Fairy Tail (Season 2): A parallel enigma, towards Edolas

And so, I continue the discussion about what happens right now in Fairy Tail. ^^


After the Nirvana problem has been averted, Wendy & Charles were welcomed to Fairy Tail, and a few filler episodes showed up to reveal some joyful events, like the Rainbow Cherry Blossom Festival and the Bingo game. Then Gildarts returned for a visit to the guild HQ and Natsu was so happy to meet him again. He hoped that Gildarts' surprise would be a happy one, only to find out that instead of Igneel, a black dragon appeared. Natsu was determined to look for it, but there's a problem: where and how to start?

And that's where the real problem begins, and it all began when a simple rain shower suddenly turned deadly.

Wendy and Mystogen reuniting after 7 years

Wendy has come face-to-face with Mystogen (mistaken to be Jellal because they look exactly alike), and he revealed that Magnolia and the rest of Earthland will be in danger because he failed his mission. The magic in his world has been deteriorating, and because of his failure, nothing would stop it.  Despite his warnings, Wendy rushes into the HQ to warn everyone, but it was too late. A huge hole appeared from the thundering dark skies, and the Sky Dragon Slayer could only watch helplessly as everything disintegrated in a flash.

Wendy couldn't believe her eyes as she sees the HQ vaporizing

And so, she was left alone, or was it? Natsu had emerged from the rubble unharmed, so did Happy and Charles. To answer the multi-dollar questions, the she-cat explained that they’re from Edolas, the parallel world different from Earthland, and that the destruction brought upon Magnolia was known to be the hyperspace magic, Anima, a way to restore the lost magic which was now in limited quantities. The Fire Dragon Slayer suggested that they go to Edolas for answers, and so they did as they ascended towards the hole, the portal leading there.

The two Dragon Slayers fling with their cats as they explore Edolas

But because of the severe magic limitations, Happy and Charles couldn’t use their wings and the group had to walk on foot. After a series of shenanigans as lost travelers, they finally found the Edolas version of Fairy Tail. The first impression whey they first stepped in was that the members there were the polar opposites of their Earthland versions, only to be spotted by the Edolas version of Lucy.

Uh oh... busted!!

Then there was another threat in the form of the Fairy Hunter, who enjoyed killing mages. That’s when Natsu’s team realizes that the Fairy Tail there was an outlaw guild because of lack of magic power, and the government’s law to disband the guilds, so the headquarters had to be teleported to somewhere safe. In case you’re wondering who the Fairy Hunter is, it’s none other than the Edolas counterpart of Erza Scarlet, Erza Nightwalker, one of the generals of the royal army.

Well, that’s all I can narrate, so you have to watch the rest to find out how this big catastrophe will be solved.

Till next time! ^^

Fairy Tail (Season 2): the magic continues...

I was able to watch Fairy Tail again on Animax after it ended on the part where Laxus was expelled from the guild due to his inappropriate actions against Natsu and the others and the celebration of the Harvest Festival. I was indeed very ecstatic, for I couldn't wait to see what happens next.


The next season starts with an interview for the Sorcerer as well as Lucy seeing his father again, who revealed how he met her mom after she saved the trade guild, Love and Lucky, from Naked Mummy, one of the dark guilds.


But the real threat is from Oracion Seis, one of the three most powerful dark guild who are part of the Balam Alliance, aside from Tartaros and Grimoire Heart. Its main goal is to acquire the power of Nirvana, which transforms light to darkness. If used, all the guilds on the light side will turn evil and wreak havoc to each other.

Oracion Seis (from top to bottom, left to right): Brain, Hoteye, Midnight, Angel, Racer, Cobra

That's when Makarov decided to form another alliance for the sole purpose of defeating Oracion Seis. Fairy Tail was just one of the four guilds included, together with Lamia Scale (the new guild of Lyon Bastia, Sherry Blendi and Jura), Blue Pegasus (with Ichiya and the Tri-men), and Cait Shelter (where Wendy Marvel and Charle resides).


Speaking of Wendy, she's another Dragon Slayer like Natsu, with the ability to use Sky Dragon magic as well as to heal. As for Charle, she's Wendy's companion, and Happy is currently aiming for her affections. Sadly, she's the hard-to-get type.

Wendy Marvel, the Sky Dragon Slayer

Charle, during her debut in the anime

Too bad Wendy was captured for the sole purpose of resurrecting Jellal, the past antagonist who wanted to get his hands on Etherion. Oracion Seis planned to use him as a tool for acquiring Nirvana, but sadly, the look-a-like of Mystogen became a renegade and turned against them.

