Book of the Day

The Housekeeper and the Professor

          If you are looking for a short read, something light and heartwarming, then this is the right book for you. The housekeeper and the Professor is a Japanese contemporary novel, in which the events are narrated by the housekeeper.

          The story starts with the housekeeper employment at the place of a 64-year old mathematics professor with memory problems. He had an accident at the age of 47, and that's when his memories seized to stay longer than 80 minutes. He remembers everything from before the accident but nothing after would stay longer than the 80 minutes. The one thing that helped him to stay composed is his beloved mathematics. He would stay for days and weeks cracking mathematical puzzles and drawing out proofs. However, that's not all there is to the professor. The introduction of the new housekeeper and her ten year-old son to his limited life, let us witness another side of him.

         The Housekeeper and the professor is not the kind of book were you'd be expecting certain outcomes or waiting for something to happen. It has a way of drawing you into the world of the narrator. You don't follow and witness action and events throughout the book, you follow the development of a pure and humane relationship between the main characters. When there are actual families that fail to maintain ties between their members, a 64 year old with memory troubles make it to the hearts of the, completely strange housekeeper and her little son. They form a strong bond, even if one-sided, sometimes due to the professor's condition, but it's one that warms your heart. The professor's passion for mathematics seeps into you just like it does with the housekeeper. You'd start to think that the mathematics you've hated all your life can be something amusing. Also, if you're a baseball fan, then there's a plus to you with all the baseball references in the book, and if you are not, it doesn't matter. They don't play baseball here in Egypt, and my knowledge of it is pretty basic, but I enjoyed the book anyway, and I don't feel like I've missed much.

         I've always been, specifically, fascinated by novels that deal with human relationships and how noble they can be. My fascination is possibly because we lack this kind of thing in our society and the world we live in generally. The Housekeeper and the Professor gave me a taste of the small, but beautiful, world of little Root, the housekeeper and the professor. It was one of my most favorable reading experiences.    

Song of the day

It's been a while since I last posted a song, so here's another one!

Little talks

Artist: Of Monsters and Men
Album: My Head Is an Animal
Genre: Indie pop, indie folk
Release date: December, 2011
About the song: Little talks is the debut song for the Icelandic band from their debut album. It was written by band members Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson, Nanna said the song was inspired by an old house she moved into. It's about two lovers talking to each other and one of them is dead.
Yesterday when I was at the bookstore, the song was playing and I instantly recognized it. I really can't remember how I know the song and have been racking my brain and still can't remember. But anyway I'm glad I know it cause it's a great one, makes you feel energetic :D
Music video: The music video was released on Youtube  on February, 2012. It tells a tale of sky sailors who meet a strange, yet beautiful, female creatures who journeys with them defeating enemies that block their way. I find the video interesting and different, I like bands who go for different and unique ideas in their music videos.

Recognition: The song has topped the charts in the UK ranking 12th on the list and re-entering in 2013.It has also reached number 20 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The music video was nominated for best art direction in a video in the 2012 MTV awards. 

The 2014 Fall Season II

           As promised in the previous "2014 Fall Season" post, this time I'll be writing about three new TV series that started this season. I'll review the progress they've made so far, and say what I thought of each. The three TV series are: Forever, Gotham and The Flash. So, let's go!

TV Series: Forever

Network: ABC

Genre: Crime, Drama, Sci-fi

              So, Forever was the very first one I checked out. I decided to watch Forever, initially, for two reasons: Ioan Gruffudd and the idea. It might not be very original, but it's interesting and new for that kind of setting, I guess. So, what is it about? Dr. Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd) is a medical examiner who works at the New York City morgue. The place has quite the collection of various dead bodies and that's what he's looking for. He calls himself the student of death and why is that? That's because he's immortal. Henry Morgan was killed 200 years ago. When he dies he disappears immediately and then turns out in a near water body alive! Henry is studying the dead to find a way to stop his curse. Since Henry has lived for long, he has gained a good deal of experience in almost everything. That comes to use when he helps detective Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza) with a case in which he was a suspect himself, and that's when they become work partners.

             I've watched seven episodes of the show now, and so far, I'm liking it. Some people say it's like a show called Highlander, but since I didn't watch Highlander I can't confirm that. However, I might say it reminded me a bit of Castle at first, because of the female homicide detective and the male partner, except that Henry is the one who solve the cases here. He' no amateur like Richard. Also, Henry's outstanding deduction abilities and attitude when investigating, is a lot like Sherlock Holmes. You might think this makes the show kind of unoriginal, but I found it enjoyable so far. However, I think why I found it enjoyable is because of the characters and Abe! I am not going to say who Abe is, find out by yourselves, but he's awesome!  Throughout the show we keep getting Flash backs from Henry about his past life, which makes you understand more things about him.

