Episode 24 of Starwberry Panic is out in fansub. Kinda blah after the angst fests that we have been getting. Basically after the accident, Amane and Hikari have a sort of falling out: Considering how boring their relationship continues to be this is not suprising. Miyuki as harshe as any stereotypical drill sarger drills poor Nagisa and Tamao in the ways of Etoile which seems to consist mainly of waltzing. Nagisa and Tamao are so cute together though I do wonder why Tamao has to lead. Really Tamao is so much better for Nagisa than Shizuma. But the spark just isn't there. Not that Shizuma is bad but there just seem to be so many obstacles to their getting together that it's becoming painful to watch them suffer.

This go around I feel sorry for Shizuma as no one seems to care about her pain. Granted Nagisa doesn't have a clue but Miyuki does and she seems determined to rub Nagisa/Tamao in poor Shizuma's face every chance she gets. Miyuki dragoons Shizuma into coaching Nagisa and Tamao for Etoile. Shizuma is still in guilt mode (she's afraid that she only hurts Nagisa) and in sacrifice mode (pushing Nagisa towards Tamao is the only way to make things "right"). The irony of all that her just touching Nagisa's face gets 200 times more reaction than all the hugging and dancing that she is doing with Tamao. Telling Nagisa to run for Etoile with Tamao in eo 23 is what actually hurt Nagisa. And IMHO I don't think that nagisa will ever feel more than friendship for Tamao.

I have to wonder if this is all Miyuki's evil plan to get Shizuma back to her happy pre-Kaori state. If so, thus far she is failing miserably. Frankly after all this pain Shizuma deserves a happy ending.

I haven't seen Strawberry Panic! Ep 24 yet, but I just got done with Ouran High School Host Club Ep 23, and it's freakin' hilarious. This is the one after Kasanoda (called either "Casanova" or "Bossa Nova" by the Host Clubbers) discovers Haruhi is a girl, and then goes to the Host Club as her "customer." Since all the girl customers think Haruhi's a guy, they all go berserk with glee over what they think is a guy-guy romance.

I do believe Haruhi is one of my favorite anime characters that I've seen.

_________________
Now there's something you don't see every day... unless you're us...

My Author Website - http://www.rablack.com

Marimite OVA news is out:
http://heiseidemocracy.com/2006/09/13/marimite-ova-release-details-online/

Well I eventually guessed that they would be doing the equivalent of 10 episodes considering all the novels that they are covering:

DVD 1: Kohitsujitachi no Kyuuka (”Holiday of the Lambs”), November 29th, 2006 - corresponds to novel 12
DVD 2: Ryakushite OK Daisakusen (The Abbreviatable Grand Strategy), January 31st, 2007 - the title doesn't correspond to any of the novels but i think it will cover part of 12 and 13 or short stories from Novel 16(?)
DVD 3: Ryoufuu Satsu-satsu (The Rustling Breeze), March 28th, 2007 - corresponds to novel 14
DVD 4: Ready, GO!, May 30th, 2007 - corresponds to novel 15
DVD 5: Ciao Solera!, July 25th, 2007 - corresponds to novel 17

Here's hoping we can see fansubs for the first DVD this year.

OK, just saw episode 24 of Strawberry Panic on youtube.com. The temporary memory loss makes sense that Amane is going through. I think Hikari can help her remember, and create some nice new memories in the meantime!

I think Shizuma and Nagisa need to give each other some serious forgiveness talk.
Shizuma for coming on so strong to Nagisa and Shizuma for being so heartless when Shizuma opened up to her.
So now they both have silent feelings for each other that they both are trying to forget? Hmmm, seems so wrong! If you ask me they need to start all over and fresh. Hi my name is Shizuma...I'm letting go of my past.
Hi my name is Nagisa....I am going to let go of guilt and be honest with my feelings toward Shizuma.

Anyway, there is definately not enough loving on any of the episodes if you ask me!!!!!
I think Amane and Hikari are the cutest couple, let's see the lovin' already!!!


Looking forward to more! Lisa Michelle

Looks like you'll get your wish in Ep 25

Screencaps are out for Stawberry panic ep 25:

Not only does Jigoku Shoujo have a second anime season coming next month, but now it looks like there will be a live action version premiering in November. The Anime News Service reports that the show will premiere November 4 on NTV.

The role of Enma Ai is to be played by a teenage J-Pop artist named Iwata Sayuri. If Google's Japanese translater can be trusted, her official site has confirmed the report.

Here's another photo of her. She's got the right look to play Enma Ai, if nothing else.

