We’re proud to present an exclusive interview by email with Japanese pop-star May’n! It’s a short but sweet look into her current anime, the process of recording, and what kind of music she likes. Enjoy!

Anime Diet: What kind of impression did the American fans at AX 2010 make on you, and how do they compare to Japanese fans?

May’n: I was really glad that they expressed their emotions so directly, even during the songs. Live shows are always unpredictable, but I heard lots of “Woooow!!” and “Kyaaaa” when I sang in a different way from the CD. This doesn’t really happen in Japan, so I got excited!

Anime Diet: How do you think you have evolved musically since you began singing for “Macross Frontier”?

May’n: The number one thing that’s changed is my ability to use a high-tone voice. Yoko Kanno brought out more and more of the range that I thought was impossible for me.

Anime Diet: Is there any style of music that you’d like to try in the future?

May’n: I’m thinking a lot about the rock genre. I think it’s the genre where my style, my voice quality will have an advantage. I want to continue to sing rock, but I want to search for “May’n’s Rock” where I can include some R&B and soul, too.

Anime Diet: You have been involved in songs for many anime series. What anime are you watching now, and what are some of your favorites?

May’n: Recently I watched Guilty Crown. I loved its impressive imagery. And the music by Supercell was “saikou!” I became a big fan of Accel World, for which I sing the new OP starting in April. It has excitement and heartbreak, too. It’s going to be the most awesome anime for sure!!

Anime Diet: What kind of music are you listening to now?

May’n: I listen to many genres: Idol songs, R&B, Rock, etc. My recent favorites are Jason Derulo, David Guetta, and Livetune!

Anime Diet: Which non-Japanese musicians have inspired or influenced you?

May’n: I look up to Madonna and Janet Jackson. Their style is always perfect and their performances are really wonderful. I got to see Madonna’s Japan concert once. She was really a true entertainer.

Anime Diet: Was the new album, “HEAT,” composed with an international audience in mind? What aspects of the album do you think might appeal to a non-Japanese audience?

May’n: It’s filled with the heat I received from all of the fans in Japan & overseas at my previous lives. There’s lots of variety, like rock, dance, and ballads, too.  Please listen to it! I’m sure you’ll want to come to the live shows!! (*laughs)

Anime Diet: What were the most challenging and the most fulfilling moments during the making of “HEAT”?

May’n: The challenge was health management, because the schedule was tight. But I kept my throat strong so that I could sing every day. As a result, I was able to give my best during the whole recording process. I felt really good as I finished each track, so I’m really proud of the album. I think it’s my best one yet.

For more May’n coverage, check out:

Our review of her new album, Heat:

Our previous video interview with her at AX 2010:

Concert footage from her concert at AX 2010:

Anime Diet

Good night, sweet prince and last son of Altair…

Damn you, Mykage. DAMN YOU!!!

I actually cried to this episode. I thought I would be immune to Okada already, but it looks like tossing in Kawamori as well made for a lethal combination that hit right at where it counted. Aahhh, I certainly hope Mykage gets his just desserts at the end of this series.

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Kurogane’s Anime Blog

Don't touch me!

Koneko-chan, ahh, I dearly miss her! Too bad Highschool DxD ended. One cours was too short!

Which girl is cuter? Asia or Koneko? Asia is a Christian sister, formerly a nun, but resurrected as a demon. Koneko is a demon, originally Nekomata, a feline yokai turned into a loli. Both of them are moetically cute, but I love a loli-akuma more! Yes, she’s a kuudere (cool dere), like tsundere, yandere. She’s cool, quiet, calm, reserved, but sharp.

Yeah, one time Issei tries to give a pat on Koneko’s back, but Koneko backs off, and says, “触れないで下さい。(Furenaide-kudasai. Don’t touch me.)” Yes, in Latin, Noli Me Tangere. In Spanish, ¡No me toques! Yes, “Don’t touch me. Don’t approach me. Don’t hold on to me. Don’t cling to me.” In short, “Don’t you get near me, you pervert!”

