CNBlue - Oetoriya (I'm a Loner)

So, recently, I've been getting (back?) into Korean stuff - watching variety shows and attempting to learn the Abracadabra dance amongst other things....

My brother and I stumbled upon this song after watching an episode of Running Man guest starring CNBlue's frontman, Yonghwa. (He was the most useful member on his team :D)

I really like this style of music. Same with their song, Love. Swing, rock n' roll and similar-sounding music has always been to my taste since I heard Nightmare's Dasei Boogie. 

But I guess the reason why I like these songs is because they're so not typically K-Pop. They play their own instruments. 8DDDDDDD

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Kuroshitsuji the Musical 2 rant (LONG)

Kuroshitsuji the Musical 2:
The Most Beautiful DEATH in the World
~1000 Souls and a Fallen Shinigami~
~

Before I say anything, I’d like to say that I have seen the first musical. Though it was okay, it seemed a little insubstantial and just…odd. And it most definitely paled in comparison to the second musical. They pulled out all the stops for this production – the cast is more extensive, there were more songs, more fight scenes, more dancing, more Seba-shita being awesome, more EVERYTHING. You know what they say, ‘less is more’? Well, they were lying.

Though I’ve watched it three times already (as I type this I’m watching it a fourth time), I’m still waiting on subtitles so I won’t analyse the plot so much since I don’t understand every detail. On the other hand, watching it without subtitles has allowed me to appreciate the visuals better (this is my rationale for watching raw versions of anime before the subs come out XD). This musical was a feast for the eyes, everything from the lights to the costumes.

Whenever I watch stuff like this, I don’t expect much because it’s really a niche market they’re appealing to. However, I sat through the entire prologue with my mouth agape. The visual tricks they played with Ciel disappearing and reappearing, the things flying in in-time with Sebastian’s hand gestures, the song – pretty much everything wowed me. They even painted the brand on Ciel's back!


The only thing that I wasn’t so impressed by was Ciel's lack of facial expression; I felt that in this part he was still just a terrified little boy. He could have at least looked like he was in pain when Sebastian formed the contract symbol in his eye… On the other hand, though I noticed that Sebastian wasn’t in his demon form like he was in the manga, I wasn’t bothered by it. I’m sure it’d be hard to walk in those heels in real life, let alone dance around and destroy a secret cult’s underground lair…

When the lights dimmed at the end of the song, I thought to myself “there’s no way the rest of the show can be this good”. I was sadly (or happily, if you think about it) mistaken. For a few seconds, I was wondering why Sebastian was just standing there, and why the spotlight was only on his upper half. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that in these few seconds, the cult base had been transformed into Ciel's bedroom, and Ciel had changed from his toga rags into stockings, shorts and a shirt…all in the space of half a minute. Nishii, I have so much respect for you right now.

Then they break up the dark mood with some light humour from the servants. I can’t fathom how Maylene’s actress could run in those giant boots of hers!

May's awesome boots of awesomeness...

I really liked the technique they used with Sebastian narrating on the lower stage and the flashback of the murderer above. It adds dimension and helps tell the story better. They didn’t really do this sort of thing in the first musical, what with the stage dressing and all.

The scene at the Shinigami headquarters was introduced really well – the light adds impact and an ethereal feeling at the same time. You’re made to think that something epic is going to happen, but after the Shinigami do their little freeze frame, it’s just another day at the office for them. I enjoyed this little peek into their world. The fact that they have wheelie computer chairs was funny – though I guess since death gods are not bound by time, anything goes.

The cast of the Shinigami was excellent. Nama-Ron is a splitting image of anime/manga-Ron. It’s like he was born for this role! Alan’s actor looks a lot like Leader-Sama Cowrew (hurr), while nama-Eric looks so much like the illustration Tobso Yana drew. Their costumes are all wonderful too. Being a big fan of detail, I would die for Eric’s shirt collar. Heheh.

The Shinigami Dispatch Society - They'll landscape your garden and reap your soul.

And then we have the SONG/DANCE. Though their singing is slightly out of time with the music in some bits (understandable, considering the dance), it’s really catchy. The choreography made me lol (that Mexican wave, and the Grease Lightning-reminiscent move). It was ridiculous and awesome at the same time, especially for Grell, who does it all in heels! I found that it was a little long though, and I can’t help but feel that they shouldn’t have gone up a key in the last bit. Nevertheless, it was pure win.

Go Grease Lightning, we're coming up a quarter mile~

Can’t say much about Abberline and his new friend Sharpe though. They’re funny, but I get the feeling that they’re trying too hard. Abberline was much funnier in the first musical – he’s way too slapstick in this one. Sharpe looks like your mass-produced Japanese salaryman too, but it’s good how they threw in his love of research, otherwise he’d be a pretty flat character. It seems that Sebastian also serves as a comic relief every now and then too, more often than in the first musical. The sort of stuff he does is more silly-funny than cute-funny or witty-funny though, much like Abberline and Sharpe. Almost reminds me of Claude…

…or Undertaker. Hmm. No, there’s really nobody like the Undertaker. He’s so amazingly creepy and retarded, and I mean that in the best way possible. This is one part where I’m sad for not knowing what they’re talking about – I’m certain that this time, instead of Undertaker demanding a good laugh, he wants something to do with love? Like, make him fall in love or something?? I have no idea. Whatever it is though, it makes Ciel squirm uncomfortably and leads into a fantabulous song.

Alan vs. Sebastian was a fun change from all the singing and dancing. Alan and his garden-slasher thing against Sebastian's silverware…too bad it’s short lived. The song that follows is beautiful though, and haunting. I could listen to it again and again… poor Alan though. He really is such a sweetie. And his ho-yay relationship with Eric is adorable. Alan’s solo is really moving, though I don’t know the translation off the top of my head.

