Top 3 Bishoujos of Fall 2012

Yeah, I'm doing a bit of catch-up after missing the whole of fall 2012.

3. Mizutani Shizuku (Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun)

With a shortage of potential candidates, Shizuku became the last pick for the season. I would actually prefer Hex from Jormungand for being such a compelling villain, but she's non-existent on the net. Oh well.

But Shizuku's no lightweight, despite her size. Not only she has a tremendous amount of grit for a shoujo heroine, she actually managed to tame the biggest asshole on the block. And... made him fall in love with her. That beats your average loli tsundere any day.

2. Takanashi Rikka (Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!)

I would be mad if I left Rikka out won't I? Characters often got dumbed down by unrealistic moé attributes and actions, but Rikka had the perfect excuse to act like a complete moron all the time. Seriously, being the original (labeled) Chuunibyou, I don't think it's ever possible to to find someone that oozes more moé than her anymore (not even Tamako). No, it's not possible to watch this and not get a moé overload. She's literally more than the entire K-ON brigade combined.

1. Furugoori Kona, aka Frau Bow (Robotic;Notes)

But even Rikka couldn't beat Kona-chan in terms of uniqueness. Despite the waste Robotic;Notes turned out to be, Kona-chan turns out to be, hands down, the most unique character I've seen so far. Eccentric, genius, hilarious, and she completely broke the norms of bishoujo appeal. She's worlds apart from the lead Aki who had literally zero sex appeal, even without a cute face or any chest to speak of.

Top 3 Bishoujos of Winter 2013

3. Hibari (Senran Kagura)

I know, she had a fairly useless role in a fan-service anime, and is a fairly incompetent ninja that summons a giant rabbit to fight for her. So much for stealth and quick kills. Well, I'm not really judging her as a character in an anime, but for her design in the whole Senran Kagura franchise. Franchises like these banks almost entirely on character designs (and breasts sizes, for this one), and although I hate to admit it, I'm often sold. Hibari simply scored insanely high on the HHHNNNGGHHH factor.

Despite the franchise and her appearance, she only had a very modest size of B85! For an anime character, anyway.

2. Maou (Maoyuu Maou Yuusha)

Just look at the mass of fanart that came pouring out after Maoyuu started airing. I have no doubt it's because of her oversized pair of "useless meat" that kept bouncing and swinging around first episode, but I'll say it's also largely attributed to gap moé. What supposed to be a ugly, evil and powerful demon king turns out to be a voluptuous, intelligent and elegant lady. And she had a not-so-much-hidden flustered, shy and innocent side to her as well!

Now if she would stop wearing those ridiculous maternity dresses...

1. Kitashirakawa Tamako (Tamako Market)

Kyoani strikes again. Their characters dominate my list so much that it's almost unfair... but they're just doing what they do best. And they really had a knack at producing talent as well (Hirasawa Yui, Takanashi Rikka and Tamako's VA are all fairly inexperienced when assuming their role). Tamako's also proof that Kyoani can still be pretty creative when creating their moéblobs. Keep 'em coming!

3 Seiyuus I can't stand

As you can see in my previous post, there's a whole ton of seiyuus I keep an eye out for. Of course there's still a lot of talented people I didn't nominate a role for, like Inoue Marina, Sawashiro Miyuki, etc. Of course, at the same time, there are also ones who I can't help but dislike. These people are big names with tons of fans - so while I might be the unpopular opinion here, I'm pretty sure that I am not alone.

Nogizaka Haruka, Toujo Aya, Satellizer el Bridget, Ichinose Kotomi

3. Mamiko Noto (4292 favourites, #15 on MAL)

Most cringe-worthy role: Nogizaka Haruka (top left)

I've always thought that she had the most generic "soft" voice there is in the industry, so I was surprised that people actually liked her. I never did, but I never hated the voice either until Nogizaka Haruka. Back then when Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu came out, I had the dumb pride of never dropping a title just so that I could write a fair review. And trying to finish that title was pretty much torture. While it doesn't apply to all her "soft" roles, every time I heard Haruka's half-crying, half-gasping voice I had wanted to punch her (the character, lol) in the f-cking face. That title still haunts me.

It's funny. I had wanted to write a post like this for a long time, and I was sure that I'll be putting Noto in the #1 spot. But I soon started hearing her non-"soft" roles, and guess what, it's pretty darn good! I'm mostly referring to Tomoe in Hanasaku Iroha here, but it just proves that she can be pretty awesome outside of her character archetype. And that pushes her back into the #3 spot.

Preferred roles: Anyone that isn't a pushover, e.g. Wajima Tomoe, Felicita (Arcana Fagmilia)

Nanael, Nagase Minato, Nonomura Ayumi, Lucy Heartfilia

2. Hirano Aya (12582 favourites, #2 on MAL)

Most cringe-worthy role: Nagase Minato (Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka, top right)

I was quite a "Harutard" back then, and a lot of people assumes I'm a Hirano Aya fan as a result. I thought I am, too. Then came Nanael (Queen's Blade), the first of many characters who made me cringe. She has a really pretty voice that also made her a good singer, but it's her exaggerated voice work that ruins it for me. Her loud, animated voice does suit over-the-top characters like Haruhi very well, but it's not always the case. I guess it's usually worse with the weaker characters, because Lucy (Fairy Tail) wasn't as bad as the less well-known characters like Ayumi (Hyakko). Maybe it's her tendency to overact the less popular ones?

