So at the start of this blog and on the about me page i mentioned my love for Mystery bags or blind bags and subscription boxes and i've been super lucky and will have a lot of unboxings to do in the month of march.
We decided last month to subscribe to a Japanese snack box as they are really really expensive to buy where we stay and even then they are hard to get. So this month we ordered oyatsu box which at £16.34 for 8-14 items including a small toy was a good buy and should be here towards end of march.
So i will do an unboxing video for them on my youtube channel and i'll post a short description of the contents here on my blog too with some pics.
However i'm feeling like the luckiest girl in the world as my wonderful fiance bought me a whole bunch of boxes as a gift this month so I'll also be doing the following boxes : nerdblock, nerdblock jr (the girls version), chick crate, and zbox from zavvi.
I also already subscribe to glossy box so i may or may not include that on here too (let me know if you think i should).
Phew hopefully they aren't too annoying or long and you enjoy them. I know that unboxings are becoming more common and not everyone likes them. However i genuinely love watching them on youtube i don't know why but unboxing videos are kind of the only reality tv i watch (can you call them that?).
I just think that subscription boxes can be quite expensive and with so many available now it can be hard to choose so i like to get a feel for what i'm spending my money on before i splurge and they really do help - well i think they do anyway.
So i just wanted to give you a heads up and if there are any boxes you can recommend that ship to the UK or any you'd like to see me do then let me know in the comments and i'll see what i can do for you.
*********** All the boxes that i post on here will have been paid for by myself or gifted to me by family. If i should ever recieve something as a goodwill gesture from a company or any other affiliation i will always be honest about that. I can't stand fake blog reviews where people claim boxes are great value when they just aren't or the items are awful and so i promise to always be honest, like, love or loathe.
Saturday, 28 February 2015
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Crunchyroll roll of the dice!
So i don't know how many of you subscribe to Crunchyroll, but I've been a member for nearly a year now and yesterday i noticed for the first time that they installed a new button! It's a dice icon at the top of the screen beside the link to your watchlist. When you click the dice it takes you to a random video - either the first in a series you've never seen or the next in one you're currently watching.
I think it's a great idea!! with so many anime out it's all to easy to stick to what you know and miss something epic along the way. So with the spirit of adventure in mind, i did it! i rolled the dice not once, not twice but three times and watched three anime that i had never considered before. So i thought I'd share with you whether it was time well spent or time i could have been wasting somewhere else.
So the first roll of the dice led me to the first episode of 'Kano Aozora ni Yakusoku wo' (The promise made over the blue sky).
Now I'll admit i went into watching this anime with the feeling that i wouldn't like it (that's not to say i wasn't hoping to have it change my mind!). The show was made in 2007 and is based on an adult visual novel where the male character gets to know the harem of female leads and eventually picks one to date etc. Though the series lacks some of the adult content of the game it does contain a lot of ecchi and eroge moments.
My initial response was that the animation lacked anything new or exciting, the first episode is very slow moving and although it is a slice of life show it just doesn't have any real drama or at least nothing complicated. The main characters live on an island that will be evacuated in one year and the friends will have to part as such a new transfer student refuses to get to make friends in case she is hurt when the move happens. The male protagonist 'Wataru' spends the season trying to change her mind whilst weaving romantic entanglements with all the female characters.
It's not a bad anime as such, it just doesn't engage the viewer, the characters are typical for a visual novel and cover your usual spectrum from shy to tsundere but none of them are memorable. Sorry it just wasn't for me and i won't see anymore of it. To sum up it's one to skip unless ecchi really floats your boat and then i would suggest fast forwarding to the best bits. 1/5
The second roll of the dice took me to a show I'd seen mentioned all over the place but not got round to trying.
It's called Free! Iwatobi swim club.
Again i wasn't over excited at the selection and was tempted to dismiss it as half an hour of bishonen eye candy. However i was impressed by the opening sequence and a catchy tune and some good graphics always give me the feeling that things will go well.
The show was out in 2013 and is directed by Hiroko Utsumi (who also worked on Clannad and K-on). Though a slice of life show about a swim club doesn't sound like a gripping idea for an anime somehow it does work. There are two things that help it pull away from being another moe anime, the first is the animation - some of the underwater shots are both mesmerising and beautiful, secondly the soundtrack - full of fast paced rock and pop. The first episode is well paced and the intrigue of the background story of the club and it's members helps to move it along. The way in which the race scenes are handled really help with the whole vibe - with music and snazzy graphics helping to make them exciting to watch.
Will i watch it again? I'm not sure, yes it's cute, a bit intriguing and visually appealing but I'm not sure it has enough substance to keep my attention. I think I'll reserve judgement till I've watched a couple more episodes so for now I'll say give it a chance and see what you think. 3/5
Lastly we get to a wtf moment in crunchyroll viewing!! my last roll took me to a show that i had never heard of and well..... judge for yourself!
