With You

AAA

Inuyasha the Final Act Ending Theme

 

I’ll take you to the higher stage

Now you got blazin’

 

namida wo kakushita tsuyogari na kimi no egao

kata wo daku koto sae sunao ni wa dekinakute

yoake no mukou ni donna mirai ga atte mo

shinjiru koto de shika kaerarenai

 

miushinatte ita kokoro no KAKERA

futari de sagashi ateta shunkan kitto

 

kowashite

oikakete kiri hiraita ano sora de

Seeking my way

hitosuji no hikari ni naru with you

 

naraku no soko naa deguchi wa DOKO?

kimi ni terashidasu houkou igai ni wa kyoumi wa No

koukou to kagayaku kongou no gotoku kabe wo kudakeba kimi ni todoku?

tashikana mono nara kitto nai kara, semete sou shinjite Go on

 

nanika wo sutereba unmei wa yuru sareru no?

taisetsuna mono hodo ude wo suri nukete yuku

kagami ni utsutta genjitsu to kozou no kabe

nigeteru dake ja sou koerarenai

 

ichido wa akiramekaketeta mirai

futari de kaete miseru hanarazu kitto

 

hatenaku

dokomademo deguchi no nai meikyuu de

Seeking my way

ima yatto tadoritsuita with you

 

Oh Yes, I just wanna see our future baby

ima kimi wo hanasete touge wo koeteku

tama no kakera wo motte furueru sono te wo totte

kowaku wa nai sa kimi to boku to de susu mou ze hikari yubisu kata e

 

tatoe mata itsuka tooku hanarete mo

kimi dake wo mitsuke daseru kara

 

kowashite

oikakete kiri hiraita ano sora de

Seeking my way

hitosuji no hikari ni naru

hatenaku

dokomademo deguchi no nai meikyuu de

Seeking my way

ima yatto tadoritsuita with you

 

I’ll take you to the higher stage

Anyway ride me baby

I’ll take you to the higher stage

At last I find you

About Natsuki Takaya

Natsuki Takaya

If you are a certified manga addict, then perhaps you would know her.  Natsuki Takaya is the Japanese manga artist of the famous manga Fruits Basket (you probably have seen the anime adaptation) J.  That’s her pen name – she is born as Naka Hatake, on July 7, under the star sign Cancer.

 

I love her manga really – oh, I also love the 26-episode anime adaptation.  Because of the famous Fruits Basket manga, she received the Kodansha Manga Award for shojo in 2001.

 

My favorite Fruits Basket character is Kyou, the cat – hmmm, I can’t deny he’s really appealing, and I also like the character of the wacky Shigure-san.

 

I’m currently reading her manga Boku ga Utau to Kimi wa Warau Kara, though I’m really slow in terms of reading it because the semester is going to be over soon and lots and lots and lots of things are to be done.  whew!

Paradise Kiss

If you have read Ai Yazawa’s manga Gokinjo Monogatari and you happen to love it, then probably you would also enjoy the semi-sequel of this work – Paradise Kiss.  Paradise Kiss, or ParaKiss, is an original 5-volume manga written by Yazawa, and has been adapted into a 12-episode anime produced by Aniplex and Studio Madhouse.  I’ve seen the anime in Animax, who broadcast the series and widely distributed it and it was so amazing.

The protagonist of the story is Yukari Hayazaka, also nicknamed Caroline, a highschool student who is already bored with her life driven by routines, thus, when she meets the Parakiss crew, she models for them and decides to stop her review for the university entrance examinations.  She matures little by little through her relationship with George Koizumi, a chic and handsome university student, and a fashion designer.  George designs Yukari’s outfit when she models for them, or for anybody else.  Along with the Parakiss crew are Miwako Sakarada a cute and childlike university student who fondly calls Yukari ‘Caroline’ a lot and Arashi Nagase, the punk, rock and hardcore guy who is a band member and Miwako’s girlfriend.  The mother figure of the Parakiss crew is none other than Daisuke “Isabella” Yamamoto, but she is actually a crossdresser.

But one character that I will not forget in this anime is Hiroyuki Tokumori, Yukari’s classmate – a handsome, appealing, silent and intelligent young man, who always looks out for Yukari and concern for her studies. In the first part of the anime, Hiroyuki is the object of Yukari’s affection, but her emotions shifts to George when she meets him.  I like Hiroyuki because his character reminds me of my highschool crush (and I still like that guy) – both are intelligent in the first place.  *giggles

Oh yeah, too much for digressions.

Not to forget the theme songs of the anime – Lonely in Gorgeous performed by Tommy February6 is the opening theme, and Do You Want To by Franz Ferdinand is the ending theme.