           To sum up, Forever is a crime drama with a Sci-Fi basic idea that makes the show different from other Crime dramas, and with light enjoyable Humor. I suggest you give it a try!

TV Series: The Flash

Network: The CW

Genre: Superhero – Action – Drama – Sci-fi

              The Flash is based on the DC comic character "The Flash". It's a spin-off from the on-running TV Series, in its third season, Arrow. They both exist in the same universe. So, if you're a fan of Arrow, as well, you'll enjoy the crossovers.

               The Flash is your typical Superhero fiction. If you like the genre, then you'll find this one no different. The main Character Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) is an assistant police forsenic investigator. One night, he's hit by lightning from a thunderstorm caused by an accident with the S.T.A.R. Labs accelerator. He goes into coma for nine months, then he wakes up to find out he's acquired super-human speed. Together with Cisco, Caitlin and Dr. Wells from S.T.A.R. Labs, he works on getting used to his newly acquired power, and how to use it for the good of the people in central city. 

                Barry Allen had a rather disturbing experience as a child, when his mother was murdered by a man in a ball of lightening. His father was accused of the murder and sent to prison. It has been Barry's obsession since that to research paranormal incidents and cold cases that makes him into the nerd he's now. Barry is taken care of by their neighbor and his boss, now, detective Joe West. Joe West is like a father to Barry and his daughter Iris is Barry's best friend, on whom, of course, he's having a one-sided crush.

                As, I said before, The Flash is your typical Superhero TV show. That makes it kind of predictable. However, it's fairly enjoyable, and if you're not familiar with the comics then you have many things to look forward to.

TV Series: Gotham

Network: Fox

Genre: Action – Crime – Drama – Thriller

              Everyone was hyped about Gotham when they heard about it kicking off this season. Many of them were let down when they started to watch it, and that's because there was not batman. However, since I've read the idea of the series before I watch it, I kind of knew not to expect, and I was not let down.

              Gotham is based on characters from the Batman franchise, however the main character is Detective James Gordon and not Bruce Wayne. The events of the TV series take place in the time before the rise of Batman. It starts with the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Detective Gordon meets the shocked little Bruce in the crime scene and promises him to find the murderer. However, detective Gordon, who was a new recruit himself, was not aware of the fact that Gotham is entirely corrupted. Gordon is partner with detective Harvey Bullock who surrendered to the system. He tries to convince the resisting Gordon to adapt to the ways of Gotham.

              Gordon learns that Gotham is actually run by the underworld. There's Carmine Falcone and his subordinates to whom belongs Fish Mooney who aims higher than being just a subordinate. On the other side, there's Sal Maroni and his crime family. Due to the corrupted world of Gotham, many of our famous Batman villains, start to show up like Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin), Selina Kyle (Cat woman), Edward Nygma (The Riddler) and many others of our well known villains. Gordon has to run into all these figures and criminals. He's in the dilemma of saving the drowning Gotham and facing the system or choosing his own, and his girlfriend's safety, and keeping his job. Gordon tries to stand by his values in this corrupted city. That's why little Bruce Wayne trusts him with saving Gotham.  

              Between the three shows I've talked about in this post, I think Gotham is the most interesting. It's very interesting to see how the twisted Batman franchise villains started, seeing the world that led to the rise of batman. It's, also, interesting to see how a cop who has to go by the rules dealt with those psychos and that world run by criminals. It's interesting to see little Bruce Wayne and how he developed into the Batman. I like the setting, the atmosphere perfectly suits it. The costumes are perfect! The soundtrack suits the atmosphere, it's so good that I've actually noticed it, and last but not least, the CAST! The cast for this show is perfect! Know the nature of James Gordon character, I thought I wouldn't like him that much; he'd be boring, but I actually liked him! Robin Lord taylor, the actor playing Penguin is Penguin! He's so perfect! Jada Smith's Fish Mooney is so good! I like little Bruce Wayne too, David Mazooz is doing a good job. Harvey Bollocks, Nygma (who's not the The Riddler yet), everyone is so perfect. I've got only two takes on it, Alfred Pennyworth doesn't feel so Alfred. That can be Michael Caine's fault, though; and Barbara Kean, I hate her so much, no idea why. It might be the character and not the actress that I dislike so much. However, thankfully, she doesn't show up too much.