Yes, girls act like they’re untouchable, what’s worse, sacred and inviolable as if they are Christs, or if not Christ, then some kind of divine being closer to God. So, I can never have skinship with girls like Mary Magdalene couldn’t with Jesus. Saudade… Now I understand how Mary Magdalene felt. So I sing Magalenha (“Magdalene” in Brazilian) for rejected souls! Don’t they know a pervert is actually a gentleman?

In turn, 2D girls are already unskinshipable from the beginning. So, for sure 2D girls are goddesses! So yes, Koneko-chan is kami! Koneko-chan is truly divine!

I really liked her tsukkomi role in this anime. She’s a good tsukkomi to Issei’s boke. And yes, she does a tsukkomi to Issei with a lobster instead of a harisen! LOL. That comedy was really good. Warai no tsubo (taste in humor) totally hit the spot of mine.

But, DxD didn’t feature Koneko in the final episode since Koneko was already defeated in the 10th episode. I was so sad. It got serious and boring too. I wish DxD stayed comical until the end. Otherwise, it would have been the best comedy anime of this season.

Koneko-chan, peropero (lick)!

Perori (lick)!

Anime Diet

Written by: Fencedude at Sea Slugs! Anime Blog

She shall descend as avatar, to bring hope in the darkest hour

Summary:

Hibiki, Tsubasa, Miku and the others watch in horror as Kurisu tries to stop Ka Dingle’s beam, as her body falls to Earth, Hibiki lets loose a soul shattering scream. Ryouko takes this opportunity to mock Kurisu’s dreams a bit, which along with her grief causes Hibiki to go berserk and mindlessly attack Ryouko. Hibiki, caught in the grasp of the fragments of Gungnir that have fused with her body, is deaf to Tsubasa’s words. Ryouko fights Hibiki, and even seemingly gets injured badly, causing Hibiki to turn her attention to Tsubasa. In the shelter, Yumi starts to panic over what is happening, but Miku says she believes in Hibiki. Hibiki is overwhelming Tsubasa, and Ryouko regenerates from being sliced nearly in half, regeneration abilities she gained from Nehushtan. Ka Dingle prepares to fire once again, Tsubasa tells Hibiki that she will stop it from firing again. She takes a blow from Hibiki and uses her Shadestitcher to hold Hibiki in place. Tsubasa attacks Ryouko, then attempts to leap to the top of Ka Dingle. Ryouko stops her, but a brief visit from Kanade gives Tsubasa the will to try again, she makes it to the top of Ka Dingle and destroys the tower with a massive blast of power. Tsubasa’s sacrifice snaps Hibiki out of her berserk state, but she also detransforms and seemingly loses the will to fight.

Hey, you aren't dead yet. We can have plenty of naked time then.

Ryouko, having had her plans thwarted, goes on a rant about how everything should have gone, and takes the opportunity to beat up on a nearly catatonic Hibiki for a while. In the shelter area, Yumi is still panicking, but is finally calmed down a bit by Miku. Hibiki lies nearly unconscious, thinking about everything and everyone she’s lost, and tries to remember what her purpose was. Ogawa arrives with some more refugees, including the girl Hibiki saved in episode 1. The girl wants to know if there is any way they can help Hibiki, or at least cheer for her. One of the techs says that if they get the school’s server up and running again, they can use the PA system to talk to Hibiki. Ryouko continues to go on about how she tried to reach god, Hibiki is very unimpressed, which inspires Ryouko to beat her up some more. In the ruins of the school, the passage to the server room is blocked except for a small hole, Yumi says that she’ll go in and turn it back on, if this were anime, it would be time for the small bodied person to show their worth. Yumi, Miku and the others go in and start up the server, and then the four of them and the other Lydian students begin singing the school song. The song reaches out to where Hibiki and Ryouko are. As Ryouko tries to figure out what the sound she is hearing is, Hibiki remembers that her friends are always right by her singing for her, and that she can sing for them, and fight for them.

