The most unusual Serena

summer.

2010-06-24T18:52:00.004+02:00

I love that the blue in your eyes is so clear

when the sunrays plays with your face

Tele

2010-04-09T19:41:00.001+02:00

Embracing your body with skeleton arms,
drunk on flowers and trees, fruit and grass.
Drinking you in with watery eyes,
high on your touch and smell, skin and lips.
Breathing you in, your sweet taste,
feeling your arms and legs, hair and neck.
Whispering to your heart with sweet words,
kissing your eyes, touching your fingers, licking your lips
and biting your cheeks.
You are touching my soul with electric fingertips,
and I know that my heart, body, mind and thoughts
is yours.

Sunday.

2010-02-28T18:43:00.002+01:00

Serena, with no glitters or purple letters.
The naked Serena, with my heart on my fingertips and my soul on my skin,
her skin.
I left my body and let you in.
I touched your skin with my heart.
I see us standing in a field
holding hands, grass tickiling our naked toes,
Our white dresses shine in the light of
the stars and the moon
Blood drips from our fingertips and
dark blue tears flow out of our eyes
We face the sky and scream.

Embracing my Dragonfly

2010-02-23T20:13:00.002+01:00

XXY

2010-02-19T21:22:00.004+01:00

.XXY.

An Argentinean movie about the story of a 15-year-old hermaphrodite.
Directed by Lucia Puenzo.

It was really impressive and beautiful.

Damekko Doubutsu!

2010-02-16T23:38:00.002+01:00

rabbits that smoke & drunk unicorns

the best kids show!

Valentines & Mother's Day = Cupcakes & Sugar Rush

2010-02-14T17:36:00.003+01:00

I woke up in my girlfriends bed today,
a little bit groggy and with the biggest pain in my back.
And I realised that today is Valentines and Mothers Day.

So I went home, put on my apron, whipped out the blender
and made cupcakes!

Spent just 15 minutes baking them,
but over an hour on decorating them.
And I have to say, these are the most sugar-sweet cupcakes I have ever made!
(and my telephone got icing all over)

So, I think this will be a day with the biggest sugar rush, with the sweetest girl in the whole world
:)

Wish you all a happy Valentines Day
and hope you have found the one to share it with

♥

My Slinkster Mac

2010-02-11T18:43:00.004+01:00

is more slinkster than your mac.

(I like that I found out how to change my icons, it only took me over a year!)

Holga

2010-02-03T22:58:00.005+01:00

Ragnhild borrowed me a picture from her Holga
when we were working one day
<3>

I really want a Holga too!
I love this!

(I hope you and Liva are having the time of your lives in Asia, catching memories and butterflies!)

Keep it Real in the Wildlife

2010-01-31T23:21:00.007+01:00

As we looked up from this dark world,
the night sky looked like it would drop the stars!

Last night the full moon was close to earth

♥

Beauty in the Breakdown

2010-01-30T00:27:00.008+01:00

This was my day

Got up really early
Hugged my dog
Went to work
Made coffe, croissants and cinnamon buns
Shared a kiss
Got of from work
Warm apple juice with cinnamon
Chocolate cake
Holding hands
Shared a kiss
Walked in new fallen snow
Went home
Cuddled the kittens
Slept
Made chop suey with tofu
Durarara!
Tried on a new dress
Watched The Lovely Bones with my mom
Kissed my dog
Kissed my cats
Went to bed

My days is blending into each other lately,
a lot is happening and nothing is happening.

I´ve spent some days and nights with a very special girl,
watching movies, making dinner, walking outside in the cold.
Eating breakfast in a café, smelling perfumes, trying on hats.
Hearing her singing and playing the guitar when Im putting on makeup in the bathroom.
Her leaving a warm cup of coffe for me at the top of the steps.
Sharing thoughts, frustrations.
Eating love-hearts.
Laughing and talking.

My days have been nice.

I want to take her out on new fallen snow,
making new footprints on the ground,
a little proof that we existed,
together.

Boredom is life's complete state in order to welcome a coffee break

2010-01-19T22:20:00.006+01:00

Tim Wendelboe is a norwegian and world champion in Barista and owns a micro roastery, a coffe training center and an espresso bar. It goes without saying that he knows his coffee.
Today he came to my workplace to teach us all some basic knowledge of brewing espresso and brewing good coffe.

For me, having worked with coffee in over three years, this was exiting and frightening at the same time. This is not the first time I have been coursed, but the most frightening one. Having a man who has worked with coffe for twelve years, have won the NM in Barista as well as the VM and judging my work was a weird experience. For some reason, this made me very unsure and I usually never am about my work. I knew most of the stuf we learned from before, but it was refreshing to have it repeated again with someone who really knows what he is doing.
It was very exiting and educational and I am very happy I got this opportunity, coffe is a part of my life!

