My Top Favorite 50 Anime Openings (IV)

        Min'na! Konnichiwa! We're coming close to the end. Today I'll be listing another 10 opening themes from my top favorite 50, the ones from 20-11, and here we go!

20) "Ichirin no Hana" by High and Mighty Color - Bleach Opening theme no. 3

        Why is it ranked this high? Trust me I don't know. I like how it starts and ends. The animation is sometimes in sync with the song and sometimes not. The song itself is fine, not the best, but fine.

19) "Tooi Nioi (遠い匂い)" by YO-KING - Gintama Opening theme no. 2

        It feels so much like Gintama! The laid back atmosphere, and the relaxed singer's voice, it's just so good! It makes me feel kind of nostalgic too! :)

18) "Doubt & Trust" by access - D.Gray-man Opening theme no. 3

         This is one weird opening theme that I absolutely like, back then when I watched the anime. It was the opening theme at the peak of the anime, with many new characters showing up and I liked all of them. The song goes well with the animation, and it's kind of cool!

17) "Dream of Life" by Shohei Itou (伊藤祥平) - Bakuman 2 Opening theme

          Ok! How this came to be here, I don't know, but it completely deserves it. I didn't like it that much when I was watching Bakuman. It was my least favorite between Blue bird and 23:40. Lately, I noticed It's the most popular one and I was surprised, so I decided to watch it again and I was surprised by at myself! How comed I didn't like something so cool! The song, the animation, everything about it is so good! It has the essence of Bakuman!

16) "Fight Together" by Namie Amuro - One Piece Opening theme no. 14

          This one gives me the same feelings I get it from One Day, and especially that now we Know what has been waiting for us. However, it feels a little more hopeful with the crew seeming more active and cheerful here. The part that flashes back to Luffy's moments with each member of the crew is just so…!!! <3 <3 I cannot express it in words. A good opening theme with a nice song for sure!

15) "Jiyuu no Tsubasa (自由の翼)" by Linked Horizon - Shingeki no Kyojin Opening theme no. 2

           The problem is I liked the first one so much, so it took me time to get used to it. Later on, I could actually say that the song in this opening theme is possibly better than the first, even if the video is not as good. It's good, but I like the other one better. Bottom line, it's GOOD!

14) "Sobakasu" by Judy & Mary - Rurouni Kenshin Opening theme no. 1

          You might be taken aback by the singer's childish voice, but this song is so good and this opening theme is really one of the best. Actually, anything that has to do with Rurouni Kenshin is just perfect! XD

13) "Velonica" by Aqua Timez - Bleach Opening theme no. 9

           My favorite Bleach opening theme, indeed. I love the song, and I like how the animation goes with it. I like seeing the groups showing one after another, ending finally by Aizen when the song starts to change. They go very well together. I was addicted to this song for a long while. Aqua timez are that good after all. :D

12) "DONTEN (曇天)" by DOES - Gintama Opening theme no. 5

           Does are awesome! And this opening them is just so cool! Another Gintama opening theme with serious atmosphere, and the first to be so. The song goes perfectly well with the animation and its pace. Cool is the perfect word to describe it! Even Hasegawa is looking cool here!! XD

11) "We Are! (ウィーアー!)" by Hiroshi Kitadani - One Piece Opening theme no. 1

         Well, this one is a classic! It's the first and the best One Piece opening. I don’t know if this is the best song, and I definitely know that this is not the best animation, but watching it and listening to the song ,sure brings back some of my best memories. I'm pretty sure We Are! hold a special place in the hearts of all One Piece fans. 

          That's it for today. Now, all that's left is the top ten! Can't wait!! XD See you tomorrow and the final post! 

For the top favorite opening themes from 50 - 11, Click here!

My Top Favorite 50 Anime Openings (III)

           Konnichiwa Mina-san! Here are today's 10 anime opening themes of my top favorite 50. Like I said before, don't mind the order! It's not exactly accurate. I'm not good with ranking things that I like. 