I did it! I flipped a switch!

Hibiki stands up, wrapped in a power Ryouko cannot understand. From the ruins of Ka Dingle and deep in the forest where Kurisu’s body landed, bursts of power erupt. Clad in white,  Tsubasa, Kurisu and Hibiki take to the skies…

Impressions:

Hibiki the Great

Where to even start? I thought I knew where this episode was going, and for 90% of it, it was pretty much spot on. Berserker Hibiki, Tsubasa sacrificing herself to take out Ka Dingle, Ryouko’s nutty ranting, Hibiki going catatonic, even Miku and the others singing the school song to bring Hibiki back, all fairly predictable. I however did not expect the song to so inspire Hibiki that she would not only power up, but that Kurisu and Tsubasa, who were I guess not actually dead, would also power up into brand new super modes. That was pretty awesome and unexpected. This is a surprisingly hopeful way to end this episode, especially considering what we saw at the beginning of episode 1, which is starting to look like it may not be quite what we thought it was.

Cut to the quick.

For all that was going on, I don’t have much else to comment on. Oh, Anime-chan, whom I now can remember as Yumi, continues to vie with Ryouko for the most epic facial expressions, she was a laugh basically every moment she was on screen. Her little mini character arc over these last two episodes was pretty well handled as well, for what it was. Also a pretty hilariously meta commentary on the entire show. Ryouko had a few good meta moments as well, most notably her line to Hibiki about “Are you questioning my motivations!?” Yes Ryouko, we are definitely questioning your motivations. It was good to see her acknowledge that blowing up the moon would also cause a rather noticeable gravitic disruption, and she even included that in her plan, though the step between “Blow up the moon” and “Take over the world” remains maddeningly vague. Though it is a moot point now, I guess.

Beauty and the Beast

I was not expecting the girl from episode 1 to return, but it was nice to see her again, and it brings things around full circle. Hibiki saved her at the beginning of the show, and she provided the inspiration for how to save Hibiki here. I was also amused by how her mother apparently took the secrecy order very seriously, and wouldn’t break it even in this situation. Anyway, can’t wait for the conclusion next week, when Madokami’s newest disciples decide its time to kick ass and take names. Hopefully things will end on a more positive note than we previously expected.

Poor Miku, bottoms for everyone.

©2012 Sea Slugs! Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Sea Slugs! Anime Blog

This week, the theme is unbridled optimism in the face of adversity, so who better to have on as a guest than veteran anime fan and Corn Pone Flicks personality Joe Vecchio. Daryl reviews Studio 4C’s 2004 theatrical film Mind Game, Gerald weighs in with his thoughts on Vertical Inc’s release of the Osamu Tezuka manga Ode to Kirihito, and Clarissa feels all warm and fuzzy inside as she shares with us her thoughts on ADV’s manga release of Yotsuba&! Visit www.animeworldorder.com for full show notes and supplemental links.

Anime World Order Podcast

FYUNERU END BEST END.

Man, I find it hilarious the robot helper gets like the best ending of the cast. A wife and three kids? Damn man, damn.

I’m just glad the ending was done quite conclusively, wrapping up most of the loose ends. Sure, the death toll was probably lower than I liked, but ah well, it was a pretty crazy world filled with crazy people. Some people deserve second chances. Even if it’s going to be a life of normalcy and foreveraloneliness.

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Kurogane’s Anime Blog

I am still resolving my thoughts. Not only because this is a rather interesting episode but also due to the restraints placed upon my writing in order to not spoil anything.

But before we get to the juicy part, please allow me a quick discourse on the taste of defeat. It seems unfair. It is unfair. I am confident that many readers have competed or still compete in some fashion. The runner up didn’t lose because s/he didn’t work any harder. There’s something intrinsic about talent that no amount of work could match. How does one reconcile that? It could make the most fierce competitor boil with anger and cry with despair. Yet I feel this is an integral part of the human condition. Like death, taxes and Gundam, defeat is inevitable at some point. To never experience defeat is to not have lived?

