Kamisama no Memo-Chou

Image from: http://myanimelist.net/anime/10568/

Name: It's The Only NEET Thing To do, God's Notebook, 
          Kamisama no Memo-Chou 神様のメモ帳

Status: Completed
Episode: 12
Release date (for eng subs): -

Summary:
Narumi Fujishima isn't your typical high school student. He's never really fit in and has become increasingly more isolated from his fellow classmates. But he's not alone, and when Ayaka, the sole member of the Gardening Club, introduces him to the reclusive girl who lives above the ramen shop, Narumi enters a whole new secret world. Alice is a NEET, someone who is Not Employed, being Educated or in Training, but as Narumi quickly discovers, that doesn't mean that she does nothing all day. 
In between tending to her small army of stuffed bears, Alice is an expert hacker and a very exclusive private detective. To his surprise, Narumi finds himself drafted as one of the strange-but-elite team of associates that Alice has assembled from her NEET acquaintances. Together they'll battle gangs, thieves, murderers, and drug lords. And in the middle of it all, Narumi will find his life changing forever! 
Summary from: http://myanimelist.net/anime/10568/
Summary by: Sentai Filmworks

Personal Ratings: 3
When I first saw the picture of this anime, I thought it would be dumb and sort of childish-like, but in actual fact, it is actually hard to understand, especially since the way Alice talk is hard to understand. 
I've got to say it's been a long time since I last watched this anime, but when i re-watched the anime this time around, i realised that i remember everyone except for the main character. I was like "he was the main character?" This realy goes to show that the main guy did not leave a very strong impression. I usually don't have bad memory and have no problems remembering the characters. 
What i really liked about this anime was that each and everyone of the characters have a very special and has a unique talent and character in them. 
What I didn't like about this anime was that each and everyone of the case was long. It has to be two or more episodes. And also, they always make the cases seem to be unlinked, but later into the case, you would see the links betweent the 2 cases. They use this technique too many times that it almost seemed boring. I think it would have been better if they had did this for only one or two of the more important cases. The anime also had no real purpose in it and just goes on and on. 

Art Ratings: 3
I didn't like the way they drew the eyes and the hair, especially the main guy's eyes.

Recommended for:
Gender: Male & Female
Age: 17 and above
My Ratings: PG-13

Talking About Popular Mangas: Names

1.   1/2 Prince
2.   Bleach
3.   D. Grey Man
4.   Fairy Tail
5.   Gakuen Babysitters
6.   Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
7.   Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
8.   Kuroshitsuji
9.   Love So Life
10. Naruto
11. One Piece
12. Vampire Knight



1/2 Prince
This manga is related to the title. Because the main girl acts as a man in the game, 1/2 prince actually means 1/2 man, and since the avatar's name is called 'Prince', and also because the game is a MMORPG kind, the character actually seems like a second you in a second world. So the tittle 1/2 prince actually does reflects the manga's storyline. However, when many first see the name they would probably be imagining a king had an affair with another girl, so when the boy comes out his blood if half royal, or some where along the lines. But i actually like the title only after i read the manga. I actually avoided clicking on this manga because i really though it would be some stupid manga about the royal life and etc, etc... So I don't think the title did any job in attracting more attention towards the manga.

Bleach
The manga name for Bleach also holds no meaning and connection at all to bleach. Bleach equals beaching agent(?) equals white?. However, when ever you mention the name Bleach, my mind would straight away think of the colour orange which is Ichigo's hair colour. I don't know if it's because i know Bleach well or it's just a psychology thing. I think the name 'Bleach' is nice and short, and since we all already know Bleach as in the substance that turns your clothes white, it's easy to remember. When you first see the title, you would be curious as to what type of manga it is because we don't see things like 'Bleach' as a title for a manga. So I think the name does attract many people's attention.

D.Grey Man
As I said in my review for D. Grey Man, the book name has no meaning because there is no connection at all to the storyline, what does the letter 'D' even stands for. It always makes me wonder how they came out with this name for the manga. However, what i think actually sort of links is the word Grey. Since Allen's hair is white, plus the Black Order always used black, white plus black gives you Grey, though it's just a wild guess, and the probability of it being correct is nearly zero.