_________________
Now there's something you don't see every day... unless you're us...

My Author Website - http://www.rablack.com

Caught Episode 25 of Stawberry Panic. The one thing that has struck me the last few eps about the Etoile contest is how the two girls that become Etoile need a special bond (of love, I am sure). They keep harping on this whether it's to Nagisa not having it with Tamao in the dance or Amane wanting to declare herself to Hikari before the contest. What it appears you get from being Etoile is a special bond of love with your partner. Given all that I am sure that Nagisa & Tamao won't win unless Nagisa suddenly falls in love with her and it's really to late for that to be feasible before the contest. It's really telling to me at least that Nagisa has all this in one dance with Shizuma that she lacks with days (weeks?) of practice with Tamao. Shizuma is still in her Nagisa funk the minute she's out of Nagisa's sight whether it's at the greenhouse or in her room. Frankly, at this point after all the sturm and drang between them it would be sad if Nagisa and Shizuma don't get together even if Shuzuma is graduating in 3 months. As that great philosopher Satou Sei says in Marimite: "Wouldn't it be sad if you tired to ignore love, only because you knew that one day it would come to and end?" (end in parting not death)

Pix are out at the official web site (Japanese) for episode 26. One shows Nagisa and Tamao wearing the same color dresses as Shizuma and Kaori did for the Etoile contest. Tamao is in Kaori's white/light blue and Nagisa is in Shizuma's red. Does it mean anything? Who the heck knows? But hopefully they will resolve the two remaining main plot points: the Etoile contest and Nagisa's love triangle.

Well, now the spoilers are out, and...

_________________
Now there's something you don't see every day... unless you're us...

My Author Website - http://www.rablack.com

Well they did resolve the Etoile contest and Nagisa's love triangle. The fansub should be out this week. From what I've seen in the screencaps, episode 26 has a reasonable ending that follows from what went one before.

One thing that I wonder about
I will need to see the fansub to decide if the ending satisfies me but so far it does for the most part.

Tamao welcomes Nagisa back "home". There's been some speculation that this was a lead-in for Season 2. Unsubstantiated for now.

Anime is great

_________________
Create, don't destroy.

There's enough badness in the world, don't add to it.

I wouldn't mind seeing a season two. The only thing unsresolved In Stopani IMHO is that no one noticed how utterly cool and amazing Chikaru was cosplay fetish aside. Or how cool Lelim was. Season 2 must be the Lelim season IMO.

This was a fun yuri anime. Just caught the last ep of Strawberry Panic. Gosh if looks could kill Shizuma would have died several times this episode from the looks that Tamao gave her (not that you can blame Tamao give what happened). I liked the ending after all the mooning over each other that Nagisa and Shizuma have been doing over one another. Next up the Marimite OVA. I can't wait!

Actually that's entirely not true....daisuki is also used to say "I love you" between lovers, though it is not perhaps as passionate as aishiteru. IRL, aishiteru is rarely said or used between couples; the word itself denotes especially strong feelings, and is quite passionate...more like soulmates destined to be together. Daisuki is more commonly heard.

Ah yes. Both can mean romantic love and daisuke is much more commonly used in all cases. It's confusing because english has one work fro love while Japanese has several that are used for varying degrees and different situation. What I meant to say that daisuke can ALSO be really like or family love but that aishiteru is only used as a declaration of love between lovers. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe that aishiteru is ever used as a declaration of love between friends or family members. Kieli, are you up for the Marimite OVA?

I like how Shizuma actually grieved nad found it hard to let go of her dead love. I mean it's like she really cared about her. This is a vast improvement over another TV show that I shall not name where the dead love was forgotten before the body got cold. I give SP props over Marimite in one area, the yuri in Marimite with one exception is subtext while that of SP is certainly text. Ah well. Glad I watched Strawberry Panic.

daisuki is definitely more common but you are correct in that it's rare to be used as a declaration of love between friends or family (unless, of course, you're in love with friend or it's twincest sort of love...I try to not go there if at all possible)

Kieli, are you up for the Marimite OVA?
Always...now if Sachiko will stop being such a raving bitch, I can probably tolerate her this time around. Poor Yumi. Who can resist that which is Satou Sei?


I loved Stopani too, problems and all. Chikaru is my top favourite. Gotta love her and her loli harem. She was the only sane seitokaichou of the lot. It's good to see flirtatious Shizuma back. I feel bad for Tamao but really she never had a chance. Not even a little bit. And Amane and Blandie (what some enterprising soul termed Hikari) just....bore me to death LOL Yaya needed to be fixated on someone else worth pining over.

I'm guessing that Sei can't feed Yumi's masochistic side like Sachiko does. Still they have the worst behind them since rainy Blue is over. From novel info at the animesuki forums and Okazu's excellent synopses, there isn't anything that angsty in their future.