Brewing espresso is not a simple task really, it takes effort to make it tasty.
It feels good to be able to once again, tell the difference.
For you who have never worked with coffe in your entire life, I can understand why this is the most boring entry in the whole world, but if you love coffe and wish to work with it,
I can promise you its both fun and challenging (and a little bit exhausting).
Now all thats left is to concentrate on my Latte Art (yes, you can make art with coffe too!).

I know some tricks, and its always pleasing to brighten up someone's day with not only a coffe that tastes good, but also looks good!

How do you like your coffe?

Oily marks appear on walls where pleasure moments hung before.

2010-01-16T16:03:00.008+01:00

I spent a whole night crying
without knowing why

Audrey Kawasaki

2010-01-14T13:11:00.002+01:00

www.audrey-kawasaki.com

the nights that kept us apart

2010-01-13T18:07:00.007+01:00

That winter night,
the glittering moon,
the alcohol in our veins.

The thought of you,
the touch of you.

Your smiling face
when you kissed me and
followed me home.

My makeup in the morning,
your hair a mess,
the sunlight in our eyes.

The laughter,
the sweet smell of us.

Your sad face,
when you kissed me and
left me alone.

Peppermint tea with honey.

2010-01-07T14:59:00.007+01:00

Sitting in my favourite café and workplace,
drinking tea and relaxing to the soundtrack of Mushi-Shi.
The snow is falling like little dots of cotton and the weather is freezing outside.
Someone has drawn a heart on the window, in the dew left by the cold and the warm.
Love is sometimes like that, cold and warm.

People are talking about their lives with their friends over a cup of coffee all around me.
I eavesdrop on their conversations from time to time.

"He told me he wanted to take me out" a girl with blond hair and a white scarf around her neck blushes as she tells this to her friend.
"Aw, thats so sweet", her friend with the short brown hair replies with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

I picture their story. They have been best-friends since the start of school last fall.
They dont know each other that well, but they like to think so.
They tasted their first beer together and made out with the same boy at the same party.
And this is the boy they are talking about now.

One of the employes goes to clean their table.
The conversation ends.
And its silent.
They both stare at the candle, they look very pretty in candle light.

I begin to think about my first love. Or the first time I kissed someone.
My first love was a short love. And my first kiss was nothing special.
I feel a slight regret. I wish I could say it was something special.

I want someone to share my dreams with. The nightmares and bad times.
I want someone to understand me when I feel down for no special reason, or that I would rather watch a movie than go out on a Saturday night.
I want to travel the world with them, experience the culture of so many different countries,
pet the tigers in Thailand and cry when we see a baby lion for the first time.
I want someone to take me to a new years festival in Japan. Dressed in kimonos and sharing a kiss under the fireworks, drunk on sake and the taste of each other.
I want someone to go to concerts with and dance and loose ourselves in the music, like a drug.
I want to experience the magic of share loved with someone special.
Someone who will wrap me in a huge warm scarf when Im cold.

I wonder what my future will be like,
I think about that a lot.
What will I do?
What is my passion in life?
Do I have one?
Will I get one?

I stop daydreaming when a friend comes over and talkes to me about her day and tomorrows.

Fireworks.

2010-01-05T20:32:00.004+01:00

I have a lot of fireworks in my life lately.
I can feel them bursting inside me
leaving my body red, blue, pink and purple.
Making me feel tingely inside.

I wonder what this is?

silver blue & emerald green

2010-01-01T22:16:00.004+01:00

Thin fingers twirling in her thick brown shoulder length hair, her silver blue eyes fixed on something far away.
Something only she can see.
Her new shaved legs are dangling over the hood of her car, her boots leaving marks on the paint as she tamps to the music blasting from her stereo.
The cigarette between her lips glow like the sun when she breathes in and the smoke is thick like a cold morning fog when she breathes out.

I walk towards her, wondering if she notices me at all.
I lean over and remove the cigarette from her lips and put it between mine.
She smiles with her far away eyes.
She pokes me on the nose, "Smoking is bad for you".
I smile back and tell her "You are bad for me".

She reaches out to touch me, her fingertips brush my hair as I pull slightly back.

She stands there looking at me, I wonder what she is thinking.
Her golden curls are wrapped around her freckled face, every now and then the wind blows her hair away and I can see her emerald green eyes.
Her flower patterned summer dress brushes against her pale white skin.
Her toes twirl in her brown sandals.
I wonder if she likes my music.

