Ouran High School Host Club #14 - Puppy Eyes!

Moe Moe Ouran vol. 8 - Glasses Edition

Episode 14 of Ouran adapts Chapter 16 of the manga, in which the president of the newspaper club investigates the Host Club. The paper is little more than a tabloid, and the club is in danger of being shut down if circulation doesn't improve (the only people buying it currently are the two other club members.) He decides to investigate the Host Club, looking for a scandal. There's also a second, secret motivation, to bring down Tamaki, whom the club president blames for all his problems.


Puppy Eyes

We get plenty of Tamaki this week; showing off his innocent side. In many ways, Tamaki is a big kid making up for lost time. He believes that clubs are about making a family, which is due in part to his lonely childhood. When we get flashbacks of how Tamaki invited the other Host Club members to join, it's incredibly touching. I just about cried.


Mr. Bunny wants you to join the Host Club.

My favorite parts of the episode are when Tamaki makes 'puppy eyes'. He even does little 'wan-wan' noises. I loved the scene where the Host Club members find Tamaki and Haruhi in the gazebo; both of them have puppy faces.


Puppy Eyes 2.0

I also liked Haruhi's reaction when she found out that the Suoh family runs Ouran. The 'crank' noises as she turned her head were great, and her expression was priceless.


Say WHAT!?

Mamotte! Lollipop #1 - Protect me from the cliches!

No pictures this time, since I deleted the episode as soon as I finished watching it.

A girl accidentally swallows a pearl used in a magical test. Everyone who's taking the test is after the pearl, and they plan to get it back, even if it means killing the girl who swallowed it. Two bishounen, Zero and Ichi, decide to protect her from the other students.

What was an interesting concept is ruined by mediocre execution. The main character is "Shoujo Heroine 101" material, and her 'protectors' are as flat as cardboard. As for the mascot character, once again, it's by-the-book design. I also found the thing's personality to be annoying. Heck, everyone in this anime annoys me.

Final Verdict:
With annoying characters and cliches abound, I have no plans to watch anymore of this anime.

PowerPuff Girls Z #1 - Now with new and improved Chemical Z!

Demashita! PowerPuff Girls Z

PowerPuff Girls Z is a lot of fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously, which is a good thing. Although a lot has been changed from the original American show, it's still the PowerPuff Girls. Battles are fought with physical attacks (albeit with weapons); collateral damage is high, and the Mayor is still hopeless. The original characters return, along with a few new ones.


I hope they have insurance.

This episode was divided into two parts. The first part was a standard "stop Mojo(jojo)'s evil plan!" scenario. Highlights include Mojo asking for the PPG's autograph, and a mid-battle break for ice-cream (w/ onscreen text telling us what flavors they ordered.) Part two introduces the girls in civilian form, and tells the origins of the PPGs and the villains.

Can I have your autograph?


My favorite flavor is chocolate fudge.

Who ya gonna call? PPGZ!

The Return: Spring 2006 Wrap-up & Summer 2006 Preview

I'm back! Moving went pretty well, although I'm still without TV and a phone line. I've missed a few weeks of blogging Ouran and xxxHOLiC, but I will get to them sometime soon. For today, it's my Spring favorites, and info on what shows I'm following this season.

Spring 2006 - Best of Anime

Best New Anime: Ouran High School Host Club
Best Female Character: Haruhi Fujioka
Best Male Character: Tamaki Suoh
Best OP: Ouran High School Host Club
Best ED: The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi
Biggest Surprise: Ouran High School Host Club
Biggest Disappointment: .hack//roots


Ouran FTW

Ouran is the big winner this season. I hadn't even heard of the series before the blogs started recommending it, but it now one of my favorite anime. If it hadn't been for the sheer awesomeness of that other Haruhi show's ED, Ouran would have had a clean sweep.

A lot of the shows I'd been looking forward to turned out to be real disappointments. The only series of my original "must watch" list that remains is xxxHOLiC, and even it didn't fully live up to my expectations. (I decided to wait on the second season of Tsubasa because I didn't finish the first one before it was licensed.) I'm thankful for unexpected gems like Ouran and Good Witch of the West.

