Black Lagoon

I love vacation. And not the jet off to some exotic locale kind of vacation. The just kick it at home kind where you can really relax and recharge your batteries.

It is also great because I can watch anime and doramas all day and all night long. I have recently finished Black Lagoon (season 1) and I really like it. Many of the reviews describe it as Cowboy Bebop here on Earth and that is a pretty good summary of the genre of anime it falls into.


Characters

The "main" character is the most boring in my opinion. His name is "Rock" (name given to him by the leader of the group) and he joins this band of because he was inadvertently abducted during a case and after being abandoned by his company he decides to join this team. The job of the Lagoon Company is a lot like Akabane's team in GetBackers, they are "delivery men". They make sure that property (mostly illegally obtained) makes it safely from one party to the next. To ensure the safety they are heavily armed and trained fighters.

Revy (sometimes subbed as Revi and Levi) AKA "Two-Hands" is a Chinese heritage shoot-em-up girl. She has tons of attitude born from years of hardship growing up in New York City. But, it's clear that she's really very troubled underneath the tough exterior. Fighting appears to be all she knows how to do in order to express herself. Despite the multiple spellings of her name, I think it should be Rebi like a nickname of Rebecca. [**although I just saw on a website that "Rivi and Rivy" are nickames for Rebecca so maybe the spelling should be one of those??**] Revy seems to be the real main character of this show b/c she's infinitely more interesting than Rock.


She and Rock are lead by Dutch (pronounced Dutch-y by most). He's a big Black guy who is pretty cool and reserved under pressure. He negotiates most of the deals and has a yet unknown history. If he were to be played by an American actor, I imagine Ving Rhames playing the role.... He's a dead ringer, eh?? Wonder if the artist had him in mind...


Dutch works closely with a woman who heads the Russian mafia (Moscow Hotel) in the South Pacific, Balalaika. She was a former Russian soldier who worked in Afghanistan. It was there that she received the disfiguring scars that she has on her body. She's a great leader and pretty badass in her own right (much more level headed than Revi).


Finally the most minor of the Lagoon characters so far is Benny, the random blond Jewish guy who does the electronics stuff. I think he's American, but I can't remember if they said so in one of the episodes or I'm just making assumptions.


Plot
In 13 episodes there are about five or six different stories, all surrounding different jobs that Lagoon has been contracted to do. The character development continues across the episodes (what little of that there is), but that storyline is contained to two or three episodes. However, I like that well enough. You really are only watching it to see who fights who and how they miraculously get out of each situation. Very few times, despite all of the gunfire, do any of the main characters actually get hit by a bullet -- actually I only think that happens once.

Overall
I like this series. It's fast paced and very watchable. There's tons of blood, likeable characters and tons of nationalities represented in the cast (although they all speak japanese, which is weird but only stand out in the last job when one character, speaking japanese, tells another character to stop talking to Rock in Japanese, as if he doesn't understand the language. :-?)
The story undertones all have a "fight the power" edge to it. Whether or not it is German/American NAZI-ism or South American guerilla fighters and drug cartels or Arab anti-zionist fighters. The "bad" guys are often driven by a desire to overthrow what they consider to be an oppressive regime. Kind of interesting.
Another thing that tripped me out was the ending theme song which was eerily slow and would abruptly cut into the action of the show...I guess this was their version of creating a cliffhanger.

Other memorable characters from Black Lagoon -

Roberta/Bloodhound/Rosarita: South American maid (Columbia is switched for Venezuela half-way through) Her character is a little too resilient, the reference to the Terminator is accurate.


Mr Chan: I don't know what I like him so. He has a good sense of humor, but is also a badass fighter...but, smooth-like. I don't know he has a sexy appeal to him...maybe played by George Clooney, although I've never seen GC in a fighting movie. hmm.... [Eps. 11&12]


Shen Hua: Taiwanese knife thrower, the classy version of Revi [Eps. 11&12]

The old NAZI leader is also pretty memorable, b/c he's so damned offensive...yet, cunning. He masters the back-handed compliments. But he doesn't fight and so there's no real point to a picture of him.

These posts take a lot more time than I would have thought. So, I apologize for taking so long to write the next update. (although I'm skeptical that anyone is even reading this.) I have watched a fair amount of anime and one other j dramain the interim, but I am going to write about j drama Kimi wa Petto.

Synopsis:
One evening after a long day at work Iwaya Sumire comes home to find a beaten-up young man in a cardboard box in front of her apartment building. She decides to take him in and nurse him back to health. He becomes attached to her during this period and he reminds her of her dead dog Momo. So, she decides to keep him in her apartment as her pet.

Most of the drama is spent with Iwaya trying to hide the fact that she has a young man living in her apartment, especially once she begins to date her college crush. And with Momo trying to get Iwaya to see him as more than just a pet and to fight the fear that one day she will abandon him.

There are two sub-plots: one with Takeshi and one with Iwaya:
1) In Iwaya's subplot a scheming woman on her job tries to ensnare Iwaya's boyfriend.
2) In Takeshi's subplot involves his ex-girlfriend and his best friend (Eita! :0)). In typical love triangle form, his ex still loves him and his best friend loves his ex.
Neither of these plots are that interesting although Iwaya's co-worker is the biggest schemer I have seen on tv in a long time. You will love to hate her!