She wants something, I can feel it.
I pretend I dont notice her walking towards me and I stare at the sky.
She bends over me with her tiny body and reaches for my lips.
She takes my cigarette.
I feel like laughing, but I hold it in and poke her freckled little nose.
"Smoking is bad for you", I say nonchalantly and she smiles;
"You are bad for me".
She is beautiful when she smiles, like the moon, stars, skies.

I reach for her and she pulls away, my fingers tingles as they brush her golden hair.

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu.

2010-01-01T18:06:00.008+01:00

Some time around January last year I decided to start making a list of every movie, series and anime I watched for the whole year.
Im not sure if it was a smart thing to do or a very bad thing to do.
(do I really have so much free time?)

The list got long and I forgot to write down a lot of the movies I watched, some movies and series I watched more than once, and some I dropped halfway through.
The once I dropped I didn't write down, and I only bothered to make a note of it every time I watched a series more than once.

Movies I enjoyed will get a little star and series and anime will get a little heart.
The once who dont get anything didn't really leave a huge impression on me,
but I can't say I didn't enjoy them.
So, this is what occupied a lot of my mind in two-thousand and nine.
(in random order and keep in mind, I didn't watch all of these movies for the first time in 2009)

Movies;

Twilight
Darjeeling Limited *
Underworld
Underworld: Evolution
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Lars and The Real Girl *
Burn After Reading *
Queen of The Damned
Blood and Chocolate
Batman: The Dark Knight *
X-Files: I Want To Believe
Lord of The Rings: Return of The King
The Mutant Chronicles
Alvin and The Chipmunks
Jumper
10 00 BC
Good Luck Chuck
Pans Labyrinth *
Into The Wild * ♥
Hancock
Brokeback Mountain *
Kong Fu Panda
Me and You and Everyone We Know * ♥
Donnie Darko *
Because I Said So
Knocked Up
Saw 5
The Lost Boys
The Divingbell and The Butterfly *
Wanted
Blue *
Slumdog Millionaire *
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button *
Paranoid Park *
Wall-E *
Milk *
Closer
Running With Scissors *
Elephant *
30 Days of Night
Little Miss Sunshine *
Memoirs of a Geisha * ♥
Candy
Timberfalls
The Eye
Twilight Samurai
Napoleon Dynamite *
Mummi - St. Hans
Mummi - Ånden i Lampen
How to Be
Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince
Megane * ♥
Let The Right One In *
The Ring
The Strangers *
Public Enemies *
I've Loved You for So Long *
The Science of Sleep *
Mirrormask *
Blades of Glory
Saved
The Boat That Rocked *
Christian; The Lion at World End
Bride Wars
Juno * ♥
Cinema Paradiso * ♥
Stardust
Home Alone 1&2
Tre Nøtter Til Askepott
Nightmare Before Christmas *
Edward Scissorhands *
Ferngully; The Last Rainforest
Twilight; New Moon
Paranormal Activity
Cars
Sweeney Todd
Corpse Bride

Anime Movies;

Blood: The Last Vampire
Tokyo Godfathers ♥
Tekkonkinkreet ♥
A Tree of Palme ♥
Whisper of The Heart
The Cat Returns
Cowboy Bebop; The Movie ♥
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Voices Of A Distant Star
Mononoke Hime ♥
5 Centimeters Per Second ♥
Laputa: Castle In The Sky
Grave of The Fireflies ♥
Paprika♥
Bleach: Memories of Nobody
Bleach: The Diamond Dust Rebellion
Bleach: The Sealed Sword Frenzy
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time ♥
Spirited Away ♥
Howls Moving Castle ♥
Porco Rosso
My Neighbour Totoro ♥
Kiki's Delivery Service
Only Yesterday
Cenoroll ♥
Panda Kopanda
She and Her Cat
Origin; Spirits of The Past ♥

Series;

Dead Like Me Season 1 - 2
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 1 - 7
Six Feet Under Season 1 - 5
Weeds Season 1 - 4
Wonderfalls Season 1
Criminal Minds Season 1 - 3
Medium Season 1 - 4

Anime Series;
(some are still ongoing wich means I have watched one episode every week)

