First Impression Fridays! ~Void Destroyer~

First Impression Fridays : Bastion

Anime Spotlight : Top Five Emotional Anime

There are a lot of anime out there that brings a tear to our eyes, or fills our hearts with joy. Here is my list of top 5 emotional anime, the 5 shows I feel had the most feels for me. Both good or bad.  

  

5.  Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

Ano Hana is the tale of a bunch of childhood friends, trying to cope after a tragic death happened in their circle. The ghost of Menma hangs around Jin, acting as a reminder of what happened that day. The show starts off with serious feels right off the bat in the first episode. Even though there are some happy times in the show. You know it's going to be hopeless.  

  

4.  Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora

Hantsuki is about a boy called Yuichi who gets booked into hospital for his hepatitis, one day he notices Rika, a girl about his age who is in the east wing of the hospital, where all the seriously ill patients are looked after. He befriends her and after a while learns of the fate that awaits her. Hantsuki is very short, only 6 episodes but it packs a lot of emotions.

3. AIR TV

What would a Top 5 emotional list be without a Key show. Air Tv is the story of Yukito, a traveler in search for the Girl trapped in the Sky, a legend passed down in his family. On his travels he stumbles upon the curious Misuzu who wants nothing but to be his friend. Air TV is filled with a lot of mysteries and a fantasy element. There are a few different arcs in the show that all seem to interlink, and most of them don't have a happy resolution. The initial cuteness factor of the show throws one off guard in the beginning.

2. Aria

Aria is on a different side of the feels scale to most of the shows here, it's such a feel good anime. Just kind of makes everything feel better. Though it has it's teary eyed moments too. Aria is about Akari, a girl who wants to become an Undine, or gondolier  on Aqua. Aqua is the name of Mars after it was terra-formed and mostly covered by water. Akari starts working at Aria Company, and while training she meets up with the various people of Aqua, fellow Trainees and some more mysterious entities.

1. Full Moon o Sagashite

Full Moon is the heart wrenching tale of a 12 year old girl called Mitsuki, that wants nothing more than to meet up with her childhood friend and crush. Her best plan to do this is to become and idol. But she needs to be 16 years old to become one. The only problem is, that she has throat cancer, and only one year left to live. Unless she undergoes the surgery which would make her unable to sing. I was initially put off by the really shoujo art style of this anime. But there was a lot more to it the show itself then just the visuals. Full moon takes one on an emotional roller coaster ride. It fills you with hope, and then drops you into the deepest pits of despair.

As I said before there are a lot of emotional shows out there. This is only my top 5. What is your list? Let me know in the comment section. 

First Impression Fridays : Super Hot

Anime Spotlight : List of Anime from Spring 2014 I'm following Part 5

So it's the new season of shows and everything is starting to get into the swing of things. As such I present Part 5 of my list I'm currently following of the Spring 2014 anime season. There was a few parts to this list as there is too much to mention in one post. And the I might possibly drop some shows as the season progresses. Let's get into it. In no particular order.

1. Knights of Sidonia
Genre : Action, Alien, Manga, Mecha, Military, Piloted Robot, Romance, Sci-Fi, Seinen, Tragedy, Violence
Synopsis : It has been a thousand years since the Gauna, a strange alien race with no known method of communication, destroyed the solar system. A portion of humanity managed to escape using enormous seed ships like the Sidonia, which have allowed them to maintain the population while drifting through space. Tanikaze Nagate is a young man who has been raised deep in the bowels of the ship. When he goes into training to pilot the huge robotic weapons known as Gardes, Nagate is entrusted with piloting the legendary unit known as Tsugumori. Nagate and his fellow pilots put their lives on the line against the Gauna, in the desperate battle for the survival of humanity...
Thoughts : Knights of Sidonia is quite dark, and filled with despair for the human race. The show has kept me quite interested so far, if there was anything negative to say about it, it would be that some people will not like the CGI used in it.

2. M3 - Sono Kuroki Hagane
Genre : Action, Mecha
Synopsis : There is distorted, deep blackness everywhere. That place, in which blackness swallowed everything and took away everything, has become known as the Avidya Zone. Strange beings assume the very form of the despair and chaos of humanity. They are known by this name: Imashime.