Jellal imprisoned in the restraints of his coffin

Well, that's all I can summarize, since the show's still on-going, but I will update once the threat is averted.

Stay tuned for more ^^

Letter Bee: delivering letters, connecting hearts + earthquake in Visayas

Even though we have texting and e-mailing as our way of communicating people, it wouldn’t hurt to send a hand-written letter. Letters are very appeasing due to their purpose of sending what the writer wants to covey to others. As for delivery, the mailmen are fit for the job.

Even an anime show focuses on the theme of sending letters in the form of Letter Bee (known in Japan as Tegami Bachi). But don’t expect normal mailmen; the delivery people are known as Letter Bees (hence, the title), working hard to send letters no matter what the circumstances. With their Dingo as their companions and armed with Shindan (weapons designed to hunt down Gaichuus, the armed beetles), delivering letters is just a hard day’s work for them.

Gauche Suede (left) and Lag Seeing (right)

The first few episodes focused on Gauche Suede, together with his Dingo, a white wolf named Roda. He was on his way to one of his deliveries when he saw a boy lying down unconscious, marked as a letter. The boy was none other than Lag Seeing, whose mother was sent to another place. Lag assumed that there were people abducting his mom. After seeing the address, it became Gauche’s mission to send him to Campbell.

Their first meeting was a little rough, since the boy often complained about the food as well as Gauche’s coolly, harsh behavior. After mistakenly holding Gauche’s weapon and its power went out of whack, Lag discovered his past, as well as Gauche’s true reason of becoming a Letter Bee. Gauche’s younger sister, Sylvette, couldn’t walk due to an illness and had to stay alone in Yuusari for a long time, and as a brother, he had to ensure that the hope of curing the illness stays intact.

During another fight with a Gaichuu, Gauche was severely injured and Lag had to assist him to loading his Shindan. That’s when the Letter Bee saw the boy’s concealed eye, which turned out to be a fake eye made out of red Spirit Amber. The Amber resonated with the Shindan, causing Lag to shoot the beetle’s joints with a red needle, effectively killing it.

By the time they reached Campbell, Lag stayed in a woman’s inn to watch over Gauche, whose wounds had festered. After being recovered, the Letter Bee finally recognized Lag as a true friend, and promised to look for clues about his mother’s disappearance when he reached Akatsuki. As they parted ways, Lag made a vow: to become a Letter Bee just like Gauche.

5 years had passed, and Lag set off to apply for his job. That was when he met the girl who would become his dingo, Niche, a young girl with hair that would become weapons, and his co-workers: Connor Kluff, the boy with a huge appetite; and Zazie Shrine, the boy hungry to kill Gaichuus ever since the day his parents were rendered comatose by them. But as he sets off for work, he discovered what really happened to Gauche: he was missing.

And with that, he starts his career, while hoping to find clues about Gauche’s disappearance.

Letter Bee is just one of the coolest animes ever created. The series ended with snippets about an anti-government organization, Reverse, whose main goal is reformation and equality of the society, as well as a revelation that would surely knock the daylights out of Lag (literally).

But don’t worry if you’re craving for more. There’s the sequel, Letter Bee Reverse, which now focuses on Reverse and how the Letter Bees cope up with the threat of Marauders, thieves tasked to plunder letters.

Speaking of threats, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake just struck Iloilo and some parts of Visayas a few days ago. Although I’m fortunate to be alive, the others were not so lucky, with broken buildings, brownouts, and innocent lives taken. Worse, aftershocks did occur.

One of the casualties... and yes, I'm not joking

Poor them… I hope my relatives in Bacolod are ok.

Anyway, that’s all, folks. Sayonara ^^

Baka & Test: Striving for worth

EDIT: adjusted the article to make a clearer picture. Also added more pictures.

Ever since I first heard of it on Animax, it became part of my to-watch list… No, seriously!

The main protagonists, plus some of the Class A students

Baka & Test: Summon the Beasts (known in Japan as Baka To Test to Shoukanjuu), is about Fumizuki Gakuen, a college preparatory high school with classes categorized according to rank, based on the result scores of the placement exam taken during the first day of semester. Class A is known to be the “Cream of the Crop” class, with its facilities designed to cater to prodigious students, those who passed the placement exam with flying colors. The reverse is Class F, with its classroom reminiscent of a poor man’s residence, filled with students who failed who make the grade during the placement exam.

