Pandora Hearts

Reviewed by kuro-hime


Synopsis :

Oz Bezarius, heir to one of the duke houses, has just turned 15. His life is rich and carefree, darkened only by the constant absense of his father. At his coming-of-age ceremony, however, everything changes. For no reason that he can discern, he's cast into a prison known as the "Abyss", only to be saved by a "chain" known as Alice, the bloodstained black rabbit. IT is unknown why he was cast into Abyss, how does Alice factor it all, and what does the organization known as "Pandora" wants with him?

Storyline :

The anime starts out with a hell lot of questions. And it does not get solved until later on in the anime. So, if you don't questions and mysteries, then, this your thing. But the plot is pretty good and I like the way it slowly unravels. The pacing is pretty good. It answers the questions that you been wondering and then, it tosses new questions only to be answered later on. However, I did not like the way they ended the season. They left the main question unanswered, just when you figure out the rest.

Music :

The Opening Song, Parallel Hearts by Fiction Junction is pretty good as it fits the theme of the show. The background music is spectacular and you know trouble is coming when the background music is played. Yuki Kajiura did a very good job in making those lovely background music.

Animation :

The art is average and nice. However, it's not consistant at times. The studio handled it pretty well. But at times, I think the characters look slightly distorted and unproportional. But overall, the art was pretty good.

Characters :


OZ BEZARIUS
He's the main character of this anime. He's a kind person. He has alot of secrets and darkness in him. But still, he manages to put on a smile and pretend to be happy. He is stronger than he thinks he is. And in the beginning of the series, he was pathetic.



GILBERT NIGHTRAY
He used to be Oz's servant until he got adopted by the noble Nightray family. He is a very loyal servant and when, Oz returned from the Abyss. He immediately went to serve Oz as his servant. Eventhough, he is now good with guns and smokes, he is still the same servant boy he used to be. Sometimes, he is a little dramatic because he will do anything for Oz. In a way, that's a little annoying but I think his voice actor did a good job in portraying him.



ALICE THE CHAIN
She's the chain that saved Oz. And maybe even potential patner for Oz. She's a very lively, stubborn person. She eats alot of meat. And the amount that she can eat will scare you. Even so, she has her own deep dark secrets.



VINCENT NIGHTRAY
He is Gilbert's brother and honestly, he is a little crazy. Obviously, he has some of his own skeleton in a closet. But he is quite an interesting character to watch because of his craziness. He is alittle mysterious and there's something about him you just want to know.



SHARON REINSWORTH
She's the granddaughter of Duke Reinsworth. She's a kind hearted, sweet girl but if you get on her wrong side, she can and will hurt you. She's a polite and sweet girl like how any noblemen daughter is like.



XERXES BREAK
He is also a little crazy and wacked. He is Lady Sharon's servant however, he doesn't act as a servant sometimes. Lady Sharon sees him as an older brother compared to a servant. His character is quite peculiar and funny. And he too has his own dirty little secrets.

REVIEW :

This anime is a shonen anime with a tinge of gothic and fantasy. It sligtly reminds me of Kuroshitsuji but this storyline is better than Kuroshitsuji. I like the plot and it slowly reveals itself and answering the questions it threw at you during the first episode. The music was good and it fitted the anime feel. It helped to make the anime more real.

Only thing I hate about this anime is the character development because it's a little slow and sometimes, the characters are portrayed as retarded and pathetic. But later on, the characters became more lovable. Oh, I hate the ending too. The season just ended without any closure. IT did not answer the main final important question that has been lingering in our heads as we watch the series.

There better be a season 2 or many Pandora Hearts fans will not be happy or satisfied. However, I rate this anime 3 stars and I think that it'll get a better rating from me if it ended more nicely and not so sudden.

Twilight Saga : New Moon

Reviewed by kuro-hime



How can we not review the movie that has been the talk of the year? *smirks*

SYNOPSIS :

It's Bella Birthday when she got a papercut in the Cullen's house. Due to that, Edward fears for her safety and so, he and his family leaves Forks. Bella was in depression for a while until she found Jacob Black and they became best friends. Then, she found out that he is a werewolf. Later, Edward thought Bella is dead and so, he wanted to commit suicide by going to the Volturi. Somehow, Bella saves him. When Edward comes back to the picture, Jacob wants to be in the picture and so, a love triangle begins. Vampire Vs Werewolf. Whatever would happen next?


REVIEW :

It was a good thing Catherine Hardwicke did not direct New Moon. Chris Weitz added some action into this movie. Overall, this movie was MUCH MORE better than Twilight. It had more drama and more action. It felt more real. The movie had much more better special effects which I liked. The fight scenes are much better.

Kirsten Stewart acting skills is much better here. She is so believable when she was being depressed. You could really feel the drama and it really felt real. Taylor Lautner also made the movie come alive. His lines in the movie were really sarcastic that really made this movie more real. He really acted quite well as Jacob Black. Robert Pattinson on the other hand, his acting was better compared to Twilight but he still looked like a constipated person to me.

Overall, this was a pretty enjoyable movie. It didn't suck as bad as I thought it would. The drama & intensecity was there. However, I felt that this movie could have been better. I would rate this movie 3 stars.

