Anime Toonz Volume 3: Kristine Sa Lemon

Anime Toonz Volume 3: Kristine Sa Lemon
Credits: 2005 Jellybean Recordings, Inc.

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Track Listing:

1. Minna no Kimochi (Every Heart) - Inuyasha
   Jinnai Full Vocal Remix
   
2. The Real Folk Blues - Cowboy Bebop
   Jinnai Full Vocal Remix
   
3. Urusei Yatsura no Teema - Urusei Yatsura
   Bit Shifter Full Vocal Mix
   
4. Find The Way - Gundam Seed
   DJ Jinnai Full Vocal Remix
   
5. Dearest - Inuyasha
   DJ Jinnai Full Vocal Remix
   
6. Jajauma Sasenaide - Ranma 1/2
   YMCK Dub
   
7. Find The Way - Gundam Seed
   Architekt 9 Full Vocal Remix
   
8. Minna no Kimochi (Every Heart) - Inuyasha
   Gomi Dub
   
9. Jajauma Sasenaide - Ranma 1/2
   DJ Jinnai Full Vocal Remix
   
10. The Real Folk Blues - Cowboy Bebop
    Masi & Melo 12' Vocal Club Remix
    
11. Minna no Kimochi (Every Heart) - Inuyasha
    John Creamer & Stephane K Dub
    

Thoroughly Enjoyable >>> by skysenshi co-written with Sean Sanchez
After a long long wait, fans of Kristine Sa can enjoy hearing her once more. She has released not one, but two Anime Toonz CDs. These contain remixes of some of the best and popular songs from well-loved anime like Inuyasha, Cowboy Bebop, Urusei Yatsura, Gundam Seed, and Ranma ½. When you peruse the album cover, you’ll see listings and short blurbs of some US and internationally renowned DJs, with DJ Jinnai leading the helm. Remixes are done by DJ Jinnai, Architekt 9, Bit Shifter, Gomi, John Creamer & Stephane K, Masi & Mello, and YMCK. Of course, a short bio of the beautiful and talented Kristine Sa is featured on the very first page.

We start off with the Anime Toonz 3 Lemon Edition. I call this the yellow CD, which can obviously be identified by the album cover’s color. I must admit, I have never been a fan of remixes. There’s something about original arrangements that make me want to preserve their sacredness, so I had to undergo a huge paradigm shift—even discussing the album with Sean, a friend who’s wild about remixes—weeks before (and after) the CDs arrived at my door.

It didn’t take much effort. As soon as I plopped the CD into the player, I was soothed by Kristine Sa’s soft crooning. Her husky, melodious voice has never failed to fill me with awe. There are actually a total of six songs and these are remixed in several ways by different DJs.

Kristine Sa’s rendition of Every Heart, which was originally sung by Boa Gwon for Inuyasha, is nothing short of amazing. I didn’t set my expectations so high because we all know that Boa Gwon is a superstar in at least three countries, but Ms. Sa managed to surprise me. Her light, feathery approach made these particular remixes easy to listen to. The DJ Jinnai Full Vocal Remix uses a combination of Norman Cook and Strip Down methods. There are vocal distortions, which are characteristic of the strip downs. The beat could’ve been improved further if the Propellerhead method is applied—just to make it livelier. The sound effects are also appropriate. The John Creamer & Stephane K Dub, on the other hand, make use of the Norman Cook method. The very strong beat that livens up the song is normally seen with dub types of music. You’ll notice the loops in the beginning of the chorus and this becomes predominant throughout the music. Speed is just right, although a Flanger type of sound effect can be added in certain sections of the remix. The play of instruments is perfectly combined and it ended with a cut or break.

Okay, The Real Folk Blues (of Cowboy Bebop) is quite difficult to sing as it is a mix of country, folk, blues, jazz and various western influences. That is perfectly understandable. This is where Sa falls a bit short on the vocals. She tends to switch to the nasal register when she hits the high notes. Her voice is fundamentally different from Mai Yamane, who originally performed The Real Folk Blues, so I believe Sa could’ve done better if she attacked the song in a style that was solely hers. The DJ Jinnai Full Vocal Remix uses the Norman Cook method, although the chorus did not have any loops. The song’s speed led to a brand new dance-y sound, while the scratch sound effect was aptly put into place. The remixer could’ve added more effects such as Reverb and Flanger to spice things up a little. As for the removal for of the orchestral part, Sean and I had varying reactions to it. Sean thinks it made this better than the original, while I actually preferred the original because of the orchestra.

The Real Folk Blues Masi & Mello 12” Vocal Club Mix combines the Propellerheads and Norman Cook methods. Sa’s pacing here is a lot slower, but it matches the speed of the music well enough. The timing of the special effects couldn’t have been better, because the female shrieks helped the song tell a rather surreal story. Random instrumental portions within the remix, which have been used to lengthen the piece, are normal characteristics for club mixes. The fading end is very ideal to this type of music.