The first hour of the 5 hours of the OVA focuses on Yumi and Sachiko at Sachiko's summer home (yeah marimite did it first). From what I read of the first half of the novel's Translation online, it's quite romantic and they banter more than misunderstand (except in their japanese usage). In her synopis of the volume, Okazu says that Sachiko is only a jerk at times so already better than being a raving b^tch.

I have to say that Sachiko is one of my fav chacters so take what I say with a big honking grain of salt. Still I think she's just misunderstood. I love brooding gloomy girls ala Hazuki, Chikane and Sachiko (who could be triplets) and even Shizuma & Yaya. I think she suffers from being seen from Yumi's utter worship and utter exasperation POV.

It kind of sad that there is no more strawberry panic episode to look forward to next week. Will they be a season 2? Honestly, I have mixed feeling about season 2 if there is really going to be one. Coz i think the ending is perfect and i am scared that with season 2, they might not have shizuma with nagisa as we all know shizuma is going to graduate.

crouchy: I wouldn't mind a season 2 if they focused on some other girls such as Lelim (nee Lulim nee Lerim) which got short shrift in this series. They could also do more with Yaya and Tsubomi. As to Nagisa and Shizuma, there was a rumor going round that Nagisa would would come to live with Shizuma at her summer house and commute to school so Shizuma's graduating doesn't have to split them up. Shizuma comes from a rich family and could wait a few years to go to college, possibly as she pursues a career as a pianist. If so, this would open up Tamao to get a new rommate/love interest. She certainly deserves someone who can make her happy. Who knows? The rumor may come from the manga or novel but the manga scanlation is still in the Etoile contest and the novels don't come out in English till next year from Seven Seas in the US. The shoujo Ai forums have indicated that while the first novel is Nagisa/Shizuma and the Etoile contest like the anime/manga while the second novel focuses more on Amane/Hikari.

I think the point when I knew that it wouldn''t be Tamao and Nagisa was in ep 23, when Miyuki (the Miatre school predident) tells Nagisa that Tamao is running for Etoile and Nagisa says "I never knew that Tamao-chan had someone like that". Then she's shocked to here that she's running with Tamao. Where has Nagisa been the last 22 episodes? She hasn't noticed that Tamao is really really interested in her?!?

Ain't they abit young to be living together? But i kind of like it though of them living together. Its like they are married. If the rumor was true, i won't mind having a season two or maybe OVA would be nice as well.

Sam7777, Nagisa from the very first episode already has her eyes on Shizuma and nobody else, so its no wonder she has no idea that Tamao is in love with her.

Does anyone know of a place where I can download Marie-sama ga Miteru? I don't think it's out on DVD yet. I've been wanting to see this for awhile and I can't seem to find it anywhere.

_________________
There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness.

You can get to the torrents at Animesuki. It's listed as Maria-sama ga Miteru under Series. It's also on Youtube.

The Kittenboard does not ban the linking of torrent sites, youtube, etc. There aren't any rules prohibiting the posting of said information.

Erm, I don't mean to be ornery, but it's not good manners to request torrents for anime, especially licensed ones. As there is a considerable amount of copyright hullabullo going on with Youtube (as well as with other sites being forced by the anime industry's corporate lawyers being forced to remove live torrented RAW anime content), publicly announcing where these torrents can be had can get the site owners in a boatload of trouble (as the famous Hongfire can attest after they were raked over the coals repeatedly before being forced to remove their stuff). If you want to know where you can find stuff, PMs are best. These people are doing us a HUGE favour by hosting and subbing anime downloads. The least we can do is not get them into trouble for their efforts.

Ahhh Fall. The list of new anime is rather sparse but there are some that are looking promising. I have to say, though, Ouran Host Club had me laughing my ass off up to the very end. That one is a keeper for me.

Negima?! just started last week and ep 2 raw was kind of funny but not as much as last season's Negima. We have a whole new crew of artists and writers for this Season 2 Negima and they're trying to introduce the darker elements of the manga moreso than Season 1 did. The artwork is a little sketchy but it might grow on me.

Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage has started as well and if you like women who kick ass, this series is for you. However, you might be a bit lost if you've not seen Season 1. It may still be available if someone would seed it.

Jigoku Shoujo Futakamoriis out and I, for one, am very interested in what they might come up with next for Enma Ai and her Bone Crew. Also, there will be a live action movie of JS and I hear they've already cast a well-known J-pop artist as Ai.

Mai Otome Zwei OVA also starts in a few weeks and the review can be found on the official site, last I checked.

