Code Geass R2 episode 09 and 10 preview

Yeah, so there’s no new episode for Code Geass R2 this week. Instead, an Akihabara special show replaced the empty. And I’m sure many of you did not watch it - that includes myself. However I did not miss out the preview (as promised) for episode 9 and 10.

Nabari no ou what subs?

So episode 1 review is delayed once more. Outpops the release of a heavy weight group, Group C as compared to two relatively newbie groups, Group A and R (correct me if I’m wrong). I decided to be funky and run all three videos at the same time using VLC, MPC and WMP to compare their subtitles.

Nabari no ou OP and ED

Here I am, to dish out the goodness of Nabari no ou. I haven’t watch it yet (damn the broken links) but soon I will. There are currently two possible sources of which both I will review. The opening song by VELTPUNCH (new band?) is pretty rockish and I like it =) The ending song is more slow and soothing, pretty ok I guess. So have a look at the OP and ED while I catch up on Nabari. Both artists are unknown to me so I guess it’s a chance given to them to shine?

Nabari no ou OP - ‘CRAWL’ by VELTPUNCH

Nabari no ou ED - ‘HIKARI’ by ELISA

More Code Geass R2 Teasers / Malaysia Decided 2008

More stuff on Code Geass R2. Heed this warning. Reading any further means that you agreed on knowing some of the possible spoilers of the story. Alright now. Code Geass R2, as many would know, is a year jump from its first season. Yet this second season have many things going on that many would wonder what had really happened to the whole story. Here are some of the key events of things to come.

 

• Lelouch has a younger brother? Honestly this person was never mentioned in the first season and having him introduced seems rather forced into. I’m not sure if he is even his biological brother or not because Lelouch only have other half-siblings, but there is a good chance that he might be.
• Lelouch has a slightly longer hair and somewhat looks more gentle. I don’t what is this suggesting but I’m guessing that he might have lost his memory somewhere along the line. He might have even lost his Geass though I would see this unlikely to happen.
• More new Knighmare Frames and now they have Vincent as their latest addition. Vincent is modeled after Lancelot, poised to be used for mass production. Speaking of Lancelot, now Lancelot can fly. Also new is the Knights of the Round who are supposed to the elite team of Knightmare pilots and not so surprising, Suzaku is part of the team. And he’s the only Eleven to ever join the team.
• Nunally’s fate is unknown but if things are going as what the manga expected, she may return with a Geass. And if she can use Geass, that of course would mean that she is no longer blind.

You can read more about this in its official website (in Japanese) or Random Curiosity. If you want the wallpaper for the image above, just let me know.

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On another story, Malaysia had recently gone through its general election. Many echoes that this is the most unimaginable election Malaysia has ever had, and the oppositions are happy to tout their democratic victory. Well on a glance, nothing much had changed. The main coalition party, the National Front, remains the governing party of the Parliament but this time, they are losing their majority as the oppositions are gaining stronger grounds in the country’s political platform. I’m trying to be unbiased here but here’s a fact. The National Front, which consists of many smaller group of race-oriented parties, had been controlling Malaysia ever since Independence Day. As time goes on, more political parties emerged, promising better racial unity that Malaysians are having trouble with until today. The National Front being the government, denied any disunity within the population, a fact of which they have been always tried to ignore.

Enter the so-called Opposition Front, that are made of Democratic Action Party, National Justice Party, and Pan-Islamic Party. The strongest among the three is Democratic Action Party and together with National Justice Party, they resounded a hope of a better Malaysia where racial discord is a relic of the past and equality to all in terms of rights and economy gain. Their only problem is that they never had a chance to properly govern a state or the country as a whole. However that does not mean that the National Front is doing any lesser. They come with many megaprojects that are necessary to secure the country’s biggest ambition - to be a developed nation by the year 2020. The problem is that they are moving too fast to the extent that they ignore the very foundation of this country, which is racial unity. I know that I sounded a little biased to the opposition side but I have to be clear that I am politically neutral on this matter. As for the election outcome, the National Front won by a simple two-thirds majority over the country but the setback was losing 5 out of 13 constitutionalized states. Among them are Selangor and Penang, both of which are wealthy industrial states.

Spring 2008 Anime Preview

BrianAndrew is now officially 1 year old. This blog has been running on WordPress ever since the exodus from Blogspot on 1 March 2007. Support for this blog has been good and I thank the readers for your tremendous support.