;_;

Again, there is a change in the mood. It’s always good to have a balance, and I think after such an emotionally-burdened scene with Alan and Eric, Grell the Redhead Rapist in frilly lingerie is a welcome(?) sight. Although I’m not entirely sure why he’s tied up. Oh well, the subs will sort that out once they’re released. His song sounds a little similar to Sebastian's Ai wa Chi Mamire, but that’s okay, since they’re both really good songs. Uehara-san is fabulous, being able to dance like that and all. I’m a little confused as to what happens next though, with Sebastian. Do they…? Oh, my cheeks are going red…

The next highlight for me was Eric vs. Sebastian, most definitely. And stealing Grell’s Deathscythe made me chuckle. It’s extremely hard to choreograph a good fight scene onstage (believe me, I know) but this one was done well – there was sufficient action for it to qualify as a fight scene, but it was simple enough to not look like a complete mess. And oh! When Eric gets injured by the Deathscythe and the cinematic record starts…the sudden burst of bright light was so well-timed it made me squirm in my seat~!

Beautiful~

However, due to my inability to understand Japanese, I have very little idea what happens in the next little bit, where the Viscount of Druitt kidnaps the two girls. I understand his obsession with robins and stuff, but the conversation that takes place between him and Eric, and then the subsequent events with Alan, are a blur to me. The Viscount’s song made me laugh though, the epic-ness of the chorus especially, though because I don’t like seeing women humiliated (not entirely sure why really, I’m no feminist) it sort of cringed through most of it.

The scene before the intermission was pretty cool, with the entire cast assembled on the brink of the opera event – it serves to point out to the audience that things are coming to a climax. I love how Grell sort of flutters around the stage trying to read the invitation, and tugging on Finny’s arm but of course he doesn’t budge. It was also quite brilliant to have the opera free to women and children, with men allowed only if they are accompanied by women and children. It basically sets everyone up to crossdress XD And of course, the last thing you must hear before the curtain falls is Sebastian's famous line,
“Iyess, mai roodo”.

After the intermission, we are welcomed back to the show with Ciel grunting. Sadly, unless you haven’t seen or read Kuro before, you’ll already know that this is the corset scene. Although it still would’ve been nice if Nishii had moaned more than he grunted to make it more misleading (roflmao). But perhaps if I knew what Seba-shita was saying it’d be less obvious? Hmm.

Suddenly, the Phantomhive estate has become Trap Central, with Ciel in his komadori dress, Grell in a rather revealing gown and Alan looking rather charming in a princess-lolita style gown and a feather headdress. I squeed when he went onstage, it was just so adorable. The gowns are gorgeous and they suit the actors really well. They even did Grell’s hair up all nice.

That hair, that gown...those biceps!

So, the opera. Not much to say about it really. The Viscount really reminds me of Kamijo though. Especially with those costumes of his. And it’s so scarily cute the way he says “Eric-kun, matte yo!”.

The Phantomhive servants look pretty decent too, except Finny in his 80’s reminiscent suit-and-bowtie number. It was cool too how the singer is like a wind-up toy. Very clever indeed. And then we have Sebastian invading Ciel's personal space. Probably one of the highlights of the scene.

im in ur pursonal spase, invadin ur pursonal spase.

And I know that when Alan meets Eric at the opera, it’s supposed to be really dramatic, but all I can imagine is Eric thinking “what is he wearing?” XD
The mess that follows is quite spectacular, but it is a little hard to keep up with – I had to watch quite carefully in order to see who engages whom in battle and all that. Ah well, in the end, Ciel gets abducted as usual.

The second time we see Alan and Eric alone, there’s a lot of agitation and a conversation that I can’t understand. It’s a shame because it’s probably very important… though from what I gather, Alan tries to kill himself in his despair, and Eric stops him, giving away a fact that is a key point in the story. And then they take off their glasses and run off somewhere. Although I couldn’t understand any of the dialogue, I kinda get the general feeling from this simple action. It almost made me cry the first time I watched it.

;_;

We get interrupted again by Sebastian's Claude-like strangeness, before returning to Alan and Eric. There is a lot of emotion packed into the accompanying song and Eric’s struggle against the hooded people (souls?) – beautiful.

Honestly, Sebastian, you really must stop getting advice from Claude...

What happens next is quite cliché – Eric tries to kill Ciel, but kind-hearted Alan jumps in and dies instead. Nevertheless, it’s a touching scene. The timely ringing of bells makes it all the more surreal. Amazingly, in the cinematic record, both Eric and Alan have their glasses on again. Did they have a spare pair in their pocket? I didn’t notice them reaching for them… I is baffled. D:
Anyway, I can’t find words to summarise the ending. There’s a lump in my throat… I think that that’s enough of an explanation.

;_;

I feel so sad after watching this again! I must watch the backstage clips to cheer myself up. Don’t get me wrong though, I absolutely love media that makes me sad. I’ve also noticed that I’ve written an entire essay already, though I still have lots more to say, and even more so once I understand the plot fully… Oh my.

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Togainu no Chi (TV)

So, Togainu no Chi has been released as an anime. Rumour has is that there is no yaoi in it...which, I guess, won't detract too much from the storyline. But this was one of the last scenes in the OP:

Noo, that's not yaoi at all. ( ' o')~

The first episode was somewhat unremarkable. It was pretty much a condensed form of the beginning of the game up until Akira sets foot in Toshima.
A couple of things to note though, were that Motomi didn't appear in the OP (at least, I didn't notice him), and Shiki appears. It surprised me that they'd introduce him in the very first episode, even before Rin...