I do really like her role in Misa (Death Note) and Konata (Lucky Star), and her recent minor role in Arisa (Girls und Panzer) was pretty good too. It's beautiful when she doesn't sound like she's on drugs. It's too bad we're unlikely see many (or any) roles for her in the future because of her scandal. Fucking your whole band is a risky thing to do when you're in the "purity is gold" business...

Preferred roles: The less girly, the better. I always thought that she got a pretty good boyish role... am I mistaken?

You already know these characters.

1. Kugimiya Rie (13585 favourites, #1 on MAL)

Most-cringe worthy role: Everyone after Shana.

Why is she the voice I can't stand the most? Does the pic give a hint? You know, I don't even need the four famous ones for the pic.

Kanzaki Aria, Astarotte Ygvar, Rose, Sanada Yukimura

Well, she's called the Queen of Lolis for a reason. The problem is that besides sharing the exact same voice, they are pretty much sharing the same fucking traits. Tsundere, violent, childish, falls in love with a pathetic male protagonist. I don't blame her, though. She's good at what she does, there's a high demand, and the industry is churning these characters out like cockroach eggs. But do they have to put KugiRie in like half of them? Look, I actually liked Shana, but when they start producing a thousand Shanas off the cloning vat, it gets really annoying.

Unfortunately, there isn't a character I find that she's particularly good at. Except for Shana clones and cats, I don't really think there's a suitable archetype for everyone's favourite seiyuu.

Preferred roles: Anything not loli.

P.S I would have liked to put Satomi Arai here, but there just isn't enough characters of her I hated, and I kinda liked Kuroko...

3 Reasons you should be listening to Vocaloid

So I was meeting my friend the other day, and I had Meltdown (Kagamine Rin) blaring out of my headphones. He asked me what was the "high-pitched screaming" he heard, and I proceed to tell him about Vocaloid, its music, and what it has spawned. My friend quickly dismissed it as a fleeting trend, I was a little upset, but I wasn't surprised.

Vocaloid music certainly isn't a short-lived thing for me, since my Vocaloid playlist has about tripled since I last posted it. Besides letting him know that Vocaloid music has been doing better than ever just after Miku's 5th birthday, I told him that -

1. Vocaloid music presents a whole new range of vocals

You know how Adele's powerful voice, Adam Levine's pitch, and Eminem's rap speed managed to win over millions? Miku is able to do all that at the same time, and more. Being a program allows her exceed the limits of a human, and a whole new range of pitch and speed allows a whole new range of possibilities, that would be unique to Vocaloids.

Pitch and speed:


2. Vocaloids are able to utilize talent from thousands of people, all over the globe

Strictly speaking, we haven't reach the "all over the globe" part, only because it's made for Japanese audience so far and it haven't been able to really attract talent from outside Japan. But there's definitely a possibility, seeing that an English version of Hatsune Miku is underway. But just within Japan itself, there are literally thousands of people are profiting from the music made and some of the albums are known to out-sell top J-Pop stars. Being a brand known as (insert singer) only allows you to work with so many people. Producers like David Guetta are (probably) able to work with more, but you simply can't beat the fact that you can simply buy Miku off the shelf and create a song for her. The brand known as "Miku" worked with so much talent with so many different genres, and some of them even gain mainstream popularity that way.

Trance and jazz:


3. Familiarity

Here's a point that I felt was little overlooked, and it's also a little hard to explain. If you've been a long time fan of RHCP, won't it be much easier to pick up their new album, even if you have no idea how any of the tracks sounds like? With hundreds of thousands of songs created for Miku in just a couple of years, she easily has hundreds of famous and well-received titles to prove her capability and potential. Being a familiar face and huge fanbase within and outside of Japan not only exponentially increase the rate where people accept Vocaloid music, but also where even more talent pours in, due to the potential to create and potential to sell.

Classics where it all began:


Now shut up and listen to some vocaloid.

P.S. I do listen to other vocaloid other than Miku. It just happens that Miku provided the best examples. Aaaand... it helps to show how the same voice is being used on songs of different genres.

Top 3 Bishoujos of Summer 2012

I figured that this could become a regular thing. It's fun photoshopping the pics anyway.

3. Takamura Yui (Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse)

Despite her good looks and impossible figure, I liked how humbled her character is, without any intent on faulting her assets. Except for the body suits, of course. The studio would be insane not to service her to the viewers in some way.

I loved how incredibly strong her character was. The horrible events in her past almost broke her down, but what emerged after that was a unsympathetic, stubborn, and intimidating character. The story is playing on her tsundere tendencies though. Gap moé, right?

I always see Nakahara Mai as VA who are meant for "soft" roles, so I never imagined that she would be this good when she brought Tokiha Mai (Mai-HiME)'s voice to a deeper, angrier tone. Hopefully, we get to see more roles like these for her in the future.