30) "Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis (残酷な天使のテーゼ, A Cruel Angel's Thesis)" by Yoko Takahashi - Neon Genesis Evangelion Opening theme

         I never watched the anime, and I don't like Mecha, but I have seen in too many lists and I absolutely liked the song! I'll quote my brother in this "It feels Abba-ish." It's a 90s anime, and the anime in that decade had some really good songs for themes. So, here, it's the song and only the song.

29) "Kimi no Matsu Sekai (君の待つ世界)" by LAGOON - Magic Kaito 1412 Opening theme

         

          I don't know but something about the way it starts is so attractive. The anime is new and I don’t even know if it will be good to the end, but I like the song and the animation in the opening theme pretty much.

28) "Silky heart" by Yui Horie - Toradora Opening theme no. 2

          The singer's voice is not the best thing about the opening for sure. However, the song is good and it goes well with the animation. It's a good opening theme and well fitting for the anime. 

27) "Departure! -Opening Tokubetsu-hen-" by Ono Masatoshi - Hunter X Hunter (2011) Opening theme

           Different versions of Departure were used for all the opening themes of Hunter X Hunter (2011). However, it never grabbed my attention until the Chimera ant arc. I liked it best in its last version, in the Chairman's election arc: first, because there's more Killua and he's my favorite and second because the song and the animation are so much in sync.

26)  "*~Asterisk" by Orange Range - Bleach Opening no. 1

   

            Bleach's first opening, and that's what makes it special to me. I kind of like the animation. The song feels normal, but it's good to listen to while watching the animation. It's a good opening all in all.

25) "ft." by FUNKIST - Fairy Tail Opening no. 3

          The song for this opening theme is kind of different from other anime songs, but it feels so much like fairy tail. It was the opening for Heaven's tower arc, and it was generally good. 

24) "Wonderland (ワンダーランド)" by FLiP - Gintama Opening no. 11

            Thorny!! The song might seem weird or noisy, but I like the song, the singer's voice and more than that I like how it's featuring the Shinsengumi's top 3! <3  It was the opening for the arc Thorny (Baragaki). The full version of the song is very good!

23) "Blue Bird" by Kobukuro - Bakuman Opening theme no. 1

          The first Bakuman opening! <3  It has a lovely song and decent animation. There's a part in the song, in which I like the singer's voice very much. I think you can guess which part. 

22) "One Day" by The Rootless - One Piece Opening theme no. 13 

         Here's a sigh! That's how I feel when I watch this opening. I instantly go back to the time of the disbanding and Marineford. It feels sad and lonely, which was the case back then. Why I like it is because it's very expressive. I watch it and all the feels come back. Also, it features all the present figures in Marineford, which is kind of cool. Bottom-line, It's a very good combination: song and animation. 

21) "Giniro no Sora (銀色の空)" by redballoon - Gintama Opening no. 3

          The opening for the Benizakura arc, that's how I'll always see it. :D It's a happy song, that's how it feels to me and my favorite part is when we see Sakamoto and his ship. Seeing him, makes me feel happy and anyone who watched Gintama would know why. XD

That's it for today, and the order is completely messed up (I know I keep stressing on that too much, it's just that I'm feeling guilty -_-). See you next post! ^_^ 

For the Opening themes from 50 - 21, Click here!

Movie of the day

Movie: Inception
Genre: Sci-fi, action, thriller
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao
Release date: July, 2010
IMDB rating: 8.8/10
Rotten tomatoes rating: 86%
Plot: Cobb is a thief, but in a very unique way. He steals ideas from people's minds by invading their dreams and entering their subconscious. When his game fire backs at him ruining his life and driving him away from home, he tries to find a way to get to what's left of his life.
Cobb seeks Saito to do a job for him in return of a ticket home, but having the problem he created himself, he can't do it alone. We watch as Cobb assembles an A-team for that last mission and prefect together a flawless and very tricky plan.

