Without a doubt, it’s Nyan Koi! I know, I waited too long in making this.

You sad sad dimwit. You'll be a virgin forever, but let me smile for you now.

This anime is awesome. In one way, it’s nothing more than a generic harem anime. Actually, that’s all it is. Be that as it may, even if the genre is festering; Nyan Koi is full of vitality and reminds us all that even old cats can land on their feet.

One of the highlights of the show is that its comedy is actually genuinely funny. Though the show tends to fall back towards more generic antics after the first episode; be rest assured that it will not disappoint you in the end. It’s also nice that, Mizuno the main love interest, isn’t some violent prude that strikes whenever there’s a misunderstanding like some stupid tsundere. Unfortunately, there appears to be some indications that she’s actually mentally retarded, as she doesn’t understand situations even when they are laid out in big bold letters.

Why did I choose this picture? You know why.

But the real con of the show is that Junpei, our token protagonist, is extremely, unbelievably, good-god-he’s-so thick-headed. Which is actually quite contrary to his otherwise reliable and quick witted persona, as displayed throughout the series as he helps out felines (both human and cats) with their troubles and issues. Of course, he’s no genius; and there’s nothing saying he can’t be both retarded and reliable. So I’ll excuse the show of its one major flaw.

Another key point of interest is that the annoying headache inducing opening theme is sung by none other than Yui Sakakibara, whose only other musical role I know of is as the singer of Phantasm, FES from the game/anime Chaos;Head. The difference is clear, clear eye.

The brand may not be original, but at least the design is... sorta.

Oh, another interesting fact. For some reason, I don’t really like Mizuno’s voice. I guess it could be the poor voice acting, or maybe there is something strikingly amateurish to it. Still, it is a really cute voice and I guess the Japanese people like it. About nine episodes in, it hit me that I know this voice. I looked up Yuka Iguchi on the internet and bam, there it was. She was the voice of Index from Toaru Majutsu no Index. I didn’t like Index’s voice either. What a coincidence.

By the way, does Junpei remind anyone else of Hei?

The black hair, that stern face, and they both talk to cats.

Am I messed up for enjoying this? Hei is abusing Suou like a redneck loves pie and I can’t help but smile every time. Whatever happened to the ladies’ man from the first series? In a way, I like this drunk version of Hei more; and who can blame him for releasing all that pent up sexual frustration on Suou? However, considering all the lolis in his life who screwed him over, eg. Pai, Yin, and Amber, you would think he’d start to get the flow of things and start seeking out companionship from older females.

Sigh… Hei, you worry me.

I hate what this scene implicates.

Well, I called it well before this sequel came out, but the series’ token gothic loli, Yin, is dead. Which is awful because she made the show worth watching. I am so depressed now, because I was looking forward to more Yin cosplay. Now with no more outlet for his sexual frustration Hei must move on and look for another Russian child to molest. Unfortunately for Suou, this means she’s the prime candidate; being the protagonist for the sequel and all.

Hei can smell rape from a mile away.

Hei doesn't believe in candlelit dinners and candy!

So far, the show has been proving to be a real downer, and lacks the liveliness and amiability the first show had; but the animation quality is superb and what appears to be a promising story is emerging from amidst all the deadpan comedy.  But its only vice is simply how misleading everything appears. The opening promises gothic loli twins and anti-tank guns, but so far I see the same old bull from the first series. Granted, the setting and pretense is different so perhaps this will lead into something a little more along my preference. Still, the lack of Yin makes me weep.

Say hello to my little friend.

Who are you guys? And what are you doing in my opening animation?

 I guess the only thing left to do is wait and seep for the dashi to settle and the flavor to come out.

Hakugei Densetsu: Legend of Moby Dick is a 26 episode space adventure based on the Herman Melville book Moby Dick. Abandoned floating ships are called whales and many times are of the shape of whales or other sea creatures. Many character names and themes are shared, but after that this anime deviates pretty far.

The story starts off in the Nantucket Nebula on a massive space station in the year 4699. There whale hunters gather materials, loot, and ship parts from whales. That space station was a project by a government for its people, but its location had a strong gravitational pull that brought dead ships and scrap from all over. An odd bunch is the crew for Captain Ahab, the highly thought of leader of a small while hunter crew. Every character is pretty much explained or given some sort of history in the beginning except for the 14 year old Lucky Luck. All that is shown is that he wanted to be a while hunter, but nothing is presented to really why or what his background is. The only semi-spoiler I’ll give is Ahab saves Lucky Luck as he is being unofficially tested to become apart of the crew. A gold coin is thrown into what was thought to be water and Lucky Luck dives in to get it. Shortly after the captain saves him with Lucky Luck unable to swim in the dangerous liquid. His hand opens up revealing the coin as Captain Ahab grabs him from the deep bellow.

Extra points are earned for the spray that allows people to go into space without suits, the small ships the crew flies on to travel outside their main ship, and that they actually try spearing ships to catch them in order to board them.

The animation is very old school in a good rough way much like Outlaw Star. This anime deserves to be watched in dub form because Captain Ahab has your stereotypical pirate voice with a robotic talking parrot to top it off. Lucky Luck plays a solid role as the narrator for being an optimistic character instead of an unknown voice. Only a couple moments where the lips and voices noticeably don’t sync well. Hakugei Densetsu: Legend of Moby Dick is for you if you’re wanting a refreshing old school space adventure with 1980s like characters designs.

ADV Films has a six disc box set with extras. One of the nicer extras is the interview with the directors Osamu Desaki and Matsuzono. I’ll be watching this to the end.

Just what nation would build a 111 meter tall copyright violation and think it’s a great idea? Well, Korea doesn’t seem to mind. Someone sent me a link to an article over at Plastic Pals briefly describing this venture and the only thought that came to mind was, “ugh”.

I grew up watching little to no Korean animation, despite my upbringing by an overly zealous Korean Fascist… and I thank God every night for sparing me from this one pain. Besides, what kind of name is Taekwon V anyways? It sends shivers down my spine just stuttering the sounds that comprise that name.

Well, good luck to Korea, and I assume this is a lot better investment than buying decrepit F-14s from America. By the way, Robot Land is the stupidest name for a theme park, right next to Ireland Land.

At least their Engrish is tolerable.

This is in response to a blog post posted on another blog, but it won’t be mentioned further due to it being clearly troll bait. It’s pretty crazy what people can come up with to rationalize with themselves for being a tightwad. On with the show.

1. Anime companies get that people want their anime now, not months from now. English companies and sites have began to place shows online or licensed and released on DVD much earlier than years before.

2. The official subtitles are almost always superior to the fansub subtitles. Fansub groups come and go and vary greatly in terms of quality, professionalism, and accuracy. You’re far less likely to run into poor English grammar, spelling mistakes, goofy multi-colored subtitle fonts, and over the top explainations of why a word was used.

3. Good quality English dub voice acting and the choice between dub, sub, or neither. Some people like their anime differently and voice acting has come a long way in recent years. Anyone who’s bought much anime knows that.

4. Supports the anime industry and the workers to put the anime from an idea to animation. Generally speaking, you give your support if you like a form of media or a particular artist. It’s natural, shows your appreciation, and shows you want more of something.

5. Easy and convenient. Just drop by your local store, order online, rent, or barrow from a library. Plenty of ways of getting your anime.

FUNimation and others get it (it being the expectations and wants of the viewer) and and that’s why there have been so many changes with the anime industry.