Fairy Tail
Another manga whose title is related to the storyline. The manga is named after the guild, Fairy Tail. I really liked the idea about instead of putting 'Fairy Tale' as it should be, they changed the 'Tale' to the same sounding word, 'Tail'. The word 'Tail' in the tittle 'Fairy Tail' also holds a special meaning. Because the main focus of the manga is actually about the dragon slayers, and what does dragons have? Tails. It actually tells us that the whole purpose of the manga is about the dragons and the dragon slayers. The word fairy also does tell us what the guild is like. Even though the guild is not graceful enough to be called a fairy, but the founder of the guild does have a very fairy feeling, because of her height and the wings sticking out of her head. She really does gives out the very fairy feel. The tittle 'Fairy Tail' does gives it a very mysterious feel to it. It really makes people want to check out the manga. This is probably because many people do know the words 'Fairy Tale' since young, so when they see something that is similar, it really provokes their curiosity of wanting to know what 'Fairy Tail' means. Is it another fairy tale story? or is it something new? 

Gakuen Babysitters
Gakuen Babysitters translates to School babysitters. Gakuen means school in japanese. This tittle also tells us the setting and the main background in this manga. The whole thing started in the School's baby sitting club. Even though some of the events takes place outside the club, the whole thing revolves around the club and then slowly progresses, so if you trace back the steps, it would always led you back to the club. The tittle does not hold any special meanings, so it's not something that would attract or deter you away from the manga. It's something that just lays there quietly, waiting for someone to click. Even if you scroll pass it, nothing occurs.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
'Katekyo Hitman Reborn' translates to 'Tutor Hitman Reborn'. Katekyo means tutor in japanese. The tittle tells us alot on the main character of the manga. Even though Sawada Tsunayoshi is the main character in this show, the main purpose lies within Reborn, because he is the strongest arcobaleno. Reborn was a tutor to Sawada, his mission was to turn Sawada to be a suitable person to surpass the 9th. Reborn is the strongest Hitman. Reborn is his name. All joint together, it becomes 'Katekyo Hitman Reborn!' Most people cut it down and just call it reborn because it's the easiest to remember, but for me, i call it Katekyo. I have no idea why, maybe it's because it's the first word of the whole title. In my opinion, the title did nothing to help the manga rise to popularity. In fact, the title actually makes the storyline seems boring, because the title contains 3 long words, it is really boring looking, which makes people think the the story line is also something boring. Well, some others may think other wise.

Kaichou wa Maid-Sama
'Kaichou wa Maid-Sama' translates to 'the President is a maid'. Kaichou means 'captain' but in this case since Misaki is the student counsel president, it means 'president'. The title of this manga really gives of the frilly and fluffy feel, most probably because of the word 'Maid-sama'. However, if you read this manga, you would realised it is not all that full shoujo manga. Well this title is also given of from the main reason for all their problems. It all started because Misaki was working at a maid cafe. I can see the relation between the title and the manga. However, i find that as i read and as teh story progresses, they are starting to drift away from this title. And really, it's all about Usui.

Kuroshitsuji
'Kuroshitsuji' translates to 'black butler', where 'kuro' is a short form for 'kuroi' which means black and 'shitsuji' means butler. I can sort of see the connection between the manga and the title. I realised that in this manga, almost everything is black (clothes). However, i do not really know what they mean by 'black' here. Is it because he is a demon? or is it because he always wear black, and has black hair? But, one thing is for sure is that they are referring to Sebastian. Even though the manga's point of view is from Ciel, we can totally tell that the main reason is actually Sebastian. However, i must say that the whole manga has no main purpose. Only each arc has it's purpose. Well, the title does gives of a mysterious feel to it, must be because of the word 'kuro', it makes people wonder who the black butler is and why does the author call him the black butler.     

