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.

 

Midori Days!

Midori Days

Oh, today, I’ll blog about one of my favorite manga that I’ve finished reading last summer – Midori no Hibi, or to put it simply, Midori Days.  The main character Midori Kasugano, is in love with the high school delinquent Seiji Sawamura – nicknamed, “Mad Dog” Sawamura, and extremely famous for his “Devil’s Right Hand”.  Now, what would happen if Seiji’s precious hand becomes a miniature Midori?  Well, that’s definitely what the manga is all about.

Seiji Sawamura (voiced by Kisho Taniyama in Japanese version, and Drew Aaron in English) is a high school student who is known for his amazing fighting skills, but he is not really totally what I call ‘juvenile delinquent’ – he’s just the kind of guy that fights off other bad guys who oppresses the weak.  He uses his ‘devil’s right hand’ to fight the bad guys off, but this hand is also the main reason why he couldn’t find a single girlfriend.  He has gone through 17 years without one, and at the start of the manga (as well as the anime) this is thoroughly exemplified.  Physically, Seiji appears to be a cool, hot guy oozing with sex appeal, *laughs, it’s so ironic how bad guys ends up like that in manga.

Midori Kasugano

Midori Kasugano (voiced by Mai Nakahara in Japanese, and Kether Fernandez in English) on the other hand, is a student of Ogurabashi High School which is a different school from Seiji’s.  She has a crush for Seiji for three years, but unfortunately, she is too shy to let him know.  She just watches Seiji from afar.  She wishes to be with Seiji someday, which actually happened when she became Seiji’s right hand.

The story started with Seiji being rejected by a girl he was courting, and went home depressed because he couldn’t find a girlfriend for himself.  Thus, at home he was daydreaming of having one, and surprisingly, he saw that a miniature girl has appeared in his right hand!  Midori readily confesses her love for him, and Seiji was initially delighted about this – not until he realized that this isn’t the kind of relationship he dreams of – going out with his right hand.  At first he was really harsh with Midori, especially because he couldn’t use his ‘devil’s right hand’ anymore, but as the story progresses, he develops a kind of attraction for her.  While the miniature Midori was in Seiji’s right hand, her real body is in state of coma at her house.

Seiji Sawamura

Other characters include Takako Ayase (voiced by Reiko Takagi in Japanese, and Mollie Weaver in English) a girl who originally hates Seiji because of his offenses, but later on falls in love with him, Rin Sawamura (voiced by Atsuko Yuya – Zoe Martin), 21-year old sister of Seiji who happens to be a former leader of a street gang, Kota Shingyoji (voiced by Rie Kugimiya – Sebastian Arcelus), Midori’s friend since childhood who has strong feelings for her, but in the later part of the series, he develops feelings for Seiji, Miyahara Osamu (voiced by Hirofumi Nojima – Sean Elias-Reyes), underclassman of Seiji who looks up to Seiji, and who ends up being rescued by Seiji himself, Shiuchi Takamizawa (Yuji Ueda – Joshua Popenoe) a doll maniac who envies Seiji because of the doll-like Midori, and Shiori Tsukishima (Yukari Tamura – Michelle Medlin), a 10-year neighbor who’s in love with Seiji, etc.

There is an anime adaptation of the famous manga written by Kazurou Inoue, in which the original 85 manga chapters are squeezed in the 13-episode-anime.  Lots of scenes and characters are lost in the anime though, but I still think that the anime version can still stand on its own.

The manga is published by SS Comics, the same publisher as Inuyasha, but my copy is scanlated by the Snoopy Cool Scans and I want to thank

the scanners snoopy and xabin;

the editors burgundyteens, mangalurker, and casmos

and the translator nihongoman.  Great job, great stuff!

 

Blood+!

Blood+

Blood+ is one of my favorite shows in Animax. This one’s an amazing anime because of the superb special effects and the theme songs – they go so well with the plot’s atmosphere and the whole ideology (sort of) of the anime. I sometimes watch the encore run in Animax (since the semester’s not yet over I missed episodes in between) but I already watched the whole series when it was first premiered on Animax here in the Philippines. In 2006, the anime is ranked no. 41 in TV Asahi’s Top 100 Favorite Anime Series. Cool eh?

