Project NewType #4: 探偵学園Q Tantei Gakuen Q
45 episodes
PIERROT
[Other media]
- Original manga
- Japanese drama (never seen)
- consumed order: anime -> manga -> anime
I picked up the anime because it's rare to see Ogata Megumi playing the protagonist. Of course, Kuwashima Houko was another big factor. I lost my source about half way through the series and didn't resume watching it until a few years later. I went to the original manga when the anime became unavailable and ended up finishing the manga before I was able to finish watching the anime.
[Highlights]
- seiyuu
While I read mystery stuff, I'm not a huge mystery fan. It's nice if it's available, but I won't wither if I don't get my fix. As a result, I'm kind of meh for the series itself. The only highlight for me is the seiyuu as it's my reason for picking up the anime in the first place. Needless to say, the manga probably isn't something I'd read more than once.
[Notable seiyuu]
- Ogata Megumi, Kuwashima Houko, Touchika Kouichi, Kawakami Tomoko, Ishikawa Hideo, Tanaka Hideyuki, Seki Toshihiko, Hisakawa Aya, Narita Ken, Miki Shinichirou, Yukino Satsuki, Chiba Susumu, Tobita Nobuo, Noda Junko, Midorikawa Hikaru, Ishida Akira
I actually started on the anime in the earlier days of my anime watching career so I didn't know a lot of the seiyuu at that time. By the time I went back to the show, I was able to recognize most of the people I know.
[Favourite characters]
- Minami Megumi, Amakusa Ryu
Megumi, voiced by Kuwashima Houko, is a given. Ryuu, played by Touchika Kouichi, features a gentle and calm voice that I find soothing, especially out of the noisy cast for the Q class. Appearance wise, Ryu is set to be the bishonen on the team, so he has the advantage of voice and looks over his fellow classmates.
Katagiri Shino and Nanami Koutarou are two other possible candidates, but they don't have enough screen time to showcase their personalities. The main character Kyuu? Sorry, I need more than Ogata Megumi to go for a gaki.
[Couple supported]
- Amakusa Ryu x Minami Megumi
This is pretty self-explanatory if you've watched the series. I think the staff is leaning more toward Kyuu x Megumi, but Kyuu is too much of a kid for me to see the potential in that pairing. Colour coordination also speaks for Ryu x Megumi with the light grey/purple and soft pink. XD
[Buying guide]
- not interested
As mentioned in the Highlights section, this isn't something I'd watch again. There's often times too little character growth in mystery series, especially for the main character, as it usually focuses on the tricks and the rivalry between the opposing organizations. This is a prime example of that sad tradition. I think almost everyone else developed more than Kyuu by the end of the series...
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Soramimi Project #19: Takagi Wataru 高木渉
First heard: Kawaji Isao (Weiss kreuz)
First noticed: Valgarv (Slayers TRY)
Memorable characters: Valgarv (Slayers TRY), Garrod Ran (Gundam X), Shiba Ganjuu (Bleach), Ned Gold (17 Again Japanese dub)
Image character: Valgarv (Slayers TRY)
Discernment rate: above average to high
Number of works seen: 10
One of the few seiyuu I haven't seen much but know the voice fairly well; Takagi's husky voice is hard to miss. Again, Weiss kreuz being my first ever anime in Japanese and happened years before I really started to watch anime, I don't remember almost anyone except the Weiss members. So if it's discounted, I really first heard Takagi as Valgarv in Slayers TRY.
Valgarv is an interesting character, born Ancient Dragon but able to wield Chao Dragon Garv's Mazoku power, swearing revenge on the Gold Dragons but didn't extended the killing spree to Filia and eventually came to be under Filia's wings. Common fanfic settings is to have Valgarv being interested in Filia during TRY season or AU and being protective of adoptive mother Filia post-TRY. At least that's I see it when I write.
