Sunday, July 31, 2011

Detective Conan

Detective Conan The series depicts the cases and adventures of a brilliant young private detective who was inadvertently turned into a prepubescent little boy by a secret criminal organization who gave him a drug that was supposed to kill him, but backfired. Due to the fact that he is supposed to be dead, he must live under an alias, as well as keep his true identity a secret from those around him.


Detective ConanEven with his shrunken body, his mind is still that of his adult-self, and he continues to solve many difficult cases, while struggling to discover more about the organization responsible for his condition, so that he can one day return to his normal body and normal life.

As Case Closed has run on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, many of you are already familiar with the show's bizarre blend of detective mystery, drama, and wacky comedy. Poor Conan must deal with being in his tiny body, he is still in love with Rachel, he is virtually ignored by the police, and he must solve all the mysteries by giving all the credit to the inept detective Richard Moore who doesn't even know half the time that he's "solving" the crime!

Detective ConanAlthough Adult Swim only broadcast about 50 episodes, many more are available via direct purchase DVD, with more on the way as Funimation dubs them into English. With over 500 episodes produced, and the show having no plans to end anytime soon, this is a collection that could fill your house by itself. And I hope you've got the free time to watch all this!

Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, July 2008

Below: Promotional artwork for Detective Conan

Promotional artwork for Detective Conan

Jyu Oh Sei


Jyu-Oh-SiJyu-Oh-Si
Jyu Oh Sei:
Planet of the Beast King

Anime DVD Review

Okay, so... it's lord of the flies. Sorta. On an alien planet. With a complex set of rules between several rival factions. Oh, and there's a zillion man-eating plants. And into all of this is thrust a 12-yr-old boy and his twin brother, who've been cast to this incredibly harsh planet of convicts by a ruthless dictator, and the only way to get off-world is to become the ruler of the world... aka, The Beast King.

And like many anti-heroes before him, our protagonist, Thor, must learn all the rules of this planet while he single handedly proceeds to break every one of them on his way to the top.
Lasting only 11 episodes, you can whiz through this series pretty quickly, but I warn you, don't get too attached to any ancillary characters you meet, this unforgiving world kills off people pretty quickly. And somewhere between episodes 5 and 6 Thor gains about 3 years (and his main squeeze gets more top-heavy). However, for the first 5 episodes, the voice actor for the English dub seems to be doing a pretty good impersonation of Billie Lou Watt.

There's a lot of action and a lot of plotline squeezed into these episodes (as we said, only 11), so everything takes place pretty fast and furious. There's no time for characters to even understand what's going on or mourn the death of a loved one, because another disaster is seconds away, and you're constantly in "emergency mode" with no time to slow down.

So, if you can imagine "Dune" taking place in a world full of lush, carnivorous greenery, you've got a basic handle of the scope of this series. It's a big, science fiction epic squashed down into as few episodes as possible. If you enjoyed "Crest of the Stars", you'll find this series fascinating. Also recommended for those of us who just happen to have a Venus Flytrap at home.

Below: Scenes from Jyu Oh Sei.

Jyu Oh Sei

Kyo Kara Maoh!: God(?) Save Our King!

Kyo Kara Maoh Season 1: DVD and Manga
Kyo Kara Maoh Season 1: DVD and Manga
Anime and Manga Review

Bacon! Do I have your attention now? I reviewed the second season of Kyo Kara Maoh a few months ago and compared it to FullMetal Alchemist meets The Twelve Kingdoms... with bacon. And so to bring more bacon into everyone's diet (everyone needs more bacon), I've decide: let's go back to the beginning to that flushing that started Kyo Kara Maoh.

For those that haven't seen or heard of Kyo Kara Maoh (aka God(?) Save Our King!), I'm talking about this manga/anime that began when the lead character got sucked into an alternate world by being flushed into a toilet. Yuri, a normal 15 year old kid growing up in Japan, decided to stand up for one of his classmates, Murata, that was being bullied, and ended up being flushed into the Great Demon Kingdom. He thought he passed out from the swirlie and was dumped in a Medieval Times kind of theme park at first. Then, this guy shows up and uses magic to unlock part of his soul's memory so he can understand the language of this alternate world. He's Adelbert von Grantz; Yuri's godfather (Yuri finds this out later), Conrart Weller, and his friend, Gunter von Christ, show up and whisk Yuri off to Covenant Castle (aka Blood Pledge Castle). It turns out Yuri has been selected at birth to be the next Demon King. Once at Covenant Castle, Conrart's brothers, Gwendel and Wolfram, show up and aren't his biggest fans since Yuri is half demon, half human and most importantly, he didn't even grow up in the Great Demon Kingdom! Things get complicated when Yuri, not understanding the protocols of the nobility of this world, slaps Wolfram on the left side of his face and ends up being engaged to him. A few seconds later, still not understanding protocols and not bothering to slow down to learn, he ends up accepting a duel from Wolfram. On top of that, Conrart's mom shows up and she is the cougar of the century! She's hot but poor Yuri's a little slow on the development side of things... The bikini thong underwear that the nobility are required to wear is not very... umm... helpful?

