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Have you guys gone and watched Nichijou/My Ordinary Life yet? I haven’t! But I recently noticed the credits for its opening song, “Hyadain no ka-ka-kata*omoi” (“Hyadain’s un-un-unrequited*love”). Maeyamada Ken’ichi, also known as Hyadain, has been one of my favorite remixers for years, and it was a big surprise to see his music featured in an anime.
From this quirky op, you can see lots of Hyadain’s musical trademarks – chiptune sensibilities, and a whole lot of backing himself up with falsetto. Check after the jump for more of his work, from cute and harmless Dragon Quest remixes to slightly risque love songs to Mega Man.
This isn't the most appealing picture of her, but I like it anyway.
This is Takagaki Ayahi. She got her first starring role in 2007’s Venus Versus Virus and after a few well-received roles (like Isurugi Noe in True Tears, a personal favorite), her career really took off after she joined the seiyuu idol group Sphere in 2009. Along with young stars Tomatsu Haruka (Kannagi), Toyosaki Aki (Yui, K-On!) and Kotobuki Minako (Tsumugi, K-On!), the four of them have gotten pretty popular as seiyuu and singers. You may have heard Sphere’s music while watching recent shows like Sora no Manimani, Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou, or Asobi ni Ikuyo.
But in my mind, Sphere isn’t long for this world, because Takagaki Ayahi is due to bust out and leave her less-talented group members in the dust. Why do I think this?
I’m glad you asked.
Amusingly, Seiya has pointed out that this isn’t just any version of “Oh Happy Day” – it’s the exact version that appeared in Whoopi Goldberg’s immortal hit, Sister Act 2. Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself.
More of her music after the jump, along with my favorite game, “spot the anchor”!
Found on the official Voltron store:
Yes, these are Voltron boxer shorts.
I have already ordered two.
We’re Back! Kind of.
Posted on: January 24, 2011
Oh, my poor, neglected anime blog. It has been three months since I was able to update you thanks to new responsibilities over at SideReel and a host of new features on the mother site (check them out! They’re great!). I simply fell out of the habit of writing for this site, and to keep me honest, I’ve brought in a friend to pinch hit and inspire me… and if this works out, I may bring another friend or two to come on in and help me. You should be hearing from him today, in fact!
In the meantime, have a reused image of Haruhi apologizing for her deadline slipping a gajillion times.
Fall Anime Second Impressions
Posted on: October 14, 2010
- In: Reviews
- 4 Comments
woooooooooooooo
A week has gone by since the last time I updated my thoughts on the fall anime series, and while my general opinion is still unchanged – “This is the best season in years” – there’s a lot to be said about what’s going on. With most series having two episodes under their belts, let’s jump into it.
I’m Hooked
To Aru Majutsu no Index II – This is mostly based on my love of the books, which admittedly have their flaws, but have kept me reading for months. The new opening song gets special props for making me giggle whenever I think Kawada Mami is singing “No paaaaants!”
The World God Only Knows – Captures the feel of the manga quite well, with the addition of some excellent production quality on the part of Manglobe and the staff. Elcea is like 20 times cuter in the anime than she is in the manga, though I’m still not fully convinced by Shimono Hiro’s portrayal of Keima.
Star Driver – I wish I had maids who sparkled at me when I took my shirt off. It’s from the “Don’t think about it too hard” school of fun, and I’m still in.
MM! – Still a guilty pleasure.
OreImo – It’s a very well-researched look at the social dynamics of otaku, and I appreciate that. Saori “Bajeena” also amuses me, since I know some people like that.
Gave it a chance, and…
Squid Girl – This show made me laugh a few times, but I don’t see myself sticking with it for very long because I’ll get tired of the humor fairly quickly.
Iron Man – Dropped until it airs on G4. I want to see it in English.
Super Robot Wars: The Inspector – Worth sticking to. I may be biased though, since I started playing Alpha 3 recently and have become weak to cheesy robot fun (see: Star Driver).