If you really love fashion, you’ll fall in love with this anime. J

Emma: A Victorian Romance

Emma

It was a pity that I didn’t have the chance to finish watching a Cinderella-like story of Emma: A Victorian Romance in Animax.  It was first aired on the channel when I was still in high school, and because the evening schedule wasn’t just fit for my schedule, I didn’t have the chance to watch the later episodes.  The storyline was great though, very heartwarming but still, it’s no good to think that still I haven’t had the chance to watch it.  I only watched a few good earlier episodes.  I also watched the continuation of the anime via YouTube but I was too broke at that time.  In short, I just don’t have the chance.

Now that I’m starting downloading a few manga copies of my own choice I stumbled upon the manga version of Emma and I was perfectly happy to download and finally finished the whole story! I was so delighted, it was a very good story, mind you, and sometimes I think about the romantic story in my serious, so-called reflection moments.  Ha! I just like the character of William Jounes and I also like Hakim too! I think Hakim is much more appealing to me, though his ‘girls’ are kind of disturbing.  Then again, I think I’ll prefer Will.

The story was about the maid Emma, who came to work with the retired live-in governess and widowed Kelly Stowner. One day, William Jounes, who was Kelly Stowner’s former student, visited her.  There he bumped into Emma, and fell in love with her.  But William is the oldest son of the noble family of Jounes, and her father Richard already decided that his son would marry Eleanor Campbell, who was a daughter of a viscount.  And then, the conflict starts here.

But I’m not spilling out the whole story here though, I would like you to read it yourself because it’s a very nice manga.

Probably by far, the most dramatic page in the manga.

The manga series was written by Kaoru Mori.  I would like to thank Iihan Translation Group for coming up with a good manga release such as this and Stoptazmo as well for the distribution.  I’m so happy and would like to thank personally the people who were involved with this manga project especially to

the translators whispers and mogura;

to by_request for a good editing job;

to squeeks and jedi_vader20 for the distribution;

to the quality checker boke;

to !waha.06×36 for providing the raw volumes;

and to the scanners winny and anonymous!  I saw your names in the manga copy that I have.  Thanks a lot guys, you rock!

The manga has a total of 52 chapters in 7 volumes, so its not really painstaking to read it.  Besides, it’s all worth it.

xxxHolic

xxxholic

Now that it’s semestral break I have the chance to watch xxxHolic in Animax.  I was not able to see the earlier episodes because I didn’t know it has replays every weekends but the anime is easy to understand and so I got at least, the ‘idea’ of the whole anime.  If you love Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, Magical Knights Rayearth or Tsubasa Chronicles, then probably you would also love xxxHolic, as they are both planned and presented by Clamp originally.  xxxHolic is a seinen manga that is serialized in Kodansha Young Magazine and published widely in places like United States and United Kingdom.

The story is about the high school student Kimihiro Watanuki who keeps on seeing ghosts and spirits, which disturbs him a lot, and so when he stumbles upon a shop that grants wishes, he wishes to never see those troublesome spirits again.  The shop is own by Yūko Ichihara, a devious, beautiful and mysterious witch.  She grants Watanuki’s request, but for a price – Watanuki will become Ichihara’s part-time employee, assisting the witch in through small errands.  Yūko tends to be really demanding in lavish degrees, and Watanuki becomes irritable sometimes.

I love the opening theme song of the anime entitled 19sai performed by Suga Shikao.

Yoshimori is Love!

I don’t why but even though Yoshimori doesn’t really have the ‘good looks’, I think I’m still way attracted to him.  I constantly watch the anime Kekkaishi every weekend to see him.  Shounen characters like him really are appealing for anime viewers, and that’s because they are so funny, and so stubborn at times.

Yoshimori (Kekkaishi)

I haven’t yet started downloading the manga version though, I’m still preoccupied with the other manga comics as well like Karin, Midori no Hibi, School Rumble, Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou and Ayashi no Ceres. I decided to finish them first before starting with Kekkaishi.  I’m so crazy over these stuffs, that sometimes I think I’m not in myself anymore.  Anime brain overload, I say.

But of course, I will have the manga copy in due time, it’s just that I have my other priorities as well.  And I won’t let such popular shounen manga unread, to think that it even won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2007!  It’s got to be really exciting, the manga version.

The manga series was originally written by Yellow Tanabe, and the anime adaptation was produced by Sunrise.

As of the moment, I contend myself with watching the anime adaptation in Hero channel.  And in case you’d miss the prime telecast, you can always have a blast with the replays.