An expedition surveys the Avidya Zone which consumes human spirits. So, in the intricate intersection between the present in impending crisis and the destiny of the past... can eight boys and girls, assembled to confront the Imashime, find the bright future that lies before the Avidya Zone?
Thoughts : Kind of an unknown this season, almost no one talks about this show. The first episode left me with a good impression though, a dark premise with a deeper underlying mystery that needs to be uncovered. Curious to see how this progresses.

3. Akuma no Riddle
Genre : Angst, Coming of Age, Conspiracy, Manga, Nudity, Tragedy, Underworld
Synopsis : Ichinose Haru is a student at a private girls' boarding school, Myoujou Academy, who is being targeted by 12 assassins disguised as students. Azuma Tokaku is a transfer student and an assassin who also initially targets Haru, but develops feelings for her and decides to protect her from the other assassins.
Thoughts : I'm enjoying Akuma no Riddle, the overdone character tropes set in the "Black Class" seem to work. And I'm also detecting some strong Shoujo-Ai undertones. The way the characters are introduced, and the pacing of the anime is keeping me interested.

4. Seikoku no Dragonar
Genre : Boing, Dragon, Ecchi, Fantasy, Female Student, Harem, Large Breasts, Novel, Pantsu, School Life, Small Breasts
Synopsis : Learning to ride and tame dragons comes easy to most students at Ansarivan Dragonar Academy - except for first-year student Ash Blake, who is known by his fellow classmates as the "number one problem child." Poor Ash is the laughing stock at school because, despite his unfashionably large star-shaped brand that marks him as a future dragon master, he has nothing to show for it. His dragon has never appeared.

Until now, that is. One fateful day, Ash's dragon awakes in full glory, but appears different than any dragon ever seen before - in the form of a beautiful girl! What's worse, Ash soon discovers that this new dragon has attitude to spare, as she promptly informs him that she is the master, and he, the servant.

Ash's problems with dragon riding have only just begun.
Thoughts : I'll be honest, I was expecting something like a mix between Dragon Crisis and Zero no Tsukaima, and I'm happy to report that I was wrong! So far this show has been enjoyable, not a lot of time was wasted on just fanservice. Pacing is quite good in this anime. And the main character isn't an idiot.

That's it for the last part of my list, quite a few shows this season, But have you watced any of the shows mentioned here? What are your thoughts on them? All information was taken from Anidb.net

My next anime related blog post will be about the shows I have dropped this season and my reasons for doing so. Until then. Bye bye!

First Impression Fridays! HammerFight!

Featured youtubers for April 2014

I'm a bit late with this post, and I'm sorry. Has been a hectic few weeks, got back from vacation then had some issues that needed sorting out. Anyhow that's enough rambling from me, here is the Youtubers that was featured on my facebook page for the month of April!

* @chimtot he is currently doing an Xcom series and also has a Should I buy series and some other VLogs Check him out here https://www.youtube.com/user/chimtot

* @8Bit_Bastard a great mix of new and old games with flair. Check it out here https://www.youtube.com/user/8BitBastardGaming/featured

I know the list is a lot shorter than previous months, life got in the way of featuring more people last month. Anyway let me know in the comment section what you think of these channels!

Anime Spotlight : List of Anime from the Spring 2014 Season I'm following Part 4

So it's the new season of shows and everything is starting to get into the swing of things. As such I present Part 4 of my list I'm currently following of the Spring 2014 anime season. There will be a few parts to this list as there is too much to mention in one post. And the I might possibly drop some shows as the season progresses. Let's get into it. In no particular order.

1. Mekakucity Actors
Genre : Action, Idol, Super Power
Synopsis : Shintarou, a HikiNEET who shut himself inside his room for years, had been living his life normally until he met a cyber girl named Ene, who appeared on his computer screen when someone anonymously sent him a mysterious e-mail one year ago. One day, Ene messes with Shintarou's PC which causes him to go outside for the first time in two years.
Thoughts : Every episode that I've seen of this show so far, just wants me to watch more and more.

2. Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii
Genre : Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Manga, Romance, Shoujo
Synopsis : Nike, the fourth princess of the Rain Dukedom and one who holds the power to call forth the rain, travels to the Sun Kingdom to marry Sun King Livius for her country, despite her own reluctance. She soon discovers that the King, who conquered the world in only three years after his ascendance to the throne, is still a child! Furthermore, for trivial reasons, he has demanded that Nike call forth the rain...?!
Thoughts : I love adventure shows with strong female lead characters. Some good comedy and feels so far in this show.