The Blood+ anime is directed by Junichi Fujisaku, and was based on the 2000 anime film entitled Blood: The Last Vampire. I still haven’t watch that anime film yet, I could have compared it to the anime series – I only manage to take a glimpse of the female character and I prejudging-ly say that I prefer the anime. Laughs.

Diva and Saya

I’ve also read that there are three manga series inspired from the same anime, but I haven’t got the chance to read them. Well, if you know any site that scanlates manga or a site that provides you free reading of the manga online – please please let me know. I want to compare and contrast the two, and see them as a whole. There are also two Japanese light novel adaptation of the same anime.

The 50-episode anime series was produced by Production IG (like Fullmetal Alchemist) and Aniplex (like Girl From Hell) and the anime is widely distributed through Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI). Here in the Philippines(South East Asia), it was aired through Animax, Sony’s anime satellite channel.

One of the best points of the anime series – the theme songs. For one thing, the entire musical score and few of the soundtracks of the anime were made by the celebrated music geniuses Hans Zimmer and Mark Mancina. These includes Haji Plays J.S. Bach, you know, that scene when Haji plays that cello piece, and the hair-raising Diva’s voice that intensifies the mood of the anime. The anime’s opening and ending themes are all produced by Sony Music, and very excellent too, because all the anime theme songs are totally fit for the episodes. The opening theme songs are Aozora no Namida by Hitomi Takahashi, Season’s Call by Hyde (totally hot!), Colors of the Heart by UVERworld, and Raion by Jinn while the ending theme songs are the following – Kataritsugu Koto by Chitose Hajime, Cry No More by Nika Nakashima, This Love by Angela Aki (my personal favorite!) and Brand New Map by K (I find this guy so appealing!). I managed to download all these theme songs (thank God!) and I posted most of the lyrics here in my blog (some of them with corresponding translations).

blood+

The story centers about Saya Otonashii, a high school girl with amnesia and an anemic one. She is just your typical and ordinary girl, but she holds a very terrible past that she forgot, and little by little it all comes back to her. It gets worse when she is attacked by a chiropteran (monsters that feeds on human blood) wherein the same horrible creatures kills her stepfather. She finds that her blood is the only thing that defeats them, and she is ultimately the only one who can all these nonsense murders. This is where Saya decides that she is going to embark in a journey with her sword and her faithful chevalier, Haji.

Along the way, she rediscovers her real identity, and she faces lots of challenges. The anime also incorporates artistic elements such as flashbacks, allusions of war, and the science-morality dichotomy.

Helping Saya in her quest to fight these bloodsucking creatures are her stepbrothers Kai and Riku. Kai is very cute, I like his character – you know- the typical guy-next-door but a totally compassionate guy. You can’t deny she’s in love with Saya, but because of the battle he has to postpone his feelings and just prefers to stick behind her to support her emotionally. Riku is the younger stepbrother of both Kai and Saya – very carefree and emphatic young boy. But he is killed by Diva in the middle of the anime series. All three of them are adopted by their stepfather George Miyagusuku, who dies in the earlier part of the anime series because a chiropteran attacks him. George Miyagusuku is also part of the organization, the Red Shield, and David is her personal protector of the same organization. Her chevalier, Haji, always goes with her no matter where she goes. Saya’s chevaliers are Haji and Riku.

Diva

The main antagonist is Diva, along with her chevaliers, Amschel, Solomon, Karl, James and Nathan. Among these chevaliers I like Solomon most. Aside from the fact that he is so hoooot, he is soft-spoken and she falls in love with Saya. Their human allies is the Cinq Fleches Group, headed by Van Argiano (that guy who always eat sweets in a hair-raising sexy way). The Schiff also works alongside with them, but then later, this group breaks away and sides with Saya’s group.

