā€™t fully enjoy the Ouran Koukou Host Club manga, so I was really wondering what all the hype was about. Until, the anime came along which I immediately fell in love with.

Ouran holds a special place in my heart, for a couple more reasons, best described by this quote from Boys Be, with the “cherry blossom (ę”œ)” as “Ouran(ę”œč˜­)” in my case :3

“Cherry blossoms, the noble flower, witness to many an encounter over time. Cherry blossoms, the vain flower, have watched many a farewell. And again this year they bloom to watch over a lot of faint but painful feelings in the season of beginnings called spring.”

The experience I had may not be as dramatic, but similar nonetheless.

Before the Bunny and the Hamster Met

Iā€™m gonna do a little time travel here, going back to May of 2006, when I was still a trainee in the Japanese company Iā€™m working for. It so happens that our batch of entrants were so special that we were sent to have our training in the main branch of the company in the country, in Cebu, where the other chefs absolute0 and Seleria are working. All the trainees are introduced to each and every project group in the company, which is how I first met the two chefs, though it was a brief and passing moment. During the course of my stay there, I wasnā€™t able to befriend them, nor get to know their anime fanaticism, of course. I got closer to one of Seleriaā€™s friends, dru, but it wasnā€™t till a few months later that the bunny and the hamster got introduced to each other, as anime fanatics. So yeah, our relationship used to be only 2nd degree: usagijen -> dru -> Seleria

Ouran: Source of Comfort, Witness to a Time of Grief

During our training, I had some issues with some of our fellow trainees, which caused me much pain and sadness. I will never forget how Ouran turned my tears of sadness into joy, despite seeming like a lunatic who went from being depressed to super happy. In the morning of the incident, I cried from my pain, then the next thing I know, I was crying tears of joy, laughing hard while watching Ouran during lunch break. And God knows how many people noticed the ā€œmood swingā€ I had >_> I was touched by the encouragement I got from fellow friends, but Ouran was the only one that managed to tickle my funny bone that time =P

Ouran: How It Brought the Bunny and the Hamster Closer Together

We went back to Manila after about three months of training, but I was once again sent to Cebu for a business trip. At this point, Ouran Koukou Host Club still hasnā€™t ended, and I got introduced to Seleria by chance, known to be the “anime pimp” in the office, who became my ultimate source for the Ouran episodes :p It wasn’t until we joined the blogosphere (first having separate blogs, then merged to form the Scrumptious Blog as it is now) that we became much closer, as I was still too shy to show my raving fangirl side during the encounters we’ve had throughout the business trip.

A lot of things happened, and I will always look back on how Ouran became a bridge to the relationship we have now (sorry to burst your bubble but it’s not yuri). Separated by distance, as we are somewhat in different islands, our love for Ouran, and for bishies in general, brought us closer =P

Credits to danbooru for the first two pics. The last pic is my own scan :3

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Fangirl post alert!

In the recent conversations me and Seleria had about the Christmas Countdown, the idea of a Christmas wishlist popped into the hamsterā€™s mind. Wishlist with either, trademark stuffs in various series weā€™d like to have (like Konataā€™s choco-coronet), or guys or girls weā€™d love to spend Christmas with. Given that, do expect that there might be some of this wishlist items coming out of the 12 days of Christmas posts, like right now

Being a Corda fan, I immediately thought of Tsuchiura and Tsukimori, in the list of guys Iā€™d want to spend Christmas with. But after much thought, I settled on Tsuchiura, who Iā€™ve been proclaiming as the BF material amongst the Corda guys. Anyone disagrees? =P

Tsunde-Len is cute when he gets all dere-dere, but in a real-life perspective, I donā€™t think Iā€™ll be able to stand someone as obnoxious as him. Attraction to real-life tsunderes will greatly depend on whether you can trigger the dere factor in them. Otherwise, seeing all tsuntsun is so not cute.

So there, Hino can have Len all to herself~

I would’ve fangirled over the Corda series yet again in this retrospective post, but I think I already did that here :3 Instead, I bring you do this mini analysis on the Tsu-boys (tsu is actually ‘two’ in japanese / engrish) of Corda~

Analysis of the Tsu-Tsu relationship

No rivalry amongst the Corda guys is as intense as Tsuchiura and Tsukimori. Technically, all the guys in the show are rival in two aspects: music and the love of Hino, but the antagonistic vibes of rivalry is felt greatly between the two Tsus (this is a tongue twister of some sort >_>). Among the participants of the concours, they are the ones almost at par with each other in terms of music skills. Both are child prodigies, faced with complexes which prompted them to take different routes in their musical career. Tsuchiura gave up the piano when he experienced bitter defeat in his first concours, comdemning how unfair the world of music is. Tsukimori on the other hand struggled most of his life, breaking free from the shadow of his parents who are renowned musicians, only to deprive himself of the love and enjoyment for music. And of course everything changed when Hino came to their life~ <3

Deep beneath the mask of rivalry between the Tsu's however, lies great admiration and respect they have for each other. They are just too shy and prideful to openly admit this, until the recent chapters where we finally see them having casual conversations rather than their usual banter and sarcasm. To highlight some events in volume 9:

Who would’ve thought that these two will be able to perform together!

In chapter 40, Tsuchiura volunteered to become his accompanist during one practice, interested as he was to see how it’s like to perform with the great violinist, apart from how Tsukimori’s accompanist quit after getting into an argument with him. The extra chapter in volume 9 also showed how the young Tsuchiura was inspired by Tsukimori’s performance, to participate in the concours which he supposedly doesn’t take interest in.

Throughout the concours, Tsukimori recognized Tsuchiura’s music prowess, albeit being tsuntsun about this. Tsukimori has seen through his passion, and knows well the efforts he exerted to become what he is now, despite “quitting” the concours and shutting his heart from music.

Contrary to what other people might be thinking, I am not intending to pair up these two for a BL love affair. I want them paired up with Hino, and I would’ve been fine if the anime ended with either of them (though I’m Tsukimori-biased =P). I have played the Corda game on PSP, and these guys’ endings are the ones I managed to get, aside from Hihara’s. So you can say that adds to the overall bias I have for these two

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