My review: I love movies that challenge me! I enjoy the journey to unravel the plot and definitely enjoy explaining that to whoever asks :D

Frankly I was mind-blown by the movie that first time. It stuck with me for a couple of days and left me thinking. Years later I found it on TV and wasn't planning on watching, but I ended up watching anyway. True that I still remembered the main idea, but I had no memory of the details and so I enjoyed it very much.
The amount of work put into this movie pays off for me, starting with the great cast, cinematic and of course music! That Edith Piaf song increased the movie's sophistication level at least 10 points :D The whole atmosphere of the movie is great and if there were any mistakes I'm glad I missed them :D

Admirable graphics work!

I just love this fight scene! Brilliant!

Inception has aroused some of the most chaotic, yet very constructive reviews. They range from describing it as a master piece, to saying Christopher Nolan has created another crazy movie that aspires for things it can't even dream of achieving. When I read those discussions I find myself agreeing with some points from both sides, but it doesn't mean I like the movie any less, and I guess a movie proves its success when three years later people still discuss it whether they find it good or not.

I really like the totems idea :D

Finally, in response to those who say that with multiple viewings it loses the glamour, I tell them give it time don't watch it every 5 months or something, when you watch all different sorts of things and come back to it you'll feel that it deserves that spot in the top 250 movies on IMDB.

My rating: 8.8/10 Yes I tie with IMDB what a surprise!

Bonus: I found this cool chart explaining the levels of dreams within the movie, so check them when you're done ;)

My Top Favorite 50 Anime Openings (II)

            So,  here comes the next 10 Opening themes from my favorite 50. I know I said last time, I'll try to list them in order of my favoritism, but I don't think I'm doing very well with that, and I think I completely forgot about some, so let's just say these are among my favorite 50 and that's it.

40) "For Fruits Basket" by Ritsuko Okazaki – Fruits Basket Opening theme

           A very nice and soothing song. It always felt good to listen to. It went well with the animation, and it was very expressive. It made watching the anime more enjoyable.

39) "Gekidou" by UVERworld – D.Gray-man Opening theme no. 4

            When I first watched this opening theme, I hated it with a passion. Why? Because, I liked the one before it very much, and because it sounded weird. However, later on I realized I was wrong, like I've been wrong many times, and placing it here is kind of a proper apology.

38) "Dream Star" by the generous – Skip Beat! Opening theme no. 1

           As I said before, Skip beat! was my first shoujo anime, so Dream Star is the first Opening theme for a Shoujo anime, and it was good! When Iever I watch it, I remember the good old days. Besides, it's very expressive, and suits the anime.

37) "Light Infection" by Prague – Gintama Opening theme no. 8

The bit with the cat-looking dogs in the end is not part of the Opening, 

it's just that the video accelerated in the last part.

              I watched Gintama twice, and  I liked this opening theme the second time, not the first. It's another opening theme with a serious atmosphere. It reminds me mostly of Red Spider arc, which was a relatively dark arc compared to other Gintama arc.

36) "Parallel Hearts" by FictionJunction – Pandora Hearts Opening theme

The Opening ends at minute 1:34

         The superb violin performance and the singer's brilliant voice are mainly what make this opening theme very likable. Actually, the music in Pandora Hearts are one of the best things about it.

35) "Towa no Kizuna" by Daisy x Daisy feat. Another Infinity – Fairy Tail Opening theme no. 9

            Fairy Tail has many Opening themes, but only few of them grabbed my attention and that was one of them. The song is good and it goes well with the animation. It was a good opening them for the Tenrou island arc.

34) "BLUE" by ViViD – Bleach Opening theme no. 14

           I like this opening mainly because of the animation! It's just so good, the colors, the art and everything. It goes so well with the song! It makes a relatively boring arc seem so cool! Definitely one of the best Bleach openings!

33) "Kasanaru Kage (かさなる影)" by Hearts Grow – Gintama Opening theme no. 4

         Another Gintama Opening, but with a comical theme this time. The first thing that comes to miind with it is the Yagyu Kyubei arc, one of the funniest arcs in Gintama. It might not be that special, but I like it , and I like the synchronization between the song and the animation.