The anime listing for Spring 2008 is overshadowed by the highly anticipated Code Geass R2, the sequel to Code Geass. Yes, I am a fan and I do look forward to it very much. However this does not mean that we have to sideline other notable anime titles slated for Spring 2008, right? So here are some titles that I am keen to watch and probably blog about (if, time permits).

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2

Airing date: 6 April 2008

TV station: MBS

Animation studio: Sunrise

Lelouch is back to kick Brittania’s sorry ass. But wait a second. What happened after he and Suzaku shot at each other? All of the sudden, there is a one year leap (approximately) and that pretty much leaves us clueless about the story. At least, that’s what the trailer had suggested. Obviously this story needs no introduction and there is no surprise that I will be blogging this. All hail Brittania!

Nabari no Ou

Airing date: 6 April 2008

TV station: TV Tokyo

Animation studio: J.C. Staff

My friend recently introduced the manga to me and I was impressed by how good the art style is. This is the reason why I am looking forward for its anime adaptation. The manga is serialized in GFantasy, published by Square Enix, and is still on going. If that doesn’t interest you, then how about having Kugimiya Rie and Namikawa Daisuke in the cast? The prospect is definitely looking up. The story is pretty much the typical ninja-adventure kind of story, which is really not my cup of tea. I guess it’s okay if I just overlook my stereotype and try to get hold to this anime. There is a good chance that I’ll be blogging on this anime.

BUS GAMER

Airing date: 14 March 2008

TV Station: KBS Kyoto

Animation studio: Studio Izena

If there is any reason why am I watching this anime, it is because I am a fan of Kazuya Minekura’s works. Those who are familiar with this manga artist, you might know her well for her works in the Saiyuki manga series. And yes, those animes like Gensoumaden Saiyuki, Saiyuki Reload, Saiyuki Reload: Gunlock as well. This time around though, it won’t be about 4 guys travelling to the West anymore. Instead we have 3 guys now playing survival games for the money. Not going to blog about this but this one is a recommended one from me.

 

Soul Eater

Airing date: 10 April 2008

TV Station: TV Tokyo

Animation studio: BONES

 Yet another manga by Square Enix adapted as anime this time around is Soul Eater. On the scratch, the story is about creating a human weapon as the “Death Scythe” for the Shinigami. As the name suggests, they need to consume 99 human souls and 1 from a witch. The good thing is they are after the bad guys, so there’s your sense of morale into the story. With BONES as the animation studio, I guess that you can’t go wrong with anime. As likely that I will watch this, there is also a good likelihood that I may not blog this anime.

 

Vampire Knight

Airing date: 7 April 2008

TV Station: TV Tokyo

Animation studio: Studio DEEN

 Somehow I am compelled to bring at least one shoujo anime into the list. Not that I have anything against shoujo anime/manga because I do watch them and I really do enjoy some of the titles. However among the available Spring 2008 anime listing, I find Vampire Knight the most pleasing one. So we have a girl gotten attacked by a vampire and got saved by another one. Then they grew up together with another friend of hers who really hates vampires. Now imagine the chemistry going on around them, the romance is set to be spicy. My impression? Well, it’s too early to tell. Oh, did I tell you that Miyano Mamoru and Horie Yui are among the cast?

Spice and Wolf (Anime Preview)

Recently my sole download source for my anime has been blocked by the local proxy (the campus internet provider is just being too stringent). There might be a possibility that I will put my anime review on hiatus until the situation is lifted off.

Welcome to the medieval age where Mother Nature is a religion, wolves are worshipped as a pagan deities, and the Church began to spread its influence throughout the whole of Europe. Yes, Spice and Wolf has that for its time setting and judging by the name, “Wolf” would probably refer to the pagan deity and “Spice” is simply the medium of trade during that era. Spice was gold then, though now money is the standardized currency. With such a setting and some obvious hints, I have much clear view of how the story would go. Furthermore this anime is an IMAGIN studio undertaking and I have high hope for IMAGIN which has affiliated to anime like Mushi-shi, Eureka 7 and Eyeshield 21. Certainly I expect great animation scope into this one and I have the feeling that this might be as good as Seirei no Moribito. I hope.

Spice and Wolf