Love So Life
This title is totally weird, it only gives me the impression that the author has bad English skills. In my opinion, I think the author means 'love is full of life', or something around there. The title does have a connection to the manga, where the main girl who lost her mother since young and when she grew up, she is taking care of two twins, the people around her gives her lots of love, and then she herself falls in love. The title really makes it seem like it's a typical shoujo manga, but it's probably because it's one of the rare titles where they write all in English  people will pick this book up to read.

Naruto
Naruto is the main character's name, and everything does revolves around him. From the way I see it, not every manga can pull off naming their manga's after a main character's name. Like if I called 'One piece' 'Luffy' It would sound weird, and makes the manga seem like a full comedy. However, in this case, the name 'Naruto' does gives of the ninja feel. I think it's because Naruto seems like a very old name, and ninja's a usually referred to in the olden times. By putting the main character's name as the manga name, people would look out and actually remember the main character more then anything else. I must say that one disadvantage about naming the manga's by a character's name is that it does not attract people, and you must rely much on your story line.

One Piece
One Piece is actually the main purpose of the anime, where Luffy went to follow his brother, in search for one piece and to become the pirate king. They could have also named the manga 'Pirate King' but because it sounds normal, it does not give out the mystery and bring out the curiosity in the people the reads the title. Where else, when this manga is called 'One Piece' many people who see it would be curios as to what one piece means. It's a unique name, just as the manga is unique.

Vampire Knight
Here, we can totally see the relation of the word 'Vampire' in the title. But i dont really see the relation with the word 'knight'. Here i'm kind of guessing that because all the people around Yuki protects her, they are called knights. I think the title really gave it the really goth and dark feel to it. It is a really good title as compared to the other vampire mangas out there, though i must say the contents does not really match up to the title.

Frankenweenie

Image from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142977/

Name: Frankenweenie

Release date (in Singapore): 15 November 2012
Watched on: 15 November 2012

Summary:
Young filmmaker and scientist Victor Frankenstein lives with his parents and dog Sparky in the quiet town of New Holland. Concerned with his son's isolation, Victor's father encourages him to take up baseball and make achievements outside of science. Victor hits a home run at his first game, but Sparky, pursuing the ball, is killed by a car. Inspired by his science teacher Mr. Rzykruski's demonstration of the effect of electricity on dead frogs, a depressed Victor digs up Sparky's corpse, brings him to his makeshift laboratory in the attic, and successfully reanimates him with lightning.
Summary from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenweenie_(2012_film)

Personal Ratings: 2.5
Even though the movie is in black and white, there was no problem telling what time of the day it is in the movie. There was nothing in particular that it liked or disliked. Though i think that they should have let the dog died in the end, because something like defying death is no suppose to happen, and anyone who does it would receive punishment. But since I think they are aiming at children, so, duh, they must have a happy ending. However, even though they are aiming it at younger kids, it's not something i think that the younger children would understand, even though they tried to make the meaning shallow and easy to understand. This show was a little goth for the little kids.

Recommended for:
Gender: Male & Female
Age: 12 and above
Ratings: PG

Toradora!

Image from: http://myanimelist.net/anime/4224/Toradora!

Name: Toradora! とらドラ！

Status: Completed
Episode: 25
Release date (for eng sub): -

Summary:
t's a new school year and Ryuuji Takasu discovers that not only is he in the same class as his best friend, Yuusaku Kitamura, but also Minori Kushieda whom he's had an undisclosed crush on for quite some time. Along with the two of them comes the “Palmtop Tiger”, tiny Taiga Aisaka and Minori's best friend. Despite her small stature, Taiga takes nothing from anybody and is secretly in love with Kitamura. Ryuuji and Taiga, despite their oil and water relationship, agree to mutually support each other in their quests for their hearts' desire.
Summary from: http://myanimelist.net/anime/4224/Toradora!

