CARDCAPTOR SAKURA || Anime Review

Source: My Anime list

Hey guys and happy happy new year! I think one of my resolutions should definitely be returning to blogging. And here I am with another anime review about one of the classics, which is Cardcaptor Sakura. It has returned just recently with another brand new arc, and I intend to commemorate that by going back to the last three seasons it has. It is without a doubt, the best anime I've seen in my entire life. It has a special place in my heart, making it my favorite anime of all time. I've seen this show countless of times, and I've seen it again recently...and it still is the best in my book. So you have no idea, how excited I was when I learned it was getting a sequel...both in manga and in anime.

Cardcaptor Sakura is based on the famous shojou manga of the same name back in 1996 and it is created by one of my favorite illustrators in anime and in manga, CLAMP. They have created other iconic manga turned to anime, like Chobits, X, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles (with the characters of Cardcaptor Sakura as the main characters!) and Clamp Detective School. It was then adapted into anime in 1998 by none other than, Madhouse and as you all know it is a very famous studio in Japan. Now this anime is one of the cornerstones of the Shojou genre. It is an anime that was not only appealing to young girls, but also to older audiences and it is one of the most memorable anime shows. However just because it is memorable and an all-time favorite, does it mean it's ground-breaking or simply good? Let's find out.

This review is spoiler free.

NARUTO 101: Tackling Misconceptions and Confusing Tales

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Hey guys! Welcome back! Let's take a break from the anime reviews because recently I've been getting a lot of confused questions from friends regarding the Naruto fandom. Even if it recently ended last summer, I totally understand why people still do not get the show and I'm pretty sure the reason is quite obvious to hardcore fans. This is what you get when there are just so many filler arcs. This post is here to guide you on common tales and questions that made you confused (and possibly anxious) about the anime. I will be talking common stories and misconceptions that are causing people to speculate about many things, but still can't get a full conclusion to. This is also for fans who have not been following the show religiously, and are probably too lazy to get into it. Believe me, if you are into Naruto then you will need to understand that these types of fans exist for this particular show. Hopefully it will put everything into perspective, since everything that will be mention are definitely published in mangas, novels, and of course the anime. Fair warning though, there will be spoilers, so read at your own risk. Let's get into it!

Let's Review! Psycho-Pass 2

And I am right back with the anime reviews. I am going to continue from where I left off. Yes, Psycho-Pass did have a second season. The reason why I did not merged it with my previous review is because this follows a completely different story. So trying to review two seasons with different storylines might scramble up my mind, and that's the last thing my brain needs right now. So I'm just going to dive right into it.

The following review is spoiler-free.

Plot

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Okay let me break it down for you; Nothing much has changed for Japan; the Sibyl System still runs the town and uses the Psycho-Pass to measure one's mental stability and dictate one's life. Akane Tsunemori is now head of the 1st Division of the MWPSB and manages a new group of enforcers (latent criminals who are tasked to search for other criminals), as well as a junior investigator. She is faced with a brand new enemy. This is a mysterious man named Kamui, and he is said to have the ability to cleanse one's Psycho-Pass and not have them to worry about it getting clouded anymore. This poses a threat to the Sibyl System, and Akane's team is tasked to find him and eliminate him.

Let's Review! Psycho-Pass

I am on a roll here. Today, I am going to be reviewing another hyped (is it?) anime called Psycho-Pass. It is produced by the infamous Production I.G. (Blood+, Ghost in the Shell, xxxHolic) under the direction of Naoyoshi Shiotani and Katsuyuki Motohiro, and it is written by Gen Urobuchi (Fate/Zero, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Aldnoah Zero 2nd Season). It's been on my to-watch list for quite some time. A lot of people that I know personally has recommended this to me, as well. The same goes when I surf the web for top anime lists. This made me even more puzzled about the series. Finally, iFlix's free trial has allowed me to see it. Currently, the anime has two seasons. But for this review, I shall focus on the first season, because season 2 follows a different story and doing a critique on both storylines might give me a headache. So here we go.

The following review is spoiler free.

Plot

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Okay, let me break it down for you; In the 22nd century, Japan has completely given in to the wonders of science and technology. The biggest breakthrough is the Sibyl System, which is a high form of technology that serves to uphold law and justice. It does so by looking at everyone's Psycho-Pass, which measures one's mental state and crime coefficient (the higher the number, the most likely you are to become a criminal). The Psycho-Pass determines how mentally healthy you are by looking at your hue or color. If it is light and clear, then the Sibyl System will be able to give you a good job and a very stable life. If it becomes dark and cloudy, then you are in need of therapy. But when worse comes to worse, your crime coefficient may be too high, making therapy an impossible option. You either become a latent criminal or you have to be severely eliminated. We get to view this dystopian world in the eyes of Japan's police force or the MWPSB--particularly Unit One and their enforcers, who are latent criminals who are given a chance to work-- and we get to see how they uphold the standards of the Sibyl System. 

