Blood: The Last Vampire (2009), bloody brilliant or bloody hell? [updated]

I liked the animated short movie. I liked the series based on the movie (Blood+). So even with Jeon Ji-Hyun (JJH)(Gianna Jun) as Saya... will that be enough for me to like this version? I'll leave that decision after watching it on the big screen :P ( I saw a poster at SM and it starts June 10). Let's watch!

You can watch some clips here.

[update]: Hmm... hmm... even with my expectation pretty low, I don't think it was able to get there. *sigh*

Byousoku 5cm, a chain of short stories about their distance

The speed at which cherry blossom petals fall, 5 centimeter per second. Makoto Shinkai's latest work is finally here.

Oukashou which is part 1 of this movie was released earlier and I really liked it. It tells about a connection, a love that blossomed between 2 students.

Cosmonaut, part 2, is about a girl who fell in love with her classmate, Yet that person's heart is light years away.

Byousoku 5cm, the last part, concludes the movie.

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This movie hit me in an unusual way, but I could not peg if it is sadness or fear. A deep sadness because of the love that Takaki (lead char) held but could never let go. A love which the second girl could not confess. A relationship that was only there to fill the void.

I was afraid, because I could go the same way as lead character. Cold-hearted and cynical. Seemingly there but could not open his heart. I'm hoping against hope that I can avoid that path and live this life the best way I can.

Densha Basilisk Shinobi

First up, I updated some links so that images of older posts will show up. My apologies to people whose feed aggregators got flooded :P

Next up is reviews on some stuff I managed to watch.

Kouga Ninpou Chou/Basilisk/Shinobi
Based on the novel by Futaro Yamada, this is a story of star-crossed lovers caught between a battle to extinction of their clans.

Manga(Basilisk): I have a copy but haven't read it completely yet. They say the Anime follows this closely.

Anime(Basilisk):
Battle sequences are amazing and animation is superb. Ninja techniques rival those of Ruroni Kenshin and Naruto, only with brutality and blood-thirst. Genoske reminds me of 556 from Keroro.

Movie(Shinobi):The story is expectedly condensed and ends differently from the Anime. Yukie Nakama of Gokusen appears as Oboro, leader of her clan and possesses the "Eyes of Destruction". Hotarubi is played by the beautiful Erika Sawajiri, and I have her photobook courtesy of pyoro.

Densha Otoko
Translated as "Train Man", is a story of a geeky guy/anime fan boy (otaku) who changes himself to get closer to a girl, helped by netizens of a BBS. Roughly based on a true story, its probably a small miracle that the Net brought about. Both the series and movie featured a lot of references such as Gundam, Keroro Gunsou, Eva. Trend word is Kitaa!!!(It's Here).

Series:I liked it because the female lead (Hermes/Saori) is Misaki Ito. The pace was a little slow after the first episode, but it picks up eventually. Character development was good, with the supporting people brought to life well. My vote for best character is split into two. Yamada(Densha) reminded me of a friend in College/ROTC, Sgt. Asis.
The other goes to Misuzu, who is densha's client/friend/tormentor who 'eats' her bosses and has the Imperial DeathMarch as her BGM.

Extra Ending: This was dead funny as a lot of the hidden mischief was revealed. Secondary characters have their stories and love lives told.

Deluxe(SP): A recent special made after the movie. Another story where a millionaire tries to get Hermes(Saori) and capitalize in the Densha Otoko craze. More comedy and drama mixed in this one. Watari from the Death Note Movies is also here.

Movie: Fresh set of actors and condensed storyline are the perks of the movie version. Downsides are: it lacks an antagonist, Misuzu isn't there (but does a cameo as a receptionist) and some fun plots are gone. An extra at the end of the movie features a connection between the movie and the series :)

Highlander: The Search for Vengeance

I was a fan of the Highlander TV series back then and sort of enjoyed watching the movies. During a routine check of things to download, I found one for the animated movie Highlander: The Search for Vengeance . I just watched it and I'd say it is kinda cool.

An alternative story line about another McLeod, Colin who seeks revenge for his beloved wife who was killed by another immortal. Colin tries and tries through the centuries to kill that person but always ends up failing... but surviving.