Gintama (on-going) ♥
Junjou Romantica 1 & 2 (re-watched)
Lovely Complex
Eureka Seven ♥
Honey and Clover 1 & 2
School Rumble
Fruits Basket (re-watched)
Bakemonogatari ♥
Aishiteruze Baby
Claymore ♥
Ergo Proxy
Hatsukoi Limited
Black Blood Brothers
Minami-Ke
Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka
Baccano! ♥
Bokura ga Ita ♥
Naruto
Naruto Shippuden (on-going)
Nabari No Ou ♥
Zombie-Loan
Chocolate Underground
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Skip Beat (re-watched)
Black Lagoon (re-watched) ♥
Black Lagoon; The Second Barrage (re-watched) ♥
Sengoku Basara
Pandora Hearts
07-Ghost
Loveless
Cowboy Bebop (re-watched) ♥
Welcome to NHK ♥
Mushi-Shi (re-watched) ♥
NANA (re-watched)
Wolf's Rain (re-watched) ♥
Trinity Blood
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 1 & 2
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom (re-watched) ♥
Code Geass: Lelouch of The Rebellion (re-watched) ♥
Code Geass: Lelouch of The Rebellion R2 (re-watched) ♥
Ouran High School Host Club (re-watched) ♥
Tokyo Revelations
Bleach (on-going)
Toradora! ♥
Natsume Yuujin Chou
Natsume Yuujin Chou Zoku
D.Gray-Man
Darker Than Black - Kuro no Keiyakusha ♥
Darker Than Black - Ryuusei no Gemini ♥
Dennou Coil
Devil May Cry
Dairy of Tortov Roddle
Elfen Lied
Higashi no Eden (re-watched) ♥
Ichigo Mashimaro
K-ON!
Kino's Journey ♥
Kuroshitsuji
Lucky Star (re-watched)
Nyan Koi!
Paranoia Agent
Samurai Champloo (re-watched) ♥
School Days
Soul Eater
Sukisho
Toaru Majutsu no Index
Fairy Tail (on-going)
Haibane Renmei
Hetalia Axis Powers (on-going)
Kimi ni Todoke (on-going) ♥
Letter Bee (on-going)
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (on-going)
Hakushaku to Yousei
Innocent Venus

Karigurashi no Arrietty & Ninokuni

2009-12-28T17:43:00.010+01:00

After having released the movie Gake no Ue no Ponyo earlier this year,
Studio Ghibli has announced their next movie due to be released in the summer of 2010!
Karigurashi no Arrietty is a children's story based on the book The Borrowers by Mary Norton and it will be directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi.

And Studio Ghibli has yet another treat for us in the new year thats just around the corner.
Together with Level-5 they are releasing a role-playing video game named Ninokuni; The Another World. This is Ghiblis first video game development but it looks amazing.

I think it's safe to say that Studio Ghibli will bring us a very happy new year!

Wolf's Rain & Tokyo Godfathers = Christmas

2009-12-21T23:54:00.005+01:00

Around christmas I allways find it hard to put myself in the holiday spirit,
and thats way I love to watch and read fairy tales and other things with that certian feeling.
Being the big anime lover that I am, I bring you a little christmas present from me.
A reccomendation of a really good "put me in a winter spirit" anime show and a heart-warming christmas movie.

First of is one of my favoruite shows, and it really thouched my heart.

Title: Wolf's Rain
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Company: BONES
Format: 26 episodes
Year: 2003
Seiyū (worth mentioning): Miyano Mamoru
Score: 9/10

According to an old legend, paradise will appear when the world comes to an end,
but only wolfs can find it.
In a time set in the future its common knowledge that wolfs have been extinct for over 200 years, but disguised as humans, they still live among us.
In search for Paradise, Kiba, Hige, Toboe and Tsume set out on a painful and beautiful journey in search of the Lunar Flower and the road to Paradise.

Written by Keiko Nobumoto, this is one of the best fairy tales I have ever seen.
The animation is not the best, but the warmness of the characters and the twist of the plot makes up for all that it lacks (wich isn't much).

It never fails to put a huge lump in my chest and my tears come flowing out every time I watch it.
Cuddle up under a warm blanket, have paper tissues in reach and drink a warm cup of tea while you let these four special wolfs take you on a journey you will never forget.

♥

Title: Tokyo Godfathers
Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy, Drama
Company: Madhouse Studios
Format: Movie
Year: 2003
Score: 9/10

A funny transvestite, an tragic alcoholic and a runaway girl are three homeless companions, trying to make ends meet.
On Christmas Eve while going through some trash, they find an abandoned baby.
With not much help other than some clues found next to the baby they run around Tokyo to find the parents, and along the way they learn of each others past and have to confront the reminders of the life they almost left behind.

This anime film by Satoshi Kon has a lighthearted yet tragic story line.
And with the creator of Wolf's Rain involved in this film's production you cant spell fail.

First time a watched this movie was last year on New Years Eve, and I am really glad I did. This is a pearl among anime movies.
The art is very good for a movie made in 2003 and Kon's portray of urban Tokyo is really good. He has put in all kinds of twist and turns that keeps the story interesting and the characters is the best aspect of the movie.

This is a compelling and funny story filled with a lot of heart wich makes a different, but very good Christmas story.