2. Okita Sawa (Tari Tari)

Konatsu might be the heroine of the show, but I feel that Sawa is one who really made an impression. But rather than her personality, it's usually because of her role in the story. She always seems to be the one to offer a different opinion, a funny line, or a push in the right direction. You can even say that she is the adult of that group. Though, I wished she had a more distinct and stable personality for the story.

1. "Watashi" (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita)

This nameless protagonist is probably one of the most unique characters you are ever going to see. It's strange, because despite being the main character, she rarely has input into anything that happened in the show. Usually all we get from her is a cynical remark that is almost reminiscent of Kamijou Touma's "Fukou da~". Even though she is more of a narrator than your usual character, she became the reason for the show's unique brand of comedy. Too bad it's pretty much impossible to replicate such a character in other genres.

"Watashi" is voiced by Nakahara Mai too. Maybe I'm giving her too much credit, but I've began to see how good Nakahara Mai really is. Takamura Yui and "Watashi" are polar opposites in character, but she did such an amazing job for both. Why didn't I realize it before?

Top 3 Bishoujos of Spring 2012

3. Nyaruko (Haiyore! Nyaruko-san)

The series itself is pretty damn boring, but Nyaruko does help liven thing a lot. Without this fun, energetic and incredible cute character, there would be no value to the show at all. The other characters simple doesn't measure up to the main character herself. Her appeal might just make me give the show a second chance.

2. Kanoe Yuuko (Tasogare Otome X Amnesia)

Yuuko's an incredibly shameless character, having no problems with being groped or seen naked. But she's only shameless to one person, and perhaps that what makes her so sexy. She's would be the prettiest example of a high school beauty this season, followed by Rea. Too bad she's dead... (wait, Rea's dead too. What wrong with this season?) The show wastes no time to consistently remind you of her incredible bust size, and how they keep exploiting that. I won't deny that she's really a mix of popular moé traits, but I guess her back story does helps sets her apart somewhat.

1. Valmer Sofia (Jormungand)

It feels a little weird to put Valmet in first place, but I cannot understate how sexy this character is. It's not everyday you get to see a lady with a 8-pack. I'm not sure if she even fits the description of a bishoujo; she has enough muscles to make her look revolting to some. Despite being the only female in the group, she probably has the greatest physical power, and it's a group where everyone from the old man to the kid has at least a 6-pack. And it's not like this is a show with any kind of superhuman powers; that's her raw strength.

But together with her beastly muscular body, she also has quite an attractive physique, with her giant boobs and long legs. Together with her hilarious devotion to Koko and normally gentle nature, she turns out to be very likable. Perhaps we need less of stereotypical female archetypes and more of such unique characters like this.

Three Most disappointing series of Spring 2012

3. Haiyore! Nyaruko-san

You can't blame me for setting the bar a little higher, since it's the "third" season and I had expected something that would sell really well. But now that I think of it, perhaps the past two seasons of flash animation was created because the producers doesn't have confidence about the potential of this series; and whatever popularity that gave the TV series a go-ahead might be simply riding on the fact that it exist long enough for fanbase to exist. That's a crude sentiment, but I've always believe that to be the reason Bleach managed to last this long.

I really liked Nyaruko. I have a weakness for genki (energetic), go-getter girls that has a myriad of expressions, and her character herself should be a good enough selling point for me to enjoy these. But alas, Asumi Kana has a tendency to be really annoying with these kind of roles, and all the characters have paper-thin personalities. And I never liked the series's style of jokes, especially not when they recycle it over and over. I really want to like this show, but I simply don't find it entertaining at all.

2. Mysterious Girlfriend X

I might be a little bias with this one, because I've heard so much about this series being an "underdog", and that it even warranted so many posts on Sankaku Complex. What seemed like a unique, innocent love story turn out to be draggy, childish and unsatisfying. It does try very hard to be suggestive in its own way, but I found it really hard to swallow. Yoshitani Ayako has a beautiful voice, but she utterly fails as a seiyuu. I know that many people likes her work in this character, but it just feels so incredibly forced to be. It's her first role, after all. Maybe next time.

1. Hyouka

All shows began with a "hook", which is something that will make the audience want to watch the rest of the episodes. A "hook" is so important that all TV series, not just anime, end up pouring more budget into their first episode. It's actually common sense.

But for Hyouka, I can't tell what the "hook" was. Was it the problem solving ability of our protagonist? Is it the mystery of Hyouka? Or is it simply just the moé of Chitanda? None of these seemed prominent enough to be a "hook". And the combination of all the elements didn't lead to something amazing; we seemed to have jumped right into the boring middle part of a anime story. If anything, it's the art direction of Kyoto Animation that gives off any sort of entertainment value, and I strongly believe that the series will go under most people's radar if not for the studio. Look at the first pic above; that's a split second frame; yet it looked gorgeous. But what has the plot to offer? After half a season and a shit ton of dialogue, there hasn't been a moment I would call "exciting", which is something that should have happened. Given Kyoani's history of good investments (except for Nichijou), I don't doubt that there would be a epic plot twist or a magnificent ending, but I don't think that Hyouka has enough fun to keep me going till I get there.