           That was all for today. I hope you find this helpful, if you're considering watching any of these TV Series. Well the, See you! 

ديزني ايجيبشين ستايل

المصري معروف بجبروته! كلمة سمعناها كثير و بتعبر فعلا عن جزء من الشخصية المصرية. و ده بيخلي المصريين بيحبوا يحطوا الtouch بتاعهم في كل حاجة.

و على رأي الست نانسي عجرم"بخفة دمه مصري" و ده يثبت ان سمعتنا سابقانا من زمان. الموضوع اللي هتكلم عنه انهاردة بجمع بين النقطتين دول.

على مر السنين و احنا بنكبر شفت افلام كارتون كثير معظمها كان مدبلج لغة عربية فصحى بس الحمد لله شاءت الأقدار اني احظى بكام كارتون مدبلجين للعامية المصرية و بصراحة مش قادرة اتخيل العالم كان هيبقى ازاي من غيرهم! مش عشان أنا مصرية, عشان اللهجة العامية خلتهم أفضل 10 مرات بالنسبة لي.

لو مش مقتنع بكلامي فضّي شوية من وقتك و اتفرج على الأمثلة دي و اوعدك مش هتندم ;)

1. تيمون و بومبا

من أوائل الحاجات اللي شفتها مدبلجة بالمصري. كان مسلسل استمر 85 حلقة بصوت محمد هنيدي و علاء مرسي و ناصر شاهين في دور(تيمون) و سامي صلاح وزايد فؤاد في دور (بومبا). مش محتاجة اتكلم عن المسلسل كثير لأنه اسطورة للأطفال المصريين فباختصار هو مسلسل يتابع مغامرات تيمون الكسول الأناني و صديقه بومبا الطيب النشيط و بيعلم دروس تربوية بطريقة بسيطة جدا لكن الأهم من كده هو الأسلوب الكوميدي اللي يهلك من الضحك.

مين ينسى "هاكونا ماتاتا" أو حلقة الصديق الصدوق. من الآخر اللي ماشافش تيمون و بومبا بالمصري يبقى فاته نص عمره.

2. الأسد الملك Lion King

الموطن الأصلي لتيمون و بومبا, و هما السبب في ان سيمبا بقى سيمبا D: غير بقى تيمون و بومبا عندك سيمبا و زازو و سكار اللي عملهم هشام نور و عادل خلف و عبد الرحمن ابو زهرة. كمان الأغاني متحولة عربي و اتحداك لو مضحكتش و انت بتسمعهم الكلمات متشقلبة و متفصلة على المصريين. احيي و بشدة الشخص اللي كتبهم.

من أشهر لقطات الفيلم اللي اتعمل عليها مليون افيه لقطة موفاسا و هو بيشرح لسيمبا حدود المملكة و طبعا مشهد وفاة موفاسا "الذي ابكى ملايين المصريين" ;)

  3. طرزان

من افلامي المفضلة على الاطلاق! لسة بتفرج عليه حتى يومنا هذا D: في وجهة نظري الفيلم عبقري من كل النواحي و الأداء الصوتي للممثلين ميفرقش حاجة عن الانجليزي. المشاهد اللي معلّمة معايا كثييييير اوي في الفيلم ده بس اهمهم مشهد كالا و عملية انقاذ طرزان و هو طفل من الفهد "الشرير" و بعده لما بتغنيله عشان ينام !!goosebumps. أو توكة و هي بتقول لطرزان يجيب لها شعرة فيل, و أهم مشهد جاين و هي بترسم طرزان و توصفه لأبوها مسخرة!!!

الحاجة المميزة في الفيلم ده كمان هي الأغاني, مفيش اغنية مبحبهاش. من احلى الsoundtracks عامة بداية من هدهدة كالا, و اغنية علموني و حتى اغنية عالمين. 3> استمتعوا بهم من اللينك ده.

