intermission : +ophanium's spring 2011 anime checklist

below are two preliminary list for spring 2011 series that will later be inducted into our end watchlist. please take note that each following lists are not finalized yet, and we might amend them in later revision[s] of this post here according to our later impression on them. also, as for the first list, it will further be broken down into 3 different categories based on priority value, and sorted out accordingly in chronological rank order.

01. THOSE SHORTLISTED FOR THE END WATCHLIST
- a channel
- ao no exorcist
- appleseed xiii
- deadman wonderland
- denpa onna to seishun otoko
- dog days
- hana-saku iroha
- hidan no aria
- hoshizora e kakaru hashi
- kami nomi zo shiru sekai S2
- kampfer fur die liebe
- lotte no omocha !
- maria+holic : alive
- nichijou
- seikon no qwaser S2
- [ ova ] amagami ss
- [ ova ] asobi ni iku yo ! : let's go play !
- [ ova ] baka to test to shoukanjuu ~matsuri~ ( episode 02 )
- [ ova ] hen zemi ( episode 02 )
- [ ova ] highschool of the dead
- [ ova ] kaibutsu oujo ( episode 02 )
- [ ova ] kaichou wa maid-sama !
- [ ova ] koe de oshigoto ! ( episode 02 )
- [ ova ] nichijou
- [ ova ] yozakura quartet : hoshi no umi ( episode 02 )

02. PENDING FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION
- [c] the money of soul and possibility control
- moshidora
- oretachi ni tsubasa wa nai
- steins;gate
- x-men [ depends on how it will turn out, however ]

*both list are currently not finalized yet, and i might amend them when i feel like doing so :3

carnival phantasm : coming this summer

AKIHA TOHNO + RIN TOHSAKA = OVERKILL

i am such a slowpoke for not noticing this two month earlier; apparently a new type-moon project will be heading our way this summer, featuring multiverse crossover from the company's well known franchises - tsukihime, kagetsu tohya, melty blood, fate / stay night and fate / hollow ataraxia - in the form of an ova titled carnival phantasm. the ova will be based on a comedic spin-off crossover manga 'take moon' which itself is an anthology of side stories by type-moon artist eri takanashi.

three of the original seiyuus from fate / stay night will be reprising each of their roles in carnival phantasm while the entirety of shingetsutan tsukihime characters will be replaced by a different voice cast. other production details includes : the production studio [ larc ], director; seiji kishi [ angel beats ! / seto no hanayome ], script / series composition; makoto uezu [ utawarerumono / seto no hanayome / school days / kore wa zombie desu ka ? ] and character designer; kazuaki morita [ nyan koi ! / seto no hanayome ] - from the look of it the creative hands behind the epic harem comedy seto no hanayome will be the core of carnival phantasm's production team and thus we can surely be expecting for one hell of a comedy ova from this one here.

[ cosplay ] ai toujou : yomi isayama

layer : Ai Toujou
character : Yomi Isayama
series : Ga-Rei -Zero-
score : *****

my love for ai-san's yomi-get is on par with midori-san's, as both of them has magnificently pulled forth such a fantastic job for each of their respective yomi cosplay. and while midori-san's yomi-get is twice more apparent with the badass-y look and feel of the character, ai-san's however is more into capturing the yamato nadeshiko look [ and feel ] of yomi, as well as her [ yomi's ] intimidating elegance that is unparalleled by any other character within the series.

execution wise, ai-san's wigwork for her yomi-get is just as wonderful and handsomely done like those of midori's, and the same can be said as well for her costume. the blade and hilt of her katana however looks really fake that it'll be much better if she had let her katana stay in the sheath |3

[ cosplay ] midori kanda : homura akemi

layer : Midori Kanda
character : Homura Akemi
series : Puella Magi Madoka★Magica
score : *****

HOMERUN

not long ago, i've been keeping a little wish in me that midori-san will one day be executing a chikane himemiya cosplay, given her affinity towards the yuri genre as well as her fondness of the manga / dojin collective kaishaku [ best known for their yuri-flavored original work 'kannazuki no miko', my ultimate favorite ]. well in the end she didn't go for the character, yet that little wish of mine has now been partially fulfilled with her recent homura akemi-get as seen above - a character of which i consider to be the closest parallel to chikane, in regard to her look and personality wise.

so once again, a pretty impressive feat from her this time around + added with her signature facial expression of which really befits homura's character well here. and just as i've mentioned before, midori-san has a pretty impressive skill in deciding which character should she be cosplaying, and here is another best example at it which i believe can as well be set as a perfect example for any aspiring cosplayers out there who seek to achieve total unification with their cosplay / character of choice.