Sola

Reviewed by kuro-hime



This anime came out in the year 2007 but I'm reviewing it anyway.

Synopsis :
The story starts with Yorito Morimiya, the main character, walking around taking pictures of the rising sun. Then, he found a girl named, Matsuri Shihou. She seems to have a big secret which is that she is a Yaka. Yaka is immortal with a certain powers and they can't go under the sun or they will die.
He protects Matsuri from a man who is hunting her. But soon, he realises that his older sickly sister, Aono hates her. And he wants to know why she is doing her best to get rid of Matsuri.

Soon, more unknown secrets are revealed. At the end of the series, Matsuri & Yorito died while Aono lived with a purer heart.

Storyline :
The first 5 episodes are quite boring because it consists of worthless conversations. But as the story progresses, this anime showed had more depth & it became more interesting. There were many secrets in the anime that you were waiting to be revealed. Then at the end of the series, it gives you 180 degree turn that you never expected. The ending was a nice closure to the series and it even gives you a feel good melanchony feeling. So the storyline was quite good and interesting but it would have been better if the first 5 episodes weren't so boring.

Music :
The Opening and Ending song is very nice as it fits the anime completely. The background songs for this anime were not bad as it complimented the anime.

Animation :
The animation is handle very well by Nomad Studio. The animation is neat and clean. I think the art was very good, better off compared to alot of anime. I liked the art alot.

Characters :



YORITO MORIMIYA
He loves to take pictures of the sky and the clouds. He has a very kindhearted person. He loves his older sister and he even buys her plushies for her. Unfortunately, he isn't real and he dies at the end of the series.



MATSURI SHIHOU
She is a Yaka. She is the reason of Aono & Yorito secrets and suffering. She is a very nice person who is a little lonely. She came back searching for Aono & Yorito to set things right with them and to expose the secret to Yorito.



AONO MORIMIYA
She is also a Yaka. Her heart is slightly filled with grief and anger. She loves her younger brother alot. Sometimes, she acts a little cold and mean. She keeps secrets from Yorito and hates Matsuri. She is actually a caring person. She is just doing her best to carry on with life.

Awards :
This anime was voted the best anime for the year 2007 because it was touching and sweet.

Review :
Overall, this is a very nice anime because the anime has good pacing and timing. It's touching and funny at times. Eventhough it has only 13 episodes, this anime is worth watching. This anime won't make you cry buckets but enough to make you sniffle and be touched.
I rate it 3 and a half stars. If the first 5 episodes weren't so boring, I would give it a higher rating.

Uglies Trilogy

Reviewed by Kuro-hime



There's actually four books in this series but the forth book, Extras has actually nothing to do with the main character.So I'm not reviewing that forth book.

SYNOPSIS :

Since it's trilogy, it's obviously a long story. So long story cut short, I'll summarise this trilogy. The story sets in a sci-fi futuristic world where things are a little different. Their technology is really advance. It's so advance that at the age of 16, every human goes into an operation for becoming pretty (as pretty as a supermodel). So, if you haven't gone through the operation, you are known as uglies. And obviously, after the pretty making operation, you'll be known as a pretty.

A pretty life is really fun. All you do is party and have fun. Nothing else. But there's a catch. Being pretty will strip you of your will, dignity and identity. Not only that, you'll be stupid too. So, the main character which is Tally Youngblood has only one job in this whole trilogy. That job is to rebel. She's the symbol of humanity & mankind.

Character Development :

In the whole Trilogy, you'll get to see alot of growth in Tally's character. But soon or later, you'll get to guess her next move. Because as much as she change, there's one thing that will never change, her stubborness and her believe in the right and wrong. You'll get to know her more throughout the trilogy because it's written in her point of view. You'll enjoy her thoughts and you will feel and share her happiness and sadness. And by the end of the trilogy, you'll want more and you'll have grown to love her.

Writing Style :

Scott Westerfeld has a very unique writing style. His writing is simple and yet so strong. From his writings, it's obvious that he loves his main character which is Tally Youngblood. The author also questions alot things in this trilogy that made me think such as beauty - Is it only skin deep?, The environment - Are we being good to the only planet we live in? (His trilogy is set in the future where they hate our burning of fosils and wars.),Technology - Are these changes for the better?, last but not least, humanity - Do we have a right to strip others of their will?

Review :

This is a very good trilogy to read. I hardly read sci-fi but this sci-fi is just different from the rest. It asks alot of questions and yet it's entertaining. It has alot of adventure, trouble, secrets, conspiracy and even romance. And the best of all, it's set in the future. Maybe, our future will look like what is written in the trilogy or maybe not.
None the less, this is a very intriguing read. You will wanna pick up that book and just read it over and over again. (Well, I know I did. I read this trilogy 5 times already.) And you know you want more eventhough it already ended. So I rate it a 4 and a half stars!

2012

Reviewed by JuliaAerides


In the year 2009, a scientist discovered that the temperature of the earth's core is increasing rapidly. So they begin a secret project intended to ensure humanity survives (Think: Noah's Ark). To help fund the venture, individuals are allowed to purchase tickets for one billion euros apiece.