3. Black Bullet
Genre : Action, Horror, Martial Arts, Novel, Parasite, Post-apocalypse, Sci-Fi, Seinen, Tragedy, Violence
Synopsis : * Based on the light novel series by Kanzaki Shiden.

In the year 2021, mankind was decimated by an epidemic of a parasitical virus named Gastrea; the survivors were forced to live within Monoliths, structures created from Varanium, a metal that is able to subdue the virus. People then discovered the existence of Cursed Children, children born with the Gastrea virus who are able to control it, which gives them superhuman abilities; due to the virus' intervention, however, the Cursed Children could only be female. Groups known as Civil Securities were formed to specialize in fighting against Gastrea; they operated by pairing an Initiator, who is a cursed child, and a Promoter, whose job is to lead the cursed child.

Ten years after the epidemic, Satomi Rentarou, a high school student who is also a Promoter in his childhood friend Tendou Kisara's Tendou Civil Security, and his Initiator, Aihara Enju, receive a secret mission to prevent the destruction of the Tokyo Area.
Thoughts : Black Bullet takes no time introducing you to the action and gory bits, pacing is fast and their is a dark theme to it all, but in between all that there are some cute and funny moments to enjoy.

4. Hitsugi no Chaika
Genre : Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Novel, Romance
Synopsis : Tooru Acura is a 20-year-old retired soldier meandering through life now that the war has ended. He encounters Chaika Trabant, a 14-year-old sorceress carrying a coffin, and follows her in hopes of finding meaning to his life again. The two travel with Tooru's adopted sister, Akari, the employed member of the group and thus Tooru's source of income
Thoughts : Hitsugi no Chaika shares a lot of similarities with another old favorite show of mine Scrapped Princess, I am very interested to see how it progresses..

5. No Game No Life
Genre : Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Novel, Parallel Universe, Parody, Seinen
Synopsis  Sora and Shiro, a brother and sister whose reputations as brilliant NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) hikikomori (shut-in) gamers have spawned urban legends all over the Internet. These two gamers even consider the real world as just another crappy game. One day, they are summoned by a boy named God to an alternate world. There, God has prohibited war and declared this to be a world where everything is decided by games - even national borders. Humanity has been driven back into one remaining city by the other races. Will Sora and Shiro, the good-for-nothing brother and sister, become the Saviors of Humanity on this alternate world? "Well, let's start playing."
Thoughts : The tried and tested formula of protagonists being sent to an alternate world, where they are/become heroes is quite well executed in No Game No Life, also contains a good deal of fanservice. Curious to see how their goals get reached.

6. Ping Pong
Genre : Manga, Seinen, Sports
Synopsis : The manga revolves around two longtime friends Smile and Peco who are both members of the ping pong club at their high school and are both very talented at the sport. However, Smile's quiet personality keeps him from being able to win against Peco. The club's teacher takes notice of Smile's talent and works to change his attitude toward the sport.
Thoughts : Don't let the art style fool you, Ping Pong has top notch animation and great use of sound. Strong characters and lots of interesting developments to keep the viewer hooked. Some people call it the Anime of the Season, but only time will tell. I'll resolve my judgement on it till I'm finished watching it.

That's it for the fourth part of my list, still a lot of shows to post about, But have you watced any of the shows mentioned here? What are your thoughts on them? All information was taken from Anidb.net

Anime Spotlight : Shows I'm Following from the Spring 2014 Anime Season Part 3

So it's the new season of shows and everything is starting to get into the swing of things. As such I present Part 3 of my list I'm currently following of the Spring 2014 anime season. There will be a few parts to this list as there is too much to mention in one post. And the I might possibly drop some shows as the season progresses. Let's get into it. In no particular order.