[ all images are property of kimokamehiro ]

infinite stratos : chara report

this would be the second post ever for the chara report series, as the first [ and only, then ] one goes to the one we submitted for to aru kagaku no railgun a year before. perhaps we might as well revive this 'chara report' series here to serve as filler entries in between anime season blocks. originally i had chosen puella magi madoka magica as the main subject for the report, however given the complexity of the series and its characters, i've decided to save all the juices for when i am ready to conceive a full review entry for the series somewhen later. next in mind was yumekui merry, but then again i was prompted by zange to otherwise focus on infinite stratos instead. and so, here it goes;

oh, and be noted that i'll be leaving ichika out, since i have no interest in writing down my thoughts on male characters in standalone spin-off posts such as this. he, however will be touched upon on in slight detail in our upcoming infinite stratos review by the end of this season. also, the list below will be arranged in such a particular order; characters which i favored the most will be mentioned first, followed by others in chronological order.

01 CHARLOTTE 'CHARLES' DUNOIS / aka FRANCE-TAN
currently is a major favorite within the infinite stratos fandom, successfully stealing the limelight from both houki and cecilia by instance of her onscreen debut. aside from the fact that she is voiced by kana hanazawa, charlotte as well has such a highly adorable attitude and personality to her, and a massive cute side once she get singled out with ichika in both their room. a former reverse-trap, charlotte is the victim of manipulation by her own father, who used her as a spy to gaining desirable information on ichika and his IS performances, only to be foiled by her own self upon ichika's discovery of her true gender. her overall character design is the fourth most favorable by us, but her main charm lies greatly in her quirks and personal traits, which our former favorite houki herself weren't yet able to best at this point of the series. and aside from laura, charlotte is a character that is imbued with great honesty quality, and were not afraid of sharing what's inside of her with others - but not without precautions, of course.

02. HOUKI SINONONO / aka JAPAN-TAN
my former favorite prior to the arrival or charlotte, and the one and only resident tsundere of the series. houki is ichika's first childhood friend, and an avid practitioner of kendo with abusive outbursts whenever her tsuntsun switch gets flipped by ichika himself. behind her brutal side however lies a more reflective, caring side which she only kept to herself. also interesting to note, houki probably is the only character of the series who had so much internal confrontation incurring within herself, especially in regard to her feelings and her recently reconciled relationship with ichika - sometimes resulting in unwanted momentums that would only create temporary ridge[s] between the two, while giving slight upper hand for the other girls to slip in for their own profit. her overall character design is the most favorable by us, and by far will remain as our number one favorite within the looks sector until the end of the series' winter run. and thanks to yoko hikasa for being her voices, houki had as well inherited much of the elegance and moe aura from her spiritual predecessor mio akiyama and maya kumashiro, as previously mentioned in our first impression post for the series prior.

03. HUANG LINGYIN / aka CHINA-TAN
daughter of the former owner of a chinese restaurant, rin is the most impulsive / explosive [ while laura being a brute ] member of ichika's harem, and his second childhood friend in chronological order. she, together with 3 other harem members were each representative members of their countries, thus piloting her very own personal infinite stratos unit shenlong. a typical chinese-type character, her onscreen debut quickly reminds me of another explosive chinese character by the name cha chi from the fantastic comedy ONA series penguin musume heart; both sharing their ethnicity as well as the impulsive / explosive personality and default adeptness in chinese martial arts. an aspiring cook [ for the sake of ichika of course ], rin doesn't share much of houki's incapability of expressing honesty although she does seem to have her moments of tsuntsun at times, and her outbursts can as well match up to houki's brutality if needed be. rin's character mostly represents the adrenaline and energy quality of the series, and she can very much be compared to a can of energy drink; she's sweet yet full of excessive energy at disposal. her overall character design is the second most favorable by us, with her twintails appealing much to myself as i am such a mania for twintails-type character.

[ france-tan, in dynamite glory ]

04. LAURA BODEWIG / aka TSUKIUMI GERMANY-TAN
when she first set her foot into the series, only our chief editor zange seem to have slight fondness towards laura, while i myself otherwise wasn't quite interested in her initially, esp. due to her brute-type character; of which definitely is not my type of waifu. however, as the series progressed into the eighth episode as of current, her rank suddenly rise up a bit from the bottom of the list, drowning her british competition cecilia in exchange for her sudden ascension, as well as gaining a bit of attention from myself - most apparently from her surprise change of character by the end of said episode. well laura originally was the solitary-type character of the series, having absolutely no regard for social contact nor dependence on others as excellently showcased in her non-existent teamwork with houki against ichika and charlotte during the interclass tournament. she does, however held high regards for chifuyu-nee; ichika's only sister and laura's former instructor cum role model back with germany's armed force then. while piloting her personal IS schwarzer regen, laura essentially is the walking tank of the harem.