32) "Kokoro no Chizu (ココロのちず)" by BOYSTYLE – One Piece Opening theme no. 5

         
            That's one good One Piece Opening. The animation goes very well with the song, and the animation is not ridiculously goofy. It's kind of cool. Besides it's the opening for Water 7 arc! :D

31) "23:40 (23時40分) feat. Base Ball Bear" by Hyadain – Bakuman 3 Opening theme no. 2

             Why I like this opening theme is mostly because of emotional reasons. It was the last Bakuman Opening theme and I was starting to feel the loss. Besides, the electric guitar in the beginning is so awesome! Listening to it gives me the feels. I miss Bakuman so much! T_T Honestly, I wanted to place it higher. but let it be here for now, and like I said in the beginning, this is not an exactly ordered list.

             That's it for today! See you tomorrow and another 10 anime opening themes. ^_^

For the Opening themes from 50 - 41 , Click here!

My Top Favorite 50 Anime Openings (I)

           As I said once before, listing is one of my favorite thing, and one of the things I'm worst at! However, that never stopped me! I'll be practicing my hobby now and for the next two weeks. I'll start listing my favorite 50 anime opening themes, 10 themes per day. I couldn't make them less than 50, can't decide which ones to sacrifice. Then, they will be followed by my top 50 anime ending songs. I'll try as much as I can to make them in order of my favoritism, but this is going to be so hard.
Today's 10 are:

50)  "Yasashisa no Riyuu (優しさの理由)" by ChouCho - Hyouka Opening theme no. 1

       Hyouka is one of my favorite anime, that's why I thought here should be one of its two opening themes here, and I liked that one, so here it is. :D

49) "My Secret" by Saaya Mizuno (水野佐彩) - Kaichou wa Maid-sama Opening theme

         I didn't realize I liked that opening theme until once ,after I had finished Kaichou wa maid-sama for a good time, I wanted to re-watch an episode. As the episode started and the theme played, I thought "That theme was good!". It reminds me of when I used to watch it, good times.. :)

48) "Promise" by Candy - Glass no Kamen Opening theme no. 1

       I like the song, and that's all there is to it. I don't even know why I like it. The video is not tha good either. The other opening had a better video.

47) "D-tecnolife" by UVERworld - Bleach Opening theme no. 2

           The song is not my favorite, not bad though. It's the first opening that introduces Soul Society, and I liked that arc, that's why I like that opening theme.

46) "Kimi ni Todoke (きみにとどけ)" by Tanizawa Tomofumi - Kimi ni Todoke Opening theme no.1

         A sweet, soothing song, with simple animation. It's simply likable, and perfectly suits the anime.

45) "Share the World" by TVXQ - One Piece Opening theme no. 11

      The Song is weird, but it goes well with the animation. I like the theme all in all. The opening theme introduces loads of new characters, and besides it's the opening to one of my favorite arcs: Sabaody Archipelago.

44) "Hana no Iro (ハナノイロ)" by nano.RIPE - Hanasako no Iroha Opening theme no. 1

            The singers voice felt weird and still feels weird, but the song sounds fine so I don't mind . I like it and I like how it goes with the animation. The theme, generally, suits the anime and feels good to watch.

43) ”Haato wo miga kukkyanai” by Tokio - Tobe Isami Opening theme

        That one has a long story. See! I don't remember that I ever watched this anime, bt I remember the song very well. When Summar a couple of months ago showed me the Arabic version for the opening theme, asking me If I remember the anime, I was like "No! I don't remember it, but somehow the tune of the song sounds familiar." I was pretty sure I didn't hear the Arabic version but I heard the song  and I know it very well. I went searching for the Japanese version, and when I heard I knew that was the one I remember. Why I know the Japanese version, not the Arabic? and why I don't even remember the anime when I'm pretty sure I know the theme song? That remains a mystery to me. My assumption is that they used to show it on Egyptian TV a million years ago and they kept the Japanese version of the theme song, something they did sometimes, and I watched then but I can't remember, which, I still insist, is weird. What supports the assumption is that I remember a teeny-tiny part of the animation, the one with the girl and the too many photos. Anyway I chose the theme to be in my top 50 since I can still remember it, though I don't remember the anime. I must've liked it so much, and I still like it now.

