Anime Thoughts

Alrighty, this is my little space to babble on about different anime's I've seen and my thoughts/memories on them. I've been an anime otaku in varying degrees for a decade; that's a lot of anime! I just want to share some thoughts about my favorite and not-so-favorite animes with ya so here we go!!

Gundam Wing

Favorite Character: Duo Maxwell

As anyone can see from the site, I enjoyed this series enough to create a website inspired by it. I loved the deep plot of Gundam Wing and the fantastic story even though it got a little too twisted and hard to follow at times. After watching all 49 episodes, you almost need a chart or diagram to keep everything straight. The thing that keeps me in the fandom, however, is the fandom itself. When I first watched Gundam Wing on Cartoon Network and first started getting into the yaoi side of things, the fandom was so vibrant. There was always a new story just around the corner. I was fascinated by all the different combinations of pairings and by the pilots themselves. All the different aspects of these guys and their relationships with each other is what keeps drawing me again and again. So while the series and OVA are good by themselves, I still prefer the fandom and the breathtaking world of fanfiction. ^^

Sailor Moon

Favorite Character: Mamoru Chiba

Ah, the classic Sailor Moon. This was one of the one's that created the otaku in me. I caught the occassional episodes of SM when it was on USA in the mid-90's. When it came to Cartoon Network, I was in hog heaven! My little sister and I couldn't get enough! We would rush home every day from school just to catch the next moment of SM. Sailor Moon created in the me the absolute love of bishonen. Mamoru Chiba was my sex slave! ^^ I adored, and still do, the romance between he and Usagi. I still today, after ten years, will read romance fanfictions between these two. It's just one of those timeless love stories that makes you melt into goo when you read it.

Fushigi Yuugi

Favorite Character: Nuriko and Hikitsu

I remember going absolutely gaga over this series in high school. A friend of my little sister's had up to episode 48 fansubbed; I kidnapped my little sister when she was borrowing these tapes and I made her sit with me to watch all the episodes in one sitting. I got so upset with her when she wanted to eat dinner 'cause I wanted to keep watching and she wouldn't let me watch more without her since they were tapes she was borrowing. That's how obsessed I was at the time.... *sweatdrop* It's one of the first animes that I watched that made me cry buckets. OMG! Episodes 31-34 just killed me!! I grew into such a Nuriko nut only to have him killed off. It was the first time that I had watched an anime where a good character had died off. I wasn't used to that; it hit me so hard. The emotions in this anime are just so deep that you can't watch and not get sucked in to some degree. Granted, some of the emotions are a bit too repetitive ("Tamahome" and "Miaka!"!), but it's still beautiful enough that I gotta keep watching. An absolutely beautiful anime!!

Kyou Kara Maoh

Favorite Character: Yuuri

One of my newer obsessions. I was first attracted to KKM when I read somewhere online that it was Fushigi Yuugi with a guy instead of a girl being sucked to another world. When I learned that Yuuri is sucked into a toilet, I just had to watch!! I was, and still am, mesmerized by the shounen-ai possibilities!! Beyond the toilet thing, this series is absolutely hilarious. It takes a lot for me to laugh out loud anime-wise, but KKM does the trick. My favorite comedy moments are the T-Zou sheep/meatbun moments and Yuuri getting caught by Wolfram while "cheating". LOL!! Since I've watched the series, I have got to say that my favorite pairing has got to be Conrad x Yuuri. I just don't see Yuuri as a seme. I don't know why; he's just not the type. I like him and Wolfram together, but I see Wolfram as the dominate member of this partnership. *dodges the knives of most of the KKM fandom* However, Conrad x Yuuri is my baby. It's just so prevelent!! You can see it everywhere! (Admittedly, you can also see Wolfram x Yuuri too, but that's besides the point. ^^) I mean, the soulful stare into each other's eyes when they went back to the island where Morgif is from to rescue the children and meet with Belal is a dead give away!! It was enough to send Wolfram into fits of jealousy. Ah, the sweetness..... ^^

Fullmetal Alchemist

Favorite Character: Edward Elric and Maes Hughes

Ai no Kusabi

Favorite Character: Riki

One of my first hardcore yaoi animes, I first watched this in 2000. The thing that draws me first and formost is the story. For a two episode OVA, this anime packs a pretty powerful punch. It addresses some powerful issues while portraying a beautiful romance between Iason and Riki. And as my first experience with hardcore sex scenes, it solidified my love of yaoi. I can just imagine my parents running, screaming, into the distance. But, the main attraction for this anime is the love, hands down. Taking the ultimate sacrifice for the person you love, what illustrates love more.