Class F is where the main protagonists reside, and in order to get the hell out of that dilapidated classroom, they must make the cut. Using their shoukanjuu, aka, the avatars, they must fight their way to the top through the Summoning Wars. First, the battle between two classes must be approved before it can start. With a teacher as the witness, the avatars must defeat their opponents if they want to promote. As for the defeated opponents, those who were KIA’ed during the battle, they had to attend remedial classes.

The Beasts at their most bad-ass

If a student continues to excel, his or her chances to promote will increase, including the option to switch facilities with the opposing class. Those who wish to replenish their avatars’ attack strength must take supplementary exams. There’s no limit on how many questions one can answer during the test time limit, as long as he or she knows them enough to get back in the game.

But I have to warn you, though; it’s not the usual slice-of-life kind of anime. There may be scenes that will definitely arouse fantasies to all yaoi/yuri/hentai/ecchi fans out there. So, if these scenes are not your thing, better avert your eyes away.

With all the wacky, crazy, school life going on in the series, as well as a unique way of testing the smarts of students, it became one of the funniest anime shows to enjoy. Try it, and you may get hooked. ^^

The boys are back... in black!

Till my next entry! Ciao! ^^

About separation

Last night, I watched another Inazuma Eleven Pokemon DP Battle Dimension episode. In the former, Nathan a.k.a. Kazemaru (the green - haired ponytail guy) was very downcast with the Raimon Eleven's latest defeat in the hands of Genesis (another team from Alieus Academy)and Shawn's (Fubuki's) serious injury that he decided to lay low from the team for a while. As for the latter, Jessie had to say goodbye to her Dustox so that it could be together with another Dustox (the one with brown wings that belonged to another random trainer) as they went to the so - called "Dustox Crossing", the time when the Dustox fly off in a form of a golden archway to Mt. Coronet so that they could start a new life and have a family in a flower field there.

It's indeed very painful when we experience separation, whether it's going to another place for a while, or watching a friend depart to somewhere else without turning back. But still, changes are permanent, and we have no choice but to accept it, if it's necessary.

Whatever it is, it's important to keep memories of friends in our hearts, so that it will always be worthwhile.

That's enough ranting for now... Signing off... ^^

Black Rock Shooter, one - of - a - kind

I first heard of Black Rock Shooter from the show entitled "Culture: Japan" by Danny Choo. There was a company known to produce excellent figurines (known as GoodSmile Company), and the figure details are very good. The main protagonist there was a hit, especially with that cool pose. Here's the pic:

Ok, enough ranting about the figurine, for I'm now talking about the anime show itself.

For the unitiated, Black Rock Shooter focuses on two sides of the coin: the real world, and the alternate world. In the real world, two girls meet and become friends, but later on, one of the girls disappears and her friend becomes worried about what will happen to her.


Meanwhile, in the alternate world, the main protagonist (the girl with back hair tied into pigtails and pale blue eyes with the left one blazing with a blue flame, wielding a oh - so - big cannon which can change into any weapon) is at constant warfare with the villain (the girl with the same hair color but with a somehow wavy hairstyle and pale green eyes, with the Grim Reaper scythe as her weapon and can control black skulls with glowing eye-holes). Later on, with a warm hug, the menacing spirit is finally defeated and the real person turns out to be the main character's friend who vanished from the real world. Eventually, the main protagonist crosses paths with her look - a - like and merges with her. In the end, the two friends go back to their normal lives, but things don't look as they seem in the end, with another girl acting strangely again.


Want a clearer picture? Look here.


But still, it's a great show to watch, especially with the fight scenes and the tensions going on. The drawings are indeed very gorgeous and neat, but not that original, since some speculate that the gun-wielding girl may be similar to Vocaloid's Hatsune Miku in terms of the hairstyle.


Here's another pic of the gunslinger, this time it's from an artist in DeviantArt:

If that's interesting for you, put Black Rock Shooter onto your watch list. I'm sure it's worth the hype!


See ya later, fellow readers! ^^

Discovering more about Japan's culture

With so many things to love about Japan, the country has become a popular place for people to flock in. One would just wish he or she would live there to relish the delicacies of Japanese culture.

Speaking of Japanese culture, I just watched the TV show entitled "Culture: Japan", hosted by popular blogger Danny Choo and K-On voice actress Satomi Oda. The show features some of the stuff that make the land of the rising sun very famous. Here are a few of them featured in the episode:

Cosplay: Popular Pinoy cosplayer Alodia Gonsiengfiao was featured there, with a sneak peek about her home which is also a workshop for her cosplay sorties.