It is directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Vampire D Bloodlust) and if you've watched those, would see his hands all over this one. Fight scenes are cool, moderate use of CG, a tasteful (but short) love scene and of course the Highlander myth gives life to this movie.

I was reminded of a couple of movies: ninja scroll, fist of the north star, 300, braveheart, gladiator and some more. Watch this if you're in the mood for a bit of action :)

Easy Primal Kiss Pumps

Huh?! You may have probably noticed that I tend to squeeze all topics into a post title :P

Primal Fear
This movie was recommended to me by Atty. Ramirez and Aidz. I was interested because they mentioned that Edward Norton's role here is similar to Fight Club. Indeed, his performance and acting was good, considering he was only credited in the third tier. The courtroom drama is not as powerful as that of 'the practice', but substantial all the same. After watching the movie, it sort of exemplifies an old Filipino saying: "Matalino man ang matsing, napaglalalangan din" which roughly means "even a smart monkey can be fooled".


Paradise Kiss
Tseri requested me to procure this anime because she caught it on Animax one time. Was expecting a light watch out of this, but ended up with a bit of culture shock.

I had this notion of properly separating Anime and Hentai. ParaKiss walked the line between the two categories, something I haven't seen since Akira or Ninja Scroll.

I found the story interesting with moments where you'll say *GAK* or *zOMG*. It tells about students from a high-class fashion/design school who found a model in a student who doesn't find herself special.

Fuck Me Pumps
Loopy mentioned in one of her posts this song by Amy Winehouse. The mood of the song is a bit comical, but I figured that it would be painful to hear for someone in that situation. 'Do Me Good' sounds nice, but probably a girl/woman's song.


Ambing - Easy Flagela (update)
I was surprised one day when a member of the band who sang this song found me on YM. The current name of the band is Los Chupacabras and here are their blogs: Mikael Carl and Joel.

Osaka wo Sagashite

(Searching for Osaka)
If you've been following my posts, you should have noticed that my favorite anime character is Osaka-san (aka Kasuga Ayumu) of Azumanga Daioh. Why, you may ask. Because I see myself in her personality and frequent "spaced out-ness". Following the trail of her seiyu(voice actress), Matsuoka Yuki, I've found some amazing anime which employed her voice for their characters:

[Azumanga Daioh]Kasuga Ayumu (aka Osaka):



[Appleseed 2004]Hitomi:



Hitomi is the dark haired girl in the pics. She is probably the character with the most speaking lines. This movie is special because most characters are 3D-rendered and celpainted. It takes some time, even after the movie to get used to celpainted 3D. Maybe its because I've gotten accustomed to how they mix them in Macross Zero. But thats not to put down its Mechs and incredible battle scenes, as they are some of the best I've ever seen. As for the story pace, it was uneven: slow on some parts, and too rushed in others. Overall, it is a landmark, a view of what anime can become in the future.

[Bleach]Inoue Orihime:


Bleach is an ongoing anime and is generally about a teenage boy with above average spiritual powers who after some turn of events inherits the job of Shinigami (soul reaper). I find it interesting so im tuning to it every week, with [Lunar] fansubs in the lead in translations. Yuki here is a spaced out girl who silently grows an interest in the lead character.

[Maburaho]Kazetsubaki Kuriko:


Another Harem setup (one guy fawned over by lots of girls) but with a twist! Its in a world where magic is limited and overuse leads to death. With an average use of 8000 in a life time, how's our lead to survive with only 8 to start with? Yuki here is a confident and capable heir who has interest in the lead character.

[Stelliva of the Universe]Glennorth Arisa:


Yuki here plays a loud and friendly character who while not being as talented as the lead, is the one that supports her the most.

I'll probably post more as I exhaust Matsuoka Yuki's discography :D

Windstruck

Windswept x Dumbstruck = Windstruck or SweptDumb

This is is the latest movie starring Jun Ji-hyun(My Sassy Girl).

Shucks. I've got so much mixed feelings for this movie. "Not bad, could've been better" sums it up i guess. But if you're a MSG fan like me, this is a MUST watch XD.