Kyo Kara Maoh!: God(?) Save Our King!So Yuri spends most of his time in the Demon Kingdom getting a crash course in "How to Lead a Magical Medieval Kingdom" and whenever he gets near water, he might be swirled back into modern day Japan and be a normal baseball playing boy with a hyper-ditzy but absolutely adorable mom and new geeky best friend, Murata. It's a welcome change from leading a nation, trying to avoid being killed by assassins, negotiating peace treaties, saving dragons (yes, I said DRAGONS), adopting a daughter, fending off sexual overtures from his godfather's mom and his fiancÈe, saving babies and pregnant women, and last but not least, trying not to be killed by a koala. You have to see/read the last item to understand what I'm saying; koalas in the Demon Kingdom are no joke.

Now, some might be too lazy to read the manga, I know I was. You can go straight to the anime and watch the whole first season in...oh...three days non-stop until your eyeballs feel like you've propped your eyelids open with toothpicks and your body feels like one of Gwendel's knitted bear/pig-looking kittens? You will get the stories, the crazy characters, and everything without having to spend any energy flipping pages or making your eyes travel from top to bottom, side to side but then you'll be too lazy and be missing out. As Spinal Tap said, "These go to eleven" and that's what the manga does, it goes to eleven. It almost sounds impossible but the anime seems strangely docile and serene compared to the manga even though it's so lively already. There is an energy to the manga that pops out from the drawing; it's as if the artist does not need to worry about how the emotions need to change from one frame to another and can give his all into that one moment in time: all his emotions, his energy, and his focus with no need to worry about wasting precious seconds or even minutes panning a landscape to set up the next scene. You are constantly on the move; your eyes do not have time to rest because your next frame is waiting for you. Everyone can do something for three days at a go, but do you have the endurance to savor a manga series like Kyo Kara Maoh?

Reviewed by Carolyn Whu, September 2010

Kyo Kara Maoh: Season 2Kyo Kara Maoh: Season 2
Kyo Kara Maoh: Season 2
Anime DVD Review

Kyo Kara Maoh... is it FullMetal Alchemist meets The Twelve Kingdoms... with bacon? (Everything goes better with bacon) Or is it even better than that? If you've watched the first season, I don't think I need to say anything. You are going to watch season two anyway. Just remember to be civil as you are prying the DVD from the person's dead body to buy, ok? Ok, Kyo Kara Maoh is not so great that you need to kill someone for it; I was exaggerating. It is good enough to beat a person to a pulp for though.

Kyo Kara Maoh!: God(?) Save Our King!I mean, how many mangas or animes do you know where it begins when your lead character gets sucked into an alternate world by falling through a toilet? Yeah, we've had plenty of leads becoming the king or queen of whatever alternate world or gaining godly powers when they get picked on but how many got flushed to that state. Queen Youko was spirited away to her kingdom in The Twelve Kingdoms and only has Keiki attending to her. She's got nothing on Yuri Shibuya.

Yuri was a normal 15 year old kid growing up in Japan. He grew up with his mom, dad, and older brother and inherited his love of baseball from his dad. Unfortunately, baseball wasn't the only thing the brothers inherited from their dad... It turns out that their dad is a demon from the Great Demon Kingdom, so both brothers have a magic element within that allows them to control water. Both parents have decided not to tell the brothers about this secret, so when Yuri decided to stand up for one of his classmates, Murata, that was being bullied, and ended up being flushed into the Great Demon Kingdom, boy, was he surprised.

He thought he passed out from the swirlie and was dumped in a Medieval Times kind of theme park at first. Everyone was dressed up like they were medieval Europe and speaking a language he doesn't understand; can you blame him? Then, this guy shows up and uses magic to unlock part of his soul's memory so he can understand the language of this alternate world. He's Adelbert von Grantz and was the fiancé of Julia von Wincott, the previous owner of Yuri's soul. The action doesn't stop though; Yuri's godfather, Conrart Weller, and his friend, Gunter von Christ, shows up and whisk Yuri off to Covenant Castle. Yep, his parents also decided not to tell the brothers that Yuri has been selected at birth to be the next Demon King. It was only decided 4,000 years ago by the first ever Demon King, the Great One, but Yuri didn't need to know that.

Kyo Kara Maoh!: God(?) Save Our King!People weren't happy that the Great One selected Yuri. He's half demon and half human and most importantly, he didn't even grow up in the Great Demon Kingdom! Conrad and his cross-dressing friend, Josak, have no problems because they are both half-breeds like Yuri but his other protectors needed some persuading since they were full-blood demons and nobles on top of that. Adelbert lost his love because of Yuri so no surprise there that he doesn't like Yuri being the newest Demon King. Conrad's brothers, Gwendel and Wolfram, aren't his biggest fans either but they have pledged their lives to honor the Great One's wishes so they put up with things. Things get a little more complicated when Yuri, not understanding the protocols of the nobility of this world, slaps Wolfram on the left side of his face and ends up being engaged to him. Even though Yuri insists that he's not into guys and didn't mean to be engaged to him, Wolfram refuses to let go and takes on the role of the clingy, high maintenance fiancé with a lot of oomph and finesse.