أغاني فيلم طرزان بالعربي

4. بيتر بان

"و ليه سلامنا هاااااااااااو" اغنية الهنود الحمر اللي كنا بنصرخ بها و احنا بنطنطط على الكنب و الكراسي XD الجملة التي فشل العلماء في تفسيرها و جه فيلم بيتر بان بكل بساطة يشرحها لنا ^_^ لسبب من الأسباب مكنتش فاكرة احداث الفيلم بوضوح و لذلك قررت من كام شهر اني اتفرج عليه ثاني و كنت مستمتعة كأنها أول مرة. اكثر شخصيات تحسهم مصريين فعلا هم كابتن هوك و مساعده سميع الحوار بتاعهم فظيع! و اكثر جملتين مشهورين ليهم "بيتر بان هيفرقع بره ارض الأحلام" و مشهد كابتن هوك و هو بيجري من التمساح "يا سميي ييي يييع"

و دي تجميعة لمشاهد كابتن هوك و سميع 

5. سندريلا

هي أميرة ديزني المفضلة عندي, اول مرة اتفرج على الفيلم بالدبلجة كنت في اعدادي تقريبا و اكثر حاجة علقت معايا صوت الفئران خاصة جوز و لوز و طبعا أغنية سندريلي سندريلي اللي كانت صديقتي الصدوقة في ذلك الوقت بتغنيها على طول D:

اغنية الفستان

6. شركة المرعبين المحدودة Monsters, inc

أهم ادوار محمد هنيدي من بعد تيمون هو مارد وشوشني (حتى الاسم فيه التاتش المصري D:) كان لايق جدا على الدور و معاه سامي مغاوري كشلبي سوليفان الثنائي المرح. سيناريو الفيلم فيه براعة متناهية تبدأ من تأليف مصطلح "المخوّفاتي" الى أسماء الشخصيات و شعار الشركة "يا مخوّفاتي يا منوّر حياتي". المعلومة الحلوة اللي عرفتها ان حنان ترك هي سالي و ماجد الكدواني كان منفي, حاجة مكنتش عرفاها قبل كده.

روز كانت شخصية غريبة و صوتها كان جزء من شخصيتها و ابدعت فيها ثرية ابراهيم "أنا حطّاك في دماغي و حراقبك و هفضل أراقبك"

7. علاء الدين

مع بداية اطلاق قناة mbc3 كانوا بيعرضوا مسلسل علاء الدين و مع اني كنت في ثانية أو ثالثة اعدادي كنت برجع من المرسة كل يوم اتفرج عليه عادي جدا.  كان حلو جدا و ممتع و طبعا اهم حاجة فيه الجني! مش فاكرة عنه تفاصيل كثير بس صوت علاء الدين لسة بيرن في وداني لحد انهارده كان !perfect

8. اطلانتس

الصراحة ده الفيلم الوحيد في الlist دي اللي مشفتش نسخته المدبلجة بس شفت نسخته الأصلية زمان اوي. سبب اني اخترته اني عرفت انه لما اتعرض في السينما في مصر كان فيه منه نسخ مدبلجة و كان من بطولة أحمد السقا و منى زكي. فاوعدكم قريب جدا هتفرج عليه D:

اسمعوا بس أول حتة و ركزوا هتعرفوا انه هو فعلا :) 

9. حكاية لعبة Toy Story

من أكثر افلام ديزني نجاحا على الاطلاق و بالتالي لازم يكون دبلجته باللهجة المصرية حاجة عظيمة برده D: يكفي ان يحيى الفخراني هو اللي عامل صوت وودي و معاه أحمد بدير في صوت بظ يطير. فريق العمل مليان بالأسماء الكبيرة و المؤديين الموهوبين و ده يضمنلك ان الفيلم حلو و هتتبسط.

10. الكلب بولت Bolt

كان لازم اشوف الفيلم ده بالنسختين عشان الانجليزي كان فيه John Travolta و العربي كان مسخرة بسبب شخصيات ثانوية لكن عبقرية اللي هم الثلاث حمامات, كانوا بيتكلموا مش مصري بس لكن صعيدي كمان!! تخيل كده. الفيلم حلو عامة تقدر تعتبره النسخة الكرتونية من Truman's show و بحب الأغنية بتاعته ^_^

في النهاية احب اقول ان عمري ما هاكبر على افلام ديزني و نفسي دايما الاقي النسخ المدبلجة بالمصري عشان دائما لها طابع خاص. و كbonus كده مني اتفرجوا على الحلقة دي و افهموا السحر من صانعيه ;)

Why One Piece isn't bad? V

           Mina-san! Konnichiwa! This the the fifth and final post in the series "Why One Piece isn't bad?" With those three points of today I will have finished discussing most if not all of the complaints about One Piece. I tried to be reasonable in my justifications and defense, but I can't deny, afterall, I might be a bit biased. One Piece is my favorite anime and the Straw-hats feel like family, one might get emotional XD. Beware of the SPOILERS!!

1) Lame Fights!