Dearest, an Inuyasha ending theme, is my personal favorite among the collection. It had always been one of the songs I loved listening to, even when Ayumi Hamasaki was performing it. (For those who aren’t aware of it, I don’t particularly find Hamasaki’s voice appealing. Her high-pitched vocals usually remind me of nails scratching repeatedly on blackboards.) Kristine Sa did well. In fact, I think she sings it better than Ayumi Hamasaki. She made it completely her own, practicing modulation techniques that are not normally present in anime theme songs. This remix, however, has its ups and downs. Norman Cook was applied, although it could’ve been improved had Propellerhead been used as well. Again, Sean and I had different reactions to the a cappella ending; he thinks fading technique would’ve been more appropriate while I actually think it’s perfect as it is. This piece isn’t made for the dance floor, though.

Two other songs I enjoyed were Urusei Yatsura no Teema Bit Shifter Full Vocal Mix and the YMCK Dub of Jajauma ni Sasenaide. I have never seen an episode of Urusei Yatsura, but it was fun hearing Sa adjust her usually husky voice to sound cutesy while the accompaniments made me remember the Nintendo Family Computer days of 8-bit gaming music. Bit Shifter is known for his love of Nintendo so it didn’t come as a shock that he’d come up with GameBoy-inspired themes. Jajauma ni Sasenaide YMCK Dub had the same 8-bit videogame music appeal to it. It didn’t have vocals, but I thoroughly enjoyed the trip back to the 8-Bit Realm.

Overall, I find this CD completely entertaining. That’s already saying a lot, since I have mentioned that I am not fond of remixes. I do wish they could've featured more songs instead of remixing the same songs over and over. Still, it’s great to know that many DJs are becoming more creative in their approaches these days.

Love Hina Totsuzen no Engeji Happening

Genre: Romance / Comedy
Platform: Dreamcast
Parental Guidance Recommended
Ken Akamatsu (creator).

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Love Hina Manga Original Soundtrack Everything Love Hina

lensman's Description:
After having failed the Tokyo-U entrance exam, Keitaro Urashima is nowhere near achieving his goal of entering Tokyo University and meeting his fabled "promise girl". Or is he?

After catching a glimpse of his latest bad scores, Granny Hinata decides to send a real Tokyo-U student to help Keitaro, Naru and Mutsumi pass. Her name is Mizuho Fujisawa and she bears more than a passing resemblance to the girl Keitaro made a promise to several years ago. Furthermore, she is so confident that she can get Keitaro to pass, that she makes this wager: If Keitaro can't pass under her tutelage, he will get to marry her.

Just who the heck IS she?


Only dedicated for fans of Love Hina >>> by lensman
Having been obsessed with the Love Hina franchise, it became one of my life's goals to acquire all the Love Hina games that were ever made. So far, I have managed to acquire the PSOne game, the PS2 game, and the Love Hina Dreamcast Games.

The PSOne Love Hina game made me curse Japanese Technology and gadgets for the first time in my life, since it required something called "The Pocketstation" in order to play it. I eventually bought one, but I couldn't get it to work... ARGH!

The PS2 game was also a bust, because I couldn't get the import to work on my non-modded PS2... DOUBLE ARGH! I believe that says something about me...

Fortunately the Love Hina Dreamcast Games were playable...

In all honesty, Love Hina is not what you may call a "Game Friendly" franchise. At least Tenchi Muyo! had aliens, mechas, action and space pirates to go with the whole harem thing. You can easily make an RPG or a Strategy game out of it (in fact, several years ago, it was exactly what a certain company did for the SNES). But in Love Hina, you just have a student living with a bunch of girls. What sort of game can you get out this premise?

The guys that made the Dreamcast game certainly took an interesting approach. Instead of making a game that is based on the manga (the Anime was still being made at the time the games were made) they have decided to do an original story that ties in to it and tell a few original tales, based on the characters from a completely different perspective. Hence, the Love Hina Dreamcast game is set in a completely different universe from the manga and the anime.

Actually, the story of the Dreamcast game ties in quite well with the anime where no explanation was given as to who exactly was Keitaro's "promise girl." In Love Hina DC, we FINALLY get to not only meet her but also know her a lot better. Yes, Mizuho Fujisawa is Keitaro's real promise girl, and she is a crucial part of the game's plot. With her peppy, kind and uplifting personality, she is a welcome addition to the Love Hina cast. It's a real pity that she wasn't featured in the manga or the anime. Her "good ending" is especially poignant, as she decides to do one of the most touching things I've ever seen in a dating sim.