The nerd, Murata, who Yuri was protecting on Earth, turned out to be the reincarnation of The Great Wise Man, best friend of the Great One. His specialty is remembering everything that has happened in all his pass lives and divulges bits and pieces of that info to Yuri and his protectors whenever he feels like it. He seems to work well with the Priestess Ulrike, who hears the voice of the Great One and passes on his guidance to the masses. Shori, Yuri's brother, thinks that the Great One and Murata have a hidden agenda and are herding people like sheep down a path towards something sinister.

Shori's powers haven't manifested as strongly as Yuri's but he'll do anything to protect him. What kind of brother is he if all he can do is sit back and let the nobles protect the Demon King, his brother? Gwendel and Wolfram hates humans and halfbreeds; will they stand by and watch as Conrad die to protect Yuri? Did the Great One and The Great Wise Man have a hidden agenda? Will Yuri and Wolfram really get married? Most importantly, where the hell is Yuri's parents while he is getting his ass kicked around by demons?

Reviewed by Carolyn Whu, September 2009

Below: Scenes from Kyo Kara Maoh!: God(?) Save Our King!

Kyo Kara Maoh!: God(?) Save Our King!

Kyo Kara Maoh!: God(?) Save Our King! 












Friday, July 29, 2011




From LYRICSMODE.COM lyrics archive
Lyrics | F.T Island lyrics - Hello Hello lyrics

Anyeongirang mal Hello Hello ijen Goodbye Goodbye

Mariya saranghandan mariya mot ineundan mariya
Dashi doraoran mariya
Aniya ije waso igon aniya nowa na jongmal saranghaetjana

Nobody Nobody Nobody No one no bakken opso
Shimnyoni jimnado gangsani byonhaedo no bakken opso
Baboya nal boran mariya onuldo norul hyanghae sorichyo

Anyeongirang mal Hello Hello ijen Goodbye Goodbye
Ijuryogo jakku aerul ssodo guge andwae
Nan hello hello oh non goodbye goodbye
Ajik kkaji norul saranghandan mariya

Mariya bodo shiptan mariya mot bonaendan mariya
Jebal gaji mallan mariya
Aniya ibyoriran marun aniya nowa na ajik saranghajana

Annyongira maramyo dagawatta
Sarangiran mallo nal baboro mandurotta
Hamkkehan shiganun nol mot itgen mandurootta gurigo ttonagatta
Nobakke omnun naege non tto darun annyongul malhanda

Gojitmal nal bogo marhaebwa jongmal nal ttonal goran marini

Anyeongirang mal Hello Hello ijen Goodbye Goodbye
Ijuryogo jakku aerul ssodo guge andwae
Nan hello hello oh non goodbye goodbye
Ajik kkaji norul saranghandan mariya

Everybody say La La La
Everybody say Ha Ha Ha
Everybody say Ta Ta Ta
Everybody say Hello Hello Hello
Naega nol burul ttaen Hello niga nal burul ttaen Goodbye
Uri soro darun sulpun insamal

Saranganikka Hello Hello andwae Goodbye Goodbye
Jaburyogo hamyon morojinun naye sarang
Nan Hello Hello oh non Goodbye Goodbye
Onuldo wechinun nol burunun insamal

Hello Hello ijen Goodbye Goodbye
Ijuryogo jakku aerul ssodo guge andwae
Nan Hello Hello oh non Goodbye Goodbye
Ajik kkaji norul saranghandan mariya

Monday, July 25, 2011


From LYRICSMODE.COM lyrics archive
Lyrics | Bon'z lyrics - Arigatou lyrics

"arigatou" wo kanade kanade tooku hanareta to shite mo...
Kaze ni fukarenagara aruite ikikau hitogomi no naka de
Yasashii kimi ni koko de deaeta ..."hanaretakunai yo"
Sabishii yoru mo kimi ga ita ne yakusoku suru yo "TSUYOKU NARU KARA"
Tsunaida kokoro wa hitotsu dakara bokutachi wa toberu n da
"arigatou" wo kanade kanade tooku hanareta to shite mo
"sayonara" to te wo futte mata koko de aimashou

Hitotsu hitotsu kono omoi wo ima kanaeru koto ga dekitara
Kitto tsuyoi boku ni nareru kara waratte kimi ni aeru yo
Hitori hitori de mawaru sekai wa shinjiru koto sae kowaku naru kedo
Ano hi kureta kimi no kotoba ga tobidatsu boku no hane ni naru kara
"arigatou" wo kanade kanade tsunagu te wa nai kedo
"arigatou" hibike hibike kono uta kimi e todoke

"arigatou" wo kanade kanade tooku hanareta to shite mo
"sayonara" to te wo futte mata koko de aimashou
"sayonara" to te wo futte mata koko de aimashou
...mata kimi ni aitai...