[Maintenance] Major Updates

My first maintenance entry in quite some time, and I’m announcing a few updates in terms of Anime blog schedules, J-music schedules, blog updates, and other miscellaneous things.

I’ll have some time to update this in the next few days, so here’s a summary of what entries will be posted.

Higurashi Kai will be blogged up to episode 12.  Entries are written and screenshots are taken, just need to be put together which is something I can do tonight once I finish up with work.

Romeo x Juliet will be blogged up to episode 6.

Nodame Cantabile will be blogged up to episode 10.  (I’m currently rewatching the series and actually have a means to quickly blog it now and have more succinct reflections than in the past, versus episode summaries-which is something I’ve been trying to go away from on all of the anime entries.)

To reinterate: Code Geass is dropped.  I’ll also create a Tabbed page in terms of what series I plan to watch/blog, and which ones that are dropped so that it will be easier for you to see what I’m currently watching/not watching.
One update to the J-music entries will be Abingdon Boys School’s latest album, and My Top Anime List and other aspects of favorites should be updated as well, with a new entry for favorite J-Urban artists Female (Part III) and a new one with Male J-Urban artists.

Does it seem like a lot? Goodness yes, but I’ve actually had some of these crafted weeks/months ago.  The problem?  Being the person that I am and wanting to go over everything with a fine-tooth comb before I submit anything is the main issue, I’m a perfectionist in the wrong kind of ways XD  T_T  Same with all of the updates I have in terms of the anime series I’m watching.

The way this will work is this: each will be presented in sets of two episodes, similar to what I did with Infinite Ryvius, from now on. I’ve figured that the best way to blog on the series I’ve been watching up to a certain point and it also takes up less entries.  Brief summary of events before, episode reflections and spoilers under the cut.  I may try to do something for those of you who aren’t readily following up with the series or who may be interested in the series but haven’t seen it yet by incorporating more into the pre-description before each episode but no spoilers as usual. I’m also restructuring the screenshots and looking for dead links in any entries.  If you come across any, feel free to comment-I’ll also create a page for bugs, problems, etc in the tabbed area.

[aside note]I also realized I never put a review for “Shadow of Love” in the NANA music entry…I wonder how I missed that >.< [/aside note]

Also, in terms of structural changes, I’m going to change the layout and also add a new banner designed in the GIMP.  And as for the Maintenance entries, since it’s such a hassle to find in what context I’ve updated the site (since I usually do but I don’t always note it, I’m going to make it a page tab instead, so it’s easier also for me to track what entries I plan to upload and in what sections.  It also helps me organize in terms of what you guys can expect, and perhaps, in time, you may see more timely updates in between my schedule, which tends to be quite busy, but if you have any comments/concerns,  I do try to respond in 24-48 hours.

It seems like a lot but I try to put a lot into the blog as a hobby, just hopefully not take on more than I can chew.

Best,

Rosepetals

Romeo x Juliet Episode 3: Attrazione (Attraction)-The Dawn of Love

Episode 3 of Romeo and Juliet was such a good episode, following in the heels of the cliffhanger ending of the last. Juliet’s realization brings about a lot of conflicted feelings and problems that perhaps those who read the play (or even saw the last episode) can surmise. What this episode brings to the table, however, is a little more than just Juliet’s identity, but rather the conflict on two levels: her identity as the masked hero and the only surviving daughter of the Capulets.

Episode reflections under the cut and picture of Juliet.

Romeo x Juliet Episode 2: Il segreto-Promise, the Scent of Memories

This is the first blog for Romeo X Juliet I’ve done since the summer, talk about a long hiatus >.<  This is what I get for writing things and then abandoning them for quite some time.  Well, I ended up scrapping my old drafts and starting with them anew, because I wanted to refresh my memory on all the episodes I watched.  And it turns out for the better.

This was a very good episode, Romeo x Juliet starts off pulling no punches, and especially not in this episode, particularly with Juliet’s sixteenth birthday coming into play and her true identity still to be told.  But not before she falls in love with Romeo.  Makings of a tragic love story? Oh definitely.

I think Romeo x Juliet has some of the best animation production I’ve seen in a recent series to date.  The iris scene was just downright gorgeous between Romeo and Juliet, I loved it. And I love the OP theme by Lena Park.  Since my last post, the ending theme “Cyclone” by 12012 has come to be one of my favorite anime endings as well.  It just took a bit to grow on me ^_^

Brief summary of this episode and reflections under the cut and picture of Juliet.

As an aside note, I wonder if I’m the only one laughing whenever Willy Shakespeare comes to the forefront, they just made his character so funny.

[Maintenance] A few blogging notes, and other things

Most of you know that Code Geass has been licensed, and since that’s the case, I’m dropping all blogging of the series. Previously crafted entries included. It’s just too much of a demanding task to try to do so, and I can’t really finish it since I didn’t get a chance to see the whole series collectively before it was licensed. Yet, I think when it comes to the states, I’ll pick it back up from the very beginning. Some of you who were keeping up with that may need to prep for a long wait, and for that-I apologize. But it will come, just not at this time.

Nodame Cantabile and Romeo and Juliet will pick up from where I left off with them. I decided that doing a whole review post for Nodame Cantabile would be taking the easy way out, and I’d rather refresh my memory in going through each of them episode by episode before I craft a full review. So since I have a little more time (not a lot unfortunately) to watch anime now-those entries should be coming within the next week or so.

Good news for some of you, once I finish blogging Nodame Cantabile I’ll start on the new Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai series. It should be a lot of fun figuring the last two arcs, but we’ll see.  Since it just started not long ago, I’m not pressed to catch up with it as much as I was with Code Geass.

Expect music updates to be the same, and Favorites entries will only come as I can craft them. I’ll probably be updating my favorite Anime series list soon because I have to add in some of the more recent ones that came into my favorites list.

Best,

Rosepetals

Romeo and Juliet Episode 1: Destino- A Fateful Meeting of Two People

 The first episode of Romeo x Juliet proves visually stunning, action packed, and probably one of the better episode starters this season.  It deviates quite a bit from Shakespeare’s original play, but I found the deviation to be quite refreshing in modes.  It’s a bit like what Gankutsuou did for The Count of Monte Christo: establishes the base set of characters and plotline, but decides to place it with a twist.   For Gankutsuou, a tragic tale shifting between space and technologically developed, well-to-do city.  Romeo x Juliet doesn’t make that dramatic a change, save for the inclusion of unicorns, a red cape hero of justice, and the hunt for any suriviving members of the Capulets-which of course, we can assume well that it’s Juliet.

I definitely enjoyed this first episode, and plan on following this series closely.  It will probably span out for 24-26 episodes, but somehow, even for the first episode, I know this series will likely come out in tragedy-the question is how they choose to develop it.

Animation is downright gorgeous: from the backdrops to the interior of the hall where the Rose Ball takes place: just beautiful.  The OP/ED themes are well established as well, though I think I prefer the OP a bit more because of one of my favorite Korean R&B singers: Lena Park.  It’s a nice cover of “You Raise Me Up”-most would know the song from Josh Groban.  The ED catches on you after a few listens, and I find that I have the same perspective of this ending as I did for the ending to Gankutsuou: it’s a nice song to fit the tone of the series lyrically, but melodically it may seem a bit out of place for some viewers.

Reflections of events will follow under the cut and after the rather humorous picture of, from left to right: Antonio, Odin, and William (“Willy”) Shakespeare.