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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