Summer 2006 - Shows I Plan to Watch

I might try out some other series, but these are the main ones I'm interested in.

PowerPuff Girls Z - I enjoyed the original series, and I'm a sucker for magical girls.
Mamotte! Lollipop - It looks cute, so I want to try it.
Bokura ga Ita - Shoujo romance, directed by the guy who did the Fruits Basket and Kodocha anime.
Angelique - Based on a dating sim for girls? Definite guilty pleasure material.

Updates, or the lack there of...

Moving in progress.

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to blog much over the last few weeks due to events in real life. I'll be busy for the rest of June, because I'm moving (Yay! No more living with my parents!) If possible, I'll make a few entries, but Petit Yume is officially on hiatus until the beginning of July.


Enjoy the rest of June!

On the Subject of AMVs

I make AMVs, and like watching those made by other people. However, a lot of AMVs make mistakes that prevent me from enjoying them. What can creators do to make their AMVs better? Below is a list of suggestions for creating a good AMV.

Ojamajo_LimePie's Guide to Good AMVs

Rule 1: Clean Source Footage (aka "I can't stop reading the subs at the bottom!")
You want your video source to be as clean as possible; fansubs just won't cut it. Subtitles on the bottom of the screen distract the viewer, not to mention that they look sloppy. The best option is to rip footage directly from the commercial DVD. If the anime is available your country, you have no excuse not to do this. Even if you don't own the series, you can rent the discs and rip from them. For newer shows or those that don't have a local release, search for raws to download. As a last resort, crop the subtitles out of fansub footage (make sure all footage is cropped by the same amount, see Rule 4.)

Rule 2: Originality (aka "No, I don't want to see your Advent Children 'My Immortal' AMV.")
It gets boring when every AMV seems to use the same anime/music combination. Viewers will pass over an AMV if the idea has already been done to death. However, if you do want to use an anime/music combo that's been done before, make sure it has something special to offer that the other AMVs of its type don't.

Rule 3: Diversity (aka "Don't use 'Moonlight Densetsu' for a Sailormoon AMV.")
Using a song from the same series as the video footage is boring. Some also see it as a sign of a 'newbie'. Mix it up a little.

Rule 4: Aspect Ratio (aka "Is this supposed to be 16:9 or 4:3?")
Keep the same aspect ratio (widescreen vs. fullscreen) and video size throughout the whole AMV. When using source materials that have both, decide on one aspect ratio and crop the video that has uses the other ratio (top and bottom for widescreen, sides for fullscreen.) Don't just resize the video; it looks bad when stretched, and even worse when squashed. Make sure that the width and height of all your clips match before creating the AMV.

Rule 5: Synch (aka "That clip is there, why?")
Synching footage to music is what AMVs are all about. There are two kinds of synch: beat synch and lyric synch. Beat synch is timing the footage to the musical cues of the song; lyric synch is matching what's going on in the video with the lyrics of the song. AMVs don't necessarily need lyric synch, but beat synch is important. Don't just throw in clips with no regard to timing; make sure they match the music.

Rule 6: Editing Programs (aka "Windows Movie Maker is the Devil!")
The title pretty much sums it up. There are much better editors out there (both free ones and those that cost money.)

For more indepth AMV-related information, visit AnimeMusicVideos.org

xxxHOLiC #8 - Contract

Help, I'm surrounded by crazy people!

One word describes this episode: creepy. A cautionary tale, the legend of the monkey paw has been scaring people for ages, and xxxHOLiC's version delivers with style. The teacher ignores the multiple warnings, believing herself to be special. This is a classic "pride cometh before the fall" situation. And when she falls; she falls hard.


Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it.

I was glad that the anime didn't soften the ending, like it did with the lying woman. The story would lose its impact without the element of death, both that of the unnamed woman and the main character. xxxHOLiC is a horror manga at its core, and the anime staff needs to remember that.


There's something about Himawari.

Yuuko has warned Watanuki that it isn't necessarily good luck that he likes Himawari. There's definitely something up with her. The seal shouldn't have broken just by someone touching it. Is Himawari unaware of her power, or is it something more sinister? I have no idea.


Yuuko is NOT a morning person.