Change is another human experience. One of the characters undergoes a dramatic change. The motive of which remains ambiguous and perplexing. While the change reinforces an aspect of the character established previously, the significance is lost given the insignificance of such a minor detail. Then, before we can decipher the confusion, the character confounds us by revealing his/her ignorance of the change. (To be crystal clear, said change cannot be missed.) If this is a demonstration to add depth to the character, it is extreme and unbelievable even by Galaxy Angels’ standards. Not to mention we’re treated to flashbacks of the character in question.

The change reminds me of a recurring theme early in the show when Chihaya had to fight her sister for their parent’s attention. To elaborate further may risk spoilers so just go watch it and let me know what you think!

Anime Diet

Written by: Leenina at Sea Slugs! Anime Blog

Yuu's sweet new ink

Summary:

Saya laments her inability to control Black Gold Saw, while schoolgirl Yuu decides to communicate with Mato and remind her that she is a separate entity from Black Rock Shooter. During a grueling battle with the other dimension’s Yuu, Mato realizes the difference between her and her alter ego, reminding herself that she doesn’t let sorrow or grief hold her back. BRS is fueled by her desire to help others overcome their suffering, rather than by her own negative feelings. Suddenly, the alternate Yuu begins shouting and reveals that the Yuu who Mato knew was actually Strength, the alter ego who should have been fighting. Yuu swapped bodies with Strength after being unable to cope with the difficulties of the world she inhabited, and has since been living in the other dimension.

Meanwhile, Yomi finds herself forgetting her troubles until her teacher announces that Mato is missing, leaving her with an unexplainable feeling of sadness. Strength tells the story of Yuu’s incomparable misery, while Saya urges Strength to help Yuu and save the other dimension, as it is Yuu’s only haven. Yomi suddenly remembers everything that Mato did for her, and their friendship, as her alter ego in the other dimension begins to come back to life.

Reaction:

The Good Times Are Killing Me

I’ve got to hand it to Shinobu Yoshioka, the director, for making some nice choices this episode. Jumping around, sort of skipping frames during the scene where Yuu (the original) introduces herself upped the insanity factor. She came across as a total wackjob, looking extra creepy, with the director’s touches making no small difference. Yoshioka uses this same effect during the ‘interview’ scenes near the middle of the episode, yet he manages to create an entirely different mood. The guy knows what he’s doing, but I feel like he’s just now hit his groove and is churning out some quality stuff. The constantly shifting battleground where Yuu and BRS fight? Awesome.

And with the real Yuu encased in Strength’s body, that character’s entire role is turned on its head. So the Yuu Mato was apparently best friends with was a figment of her imagination, something Strength cooked up in order to keep her secret (immortality from the body swap) under wraps? Mato and Strength’s relationship after the fact is something I’d love for them to explore, but with an episode left I’m thinking we won’t get around to it. Things are also looking pretty grim for Saya; a Happy End is not in her future. I can’t see how BRS chopping Yuu’s head off will actually affect things, but either Yuu forgets everything, or she stays in the other dimension, or she learns that she has to face her problems or something and returns. That third option doesn’t seem too likely, considering she’s totally off her rocker. I’m thinking BRS will take her out, and then Saya will be left with an essentially amnesiac Yuu to take care of. Not exactly ideal, but we’ll see how it goes.

©2012 Sea Slugs! Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Sea Slugs! Anime Blog

Daryl reviews the books The Push Man and Other Stories and also Abandon the Old in Tokyo, Clarissa reviews the recent anime series Black Lagoon, and Gerald reviews Voltes V. The books contain dead babies, they probably shoot babies in Black Lagoon, and women are repulsed enough by 70s super robot anime such as Voltes V that they miscarry. Visit www.animeworldorder.com for full show notes and details.

Anime World Order Podcast

Justice would be giving Raika-san her own spinoff. Right, guys?

©2012 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Kurogane’s Anime Blog