Let's Review! Tokyo Ghoul

Welcome! Today I am going to review one of the most over hyped summer anime of 2014, Tokyo Ghoul! As usual, it is based on the manga by Sui Ishida. It currently has two seasons--the other entitled Root A--and they are both under the studio Pierrot (Flame of Recca, Clamp School Detectives, Naruto, The Legend of Korra, Midori Days, and wow, let's say they've done a lot of notable TV series). To be honest, I had no idea what this show was going to be about until I actually watched it. My first impression towards it was that it was going to be a seriously dark anime. And is it? Let's see.

The following review is spoiler free.

Plot

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Okay, let me break it down for you; Kaneki Ken was this depressed introvert with a very stale life until suddenly he gets attacked by a binge-eating ghoul who he briefly had a crush on. However, this attack led to an accident that nearly cost them their lives. In order for Kaneki to live, some random insane doctor decided to transplant most of the ghoul's organs into Kaneki's body. Of course, this comes with a side effect and that is him becoming part-ghoul. Here, Kaneki is introduced to the other ghouls and to their world, which he always thought were just mere threats to the security of Tokyo.

Let's Review! Ultra Maniac

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Hello and yes, we are back to our schedule of reviewing various anime material. And in order to commemorate Women's month, I am going to review a Shojo anime that I enjoyed watching when I was very young. Ultra Maniac is based on the manga of the same name and is originally created by Wataru Yoshizumi. The show is produced by Ashi Productions (now Production Reed) and directed by Shin'ichi Masaki. The first time I saw this was in Animax. It aired right after Cardcaptor Sakura every weekday afternoon. Sometimes, I get too excited after one Cardcaptor Sakura episode to the point that I couldn't just turn off the television. So I ended up experimenting with other anime showing on Animax and Ultra Maniac was one of them. I got around to rewatching the whole thing recently, because there were some episodes that I missed when I was still watching on Animax. Plus it is women's month and I have never reviewed a Shojo anime in this blog yet, so why not?

Let's Review! The Last: Naruto the Movie

Hey guys! I'm pretty delayed but since it's still the last week of February, I can still catch up with this brand new review. Since February is considered the love month, then I have prepared an anime film with an interesting love story, and it is The Last: Naruto the Movie. I know, it is a pretty weird choice but it is essentially a romantic story. It is directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi (The Twelve Kingdoms) and the story is created by none other Masashi Kishimoto. An interesting fact about this movie that it is the first Naruto film that is canon; meaning the events that occurred in this movie took place in between the last two chapters of the manga. So I guess I have a right to correlate the film's story to the manga.

Plot

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Okay let me break it down for you: The story of Naruto and Hinata takes place two years after the Fourth Shinobi War. Everything was peaceful until a strange shinobi named Toneri appears and decides to use the forces of the moon and the power of the Byakugan to "renew" humanity.

Writer's Block: Otaku

There is nothing wrong with being an Otaku. 

If you do not know what an Otaku is then it's obviously a person who prefers to stay in their room and does nothing else but stuff their minds with whatever fandom comes to mind. Most people would see them as bums with no life. Sometimes the culture of an Otaku is also seen as something dangerous or simply unhealthy because they lock themselves in their rooms all day and prefer to face a computer screen rather an actual human being. I admit, living the Otaku life can be dangerous to your health, However, the problem is the a lot of people are only able to grasp just the idea of being an Otaku. That's why it's so easy for them to quickly judge them as sore losers who live under a rock. I may sound like biased person when I say this, but I am going to be completely honest with you; being an Otaku is not that bad. Perhaps it becomes a bad thing when you forget your limits, but apart from that living an Otaku life does not mean you don't have a social life or you are not knowledgeable enough to be considered an intellectual person. In other words, Otakus can be well-rounded people too. 

The first thing I would like to address is that Otakus are not stupid. In fact, they can be intelligent. They read and learn about informative shit in their fandoms and most of the Star Wars or Game of Thrones shit they love are based on actual facts that you ponder in school (or at work) everyday. Not only that, there are now blurred lines about any subject and the definition of a genius or a smart person is one of them. Being smart does not automatically mean that you are just a straight-A student. Heck no one told you that you need to be incredibly ambitious with schoolwork just so you can be considered intelligent. You can be smart or intelligent in your own way. Believe it or not, Otakus are already doing that. Watching one anime episode is enough for them to generate opinions about the most random things, including sensitive issues. Otakus are smart enough to think for themselves whilst reading, watching, or even playing video games (because playing games are not as easy as you think).