♥

They both deserve a longer review and I will write them,
but for now, I hope these will lighten your stress in these hectic holiday times a little bit.
(Remember the paper tissues, you will need them.)

Merry Chirstmas!
*

pale white.

2009-12-11T16:29:00.002+01:00

I have this disease
and its ripping me apart.
not so much the disease
but the emotions that follow.
I feel like tearing my hair out,
replacing it with the sun and the moon,
tearing out my eyes, replacing the with the brightest stars.
painting my nails a purple I have never seen.
ripping off my skin,
replacing it with a pale white.

Dancing naked around a bonfire
trying to never forget who I am.
Serena. Serena. Serena. Serena.
I'm not her anymore.

Nostalgia.

2009-11-24T23:18:00.006+01:00

Browsing through my online gallery wich I have not payed any attention to in far too long because I've gotten so sick of myself,
I found some really old pictures of my best friend and me.
The sudden feeling of nostalgia played in my head.
I miss those carefree times when we thought the world was only ours and spent all to many lazy hours in my garden, playing in the sun.

My friend is just as beautiful now as she was then.

I think these were taken in 2004, thats five years ago.
I guess we were around sixteen then, ah, not a care in the world.

Black hair and dark clothes was obviously my thing.
And bangs, but I miss those bangs.

I looked really mysterious didn't I?

The Way of Tea

2009-11-23T19:33:00.010+01:00

I was watching a show on TV about a Japanese tea-master coming to Norway to hold a Japanese tea ceremony. He preformed it deep inside a cave lit with candles.
It was a really beautiful thing to watch. A piece of art.

So me being the curious person I am I wanted to know a bit more about this cultural activity.

The Japanese tea ceremony, called chanoyu or chado in Japanese, centers on the ceremonial preparation and presentation of the powdered green tea, matcha and the art of its performance, known as temae.
The one who prepare and serve the tea uses special equipment's, called chadogu, made for this ceremony, usually made up of these things;
Chakin: a white hemp or linen cloth, used to wipe the tea bowl.
Chawan: a tea bowl, used to mix the powdered tea and hot water in.
Chaki: a tea caddy, a lidded container in wich the powdered tea is placed.
Chashaku: a tea scoop, used to scoop tea from the caddy into the tea bowl.
Chasen: a tea whisk, used to mix the tea with hot water.

(whoa, and I thought serving tea involved a teabag and a water boiler)

Apparently there is many styles of temae, and they never told us on TV what kind the tea master used.
The styles of temae is;
Obon temae
Hakobi-demae
Ryurei
Chabako temae

Since his ceremony was outside I think the Chabako temae is the one he used, since this is the one for outdoor ceremonies.

(usually I would just make the person who wants tea come with me to the kitchen and pick one out themselves, never have I ever thought about how to serve it!)

Now I found another good reason to travel to Japan. To experience a real tea ceremony, preformed by a tea-master.

(origin; spirits of the past. watch it, love it)

Diary of Tortov Roddle

2009-11-23T01:41:00.010+01:00

I found this little treasure filled with art, surrealism and magic.

Its just like looking through a moving picture book, with nice music floathing in the background as Tortov Roddle tells you about his journeys with his long legged pig and encounters with different creatures and people.

(A little taste, but you should check out his entire diary)

Bakemonogatari

2009-11-22T18:33:00.008+01:00

Title: Bakemonogatari

Genre: Comedy/Supernatural/Mystery/Romance
Company: Shaft
Format: 15 episodes (still airing)
Year: 2009 - ?
Seiyū (worth mentioning): Hiroshi Kamiya, Chiwa Saito
Score: 10/10

Bakemonogatari is a light novel series written by Nisio Isin and was adapted into an anime by Shaft. The word Bakemonogatari is a wordplay of the japanese word bakemono (monster) and monogatari (stories), therefore monster stories.

The story centers around Araragi Koyomi, a third year high school student who over spring break survived a vampire attack by this charming lady.

While still healing and starting becoming human again after his vampire attack, his classmate Senjogahara Hitagi falls down the stairs into Araragi's arms. To his surprise he discovers that Senjogahara weighs next to nothing, light as a feather.

Even though she threatens him, he offers her his help and brings her to Meme Oshino, a weirdo middle-aged man, who cured Araragi from becoming a vampire.

Bakemonogatari is a collection of stories, divided into chapters, each involving a new heroine with a brand new oddity attached to them. Also called monster stories, relevant to life. The focus is on conversations between the characters, mostly Araragi and another girl, and every event plays a role in the next chapter.