The story is about Yoshimori Sumimura, who is a kekkaishi or a ‘barrier master’.  Along with Tokine Yukimura as heirs of the Hazama clan, their task is to protect the land of Karasumori, where the former feudal lord’s power was buried five hundred years ago. They have to destroy what they call the Ayakashi or the demons/monsters that try to seize the power of Karasumori.

And Yoshimura is an interesting guy by the way.  He reminds me of Junpei Manaka of Ichigo 100%, (except the fact the Junpei is a perverted guy) but both of them are really amusing. Yoshimori is a pretty funny and lazy guy but aggressive in using his kekkai against any ayakashi.  His childhood friend Tokine who is two years older than he is, is a more logical kekkaishi, and she always tries to protect Yoshimori in any case.  Yoshimori develops feelings for her, although it is in the later part of the series that Tokine becomes aware of it.  Uh-oh.

Probably one of the reasons why I always go home on weekends is to watch this anime.  I just hate missing any episodes of it.

Akai Ito

Kekkaishi Ending Theme

Kekkaishi

Original Romaji Lyrics

minareta machi yuukuri fuki nukeru kaze

futari shite itsumo no peesu de aruiteru

fuzakeatte waratta ato ni kizuita

mita kotonai otonabita sono manazashi

nanimo hanasana kutatte iiyo daijoubu

kimochi wa kitto machigaijanai

tada massugu nanika ni tsuki susunde yuku

anata wo ne tsuitsui ne mitsumete shimau

soba niitemo hanaretemo

dareka to dareka tsunagu akai ito

English Translation

The wind slowly passes through a familiar town

Two people walk at the same pace as usual

After fooling around and laughing I saw

that mature gaze I’d never seen before

It’s alright if you don’t say anything

Your feelings are surely not mistaken

Just move straight ahead towards something

I can’t help looking at you

Whether I’m by your side or not,

There’s a red string that ties someone with someone else

19sai

Suga Shikao

Opening Song xxxHolic

Here you go.  The opening theme song of the anime xxxholic.  I love this.  There’s a kind of “drunk-feel” in it, with Suga Shikao’s hoarse cool and soothing voice.

xxxholic

Original Romaji Lyrics

Kuchibiru ni doku wo nutte boku no heya ni kita deshou?

Anata no kisu de mou karada mo mune mo toketeshimaisou

Daikiraina boku 19 sai

Daikiraina boku 19 sai

Hakike ga suru kurai anata no kokoro utsukushii no ni

Nani hitotsu dekinai boku ni doushite kisu shite kureru no?

Daikiraina hibi 19 sai

Daikiraina kao 19 sai

Kuroage hachou no you ni hokorashii hane de tobitai

Kudaranaitte iwanaide sonna jinsei ga ii no ii no…

Yogoreteru tamashii dake wo torinozoku no ga muri nara

Dochira ni arukeba sore wo mirai to yoberu no deshou?

Chuuburarinna yume 19 sai

Chuuburarinna uso 19 sai

Kuroage hachou ni natte dare kara mo aisaretai

Kubukurin nai toshitemo hon no isshun de ii no ii no…

Daikiraina boku 19 sai

Daikiraina boku 19 sai

Kuroage hachou no you ni hokorashii hane de tobitai

Kudaranaitte iwanaide sonna jinsei ga ii no ii no…

Kuroage hachou ni natte dare kara mo aisaretai

Kubukurin nai toshitemo hon no isshun de ii no ii no…

English Translation

You put on poison on your lips and came to my room, didn’t you?

With your kiss, my body and mind feel like they’re going to melt

I hate myself, 19 years old

I hate myself, 19 years old

Your heart is so beautiful it makes me want puke

Why do you kiss me, somebody who can’t do a thing?

I hate these days, 19 years old

I hate this face, 19 years old

I want to fly with proud wings like the black swallowtail butterfly

Don’t say it’s lame, I want that kind of life…

If it’s impossible to only take out the soiled soul

Which way should I go to call that as the future?

Indecisive dreams, 19 years old

Indecisive lies, 19 years old

I want to become a black swallowtail butterfly and be loved by everybody

Even though that’s 99% not possible, I want to even for a moment…

I hate myself, 19 years old

I hate myself, 19 years old

I want to fly with proud wings like the black swallowtail butterfly

Don’t say it’s lame, I want that kind of life…

I want to become a black swallowtail butterfly and be loved by everybody

Even though that’s 99% not possible, I want to even for a moment…

***

Great! I’m 20 years old. Laughs.

And What About Junpei Manaka?

Junpei Manaka

Nah, don’t believe that a guy like Manaka can attract so many girls.

But in Miyuki Kawashita’s Ichigo 100% manga, it is almost convincing that a dim-witted guy who doesn’t know much about choosing the girl he really likes and understanding his own emotions can get so many girls.  He couldn’t just decide the best among the girls around him! But the best thing about Manaka is that he is a cute when he is in that way, and probably that’s why girls love him.