In the whole anime series, my favorite characters are Kai Miyagusuku, Saya Otonashii and Diva’s chevalier Solomon. There are the must-see characters that makes you go ga-ga. They are the reasons why before, I go home every weekends. I just could get enough of them, you see.

 

Again

By Yui

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Opening Song

Edward Elric

Last night, I watched the premiere of the new Fullmetal Alchemist franchise entitled Fullmetal Alchemist – Brotherhood and it was amazing! I was so astounded with the effects, and as usual, I’m delighted for Col. Roy Mustang presence, as ever.

The opening song for this most anticipated anime is entitled Again, and this was performed by Yui. I posted here both the romaji lyrics and the English translation.

This is the lyrics guys. If you have any suggestions, just email me at kyrillevin@gmail.com. Cheers!

Japanese/Romaji lyrics

Kono omoi o keshite shimau ni wa

Mada jinsei nagai desho

Yarinokoshiteru koto

Yarinaoshite mitai kara

Yume no tsuzuki

Oikakete ita hazu na no

Magarikunetta hosoi

michi hito ni tsumazuku

Ano koro mitai ni tte

modoritai wake ja nai no

Nakushite kita sora o sagashiteru

Wakatte kuremasu you ni

Gisei ni natta you na

Kanashii kao wa yamete yo

Tsumi no saigo wa

namida ja nai yo

zutto kurushiku seottekun da

deguchi mienai kanjou meiro ni

Dare o matteru no

Shiroi nooto ni tsuzutta you ni

Motto sunao ni hakidashitai yo

Nani kara nogaretain da

Genjitsu tte yatsu

Kanaeru tame ni ikiterundatte

Sakebitaku naru yo kikoete imasu ka

Munan ni nante yatterarenai kara

Kaeru basho mo nai no

Yasashisa ni wa itsumo kanshashiteru

Dakara tsuyoku naritai

(I’m on the way)

Natsukashiku naru

Konna itami no kangeijan

The Elric Brothers

English Translation

Isn’t my life still too long

for erasing these thoughts?

I have things left to do

Because I want to try doing them again.

Even though I must have been pursuing

the continuation of my dream

I stumble over other people

on a narrow, winding road.

It’s not that I want to return

to how it was like back then

I’m searching for the sky that I’ve lost

I wish that you’ll understand me

Stop making that sad face like

you’ve been sacrificed

There aren’t tears at the end of sins

I’ve painfully bore them all this time

In the labyrinth of emotions

where I can’t see the exit

Who am I waiting for?

As if having written it in a white notebook

I want to divulge myself more honestly

What do I want to flee from?

…something known as reality?

I’m alive so that I can fulfill myself

I feel like shouting so;

Can you hear me?

Because I can’t be doing it safe and sound

There’s no place for me to return to

either I’m always grateful for kindness

So I want to become strong

(I’m on my way)

I even welcome such a pain

that turns nostalgic.

 

Fullmetal Alchemist – Brotherhood

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Now that summer has just started, I am totally updated with the goings-on on Animax. Laughs. You could say, it’s really weird, but part of summer is watching lots of anime shows and downloading manga. Yep, just like what I did before.

Speaking of, I am totally excited of the upcoming fullmetal alchemist series, entitled Fullmetal Alchemist – Brotherhood that will be premiering for the month of April. Nothing is much happier knowing that I can surely keep track of the episodes because it’s summertime! It’s kinda exciting this time because this is Animax Asia’s world’s first anime simulcast in the same week, as the anime will be premiering a week earlier in Japan. So FMA fans need not to wait for too long to catch up with the episodes, or wait for someone else to download them in YouTube.

Edward Elric

The manga is originally written and conceptualized by Hiromu Arakawa, and the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is the third FMA franchise – the first one is the Fullmetal Alchemist anime adaptation and the second one is the movie Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa. Like the previous FMA shows, the long awaited Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is produced by the anime studio Bones. It is directed by Yasuhiro Irie.

