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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?