The art and art techniques presented by Shaft in this anime is by far superb. The play with colours and camera angle is something you dont get caught up in very often, but in Bakemonogatari it is mesmerizing. Every so often screens with live photography or text pop up (usually drafts from the light novel) witch gives us a sense of abstract feeling and understanding. Nisio Isins's trademarks, such as word play and metahumor is something Shaft has not forgotten as well as with the occasional action scenes.

Even though you feel like you have to push the pause button and take a break in the middle because it goes to fast, you cant let your finger touch it, you find yourself addicted, and it almost makes you a bit queazy.

The music in this show is also something that stands out.
Every heronine has their own opening for their chapters and the ending by Supercell is by far one of the best J-pop songs this year.

Bakemonogatari really stands out among the huge variety of anime series out there. It is to anime what the forest is to the world. Something really unique and worth your while.

Serena and Her Cat

2009-11-21T16:31:00.008+01:00

Browsing around the web I remembered a short film I saw about a year ago
and I really want to share it with you. It always lightens up my mood!

It is called She and Her Cat and is directed by Makoto Shinkai, who is also the man behind
The Place Promised in Our Early Days

and 5 Centimeters per Second
(which is one of my all-time favorite movies)

They are both two really great works of art
and I would recommend them to all movie lovers
♥

When I Grow Up

2009-11-21T13:42:00.000+01:00

In a week Im heading out to Oslo to see Fever Ray live.

I am really looking forward to it, since I havent been to a concert in far to long.
I have never really been a fan of Fever Ray, but my friend convinced me to listen
to some of her songs, and her music is truly spellbinding.

But on the other hand, I find her album a bit artsy, in a bad way. Like she is trying to hard to make her songs sound special. But live concerts always bring me around, since the place you can feel the real presence of an artist music best is when they are on stage, right in front of you.

I know some people are disappointed in the fact that Karin Dreijer Anderssons solo project is not living up their expectations, since she is one half of the Swedish electro band, The Knife.
But what do you think?
Do you like her solo project, Fever Ray, better than her duo, The Knife?

Mushi-Shi

2009-11-21T01:20:00.000+01:00

Title: Mushi-Shi
Genre: Mystery/Drama/Fantasy/Supernatural
Company: Artland
Format: 26 episodes
Year: 2005-2006
Seiyū (worth mentioning): Yuto Nakano
Score: 10/10

With original story from the award winning mangaka Yuki Urushibara , Mushi-Shi is one of the best cult animes out there. The manga was adapted into an anime series in 2005 directed by Hitroshi Nagahama.

Mushi is life in its purest form, beings in touch with the essence of life. They are not of animal-, human or plant life, just pure, ever changing energi. They are invisible to most humans, and therefore no one knows they exist. The few who can see them usually mistake them for ghosts or spirits. But one man who can understand and see them is Ginko, a one-eyed Mushi-Shi, who travels around the country in Japan, helping those who suffer from problems caused by Mushi.
Ginko attracts Mushi and this inspires his lifestyle of constantly traveling, never staying in one place for too long. He believes the Mushi are not evil, just merely trying to survive like everyone else.

Ginko is the only main character aside form various Mushi's due to the episodic nature of this series. The plot does not have any special goal, we are simply just traveling along with Ginko through Japan sometime in the 1800's.
This, along with beautiful nature, relaxing music and original mythology makes this an must see for all anime fans. In 26 episodes of pure eye and ear candy you should just sit back and let this world sweep you of your feet.

Gintama

2009-11-21T01:05:00.000+01:00

Title: Gintama
Genre: Comedy/Action/Historical/Samurai/Parody/Shonen
Company: Sunrise
Format: Ongoing
Year: 2006 - ?
Seiyū (worth mentioning): Rie Kugimiya, Tomokazu Sugita, Kazuya Nakai, Akira Ishida, Kenichi Suzumura
Score: 10/10

In Japanese history you learn that in the early 17th century Japan adopted strict isolation policies and severed almost all ties with foreign countries. Then in 1835, the US fleets forced the doors open, leading to a modernization of the nations sociopolitical system and the eventual fall of the Shogunate.
The samurai regime ended its life.

But in Gintama, thats not exactly what happend.
The americans are now aliens called Amanto, treating the Shogunate as puppets for their domination over Japan. The Samurais have been disarmed and reduced to mare good-for-nothing old men, trying to make ends meet. And here enters Gintoki Sakata, a doubtful sugar loving samurai with no respect for anyones rules but his own, running a Yorozuya, after fighting in the Joi war against the aliens called Amanto.

