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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