True to the game, however, Keisuke is still a sniveling Akira fanboy, and Akira still only says 'tsu' or '...'. He has yet to say 'hanase' though, but I look forward to it. It seems to be his favourite line. XD

Watching Aki beat ugly men to a bloody pulp makes Kei jizz in his pants.

Yeah it doesn't take much to figure out that I really don't like Keisuke at all. He's too much of a pushover...and by the looks of the first ep, I don't think my opinion is subject to change any time soon. Although...I couldn't stand Rin at first but now I think he's kinda cool after completing his story...could be the lol-I'm-related-to-Shiki thing...

But Keisuke is such a DUMBASS. I really don't like him...

Hmm, conspicuous-looking footprints all over the floor. Nope, I think I'll ignore those today.

I wonder how long Kei intended to wait there for Aki. A week? A month, maybe? By then Aki would have been ass-raped by a million Igura players already.

Another point I'd like to make is that the art is quite terrible. Perhaps it's an A-1 thing. I mean, Kuroshitsuji II was pretty heinous... I am disappoint. Take a look at these:

No detail on anything that isn't a closeup of the characters' faces. This pisses me off like nothing at all. I haven't noticed it this bad in any other series besides K2 (which happens to be done by A-1 too...coincidence?)

Why does Aki look like he's wearing a wig? Maybe this is a stunt double? 8D

They gave Emma a breast augmentation (I swear she's gone up a cup size) to appeal to a wider audience. And they made calm, serious Gwen look like a raging homosexual. And not in a good way. (And are those tusks??)

Ah well, at least they get points for highly original character design. Oh, wait...

But there's more! The Toshima fight scene was actually enjoyable, up until Shiki appeared. I thought I would go fangirl-mad when he made his appearance, but no. The entire scene was laughable.

Why does Shiki look like a FISH?

This guy just bled his entire blood volume out from his face. They really like their realism.

The blood from this handful of thugs alone could satisfy a blood bank for a year. Somebody please tell this studio that blood doesn't just gush out like water from a fire hydrant.

And the part that really takes the cake. I think this was supposed to be a tense, dramatic scene, but it was just cheesy and tacky and I spent the entire time laughing.

Someone needs to make a gif of this. Right now.

Ep 2 has just been put up. Sad as it is, I will probably watch the series anyway, for the characters and for the hope that it may turn out half decent (K2 was half decent - but of course that means that it was half shit too).

*fingers crossed*

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Pop music?!

Oh dear me, what has this world come to? I have always told people that I enjoy music of all genres (minus reggae), but I guess I've acted like a bit of a VK purist ever since I started listening to it. Over the last four years I've become more and more exposed to non-VK music, especially this year with all the C4tv and all the anime.


So, I wanted to comment on/squee over one guy in particular:
Matsushita Yuya.
Or Yuya Matsushita if you wanna be all Westernised and stuff.

SO. Apparently this guy has wanted to sing for the majority of his life. He managed to realise his dream some years ago. He's released x number of singles and albums, sung EDs for Durarara and Kuroshitsuji, and played the role of Sebastian in both Kuroshitsuji musicals.
He is one year younger than me.

Sometimes when I think of this, it makes me feel sad.

Despite that, I think he is pretty deserving of his fame. The guy has such a sweet voice. Although I think that some of his songs could use more bass. He's better suited to ballads and stuff I think.

But yeah. What can I say? I'm envious but at the same time I really admire him.
So, here are a couple of his songs. Bird, the ED for KSTJ, and Trust Me, the DRRR ED:

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KSTJ2 - Shiver

First, the troll version.

I love the black and white theme going on. Also I find it interesting that you don't see Claude's face until the end of the sequence. The ongoing motif of Alois' and Claude's slipping hands (and the falling ring!) is quite sad - it really goes well with the lyrics and the idea of Alois being so dependent on his demon.

I'm not sure if I like the coloured sequences though, especially the one of Hannah - it stuck out like a sore thumb in amongst the warm tones of the other colours. The shot of Alois on the stairs, however, was to die for.

Now that I think of it, Aloi's falling ring compliments the idea of the second OP, in which Ciel gets his ring back.

I'm thinking that they ran out of ideas to put in this OP, because Sebastian spends an awfully long time sauntering over to his Bocchan. Also, is it just me or does Ciel's ring look a hell of a lot different compared to season 1?

The flying rose transition is quite tacky, but I like seeing the contrast between the master-butler pairs. What I didn't like was the icky colour they used for the background of the masters walking past Hannah.

The Grell sequence was awesome. Not a lot to say about it. But the fight between Claude and Sebastian looked more like it should be in the episode content as it definitely isn't OP-worthy.

Then we have another master-butler contrast, implying heavily that Alois openly needs Claude, while Ciel thinks he's TC. I thought that Alois holding on to Claude's arm was really sweet, and so was Sebastian's endearing smile. It shows the relationship between the kids and their demons so well.

Finally, on the cliffs, we have a field of Ciel's favourite white roses. It sends chills up my spine to see Sebastian and Ciel's sad, resigned, but peaceful smiles before they dissolve into a shower of red rose petals.

The things I disliked about version 2 are that the colours are terrible, and some of the art doesn't seem like it should be in the opening animation as it's not very detailed. The ideas and symbolism are good but not cohesive.

On the other hand, version 1 is pretty cohesive and there's one really big theme (the slipping hands), but I guess there wasn't much going on in the way of symbolism...