Another thing is that not all Otakus are bad at socializing. It may be a struggle but it does not mean we are stuck in this struggle forever. I am an Otaku and I started out as a terrible public speaker. And guess what? I decided that I do not want to remain that way, so I decided to build up my social skills because it was simply my choice. Like I said, Otakus think for themselves. We may make fun of ourselves being socially awkward, but we do not over indulge our faults for an eternity. Also, Otakus can go out. Otakus are not allergic to the outdoors. If some are, then deal with it. It just so happens there are people who prefer to stay inside the comfort of their homes for a reason. And if they prefer to stay there everyday, then I don't see why people have to make such a big issue about it. Staying indoors is a choice, just like going outdoors. When someone you know prefers to stay at home, it does not mean they end up deteriorating on the couch. It means that they just want to stay at home. That's it. There's nothing more to it.

Finally, Otakus do have lives. I am not sure what your definition of a life is, but I'm sure it centers around doing something you love. I have Otaku friends, but they have friends (like me, of course. I just said that they are my friends). They actually go to more parties than I do. They go to malls, have sleepovers, and attend Prom. Otakus can be suckers for the mundane things in life, too.

So if you're one of those people who look down on Otakus simply because of the idea of their lifestyle, then I just want to let you know that we live our lives  the way we want them to. And if you're one of those Otakus who live up to the social constructs that society labeled you to be (a.k.a. a total bum), then please do not revolve around this culture too much because too much of something can also be a bad thing. There is nothing wrong in making a little effort on trying new things. 

10 Random Anime Cliches Part 2

Everyone seemed to enjoy me talking about anime, so recently I have been watching some again. And I am about to discuss another set of random cliches because there are just so many!

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1.) The Character being able to make out a conversation from afar
It's one of those Dragonball-like scenes wherein the opponent is completely far from the character and for some odd reason, they pretty much understand what they are saying to one another! It's amazing.

2.) Someone commentating on the battle scenes
I think we see this in Pokemon all the time. Just imagine yourself as Ash Ketchum and you are way too busy trying to defeat Gary or the Elite Four. Luckily, you got your friends to explain what is happening during your fight. Commentators are necessary, just in case the viewers did not understand what's going on with your Pikachu.

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3.) Announcing your battle moves or basically...announcing what you are going to do next!

This is again common in animes that have fighting scenes in them. The character will always announce what kind of move they are going to use against their opponent(s) and then attack. It sounds very illogical, but in the end...it works.

4.) The overprotective brother archetype
Profound examples are Itachi from Naruto (may he rest in peace) and Touya from Cardcaptor Sakura. Nothing beats having a big brother who always sticks out for you, right Hiro?

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5.) The overly-attached little sister/brother archetype
Of course, onii-chan will not be complete without a little shota brother or sister

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6.) The Prodigy
There will always...I repeat, ALWAYS be a character who's naturally good at everything. This person's got the looks, the charisma, the languages, the skills, the smarts, you name it. This person will have everything and you just don't question it because they're always hot.

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7.) The cute and furry companion
This is probably common in most shojo animes, but our heroes cannot be alone.

8.) The shy girl with the huge breasts
The most innocent ones are always the ones who manage to surprise us. Admit it pervs, you like this cliche very much.

9.) The Vacation Episode
Of course, the hero always needs a break. But it's not really a break, because we get to see what's going on during their vacation.

10.) Whenever you confess to your crush...
Always remember to blush really hard, look down, and hold your hands together. Because there's a chance senpai will never reciprocate your feelings. Sad, but it's true.

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10 Random Anime Cliches

10 Random Anime Cliches

Greetings my insignificant turtle ducks! 

I would like to discuss something that I have always wanted to talk about for a very long time... and as the title suggests, I am going to talk about Anime.

Just like most media, Anime has its very own cliches. Most of the time we just tolerate these and move on with the episode (simply because Anime can be awesome, most of the time). But if you consider yourself as a very observant otaku, then you probably noticed these repeated elements in almost all of the anime shows that you have watched. I will not talk about all of them since there are far too many, but if you have a list of Anime cliches yourself, then feel free to share. 

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1.) The protagonist's seating arrangement in class- Now I think this the most common cliche ever. Everyone notices this, yet most anime shows still think that it is a good idea to put the main protagonist in the very corner of the classroom, where he or she can be allowed to daydream or sneak away from class or any kind of shenanigan. Or maybe putting that very character in that position of the classroom signifies what a total outcast he or she can be, or something almost close to that. Or maybe it would not be that hard for us to determine who the hero of the story is. 