This is where our hero Jackson Curtis appears and unwittingly learned about the secret of the government from Charlie Frost, a conspiracy theorist living as a hermit. And so begins the race against time to rescue his family. Narrowly escaping by air, the group met up with Yuri Karprov, a Russian billionaire and his two sons, girlfriend and pilot. I think that you could guess where the story would lead from here.

2012 is essentially another one of those blockbusters that delivers in terms of the action but failed in most other respects. However, the massive destruction in this film is absolutely fabulous to behold - a visually spectacular chaos. In fact you could say that the special effects is the ONLY good point since there is practically no character or plot development. But if you like to watch our digitised extras being crushed by skyscrapers, this is thw movie for you.

Not very believable factually but c'mon this is your typical doomsday OMG-The-World-Is-About-To-End movie and what YOU - the audience wants to see is utter destruction and chaos. I wont call it a must see but you will not regret if you went to watch it.

Clocking in a near two and a half hours, you may get slightly tired with a never ending conclusion as we are "amazed" by our character's amazing ability and outstanding luck to survive the odds. But its not all that bad when you get to see airborne. On the whole, its a nice but predictable movie, similar to Say After Tomorrow and Independence Day.

Verdict: 6.4

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Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles [Volume 28]

Reviewed by JuliaAerides



The story begins in the desert country of Clow where the protagonists Syaoran, a devoted and kind archaeologist is continuing work of his late father of excavating the nearby ruins. His childhood friend Sakura, the kind and well-loved princess of the kingdom where Syaoran lives who holds undeveloped magic, however mysteriously has her memories scattered across the dimensions in the form of feathers and will die if they are not returned to her. To save her, Syaoran takes her to the Dimensional Witch where he meets two more of the series' protagonists who've arrived with similar wishes: Kurogane, a rough-mannered ninja, and Fay D. Fluorite, a laid-back magician with a dark past. In order to journey across the dimensions, they receive a cheerful white creature named Mokona, from the Dimensional Witch Yūko. On their journey across the dimensions to retrieve Sakura's feathers, they encounter many characters that they have already encountered before in other dimensions.
-adapted from wikipedia


Okay, let's face it: this is a "big" series, one of those that drags for chapters and chapters with minimal progression, etc etc. The ending COULD have sucked big time. We see that all the time.

I think that, considering how confusing (REALLY confusing) the series is, the ending was okay, and it gave a certain closure. CLAMP also ends the story with a solid ‘whoa!’ moment that’s bound to make a good lasting impact after you’ve closed the book.


You should be warned, TRC contains crossover characters from various Clamp series. (As shown in the diagram)The only manga necessary is xxxHolic that runs parallel to TRC.

Volume 28 picks up where Yūko is revealed to have suffered a fate exactly the same as R!Sakura in that her own time had been stopped after Clow indirectly wished for Yūko when she was dying.

It is then explained that as clone Sakura and Syaoran are artificial beings, they're not bound by the rules of the universe and therefore could be revived. When given the choice to be reincarnated, Syaoran is initially hesitant before being convinced by Sakura due to the atrocities he previously committed.

After playing her part to aid the crew against FWR, her time begins to move again, bringing an end to her life.

The clones are then reincarnated with her memories intact by Yūko, and the two would eventually meet and give birth to a boy, who through a paradox turns out to be the original Syaoran. They raise him until it is time for him to begin the events of the series, and then they are sealed in a glass tube in order to await a certain event, with being unable to touch each other as the price.

Through an epic battle between the two Syaoran and Sakura, Fai and Kurogane, FWR was finally defeated. However, before he disintegrated, he revealed to Syaoran that they were the same--that is, they were both created beings.

After the defeat of FWR, the two Syaoran and Watanuki are pulled into a void between time and space as they are now entities disconnected with to world and must pay the price to leave. R!Syaoran decides the price he would pay is for his journey to continue while Watanuki's price to never be able to leave the shop.

However, the clones disappear and turn into feathers which are memories and return to their original self. At the end of the series R!Sakura finally confesses her love to R!Syaoran, and remains in the Kingdom of Clow awaiting Syaoran's return from his never ending journey.

Whew!! That took me quite awhile to summarise. My eyes spiraling more than once as I reread panels to try and grasp who was talking about what. And most importantly I did not expect that the original Syaoran and Sakura's real name are actually Tsubasa! How ironic and yet fitting.
Verdict: 9.0

Spice & Wolf II

Reviewed by kuro-hime



Synopsis :
Lawrence, a travelling merchant, meets with Horo, a wolf deity. Somehow, Lawrence promised Horo that he'll bring her home in the Northern region and that he will look after her. While Horo promised that she'll be his business partner so that they will earn money. At first, they argue alot and has lots of witty remark about each other but in the end, they end up falling with each other.

Storyline :
This anime storyline is simple and not much. Even so, it's sweet. The storyline is neat and simple without much complication but of course, once in a while, troubles are throwed in the anime.

Music :
The medieval music fits the medieval theme and feel of the anime, making the anime more real and alive. The Opening and the Ending music is nice and sweet.

Animation :
The animation is quite nice. It's nothing special but the art is not bad either.

