Dagger

Not sure what you're asking, but just in case... [SIZE=1][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria-sama_Ga_Miteru][i]The maidens who assemble in the Virgin Mary's garden have such angelic smiles that today, too, they pass through the tall gate. Their pure bodies and minds are wrapped in dark-colored school uniforms. The pleats on their skirts shouldn't be noticeable. Their white sailor collars should always be tidy. Walking slowly is preferred here... The Lillian Girls' School is a garden for maidens.[/i][/url][/SIZE] ~Dagger~

Alas, I am not worthy. All I can offer in return for your wit are unrelated yet [url=http://img159.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tsukasahimuraaj7pj6.jpg][u]mildly[/u][/url] [url=http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/2033/33344192qv2ox4.gif][u]amusing[/u][/url] Tsukasa manips. ~Dagger~

[I]"Shall I tell you, clueless little lady?"[/I] Tybalt is totally stealing this show. :animesmil One thing that surprised me about episode 8 was how fast Romeo [spoiler]came clean with Hermione.[/spoiler] That automatically makes him more forthright than most other male leads, especially young ones. I'm guessing that Tybalt and Juliet aren't cousins in this version--after all, there's the issue of the entire Capulet family except for her having been wiped out. Although [spoiler]it wouldn't be the first time that there have been romantic undertones between cousins in anime.[/spoiler] I'm betting that [spoiler]he'll look at Juliet as a kind of inconvenient younger sister at first but develop respect & other feelings for her as she proves herself in battle.[/spoiler] Speaking of which, episode 9 looks very promising. Juliet's rocking that ponytail--that plus her sword and her hair color remind me strongly of Youko in Twelve Kingdoms... another female leader/warrior who starts off humbly but develops great strength & capabilities. Also, Francisco is hilarious. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Desbreko][URL=http://img242.imageshack.us/my.php?image=luckystariminurbathhousbn6.jpg][IMG]http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6148/luckystariminurbathhousbn6.th.jpg[/IMG'][/URL][/quote] For the win! Episode 7: [spoiler]Marimite[/spoiler] parodies make everything better--right up to the [spoiler]drill-tails[/spoiler] in Lucky Channel! Aya Hirano did a great job with her ojou-sama voice. Also, I agree 100% with Kona's texting philosophy. Do they really teach the War(s) of the Roses in Japanese high schools? Wow. ~Dagger~

Apparently the next arc will be done by the Ouran team! Color me pumped. [QUOTE=Raiyuu] And I'm [b]very [/b]pleased that the months look like they're sticking around. They were too cool to write out after two episodes.[/QUOTE] Wordy McWord. Episode 6 was [i]good[/i]. What I liked especially was the interesting revelation that Hei used to be [spoiler]much [i]more[/i] brutal and inhumane than he is now. In one sense, this puts him back into the Kenshin pattern--albeit in a way that, to me, comes across as being much less grating and more realistic. He might have mellowed out a little, but there's still a continuum between his past and present selves. I find that a lot more appealing & complex in a character than creating a strict divide between the bloody past & the peaceful present.[/spoiler] The moments that stuck out the most for me: 1. [spoiler]When Hei silently began to feed Havoc.[/spoiler] 2. [spoiler]Kirihara's ice-slick "Joudan desu."[/spoiler] 3. [spoiler]Yin and Hei at the end. Ouch.[/spoiler] Also, I was tickled by how much noise Hei made as he cooked. I don't know if that's the effect they were aiming for, but it seemed to me as if he were working off some of his anger by banging the wok around rather harder than he had to. At least, that's what my mom does when she's pissed off. ;) ~Dagger~

[quote name='2007DigitalBoy][COLOR=DarkOrange']Damn! i was hoping I'd get to post this once I got to see the first episode, but oh well.[/COLOR][/quote] Kukuku... :catgirl: I badly want my own Densuke & Oyaji. Using Densuke in the storyline won me over to an almost shameful extent--I guess I'm a dog person at heart. I almost teared up when they showed Yuuko meeting him for the first time, and [spoiler]he reacted with shyness and fear instead of bounding all over her right away.[/spoiler] His weird design just makes him cuter. ~Dagger~