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2.) "I'm never going to give up" speeches- There are probably a million fictional characters with an attribute of determination and Anime probably has more than a third of those. Every time an anime character is close to dying or becoming defeated, he or she somehow manages to stand up and make a long, detailed, sometimes badass, but a completely unnecessary speech that generally says, "I am not going to give up, so I'm just going to fight you until my last breath" then they continue fighting. Most of the time they win, sometimes they don't. Go figure.

3.) The Tardy Student- It is also not hard to figure out who the main character is because they're always late for class! Not only that, they always have to scream at the top of their lungs that they are going to be late for school. 

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4.) The Filler Wonderland Episode- Have you encountered the kind of episode, wherein they are in this random alternate universe that somehow resembles a folklore legend or a fairy tale? Then the story of the episode is not connected to the entire plot at all and the characters go as different characters based on the legend or tale they're trying to imitate? Yeah.

5.) Infamous clubs and their lack of members- Every time an Anime focuses on a club, the usual issue is that they do not have enough people signing up. If they don't get enough people to join their team, then the club will cease to exist or something like that. And if that's not the case, then the characters would form or reform a club, yet their obstacles would still be the lack of members and sometimes the funding. But somehow in the end, they managed to convince a fair amount of people (sometimes by force) to join. They make it in time for the deadline, and sometimes the members of the club automatically become regular characters and it is them against their world for the rest of the series.

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6.) Food Porn- This is my most favorite cliche of all. Even though it is not really related to the plot, there would be episodes wherein food plays a big role. School girls would normally whip up something special for their senpais, clumsy protagonists would struggle in cooking right in front of the stove, and hot bishounens would effortlessly swoon the ladies with their cooking skills. And the best part is that they show a very detailed finish of their meals, which looks so real that it makes my mouth water like crazy. 

7.) Olympics Episode- I know it somehow part of their culture in their schools and all, but there will always be this episode dedicated to their sports events. Normally, this is where the most "oh my gosh" moments and major plot twists take place. 

8.) Festival Episode- Almost related to number 7. I know it is part of their culture, but this is still where most of the major plot twists and suspense take place. One of the major female characters need to be super kawaii in their kimonos too, otherwise they won't be able to impress senpai.

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9.) Fan Clubs- In the Anime World, anyone can have their own fan club. But they must meet the following requirements. First of all, they need to exceptionally good looking. Secondly, they need to be at least very good with their academics. Third, if they are not that smart, they can excel in sports. And last but not least, you need to be "sugoi" in everything you do in order to obtain a fair amount of worshippers.

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10.) Yell- Its super effective.

And those are the ten things that  you can easily spot in many Anime shows. If this lessened your interest to delve into the world of the Otakus, then I somehow understand. But if this heightened your interests, then good for you and I wish you good luck on your endless nights of non-stop watching and fangirling. 

Till the next post~

More from Tama-chan!

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Let's Review! Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

Anime became a big part in my life. I grew up with Pokemon, Clamp, and other classic Anime shows. Today, I would like to share one of my favorite shows growing up, and it's Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. 

Note: The following review contains spoilers and will be focused on the Anime alone. Discussions on manga or it's anime/manga crossover, XXXholic, will not be included in the post. 

Plot

Syaoran's hand grabbing Sakura's feather

Okay let me break it down for you; Syaoran and Sakura have been best friends ever since they were kids. They were supposed to have a beautiful future together but Sakura got in trouble and it has something to do with her powers (which was not fully explained at all). And her powers could change the world. Because of her complicated magical skills, she was succumbed into a deep sleep and her memories, which are in the form of feathers, were scattered across different dimensions. Not countries. DIMENSIONS. Then Syaoran, being the caring person that he is, goes to the shop of Yuuko Ichihara (the powerful and sexy witch who can grant wishes) and begs her to save Sakura. She grants him the power to cross dimensions so he can grab all the feathers and save her life. And that's what he basically does for two seasons. 

The manga and OVA has already revealed a much more complicated plot than this, but I will just stick to the two seasons this anime already offered before it was canceled. 

Each episode is dedicated to finding the feathers with a little bumps along the way. Some worlds or countries are dedicated to one entire arc, meaning it would take them at least three to five episodes before they could get the feather in that certain world or country. Sometimes they find a feather, sometimes they don't. Even if they don't get a feather, they have to move on to different dimensions and they have no control on which way to go. So basically, their style of traveling is kind of like a game of chance. This world may have one or more feathers, this one may have none. The entire plot itself is pretty interesting but it was never given another season, so I never saw the real end of it. It ended up looking like a plain series with no serious plot whatsoever. Then again, collecting feathers can be really tiring. Since they are traveling across different worlds, it would take them at least a millennium to finish the task.