Anime Figures: Mr. Choo was granted permission for a tour about Good Smile Company, the guys behind some of the most renowned anime figurines. The show even featured a few of the figure collectors and Amiami rated the top 10 best figurines to look out for.

Anime: DigitalHolywood was included there also, which served as a training ground for all future animators all over the globe.

Student Life: Fujisawa High School was indeed a school of its own kind, which allowed students to create their own time tables to suit their interests. 

I sure hope there will be another episode of the show, so that viewers everywhere would savor more about the Japanese pop culture. I hope this will spark your interest... ^^

For more about Danny Choo's blog, you can visit dannychoo.com

Oh, and here's Alodia's website for an added bonus: alodiagosiengfiao.com

Of sibling relationships (in anime)

One of the plots you would usually see in anime shows is family relationships, particularly towards siblings. Most of them have featured characters that have either brothers or sisters, or even both. The closeness between them are somehow similar in real life, wherein it differs depending on the situation. It's somehow complicated, but let me simplify this: either they became allies or enemies, and, in some cases, they remained close even though they could not reunite due to unfortunate circumstances.

Here are a few examples:

First on the list is Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha from Naruto. I know how you guys feel when you discover that Itachi's the one responsible for the extermination of their clan. The usual reaction would be anger and retribution for the dead, and it goes the same for Sasuke against Itachi.

Another is Makoto and Kyoichi Shido from Idaten Jump. At first, Makoto wondered if the masked rider is really her brother and why she could not see him immediately, but after rediscovering her MTB bike and removing the masked man's helm, it was indeed a miracle that her guess was right, and she understood the reasons as to why Kyoichi had to conceal his face and go on separate ways from her and his friends, especially if it involves Team ST.

Lastly, there goes Tyson and Hiro from Beyblade G-Revolution. Hiro may seem to be a bad guy at first, especially when he defeats Ray and watches Tyson battling against other beybladers, much to the Tyson's chagrin, but at the regional finals, when he reveals his face to Tyson at last, it was indeed a tearful reunion. After all, one must sometimes camouflage to keep an eye on the person he or she loves most.

So there you have it, folks, the application of real - life sibling relationships in anime shows. Whether it's sibling rivalry, discord, or close bonds, what matters the most is that family is one important factor in one's life, and one must be glad to have grown-up with family members.

That's all, folks! Gotta continue my Beybade G-Revolution marathon! ^^

Interest in Beyblade rekindled

I first discovered Beyblade years ago through watching adventures of Tyson and his crew of beybladers. When you hear the word 'Beyblade', the first thing that would come into your mind would be spinning tops on the field striking against one another until only one top remains spinning with the others being rendered to standstill. What got me hooked on the series was the intense action, the competition to see who will stand the best among all, all while imparting lessons of sportsmanship, friendship and fair play.

And so once again, I was drawn again into the world of spinning tops through the latest Beyblade spin-off, Metal Fight Beyblade. It was first aired last Wednesday through Cartoon Network, and boy, I was once again hooked with the action that was brought by the battle that Tyson and his friends first commenced. Only this time, a new protagonist emerged, by the name of Ginga Hagane, together with his Beyblade, Storm Pegasus.

 


























I really adored Ginga and considered him as my most favorite character there because of his extraordinary skills in beyblading, especially when Storm Pegasus unleashed its most powerful attacks. More importantly, he taught Kenta, the short kid who's also a beyblader, that a beyblade's true strength lies within the heart. No wonder he would sometimes stare at the stars during his usual strolls and considered Pegasus as his comrade (Yep, the bit beasts are based on constellations, different from the previous Beyblade shows wherein the four Chinese mythology beasts were the bit beasts of the main protagonists.)


I'm really getting hooked on it right now! I can't wait to see more of the action! Yeehaw!


That's all for now! Ciao! ^^

Witnessing a lot of endings

They say that all good things must come to an end, and it does happen all the time. In my case, I have seen some anime shows that I've watched in both Animax and Cartoon Network reaching their final moments. Good thing they turn out to be enjoyable, although not that happy and not that bittersweet.

The first on the list in Tengen Toppa Gurren Langann. The main antagonist was finally defeated and both Simon and Nia were finally married, but sadly, her life was put to an end. On the final scenes after the ending song, the characters had grown and aged, but they had become better persons, especially Simon who passed on some words of wisdom to the kid as they watched the robots fly off into space.