Personal Ratings: 3.5
This anime started out like a normal comedy and love anime, but as the anime proceeds, their words hold more meaning and it started to get harder to understand, both their actions and their words. I wanted to give this anime a 3 because of the sudden change in the meanings. It suddenly became very deep. 
What i really loved about this show is that even though the character or the characters have a drastic change if you compare from the first and the last episode, it did not feel that way when you watch the whole anime. I liked the comedy and the ridiculous and extreme personalities of the main characters, it really made them more memorable. Like the way how Ryuuji is obsess with cleanliness.
What I didn't really like was the fact that they did not show, at all throughout the show, that Minori liked Ryuuji, and then nearing the end, they suddenly just told us that she liked Ryuuji. The part about Ami was also a little weird. Like does she likes Ryuuji? it was really a question mark at the end, because it seemed like she likes.... then she does not really.... The ending of the anime was also not clear. I really did not understand why Taiga would go back to her family and leave Ryuuji behind, then she suddenly comes back...
Nearing the end, I think all I did was just cry. I didn't really understood why. The tears just kept falling. Even when the anime ended and it was suppose to be a happy ending.

Art Ratings: 4
The art was actually quite nice. Unique art with just the right balance of sharp and round lines. The animation of the hair and eyes were also really good.

Recommended for:
Gender: Male&Female
Age: 17 and above
My ratings: PG-13

Code Breaker

Image from: http://myanimelist.net/anime/11703/Code:Breaker

Name: CØDE:BREAKER コード: ブレイカー

Status: Completed
Episode: 13
Release date (for eng sub): Random Timings

Summary:
Code breaker is a group of people working with the government. They posses special abilities, each one differs from each other. They exterminate all those who commit crimes without being caught by the law or are within the law. The group consist of 6 members. SakuraKouji finds herself deeply involved in the code breakers when she met Ogami Rei, a code breaker, code 06. It was then later found out that she posses a special ability. As the anime proceeds, they reveal more about the code breaker organization.
Summary by: AngelaAgness

Personal Ratings: 2.5
When the anime first started out, i really thought it was terrible because of Sakurakouji, but as the anime continues, it started getting better and better. Though i must say they should cut down on the talking. This anime is more suited to be with lesser talking because of the dark personality of Ogami. 
Comments on latest episode:
Weird episode, its not really a good ending. The ending is totally similar to Zombie loan where they just end it after telling you what may happen in the next part. I know that this is to get the viewers to read the manga, even after the anime ends but as a anime fan, i cannot stand it when they end it without answering all the mysteries. Really do hope they continue with a season two. Tons of questions in my head that are not answered!

Art Ratings: 2.5
Ogami's eyes are weird... Sakurakouji is abit to rounded... Well not something i like.

Recommended for:
Gender: Male and Female
Age: 15 and above
My ratings: PG-13

Pitch Perfect

Image from: http://thegirlwiththebluebow.blogspot.sg/2012/10/pitch-perfect.html 

Name: Pitch Perfect 

Release date (in Singapore): 8 November 2012
Watched on: 11 November 2012

Summary: 
Beca (Anna Kendrick) is that girl who'd rather listen to what's coming out of her headphones than what's coming out of you. Arriving at her new college, she finds herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one that she never would have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together, in the new out-loud comedy "Pitch Perfect."
When Beca takes this acoustic singing group out of their world of traditional arrangements and perfect harmonies into all-new mash-ups, they fight to climb their way to the top of the cutthroat world of college a cappella. This could wind up either the coolest thing they'll ever do or the most insane, and it will probably be a little of both.
Summary from: http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=45091

Personal Ratings: 3.5
A really fun movie to watch. It really appeals to the teenagers out there. I really liked the first part where they showed how Beca remix musics. It was really cool. Though i must say the types of song they sang in this movie was a little old. I was really looking forward to the latest songs. The thing i liked most about this movie is that they remixed practically all the songs which they sang in the show. (I like to hear new things that i'm familiar with.)
Each and everyone of the characters in the movie is really unique, with extreme personalities. Happy and sad things happened in the movie. lots of laughter (even though half the time i don't get their jokes). Totally loved their harmonizing. 
A few things i didn't like about the show. At the end, they did not tell us what happened to Chloe after she did her surgery.  The good stuff only comes near the ending of the movie and not throughout. 

