Vision of Escaflowne Review

The Vision of Escaflowne Limited Edition box set, released in North America by Bandai Entertainment on July 23, 2002 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I had quite a few expectations for Vision of Escaflowne because my roommate loves it so very much.  She made me wait to watch it until I had seen quite a few others on her list because it is one of her favorites.  The nice thing is that I wasn’t disappointed at all.  This anime is really wonderful and I didn’t see any flaws that could indicate its age.  I really enjoyed this anime and would recommend it to both shoujo and shounen viewers, even if they are like me and tend to watch newer series.  This show is still noticeably original despite everything else that is out there.  Read on for more!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Review

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I wasn’t particularly excited to read this book because it was a requirement for a class I am taking, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I anticipated.  The book has been on and off the indie bestseller list for at least a year and I understand why.  It tells a compelling story of a woman who was completely unrecognized for a great contribution for decades.  The book was quite interesting and I think it should be read because the subject matter affects us all.  No one can or should ignore the things that Henrietta Lacks has done for us.

ToraDora! Review

Cover art of the first DVD compilation released by King Records, featuring main characters Ryūji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have finally completed ToraDora! leaving me with only 4 anime on my list of shoujo series to watch.  I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this show, but I ended up liking it quite a lot.  I wouldn’t say it is super different or a game-changer, but it is certainly quite good.  I really enjoyed this anime and it didn’t drag at all.  It was quite addicting and I ended up watching it very quickly.  Both the plot and characters are unique enough to pull the show out ahead of other shoujo anime I have watched and I became very attached to what was happening.  Read on to learn about ToraDora!.

My New Hero: Ripley of “Alien”

Ellen Ripley (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My day started off with an innocent idea to watch Ridley Scott‘s Alien with my dad.  I had recently watched Prometheus and had somehow managed to watch Aliens before watching the original movie (this most likely happened because my dad was watching it and I didn’t want to move).  I recall thinking that Ripley was pretty cool in Aliens, she was badass and was really good at killing aliens.  Watching the original movie completely changed my thinking.  I consider Ripley the most badass lady ever after seeing that movie.  I couldn’t help but notice how understatedly great she is throughout the whole movie.  It is something you could easily pass over, but I ended up noticing it a lot.  I was so amazed by my awe for Ripley that I had to go and write a blog post about it.  So there you go.

Castle in the Sky Review (film)

Castle in the Sky (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As I continue on with my Miyazaki marathon, I finally made my way to Castle in the Sky, the first film put out by Studio Ghibli. I was pretty neutral on my opinions on this movie because I hadn’t heard much about it, but it blew my mind.  This movie was great and is very high on my list of good reviews, even for a Miyazaki movie.  I was drawn into the story right away and the characters were awesome.  I definitely understand why Studio Ghibli was able to continue their work after putting out a movie like this one.

Azumanga Daioh Review

Azumanga Daioh (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Azumanga Daioh is the third anime I’ve completed off of my shoujo anime list and it was quite good.  I’ve never really watched anything like this show before.  It is completely all over the place, but in an extremely pleasant way.  I found myself laughing out loud a lot during this show and being quite touched at other times.  This anime is great to watch because it is so relaxing and utterly unique.  It takes so many aspects of an average life and makes them unique and special while still allowing you to relate to them.  I enjoyed this show a lot because I have never seen anything like it.

Faster Than a Kiss Review

Faster than a Kiss (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I started this manga a while back as part of my manga suggestions and I quite enjoyed it.  I didn’t realize that it was close to ending when I caught up to the new chapters.  This series was an enjoyable read and the ending was quite nice.  I still found quite a few of the elements of this series disappointing, mostly the main character, Fumino Kaji.  I can reference my other reviews to remind you that I love a strong female protagonist, and Fumino just wasn’t doing it for me.  Regardless the manga was still an enjoyable read with some nice characters.  

Ears Over prejudice. Sound Okay?

Music (232/365) (Photo credit: tim geers)

There are a lot of different types of music out there.  If I listed a single one right now, I guarantee that a small army of people probably hates that type of music with a passion.  I’m not bothered by people hating certain types of music, but lately I’ve been pissed at the amount of judging that goes on in conduction with a person’s music tastes.  A person does not become what they listen to, and a type of music is not defined by its listeners in my opinion.  Yours may differ, but I’m just talking about what I have experienced when I listen to music.  Your way of listening may be different and that’s fine, I’m just making some observations about my own music experiences.  Read on!

High School Debut Review

High School Debut (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I picked up High School Debut as part of my strong heroines manga project and I wasn’t disappointed with it.  Several of the manga I have read for this project had either weaker heroines or weak writing, but this series was different.  I enjoyed every single chapter of it.  The manga was about 50 chapters, just long enough to be satisfying and just short enough to stay interesting.  I really enjoyed this manga because it was unique while still retaining the elements of shoujo manga that make me love it.  I recommend this manga to any type of shoujo reader because it has something for everyone, including humor and a wonderful love story.  Read on for details.

Another Successful MV for Super Junior

Anyone feeling sexy, free, and single?  Super Junior’s back and I am LOVIN it.