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The GazettE - Shiver

Auditory Impression cover

Kuroshitsuji II Limited Edition cover

It's not often that I find a spectacular song by The Gaz' boys. When I first heard Shiver, I thought it was pretty unremarkable. The song had catchiness potential though, and upon watching several episodes of KSTJ2, the song started to grow on me.

First off, I really dislike songs that start off with a chorus, then go into an instrumental for ages. 17 seconds for an introductory instrumental is far too long and bland, especially if you're playing the same handful of chords over and over. It started off really strong until the instrumental started.

Shiver sounds pretty energetic compared to a lot of their recent broody songs, and I like that it has an edge without being angry. But the fact that it is non-screamy means that Ruki sings through his nostrils. The solos are average and elementary-sounding, and Kai is a bit too cymbal-happy for my liking especially towards the end. The nasally, borderline-whiny vocals and the energetic music are reminiscent of their indies days (think Tokyo Shinjuu).

On the plus side, this song differs in the way that Ruki obviously has better control of his voice now and the music sounds more structured...organised chaos, I guess you would say. I do like the considerably less distorted guitars - they're quite refreshing - and the bass does tickle my fancy as well. The bassline is interesting and it's not so loud that it sounds gaudy (until the bass solo, but that's forgivable). In fact, I didn't really hear the bass as much as I felt it, which I find to be quite beautiful indeed. Good job, Reita. :3

One thing that puts me off liking this song too much, however, is the fact that the chorus sounds like a sped up version of the chorus of Distress and Coma!! I do like that song so very much. The melody really gets me. But it means that I don't appreciate the hyperactive kid-brother that is Shiver quite as much as I would have.

Now, the PV.

This is just another run-of-the-mill PV where the band stands around playing their instruments. I didn't really expect otherwise from The GazettE though to be honest.

On the other hand, their look isn't all that bad. Kai looks a lot better when he keeps the makeup to a minimum. I find his shirt-and-waistcoat look to be very clean and cool and it works for him much better than the tight singlets and pleather of the old days.

Aoi really suits animal print and the baggy, elongated silhouette of his outfit in general. Low-cut tops look stunning on him since his shoulders are pretty broad (when he wears them he doesn't end up looking like a scrawny little boy wearing a too-big top). However I've always had a problem with the way they do his 'regular' makeup - using nothing but black shadow in a blob over his entire eyelid...it really doesn't suit him at all especially since his facial features are very strong. Everything becomes way too overpowering.

Not much to say about Reita, except that I love his hair colour and I like that he's still rocking his short-sleeve and combat boots look. Actually, his hair looks fantastic here. It hasn't been slathered with product and it looks a lot more natural compared to past looks where his spikes have been over-exaggerated.

Ruki's outfit is a bit iffy to me, but it's a typical Ruki look, isn't it? But I'm not sure that a slim-fitting metallic jacket that falls past his knees really does him any favours in terms of height. Though on second thought, the triangular shape of the coat-tails and the unbuttoned shirt do balance it out. Still, I find it uncomfortable that his shoulders are narrower than mine. 8(

Uruha looks like a homeless person in this PV. And I don't mean it in a bad way! I'm in love with that lace-up glove, the layered look and his waterfall-hair. He kinda reminds me of a modern-day, blonde version of Saito...


In the next post I'll banter on about the OP versions of the song...cos I can.

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OMG.

So many things to squee about, so little time. I've found myself struggling to fit everything into my days... But here's a brief rundown of things I've been fangirling over lately...

1. Kuroshitsuji II (and Gazette's Shiver)

Currently we're on to episode six. Halfway through, and still there are more questions than answers. Overall, the season has some rather interesting turns of events, although I find the fanservice to be OTT sometimes... Ep six had too many boobs for one episode. Some parts were also too obvious for my liking, most prominently trap!Alois. I also think Sebastian is way too imba in this season, as seen in episode 4.

On the other hand, the OP is starting to grow on me...however that can be said of most OPs. Shiver sounds like a lot of other songs by The Gaz, and unoriginality really bugs me, but the song is still catchy and the lyrics are nice. I'm also loving Bird by Matsushita Yuya. I wonder if they'll exceed the 12/13-episode limit that they projected, so we can see a new ED or OP? The current ED animation is touching but kinda boring...

2. Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

Second season of this is due to be released soon I think. As I expected of a reverse harem series, the token female is absolutely useless, to the point where I got frustrated and stopped watching halfway for a time. The male eye-candy drew me back in though.

I have to say that of all the characters I thought I liked in the beginning, Sannan, Okita Souji and Kazama are growing on me the most. Probably because their characters have been developed to my liking more than the others...

3. D's latest single, Akaki Hitsuji ni yoru Bansankai

Okay, so I admit I haven't been very active on the VK front recently. But then I saw THIS. My hope in this band has been revived! I love the costumes in the PV (which I have not seen fully just yet x_x). Asagi looks hot in red lipstick and Hidezou's hair is amazing. The song sounds pretty good too. Tsunehito looks scarier and scarier every time I see him..............

4. Pandora Hearts

Aw, Vincent! *A* Been hording a lot of pics of him...although I don't think he's very popular with the rest of the fandom. It's okay, I still love you, Vinny!!!!!



Not sure if I'll continue SotW. It seemed like a good idea at the time but now a whole lot of other work is piling up...

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Squee of the Week

This week, I am going all mushy over
Sebastian of Kuroshitsuji.


I love contrast and paradox. I love the concept of celestial beings. I love elegance and beauty, as well as the dark and the sinister - even better when they are all combined.
Hence, I love Sebastian.

He is a knight in shining armor, in the most superficial sense – he is able to perform any task, and perform it perfectly. His manners are impeccable, he speaks with beautiful words, he looks good whatever he’s doing, and from what the anime and manga imply, he’s not bad in the sack either.