Characters :



CRAFT LAWRENCE
He is a very smart merchant who dares to take big risks. He understand alot about business and how it works. He is looking for big money. He is a very rational person but later in the season, he becomes a little more emotional because he fell in love Horo and he is afraid to lose her. Sometimes, he overthinks about things. No matter what, he is a lovable character.



HORO
Horo is a very smart but cunning wolf deity. She is also pretty and witty. Sometimes, she uses her beauty to fool people and to get what she wants. She is a damn good drinker. Sometimes, she behaves like a spoilt brat. Slowly, you will begin to love her character.


Review :
This anime is not a very good anime nor is it a terrible anime. It's one of those so-so anime that is very sweet and nice. It's the kind of anime that you would want to watch after watching epic and awesome anime. It's one of those anime that you watch to relax yourself.
Overall, it's a very nice anime. And you would want to see Lawrence and Horo together at the end of the season. So I rate it 3 stars.

17 Again

Reviewed by kuro-hime



Yes, I know this movie was in cinemas quite a while ago. Even so, I feel like reviewing this movie.

Synopsis :

Mike O'Donnell of class 1989 was a star in his high school basketball court with a college scout and a bright future in his grasp. But instead, he decides to throw it all away when he found out that his girlfriend, Scarlett was pregnant.
Almost 20 years later, Mike marriage to Scarlett has fallen apart. His teenage children things he is a loser and his best friend, Ned who is a nerd is now a billionaire. He can't even get a job promotion even though he has worked there for almost 20 years.

Mike is given a another shot at life when he suddenly transformed back to the age of 17. Unfortunately, he may look 17 but he is a 30 something year old man at heart. How will he survive high school in the year 2009?

Review :

Eventhough this story plot has been used in several hundred movies, this movie is still interesting. The pacing of the story is really good. It's not too fast & it's not too slow. And it's definately not boring. This movie can really make you laugh out loud.

Unfortunately, I have to give credit to Zac Efron on his acting skills. All this while, I was a anti-efron person but this movie changed my perception. This reason I watched this movie was because of Matthew Perry but ended up, enjoying Zac Efron acting. He managed to emote really well in this movie and the character seem real.

Unlike all his past works such as High School Musical & Hairspray, I think this is the first movie that display his acting. I hope he picks better projects next time. As for the supporting cast, they did really well too. The movie felt real and relevant to adults and teenagers.

This movie is one of those nice, sweet, relaxing movie that you want to watch on a tired Monday night. This movie is just one of those movie that gives you a nice after feeling. I have no regrets in watching this movie and I have personally watched this movie thrice.

This movie is definately not corny and I think it worked out quite well. I rate this movie 3 stars out of five.

Twilight Saga

Reviewed by kuro-hime



Synopsis :

I'm sure everyone knows the Twilight saga. But if you don't know the Twilight saga, I'm going to just summarise it because telling too much would be a major spoiler and we all know that spoilers are a no-no.
Anyway,this is your ordinary vampire love story. Anyway, in the story we have the main character, Isabella Swan. She's your ordinary quiet girl. So one day, she moves to Forks to stay with her father. Then in Forks, she meets a boy who is a vampire, Edward Cullen. And so the vampire & the human girl fell in love with each other. The saga revolves around this main plot.

Character development :

There's quite a few character development. We get to know Bella because the story is her point of her view. We know what's she thinking and after a while, you can pretty much guess her next move.

Writing Style :

Stephenie Meyer has an interesting writing style that captures our attention. However, from her writing, I can tell that Stephenie Meyer is slightly prejudiced because she made her vampire almost godlike and that she really love her main character, Bella Swan.

Review :

This saga actually has a nice story but for me, this saga cannot be read more than twice because it will lose it's charms. The theme of the story is really good but it has been drag too long to fit in 4 books. There are some books in the saga that were really dissappointing.
The ending of this story somehow felt a little boring and yet disgusting. As much as I enjoyed this book, there are times when I feeling throwing the book on the ground. This book is mostly dissappointing than amusing. Even so, it's pretty good.
I rate it 2 stars.

D.Gray-Man [Chapter 187]

Reviewed by JuliaAerides


"Akuma, monsters born from dead souls mistakenly recalled by their loved ones to the living world, are the weapons of the Millennium Earl, who is intent on the destruction of the world. Allen Walker has been cursed with an anti-Akuma weapon "Innocence", a substance that allows him to kill Akuma and fight the Earl in his left arm and an eye that sees the former soul of the Akuma since his youth. With these powers, he joins the Black Priest Organization as an Exorcist and sets out with other Exorcists to stop the Earl's attempts to annihilate the human race."-adapted from wikipedia

So~~after what? 5 month? DGM has kindly provided a sweetener to its fans (me~!!)who were rather piss at the series of unexplained hiatus - well at least until it returns in November as a monthly release.

Okay. *speechless* All I can say is that (a)exorsist are being attacked left right and centre (b)wow their new uniform kinda sucked (c)Allen has gained an awesome new attack (d)It has no direct link to the previous chapter...just when we're about to know more about Kanda

From the first few pages~We know more about our Noahs than ever before! Really shocking! I'm also surprised that the Earl is a Noah - I always thought that the Noahs served the Earl...