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denno_Coil][u]Dennou[/u][/url] [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6278][u]Coil[/u][/url] is a new children's series directed by [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuo_Iso][u]Mitsuo Iso[/u][/url]. Probably the best example of his work is episode 15 of RahXephon, but either way, he's a long-time & highly respected animator. The links above can give you a better sense of what the show is about than I could. It's not condescending or cheap, the way some children's programs can be--it's not a stretch to say that it has the flavor of a Ghibli production. The intersection of the real and virtual worlds is quirkily and richly imagined. This is also the anime to go to if you love pure animation. It doesn't stand apart by virtue of being slicker than usual; it takes advantage of the fact that characters don't have to move in generic ways, that motion itself can contribute to characterization. On that level, it's a joy to watch. Anyway, I recommend the heck out of Dennou Coil. Let's cross our fingers and hope the budget-eating monkeys don't get to it. ~Dagger~

Oh man, [spoiler]Tybalt pwned so hard before the opening credits.[/spoiler] I admire characters who can use two swords. Other than that, it was a fairly light episode, with some rather funny parts involving [spoiler]Cordelia trying to manage Benvolio and Willy being his amusing self.[/spoiler] And they played an English vocal version of You Raise Me Up! That made the [spoiler]chase scene[/spoiler] a lot more effective. Next episode: [spoiler]Tybalt's return, Juliet + a sword...[/spoiler] This can only be a good thing. I really liked the use of a deeper, more manly voice for Tybalt, so I looked up [url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=718][u]his seiyuu[/u][/url]. He's a veteran who has also played Scar in FMA, Shigure in Fruits Basket, Treize in Gundam Wing and Tezuka in Prince of Tennis. ~Dagger~

That made me tear up. And I haven't liked [spoiler]Charlie[/spoiler] since season 1! It's not enough for [spoiler]him to die... now he has to get tortured first?[/spoiler] :( Do y'all think [spoiler]those women are Others or from Naomi's crew?[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

[spoiler]Annie[/spoiler] will probably be back in some form or another. I've seen a few crackpot theories about her [spoiler]growing up to be Kate or Penny,[/spoiler] although with this show, who knows what's really crackpot and what's plausible? Speaking of which--did any of you guys read the spoilers coming out of AICN? After they posted (and then pulled?--I'm not clear on the details) some vague tidbits about the finale, one of their sources or something began to post much more detailed information. I stayed away, on the chance that they actually were spoilers. The consensus seems to be that what was said makes a lot of sense but could still be a foiler of some kind. Man, so much Net intrigue... Tonight's going to be a Charlie episode, no? ~Dagger~

The soundtracks stand up surprisingly well on their own--good mellow tracks plus the perfect fodder for one's more megalomaniacal moments. I've been listening to the first OST a lot. The second, like most second OSTs, isn't particularly great (aside from the piano version of Light Lights Up Light, which plays during the [spoiler]foot washing[/spoiler] scene in episode 25). I'll write up impressions of episode 31 in an hour or so, but for now, check out this gif made by another Internet denizen (be warned that the file size is large). [spoiler]Light's writing technique ain't got nothing on Mikami's.[/spoiler] :devil: [URL=http://img262.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1179278506080ly3hr6.gif][IMG]http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/9722/1179278506080ly3hr6.th.gif[/IMG][/URL] ETA: [spoiler]Yeah, it was a great entrance for Mikami, who I think I will like rather better in the anime than in the manga. And it feels soooo good to watch Demegawa go down.[/spoiler] Episode 32 will bring [spoiler]back Takada.[/spoiler] [fangirl mode]I will be[B] [i]irrationally angry[/i] [/B]if they cut out Matt. He should've been in this episode, and the fact that he wasn't is a Very Bad Sign. It was inevitable that they would make his role even smaller, but removing him completely? I really hope they don't go that far. There's still a chance to introduce him or at least have him make some cameos later. If they give him a speaking role, they should continue the Ouran Host Club theme and cast the guy who played Mori.[/fangirl mode] ~Dagger~

Episode 6 was (I think) the best episode so far. First, the [spoiler]Initial D[/spoiler] scene, which was just splendiferous. Second, the hysterical and totally unexpected [spoiler]crustacean-in-the-seashell[/spoiler] gag--coming after [spoiler]Tsukasa's gorgeous daydream,[/spoiler] it almost bowled me out of my seat. Third, hair-clothed Kona-chan scampering around like a monkey. Fourth, her [spoiler]late-night scare[/spoiler] attempts. Fifth, the veiled puberty references. Sixth, Akira [spoiler]giving the finger[/spoiler] on Lucky Channel & groaning about otaku. Plus mile-a-minute references to more than a few obscure (to me, anyway) live-action shows, commercials, etc. ~Dagger~