Characters

From left to right, we have Fai, Sakura, Syaoran, and Kurogane. Mokona is the little white thing jumping from behind with joy.

What makes the entire series ultimately interesting were the characters. Most of the characters found in this series were just recycled. In other words, they all came from different anime shows (i.e. Clamp Detective School, Chobits, X/1999 or X) that Clamp created. Sakura and Syaoran came from Cardcaptor Sakura. Not only that, this anime also has a crossover with another anime called XXXHolic, featuring Yuuko (the same witch Syaoran encounters in the first episode) and Watanuki as the leading characters. So if you read or watch XXXHolic, you will find similar scenes from Tsubasa (i.e. The episode where Syaoran asks Yuuko for help). 

Apparently,  Sakura and Syaoran did not have to go through this challenge alone. They were accompanied by three more memorable figures and two of them are original characters. First is Fai D. Flowright (commonly known as Fai), a happy-go-lucky wizard from the country of Celes. He wanted to travel across dimensions because he wanted to run away from a certain someone. Next is Kurogane , who is a war freak ninja from Nihon and was exiled from his own home by Princess Tomoyo. He wanted to cross dimensions so he can return back to Nihon. Finally, we have Mokona Modoki, the magical mascot of the team and the one who transports them to different dimensions. Mokona is another recycled character, and the little manju bun came from Magic Knight Rayearth. These three companions are at the highest level of their expertise, be it magic or combat skills. So every time they go to different dimensions, people can immediately tell that they are not ordinary travelers. Other than that, they're basically like anime Powerpuff girls, sticking to one color when it comes to clothes. Sakura loves pink, Fai is always seen in anything blue, Kurogane pulls off black and red, and Syaoran wears green clothes (Mokona doesn't really need to wear anything). But they learn to change it up in season 2.

In the first season, they remain consistent with their characters. But you'll only see more development from them in season two, and they were just getting started. Although the story started with Syaoran and Sakura, the one who was more of an open book was Kurogane. In season one, he started to change, and in season two we get a glimpse of his past and we immediately understood why he's...like that. So if you ask me who my favorite character in this anime is, it's Kurogane. He's just awesome. The rest, I'm afraid, are a little too flat (I would love to go through each character in detail, but that would take up too much time...perhaps another time). Again, they weren't given enough time to develop even more. How disappointing.

Music

I think what made me enjoy the anime so much was the music. Let's start with the opening and ending theme; personally, I liked all the songs they showed. It was quite consistent. They will start the anime with an awesome rock number. Then they will end it with a sweet and sentimental song by Maaya Sakamoto. As for the music within the anime itself, I find it impressive that they would use the song, "A Song of Storm and Fire" for one of the characters' intense moments. It definitely heightens up the suspense!!! It's perfect for battle, perfect for highlighting a plot twist, perfect for revealing something, perfect for a "Oh my god!" moment. I also appreciated the fact that they would translate some of their Japanese songs into English, namely "Yume No Tsubasa"  and "You are My Love". I grew up with these songs, and I love how they sound sincere and meaningful. Their songs are great choices if you want to woo a woman, if you ask me. The soundtrack is just amazing. It can calm you, it can make you cry, it can make your heart fly, and it can even make you bang your head. They complement the anime very well. 

Art

Tsubasa Tokyo Rebellion. From left to right are Subaru and Kamui (X), Kurogane, Fai, and Syaoran

Syaoran and Sakura separated.

What is an anime review without mentioning the art style??? Well you can tell very well that the anime is created by Clamp because one of one detail: thinness. Everyone in this anime is really, really thin. I think there was only a small percentage of "plus-sized" people in that show. Apart from that, I give kudos to the design. Everything was absolutely detailed and well-drawn. The way they draw facial features are beautiful, and I love how they draw cute things (i.e. Mokona, Fai's drawings of cats and dogs) with minimal and simple details. Even when they draw different kinds of clothing (be it casual or formal or traditional)... let's say they look great visually but they seem impossible to sew in real life. The details are just that grand. 

Overall

Basically, I had mixed feelings about this anime. I love Clamp for being a creative bunch, but out of all their works this one went a little downhill. I decided to give this anime three eggs, which is Scrambled. Well I guess that's an easier way to describe the entire series... scrambled. 

I am definitely doing this again very soon. It's either I will share my opinions on each character or I will review more of their OVAs or hopefully, their movie. But I will definitely review another anime very soon.