Rurouni Kenshin

Favorite Character: Saitoh Hajime

This was one of those animes I saw around the same time as Fushigi Yuugi, in my first years as an otaku. That is probably why it has left such an impression on me and why I keep watching and reading fanfiction for it. I generally don't watch fighting anime because they lack drama which I adore. And Rurouni Kenshin is your definitive fighting anime, from elaborate fight scenes that can last up to four episodes to whole episodes devoted to explaining sword techniques and styles. I kid you not, one whole episode was just that, naming the fighting moves and explaining in vivid detail how they were accomplished. However, the thing with Kenshin that keeps me coming back is the characters. I absolutely adore Kenshin with his horrible past as a teenage assassin and his current vow to never kill again as a result of this constant killing and the fact that he killed his past love. Kenshin's current romance with Kaoru, the sweet yet fighting girl he saved, is enough by itself to keep me coming back to this fandom and anime. However, it's all because of one man that I adore Rurouni Kenshin, his name, Saitoh Hajime. One of my favorite anime characters of all time!!!!!! He fights with his own honor system and never strays from it. He's not afraid to kill for what he believes is right and for his honor; Saitoh is your definitive samurai. Makes a girl weak in the knees!! And he's got that psychotic knife licking and eye thing down! How can you not love a character that could be a villan or good guy? He could go either way, depending on how the situation falls into his own honor system. I just love Saitoh Hajime!!!!!

Ronin Warriors

Favorite Character: Touma Hashiba

Ah, yes. This was THE anime that got me into yaoi. The beautiful Rowen/Touma and the lovely Sage/Seiji... What can I say, they absolutely fit together! The very first yaoi website I visited ever was dedicated to Ronin Warriors, Mink's Ronin Yaoi Cake. I was still in high school when I first came here and I remember having to hide the stories I saved because I didn't want my parents or little sister find them. Hell, I'm a free wheeling yaoi fan now who could give a sh*t now who found out I like boy/boy love. But back then, I was "in the closet" so to speak. Anyways, the site introduced me to the world of yaoi. "Slow Burn" by Ladyglen..... Whew! Dang hot yaoi lemon!

X (TV)

Favorite Character: Aoki Seichirou and Shiro Kamui

I first saw the movie for X and was very repelled. I knew from reading online that X had a high death toll and dealt with some major issues, but the movie was a bit much. I mean, EVERYONE dying but one is a bit much. I'm so glad that TV series did it better. It followed the manga far more closely, and the plot was allowed to build far more. I got to see more of my Aoki and Kamui. Episode 12! OMG! This episode solidified my absolute adoration of Fuuma. God, he's just hot as a psychotic fanatic out to kill his little sister and best friend. Why is it I tend to gravitate more towards pretty long-haired bishonen, business men with glasses, or pyschotic weirdo's for favorite characters? It's one of life's little mysteries...

Yami no Matsuei

Favorite Character: Hisoka Kurosaki

Haru wo Daiteita

Favorite Character: Iwaki Kyousake

I just absolutely love and adore the manga version of this OVA! And I just absolutely worship Iwaki-sama! He's one of my favorite yaoi characters; he's just so wise and yet vulnerable, mature and beautiful. I think for just being an OVA it captured the essence of Haru and what we all love about it. Of course, I would have been absolutely floored and thrilled for it to be a full length series. Yet, I can live with an OVA. (If only they would really make that Winter Cicada movie though!! GGGRRR!!!) The OVA by itself, I think, introduces the characters nicely while establishing the uniqueness of the relationship between Iwaki and Katou. The endling, also, isn't like other OVA endings and leave you hanging, wondering what the makers were smoking when they made said OVA. It wraps it up nicely. All in all, a pretty darn good adaption from a manga into a short two episode OVA, but MAN, they should have made a full length series! Me want more Iwaki!! ^_^

Hungry Heart Wild Striker

Favorite Character: Kanou Kyousake

I first watched this after finishing Whistle. I scowered the internet for any soccor anime I could find. Wild Striker was the only one I could find that was finished being fansubbed with appealing artwork to boot. After watching, however, I'm in love! Unlike Whistle, Wild Striker has other elements besides the strive to better the game and go pro. I mean, yeah, they're there but there's so much more!! I just absolutely love the cute, tender little moments between Kyousake and Miki. They're just so sweet!! And when Sakai and Rodrigo, two foreign exchange students on the soccor team, discover the absolute love the Japanese people have of hot springs... Let's just say that that episode had me rolling on the floor laughing!

Whistle!