Next is the latest season of Pokemon, Diamond and Pearl. Although Ash and his latest rival were still in each other's throats during the tag team battle, they managed to win the championships and win the prize. I couldn't wait to see what will happen next! ^^

Then there's Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. The main villain finally got the taste of its own medicine by being brought into despair, and Ed and Al were back to their normal selves. Can't tell you how, but it's worth the trouble. The last episode will be shown on Friday.

In Romeo x Juliet (Yes, there's also an anime version of the Shakespeare classic), the tides were turned to the Capulets and Lord Montague finally confessed the truth to Romeo about the tree that held the world in place that was about to wither, that once it is dead, the apocalypse will happen. I would say that the ending will be heart-stopping and shocking.

Well, that's all I could remember. What's important is that whatever the result will be on the grand finale, we must accept it as it is.

That's all! ^^

Changes to my blog + My new favorite anime

Yeah, I know your eyebrows are raised because of the changes I made to my blog. I decided to upgrade my template because I'm somehow bored with my previous template. It really took me a short time to revamp this blog to a new level, but I'm happy with it. Oh, and I changed the title a bit because somehow, my post does include not only about my life and online games, but also about anime as well. So there, the new title is shown on my brand - new blog.

Well, speaking of anime, I'm now a fan of To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (A Certain Scientific Railgun). I first discovered it in my March issue of GAME! magazine, and it's only a few days ago that I decided to give it a try. Indeed, I was impressed with it.

Well, just in case you haven't heard of it, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun is a side story of another anime entitled To Aru Majutsu no Index. It focuses mostly on Makoto Misaka, one of the Level 5 users in Academy City, the place devoted on training its students to fortify their supernatural abilities. Misaka is reputed to be the ace of Tokiwadai High School (one of the prestigious elite schools in Academy City) due to her powerful talent of controlling electricity to her liking, like launching coins at a fast rate and giving those who cross her a excruciating electric shock, which might even cause massive destruction at the surroundings. No wonder Shirai Kuroko, another Tokiwadai student and a member of Judgement (the police department) always shows affection to her, much to her chagrin.

Aside from Misaka and Kuroko, there are other two interesting characters that I like: Kazari Uiharu and Ruiko Saten (both students from Sakugawa Middle School, another school in Academy City). Uiharu is a shy female teenager with a flower wreath on her hair, who is also adept in using computers for research and surveillance for Judgement, while Saten-san, despite having no abilities, is a cheerful female with a happy-go-lucky attitude (although there's also another side of her, which was painful and depressing). Together with Misaka and Kuroko, they form a group of friends who stay strong despite the obstacles coming their way.

But despite the action, comedy and humor made to lighten the mood, there are also sides of horror and depression. One proof would be the ability users who used their gifts for bad means, with a sad story behind the motives. Another would be a scientist who acted as a cerebral psychologist, but in fact, has even more sinister plans. But the more shocking would be illegal means to upgrade supernatural powers, with a heavy price in exchange.

If you're interested, check out the ff. videos (sorry, I won't put the episodes... You have to discover it for yourself):

First Opening Song (Only My Railgun by fripside)




First Ending Song (Dear My Friend by Elisa)



Second Opening Song (Level 5 - Judgelight by fripside):



Second Ending Song (Real Force by Elisa):




All in all, it's indeed worth checking out. Gotta check out To Aru Majutsu no Index once I'm done watching all 24 episodes of Railgun... ^^


That's all for now... Ciao! ^^

Something to cheer me up for the meantime

Right now, I'm currently in the severe state of depression right now because of my mistakes that made my mom so mad at me that she would hit the roof. Because of that, I held off playing CelestiaLuna because I'm not in the mood to level up my characters there right now... :(

So I decided to start watching Bakugan: New Vestroia through the Internet. I'm starting to like the plot: Peace at new Vestroia at the start, but then alien ships came over and captured all monsters there, enslaving them and treating them like helpless animals just for entertainment. That's where Dan and Marucho come in, meet Mira (leader of the Resistance), together with Ace and Baron, reunite with Shun (who had his hair cut short), and help them free the Bakugan from the Vestials' slavery. Believe me, obstacles also came in the way, including the Vexos (team of the Vestials' best Brawlers), and even the prince who was acting like a spoiled brat (having a collection of the first season's main protagonists' Bakugan turned into statues, excluding Drago, is one proof).

So far, I had just finished watching episodes 1-16. Too bad I couldn't watch episode 4 due to copyright protection... T_T

So, enough ranting for now... Gotta continue watching the rest of the series now. Jaa - ne! ^^