His trademark quotes:
"I'm just one hell of a butler"

"As a servant of the Phantomhive house, what would I do, if I couldn't even do this?"
or
"As a servant of the Phantomhive house, it's only natural for me to be able to do this."
(after doing something humanly impossible)


In saying all that, he really is the perfect demon – behind all these actions there is a selfish motive. There’s no kindness or caring beneath his smile. He feels no sympathy toward humans and their afflictions – he is only amused by them (kind of like Ryuk of Death Note). He’s probably the best liar in the series (unlike Ciel, who, I think, is merely in denial).


One of the biggest reasons for my liking him is, despite the fact that he’s perfect and doesn’t need or feel for anything, he seems to want to be closer to Ciel.
Of course, this could be because of the contract, his lusting for the kid’s soul, blah blah blah. But there always seems to be a hint of emotion whenever he is brushed off – a bit of amusement, but also a bit of hurt.



Cover of DVD 09.

In reference to the manga, in one of the earlier chapters, he bakes a cake for Ciel’s birthday without mentioning it to anyone, and seems a little saddened by the fact that he didn’t get to present it to him.
In the musical, he goes in to stroke Ciel’s face in the final song, only to have Ciel dodge his touch quite callously.

For whatever reason, Sebastian seems to care about Ciel's well-being, and seems to want to him experience things that will teach him important life lessons - almost like a parent. He knows that Ciel really needs him despite the child pretending that he doesn't...and sometimes he even seems a little hurt that Ciel acts that way.


I guess what it is, in essence, is that
this demon has an idea of what it’s like to be human.
And that, I find, is beautiful.


Also, he reminds me of Gackt, and other such elegant people. x3

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Kuroshitsuji II - The After-Thought

I'm kind of glad that my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to watch ep 1 of season 2, because if I hadn't watched, then I would not have realised that Squeenix et al. are THE BIGGEST TROLLS OF THE YEAR.

Watching the episode again, I've noticed that Alois is something of a slut (I mean, look at those hot pants...and his contract is on his tongue...) who thinks he's 'badass' (he's a lacking a little in the area of sanity, too). He also seems to be a pain in the ass to serve (I bet if Claude wasn't after his soul he would've killed that boy in an instant). But he's afraid of the dark and of being alone, which is where the demon butler comes in - what better to quell your insecurities than a supernatural being?

And Claude. Ah, Claude. I missed that silly tapdance he did in the raw version. Now I don't think I can take him seriously anymore.

Oh, and another note about Alois is that his popped collar (yes, his popped collar) makes him look like your stereotypical vampire. And there was that apple in the OP.... Team Alois ftl? Who needs sparkly vampires or buff werewolves when you've got a skanky little boy and his demon?

Then there was the appearance of Sebastian, soaked with rain, and his opening line: "A storm came, ne?" (I had to add in 'ne' otherwise it doesn't seem to have the same effect~). Alois telling him he smelled nice made me feel really uncomfortable.... (_ _")

And then there was his criticism of Claude's skills as a butler, leaving a spot of sauce on the side of the plate... Ah, Sebastian. You're such a prick, but that's why people love you...

When it is revealed that Ciel is in Sebastian's trunk, Alois exclaims "Ciel Phantomhive! I have you at last!". The Phantomhive ring was also hidden in a tin of tea in the Trancy estate cellar. These things are indicative of Alois being obsessed with Ciel for some reason...probably because their circumstances are alike so they understand each other... Alois does seem to be a Ciel-gone-wrong.

I predict that Alois will want to have Ciel to himself, work with him, or whatever, but of course Ciel will not want anything to do with him. Then Alois will get mad and a big fight will happen. 8D

In his spare time, Sebastian dabbles in the business of human trafficking.

The sub didn't really help. Although it did reveal to me the fact that Sebastian seems to know Hannah, or at least that there is definitely something important about her. As for the rest of the episode, actions, in this case, really do speak louder than words. Everything was pretty much self-explanatory...which means that I am still confused.

At the end, we have Sebastian in the woods with his Ciel-in-a-box (as someone on BA called it), taking the ring from the tea tin and slipping it back on his master's finger, saying, "It's time to wake up now".

Then, in the preview of the next episode, it was all the old characters, with Sebastian alluding to the puzzled look on viewers' faces, saying, "Ah, is it because you saw another butler (who wasn't me)? It is summer, and the heat may cause you to hallucinate... After all I, Sebastian Michaelis, am your only butler, right?"

At this point, I face-palmed. A couple of days ago I watched the Akai Valentine seiyuu event from February. That little bit of the picture drama made one think that it was all over. I even cried! And then Ono Daisuke handed over his gloves to Sakurai-san (can't remember his first name.............)! His gloves!! That almost made me cry too!!! You sly bastards!!!

I must admit, it was clever though. They had many people (myself included) thinking we'd never see our favourite eyepatch-clad tween ever again. Congrats to the staff. I feel thoroughly troll'd.

Oh yes, I wonder if they were going for consistency with the manga, when they dressed Ciel in a Sherlock Holmes-reminiscent outfit in the preview.

A week ago, I would have never imagined myself saying this, but I really can't wait for the next episode! BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!





EDIT: BA people seem to think that crusty old man in bed with Alois was his (dead?) father. HMMMMMM...