This being us to questions as I thought that Road would be the 1st disciple as they call her the First Child~~Apparently I was wrong. On top of the miraculous pace it is going at, the Noah's seems to have gain an ability to appear out of thin air.

About the 3rd Exorcists...They're quite disappointing after their rather grand entrance to the Order - proclaiming that they could help the exorcist in the war. Seems that even if they could consume many akuma with one attack they are powerless against the Noah.

Anyway, the most surprising news is that they are "born" from something called Alma Karma and that they too can turn into this thing to give "birth" to other 3rd exorcists. Talk about cannibalism. And for some unknowed reason the Earl wants it.

To wrap things up, this manga is very jaw-dropping with many new revelations.

Verdict: 8.9


Additional Review by Kuro-hime

This manga has been in hiatus for too long. And when the new chapter has been published, many fans rushed to read it. In order to please the fans, the chapter is 50 page long.

However, I felt that chapter 187 is very dissappointing. WHY?

1. The art work became more messier & harder to read

2. The Noah looked alike while the characters no longer looked like what they used too. It seems that the characters have morphed.

3. It is actually quite a boring chapter.

In this chapter, the Noahs were unveiled. Isn't that suppose to be exciting? In any D.gray-man fan mind, Noahs are strong, mysterious and maybe even good looking. But when the Noahs was really unveiled, it felt insignificant and nothing special. So that's slightly boring as the characters looked like a photocopy of each other.

And about the exorcists, their new uniform sucked. I think this is the worst uniform design ever. Not only that, the mysterious 3rd exorcist turned out to be lame weaklings. And it also seem the exorcists are losing this battle.

Another thing that made this chapter dissappointing is that this chapter did NOT continue the last chapter. That's quite frusfrating to all Kanda fans. I'm sure all the Kanda fans are asking, "WHAT HAPPENED TO KANDA? WHAT IS HIS SECRET PAST?"

Overall, this anime is just dissappointing and if Hoshino Katsura wants to keep her fans, she should do something. This is not one of Hoshino best works.
Overall, I rate it 2 stars out of 5

Death Note.

Reviewed by kuro-hime


Death Note synopsis :

Shinigami own notebooks called "Death Note" which are used as killing devices. Whoever's name they write down in a death note will die. Shinigami Ryuk dropped his death note in the human world where it's found by honor high school student Light Yagami.
Light Yagami discoveres that he now he has the power to discreetly kill people and with this power, he plans to change the world by killing off criminals. Soon, he is called KIRA.
L, a super dectective wants to catch KIRA, believing that KIRA don't have the right to kill.
Then, a cat & mouse situation appeared.

Storyline :
This anime has a pretty good story premise. The storyline is interesting. At first, the pace of the story is slow but then it slowly takes off. The 2nd half of the anime gives you a sudden plot twist which you wouldn't expect.

Music :
The background music that are quite nice. It really gives life to the anime, making the anime more real.
The opening & closing of Death Note are quite nice. Nothing special but nice to listen to.

Animation :
The animation is done really well. The art is really nice. The art is different from most anime because of it's not your usual anime art. The art in Death Note looks the most realistic to humans. The art almost looks real. That's what I like about the art. It gives me a break from the usual anime art.

Characters :


The main character of this anime is Light Yagami. The intelligent honor student & perfect son. He is an intelligent person. Wait, heck, he's brillant. He's a genius. Well, he found a death note and uses it to cleanse the world by killing criminals. You get to see his character development as the story passes.
You will either love him or hate him.


Then we have, L.lawliet, the super dectective. He's also a genius. He wants to arrest KIRA. His character is quite weird & interesting. He likes to eat lots of candies. He is definately a loveable character.

REVIEW :
This another must watch anime. This anime has an interesting mental battle and it always leave you wondering who will win the game. It's a very exciting anime filled with suspense.
The ending of this anime leaves you wanting more but you can't have it because it ended. I, personally wanted more! The ending is quite sad and not really happy. But there could be no other ending than this because the author didn't attempt to make a happy ending at all and wrote in a way that drove to this ending.
So I rate this anime 4 STARS!!

G.I Joe: The Rise of the Cobra

Reviewed by JuliaAerides


I haven't have much expectations for this movie~ expecting it to be a usual boring 'world domination' plot recycled many times over. Boy was I wrong~ The pacing was excellent. Not too much explanation but well placed flashback sequence either featuring Duke/Baroness or Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow. Clocking below 2 hours, this is an action packed movie with loads of humour and its fair share of wtf moments that will keep you quite entertained.

Basically, G.I Joe is an elite military force led by the might-die-soon-in-future-sequel leader, General Hawks. His top troops comprise of a complete badass mute ninja Snake Eyes, intelligence expert Scarlet, technical brainiac Breaker and weapon master Heavy Duty.

They are introduced when a soldier convoy got blasted by the bad guys while transporting warheads capable of mass destruction. And naturally the only two survivors Duke and Ripcord became part of G.I Joe to track down their assailants The Baroness who has some history with Duke, rival ninja Storm Shadow, two timing weapon dealer McCullen, and the all time twisted mad scientist The Doctor.

