In the Index/Railgun world, the Academy City wide school system's Daihasei sporting event takes place over a few days.  Two major events, coupled with several secondary events, takes place during this timeline.

First, in Index, we have the Croce St. Peter's arc. This is well covered in the Index anime series. On the minor, but impportant side, Kamijou Touma's parents and Misaka Mikoto's Mother meet up. Misaka meets up with Index, I think for the first time, and naturally the tension and jealousy generally gets directed towards Touma. It is after lunch that the stories really start.

While Touma is running around in his arc with Styil and Tsuchimikado, doing the Index storyline, Misaka is is getting embroiled into an arc that is peripherally connected to the sister's arc, but focuses more on Shokuho Misaki, the telepath number 5 level 5 and self described rival of Misaka  Mikoto. Always looking for a tie in to exploit in a later story, Misaki meets Touma while she is talking with Mikoto, when he returns with drinks. Seeing Touma eyeing Misaki's prodigious knockers, Mikoto gets a tad violent and Touma, once again, bears the brunt.


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Posted by: topmaker at 12:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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When I see an anime that looks interesting, I will often go for a manga, or visit Baka-tsuki and read the light novel, if it is there. This worked out quite well for Irregular at Magic High School, where I started both the manga and the LN after reading this post at Ubu Roi's. I hadn't even seen the first anime episode, but I was hooked pretty good and have caught up with the translations.

I have been watching Kanojo ga Flag o Orareta and was interested enough to start the manga in parallel. I have to say that, so far, the manga is both funnier and has better plot reveals than the series. I won't go into plot so much as to note that the manga does a better job of fleshing out both the story and the characters. Also, many jokes that work well in the manga don't hit the mark as well in the anime. Some are simply thrown away or left out entirely.

Here's a 'for instance': Souta, the male lead, is afraid of the ocean (for good reason). He is on a field trip, partly to learn how to swim.  There is an oft used joke about fish gathering around him while he is in the water that I didn't quite get until I realized he was blowing chunks due to his fear. Comes out much better as a joke read and reread versus seen.

Posted by: topmaker at 02:57 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I'm also watching Hyakka Ryoran. It takes quite a bit to get me to leave a series once I start, but this is getting close. Kind of a cross between Yumeria and Ahh, My Buddah (although with less censorship) themed with girl samaurias in an alternate time kind of thing (kind of a tired trope already). Prodigious use of black ink blots must mean this show concerns commercial printing. Or something. I don't know. Something...

We've seen the ditzy heroine who miraculously gets awesome. We've seen the evil brother doing what he thinks is best for the country while hurting, killing and experimenting on those who are supposed to be dear to him. Harem? Check. Big boobs versus small boobs - hah! that one never gets old. Maid Megannekko protector? Checkamundo.

Any way, it is okay for same old same old so far. I'm half way done, and only 54. I quit smoking a few years back, so I have some added time to waste.

Was it popular? It certainly is going for the fanservice viewer.

Not that that's a bad thing. Because - 54 and all...

Posted by: topmaker at 01:41 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I've built up a small backlog of guilt buys from Robert, and I am going through them. Many in the queue are older, such as Captain Tyler and some are recent, such as Girls und Panzer and HSoD. Claymore, Natsume's Book of Friends, Three seasons of Koihime Mousou, Full Metal Panic - Second Raid, Strike Witches, Eden of the East, Nyarko-san, World of Narue, Linebarrels and Shigofumi are waiting as the mood for whichever genre strikes me.

I just finished Busou Renkin and I forgot how good a series it was, both in terms of parody and as a general story. The hat tips to other shows are subtle but there. They poke fun at themselves and all the Shounen tropes while telling a good story, with excellent pacing. in Papillion, they have conjured up one of the best villains out there in action comedy.

In the player right now is the first season of Someday's Dreamers. I already watched the second season (I prefer it a bit more), but this was a very touching show that provides a nice break from BR. Up next might be Shigofumi, if I am in the need to break a good mood and get totally depressed.

Posted by: topmaker at 05:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I was talking to a remodeler today who is finishing up a job for a customer and needed advice. I did not sell his customer her countertop, but my experience says you get back when you help folks out. His customer ended up going with the cheap cabinet outfit. She will probably pay the difference in increased labor for the extra work this remodeler needs to perform. We were musing on this and how common it is for people to never learn the "get what you pay for" lesson.

It reminded me of the Samuel Johnson quote about second marriages. He describes it as "the triumph of hope over experience."

Posted by: topmaker at 03:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Actually, not anime, but light novel.

A question below the fold for those who are reading/have read the series:
(Note - this is waaay into the novel. Well past where the anime will have gotten too, even at the end of the season)
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Posted by: topmaker at 12:00 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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