Also Venus versus Virus is scheduled to come out in January 2007 I think. That anime should be interesting and hopefully will stay as close to the manga as possible. You can check out the storyline at Yamibo, the Chinese forums where the manga is being scanned, here or at their official page. for those of us who can read kana.

Happy viewing, folks!

I'm also planning to watch Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori and Mai Otome Zwei. I'm hoping someone decides to sub the live-action Jigoku Shoujo, too.

As far as other new shows go, the most promising one I've found is Ghost Hunt, from JC Staff and based on a novel by Fuyumi Ono, who also wrote 12 Kingdoms. I've also checked out the first episode of Asatte no Houkou, which is about a little girl who wishes herself into a young woman and a young woman who wishes herself into a little girl.

And I'm still following The Third - Aoi Hitomi no Shoujo, which for some reason seems to be coming out only every other week. This one is set in a post-apocalyptic future, and features a teenage girl who roams the desert in her AI-driven sand tank, doing odd jobs and fighting robots and monsters. There's a lesbian supporting character, too, a gun-toting PhysEd teacher with a (so far unrequited) thing for the main character.

_________________
Now there's something you don't see every day... unless you're us...

My Author Website - http://www.rablack.com

I am watching Ouran host club right now and i gotta agreed that its very funny and I love it. My favourite is Honey-kun. So kawaii!

I also had just finished watching Mai Hime and Mai Otome. Its not hard to guess who i like. Shizuru ofcourse! She is just too cool especially in Mai Otome. Are Shizuru and Natsuki a couple?

The live action version of Jigoku Shoujo premiered this past weekend. The raw of the first episode is up at D-Addicts.

The storyline for the first episode is very similar to the first episode of the anime, so I had no trouble following it. The effects are good and the acting is decent. We haven't seen Hajime and Tsugumi yet, but given that there are only 12 episodes in the series, they've got to show up pretty soon.

_________________
Now there's something you don't see every day... unless you're us...

My Author Website - http://www.rablack.com

Wow, it's been a while since anybody touched this topic.

Is anybody watching anything interesting these days? I haven't seen any more anime lesbians anywhere, but there are some interesting looking new shows anyway.

Seirei no Moribito and Claymore both have strong demon-fighting women as their main characters. I've only seen one episode of the former and two of the latter, but I'd like to see more.

You may also know that last year's series Blood +, featuring Saya the Japanese Vampire Slayer, premiered on the Cartoon Network a few weeks ago. It's on Saturday nights.

My current comedy series is Nodame Cantabile, which is about a group of music students. The female lead, Nodame, is played by Kawasumi Ayako, who you may remember as Chikane in Kannaduki no Miko.

_________________
Now there's something you don't see every day... unless you're us...

My Author Website - http://www.rablack.com

At the moment, I'm sort of biding my time between Red Garden, El Cazador de la Bruja and finishing up Manabi Straight. The Bakuretsu Tenshi-Infinity OVA came out and it was a big disappointment. There are some hints of Baku-ten Future-Style but no real commitment to the project.

I recently saw an anime called Higurashi ni Naku Koro ni (translation-When Cicadas Cry). It's a psychological horror mystery based off a game. The anime has been liscensed and the US title will be 'When they Cry-Higurashi'. The story is divided into different chapters and each tells the story a different way. The second season and OVA come out later this year. There is also a manga, PC game (original), and a PS2 game. The characters in the show are done by the same people who did Strawberry Panic's art, so they're all very cute and some have funky hair colors but don't let the cuteness fool you. The show can get quite bloody and twisted at times. Spoilers are a definate no-no for this show.

Summary from AnimeNfo:

"It is the 58th year of Showa and summer is early. It is only June, yet one is able to enjoy the serenade of cicadas at noon and the buzz of higurashi in the evening.

Our story takes place in Hinamizawa Village. It is a small village with a population of less than 2,000, a place cursed by Oyashiro-Sama

Hinamizawa Village Consecutive Unnatural Murders (1979 ~ 1983).

Every year, during the festival of Watanagashi, one person dies and another disappears. It is a cycle of death which started with a fight over the construction plans for a dam. That incident was covered up by the police and has now come back to haunt the village.

Is all this due to a plot or a coincidence... or a curse?

Is this tragedy inevitable? Is there nothing you can do but accept it? "

_________________
For all those words of tongue and pen, the saddest are those: "It might have been."

Tara ended up next to Oz in the elevator. He looked at her, nodding to himself.
"What?" She asked.
"You look good. Kinda radiant."
Tara nodded. "I was resurrected a few days ago."
Oz arched an eyebrow. "That'll do it."
-Dark Congress