I’m totally excited of this third FMA shows, and I hope that my onscreen anime crush Roy Mustang (The Flame Alchemist!) would still be there. Well anyway, let’s keep our fingers crossed. If he’s not there, at least, the cute pip squeak Ed would do me a little show.

The most anticipated anime will be premiering in the same week broadcast, April 10, 2009, 8:30 pm. The anime has a staggering 51 episodes. Don’t worry, if you can’t catch up with the primetime show, I’ve read that Animax will have a recap marathon of a month’s worth of episodes on the last Saturday and Sunday of the month.

Fullmetal Alchemist

 

Tears To Tiara

Tears to Tiara

Along with the new blockbuster anime Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood comes a new anime series that would surely fire up in everyone’s TV screens. Tears to Tiara anime will be premiering on April 06, 2009, 12:35 am for Southeast Asia, Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong, simultaneous to the 1:35 am Tokyo debut. This would revolutionize TV history as Animax Asia is the first one to do this tricky job. This is Animax first ever (and the world’s) first same time anime simulcast.

The anime is produced by the anime studio White Fox and directed by Tomoki Kobayashi (who also directed Chobits, if you don’t know. Oh, I love Chobits!). The story is more like a story in any other online game nowadays – conquering lands maneuvered in a magical and fantastic medieval setting. I suppose other fans out there would find it hard to keep up with the episodes in its 12:35 am telecast (unless they are bloody nocturnal creatures, hahaha) so it’s great that Animax will have recap broadcast for the previous episodes.

 

2009 Summer! April Kick Starts

All right! in a few days – it’s the month of April, and this means that it’s summer! It’s time to chill, sleep, and read few good books for leisure purposes. I’ve been waiting for this – the semestral break last year was too short for me and I needed a loooong break.

This summer, I intended to read a lot of books. I got a few here that I haven’t read because I was really busy doing some academic stuff for the previous months. I’m afraid the books might be too good enough they might disturb my studies.

Fullmetal Alchemist - Brotherhood

I’m delighted that I’ll be joining an annual retreat with my church mates next month – makes a change since I need to get in touch with my ‘spiritual self’. Laughs. Much anticipated.

And there’s Animax – and for the month of April we’ll have Fullmetal Alchemist – Brotherhood and Tears to Tiara premieres.

And I also have a part time job, tutoring some kiddo here how to read. I think this one doesn’t hurt so I said yes.

***

For this month I planned to

1. watch Fullmetal Alchemist – Brotherhood
2. watch Tears to Tiara
3. watch the full length movie LaMB
4. download Kaichou wa Maid-Sama, Karin and Boku no Hatsukoi Kimi ni Sasagu updates
5. get myself fat.

This is my wish list for the month of April

1. USB DVR-R/RW external drive for my netbook
2. an HP printer, I really need this for next semester
3. new clothes and new pants
4. envelopes to organize my readings
5. a cork board to organize events, notes, and reminders – makes sense huh? I’ve been meaning to buy this ever since the start of the year
6. new shoes – sports shoes
7. and more books

 

Dreams

High and Mighty Color

Darker Than Black

2^nd Ending Song

Hei

This is the second ending theme of the anime Darker Than Black. The song is entitled Dreams, performed by High and Mighty Color. As usual, the ending themes are way melodramatic than the opening theme, you know, like the first ending theme Tsukiakari performed by Rie Fu. I haven’t got the English translation but I’ll try to find it soon enough so that I can post here. For comments and suggestions, email me at kyrillevin@gmail.com.

