Soul Eater ep.15- July 14, 2008 In comparison to last week's episode, this one is not as exciting or fun. Having said that, this is just the first of a two parter so hopefully the second half will be far more interesting. On that note, I think this is one of the episodes which would have benefited from a complete showing of the two-parter since the first half feels a bit slow. Having said that, I did find the whole "Kishin who's closest to us" interesting so hopefully that will be explored in depth in the upcoming...http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/soul_eater_ep15.html Code Geass R2 ep.14- July 13, 2008 After watching this one, I think it's time to brace for possible massacre. Even if Lelouch manages to win against the Emperor, there are so many things that are stacked against him that I don't think he can regain everything that he used to have. Right now, the Emperor wants to use him like a puppet, he has made an enemy with V.V, he still hasn't been able to save Nunnally and Kallen, Suzaku is hellbent on ruining his life, Cornelia still want to have that Zero head platter, and of course...http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/code_geass_r2_ep14.html Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora ep.02- July 11, 2008 Sorry for the late entry but it's a bit hard to muster the enthusiasm to watch this when you're tired. Sometimes I wonder if this show would actually last longer than 10-15 minutes if it doesn't stretch out some of its scenes. Having said that, the quiet, seemingly pointless scenes are also part of the charm for this kind of series. The only other thing that I don't like about the show is the low quality of the animation. It's only two episode and already the character design look...http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/mahou_tsukai_ni_taisetsu_na_koto_natsu_no_... Devil May Cry 4- July 10, 2008 I know this is extremely late but I didn't even get PS3 until very recently so I'm now catching up with games that most people already played. Unless, of course, you're waiting for the PC version of the game because that has just came out a few days ago. To be honest, I was pretty disappointed when I found out that I can't play as Dante right away. Having to play as Nero reminds me of having to play through the majority of MGS2 as Raiden. It doesn't help that Nero has a rather annoying...http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/devil_may_cry_4.html Natsume Yuujin-chou ep.01- July 8, 2008 OP Theme: (Issei no Sei) by Kita Shuuhei - AVI version (12.1MB) PSP version (11.2MB) Of all the new anime that has been released thus far, I feel that this one has the best mix of story, humor, OPED, and voice acting. It's a pretty encouraging first episode in my opinion. To begin with, Kamiya Hiroshi (Takemoto in Honey and Clover) and Inoue Kazuhiko (Kakashi in Naruto) delivered their excellent voice acting as usual. I'm especially impressed with Inoue Kazuhiko here, who can change his.http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/natsume_yuujinchou_ep01.html Soul Eater ep.14- July 7, 2008 This episode is as hilarious as I thought it'd be. I'm mostly impressed with how the whole thing was edited and put together. You really have to see the climax of the exam scene where everyone else but Maka and Tsubaki going bonkers due to exam pressure. It really brings back memory of cramming for exam while I was in high schooluniversity. Also props to Miyano Mamoru for making Death the Kid even more pathetic than Tamaki from Ouran High School. The way the character begs, pleads, and...http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/soul_eater_ep14.html Code Geass R2 ep.13- July 6, 2008 OP Theme: WORLD'S END by FLOW - AVI version (51.5MB) PSP version (16.5MB) As expected, this week marks the arrival of new OP and ED. Unfortunately, they are not as good as the first OPED despite being performed by similar groups, FLOW and ALI PROJECT. Visual-wise, the OP is as bland as previous OPs. This means it features Knightmare Frames and characters jumping in and out of the frame like usual. As for the song, I think I would like it better if it's not accompanied by the OP images,..http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/code_geass_r2_ep13.html The Uncanny Valley- July 4, 2008 For someone who spends the majority of his time discussing anime and animation, I seem to have a difficulty recognizing what is animated and what is real. When I first boot up Metal Gear Solid 4, I wondered why the eggs that a character called Sunny fries look so real. I really thought that the eggs are actually CGI but as it turns out, they are actually a film of real eggs that have been superimposed on top of the CGI. During the intro, I saw a bunch of characters that look like real...http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/the_uncanny_valley.html Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora ep.01- July 3, 2008 OP Theme: Fly Away by THYME - AVI version (25.6MB) PSP version (11.7MB) This is a rather interesting series and yet I'm still on the fence about it. This mostly got to do with the mixture of live-action and animation. It feels weird looking at it even though the live action scenes are very beautiful at times. In addition to this, at least in the first episode, the focus has been changed from the main character to her helping another character in need. I have to admit that I dislike this.http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/somedaysdreamer_summersky_ep01.html Vampire Knight ep.13 (FINAL)- July 2, 2008 Well, here it is, the final episode of the first season. I think the series has been an okay adaptation so far. The adapted character design is good but it's clearly hard to keep up with the quality. I hope that the second season have better budget and better animation to boot. The OP and ED songs are surprisingly good and fit the series really well. They are definitely one of the better elements of the series. I also think that the voice acting, despite some inconsistencies are...http://www.designchronicle.com/memento/archives/vampire_knight_ep13_final.html |