            Most of those who dislike One Piece have complained about that. Luffy and his goofiness detract from the seriousness of the fight. Well, I recall I read an article some time ago, in which Oda was saying why he chose the Gomu-Gomu devil fruit for Luffy. I don't remember the exact text he said but what he meant was that he wanted the reader to be relaxed even during the intense fight scenes. A comical power like Luffy's would do the job. It can be strong and funny, all the same. So, I think that's why you think the fights are silly. It was done on purpose. Apparently, Oda didn't aim for the kind of experience you were expecting. He was aiming for a different one, which I, personally, found enjoyable. Also, it's not like all the fights in One Piece, always, have the comical atmosphere. They get serious when they need to. Besides, It's, always, interesting to see Luffy's newly developed techniques. I'm no expert in fight scenes, honestly but I don’t think that I liked the figt scnes in One Piece any less than those in other high rated Shounen-battle anime. I have a little confession though, Usopp's fight are sometimes very boring that I might skip them.

2) Unmemorable Soundtracks!

              There are anime that I’d make sure to get their OST discography after I watch them and other anime that I don't even notice that they had soundtrack playing in the back ground. As for me, One Piece is from the first type. Like any other point this one is arguable too. Generally speaking, I like the One Piece OST and I think it suits it. Memorable? Yes, many of them are to me, and they remind me of certain scene and arcs. Overtaken reminds me of the crew guys heading to Arlong Park, it reminds me of many other cool scenes. To the Grand Line! Reminds me, particularly, of the earlier episodes, before they cross the Grand Line. Fight continues reminds me of Shanks in the end of Marineford. Gold and Oden reminds me of Garp and Ace's moment in the execution platform and Garp's confession T_T. There are loads of other awesome tracks like Luffy's attack, Difficult, Angry, Three Towers, Mother Sea…etc. I'll talk about One Piece music in a separate post in the future.

 3) How come these are Pirates?!

              Pirates are bad people, they don't help others, and they kill and steal. That's right, but are there no such pirates in One Piece? There are, but the straw hats are not, white beard pirates for example are not, the red hairs are not, so it's not all right to call them pirates. Let's see! Why did Luffy start a pirate crew? It was his dream since his childhood to find One Piece and be the pirate king. So, he became a pirate because that's his mean to finding one piece, he didn't opt for piracy because he wanted to steal and kill. Zoro was a pirate hunter for the money and to develop his skills, and that's it. He thought that accompanying Luffy would help him find stronger foes and on top Mihawk, that's why he followed, again not for stealing or killing. That's the case for the rest maybe except for Nami, initially. They didn't become pirates because of what comes with it. They became so because it was their only mean to get what they want.  Anyone who watches One Piece, even till before the time skip, should know that there's something fishy about the world government.  So, opposing the government is not necessarily a bad thing. If they call themselves the authority, and opposing them is a crime. Then the straw hats are criminals. So, it’s not completely unreasonable to call them pirates.

Breaking into governmental premises, assisting in the escape of wanted figures and declaring war on the government, I guess that's one form of piracy! :D

              To sum up, I'm not saying that all the previous points are completely wrong, but it's not bad to be a little bit of an open mind and flexibility. It needs patience.

One piece is along running anime/manga If you watch let's say the first 2 sagas, and that's 135 episodes and then accuse it of being lacking in development, it would be like watching a 25-episode anime and judging it after 2 episodes. Long running anime take it slow, and are more detail oriented, if you have no patience for that, then why watch them in the first place?

This manga has been running for 15 years. I can’t help but compare it to another of my favorites "Hunter X Hunter", since they both started around the same time. One might say Hunter X Hunter is more interesting or it has less fillers or it's faster paced; but the only reason for that is because of the too many breaks. Hunter X Hunter has 340 chapter made when One Piece has 764 up this week, more than the double. You can't expect every single chapter to be packed with action. The manga is doing just fine by holding itself with no long breaks till today. One piece is a manga with a plot and main goal that gives it a sufficient space to become as long as it can get, while still providing the reader or the watcher with something interesting. I am saying that whole heartedly because I've seen anime that declined in quality, plot and lost their charm, like for example (personal opinion) Fairy tail. There are also manga that ended abruptly with manga plot holes to avoid that decline like Beelzebub. So I can be nothing but Grateful to One Piece and Eichiiro Oda. ^_^

Here's the link to all the 5 posts of the series : Why One Piece isn't bad? 

Why One Piece isn't bad? IV

              Konnichiwa! This the fourth post in the "Why One Piece isn't bad?" series. Today I'll be discussing two other points or complaints about One Piece, explaining why I thinks they are not justified. So, let's start!