05. CECILIA ALCOTT / aka BRITANNIA-TAN
the prideful IS cadet representative from england, and member of a noble family with massive ego-complex, only to be softened up by ichika following the two's skirmish for the title of class representative. as with the 3 other racial archetypes featured within the series, cecilia is portrayed with much of perceived britannian essence intact; her refined personality and gesture / posture, as well as her boastful attitude and her rock solid stubborness to boot on the exterior are among many of her set britannian qualities. on the inside however, she can be quite emotionally insecure, yet when pushed appropriately she is very well determined at getting her goal done no matter what the cost nor the damage resulted in return. also prior to charlotte's debut, cecilia was the crowd's favorite and had once [ seemingly ] defeated houki for the fandom's attention until everyone's dearest france-tan robbed most of the love meant for cecilia via her sweet power of moe. cecilia's overall character design is the third most favorable by us from the series, with her very design at times reminding us of kaishaku's exquisite [ chara-design ] touch, most apparently her hair.

sweet home ~h na onee-san wa suki desuka~ : first impression

SWEET HOME ~H NA ONEE-SAN WA SUKI DESUKA~ OVA
studio : STONE HEADS / Codepink
director : unknown
serial run : Feb 18, 2011 - ongoing
total episode : unknown
preliminary score : ***1/2

ｷﾀ━━━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━━━ !!!!!

in case you haven't heard nor known of it yet, sweet home ~h na onee-san wa suki desuka~ is a 18+ visual novel / eroge produced by stone heads' primary imprint, codepink, and forever is one of my favorite adult game ever to date, to which i have been wishing for an anime adaptation to be realized since 2008 - ero or not, whichever way is fine^^.

and with that said, thus one of my greatest wishes has finally been fulfilled, as it is sweet home's turn now to follow in the steps of choukou sennin haruka and sono hanabira ni kuchizuke wo; both of which has been magnificently adapted into their respective h-ova series a year before. also, having seen and enjoyed two other codepink adaptations released prior [ sexfriend and maid in heaven super s ], i have put in so much hope for this one to be just as wonderful as those two were the moment i heard of its [ animated-form ] existence from our fellow friend shinwa; and by the time i finally had my watch on the first episode i am glad to say here that while the first episode felt a bit too short in 'action' for each featured character [ chinatsu, most apparently ] as well as being slightly decent in production value when compared to its two predecessors still i have extracted much gratitude and enjoyment from this one as well, from the perverted side that is |3

the ova opens straight into action, with necessary plot / character introduction being spared for the following morning. story wise, well there wasn't any of it since this ova itself is more of 'action'-based rather than being plot-driven, yet being so doesn't really turn me off however since i've already familiarized myself with its plot, setting and characters thanks to the original game from which it was based from - and all i care of the most is to see those event moments being re-depicted in animated motion glory. as for character-wise; those featured prominently in the first episode was my number one favorite from the game; chinatsu furuhashi [ see image above ], accompanied by the uberlax manami amagi and my second favorite from the game - the petite osananajimi risa tomosato; the latter of whom had her brief moment of ecchiness right before the closing - and of which has ultimately resulted in me crossing my fingers for her to be highlighted more in the second episode to come. +as mentioned in the paragraph above, chinatsu's portion does felt a bit short, from my perspective that is, while manami's otherwise felt significantly longer of the two, if not much.

[ delicious harem~desuwa, inclusive of a winning MILF to the far right ]

the overall animation production / visual execution for sweet home is on average par with many other animes out there, but by far is much better than some budget ero-ova i've seen - for example, hhh triple ecchi; and slightly even better than casual anime such as akikan, to name. the erotic portions were animated fine and well, albeit not quite as smooth as kanojo x kanojo x kanojo nor sora no iro, mizu no iro - the latter of which has set quite a high bar in terms of ero-animation. voice works, on the other hand were remarkably splendid, esp. those of chinatsu and manami's; keeping in much of the [ uberly sexy and flirty ] attitude and personality of the two from the game. +the ova even retained the very OP / main vocal theme of the game, which itself is a catchy tune, and that i often hum to back when i first had my play of the game.

[ cosplay ] midori kanda : fate t. harlaown

layer : Midori Kanda
character : Fate T. Harlaown
series : Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
score : *****

this is my favorite version of fate-get from midori-san [ among the three version she has done so far ], and eventhough the valentine bunny version is much, much more sexier, i personally believe that i have found greater love in this one for it possess so much feel and resemblance to the actual fate it is based from. that, and her portrayal of fate has since massively improved from the initial one she did somewhere last year.

a pretty simple getup, mix-matched to almost close perfection according to the original character design - albeit the length of her cardigan were slightly off there [ the original design however does not exceed in length below the torso ] + the noticeable lack of a tall collar around the neck area. but still, most of the details weren't lost; and she even made sure to put on that necklace around her neck, a necessary accessory of which were sometimes seem to be left out by some cosplayers - when it comes to casual fate as above :3