Otome Youkai Zakuro – Better than I expected, but still not really up my alley. Some old Sakura Taisen fans are clinging to it, though, so maybe after a few more episodes I’ll pick it back up.
No Sir
Soredemo Machi ha Mawatteiru – This one’s actually pretty funny, but I absolutely can’t stand Omigawa Chiaki’s acting. She belches and whines her way through scenes, and it’s just not fun to listen to. Sakurai Takahiro as the old woman deserves props, but I want to take a chopstick to my eardrums every time Omigawa’s character opens her mouth.
Bakuman – Slow. Dull. No.
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt – Some people took a look at this image of Panty and went “God, that’s hawt.” I went “Holy crap, what happened to her left eye?” I will not mock you for liking it, since it’s massive parody in action, but I don’t like it myself.
Motto ToLoveRu + Samurai Girls – Lumped into the same category of “My quality meter is not controlled by my hormonal urges.” I didn’t watch Seikon no Qwaser, I didn’t watch High School of the Dead all the way through, and I won’t watch these for more than a few minutes.
How’re you guys doing with the new season?
Fall Anime First Impressions
Posted on: October 5, 2010
- In: Reviews
- 7 Comments
Cute, but not annoyingly cute. I like it.
- In: News
- Leave a Comment
Fresh off of the success of boobs ‘n’ brawls ‘n’ brains anime High School of the Dead, The Anime Network has acquired the streaming rights to boobs ‘n’ brawls ‘n’ bushido series Samurai Girls. Based on a popular figure series and subsequent multimedia blitz, the series promises pretty much the exact same things that High School of the Dead offers, but with maids and ninjas instead of schoolgirls and snipers.
While I appreciate that the show wears its intentions on its short, frilly sleeves, I’m not really feeling this one after getting bored by High School of the Dead. Those of you out there who already know you’re going to love this, well, I won’t judge.
The simulcast starts this Sunday at 1 AM Central time, and while the first couple episodes will be available to the public, you’ll have to get a premium subscription to see episodes 3 and beyond.
- In: Previews
- 2 Comments
With the Fall season only days away, we have a couple of new trailers to build anticipation. First, the Arakawa Under the Bridge 2 trailer offers another look at the crazy lives of the outcasts who live under the bridge, while actually showing animated footage unlike the other freaky-ass trailers.
Meanwhile, the semi-autobiographical and industry-savvy comedy Bakuman trailer doesn’t really tell you much of anything, other than that Bakuman and Arakawa Under the Bridge 2 won’t have very good animation. Then again, they’re comedies – who needs those to be well-animated, right?
I’m going to watch Arakawa myself, but Bakuman doesn’t quite appeal to me as a story. What are you guys going to watch?
The two-minute trailer for Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai offers a whole lot of Kirino for her fans, and I have to admit that it paints an attractive picture. Kirino is just the right mix of anime girl and realistic little sister, and the opening song by Claris is surprisingly listenable.
Okay, it’s autotuned into near-unrecognizability, but everything about this show tells me that it’ll be enjoyable enough to watch. I may even pick up the novels after I’m done slogging through Index.
- In: Previews
- 2 Comments
These two announcements could not be more different, and I’m lumping them together for just that reason. The above video is the cutesy, fluffy announcement of a K-On! movie from Kyoto Animation, which is sure to cause paroxysms of joy in the hearts of its many devoted fans. Me, I’ve never bought into it. But given its massive popularity within the cute-girls-doing-cute-things genre, it’s certainly going to find a large and willing audience once it comes out.
Meanwhile, the 35th volume of Miura Kentarou’s epic fantasy manga Berserk has given word that a new anime project is finally in place. The last time there was a Berserk anime was all the way back in 1998, so this announcement has been a very long time coming. The bloody, gritty, and often uncomfortably dark Berserk manga has been running for 20 years with only 25 episodes of Guts being awesome to show for it, so this new anime should be awesome.
Which project are you most excited for?
Edit: updated with the trailer for the new Berserk.
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