And he is also a good film maker, I suppose.

He is also determined to pursue his dream to do movies in the future, and he

Inuyasha

Good news! New Inuyasha episodes coming up soon! very soon!

—–

Inuyasha

Inuyasha remains to be one of my favorite anime shows I have ever seen, second best to Rurouni Kenshin. I constantly watch the encore run in Hero Channel even though I already watched it a long time ago. The anime is classified as ‘shounen’ – action-packed anime whose lead protagonist are usually boys, and often referred as ‘for boys’. Other shounen titles include Prince of Tennis, Death Note, Naruto, Bleach and many more.

The manga was written by Rumiko Takahashi, and I’m currently downloading the scanlated volumes from the internet (oh, I wish that I knew who were the scanlators to give proper credits, but unfortunately it was not indicated in the manga copy that I have). But to tell you honestly, I rather much prefer the anime adaptation than the manga itself. I don’t know how to explain it, but if you have seen the manga version, then you’ll surely know what I mean. I was even quite surprised that the manga won the 2002 Shogakukan Award for the Best Shounen title for that year. Uhmm, maybe the manga was really good (given its nice anime adaptation) and I might be too early to rate it, when in fact I only started to download a few titles and I am NOT even halfway through it! Can you believe that I only download eight chapters when the latest volume release was just this May 2008 which ended in chapter 554, and still ongoing? Tssk… it is a long-term project for me, to think that the manga is still released in Japan, though it is said to be nearing its final story arc.

The 167-episode anime adaptation was produced by Yomiuri TV and Sunrise (like Kekkaishi) and directed by Masashi Ikeda and Yasunao Aoki one after the other. Even though it was officially premiered in year 2000 (in Japan), but until now, I still haven’t seen a hell lot of a conclusion in the story. The anime adaptation ended in chapter 356 of the manga. So basically all I’m seeing all the years are the encore runs and replays all over again, but that’s okay because I’m not tired to watch them at all. But I just wish for new anime episodes, something to look forward to, or is it better that the anime is unended?

Inuyasha and Kagome

Although there were four movies produced, these movies didn’t serve as a conclusion to the story either, and their plots exist independently from the original story line. I recall the time when Animax Asia premiered these movies every weekend of the month, and I’ve seen them all. These four movies are (1) Inuyasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time; (2) Inuyasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass; (3) Inuyasha the Movie: Swords of the Honorable Ruler; and (4) Inuyasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island. My personal favorite is the third released movie, the Swords of the Honorable Ruler because Inuyasha’s brother Sesshoumaru made an appearance in there – and he’s got to be the hottest antagonist I’ve ever seen in the whole anime series (laughs)! Even though I also consider Naraku as a handsome guy, but he is still second-best to my Sesshoumaru.

The anime was broadcast in Japan and in other parts of Asia in its networks in East Asia, Yomiuri TV, and Nippon Television. The anime songs for the series are licensed by Avex Trax. I downloaded quite a few songs, but I hope I can complete the whole set. I only downloaded Change the World by V6, My Will by dream, I am by Hitomi, Deep Forest by Do As Infinity, Unending Dream by Nanase Aikawa, Dearest by Ayumi Hamasaki, Grip! by Every Little Thing, Every Heart by BoA, One Day, One Dream by Tackey and Tsubasa, Come by Namie Amuro, Angelus by Hitomi Shimatani, and Brand New World by V6. I still haven’t found a copy of Shinjitsu no Uta by Do as Infinity, and Itasura na Kiss by Day After Tomorrow, as well as all the movie theme songs.

Inuyasha

The story centers about the high school girl Kagome Higurashii, who was transported into the feudal world of Inuyasha through an old well. There she accidentally broke the Shikon no Tama (Jewel of Four Souls) into pieces, which is utterly dangerous because any creature that would use these broken pieces in a bad way may be dangerous. Inuyasha, who was a half-demon also pursued to get all the pieces by himself, but he ended up pairing with Kagome in this quest since Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyou, a former priestess who stood guard of the of the jewel and Inuyasha’s beloved. There, the two meets Miroku, a lascivious monk I say, who asks every girl he meets to be the mother of his future children, Sango, a demon exterminator who is in the quest for revenge against Naraku, and Shippo, a cute fox demon. The main villain is Naraku who is responsible for the misunderstanding between Inuyasha and Kagome, Miroku’s curse hand, and the death of Sango’s family. Sesshoumaru appeared once in a while to add conflict elements (and he’s so cute!) but I know deep inside that he’s a very compassionate guy. Ha-ha!