[ all images are property of kimokamehiro ]

[ cosplay ] uriu : stardust witch meruru

layer : Uriu
character : Meruru
series : Stardust Witch Meruru / Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai
score : *****

HAATO KAACHI-♪ NOT.

up next; here is a series of cute and sexy meruru-get by uriu-san, done exceptionally close and wonderfully well done in regard to the original character it is based from. also, from the very first glimpse it is quite easy for some [ if not most / all ] of us to mistake this cosplay here for one from the much well known magical girl series; pretty cure - especially if you had seen cure sunshine's design before, and should you / one weren't yet familiar with the oreimo franchise and its meta content [ stardust witch meruru ] beforehand.

adorably portrayed during the c79 [ 2010's winter comiket ] event, uriu-san has finely evoked the overall look, feel, personality and spirit of the character in subject of her cosplay here - and these can much be felt and seen from her facial expression and [ in-character ] poses - the latter of which handsomely representing the mahou shoujo side / essence of her character. that, and presentation wise she had her costume handcrafted in such an average yet neat and well done fashion, accompanied with all the necessary accessories needed. +her wig most exceptionally were gorgeously sculpted much to our greatest delight :9

[ pics 01-07 are property of yuuro_an ]

[ cosplay ] mayuki tsukioka : bridget

layer : Mayuki Tsukioka
character : Bridget
series : Guilty Gear
score : ****1/2

"ADMIRAL ACKBAR TO ROGUE COMMAND, IT'S A REVERSE TRAP !"

here's something for the intro; back then, i often mistaken mayuki-san here for the prolific badass-beauty layer ryuuna-san, since the two layer seems a bit identical in look from a distance, for me at least. it didn't take long for me, however to realize my mistake, and has since considered mayuki-san here as a more youthful / teenage-looking alternative / counterpart for the otherwise mature-looking ryuuna-san |3

so anyway, these are one of my favorite bridget-get to date alongside those magnificently done by uriu-san and hachimaru-san - the latter of which can be seen from last c79 [ winter comiket ]. her costume for one seems to have been cleanly executed and constructed, although the large cross detail on her headdress does seem a bit choppy in design. nevertheless, it is a fine execution otherwise, and could have been twice more better should necessary props and / or accessories were included with the presentation as well :3

[ all images are property of mpzero ]

[ fig ] wonder festival preview : mayoi neko overrun ! bikini ver.

among the many highlights from the recent winter wonder festival 2011 for us was these magnificent mayoi neko overrun ! 1/8 scale figures by kaitendoh, featuring fumino serizawa and nozomi kiriya both clad in their bikinis as seen from a certain poster [ here, although fumino's slighly differs in color scheme from the one seen in said poster ], and were wonderfully sculpted by the sculptor, elliott.

to be frank, nozomi's pose most apparently is the best of the two, which is why she get to have for herself the upper slot on this post here despite hime's extreme fondness of fumino :3 anyway, by the time we had this entry posted, there has not been any date set for the release of both figures yet, but probably will be made available for pre-order somewhen soon :3

[ all images are property of mpzero ]

[ cosplay ] midori kanda : fate, a valentine's day special

layer : Midori Kanda
character : Fate T. Harlaown
series : Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS
score : ♥

WITH THE BIRDS I'LL SHARE THIS RONERY VIEW

happy valentine's day~! okay so anyway, as for today's cosplay feature post here we have decided to take a little break from our usual [ not so helpful ] commentary, though we'd still be dropping some few trivial lines in exchange for what we have come to see and appreciate from this valentine fate-get here. here goes~

now, to date there has been two fate t. harlaown-get done by midori-san so far; the first one was a casual, loli fate from the mahou shoujo lyrical nanoha a's era - of which we admit wasn't quite befitting of her image, though it does look good from overall execution perspective nevertheless, while the second one is what you are currently seeing here as of now, a valentinified [ if such word even exist ] version of what seems to be an adult fate from somewhen between the strikers / force era; and a much more befitting version when compared to the aforementioned casual loli fate she has done previously.

and so, as with her recent dynamite-ly sexy c.c.-get, midori-san has once again managed to accentuate the sexiness factor of her character to nosebleed-inducing level, while at the same time making her best not to stray much from retaining the original [ visual ] image of the character itself [ midori-san's usual magical touch on wig doesn't seem to work pretty well here, however v.v ]; albeit she does make feito-mama seems a bit flirty here, while the actual fate herself is more of a socially-reserved character within the original media - but that as well are very quite understandable [ and forgiven ] given the theme and mood / atmosphere of this very photoshoot here |3

p/s : look carefully, our score goes as ♥ not the usual *s. so a single ♥ does not equal the same amount as a single * :3

[ all images are property of kimokamehiro ]