It's called Bottom biting bug.
Each episode lasts only five minutes and the show was made in 2013. Shockingly! the anime is directed by Kojima, Mosayuki (who made 'monster' and 'black bullet'). It is based upon a children's song called 'Oshiri Kajiri Mushi' that made it to the top ten in Japan back in 2007. The anime is about a family of insects that set up a shop for biting people in the bum. The show has a basic animation style and is aimed at young children. I can only assume that the biting people in the bum is the equivalent of what we term 'giving people a kick in the backside' to get them moving. I definitely think you should watch it if anything simply to remind ourselves that their is anime outside of the moe influx of late. As for a rating i have no idea where to start - fine for five minutes but would i watch more? probably not.
What do you think of the above animes? are they something you would watch? did i get it wrong in my verdict? will you check any of them out? Let me know in the comments or drop me a line. Remember you can find my page on facebook or twitter via the links on the right.
I think it's a great idea!! with so many anime out it's all to easy to stick to what you know and miss something epic along the way. So with the spirit of adventure in mind, i did it! i rolled the dice not once, not twice but three times and watched three anime that i had never considered before. So i thought I'd share with you whether it was time well spent or time i could have been wasting somewhere else.
So the first roll of the dice led me to the first episode of 'Kano Aozora ni Yakusoku wo' (The promise made over the blue sky).
Now I'll admit i went into watching this anime with the feeling that i wouldn't like it (that's not to say i wasn't hoping to have it change my mind!). The show was made in 2007 and is based on an adult visual novel where the male character gets to know the harem of female leads and eventually picks one to date etc. Though the series lacks some of the adult content of the game it does contain a lot of ecchi and eroge moments.
My initial response was that the animation lacked anything new or exciting, the first episode is very slow moving and although it is a slice of life show it just doesn't have any real drama or at least nothing complicated. The main characters live on an island that will be evacuated in one year and the friends will have to part as such a new transfer student refuses to get to make friends in case she is hurt when the move happens. The male protagonist 'Wataru' spends the season trying to change her mind whilst weaving romantic entanglements with all the female characters.
It's not a bad anime as such, it just doesn't engage the viewer, the characters are typical for a visual novel and cover your usual spectrum from shy to tsundere but none of them are memorable. Sorry it just wasn't for me and i won't see anymore of it. To sum up it's one to skip unless ecchi really floats your boat and then i would suggest fast forwarding to the best bits. 1/5
The second roll of the dice took me to a show I'd seen mentioned all over the place but not got round to trying.
It's called Free! Iwatobi swim club.
The show was out in 2013 and is directed by Hiroko Utsumi (who also worked on Clannad and K-on). Though a slice of life show about a swim club doesn't sound like a gripping idea for an anime somehow it does work. There are two things that help it pull away from being another moe anime, the first is the animation - some of the underwater shots are both mesmerising and beautiful, secondly the soundtrack - full of fast paced rock and pop. The first episode is well paced and the intrigue of the background story of the club and it's members helps to move it along. The way in which the race scenes are handled really help with the whole vibe - with music and snazzy graphics helping to make them exciting to watch.
Will i watch it again? I'm not sure, yes it's cute, a bit intriguing and visually appealing but I'm not sure it has enough substance to keep my attention. I think I'll reserve judgement till I've watched a couple more episodes so for now I'll say give it a chance and see what you think. 3/5
Lastly we get to a wtf moment in crunchyroll viewing!! my last roll took me to a show that i had never heard of and well..... judge for yourself!
It's called Bottom biting bug.
What do you think of the above animes? are they something you would watch? did i get it wrong in my verdict? will you check any of them out? Let me know in the comments or drop me a line. Remember you can find my page on facebook or twitter via the links on the right.
Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Hana yori dango - new manga news!
Turns out i may be psychic after all!!!
Just three days after i started reminiscing about Hana yori dango (boys over flowers), it turns out that 12 years since the original ended, they are releasing a new sequel!!!
The manga will be titled ( rather longly) 'Hana Nochi Hare-Hanaden Next Season' ('sunshine after flowers-flower boys next season').
The manga is set two years after the original group graduated, nothing else has been said with regards to plot but they have released a picture of the new manga.
Just three days after i started reminiscing about Hana yori dango (boys over flowers), it turns out that 12 years since the original ended, they are releasing a new sequel!!!
The manga will be titled ( rather longly) 'Hana Nochi Hare-Hanaden Next Season' ('sunshine after flowers-flower boys next season').
The manga is set two years after the original group graduated, nothing else has been said with regards to plot but they have released a picture of the new manga.