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Kuroshitsuji II - The Before-Thought

Okay, so I watched the raw version of Kuroshitsuji season 2 ep 1 earlier today. I am about to watch the subbed version. Here were my thoughts immediately after watching the raw, and not knowing a word of Japanese:



So, the first episode of Kuroshitsuji season 2 aired in Japan on the 1st of July. Needless to say, it was promptly available for the rest of the world to view via the internet. Needless to say (again), I promptly watched the raw version as soon as I found out. My expression after watching:




Not to be vulgar, but WTF. Okay, this probably all stems from the fact that I don't understand Japanese. I don't know. Perhaps it would be better for me to
wait for the sub to be released... But it's been bugging me so much I can't shake it off.

Firstly, WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH ALOIS. I knew he was a bit of a pushover...a little like Grell, so I wasn't surprised at that. But I couldn't help but feel a little creeped out when he blinded Hannah with his own finger. He acts rather spoiled too. Also, the very first scene, where he's all battered and bruised and naked, sharing a bed with a crusty old man...............
What. The. Fuck.

Then, Claude. He looks like the lovechild of Will and Sebastian. That is all. :/

And dark, mysterious, oversized-suitcase-wielding figure showing up at the Trancy estate. Very obviously Sebastian, despite the attempt to make him anonymous. That kind of made me "wtf" too, though I thought "Oh, okay, he's got a cameo here. That's nice."

But then when it turned out his giant trunk was actually full of his bocchan Ciel, my brain exploded.


So here I am, on my way to watch the sub. Next post contains my 'after-thoughts'.

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Squee of the Week

I've made a move towards regulation! There's nothing like structure and organisation. So from now, I will make an effort to do a "Squee of the Week", with 'squee' being somebody squee-worthy.... Originally it was going to be anything from people to PVs but since I review songs and PVs regularly I thought I'd change it...


This week, let's focus on
Toshiya!

Toshiya is the bassist of Dir en grey. He's responsible for composing songs such as Raison d'Etre, Red...[em], Jesus Christ R'nR, Bottom of the Death Valley, and egnirys cimredopyh +)_an injection. All songs with good beats and good bass. x3

Songs in which he shines include Taiyou no Ao and Embryo, as well as the aforementioned ones.

...and this is the part where I admit that I don't like Toshiya just because of his musical capability.
Toshiya looks stunning in a dress, but equally stunning when dressing true to his gender. He has a pretty face with or without makeup (not something you see a lot, to be blunt). And for some reason, I've always really liked his nose. My dear has a nose like Toshiya's. It was one of the first things I noticed about him...

Now, I don't think I'm in any place to comment on what he's like as a person, since I don't know him or anything. So although I really like how he seemed so dorky in a lot of old videos and stuff, I'm not gonna say much more on his personality.

So that's my mini-tribute to Toshiya.
It was about time I did, I guess. He was probably the first real person to captivate my interest, and for such a long time. I've been listening to Dir en grey for seven years, and Toshiya has made me blush and giggle like a little girl for just as long. He still looks pretty darn good too, despite being an old man and stuff. xD

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Doodles

So I've been getting into anime/manga a lot this year, what with the bf living in a different city and all. I also acquired some Vocaloid music from my classmate recently. As a result, I've been inspired to do all manner of fanwork that I stopped doing since coming to university.

These are the first sketches I've ever finished in one sitting. Usually I draw a little, and then I run out of inspiration/determination and will proceed to complete the picture over a number of months/years. Thus, I am excessively proud of them. So much so that I am willing to show them here.

So this is Vincent Nightray from Pandora Hearts. He's awfully rough, and drawn on lined paper... But I haven't drawn something like this before. ;u;





Alt art of Kagamine Len in the SPICE! PV. I am so very pleased with how this one turned out. I even cleaned him up a little and may scan and colour him later... We'll see how that goes.

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My Chemical Romance - The Ghost of You

I don't actually like many songs off Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. However, this songs always gets my lacrymal glands going.

Okay, for one, I am aware that the lyrics make no sense... But they do give the listener a sense of what the song really means. In fact, the words are sung with such emotion that you forget how silly they sound when read plainly. There's also quite a bit of imagery, as opposed to non-palpable, feeling-based lyrics. The repetition also works to make the song sound pitiful (for want of a better word).

The music is, to match the title, quite haunting in that it sounds so very plain and understated in the verse. The spite and anger in the chorus can be felt with the help of the guitars, though there's nothing too special about the technique... (although, I'm not one to be the judge of that).
And then there's the instrumental. It's so full of despair and pain. The guitars work their subtle magic throughout, and that line that's whispered just before it, "If I fall down" is the perfect prelude to it.

As for the video, MCR seems to have a knack for making creative videos to go with their songs. I haven't seen much creativity lately when it comes to PVs. It goes very well with the theme of love and loss. It's indeed very human. Watching it makes me tear up every time... Gawd I'm so pathetic... The highlight of the video for me though was the transition between the dance hall and the beach scene, where the dancefloor is filled with the incoming tide. I never thought I'd witness such brilliance from a band that's been associated with whiny teenaged emos.

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The GazettE - Distress and Coma

This was a song that kinda grew on me. I thought it was pretty average at first. Although I was entertained at the fact that the first line sounds like "camels in my brain".

The introduction is pretty good, powerful and all that... I didn't like the whiny, nasally voice Ruki sings with though, and frankly, I'm sick of hearing those female backup vocals in their songs. The verse sounds very similar in style to the other songs they made around that time. I didn't find it very remarkable. On the other hand, the pre-chorus builds up quite nicely, leading into a very emotional chorus. The chorus is the highlight of the song for me, which is unusual (seeing as I've heard so many Jrock/VK songs with awesome verses but really weak choruses).