Despite the fact that Iwaya and her boyfriend work in a newpaper office, this is not an office drama. I would put this completely into the romance category (with hints of humor).

Characters:
Takeshi/Momo: I don't think that he's "attractive", but his character is supposed to be such in this dorama. (there are frequent references to his good looks). His personality is the most interesting of the group because on one hand he is an amazing ballet turned modern dancer. But, on the other hand he is a confused homeless 'animal' looking for a safe space to be loved. Matusmoto Jun handles both of these aspects of his personality really well.

Iwaya/Sumire-chan: Is played by Koyuki. Again she is supposed to be "attractive", according to the many references to her beauty, but she is not what I would consider to be attractive (and she is shockingly thin, even for a TV personality). Her personality reminded me a lot of myself. She has a need to be strong and poised when at work and when interacting with others, but in reality she longs to express her weaknesses just like everyone else. She enjoys her time with Momo because she can cry freely in front of him (he's not a person, he's a "pet"). I imagine that there are many career women who feel similarly.



My Impression:
When I first read that a woman keeps a young man as her "pet-to" I thought that it was more like a gigolo sort of pet. No. She really treats him like a pet dog and he responds like one. There are some episodes where he woofs at her and her date. And typically he greets her return home by jumping up on her. She enjoys patting his hair and scratching his neck. Quite strange....
It seemed obvious from the beginning that there would be a romance between the two main characters. *spoiler coming* I was afraid the drama was going to completely depart from the relationship already established and force them into some typical girlfriend/boyfriend scenario. However, they surprisingly stayed true to the relationship and left them in a very non-traditional friendship. *spoiler over*
There was something surprisingly intriguing about this dorama, although I don't think that I would call it a really good dorama. Each episode was annoyingly similar to the one before it and it took a bit too long to get to the resolution at the end. However, because of personal identification with the female lead and the strong acting of the male lead I give this dorama a 6.5

Orange Days

I watched this dorama after looking at a top 50 list. I knew nothing about it and I was utterly impressed!

Synopsis:
There are 5 friends, two women and three men, in their final year of college. One of the women, Sae, is a talented deaf violinist. She is asked out by Keita but when he finds out that she is deaf, he asks his friend, Kai, who speaks sign language to go on the date in his place. This starts the interaction between the 5. These 3, plus Sae's friend Akane and the third male friend, Shohie, form a friendship group Orange no Kai (orange club) and then write down thoughts to one another in a journal. The majority of the episodes focus on the relationships between the men and the women and how they all navigate the entrance into adulthood in different ways.

Characters: I've watched around 10 doramas many of which have popular main characters. This dorama had two characters that I had seen before. Eita who I saw in Suppli (my first jdorama) and the much more popular Unfair. His character is a lovable but hopeless romantic. He definitely has matured some since the making of this drama. He has much more sex appeal now. I also have seen Shiraishi Miho in Suppli and the Japanese cult hit Densha Otoko. Her role was still small, but cute.

I love that the Japanese actors are becoming familiar to me because of their roles in multiple doramas over time. It is so different from the US when a popular actor has a very difficult time being cast in another show because of type casting.

The real praise goes to Shibasaki Kou who played the main female lead Sae and Tsumabuki Satoshi who played the main male lead Kai. It is no surprise that he won the Best Actor Award for the Spring 2004 television season.
Sae

Kai

Impression: This drama was absolutely amazing! It so aptly portrayed the slow discovery of love between two friends and the difficulties that come along with very passionate loves between people. Neither character is perfect and so they are both very relate-able. The situations that they found themselves in while a bit unlikely at the end, are not completely far-fetched.
If I have any criticism it would be of the minor relationship between Akane and Shohei. It was pretty obvious the direction the relationship would take at the outset. But, just because it was predictable did not mean that it wasn't well acted.
I cried at the end of this dorama. It wasn't sad in the traditional sense, but the love between Kai and Sae was so incredibly powerful that I couldn't help but be moved. I don't think of myself as a sap....but this dorama definitely brought that side out of me.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys romantic-comedies, college/slice of life dramas. This drama gets my first rating of 10

Bleach 117-121: Shinigami and Arrancar Fight!!

Bleach: Is a popular anime based on a popular manga (illustrated book, similar to graphic novel). The hero of the show is: Kurosaki Ichigo (last name/first name as they do in Japan). This review starts after three arcs (a series of episodes that lead up to a conclusion) and so it is impossible for me to recap all that has happened up to this point. Check wikipedia or other anime sites to find out more.

In these episodes we learn more about the Arrancar. Arrancar are hollows who have acquired some of the powers of the shinigami. This makes them stronger than the average hollow and makes for some really good fight scenes!

Episodes 117 - 121
The Arrancar attempt to kill the support characters who have soul energy. Soul Society members and Ichigo run out to protect these potential victims. The fights are varied and fun. We see what many of the Arrancar (top 20) look like and what their zanpukto released form looks like. Exciting!