[quote name='Raiyuu']Yes indeedy. That one, and the many versions of Matsuda's mattress stunt, were pretty classic. Are you getting these from 2ch?[/quote] Various sources. For pure crack, the LJ community called capslock_dn is a goldmine. I do think that Near, in his special little way, is just as whacked-out crazy as Mello. ~Dagger~

I'll take 4) Literature. ~Dagger~

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v632/DaggerIX1/1178661786006.jpg[/IMG] It's hilarious because it's so, so true... Would anyone be interested in some kind of post-series image dump? I have a lot of DN parodies floating around. ~Dagger~

Oh yeah!! [spoiler]Tybalt is here and ready to kick some ***![/spoiler] Anyway, [spoiler]the doctor went out with a bang,[/spoiler] and most of episode 6 was spent dealing with the aftermath of that. ~Dagger~

I really like the months. (Especially November 11 and his jokes!) April and Havoc's character designs are both very cool. And with Kazuhiko Inoue and Shinichiro Miki, this arc has put me in seiyuu heaven. Can't wait for episode 6. ~Dagger~

Kukuku... they made Kira's Kingdom just as tacky as I'd hoped. The one thing about the compression of the second arc that disappoints me is the reduction of Hal's part in the story. She's the SPK woman who [spoiler]Mello used as a hostage.[/spoiler] In the manga, she had a much more complex role [spoiler]and connection to Mello--she had actually been feeding him information for a while before that scene.[/spoiler] It's not as if DN is otherwise abundant in competent women... ~Dagger~

I haven't had time to watch episode 30 yet, but I'm very much looking forward to it, as it contains [spoiler]scarred!Mello.[/spoiler] Episode 31 will introduce a certain [spoiler]Teru Mikami,[/spoiler] who is a very significant character, and (if we're lucky, and he hasn't been cut out of the anime altogether, which would sadden me) possibly [spoiler]Matt[/spoiler] as well. ~Dagger~

[spoiler]1. Ben 2. Charlie 3. Naomi 4. Sayid 5. Mikhail 6. Kate 7. Sawyer 8. Desmond 9. Tom 10. Juliet[/spoiler] I, too, was not immune to wishful thinking. [QUOTE=Shinmaru] [spoiler] Tom loves him some Ben...[/spoiler][/QUOTE] You win this thread. :laugh: ETA: Okay, I did [i]not[/i] see that one coming. So who thinks [spoiler]he's actually dead?[/spoiler] ~Dagger~

Well, my friends have formulated their Death Lists. Ten names, in order from most likely to least likely; it goes from ten points if your top person dies to one point if your tenth person dies. [spoiler]Everyone's top three is some combination of Ben, Charlie and Naomi. Juliet, Mikhail, Sawyer, Desmond, Kate, Tom and Sayid are the most common names below that. Dark horse guesses include Sun, Locke, Rousseau, Claire, Jack and The Baby.[/spoiler] The endgame news (in regards to both the season & series finale) has me rubbing my hands in anticipation. I'm so glad we aren't going to have more episodes of the survivors puttering around the beach, "wondering what's going to happen next." ~Dagger~

Re: Episode 5, I didn't notice any changes whatsoever in regards to the writing or directorial style (the pacing might've been smoother, but not enough to put it more than one standard deviation away from the norm, heheh). The name in the credits did change, however. The yukata scene is adorable. :catgirl: And the ED, sung by Konata again, is the first Dragonball OP! Brilliant! ~Dagger~

I'm a bit late to episode 4, but oh well. This is definitely BONES' most violent show yet--for a second or two I had unbelievable Elfen Lied flashbacks. :animeswea Unlike Elfen Lied, though, the gore is used pretty sparingly & with a less gratuitous purpose. So I guess Mai [spoiler]is going to join the organization that employs Hei & co. now? It would be interesting to see them work together or against each other in some future episode.[/spoiler] I really want to see Amber (the C.C. clone from the OP), but I'm guessing she won't show up for a long time. Maybe she'll be the Julia of this series... ~Dagger~

No, the logos are real... On the "UGH" front, it looks like the Evas are going to be CG. :( (You can go [url=http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lvevafy8.jpg][u]here[/u][/url] to see a page/image--screencapped from a TV ad, I believe--that will be in an upcoming issue of Newtype.) ~Dagger~

[quote name='Lunox][color=dimgray'] I'm a bit surprised that there wasn't already a thread for this. [/color][/quote] *coughs* ;) I'll probably pull another all-nighter reading DH. I'm a bit leery of going to the bookstore in person, after seeing all those videos of people in line being spoiled for HBP, but doubtless I shall find some minion to do it for me. ~Dagger~