1) Lack of character development!

               I don't think this is entirely true, or what was the forced disbanding in Sabaody Archipelago and Marineford for? It's true the characters's attitude is generally the same as when they made their debut, that's why I said that the claim is not "entirely" true. However, I never thought of One Piece characters as defected. I mean we have here nine main characters and there will probably be more, and each has his/her unique identitiy. They might share things but all in all they are different. Also, though many may differ with me on that, I like the female main characters in One Piece. It's very rare that I like the main female characters in anime. They are most definitely different from others. For instance, neither Nami nor Robin is in love with any of the crew members. So that's one annoying storyline in every Shonen anime that never comes to a conclusion (since Shounen is not about romance) gone. I read many times about people hating Nami because she's a coward and she hides behind the other male characters pushing them in the face of danger, but that's one thing I like about Nami. She knows her limit. She's not like other female characters who want to save everyone when they can't even save themselves and end up causing even more trouble. That doesn't mean Nami is a selfish person, she cares for her comrades, that's why she's always developing herself, and that's why she's doing her best in her job as a navigator and that's what Luffy had her join for, not for her strength or courage. Another character that's stated to have been downgraded is Sanji, because of the nosebleeds. Well, One Piece has been doing many silly things lately, and that's one of them. However, Sanji is a very cool character to begin with. Among the strongest three of the straw hats, he's the smartest, or the only smart one. I can't exactly say Luffy and Zoro are smart. His womanizer attitude is supposed to be his funny side, but it went overboard after the time skip, just like the fan service. As for villains, One Piece is not the best anime in that certain aspect, however, I find the world government an interesting villain. What's confusing in One Piece is that the marines might be the enemies of the pirates to which our main characters belong, but they are not villains, not all of them,  so why should I hate them? Anyway, single characters that I find as interesting villains in One Piece, I don't think there is; but there are the Yonko, the Shibukai, the world governments, the Cipher Pol…

The Straw-hats after the time skip.

The Straw-hats before the time skip.

It would have been fine  if not for the explicit fan service after the time skip;

another fail beside Sanji's nosebleeding! -_-  

               Bottom line, it might be true that the main character's attitude or traits barely changed along the series, but the thing is I don't see how or why the will. Changes happen for a reason and so far there was none that require a change in one's trait. Take Ace as an example, though he's not main character. His character most definitely developed from his offensive younger self we've seen in the flashback, and his friendly and caring older self in the current timeline. He was offensive for a reason and became a better person for a reason. As for the main characters I can't imagine a reason for them to change within the current timeline. The only development they needed was becoming stronger, in order to proceed, and they do when they find out the hard way, in Saboady, that they need to, but why else should they change? If we're talking about Usopp's cowardice, than that's one thing I believe he can't change, maybe unless he gets himself a devil fruit which would ruin his identity.  And again this is mainstream Shounen manga for you, I count only a few characters from all the anime I've watched that had some significant character development.

2) Too many filler!  …. What?! Come on! You can't be serious about that. Well, let's compare it with Bleach, one of the big 3, to prove how wrong this statement is, since I haven't watched Naruto, so I won't compare with it but I heard loads of complaints about the amounts of fillers in it. Bleach started in 2004 it had 366 episode among which 164 were fillers that's about 45% of it. Now One Piece started in 1999, it's still running with 665 episodes to the moment, among which 90 episodes are fillers, that's about 14%. Do you still think One Piece has too many fillers? (I like Bleach by the way, I'm not trying to offend it, just proving a point.)

If we're talking about canon arcs that has no significance to the plot, I'd say there's no such thing. All the cannon arcs however irrelevant they might seem had their significance. Actually, one thing I like about One Piece is that everything happens for a reason; but since One Piece is a very long running manga, the reason might turn out years after.

That's all for today. See you next post! ^_^

For the previous posts from the series check the links:
Why One Piece isn't bad?
Why One Piece isn't bad? II
Why One Piece isn't bad? III

The 2014 Fall Season I

               Fall has always meant for me the beginning of the new school or college year. School has always striped me of many pleasures, like watching the new fall shows, watching horror movies on Halloween night, celebrating my birthday that comes with the mid-terms, celebrating the New Year and watching the Christmas specials on Christmas! Since, I've been freed, I decided I shall reap all the benefits of an unemployed graduate's life. I started my plan with watching the new fall anime and TV series. I've never been one to watch running anime, I'd rather wait till they are finished, but why not try since I can now!
               I started watching the anime: Magic Kaito 1412, Donten ni warau, Gugure! Kokkori-san, Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji and Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso. As for the TV series I decided to watch Gotham, Forever, the Flash and Constantine, which I didn't watch after all. That's of course beside all the anime and series I've been already watching. In this post, I'll be, well, not reviewing, I'll just be saying what I, personally, thought of these anime and series. I suppose this will be a bit long so, I'll just talk about the anime in this post. In a following post within this week I'll talk about the TV Series. So, let's get this started!