In 2003, Sorachi's editor attempted to coax him to create a new series due to a new television program on the Shinsengumi airing on Japanese TV the next year. Yet Sorachi's original idea was to ride on the coattails of the Harry Potter franchise with a series about a school for demon dispellers. After several arguments and an attempt to write the Shinsengumi series, Sorachi gave up, took what he had of the script and twisted it to become the pseudo-historical science fiction series Gintama.
With original story from mangaka Hideaki Sorachi and anime producers Sunrise I bring you this oh-so-ever-funny series.

Along with Sinpachi Shimura, a 16 year old boy trying to learn the ways of the samurai and Kagura, a girl from the Yato clan, the strongest and most bloodthirsty of the Amanto races, Gintoki takes on any job that makes the world a better place.... and pays their rent.

Its not unusual for the Yorozuya gang to run into trubles with the Shinsengumi, the Shogunates special police force, during their unusual jobs.
Katsura Kotarou, the "Daybreak of the Joui Faction", Gintokis former comrade in the Joi war and a wanted man of the Shinsengumi is also a common face on the screen along with his lovely pet Elizabeth.

Many of the characters are based on historical Japanese people, but along with all the humor and sarcasm it is not to be taken seriously.
Gintama is a huge mix of cake, samurais, ninjas, aliens, humor, cosplay, parodies, irony and strawberry milk.
Its bound to put a smile on your face and brighten your day a little.

The art style is usually not of the best, rather bad actually, but the humor, charm and fabulous seiyuu's makes up for it.
Even though you will cry tears of laughter most of the time, this series throws in a serious arc now and then with a good story and epic fighting with extremely good animation that makes you love it even more.

Still being broadcast on japanese television, you can watch legal streaming only one hour after on crunchyroll.com (you just have to pay a little thats all)
Check this anime out if you want to see the best humor anime there is!
(and for those who are allready fans, in 2010 the long awaited movie based on the Benizakura arc is to be released!)

Toradora!

2009-11-21T00:56:00.000+01:00

Title: Toradora!
Genre: Comedy/Romance/Slice of Life/Shojo
Company: J.C. Staff
Format: 25 episodes
Year: 2008-2009
Seiyū (worth mentioning): Rie Kugimiya
Score: 8/10

Ryuji who's best friends with Kitamura is in love with Minori, Taiga who's best friends with Minori is in love with Kitamura. And along the way comes Ami, Kitamuras childhood friend and the worlds biggest bitch. One brutal fate, more or less the start of a new school year, puts all five of them together in the same class.
Taiga, with her cute looks and brutal personality makes Ryuji help her with her love towards Kitamura, and Ryuji, with the looks of a young delinquent, makes Taiga help him with his love toward Minori.
And what happens then? Alot of random, funny stuff.

Taiga is your typical tsundere and treats Ryuji as her dog, she makes him do everything from cleaning her apartment, washing her clothes and making her dinner. She starts hanging around Ryujis house, and is soon mistaken for a family member. Taiga opens up more and more towards Ryuji and because of their strange and close relationship people starts spreading rumors around school. This does not make the case easier for either Taiga or Ryuji.

Will they ever get the person they love? Can they change the way the world views them? Or does fate have something else in mind?

Toradora! is the ultimate shojo-anime about high school shonen romance. Moe moe! Its funny and very cute. A few times a year an anime always shows up making me completely hooked and reminds me why I spend so much time watching this stuff. Toradora! was an anime like that. I am a sucker for love stories and shojo-anime and Toradora! is more than I expected it to be. The characters are not to young, they grow in each episode and you develop alot of sympathy towards them.

The art style is not the best, but for an anime without action its good enough, and its better than the typical shojo style (NANA, Bakura Ga Ita, Lovley Complex).
With 25 episodes you get hooked on episode 1, and the seiyus are great. The music is not that bad either, the opening and ending are cute songs and the soundtrack is rather cosy.
Definantly a must see for girls!
♥

Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~

2009-11-21T00:46:00.001+01:00

Title: Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~
Genre: Action/Drama
Company: Bee Train
Format: 26 episodes
Year: 2009
Seiyū (worth mentioning): Takahiro Sakurai
Score: 7/10

After making a trip to America and witnessing the murder of an reporter a young japanese boy is kidnapped and awakes all one in a warehouse, not remembering who he is or why he is there. A young girl turns up and gives him two choices, join the criminal organisation Inferno, or get killed.
Being a rational young boy he decides to join Inferno and works under the girl, Ein also called "Phantom", the strongest assasin in the organisation. The name the boy receives is Zwei.

Zwei goes trough hard training and is a quick learner, he gets alot of missions from Inferno, but inner conflicts in the organisation puts Zwei in different dangerous situations. Establishing a relationship with Ein, he gets his will to live a free life back and wants to run away with Ein. But not everything turns out the way he hoped for.

