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Q.E.D. (Q.E.D.証明終了, 2009) is the story of two high school students: Touma, a boy genius who recently transferred from an American M.I.T. school, and Kana, the adventurous daughter of a detective, who team up to solve mysteries.
Episode 6:
Touma and Kana visit what has come to be called "The Horror Mansion" to do a school assignment. Apparently during the Showa period, there was a mysterious explosion there, and the previous owner (now owned by Kana's kendo master's grandfather yet left untouched) disappeared. When Kana gets seperated from Touma, she comes across a strange device in the basement, which sends her to a strange place. Somehow she's in the year 1934, and there are clones of the people she knows in the present everywhere - the most important being a Touma lookalike named Touba. Touba has been studying at a university, but the one paying for it recently died. However, if Touba can solve a problem for a distinguished lawyer, he'll take over financing his education. Kana comes along to help, but perhaps her biggest puzzle of all will be figuring out how to get home.
Episode 7:
A strange man, who dresses like a pirate and calls himself "Jack," invites a member of the Detective Club at school to join him in a treasure hunt - Kana asks to tag along out of curiousity. But instead of taking them to some kind of cave, or ocean, or other cliche place to find treasure, they end up at an office building. There, he asks them to take a safe in an office, but his "underlings" (as he calls them) won't do it, making up hasty excuses to leave. But Kana knows that even though they left, the surveilence cameras have already shown them with Jack, so they may be considered his accomplices if the robbery actually takes place. Distraught, Kana goes home to have dinner, when the news reports that a safe has been stolen from that very building. Could it be Jack? She, along with the members of the Detective Club, decide to get to the bottom of things.
(愛してナイト) 1983
It's laundry day for Hashizo and his brother. It's also the day the tot is finally able to convince his brother to meet Yaeko. But when they get back to their apartment from the laundromat, fellow band member Satomi (the purple-haired guy) has a favor to ask of Go, so Go decides his friend's plea is more urgent. Dejected, Hashizo goes to visit his female friend anyway, and gets a free meal and trip to the amusement park out of it. While resting after their long day, Hashizo goes off to buy some cold drinks, leaving Yaeko and Juliano to bask in the sun. But Juliano soon leaves, curious about something, and a worried Yaeko follows. There they find Satomi playing tennis with a strange girl, and Yaeko is heartbroken. There's still a chance he could win her heart, however, and when Hashizo sees them he knows his brother and her must meet as soon as possible before it's too late!
Now that Emma and William know where to find each other, they settle back into their old lives with more ease, even beginning to correspond through letters. There is also a noticeable change in Emma's behavior, confusing the housestaff. William himself becomes a bit different, and it doesn't appear that anyone is happy about it. Meanwhile, we also come to learn just who Mrs. Trollop really is, and why she chose to leave her family life behind to live in quiet solitude.
From Hello! Online:
Nation’s Largest Anime and Manga Convention Welcomes Japan’s Top Female Group from Hello! Project
Anaheim, California and Tokyo, Japan (February 12, 2009) — With excitement beyond belief, Anime Expo® proudly announces the attendance and performance of Japan’s most celebrated and top all-girl music group MORNING MUSUME (also referred to as “Momusu”) to the nation’s largest anime and manga convention held July 2-5, 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. More information can be found on the website www.anime-expo.org.
The MORNING MUSUME (モーニング娘. Morning Daughter) is a one of a kind all-girl group whose story began in 1997 when Japanese producer TSUNKU♂ held auditions for a female rock vocalist for his band SHARAN Q held on the Japanese TV show ASAYAN. With the five runner-ups from the contest, Tsunku decided to create an all-girl group that sold 50,000 copies of their indies CD single “Ai no Tane” and debuted as MORNING MUSUME. They are the lead group of Hello! Project.
MORNING MUSUME’s first single “Morning Coffee” made a huge splash by hitting the #6 position in the Japanese pop charts within its first week of release. In August of 1998, MORNING MUSUME reached the #1 spot in the Japanese pop charts with their 3rd single “HOLD ON ME”. In 1999, the group had their first nationwide tour with 19 performances in 7 cities for 40,000 fans.