Recommended for:
Gender: Female
Age: 15 and above
Ratings: PG-13

Bleach (Manga)

Image from: http://www.mangareader.net/94/bleach.html

Name: Bleach ブリーチ

Author: Tite Kubo

Status: On-going

Chapter: 582

Release date (for eng scan): Once a week, Every Thursday

Summary: 

Kurosaki Ichigo is a normal high school student with abnormally high spiritual powers (reiatsu), because of that, he is able to see things that normal people can't. Like ghost, hollows and shinigamis (death reaper). One day, he meets Kuchiki Rukia, a shinigami who happens to be passing his house in search for a hollow. When the hollow attacked Ichigo's family, he was given power from Rukia to turn him into a temporary Shinigami (subsitude Shinigami). However, he takes all her power, which awakens his true Shinigami's powers within him. With Rukia left powerless, Ichigo agrees to help her eliminate hollows. While hollows aim to kill Ichigo because of his high spiritual powers, the people around him started getting involved. Unexpected event took place and he found himself deeply connected and involved in the Shinigami world.

Summary by: AngelaAgness

Personal ratings: 3.5

Truthfully I almost gave it a 3 because of the overwhelming amount of unexpected turn of events. However,  I really found that this manga, compared to the other popular Shounen manga (e.g. Katekyo Hitman Reborn), very well planned out. I could really see the deep connection between the arcs. It really gave me a very good impression that everything was planned out since the beginning. Many events that occurred in the beginning was shown and link back to the other arcs after that. 

I have to say that the first and second arc has to much of a connection that they seem to be as a single arc. (the one about Aizen). Although the purpose and main point of the first two arc is totally different, one incident led to another and it made it seem like it was connected, unlike the third and fourth arc. The third and fourth arc really made it seem like it has totally no connection to the first two arc at all. However, in the third arc, they really solved all the questions that we had in the first two arc, which really surprised me, because it really made me think that the author planned way ahead, and connects the whole story together, which is what i really liked about this manga.

However, as i said in the beginning, there was too much unexpected turn of events. Some of it really ruins the whole manga. The fact that the author made Aizen to pro and strong was really a mistake. They made him seem almost invisible. I really hated how they showed that Ichigo was totally no match for him, they should have at least shown something more realistic. Also, the part about Espada, Uluqiora (sorry if i mis-spelled it), he was the only one in the whole espada that could transform into the final stage, and i cannot see how he is only the 4th. In my opinion, the 3rd and the 1st epspada was really weak compared to him. 

Also, what i didn't like about this manga was about Inoue and Chad. Even though the author said that they have unique powers awaken by Ichigo's strong Spiritual powers. However, I'm wondering about under what power groups are they classified into. They should explain how come these people have these kind of powers and are there any more out there that have this. 

I totally loved the way they slowly revealed bits and pieces about Ichigo's family in the different arcs.

Art ratings: 2 to 5

When Bleach first started out, the drawing was terrible. I cannot say why, but it just looked terrible, the whole thing. However, in the later chapters, there was a drastic improvement from the artist. The art became more unique, more complex but in the simple way. Totally in love with the art now. It is such a huge improvement that i could not believe that the artist then was the artist now.

I think right now, the artist is able to express a lot of feelings just through the art itself, which makes it very valuable.

Recommended for:

Gender: Male & Female

Age: 13 and above

My ratings: PG - 13

Say I Love You

Image from: http://www.animeseason.com/suki-tte-ii-na-yo/

Name: Say I Love You, Suki tte ii Nayo 好きっていいなよ

Status: Completed
Episode: 13
Release date (for eng sub): Every Sunday 

Summary: 
Quiet and unassuming Mei Tachibana is 16-years-old, but has spent her high school years without making friends or getting a boyfriend because of a childhood incident that left her believing that people will betray each other sooner or later. When she encounters popular boy Yamato Kurosawa, he becomes interested in her and it is through their tentative friendship and blossoming relationship that Mei ultimately begins to branch out and befriend others.