Anime: Magic Kaito 1412

Episodes: 24

Genre: Crime, Comedy,  Romance, Shounen
      

                 Magic Kaito 1412 is a spin-off from the famous manga/anime "Detective Conan". Magic Kaito or Kaito Kid is a phantom thief who specializes in stealing valuable Gems. How Kaito Kuroba, a normal high school student and our main antagonist, came to be Kaito Kid is a longer story. It's his mean to solve the murder of his father, the magician and the former Kaito Kid. We don’t know why Kaito's father was the phantom thief or why he was murdered. That's why Kaito follows in his footsteps. He tries to find out the truth about his father, his murderers and the Pandora Gem. There was a former Kaito Kid Spin-off, a 12-episode special, known as Magic Kaito, and it was highly rated. I haven't watched that one though so I can't compare both versions. Anyway, I like this one. I know so because I am still watching it, and I've already dropped two anime from the five I've mentioned; more precisely, I dropped one and put one on hold. My first impression of Magic Kaito 1412 was not good though. After watching two episodes, I thought it was boring I'd eventually drop it; however, I enjoyed the 3^rd and 4^th episode very well, so I think it's safe for now. In Magic Kaito, every episode has a different topic, a different Gem, and a different, as they say, illusion. So far, there hasn't been a multiple-episode arc. It has just been 4 episodes, only though. Why I disliked the first two episodes is because they followed a kind of similar routine. In episodes 3 and 4, things spiced up a little bit and deviated from the routine so I liked them. Hopefully, it gets better as we proceed.

Bonus! Magic Kaito 1412 is airing, this fall, in celebration of the 20^th manga anniversary of "Detective Conan". Way to go Aoyama-sensei!

Anime: Gugure! Kokkori-san

Episodes: 12

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Shounen
   

             The perfect way to start this is a confession: this anime is one of the creepiest, if not the creepiest I've ever watched. Also, it might be my favorite among the anime I selected to watch this fall. Watching Gugure! Kokkori-san was not something I planned. I just found the first episode among the rest of the new episodes and I was curious. I haven't liked the first episode of a show as much as I liked this one's. It was a very weird experience watching something so creepy and laughing so hard and continuously asking yourself what the hell you're watching. I ended up watching that episode 3 times. Gugure! Kokkori-san is about little Kohina who summons Kokkuri-san the fox spirit because she's lonely. Then, she decides he's too creepy and she doesn't want him anymore. Kokkori-san notices Kohina's peculiar behavior and bad eating habits and decides that he shall take care of her. That's how Kokkori-san starts to haunt Kohina. More spirits show up in the following episodes. Why I watch this anime is purely for laughs! Kohina is awesome! Her design, the way she talks, the way she behaves, everything about her is so weird , likable and funny. Kokkori-san's initially childish attitude that transforms into a parent like attitude is hilarious. Watching those two together is so enjoyable!  However, Gugure! Kokkori-san is one of those anime that started very well, and then went a little bit lower. I am not saying that the following 3 episodes were bad. They had their share of funny incidents and jokes, and I still find it very likeable. It's just that the first episode was too good. Nothing that comes after can compare to it. Gugure! Kokkor-san is a light gag anime that I'd definitely recommend to anyone who share my passion for comedy anime.