Tech-wise the science gizmo are pretty awsome~ Apparently jamming electrode into a dead persons brain allowes you to replay their last memories. (We should test that theory sometimes~) But I think they seems to overdoing the 'shattering the glass' explosion effect. And somehow the Baroness reminds me of Catwoman- Her leather body fitting outfit is more of a fan service-designed to show of the best of her assets.

The action constantly shifts from dense forests, the streets of France, underwater bases, to high-altitude jet fights and a number of places in-between. The major sequences are both intense and sufficiently humorous with non stop barage of chases, explosions, destruction of mational landmarks and general mayhem across the globe.

My verdict: 7.7

The Undomestic Goddess

Reviewed by Kuro-hime


SYNOPSIS.
Samantha Sweeting-a high-powered lawyer in London, working for one of the best law firms, Carter Spink. Truly a workaholic, her goal in her career is to be a partner in Carter Spink.

Life seems to be running along just fine until she makes a terrible mistake. Thrown head first into the world of home making- A Cambridge educated lawyer mistaken for a house keeper~!! With romance throwed into the concoction can Samantha Sweetings learn that theres more to life than just datelines, meetings and contracts. Oh and did I mention, she actually knows nothing about home making.

Character development
You can actually see the changes in her thoughts and movement. The author paced the story well and she could really give a sudden twist which you wouldn't expect. As for the romance between Samantha and Nathaniel, you can see it grow and you laugh at their awkward situation. And at the end of the story, you really want them to be together... This book is definitely one of my favourites and I highly recommend it to everyone. It's not corny, it's not boring. Instead, it's captivating, unique and addictive!

Writing Style
Sophie Kinsella knows how to make it dramatic, real and yet funny. The way she writes is very interesting and it makes you connect with the main character emotions and story plot. Although, this book is written in a first point of view, we do not miss out on the story plot.

Review
Honestly, I like this story. I liked the way Sophie Kinsella wrote it. It has a special charm. Somehow, you can relate with the characters. Normally, I don't even read this kind of genre but this book was so interesting and captivating that it was hard to put it down.
No matter how good the plot is, I'm slightly disappointed with the ending. Sophie Kinsella could have given us a little more description to her new life when she turned down the partnership offer. I give this book 4 stars. I'll be looking forward to reading Sophie Kinsella next work.

You should give the book a try!

Record of Fallen Vampire

Reviewed by JuliaAerides

There is a legend that tells of how the world was almost destroyed thousands of years ago by the vampire queen after she unleashed her latent powers. Despite their efforts, the humans were unable to defeat her, and thus resorted to sealing her away until the time they would be powerful enough to kill her. However, the humans are not the only ones after the seal. Having cast aside his kingdom and betraying his own race and the dhampirs (half-vampires), the vampire king is persistently searching, even to this day, for where his queen has been sealed away so he may break the seal and free her. Fearing that once the king and queen are reunited, they shall continue to destroy the world together, the humans and dhampirs hunt the king, using any method possible.-adapted from wikipedia

When I first read it, I was a little skeptical because is this going to be ANOTHER vampire versus humans storyline that can get pretty boring. However, I found it all makes for a very interesting plot and as I learned more details about the story I grew to enjoy it more and more.

In the beginning, I couldn't really develop a connection to every character as the story seemed a little rushed. But I later realised the quick progression in the beginning was necessary to move the story along appropriately, and then from there it continues at a normal pace. And just when you think it all might get repetitive the mangaka throws in a surprising twist!

Record of Fallen Vampire is a promising manga even though it takes a while for a story to find its bearings. Quite cluttered and badly framed at some point, the storytelling is the only strength of this manga. Interestingly, the truth about what that really happenned 1000 years before the story's timeline is shown through the character's biased eyes until the truth becomes clear –the differing perceptions of the same truth.

This is definitely not your typical bloodsucking vampire story and I am impressed about how she made this her very own. In summary, this is mesmerising tale filed with suspense - a supernatural epic. All in all this manga is definitely worth looking into.

My verdict: 8.8

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Reviewed by JuliaAerides


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince-the 6th instalation of the film. I'm sure that this doesn't need any introductions but just for precautionary measures...

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter, together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The central story arc concerns Harry's an orphan who discovers that he is a wizard,struggle against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world and subjugate non-magical (Muggle) people to his rule.-adapted from wikipedia

In the begining it wasn't clear what the main plot was. But after the first half, the movie began to pick up, paving its way to an unconclusive ending hinting of what that is about to come.

Comparatively, the book was darker and complex compared to its film eventhough it lacks the magic and action of its prequels. Comedic effects are well paced and it did its job well to lighten up an otherwise dark, gloomy and the feeling-of-impending-doom atmosphere.

Watching The Half Blood Prince twice, I have no doubts about the acting abilities of the cast, especially of the supporting ones as the quality of their acting has improved tremendously. But the same cannot be said for Daniel Radcliff who portrays Harry Potter. His acting doesn't reach out to the audience like in his previous work~well at least in this film.

Characters especialy from the romance angle sees development (Infact the first-half is FLOODING with it.)It was interesting watching these characters, grow into young adult and acknoledging their feelings for each other.

