Caffeinated Dreams

It has been too long since I could get excited over an anime. The last ones were Fullmetal Alchemist and BECK, which were quite some time ago. The past few seasons have sucked. Mai Hime? Give me a break. Victorian Romance Emma? It isn’t bad, but not something I got into and thus didn’t enjoy. Speed Grapher? Yeah, it was one of the rare shows I enjoyed the past few seasons, but never finished it. Eureka 7? Awesome show, except yet again I didn’t keep up with it because I just forgot.

Yeah, you could say my attitude toward anime has changed over the years. I’ve been a fan since I was a child, and mostly didn’t care (not blindly enjoying it, mind you) if it sucked. I would finish through. Now, however, if it fails at keeping my attention for too long I just give up. The only case that this didn’t hold true for me was Mai Hime. People swore it got better; it became more than a fanservice feast with girls suddenly gaining super powers. They were wrong, I still hated it. Anyone who tells me “keep watching, it gets better!” immediatley gets written off, and I don’t even bother. Every single time I follow the advice they have been proved wrong in my eyes.

I’ve rambled too much about the recent anime seasons. Paradise Kiss just recently began airing. I am a huge fan of the manga, and anything Ai Yazawa really. Her work never ceases to amaze me.

Madhouse picked up the rights to make the anime, and have a nice big budget behind it. The catchy British band Franz Ferdinand does the ending music. The opening is a catchy 80’s-glam song done by a Japanese band called Tommy february6, and their CD with the OP is coming out in November! The animation is nothing short of fucking amazing as expected from Madhouse, especially since it is an Ai Yazawa work. The manga was beautifully drawn, and Madhouse did an excellent job complimenting it. The manga to anime transistion was as close to perfect as it can be.

Yes, it’s about fashion, but that isn’t the focal point of the manga. Since this is pratically perfect compared to the manga thus far, I expect it to roll out the same. If the fashion part turns you off, ignore it. There is much, much more than just fashion.

Well… I have one gripe. Why the fuck does Isabella have a girls voice?!