More at link.
Released in January of 2009, this DVD features episodes centering around Valentine's Day and romance in general.
A Chipmunk Valentine: Brittany is anxiously awaiting for Alvin to ask her to the Valentine Ball, but Alvin will have no part of it. He's suffered his share of heartbreak in the past, and can't handle another rejection. In a dream state from listening to some self-esteem tapes, he becomes Captain Chipmunk, heartbreaking ladies man.
Dr. Simon and Mr. Heart-Throb: While being interviewed by Toddler Beat, Alvin accidentally messes something up in Simon's lab. When Simon gets a hold of the mistake, he becomes the handsome and dashing Mr. Heart-Throb. Being able to woo the girls with ease, he comes to prefer his alter-ego.
Dear Diary: The Chipettes get their own diaries, but can't help snooping in each others, leading to a gross misunderstanding and fight for the heart of a boy.
Theodore and Juliet: Try as he might, Theodore can't get the girl he likes to notice him. What's worse, she likes Alvin!
The death of Yamanami still hangs over the heads of all the troop, with Kamiya being the only one open about it. Combined with the stress of moving to a new location (but being unable to get clearance for the building, causing frustration for everyone involved), it's hard on her nerves and well-being. To top it all off, Saito appears to know more about the real reason behind Yamanami's death than he's letting on, and a young woman named Sae, an old flame of Soji's, has appeared looking for him. Can Kamiya cope with possibly losing the only important person in her life?
Q.E.D. (Q.E.D.証明終了, 2009) is the story of two high school students: Touma, a boy genius who recently transferred from an American M.I.T. school, and Kana, the adventurous daughter of a detective, who team up to solve mysteries.
Sachiyo Nagisa, the actress referred to as "The Queen of Thriller," is being stalked, on top of suffering depression from not being as popular as she once was. Or rather, somebody tampered with her car, and she decides pretending to have a stalker might give her waning career a needed boost. But how to get the police involved? Sachiyo's manager decides a bumbling detective named Sugimichi Kasayama is fitting for the role - he's very passionate about his work, construing everything to be like a thriller drama - perfect for the attention they want. Despite the press that comes about, the actress is furious that Kana is basically stealing her thunder because she stopped the person who was wrecking her car. So they take it a step further, claiming Sachiyo was shoved in the subway station. But just how far is she willing to go with these stunts, and what happens when they start becoming real?
(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006
Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).
Episode 93:
Aoi, one of the first friends Kirari made when she was just getting into the idol business, is looking to retire and start a new path for herself. Kirari is upset, of course, and doesn't know how to feel. People are also saying that after she leaves, Kirari will claim the #1 female idol spot. When our spunky schoolgirl decides to find out what's really going on, some fans she runs into beg her to convince Aoi to stay as she is. It doesn't work - instead, all she gets for her troubles is a ticket to the last concert. Will Kirari and SHIPS be able to cope?
Episode 94:
In an effort to thank their fans for all their support, the head of Muranishi wants to put together a special event, which he calls Winter Thanksgiving. But it's not a handshaking event, or concert. No, it's singing... on ice! Although the other talents are skillful, poor Kirari can barely stand, forget anything fancy. And that's not all - a professional skater named Maki Edo will be with them, but she suffers from confidence problems herself, frustrated with her inability to get into the Olympics. Can Kirari and Maki work together and be the best in time for the show?
I posted this originally at MyAnimeList, but thought I'd stick it here as well:Mahoujin Guru Guru is probably the craziest, wackiest anime I've ever seen. Slapstick is constant - nothing is ever serious for more than a minute, if that long.
In Plain Old Village (that's actually the name), Nike has been undergoing "training" since he was very small, as his parents are adamant that he become a dashing hero someday. Conveniently, just as the boy has grown old enough to take care of himself (age 13), that's when all the trouble starts. When his dad finds out that the king is looking to recruit a hero to deal with the return of Giri (an evil demon sealed away 300 years ago), one thing leads to another and Nike meets magic user Kukuri. Though cute, soft-spoken, and pretty much idolizing her new friend, she has a bit of an attitude and struggles to learn the Guru Guru circles. This leads to a lot of bizarre "oopsies." You'll just have to watch to understand.