1. Atelier Escha & Logy - Alchemists of the Dusk Sky
Genre : Fantasy, RPG
Synopsis : This world has gone through many Dusks, and is slowly nearing its end. Within this world, in the western reaches of the Land of Dusk, there was a nation that prospered thanks to its use of alchemy. There, in order to survive the eventual arrival of the Dusk End, the people devoted their efforts to rediscover and recreate lost alchemical technologies. Rediscovered technology from the past era was gathered in the alchemy research city known as Central, where research was conducted on how to halt the advance of the twilight. One of the heroes is a young man who researched alchemy in Central, the other a girl living in a small town on the frontier. This girl's name is Escha. In the process of using her knowledge of ancient alchemy to help others, she was assigned to the Development Department. The young man's name is Logix. Having learned the newest alchemical techniques in Central, he requested a transfer to this understaffed town to make use of his abilities, and meets Escha when he is assigned to the Development Department as well. The two make a promise to use their alchemy together, and bring success to the Development Department.
Thoughts : I'm a fan of the fantasy genre and so far this show has been mostly warmhearted, Will see how it progresses.

2. Haikyuu!!
Genre : Manga, Shounen, Sports, Volleyball
Synopsis : A chance event triggered Hinata Shouyou's love for volleyball. His club had no members, but somehow persevered and finally made it into its very first and final regular match of middle school, where it was steamrolled by Kageyama Tobio, a superstar player known as the King of the Court. Vowing revenge, Hinata applied to the Karasuno High School volleyball club... only to come face-to-face with his hated rival, Kageyama.
Thoughts : I Love Sports animes and so far this show has not been dissapointing

3. Baby Steps
Genre : Manga, Shounen, Sports, Tennis
Synopsis : The story follows Ei-chan, a punctual and earnest boy who has strived for straight As since elementary school. He began going to a tennis school during high school. There, he meets Natsu, a beautiful, earnest girl who only has passion for tennis
Thoughts : Another sports show, but this time with some possible romance and drama involved. Following it closely.

4. Mahouka
Genre : Action, Fantasy, High School, Magic, Martial Arts, Novel, Post-apocalypse, Romance, School Life, Shounen
Synopsis : * Based on a light novel of the same name written by Satou Tsutomu and illustrated by Ishida Kana.

In a world where magic is a product of neither legends nor fairy tales, but has become a technology of reality for nearly a century, various countries in the world are locked in a race in nurturing magicians, practitioners of modern magic. For that purpose high schools, called Magic High Schools, were nationally established. At First High School, the first of its kind, located in Hachioji, Kanto, Tokyo, an elite school where the most excellent magicians are fostered; two hundred students are divided into two courses. With the students of Course 1 excelling in magic, whereas the Course 2 students are only seen as replacement for those. The difference between the two results in discrimination of Course 2 students, so-called Weed by Course 1 students, called Bloom.

In the spring of the year AD 2095 two magicians enroll in First High School. Shiba Tatsuya, an honor student without magic capability, who was barely accepted into Course 2, along with his sister, Shiba Miyuki, who happens to be the top student among the freshmen in Course 1. In this environment where students are divided into elites and plebs right at the enrollment and discrimination is running rampant, what will happen to the irregular at magic high school.
Thoughts : It's still very early on for this show, but so far the action seems impressive, if the story will hold up is to be seen.

5. Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin
Genre : Action, Novel
Synopsis  I'm going to build a place where young people can challenge to reach any of their dreams!

The 7 genius students, known as the GREAT 7, launched a project to construct an artificial island called Nanae Island to realize their leader, Ryuugajou Nanana's peculiar idea.

12 years later, with a total population of 100,000 people with as much as 80% of those inhabitants being students, Nanae Island has successfully become prosperous as a special student zone. One of the island's newest residents was Yama Juugo - a high school student who had just transferred to the island after being disowned by his father. One day, Juugo finds in his own apartment the earth-bound spirit of the late Ryuugajou Nanana, who was murdered by someone 10 years ago! Juugo's plan of living alone was suddenly thwarted by this strange roommate.
Thoughts : The premise of this show and the characters in it, make for quite an enjoyable show so far. And there seems to be some underlying darkness in it as well.

6. Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to
Genre : Ecchi, Manga, Pantsu, Seinen
Synopsis : The story depicts the work-life of a perverted mangaka, Aito Yuuki, and his assistant, Ashisu Sahoto. Constantly pressured by his editor and lacking experience with girls, Aito asks Ashisu to act as a reference.
Thoughts : This show is for people looking for some mindless comedy in fairly short bursts, I don't expect huge plot developments here, maybe some possible romance, but I doubt it.

That's it for the third part of my list, still a lot of shows to post about, But have you watced any of the shows mentioned here? What are your thoughts on them? All information was taken from Anidb.net

Daylight : First Impressions Friday (+playlist)