If you are a fan of the Love Hina franchise, the game is a must for several reasons:

-You will get to see several original LH stories, such as a "Who is better wife for Keitaro" pageant, in which all the girls participate. The cooking contest in particular is very memorable. And you won't believe what Mutsumi gets up to in there.

-As I said before Mizuho Fujisawa is an excellent addition to the Love Hina cast. Her interactions with Naru and Mutsumi are hilarious.

-The Voice Actors are all in top form giving some trully stand-out performances. Horie Yui's Naru, and Satsuki Yukino's Mutsumi, are laugh-out-loud funny, even if you don't happen to know the Japanese language. Even Masayo Kurata's Shinobu has a very funny scene near the end of the game which you will remember for a long time.

-You will get to see original artwork by Ken Akamatsu made specifically for the game.

-You can finally choose which girl Keitaro ends up with.

-You can connect to the internet via the Dreamcast's built-in modem and send Love Hina themed email messages.

Of course the game is far from perfect. The in-game graphics, with the Super-Deformed heroes as well as the building graphics are overly simplistic. And Ken Akamatsu's art is great when it shows, but it's static. I mean, come on, the Dreamcast gave us games like Skies of Arcadia and Grandia 2, we know it can do WAY better than that.

While the voice actors do a great job, the in-game sounds and music are nothing to shout about. There are a couple of original songs created specifically for the games, but even those fail greatly to impress.

But the game's biggest flaw is definitely in the way it is played. Love Hina is a "Roulette Adventure" meaning that, at various points in the game, you will be asked to choose a path and play a "Roulette Game," which affects the story in a negative or positive way, depending on the outcome. The paths you choose unlock "Omake Chapters" which focus on a certain character and sucessfully completing them affects the ending. To further complicate things there are "Study Roulettes" which affect Keitaro's mark and "Relationship Roulettes" that affect Keitaro's relationship with the protagonists. The ending depends on the overall mark and relationship rating that Keitaro gets and whether or not he successfully completed the character's "Omake Chapter."

While this sounds well in theory, it doesn't actually work out that well when you are playing. The roulette game means that you will be saving and restoring on a regular basis, cursing the game's developers when you get the wrong outcome FOR THE TENTH FRIGGING TIME IN A ROW! TRIPLE ARGH! In all honesty, it may allow non-Japanese speaking players to play and finish the game but it kills whatever joy it can bring you. Plus, all the Study and relationship ratings render the game somewhat confusing. I really wish they would have made this as just a "Multi-Choice" dating sim. It would have worked out, gameplay-wise, a whole lot better.

If you are a fan of Love Hina and Ken Akamatsu's work, you should definitely play the Dreamcast game for the extra-stories, the excellent voice actor performances, the original artwork, and the for the LH-Themed emails. But if you are not, and you are just looking for a good anime-based game, you should look elsewhere.

NOTE: Playing the game is actually a very tricky business. It doesn't run on the American Dreamcast, unless you insert a special "Import Boot Disk" first.

Finding the game is also tricky. Your best bet is eBay, where you can find some pretty sweet deals. Of course, you could also download it, but we don't want to condone game piracy, now do we?

PLAYER STATUS:
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
COMPLETION TIME: 20 hours
HIGHEST LEVEL ACHIEVED: N/A
RATINGS: Gameplay 4; Battle N/A; Story 8; Visuals 6; Characters 8; Sounds 7; Replay Value 7

Paradise Kiss

Genre: Romance
Parental Guidance Recommended
Credits: 2000 Ai Yazawa, Shodensha

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Amazon Editorial Description:
Yukari wants nothing more than to make her parents happy by studying hard and getting into a good college. One afternoon, however, she is kidnapped by a group of self-proclaimed fashion mavens calling themselves "Paradise Kiss." Yukari suddenly finds herself in the roller coaster life of the fashion world, guided by George, art-snob extraordinaire. In a glamorous makeover of body, mind and soul, she is turned from a hapless bookworm into her friends' own exclusive clothing model.

(5 tankubon)


No stereotypes here>>> by thundersenshi
If you're looking for a quick shoujo mush-fix, you may want to rethink about reading this title. But I will recommend it to anyone who's looking for a worthwhile read. I just found it really unique, especially for a girl's manga, but I was also surprised to learn that according to TokyoPop, it was one of the top-selling shoujo titles in Japan. I didn't think something a bit lacking in the usual shoujo fanservice would sell so well.

This story by popular mangaka Ai Yazawa is about coming of age, first loves, and realizing dreams. It may sound like a familiar formula, but it's not the typical shoujo fanfare that'll usually make a girl sigh and daydream. It's a relentless story of life and love, unpredictable and sometimes harsh. With Yazawa's art and the totally bizarre world of fashion designers, the setting is almost surreal, but the conflicts that occur are realistic and unmerciful. The drama is there, with a bit of glamour every now and then (that is reminiscent of showbiz sob stories) and in the center of it is the anything-but-typical hero George.