Along the way of their journey, they'll meet many interesting characters. And by interesting, I mean insane. There's an old man dressed in a hula skirt who pops up at the most inconvenient times to do a disturbing dance. A sprite who wears a loin cloth. An incompetent hero wanna-be who couldn't fight a butterfly with a flame thrower. And that's just to start! Nike and Kukuri themselves frequently act the complete opposite of what their position implies.
The artwork is adorable and fun, drawn completely "chibi" style except for a few instances. This can, however, make it hard to guess how old a character is at times. While most anime shrink the characters down for exaggerated emotions, this show actually grows them up to "normal" size.
Overall, this is a very, very silly show in a universe that you could wake up in and think you'd eaten some bad cheese. If you're a fan of a good fantasy story and/or have ever played an RPG, you will definitely appreciate the jokes. If you like romance, there's a bit of that. If you like random and nonsensical, there's enough to choke a horse. Basically there's something for everyone. Highly recommended!
The story for the film is quite simple. High school students Kyoko, Kei, Nozomi, Moe and Rinko are planning to have their band perform at the school festival, but about three days before the big day, drama hits. Moe injures her finger, Kei and Rinko get into a fight, and the remaining members are stuck without a singer. They find one in loner Korean exchange student, Son, though her Japanese is rather poor and she tends to misunderstand. With no time left to write some original material, they decide to do covers instead when they find an old tape featuring 80s rock band, The Blue Hearts, in their clubroom. If they want to go out with one last hurrah before graduation, they'll need to push themselves to the limit, but can they be ready in such a short time?
I would have to say that if you're curious about Japanese high schools and the culture within, this is a good place to look. The feeling of youthful energy and determination is everywhere, and anybody nostalgic for their younger days will find something to recognize despite differences. You can't help but admire how hard the girls worked to get ready, practicing until they passed out in the clubroom, just to wake up and start over. One of the girls even got her already graduated, ex-boyfriend to loan them his studio. Though the story starts out slow, it does get a bit more complex later on.
The title of the movie, Linda Linda Linda, comes from the song "Linda Linda" by The Blue Hearts. Even though Western audiences won't be familiar with it, it's still pretty catchy and that won't really matter anyway. If I had to pick a character that fills the comedy relief role, Son would definitely be it - the way she interacts with people, her shyness, and her energy, definitely makes her funny and lovable (there's a scene in the gym that's just awesome).
She was an excellent actress, no doubt. And no matter how you feel about the others, you'll want them all to do well. It's just that kind of movie. Don't expect anything dramatic, don't expect Hollywood hurtles like a band that wants to outplay them, or disapproving parents. Just sit back and take it for what it is. You might even find the "Linda Linda" song stuck in your head - it sure happened to me!This film has been released in the USA by Viz is and is available here!
Nozomi (or "Nono"), former member of Morning Musume and W, has followed in the footsteps of fellow H!P colleagues to start her own blog, which began on January 30th. The young mom, following a scandal and shotgun wedding almost two years ago, has recently returned to the idol world.
http://ameblo.jp/tsuji-nozomi/
Q.E.D. (Q.E.D.証明終了, 2009) is the story of two high school students: Touma, a boy genius who recently transferred from an American M.I.T. school, and Kana, the adventurous daughter of a detective, who team up to solve mysteries.
Despite the fact that they're always together, Kana realizes she doesn't know even the most basic things about Touma. Her classmates suspect something's up, and gossip that he has a shady background, like he's on the run from American law, or he's part of some mystery organization. When Kana notices him being followed by a strange man in sunglasses, she decides to investigate, and after attacking the "stalker," finds out he's a MIT friend named Loki. But Loki and Touma have a shaky past, one that Touma ran away from, and it all comes back to a destroyed thesis. Who was responsible for destroying the work that led Touma to leave MIT?