Matchup 1: Kuchiki Rukia v. #16 D-Roy
This was a relatively quick fight. We learn that despite Rukia's low status, she actually has the ability of someone who would be high ranked in her squad. Her brother, Byakuya, wanted to protect her from dangerous missions and therfore keeps her out of the ranked squad. What a shame for Rukia, but it doesn't stop her from dispensing with 16 post-haste!


Winner: Rukia!



Matchup 2: Madarame Ikkakuu v. #13 Edorad Leones
Ikkakuu looks like his losing badly against 13's released form - Volcanica. But, he busts out his bankai: ?? and we get a bit of backstory telling us why he doesn't want anyone to know that he can do the bankai. When we return to the present both 13 and Ikkakuu fall out of the sky. But, who is the victor???



Winner: Ikkakuu---barely


Match-up 3: Abarai Renji v #15 Ilfort Grantz
Renji, with his weak bankai, is getting his butt kicked and then there's a surprise entrance from Ururu. This little girl when possessed has incredible strength! She turns it around and opens up her own can of whoop ass on 15. Unfortunately, when he releases his zanpakto the tide turns and he spears her with his horn. :-( No sooner than I thought it was done then Renji gets the word that he can use his full power. This makes him 5x stronger than he was before. In the next move he blasts the Ram. An interesting note is that Renji doubts that he would've won if he was at full power the whole time. He thinks the element of surprise is what earned him his victory. But, to me it doesn't matter how it happened b/c....

The Winner is: Renji (in a come from behind victory)


Match-up 3.5: Matsumoto Rangiku v. ??

This isn't a real fight because she lays down on the ground for most of the time (really lame!). When she gets the word that she can use her full power, she knocks the opponent out after his first attack.


Match-up 4: Hitsugaya Toushirou v. #11 Shaolong Qufang
Even a Captain's bankai with limited power has some trouble. Shaolong releases his zanpakto (a scorpion-like creature) and he methodically beats back the Captain. But, as soon as the limit is lifted Shaolong realizes that he's outmatched and attempts to run away. Toushirou quickly overtakes him, Game/Set/Match!


Winner: Toushirou. But I am not happy for too long b/c Shiro-chan took a real beating and he falls right after the win.


Match-up 5 Ichigo v. #6 Grimjow Jaggerjack
Rukia may have won against, but she is quickly knocked out by Grimjow who steps up to fight Ichigo. We learn that anyone with a number 10 or lower is an especially strong Arrancar and a member of the Espada. Ichi gets beat up in slow motion, in fast motion and in black & white. It's almost too much pain to comprehend. Just as the inner hollow is about to take over Ichigo, Tousen (sporting a slightly different hairstyle) comes to drag Grimjow back. He's in trouble for disobeying Aizen and bringing the Arrancar to the living world (and to their deaths).


No winner: This match is a forfeit, although Ichigo was the serious underdog

Another Anime Site???

Yes, I too am jumping on the blog bandwagon. After many years of being a passenger, I will finally lead my own vehicle.

This site will talk not just about anime, but about Japanese Dramas too. I will aim this at the anime/dorama novice because that is the type of site that I wished was available when I started watching anime and dormas.

I hope to update this site with interesting tidbits that I learn about my favorite characters, actors, episodes, etc.. I do not profess to know everything about this topic, but I hope the readers will learn along side me.

I have watched too many anime shows to review them all here (although I will probably do something on my favorites soon). But, I do want to review new anime shows as they come out.

I will try to do a review of my top rated doramas. I will admit my bias for doramas that have main characters in their late twenties to late thirties. But, I will watch (and have liked) some shows with a younger cast (Ganbatte) and those with an older cast (Karei-naru Ichizoku).

So here are some things to note about:
Japanese Dramas

• Japanese Dramas are often called Doramas. I will use these terms interchangeably)
• Most doramas run for 10 or 11 episodes and are aired in a one hour time slot. There will often be a bonus, 'special', episode for popular doramas, these are sometimes aired for longer or are composed of two hour long episodes
• Doramas are aired in seasons. Roughly the seasons are as follows: Summer = July - September, Fall = October - December, Winter = January - March, Spring = April - June

Anime

• Anime tends to run in 1/2 or full seasons. 1/2 season is approximately 13 episodes, a full season usually runs 26 episodes. This is not hard and fast as there are many 11/12 or 24/25 episode series.
• OVA [original video animation] is a video format used to show longer anime episodes (air time of 1 hour) with slightly higher quality in DVD format. As recently mentioned in Genshiken 2 ep 6, the OVA is becoming a slightly outmoded form. But, many past popular shows have used this medium
• Anime is shown on Cartoon Network (usually in Adult Swim) and on cable TV station Animax
• some popular/long running shows you can catch on US TV: Pokemon, Dragon Ball, Inuyasha,
  
• some popular movies in the US: Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke & Spirited Away (all by Hayao Miyazaki)
  

I typically watch anime that has not yet been released in the US or have not made it into mainstream American culture. The list of those popular shows are a bit different. When I mention one, I will try to do a bit of backstory so that everyone is on the same page.

There's nothing better than to start off with a review and so stay tuned for a post about Bleach!