In terms of the music, it served its purpose. The chorus, again, was awesome, bringing the strings in and all. However, in terms of the band, there was nothing out of the ordinary. It sounded like all of them co-operating to make a certain sound to support the vocals. It works of course, but since I like equality and stuff I feel kinda sad for the other boys. ;_; To me it sounds almost like "Ruki + a band", rather than "The GazettE".

All that aside, the lyrics are very nice. Here's a translation:

Until your distress sleeps…Fill me up with your grief

Hello…dear my bride. What is it you're looking at?
Not even butterflies that have fallen to the floor can be gathered up in those eyes.

What I want to forget is that stark white suffering.
It won't die away, that wound that convinces you I believe in you.

Dance, dance, until I'm allowed to sleep I dance. These unrelenting tears...
Killing my voice in these hands that tremble weakly, I drop my lips down to you.

Hello…dear my bride. Your footsteps are scorched.
Somehow, it must be necessary that they’re already becoming a ringing in my ears.

The breath I let out without thinking runs across my skin. On a restrained, swaying sword, your smile...
What I want to forget is that stark white suffering.
It won't die away, that wound that convinces you I believe in you.

My emaciated dreams reflect this moment I can't wake up from. God, even sadness...
If you say that you’re genuine, then I wouldn't mind getting hurt.

Don't forget it, I was captivated by you who knows pain.

And so, goodnight.

Dance, dance, until I'm able to sleep I dance. These unrelenting tears...
Every time I close my heart off when there's nothing left, when it feels like I'll wither away…
In my emaciated dreams, I sing “one more time”. God, even sadness...
If you say that this is you, yourself, then I don't mind getting hurt.

In these dreams that should end, our goodbye is blooming.

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As of late...

It's exam season, and instead of studying, I've found several ways to distract myself, to my great misfortune. Ah, procrastination. I've got it down to a fine art.

1.

According to Synthetic Rendition, the GazettE is doing the OP for Kuroshitsuji II.

Look at them, all smug and shit. (EDIT: And MATCHING.)

Now, I like Kuroshitsuji (the general idea of it), and I like the GazettE, but... I think the GazettE is overrated (the amount of attention they get), and I still resent the fact that Ciel is now dead and KII has a new butler and master. Ciel had nicer hair. T^T

2.

Fanfiction.Net has revived my love for writing, and reading the works of others. Of course, I've taken down the stuff I wrote when I was 13, and I've decided to use the account for reviewing and saving favourite stories instead.

3.

I've started watching Ouran again!

Picture from Wikipedia

The other day Harmony, Jeanne and I were putting a wig order through online, and for some reason we got on to the subject of cute OPs and EDs. Sakura Kiss came to mind, and then the next time I had internet access I watched the first few eps of it. There's even an English dub... *shiver*.

It makes me feel all girly again. >.> I hate to admit it, but there's always some sort of charm with harem/reverse harem anime. Like Clannad/Air/Kanon or The Wallflower... =w=

ANYWAY. BACK TO STUDY. Dx

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When couples (or bands) dress alike.

Now before I continue, let me just say that this is a fashion critique, which does not necessarily translate into my feelings about the music. In case you can't tell.

Also a warning: This post contains a lot of words.


Let’s be honest – I like visual kei. I appreciate the diversity of both the sound and the style. I love the makeup and the flamboyant costumes. What I don’t like is when bands decide to wear ‘uniforms’.

I am talking about when the members of a band wear exactly the same thing. In such a case, you could take a photograph of the band, cut their heads out of the picture, and they would all look identical. Now, I understand that it’s supposed to represent some visual continuity between the bandmen, and that sometimes there is subtle variation between costumes; when the same colour schemes, a common theme, or similar materials have been used but each costume has been designed differently.

The rage-inducing aspect for me is when despite the use of different costume designs, it’s still extremely hard to tell the difference. If the costumes are distinguishable from one another it’s no big deal for me – e.g., D’s Ouka Saki look, or Malice Mizer’s Le Ciel.

When you all wear exactly the same thing for no formal reason, it doesn’t look visually consistent. It looks dumb.

There are a few bands that I listen to (and whose music I do like) who are repeat offenders, the worst of them being The GazettE.


I’ve noticed that they’re rather fond of their suits. That picture in the top right corner is from way back, showing that they’ve been committing this VK fashion faux pas forever! Suits are nice, but somewhat boring. It’s called visual kei for a reason. Though, on second thought, having a boring costume brings the audience’s focus onto your face and hair.

The white suits in the top left are okay. At first glance they look identical, but on closer inspection, Reita’s jacket is longer than everyone else’s, Kai’s cuts horizontally across the midriff, etc, etc. There are also minor differences in the detail on their pants. Big ups to the people who made the clothes for paying such attention to detail, but how many people would actually look so closely at this picture to appreciate it? Excluding myself, ofc. Nevertheless, I dislike how these suits appear the same at a glance. It wouldn’t attract any attention from a non-biased, non-Gaz-fangirl viewer.

Suits are one thing, but the costumes in the bottom three pictures make me cringe. The worst, in my opinion, would be their half-black-half-white costumes, of which I couldn’t find a good picture. They look childish and silly. The hoodies make them look like school kids.


The subject of hoodies brings me to the next band, Girugamesh.

It’s been a long time since I last saw these guys wear something unidentical. Being a band that doesn’t seem to place importance on their appearance, they don’t really try to make an impact with unique makeup/hair traits either (e.g., Reita’s noseband, Asagi’s one-eyedness, etc). So really unless you take the time to watch the band a lot, it’s hard to tell who’s who. You could go by height, but then there’d be two short ones (Ryo and Satoshi) and two tall ones (Nii and Shu).