His role in the dubbed version of 17 Again frankly isn't all that memorable compared to his other roles, but he's one of the first two voices I recognized and made me continue watching the unsubbed dubbed film on the plane. Of course, Morita was the deciding factor when the main guy turned 17. XD
My latest meeting with Takagi was in Gundam X where he played the protagonist Garrod Ran. Garrod wasn't my main focus in Gundam X (Witz was more my type), but it's nice to add another seiyuu to my list of Gundam roster. Looks like he'll appear in the next instalment of Gundam UC as well. Definitely looking forward to it!
First heard: Kawaji Isao (Weiss kreuz)
First noticed: Valgarv (Slayers TRY)
Memorable characters: Valgarv (Slayers TRY), Garrod Ran (Gundam X), Shiba Ganjuu (Bleach), Ned Gold (17 Again Japanese dub)
Image character: Valgarv (Slayers TRY)
Discernment rate: above average to high
Number of works seen: 10
One of the few seiyuu I haven't seen much but know the voice fairly well; Takagi's husky voice is hard to miss. Again, Weiss kreuz being my first ever anime in Japanese and happened years before I really started to watch anime, I don't remember almost anyone except the Weiss members. So if it's discounted, I really first heard Takagi as Valgarv in Slayers TRY.
Valgarv is an interesting character, born Ancient Dragon but able to wield Chao Dragon Garv's Mazoku power, swearing revenge on the Gold Dragons but didn't extended the killing spree to Filia and eventually came to be under Filia's wings. Common fanfic settings is to have Valgarv being interested in Filia during TRY season or AU and being protective of adoptive mother Filia post-TRY. At least that's I see it when I write.
His role in the dubbed version of 17 Again frankly isn't all that memorable compared to his other roles, but he's one of the first two voices I recognized and made me continue watching the unsubbed dubbed film on the plane. Of course, Morita was the deciding factor when the main guy turned 17. XD
My latest meeting with Takagi was in Gundam X where he played the protagonist Garrod Ran. Garrod wasn't my main focus in Gundam X (Witz was more my type), but it's nice to add another seiyuu to my list of Gundam roster. Looks like he'll appear in the next instalment of Gundam UC as well. Definitely looking forward to it!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Soramimi Project #18: Amano Yuri 天野由梨
First heard: Hoshiyomi (Inuyasha)
First noticed: Rain Mikamura (G Gundam)
Memorable characters: Rain Mikamura (G Gundam), Ichiki (Nabari no Ou)
Image character: Rain Mikamura (G Gundam)
Discernment rate: low
Number of works seen: 16
Another one of those seiyuu I'm only familiar with the name but not the voice. It's obvious that I tie her with Rain from G Gundam by just looking at the stats above.
Even though she is the heroine, she is unfortunately cursed with the deadly trait of having the majority of her lines being the protagonist's name. As a result, there isn't very much character development and thus making her less memorable amongst the extremely colourful cast of characters in G Gundam. The Sekiha Love-love Tenkyouken(石破ラブラブ天驚拳) she performed with Domon at the end that released heart-shaped beam is awesome, though. XD
Her G Gundam songs are quite good, and I find the Hong Kong touring song with Seki Tomokazu especially hilarious. On a side note, G Gundam probably isn't remembered for its music, but it's got some pretty good character songs, by Seki before he destroyed his vocal cord with all the Domon shouting, no less! The four Cantonese tracks from the G Gundam Round 3 OST also happen to be the only Cantonese songs I have.
Quite a few of the roles I've seen her are of a motherly nature which I think suits her well (even Rain kind of acts like a mother to Domon sometimes). I may not have her voice down yet, but I sure hope to hear more of Amano Yuri!
First heard: Hoshiyomi (Inuyasha)
First noticed: Rain Mikamura (G Gundam)
Memorable characters: Rain Mikamura (G Gundam), Ichiki (Nabari no Ou)
Image character: Rain Mikamura (G Gundam)
Discernment rate: low
Number of works seen: 16
Another one of those seiyuu I'm only familiar with the name but not the voice. It's obvious that I tie her with Rain from G Gundam by just looking at the stats above.