Original Romaji Lyrics

Futari no te, suitsuku you ni

hanarenai itsumo issho sa

kidzuitara, soba ni ita yo ne

uchiageta koto mo nai mama

owarinai natsu doko made mo ikou yo

daisuki da yo

kinou made mo ashita kara mo

onaji hazu datta

yume ga sotto tsugete ita yo

tanoshii hodo owari sou de

 

Brand New Map

Lyrics: JUN TATSUTANO / Music: MASAYA WADA

By: K

Blood+ 4^th Ending Theme

Blood+

I’m gonna be on my way

Bye bye, my younger days

Now wipe your tears away

te ni shita chizu wa furuku natte iku bakari

boku no ushiro ni michi wa dekiru no dakara

Say goodbye to younger days…

and I say hello the real world, the real life!

sou ieru hi made boku wa kaeranai yo

setsunasa wo yasashisa ni kaeru

deai no kiseki dake wo mitsumetai

kimi no tame ni dekiru koto

wakarihajimete

 

Konna ni Chikaku De

nodame cantabile kiss

“This Close”

Crystal Kay

Nodame Cantabile 1^st Ending Theme

Oh right! I am really going gaga over the new hip and romantic anime on Animax entitled Nodame Cantabile. I had just posted the first opening theme of the anime entitled Allegro Cantabile yesterday (check it out!) and here is the 1^st ending theme of the same animation.

I love the song and thanks to the English translation, I love it even more! Well, the song is about someone who thinks that love is a very sad feeling, especially if that kind of feeling is unrequited. Sigh. Sometimes, we wish our expectations would be the same as that of the other, but life is really not at all romantic all the time.

This song captures that kind of feeling. A girl is totally in love with the guy, but they could go as far as friends.

If you have an mp3 copy of the song, please share it to me. I really love this song more than anything. Here’s my email address : kyrillevin@gmail.com

Happy Valentines day and cheers!

Romaji/Original lyrics

Koi ga setsunai to

Sugu soba de kizuita ano yoru

Datte hoka no dare yori

Anata no koto wa shitteru kara

Itsumo no sarigenai

Yasashisa sae kono mune wo shimetsuketeku

Konna ni, konna ni chikaku de mitsumete mo

Doushite doushite tada no tomodachi na no?

Donna ni donna ni tsuyoku omotte itemo

Tsutaerarenai you don’t understand

I’m so in love with you

“Genki nai yo ne?” to

anata kara iwareta shunkan

Namida kakusu AKUBI de

“Nebusoku ka na? tte ii wake shita

Ichiban taisetsu na

Hito ni uso wo kasaneteku… ima no watashi

Mainichi mainichi mune ga kurushii kara

Ikutsumu ikutsumu nemurenu yoru wo koe

Hajimete hajimete deatta ano hi ni mata

Modoreru no nara ii no ni…

I’m so in love with you

“Aishiteru” to tsugetara kitto

Mou nidoto egao ni wa modorenai kamo shirenai

Keredo mo tomodachi no mama tsukuriwarai wa

Kore ijyou, watashi dekinai kara

HONTO wa HONTO wa zutto suki data no

itsudemo itsudemo aishi tsuzuketa no

Anata ni anata ni dodoketai kimocho wo

Aoi sora he to sasayaita

I’m so in love with you

Konna ni, konna ni chikaku de mitsumete mo

Doushite doushite tada no tomodachi na no?

Donna ni donna ni tsuyoku omotte itemo

Tsutaerarenai you don’t understand

I’m so in love with you

Chiaki and Nodame

English Translation

Love is so sad

I realized it that night you were next to me

Cause better than anyone else,

I know you so well

Even your casual kindness

Makes my chest tighten

This, this close I’m watching you

Why, why are we only friends?

No matter how, no matter how strong my feelings are

They don’t reach you. You don’t understand

I’m so in love with you

“You’re not feeling too good?”

you said, and in that moment

I yawned to hide my tears

“Lack of sleep, maybe?” was my excuse

The lies to my most important person

Keep piling up that’s the current me

Every day every day, my heart is in pain

Countless, countless sleepless nights overcome

that first, that first day we met

I’m so in love with you

If I confess that “I Love You”

I probably won’t be able to smile again

But to continue as friends, with fake smiles

I can’t take it anymore

The truth is, the truth is I always loved you

Always, always, I kept loving you

To you, to you I want to send these feelings

I whisper them to the blue sky

I’m so in love with you

This, this close I’m watching you

Why, why are we only friends?

No matter how, no matter how strong my feelings are

They don’t reach you. You don’t understand

I’m so in love with you