Now, this is an honest problem I always encounter – it’s easy to tell Ryo from Satoshi. Ryo is cuter, like a little kid. But when it comes to telling Nii and Shu apart, especially when they’re in makeup, I can’t do it when I don’t concentrate. It probably isn’t that hard to distinguish between the two, but hey. VK bands purposefully make themselves look unique from their bandmates for dumb fangirls, in order to develop individual fanbases. It’s like how in Dir en grey’s early days, both Kaoru and Toshiya had blue hair, and fans kept getting them mixed up despite the fact that they look nothing like each other. Then Kaoru went purple/pink and all was well.


Now, onto a less offensive but still pretty bad band, Alice nine. They seem to like using similar colours and fabrics and making subtle variations in their costumes. Perhaps the variations are too subtle for my untrained eyes.

When I see these pictures, I don’t see themed costumes with subtle variations. I see a big explosion of blue, red and white/grey/black/red. The last of which hurts my eyes the most. To be honest, I quite like the suits in the top picture. I amassed several pictures from this photoshoot, but it took me about a year to realise that there were, in fact, variations in each costume.

My initial thought of the second picture is that the redness of everything takes the attention away from the details in the outfits. That and the fact that they are all costumes based on pants and jackets predisposes them to dismissal by viewers, and there will be few who take the time to appreciate the intricacy.

In the bottom picture, the members are all wearing something different, but made with the same eyesore of a print. Again, they all have lapels and pants. They even blend in with the background. I think the picture is too busy, and for this reason I rarely look at pictures from this shoot.


And what of the bands who do it right? Of course, nobody gets it right all the time. It’s just that the aforementioned ones do it wrong in so many instances.

Examples of bands who have played well with themes, materials, and colour schemes (at one time or another) include:

D. Not including Kuon, and Kaze ga Mekuru Peeji. xD

I love their Ouka Saki look. The theme of traditional kimono with a twinge of goth/punk looks really good, and each outfit is memorable. Nocturnal’s batty theme was also handled well, even in spite of everything being black. I think it works when each of the members has their own typical style (like how Ruiza and Tsunehito are usually the ones in skirts, Hiroki likes his chest and legs to be bare, and Hidezou enjoys wearing suits).

On the subject of suits, that shot of them in the Tafel Anatomie era (right hand side) is a good example of this. Asagi has his own personal flair with the leopard print tie. Tsunehito shows off his style with the cross & ribbon bow-tie and the skirt with a flash of thigh. Hiroki looks cool with his tie loosened slightly. Can’t say much about the other two though lol.


D=OUT. So far anyway.

Their Flashback outfits are to my taste. There’s an ongoing theme, but it’s obvious that no two pieces are the same. Another look I haven’t included is Koi no Vacance, where they all wear white suits with black shirts, but they all have unique, contrasting ties. Kouki looks spiffing in his white bowtie~


Sendai Kamotsu. OF COURSE.

Nightmare’s alter ego band is so easily recognizable by the colours red and gold, but there are no difficulties in telling each member apart based on their costumes. Especially Chiba, whose costume is quite often no costume. x_x





So there are my thoughts on identical costumes. There are a lot of other bands I could go on about e.g. Dir en grey. However that would take way too long… I think I’ve had enough ranting for one day.

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Uroboros Live DVD

I recently stumbled upon the cover of Dir en grey's Uroboros; with the proof in the name of living live tour on Bluray. It puzzled me.





I'm not sure if my eyes are seeing right, but to me, it looks like a topless Caucasian man wielding a guitar, kicking a giant rhinoceros in the balls, with a nuclear explosion in the background.

Are you kidding me?

It's well known that Dir en grey like their strange album and DVD covers - there's that awful cover of the Glass Skin single that looks like a 2-year-old painted it; there's the safari-popsicle cover of the Embryo single; there's that...guy...on the cover of Six Ugly. But this cover, I must admit, takes the cake.

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Dir en grey - Raison d'Etre (Live)

Dir en grey performing Raison d'Etre live (from Blitz 5 Days @ Akasaka Blitz).




I'd forgotten how much I love this song. I've also never really watched their live clips, so I had no idea that they played one of their older songs at such a (relatively) recent live. Other VK songs from this setlist included Akuro no Oka and Cage. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, to know that they included VK songs in the beginning of their post-VK era.

It'd be interesting to see them play it in one of their more recent lives...but yeah, like that's gonna happen.

On a fangirly note, I love Shinya in this - he looks so elegant. And Toshiya's abs. OMG.

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Uroboros Movie

I'm still confused as to exactly what this is, but hey. I'm not bugged.





I just happened to see this on Youtube. Every time I spotted Toshiya my spine tingled. It's like seeing your first serious crush (oxymoron??) after several years and you realise that they're STILL just as hot as they were back then.

Kyo is so angry now. I liked it better when he sung, rather than gargling the microphone as he does nowadays.
Not much to say about the other members.

Just Toshiya.
xD

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NUUUUUUUUU...

I've been trying to get my hands on 7th Rose. Currently sitting in Hercus CAL so I'm unable to download anyway...
But really, the main reason for my despair is that JrockVisual Kei Downloads has suddenly vanished off the face of the Earth! CRAI! Where will I go to now for my androgynousboysinmakeup music needs?????!!!!!!
Until I find a substitute, I'm going to sulk in my little corner (of the world), watching bad MVs on C4. ;_;

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D=OUT - Sunrise

This. Is the new ED for Piramekino, which is, as I understand, a children's TV show in Japan.

Oh, Kouki, you've done it again. xD

No thoughts on the song yet, really, except that I get confused when I listen to it, as if the melody (or progression of the song in general) makes no sense to me. That's why I'm not in the music industry, I guess.

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