Even though she is the heroine, she is unfortunately cursed with the deadly trait of having the majority of her lines being the protagonist's name. As a result, there isn't very much character development and thus making her less memorable amongst the extremely colourful cast of characters in G Gundam. The Sekiha Love-love Tenkyouken(石破ラブラブ天驚拳) she performed with Domon at the end that released heart-shaped beam is awesome, though. XD
Her G Gundam songs are quite good, and I find the Hong Kong touring song with Seki Tomokazu especially hilarious. On a side note, G Gundam probably isn't remembered for its music, but it's got some pretty good character songs, by Seki before he destroyed his vocal cord with all the Domon shouting, no less! The four Cantonese tracks from the G Gundam Round 3 OST also happen to be the only Cantonese songs I have.
Quite a few of the roles I've seen her are of a motherly nature which I think suits her well (even Rain kind of acts like a mother to Domon sometimes). I may not have her voice down yet, but I sure hope to hear more of Amano Yuri!
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Project NewType #3: 彩雲国物語 Saiunkoku Monogatari
1st season: 39 episodes
2nd season: 39 episodes
MADHOUSE
[Other media]
- Original novel (ongoing)
- Spin-off manga (ongoing)
- Drama CDs (released pre-anime; covers vol.1-2 of novel)
- consumed order: anime -> Drama CD -> novel -> manga
I recently started on vol.3 of the novel and only have up to vol.14 of the main story and two out of four side story volumes. The anime covers up to the end of vol.12, so I went ahead and read vol.13-14 online in Chinese. I couldn't wait to see what happened next, and it'd taken me way too long to catch up in Japanese.
Even though it was only mentioned briefly in vol.13, the name of two certain creatures made me realized that the anime left out some crucial setting. I don't know exactly what since I didn't bother reading the preceding volumes covered by the anime, but I will when I get to it in the novel. I look forward to get the full story.
The novel series, standing at 16 volumes so far for the main story, appears to be entering its final arc now. Hopefully Yukino-sensei will tie up all the lose threads in a satisfying way and, I know it's wistful thinking, pair up Shuurei with Seiga! I really like Kuwashima Houko with Morikubo Shoutarou. XD
The manga is done by the illustrator for the novel and I haven't read much since it's pretty hard to find. Nothing special about the manga version as it follows the novel closely.
The drama CD has a partially different cast than the anime. With the exception of Hayami Shou as Kou Kijin from the drama CD and Okamura Akemi as Shuusui from the anime, the cast for both version are pretty comparable. It's a really hard toss for Reishin and Ensei, but I think the anime version is slightly more fitting considering the age of the characters.
[Highlights]
- story, setting, seiyuu, music
It's obvious from the cast of good looking guys that the series is aimed at the female population. But what caught me foremost was the seiyuu, then the story and setting as well as the music. I find the character design quite decent, but not enough to attract me by appearance alone. While a lot of "for female" series focus on the hot guys as selling points, Saiunkoku never leaves the main character Kou Shuurei. It's easy to dismiss the series as a reverse harem for Shuurei, but such notion is actually quite low on the radar. Even I get more excited when Shuurei turns the table and deals a great hand than when Ryuuki tries to woo her. In short, Saiunkoku is an account of trials, obstacles and accomplishments of Shuurei as she fights for others in the unfriendly world of politics and power struggles dominated by men.