Visually the Harry Potter saga has WOW-ed me yet again its amazing effects and atmosphere. The scenes were very much alike to what I imagined from the book. Coupled with its sound effects they kept me constantly in awe.

The Half Blood Prince, in whole is funny, entertaining but somehow when I left the cinema I felt slightly disapointed. Pointless scenes were inserted and others crucial and important to the plot and character development were compressed or removed.

The ending especially was very anti-climatic with the ending not following the book. The lack of explanatory and elaboration of the Half Blood Prince and its relation to Snapes past is its downside as those who have not read the book will not have any idea why is Snape half-blood.

This movie is not for those who are only in it for its action because you won't exactly see any. I was expecting more from a film that I had to wait a year plus for but overall this isn't bad. Not bad at all. It could have been worse.

My verdict: 6.7
~Additional Review by Kuro-hime~

This movie is NOT for those who have NOT read the book because if you didn't read the book, you'll not understand certain things in the movie.
This movie has wonderful effects, the effects are flawless.
However, the transition of the book to the movie is slightly dissappointing. The director only managed to put 60% of the book in the movie.

The director missed out several important parts of the book which are the essence of the book. Those essence are the main source of drama and emotions. This movie does not have much action but it's more emotional. (Be it, falling in love or being angsty)

I still have to give credit to the director for creating several scenes which ARE so similar with what readers had in mind. As for the cast, it's pretty damn good. Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) really did a good job of portraying Draco's angst and uptightness.
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin (Child Tom Riddle) and Frank Dillane (Teenager Tom Riddle) did a good job as Tom Riddle of being young yet different or in other words, evil. I wonder where they found the Tom Riddle's because those 2 are really what I would have imagined Tom Riddle to be.

I rate this movie 3 stars too. It could have been better...

Nokia N86 8MP VS Sony Ericsson W995

~Written by Kuro-hime~

Nokia N86 8MP and Sony Ericsson W995 were both announced in February 2009. Both the phones have already been released. Now, both these phones are quite similar with each other. Really, I'm not kidding. These phones are even popular for the same thing...their high-tech camera.
Therefore, this dual is borned. Let the dual begin.

PHONE PHYSICAL FEATURE :

Nokia N86 8MP



SIZE : 103.4 x 51.4 x 16.5mm
WEIGHT : 149 g
FORM FACTOR : Dual Slider
SCREEN : 2.6 inch OLED display

Sony Ericsson W995



SIZE : 97 x 49 x 15mm
WEIGHT : 113 g
FORM FACTOR : One Way Slider
SCREEN : 2.6 inch

Size and weight is definately won by Sony Ericsson because it's lighter. But Nokia is cooler because it has dual slider.


CAMERA, VIDEO AND MUSIC FEATURES :

Nokia N86 8MP
- 8 Megapixels
- Carl Zeiss lens with a wide angle of view(28mm)
- Auto focus & dual LED flash
- VGA camera (phone secondary camera)
- Video capture 30 frame per second.
- Stereo speakers and 3.5mm audio jack
- FM Radio
- Music Player
- Video Player

Sony Ericsson W995
- 8.1 Megapixels
- Auto focus & LED Flash
- VGA Camera (Phone Secondary camera)
- Video Capture 30 frame per second
- Stereo Speaker and 3.5mm audio jack
- FM radio
- Music Player / Walkman 4.0 Player
- Youtube application
- Shake Control

Hmm...very close competiton. I really can't give the crown to anyone. But after consideration, I'll give the crown to Sony Ericsson because it has a 8.1 megapixel camera.

OTHER FEATURES :

Nokia N86 8MP
- HSPDA
- Wi-Fi
- GPS
- Built in digital compass

Sony Ericsson W995
- HSPDA
- Wi-Fi
- GPS

Nokia wins this one because of the extra feature. Not only that, Nokia's web browser is better than Sony Ericsson.

MEMORY :

Nokia N86 8MP
- Internal 8GB memory
- MicroSD slot support up to 16GB

Sony Ericsson W995
- Internal 118MB
- Memory Stick Micro(M2)support up to 8GB

Well, Nokia wins this without any competiton.

BATTERY LIFE :

Nokia N86 8MP
- 6 hours talktime
- 25 hours music playback
- 11 days standback on a full charge

Sony Ericsson W995
- 9 hours talktime
- 20 hours music playback
- 5 hours Video playback

Wow, another hard competition. But I think people would listen to music on their phones more than talk to it. So the crown goes to Nokia.

Nokia won :
- Coolest
- Other feature
- Memory
- Battery life

Sony Ericsson won :
- Lightest
- Camera/Music/Video feature

It's obvious who the winner is. So, the crown goes to the *insert drumroll* NOKIA N86 8MP!!
I really thought Sony Ericsson will win. Oh well... Anyway, Congratulation, Nokia!!

Anyway, what's your say?? Who do you think is the winner of the battle?
I really wonder which your choice? IS it Nokia or Sony Ericsson?

Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion

Reviewed by Kuro-hime


Code Geass R1 Synopsis :The series is set after Japan's conquest by the Holy Britannian Empire on August 10, 2010, a.t.b. with their powerful robot weapons, the Knightmare Frames. Japan and its citizens stripped of all rights and freedoms and renamed Area 11. The titular Lelouch is a Britannian prince who was disowned by his father, Emperor Charles zi Britannia, after his mother was murdered. Since then he vowed to destroy his father, the Emperor, and Britannia. He gains an ability through the mysterious power of the Geass, becoming the leader of the resistance movement to fulfill his two wishes: to seek revenge for his mother and to construct a world in which his beloved sister Nunnally can live happily. As Lelouch furthers his conquests, he begins to find questions to his personal belief because of that of those closest to him.

Code Geass R2 Synopsis:
It's been one year since the failure of the Black Rebellion and the supposed death of Zero. Britannia has assigned Area 11 a "correctional education" status, where Elevens are made an example of by brute force, to try to prevent any future uprisings and suppress rebellious thoughts. Unsuspecting high school student, Lelouch, oblivious to his rebellious past as Zero, stumbles upon a scheme on his life and the life of a mysterious woman known as C.C., who reveals to him his forgotten purpose and his "true" self. Destroying his assailants and declaring himself Zero once again, Lelouch sets out to finish what he started.

Storyline :
This anime has one of the best story plots ever. It is fast-paced filled with action, emotions and drama. This anime is very addictive. Every episode hooks you even more. This story has many twists and turns. The sudden plot twist is so good that you never guessed it.

Music :
Code Geass R1 :
The songs are pretty good. I liked the first opening which is "colors" by FLOW and the second ending which is "Mosaicku Kakera" by Sunset Swish
Code Geass R2 :
I really liked all the both the openings which is "02" by Orange Range and "World End" by FLOW. I didn't really like the endings.
Background music :
The background music are very well done. It really suits with the anime. Songs such as masquerade, continued stories and Tori ni naru are really soft and nice. The background songs do drive in the emotion of the anime even more.

Animation :
The animation is done very well. Of course, it's done very well. This is a high-budget anime from Sunrise Studio and the animation is done by the best. CLAMP are the mastermind behind code geass character design. The animation has CLAMP signature all over it but then, I'm not complaining. I really like CLAMP's work.
Maybe, the characters are drawn a little too thin or unreal but this is an anime, it's not suppose to be real. Other than that, the art is excellent.

Characters :


The title character and protagonist of the show, Lelouch Lamperouge is a seemingly ordinary student at Ashford Academy. In reality, he is Lelouch vi Britannia, the exiled son of the Emperor of Britannia, after his mother's assassination. When he gets caught up in a battle between the military and Japanese rebels, he gains the power of Geass, and begins a quest to utilize this power to destroy Britannia under another identity known as Zero.


C.C. is one of the most important character in Code Geass as she was the one who granted Lelouch has Geass. Much is not known about her except that she's immortal and wishes to die.

C.C. is not her real name; she involuntarily reveals her real name to Lelouch in her sleep, but it is muted so the viewer cannot hear it. (I wonder why?? Damn Sunrise for being so secretive. Until today, people still argue on C.C's name in forums.)

C.C is quite a mysterious and sarcastic person when she is having a conversation with Lelouch. At the same time, she is also very kind. Their relationship is quite weird, honestly. And one thing that makes C.C so lovable is her penchant for pizza's and she will go to extreme length to get it.


Suzaku Kururugi is Lelouch's best friend and his worst enemy. Suzaku character is a little odd and hard to understand. But when the story ends, you will understand him a little deeper.
Suzaku isn't really a favourite character due to his thinking and actions. There's even a Suzaku must die fanclub. However, I think Suzaku is an important character in the series and he is actually a nice character if you can accept his reasons.

Awards :
Yes, code geass has awards. Yup, it's that good.
Fukuyama Jun won best leading best voice actor for his performance as Lelouch in the Seiyu Awards 2007
Ami Koshimizu won best voice actress in a supporting role for her performance as Kallen Stadtfeld in the Seiyu Awards 2007
Code Geass R1 won the best TV anime series award in the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair
Best TV Animation at the 12th Animation Kobe Event.
Best TV Animation at the 13th Animation Kobe Event.
Code Geass was voted most popular and Lelouch was voted most favourite character in Animage's 29th Annual Anime Grand Prix

Review :
This is a must watch anime. It's the best of the best and you can expect one hell of a roller coaster ride from code geass. I rate it 5 stars.
People compare Code Geass with Death Note and Gundam because people claim that code geass = gundam + death note. That may seem to be true but even so, Code Geass has it owns identity.
Only complain I have is that the plot is sometimes a little too fast and confusing. Other than that, it's pretty damn epic! (Yes, I'm using the word "epic")

~Additional Reviews by Chi no Hana~

Code Geass is a very theatrical series - rather complex storyline, intricately woven characters, and a good dose of philosophy, as well. Its animation style is clean and crisp, and of good quality.

The characters are not exactly realistic looking but they're all unique in their own way - you have the typical angst ridden lead who would do anything to gain his goals Lelouch, then there's his EXACT opposite, christlike, idealistic, personality lacking goodboy Suzaku.

Code Geass has great rewatch value. It has flaws that prevent it from being a classic, yet it has every element to be a "must watch" anime - making it both exciting and interesting to follow.

Verdict: 9.0