I have never encountered a more unlikely leading man for a shoujo manga, but there you go! He doesn't even look the part; if pictures of the characters were to be flashed right in front of you, chances are you'd get the male lead wrong. George is frustrating, excruciatingly unpredictable (he never says or does anything that's expected) and possibly bi-polar (and self-admittedly bisexual!), but there's no arguing that he's definitely no ordinary (nor boring) shoujo hero. None of the characters in the manga are ordinary, anyway, but George tops them all off by being the most frustrating. And yet, one can't help but experience his life as it unfolds in the manga. Especially when it tangles inevitably with the heroine's, Yukari.

Yukari is possibly the closest anchor you get to "normal", in that one can easily relate to her reactions to circumstances and confusion. She starts off as just another schoolgirl, like many shoujo heroines, but she eventually breaks out of the mould as she learns more about honesty in dealing with her problems. One can't help but empathize with her, even when she's just as stubborn and frustrating as George. She's at that point in her life when she makes her most important decisions. The pressures of being an entrance examiner, a daughter to a traditional and perfectionist mother and being in a roller coaster romance can sometimes be too much for an 18-year old girl to handle. She's human in that she makes mistakes, too, and learns from them.

One also wonders at times at the opportunities found and lost by all characters, their hopes and possibly, regrets. Not just George and Yukari, but also Miwaka, Hiro, Arashi and Isabelle. Everyone went through a tough time in their young lives. The pangs of having different priorities from loved ones is something that is all too real and personal. This manga deals a lot with unexpected turns of that kind--funny, warm, but oftentimes painful experiences, too. And a story can't get more honest than that, which makes Paradise Kiss a unique and unforgettable read, filled with bittersweet memories and great triumphs.

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 7; Story 8; Characters 8

Mahou Sensei Negima (Negima! Magister Negi Magi) Manga

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Parental Guidance Recommended
2003 Ken Akamatsu , Kodansha

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lensman's Description:
Negi Springfield has just graduated from the magic academy. His first task as a magician is to become a teacher in the Japanese Mahora Academy. He is assigned to class 2-A which has 31 girl pupils. Most of the girls in the class are thrilled that their sensei is a cute ten-year-old kid, but Asuna Kagurazaka is not, because Negi replaced her homeroom teacher that she had a crush on. Pretty soon, she finds out that he is a wizard, a fact that he is supposed to keep under wraps. How will Negi deal with her? And, even if he does manage to get her by his side, will he be strong enough to face the troubles ahead?

(14 tankubon)

Throw the anime away! >>> by lensman
(Yeah, it sounds as a stark contrast with my "normal" anime review of Negima. The fact is, it is a good series. It is a good introduction and supplement to the manga, but doesn't even come close to being as good, and is a huge letdown for fans of Akamatsu's original work.)

I don't believe this! I can't believe what has happened to my favorite manga series! After going through the final episode, I had a burning desire to save up 1200 dollars, travel up to Japan, and show up at Studio Xebec's door with a shotgun.

Story arcs that were a joy to read in the manga were literally messed up in their anime version. Crucial events and character development, even beloved secondary characters were completely omitted or had their part reduced to a poor shadow of what they were in the original piece of work.

I guess part of the disappointment was due to the fact that I had high aspirations for the show. Prior to watching it I had watched some great introductory videos that had some good gags, some very recognizable voices (among them Kikouko "Belldandy" Inoue and Horie "Naru" Yui) and kept true to the overall spirit of the manga. They were greatly directed and animated and hyped me up about the quality of the upcoming show.

Seriously, what the (censored) happened? All they had to do was to faithfully adapt the first five arcs of the manga series, and you'd have a highly enjoyable TV Show with a great pace, nice characters, as well as a climactic and action-filled finalle.

Instead they mangled the story beyond repair and took away a significant amount of charm that made me fall in love with the Negima Universe.

To give credit where credit is due, a couple of stories were better handled in the anime version than in the manga. But all in all, I have to say that, for the most part, the animated version of Negima is a pale imitation of the comic-book greatness.

And the ending... OK, I liked the more serious direction, the animation and the voice acting was great, but in all honesty, it was a bit too-little-too-late, and it felt really awkward, especially when you compared it to the uplifting spirit of the rest of the show.

The tragedy of Negima is that this could have been a great show. It could have been a classic, if the had just payed the proper respect to the source material. Instead it's just merely "good". If something positive came out of this tragedy, is that plenty more people will get to know the Negima manga through the anime and will hopefully pick it up to see what the big deal is and what they have been missing.

But seriously, Studio Xebec should not be allowed to touch another Ken Akamatsu title with a ten foot pole.

Individual Rating: Art 10; Story 8; Characters 9