Favorite Character: Kazamatsuri Shou

Alrighty. This is the anime that solidified my love of soccer. Before this, I could give a fig leaf for any kind of sport; I'm more the inside reading type. Yet, now I can watch the soccer channel with no problem! ^_^ Just goes to show how anime can broaden your horizons. I first found out about this anime from a music video from animemusicvideos.org. I was on the lookout for yaoi themed music videos and a pretty little gem came up from this anime. I downloaded, watched, and was intrigued. I downloaded said anime, watched, and was strangely engulfed. I mean, this show has absolutely everything that your definitive sport anime has; you've got the main protaganist striving to better his game and get accepted by his teammates. His entire life is his sport and his entire lifegoal is streamedlined within it. He only wants to go pro, that be the bottom line. Whistle follows this very closely. Which is why it's so very STRANGE that I would enjoy this anime, but I do like crazy! The character's are cute (especially Shou) and what can I say, the strive for his betterment in soccer held me spellbound for hours. My computer couldn't download fast enough. ^_^ The original thing that got me into this anime, that music video, gave some small expectations of finding shounen-ai hints around. And I do, but I really have to age these characters; I mean, they're 12!! *shiver* They shouldn't be even thinking of this stuff yet!! (yet I love the anime Loveless where the main pairing is between a 12 and 20 year old, go figure -_-;;...) But I love this anime just to watch Shou strive to better his game!

Marmelade Boy

Favorite Character: Tsuchiya Kei

This was one of my first animes that I watched after my Sailor Moon obsession along with Fushigi Yuugi and Rurouni Kenshin. I think this has got to be the soap opera of soap operas in the anime world. I mean, Jesus!! Girl A used to like Boy A when in middle school; said boy publicly dumped on her love confession and hurt said girl. Girl A then meets Boy B when their parents intermarry, and we mean intermarry!! But when Girl A starts to show feelings for Boy B, Boy A suddenly decides he really likes Girl A. In consequence, Boy A forces a kiss on Girl A and confesses his undying devotion...... Again, I say, OMFG!! And this is just ONE love triangle in the FIRST season! There are at least ten of these things that I can think of within the two seasons of this anime. You almost need a geometry chart to keep them all straight.... O.o... I don't watch this anime that much anymore, because I just have a really hard time with soap operas and their overdone storylines and melodrama. It's good for a bit of rememberance in the good ol'days when anime was for the closet geeks, but it's definitely not one of my favorites.

Yuu Yuu Hakusho

Favorite Character: Kurama

OK, Kurama is the ONLY reason that I watched this. I really don't care about the rest of the characters or their endless quests to get stronger through fighting. To me, it's just an endless slog through tournements and fighting too like Dragonball which I pretty much detest. Just give me my pretty bishonen in human and fox spirit form. Kurama and Hiei was one of the first yaoi pairings that I enjoyed; they were kinda my teething rings in the yaoi world. I completely blame Kurama for my love of long haired bishonen, though the braid thing came from Nuriko. I just got a thing for a guy with long hair in anime. *slurp*

Inu Yasha

Favorite Character: Sesshomaru

It's been so long since I started watched this series that I don't remember what got me interested in the first place. I'm not sure if it was the absolutely fantastic plot idea, the adorable relationship between Inu Yasha and Kagome that just screams "KISS HER ALREADY, DUMB ASS!!", or the comedic side trips that just kinda catch ya off guards at times. Must be a combination of each. I absolutely devoured this series when it first came out and up until about episode 100 or around there. But the never-ending quest to get Naraku just drags on and on and on and on and on.... You get the drift. I mean, come on! I know the manga hadn't finished at the time of the anime, but couldn't they have taken a page out of the maker's of X's anime's book, and just created an ending. It wouldn't match the manga that closely sure, but it would sure bring closure for us poor schmucks who don't follow the manga. *sigh* That's why I never finished watching all the episodes. I watched the final one, saw they STILL hadn't taken care of Naraku, and just gave it up. I'll stick with fanfiction for now. A good anime killed by the makers...

Erementar Gerad

Favorite Character: Coud and Ren

This was another anime that I was introduce to through the magic world of animemusicvideos.org. I remember that the video was centering on the Coud and Ren relationship, and I was in a romancy mood so I thought, why not?... Let's just say that it was another 12 hour period in which I didn't leave my computer after I had downloaded this... Life, what life? My favorite thing about this anime is the absolute adorable relationship between the two lead characters. I just think their coming together and subsuqent relationship is just so cute! And the little faces Ren makes, especially when she's tired! Just cuteness. Almost puts me in mind of Card Captor Sakura. And it's not too many animes that kill off the main character.. Course they bring him back to life, kinda ruins the angsty, WTF moment. Pretty good series all around.

Tale of Saiunkoku

Favorite Character: Seiran

A recent discovery, this anime has recently become an absolute favorite of mine in as few episodes as eight. The art is beautiful and the music!!!!!!!! dang..... let's just say I was looking for the soundtrack as soon as I had downloaded the first episode. But I absolutely love the story. A girl is convinced via money for her poor but old family to marry the emperor, become empress, and teach said emperor to become a good one and rule wisely. She considers herself safe as he's said to prefer men. Little does she know that Mr. Emperor falls deeply in love with her along with what seems like half the male population of the show. Getting a glimpse into imperial Chinese life and ancient Chinese life in general was enough to make me give this show a look. I love anime that shows the past, just the history buff in me rearing its head. All through the 39 episodes of the series, I'll be watching avidly!