Along the way Zwei meets a little girl, Cal, whom he desperately tries to protect from Inferno, but under difficult circumstances she is also drawn into the underworld and is well on her way to become the assasin called Drei.

Phantom of Inferno is a visual novel game made by Nitroplus, that later went together with Kodokawa Shoten and adapted the story into an anime series produced by Bee Train. It started airing in April titled Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ and ended with 26 episodes in September.

Even though this anime is filled with guns, babes, bad language and horrible men, have a dark plot and is dramatical, Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ is a classy anime with a good story and awesome action.

Nabari no Ou

2009-11-21T00:35:00.000+01:00

Title: Nabari no Ou
Genre: Action/Comedy/Drama/Shounen/Supernatrual
Company: J.C. Staff
Format: 26 episodes
Year: 2008
Seiyū (worth mentioning): Mitsuki Saiga, Rie Kugimiya, Daisuke Nanikawa
Score: 9/10

The unmotivated, apathetic, sarcastic yet mischievous, 14 year old Rokujou Miharu lives with the hijutsu "Shinrabanshou" inside his body, but dosent know it himself. "Shinrabanshou" is a powerful ninjutsu, where all knowledge in the world lies, and many ninja clans desire this power to become the ruler of Nabari.

Miharu goes to school surrounded by completly normal people and works in his grandmothers Okonomiyaki restaurant in a modern world, where ninjas is something you play as a kid. At least thats what he thinks.
One day after school Miharu gets attacked by ninjas from Kairoshu and unknowingly releases the powers of the "Shinrabanshou".
His english teacher Kumohira and fellow classmate Kouichi, both secretly ninjas from the Banten clan saves Miharu and pledge to protect him from other attackers. Miharu learns of himself, his powers and Nabari - the hidden ninja world. Keeping apathetic Miharu declines their offer to protect him and chooses to live his life in a carefree way, but after several attacks he gives up and lives under the protection from his classmate and teacher.
Raimei, the samurai girl and the ninja, Yoite shows up and will also play a huge part in Miharus steps towards becoming the ruler of Nabari.

Nabari no Ou is visually very pretty and cute, and even though the main theme here is ninja, it cant be put in the same category as Naruto. Its funny and serious, and has a slight undertone of shonen-ai, witch makes is heartwarming. It doesn't focus so much on violence and blood, but more on the relationship between humans and feelings humans rarely show.

Mangaka Kamatani Yuhki has made the plot really nice and it has a twist that really surprised me.
This is not "just-another-ninja-anime", its original and the main character is both the hero and the villain.

Darker than Black

2009-11-21T00:11:00.000+01:00

Title: Darker than BLACK - Kuro no Keiyakusha

Genre: Drama/Action/Sci-Fi
Company: BONES
Format: 25 episodes + 1 OVA
Year: 2007
Seiyu (worth mentioning): Kiuchi Hidenobu, Sawaki Ikuya, Mizuki Nana
Score: 8/10

About ten years ago, a huge phenomena calles Hell's Gate appeared in Tokyo, Japan. The sky got replaced with a false and the landscape was drastically changed. Humans with supernatural powers showed up and was kept a secret from the people.
They are logical, rational and intelligent humans without emotions, used for killing machines by big companies and organisation longing for power around the world.
They got known as "Contractors", because of their need to compensate their use of powers by an obsessive action, such as eating flowers, drinking blood or break their own fingers. Every false star on the sky belongs to a Contractor and when a star falls a Contractor is dead, and when a new one star shows up, a Contractor is born. When a Contractor uses its power their star vibrates and Contractors are therefore known by their stars Messeir Code.

A Contractor, Hei, is the main-character in Darker Than Black. He works for an organisation called The Syndicate along with Yin, a Doll/Medium, Huang, a normal human and Mao, a Contractor stuck in the body of a cat.
It is for the most part Hei we follow in the story and the character we get to know the best, but this anime is based on arcs and almost every character has their own arc, where the creators of the show allow us to get to know the characters more.

Most of the characters in this show is adults trying to survive in an dark and sad world, with pressure from both enemies and their superiors. The setting is creative and have a lot of surprises. Packed with good music and action is Darker Than Black aimed towards an adult audience or older youth, and it is, like Contractors, very intelligent.
Its creative, original and very well thought through and alot of good characters come and go.

The only thing dragging this show down is the last episode. They have put too much information into one episode, rushing the ending leaving us with alot of questions.

The second season of Darker Than Black started airing in October, and looks good so far, and hopefully we will get the answers we are looking for this time around.

All in all, if you are looking for an Sci-Fi Action Drama Anime, you will not regret picking out Darker Than Black. This is one of the best anime shows produced by Bones Studios.