The music is scored by Ryou Kunihiko, whom I've known since Juuni Kokuki and Emma. I personally find the music of Saiunkoku not quite on par with that of Juuni Kokuki, but it's still very nice. I'm a sucker for oriental ethnic instruments. XD
[Notable seiyuu]
- Kuwashima Houko, Seki Tomokazu, Midorikawa Hikaru, Hiyama Nobuyuki, Morikawa Toshiyuki, Ikeda Shuuichi, Kanna Nobutoshi, Madono Mitsuaki, Kisaichi Atsushi, Nakata Kazuhiro, Okamura Akemi, Narita Ken, Morikubo Shoutarou, Katsu Anri, Sugiyama Noriaki, Ookawa Tooru, Namikawa Daisuke, Itou Kentarou, Akimoto Yousuke, Chiba Susumu, Toriumi Kousuke, Suwabe Junichi, Koyasu Takehito, Yusa Kouji, Okiayu Ryuutarou, Kiuchi Hidenobu, Miyamoto Mitsuru, Toyoguchi Megumi, Onosaka Masaya, Nojima Hirofumi, Seki Toshihiko, Kaida Yuki, Sendai Eri
Yeah, that's how luxurious the seiyuu cast is for the series. I think it's getting common as well for works targeting females to have exceptional seiyuu cast. Kuwashima Houko is my favourite female seiyuu, and Seki Tomokazu is my 2nd (though he's in danger of losing that spot) favourite male seiyuu. 'Nuff said. XD
[Favourite characters]
- Kou Shuurei, Li Kouyu, Rou Ensei, Riku Seiga, Ran Ryuuren, Shin Suou
I like most of the characters played by the seiyuu listed above, so I only point out the most notable ones here. Shuurei is a given, and so is Seiga. Actually, I just realized that the five guys I mentioned here are the ones I support with Shuurei...
[Couples supported]
- Shuurei x Seiga
- Shuurei x Ensei, Shuurei x Kouyu, Shuurei x Ryuuren, Shuurei x Suou
- Shuuei x Shuusui
- Eigetsu x Kourin
- Juusanhime x Jun
Of course there's couples that I support! I'm a romantic at heart (?!) and this series has a lot of potentials. My vote goes to Shuurei x Seiga, but I also support other combinations. I used to like Shuurei x Ryuuki but it faded away once Shuurei entered the Censorate. I guess I'm kind of fine with Shuurei x Seiran, but I will not tolerate Shuurei x Sakujun.
It is very possible that Shuurei won't end up with anyone, but there's always hoping and fanfics. XD
[Buying guide]
- already bought 1st season
Given the medieval Chinese setting and politic terms, it'd be ideal to buy the series with Chinese subtitles instead of English. I hate it when I have no source to get R3 DVDs and have to settle for inferior R1 DVDs. Story-wise it doesn't flow as well as the original novel, but nothing beats being able to hear the grand cast of seiyuu. :D
1st season: 39 episodes
2nd season: 39 episodes
MADHOUSE
[Other media]
- Original novel (ongoing)
- Spin-off manga (ongoing)
- Drama CDs (released pre-anime; covers vol.1-2 of novel)
- consumed order: anime -> Drama CD -> novel -> manga
I recently started on vol.3 of the novel and only have up to vol.14 of the main story and two out of four side story volumes. The anime covers up to the end of vol.12, so I went ahead and read vol.13-14 online in Chinese. I couldn't wait to see what happened next, and it'd taken me way too long to catch up in Japanese.
Even though it was only mentioned briefly in vol.13, the name of two certain creatures made me realized that the anime left out some crucial setting. I don't know exactly what since I didn't bother reading the preceding volumes covered by the anime, but I will when I get to it in the novel. I look forward to get the full story.
The novel series, standing at 16 volumes so far for the main story, appears to be entering its final arc now. Hopefully Yukino-sensei will tie up all the lose threads in a satisfying way and, I know it's wistful thinking, pair up Shuurei with Seiga! I really like Kuwashima Houko with Morikubo Shoutarou. XD
The manga is done by the illustrator for the novel and I haven't read much since it's pretty hard to find. Nothing special about the manga version as it follows the novel closely.