The new manga will be released on the 15th of February, published by Shueisha through their Shonen Jump + app, it will also be available through viz media for those in north america under the name 'boys over flowers 2'.
To say i'm excited is a huge understatement, hopefully the new series will contain some of the old elements without rehashing too much of the original storyline. It's a thin line but if anyone can do it, i'm sure Yoko Kamio can!
Saturday, 14 February 2015
Anime from the archive - Boys over flowers
Some friends and i were exchanging funny you tube videos the other night and one of the videos was of an American guy trying marmite for the first time and we started talking about things that can be both yum and yuck at the same time (think pain for pleasure). It got me thinking about the last time i had watched something that I both liked and hated at the same time and funnily enough it got me thinking about one of my favourite anime - Hana yori dango,
If you ever look for a list of shoujo anime, somewhere near the top you will find 'boys over flowers'. So it was with some excitement i sat down to watch the series many moons ago, but i was in for a shock. The first few episodes and many of the later episodes are hard to watch and i mean really hard!
For those unaware Hana yori dango is set at an elite high school for rich children, the main character Tsukushi Makino is sent there by her parents even though they are poor in the hope that she will marry rich and they can lead the lives they have always dreamt of. However her parents are completely unaware that the school is riddled with bullying and at the heart of the bullying are four of the richest and handsomest boys at the school. Known as the 'flower four' they entertain themselves by leaving red cards in the lockers of those who accidentally cross them, thus marking them for the school to torment.
Tsukushi gets one of these cards and some of the bullying she endures is horrific to watch, chased, beaten, attacked by boys and girls alike and tormented daily it's hard to watch. But there is an honesty in the way the bullying is portrayed.
Those who start it never have to lift a finger and those who are so desperate to never be that person on the outside blindly follow, committing the worst offences in the name of the 'flower four', even her best friend Makiko stands by too afraid to help at first, only helping her in secret. But when Tsukushi stands up to the bullies refusing to be pushed out of the school by them the culture of fear begins to crumble and when she bravely tackles the problem head on by attacking one of the 'flower four' -Tsukasa Domyouji, he begins to fall in love with her.
Thus the story becomes about one girls effort to change her surroundings i.e the school and one guys journey to be a better man and to make up for his mistakes. The manga ran for 37 volumes and although it was uncomfortable in places i'm glad i read it.
So too it seems are many fans, as the manga was so popular that not only was it turned into a 51 episode anime it also spawned not only a Japanese live action tv series that was preceded by a movie but also a live action tv series in Korea, China, Taiwan and even India!
Sometimes the anime that you start out unsure of, turns into one of the best you've seen. If you have any anime that you've started of by thinking you wouldn't enjoy it and then loved every minute let me know in the comments maybe i'll check it out too! ;-)
If you ever look for a list of shoujo anime, somewhere near the top you will find 'boys over flowers'. So it was with some excitement i sat down to watch the series many moons ago, but i was in for a shock. The first few episodes and many of the later episodes are hard to watch and i mean really hard!
For those unaware Hana yori dango is set at an elite high school for rich children, the main character Tsukushi Makino is sent there by her parents even though they are poor in the hope that she will marry rich and they can lead the lives they have always dreamt of. However her parents are completely unaware that the school is riddled with bullying and at the heart of the bullying are four of the richest and handsomest boys at the school. Known as the 'flower four' they entertain themselves by leaving red cards in the lockers of those who accidentally cross them, thus marking them for the school to torment.
Tsukushi gets one of these cards and some of the bullying she endures is horrific to watch, chased, beaten, attacked by boys and girls alike and tormented daily it's hard to watch. But there is an honesty in the way the bullying is portrayed.
Those who start it never have to lift a finger and those who are so desperate to never be that person on the outside blindly follow, committing the worst offences in the name of the 'flower four', even her best friend Makiko stands by too afraid to help at first, only helping her in secret. But when Tsukushi stands up to the bullies refusing to be pushed out of the school by them the culture of fear begins to crumble and when she bravely tackles the problem head on by attacking one of the 'flower four' -Tsukasa Domyouji, he begins to fall in love with her.
Thus the story becomes about one girls effort to change her surroundings i.e the school and one guys journey to be a better man and to make up for his mistakes. The manga ran for 37 volumes and although it was uncomfortable in places i'm glad i read it.
So too it seems are many fans, as the manga was so popular that not only was it turned into a 51 episode anime it also spawned not only a Japanese live action tv series that was preceded by a movie but also a live action tv series in Korea, China, Taiwan and even India!
Sometimes the anime that you start out unsure of, turns into one of the best you've seen. If you have any anime that you've started of by thinking you wouldn't enjoy it and then loved every minute let me know in the comments maybe i'll check it out too! ;-)
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