Review by M. Cheung
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Taimanin Asagi AsagiFigures & DollsLong time coming
The sculpt is wonderful! Being a 1/6 figure it means that there should be a fair amount of detail, and there is. The packaging also enables you to get a good view of Asagi while still in the box. (I'm somewhat reluctant to remove her from the confines of the box to be honest.) It has to be said that the ripped clothing she wears certainly makes it risque but not vulgar, though that's for individuals to judge. Judging from the pictures on the packaging, the sculpt seems very faithful to the original designs as well. If you like the character design of Asagi, then this is a very good figure to own.
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Minami Kaze / Moichido Kimi ni AitaiMikuni ShimokawaA modest review
The first time I heard anything of Mikuni Shimokawa's was the opening and ending themes of the original Full Metal Panic series. Tomorrow still ranks as one of my favourites. Then when I saw Second Raid I have to admit that I felt somewhat underwhelmed by Shimokawa's efforts. They just couldn't top Tomorrow. It felt like that for quite a while actually but after time I appreciated them more. What happened for me is that the songs start to grow on you. Slowly. They are perhaps a little more nuanced in their approach unlike the seemingly more direct approach from the first series. The effect is more subtle and it works well. Songs that I grew to appreciate. I like them so I gave a 4/5 rating.
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TV Series (First Season) Ah! My Goddess 20th Anniversary DVD-BOX [w/ CD, Limited Edition]AnimationSheer wonder.
What is the boxset like? Wonderful. For a completist it even has the recap episode, though not during the run (it appears on the last disc as the last episode, which is a little strange). The artwork is a wonder in itself, plus the booklet included has the artwork for all the original DVD releases! Textless opening and endings, TV spots are also included as is a short feature. There's no doubt that anime DVDs from Japan are expensive. The same series costs a lot less in the west than its Japanese counterpart. I would hazard a guess that the picture quality is probably better in the Japanese releases though (at least I would like to think so given that only 3 episodes are on each disc). You'll already know whether you'd want to buy this. One curious thing for me which did disappoint me as someone who is learning Japanese is the lack of subtitles. (I wasn't expecting English subtitles!) I suppose I'm used to western releases for DVDs to have subtitles (anime or not), so was surprised by their absence in a Japanese release. (Also no reading the song lyrics either.) In short, a wonderful package.
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TV Animation "AH! MY GODDESS" Opening Theme: OPEN YOUR MIND - Chiisana Hane HirogeteYoko IshidaBeautiful
First off, I feel that music is pretty much a personal preference, so bear that in mind. I heard "Open Your Mind" when watching the first season of the new Aa Megamisama anime series. Only one word to describe it for me: beautiful. The increasing Japanese vocabulary I have at my disposal helps, but the melody is wonderful. One of the few instrumental tracks that still sound as good without the main vocal. "Negai" is lighter but is still a good song. You know it's worth it just for "Open Your Mind".
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Maburaho - Greatest HitsAnimation SoundtrackA review
Having seen Maburaho I have to admit that I loved the intro and outro songs. 'Koi no Mahou' is perhaps one of the most energetic performances I've heard, and that was the TV edit! 'We'd get there someday' is a lovely song too which keeps to the romantic spirit of the show. Ichiko is great on this, but the outr song by the three seiyuu must be mentioned too. It really is different with a harmony, though some of the English is perhaps little off. The oddest thing are the Xmas songs. Seeing that this was released to capitalize on it it is no surprise. Strange if you're listening in the middle of summer though. It's great that the songs are full length versions, which is what I always try to obtain if possible, and having all three main songs in the collection is good. 'Koi no mahou' is an acquired taste as I know people who hate it, but it seems to reflect the manic story. Some of the other songs aren't bad but the singing doesn't always sound as natural. Frankly this is one of those titles that you know whether you'll want to buy or not. For me it's one to buy.
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Melodies of Life featured in FINAL FANTASY IXEmiko ShiratoriMelodies of Life single review
This is sort of strange to be quite honest, so I'm not sure how to put it but I'll try. This is the song from Final Fantasy IX as we are told, and I have been somewhat delighted/disappointed - but that's for later. What this contains are three versions of Melodies of Life: Japanese, English and instrumental, and Galway no Sora. I won't pretend I know Japanese so I don't actually understand the lyrics, so what I will say is that the songs are well sung. The English version is actually well pronounced and certainly understandable without scouring for the lyrics. What I find odd are the discrepancies of the title song itself. I also have the 4 CD version of the FFIX soundtrack which also has a Japanese and English version of the song. This single release contains the full length English version; the soundtrack has the short version. Oddly the opposite is true for the Japanese version; short on this single but long on the soundtrack. Very strange. This may sound negative but it is a good song I feel; it's just that the various versions that are available makes it somewhat annoying. A good CD single still.
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Seiken Densetsu 2 (Secret of Mana) Original Sound VersionGame MusicSecret of Mana soundtrack review
First thing's first: we know this as Secret of Mana in the west. I remember playing this on the SNES back in the day when it was released and I was blown away. It was the first time I had played a Japanese RPG and the atmosphere and story blew me away. The first time I put the cartridge in I listened to the opening theme, and it is just wonderful. That said, the music really suited the game. It took me ages to finally get around to searching for the Japanese title, but a lot shorter to actually get the CD. I'm surprised that such an old title is still available when newer titles are out of print. I'm glad I bought this so I don't have to play through the game again to listen to the music in it. Time certainly hasn't diminshed the emotions that the music brings out in you. It's a wonderful, and nostalgic, CD for me and doesn't disappoint.
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tomorrow -[FULL METAL PANIC!] Opening&Ending theme songsMikuni ShimokawaTomorrow single review
This comes from Full Metal Panic and contains the full length versions of both the opening and ending themes. When watching Full Metal Panic and the opening hit I was hooked. No, I don't understand nearly enough Japanese but that doesn't prevent me from listening to Japanese songs. Tomorrow (the opening theme) feels to me like a song you can belt out. It feels uplifting. The ending theme, Karanai Hana, is very different and to me feels a lot more sombre. If you've seen the anime you know what to expect, and as such I knew very well what I was getting when I ordered this. Mikuni Shimokawa's singing is in good form here if you ask me, and is probably enough to persuade me to keep an eye out on her other works. Sometimes the TV size versions just aren't long enough, though the anime does use all the song essentially lyric-wise. Anyway, you get the proper version here.