I couldn't find a better picture -_-

Anime: Donten ni Warau

Episodes: 12

Genre: Action, Historical, Shoujo

                      It seems I still have a problem with figuring out why some shoujo anime are shoujo. As for Shounen, I grasped it pretty well thanks to Bakuman, but Shoujo is still mysterious to me. However, I kind of concluded that shoujo anime don't necessarily have to be with a female protagonist, who is trying to find love or whatever it is she's looking for, since the majority is about. It seems in Donten ni Warau's case, it's a shoujo because the main protagonists are brothers and they care for each other ,and I don't really know if they are supposed to be good looking; however, girls like that stuff, so that's what makes it a shoujo.  Anyway, Donten ni warau is a historical anime. Its events take place in the Meiji era, when carrying swords was forbidden. That opposes the way the preceding Edo period known for the Samurai. That lead to the increase in crime rates, by those who refuse the new rules. The captured criminals are summoned to a giant prison in the middle of Biwa Lake. Our three protagonists, the three brothers of the Kumo family are responsible for transferring the captured criminals across the lake to the prison. Also, the local police usually seeks the help of Tenka the oldest and strongest brother, to capture the criminals they lose or they fail to capture. The Biwa lake prison has its mystery and Tenka himself is after something, so far, mysterious called the Orochi. So, what's the mystery of Biwa lake's prison and what's the Orochi, and are these two connected? This what to look forward to in Donten ni Warau. My thoughts on the anime, is that it's nothing special but not all that bad either. I keep watching to know the answer from my questions, and because I like historical anime from the Edo and Meiji periods. The characters are nothing special either, the three protagonists are kind of a cliché. There's only one character that caught my interest, and it seems  like I am going to regret it. -_-

Anime: Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji

Episodes: 12

Genre: Romance, Comedy, School, Shoujo

                  And here comes the anime I dropped, completely dropped, not even put on hold. I've been looking forward to a good shoujo anime with decent art, and I found this one in the new anime list for this fall, so I decided to watch it. If I say I don't like cliché Shoujo Rom/Coms I'd be lying. I don't love them, but I like to watch them once in a while. I wouldn't mind introducing something new to the category though. Recently, I've been feeling like I am watching the same anime with different characters, when I watch Shoujo. However, I always keep watching, but that one was too much for me. Let's get to the story! Hinohara Erika is a new high school student who doesn't want to be left out with no friends. That makes her claim to a couple of girls that she has a boyfriend, so that they'd include her in their talks and be friends with her. However, later they suspect her and they ask for a photo of her boyfriend. Erika solves that by taking a photo of a good looking guy in the street, showing it to them claiming that he's her boyfriend. However, her lie puts her into more trouble, when she finds out that the boys is a student in her school. Erika goes to boy Sata Kyouya and explains to him the situation and apologize. That's when Kyouya offers to go along with her lie and pretend to be her boyfriend. However, Kyoya won't do that without a price. Erika would have to be his loyal pet dog, in exchange for not revealing her secret. That's pretty much it. Of course you can tell from the story that Erika is a total idiot and Kyouya is sadist with personal issues. Of course, like every single good looking love interest in a shoujo anime, Kyouya has some mysterious past, that shall most probably justify his sick personality. If thet's the case, then what can possibly justify Erika's stupidity? I don't know. She falls in love with a guy who asks her to be his dog, and I suppose the guy will eventually fall in love with the girl who accepted to be his dog; not something I'd be looking forward to, so I decided to drop the anime.

Anime: Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Episodes: 22

Genre: Music, Drama, Romance, School, Shounen

           Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is the anime I put on hold. That has nothing to do with how good or bad it is. It's just that I've recently watched La corda d'oro and Nodame cantabile not long before, so I thought that'd be too much Music for me in a short time and I might get bored so I shall leave it for another time. The anime is about the piano prodigy Arima Kosei, who stopped to play it for two years, after he suffered from a mental breakdown during one of his performances. The breakdown was after the death of his mother who happens to be his instructor. Kosei's mother forced him to play and excel in the piano to achieve the dream she couldn't achieve. She was his motive to play. Kosei lives like that until his friend Tsubaki introduces him and his other friend Watari, to a friend of hers, Miyazono Kaori, who happens to be a violinist. Kousei is impressed by Kaori's free spirited music that aims to express herself. She introduces him to a new horizon in the world of music that shall return him to it once again. I don't know much more about the anime since I've watched it the least. I can't build an image of the characters. It might interest you, though, to know that among the five anime I've, well, reviewed (can't find another word for it) Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is the one so far with the highest rating in Myanimelist. It's also the only one with a rating above 8/10. However, it’s too early to judge.

               That was all for the 2014 Fall's anime that I decided to watch. I don't know if there's anything better out there, that's not Sci-fi or Mecha and with a decent art. Oh yes! I completely forgot about Shirobako! I've watched only one episode though, so I don't have much to say about it. I thought it was too boring for my taste and I was already content with five new anime on my list. There's also "The Seven deadly Sins" anime, I forgot what it's called in Japanese. It was not that bad, it felt like Fairy Tail, but it had Ecchi and I don't watch anime with Ecchi and too much fan service… may be except for One Piece, because it's One Piece and it wasn't always like that! T_T

              Next time, I'll be talking about the new TV series: Gotham, Forever and The Flash. So, wait for it and See you next post!