Personal ratings: 2.5
Even though for this anime, the first half of the first episode was nice, however as the anime proceeds it becomes a little bit to ridiculous to believe.
Both the main girl and guy have irritating personalities. This anime is ridiculously predictable. Totally not what i was looking for.
I really hate the Tachibana Mei (Main girl) and Yamamoto (main guy) character. Yamamoto is really dense. I really thought that he would be the kind of guy that would  watch out for this girls friend and treat her well, but from the modeling incident where he goes to the other model's house at night really showed that he did not think twice about Tachibana. Tachibana should also get angry. In the first few episodes, they showed how Tachibana was different from other girls. But now, to me, she looks like the typical kind of girls. Even though, in her character, she should step up for herself and voice out her opinion and feelings to Yamamoto. 
Comments on recent episode:
Random episode.
Art ratings: 2
Terrible art (not like i can draw but.... compared to the other animes...) the hair is werid, especially the main boy's one. All their bodies are drawn weirdly to.

Recommended for:
Gender: Female
Age: -
My ratings: PG

From Mangas into Words 1

From Mangas into Words: Tonari no Kaibutsukun #1
Chapter: 17

Read it here: http://strawberryshortcake-extras.blogspot.com/2014/03/from-mangas-into-words-1-tonari-no.html


See the review on this manga: Click Here
From Manga to Words 2
From Manga to Words 3

Psycho Pass

Image from: http://myanimelist.net/anime/13601/Psycho-Pass

Name: Psycho Pass サイコパス

Status: Completed
Episode: 22
Release date (for eng subs): Every Friday

Summary: 
The series takes place in the near future, when it is possible to instantaneously measure and quantify a person's state of mind and personality. This information is recorded and processed, and the term "Psycho-Pass" refers to a standard used to measure an individual's being. The story centers around the "enforcement officer" Shinya Kougami, who is tasked with managing crime in such a world. 
In the future, it is possible to quantitatively measure a person's emotions, desires, and every inclination. In this way, it is also possible to measure a person's criminal tendency factor, which is used to judge criminals. 
This is the story of a team of policemen dedicated to maintaining public order. Some of them work in the Enforcement Division, responsible for the apprehension of criminals, while others belong to the Supervisory Division which oversees their colleagues in Enforcement. 
Summary from: http://myanimelist.net/anime/13601/Psycho-Pass
                        translated and adapted from official site by Cranston

Personal Ratings: 3.5
This anime started out weirdly. At first it was really boring and i could not really comprehend what was happening. However, as the anime proceeds, it slowly gets interesting and really captures your attention. This anime has a complex story line to it. It mainly focuses on this particular guy and the cases that involved him, while also telling us that human invention, no matter how good, always have a flaw in it.
I really liked how there was a lot of thinking involved in this anime, I really liked how there was a proper suspense building up in the anime. I think the unique point about this anime is the fact that the cases that they faced are all really unique and different from your typical Detective Conan cases. the cases in this anime really has a lot of depth and understanding to it. I also think that the time in which they set the anime really played a huge part in the cases. It really gave it more story line and attracts more people to the anime. I also really liked how each and every case, except the first case, was linked to Makishima Shougo. It really pulled the whole anime together.
The thing I did not liked about this anime was the fact that if you watch the episodes individually  you would find that some episodes only has talking in it, which makes that episode really boring, while there are some episodes which are really nice with all the actions and thinking involved. So I think that there was a lack of balance in the anime. I had no idea why, but I was quite disappointed in the ending of the anime. In the ending of the anime, they made if seem like because of what happened with Kagami, Akane is following the path of Ginoza, in which she will also fall one day and become an enforcer. I really thought that because since the beginning, they kept on saying that her Psycho Pass was always in a good condition, so I really wanted them to stick to that. 

Art ratings: 3
I must say, they should have designed the gun a little differently. Like making it less bulky and cooler, because we would be seeing the gun half the time in the show. 
For the guy characters, they drew it more to the realistic side, while the girl characters were drawn to the anime side. Really liked the way they drew and made the characters, really gave them a unique personality each, just by their appearance. 

Recommended for:
Gender: Male & Female
Age: 16 and above
Ratings: PG-13
             Some in appropriate scenes in the first episode. A little violence and gory scenes.