The drama CD has a partially different cast than the anime. With the exception of Hayami Shou as Kou Kijin from the drama CD and Okamura Akemi as Shuusui from the anime, the cast for both version are pretty comparable. It's a really hard toss for Reishin and Ensei, but I think the anime version is slightly more fitting considering the age of the characters.
[Highlights]
- story, setting, seiyuu, music
It's obvious from the cast of good looking guys that the series is aimed at the female population. But what caught me foremost was the seiyuu, then the story and setting as well as the music. I find the character design quite decent, but not enough to attract me by appearance alone. While a lot of "for female" series focus on the hot guys as selling points, Saiunkoku never leaves the main character Kou Shuurei. It's easy to dismiss the series as a reverse harem for Shuurei, but such notion is actually quite low on the radar. Even I get more excited when Shuurei turns the table and deals a great hand than when Ryuuki tries to woo her. In short, Saiunkoku is an account of trials, obstacles and accomplishments of Shuurei as she fights for others in the unfriendly world of politics and power struggles dominated by men.
The music is scored by Ryou Kunihiko, whom I've known since Juuni Kokuki and Emma. I personally find the music of Saiunkoku not quite on par with that of Juuni Kokuki, but it's still very nice. I'm a sucker for oriental ethnic instruments. XD
[Notable seiyuu]
- Kuwashima Houko, Seki Tomokazu, Midorikawa Hikaru, Hiyama Nobuyuki, Morikawa Toshiyuki, Ikeda Shuuichi, Kanna Nobutoshi, Madono Mitsuaki, Kisaichi Atsushi, Nakata Kazuhiro, Okamura Akemi, Narita Ken, Morikubo Shoutarou, Katsu Anri, Sugiyama Noriaki, Ookawa Tooru, Namikawa Daisuke, Itou Kentarou, Akimoto Yousuke, Chiba Susumu, Toriumi Kousuke, Suwabe Junichi, Koyasu Takehito, Yusa Kouji, Okiayu Ryuutarou, Kiuchi Hidenobu, Miyamoto Mitsuru, Toyoguchi Megumi, Onosaka Masaya, Nojima Hirofumi, Seki Toshihiko, Kaida Yuki, Sendai Eri
Yeah, that's how luxurious the seiyuu cast is for the series. I think it's getting common as well for works targeting females to have exceptional seiyuu cast. Kuwashima Houko is my favourite female seiyuu, and Seki Tomokazu is my 2nd (though he's in danger of losing that spot) favourite male seiyuu. 'Nuff said. XD
[Favourite characters]
- Kou Shuurei, Li Kouyu, Rou Ensei, Riku Seiga, Ran Ryuuren, Shin Suou
I like most of the characters played by the seiyuu listed above, so I only point out the most notable ones here. Shuurei is a given, and so is Seiga. Actually, I just realized that the five guys I mentioned here are the ones I support with Shuurei...
[Couples supported]
- Shuurei x Seiga
- Shuurei x Ensei, Shuurei x Kouyu, Shuurei x Ryuuren, Shuurei x Suou
- Shuuei x Shuusui
- Eigetsu x Kourin
- Juusanhime x Jun
Of course there's couples that I support! I'm a romantic at heart (?!) and this series has a lot of potentials. My vote goes to Shuurei x Seiga, but I also support other combinations. I used to like Shuurei x Ryuuki but it faded away once Shuurei entered the Censorate. I guess I'm kind of fine with Shuurei x Seiran, but I will not tolerate Shuurei x Sakujun.
It is very possible that Shuurei won't end up with anyone, but there's always hoping and fanfics. XD
[Buying guide]
- already bought 1st season
Given the medieval Chinese setting and politic terms, it'd be ideal to buy the series with Chinese subtitles instead of English. I hate it when I have no source to get R3 DVDs and have to settle for inferior R1 DVDs. Story-wise it doesn't flow as well as the original novel, but nothing beats being able to hear the grand cast of seiyuu. :D
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