42)  "ALONES" by Aqua Timez - Bleach Opening theme no. 6

            That was the first time I hear Aqua Timez, and with Kon singing in the video, the song felt weird and comical, but not comical in the same time. It was supposed to be an opening for a dark theme and it implied that, except for singing Kon. Bleach always did weird things with their opening and ending themes. However, I liked it, it became one of my favorite Bleach openings, and I like the song.

41) "Sakura Mitsu Tsuki" by SPYAIR - Gintama Opening theme no. 13

            I am not sure, if I should place it this late in the list since it's so good, but there'll be loads of Gintama opening themes in the list, and It wouldn't be right if I didn't place one in today's 10 and that was it. It was the opening for the brilliant "Courtesan of a Nation", one of my favorite Gintama arcs. It has some serious atmosphere, which is rare in Gintama opening themes, It's nice though, and the song is so good.


           Those were today's 10 Opening themes; and I kind of failed -_- I couldn't exactly order them, however let them be that way. See you tomorrow and another 10 Opening themes.

         

Heaven in a bun II

In continuation of our previous post, I'll tell you about three more of the Turkish food I enjoyed ^_^

4. Kofte (or we Arabs know it kofta :D)

It's a trade mark of them, the famous Turkish Kofte. What makes it unique is that it's made of lamb not beef as we make it. The lamb is good, but it makes it way more "rich", I mean it makes you feel like you've eaten three meals in one :D

I've had this lamb kofte twice and both times we were blessed with amazing views <3 First time we were in Bursa in a restaurant at the base of Uludag mountain which is famous as a skiing site. The restaurant is built around this ancient tree that ages back to almost 800 years ago with huge branches that can reach 5 meters in diameter and 25 meters in length. It was such an amazing experience especially when we just got back from a breathtaking cable-way trip :D

The second time was even better than the first! We were in Maşukiye city which is famous for it's amazing natural scenery. The restaurant's name was Vadi restaurant, set in the middle of the jungle with a little waterfall there as well. The trees were variations of red, yellow, brown and green. Along with the kofte we had grilled cheese and grilled mushrooms. I can't describe this meal with anything less that perfect!! It was one of the best meals I've ever had. I would've died a happy girl at that moment ^_^

5. Simit and buns (from street vendors)

We saw these vendors a couple of times, but we only tried them on our last day when we were in Istiqlal street. My mum had the simit and we tried those buns. They're bread I know, but they tasted so yummy and they're very filling. Another great thing is that they're fresh and you know that their clean, just look at the vendor and the shape of his cart beleive me it's cleaner than some restaurants we have here :D

6. Turkish desserts

Another Turkish trade mark is their delights. We even went to a factory outlet and bought some. They have them in all those different flavors and shapes. We also got jelly colas, gummy bears, worms and something called cekeme halva which is sitting happily in the fridge :D

We had these most amazing lokma in buyukada that would make it impossible for me to eat the ones we make here in Egypt. They were so good, I could write a poem just describing their beauty and how they have my heart forever :')

I'm sure there are a lot more great Turkish food, but these were the ones I was lucky enough to try and hopefully I'll have another chance to try more ^_^

Heaven in a bun I

One of the blessings of travelling to a foreign country, is trying their food ^_^ And gladly our trip to Turkey was rewarded with some yummylicious meals <3
I'll try to tell you about some of them, so if you're ever there, I definitely recommend trying them!!

1. Shawarma

As Egyptians we're very familiar with Shawarma, but you never really know a good Shawarma until you taste theirs. They use what we call "Lebanese bread", you know that flat thin bread that's the one. That bread is fully stuffed with mouthwatering mix of Shawarma, cheese and sometimes garlic with mayo or light veggies (lettuce, tomato, onion).

The amazing thing about Turkish shawarma is, first they're not stingy they will fill that wrap to its rim. Second the taste is really good. Third you can find them almost in every street and you'll probably find an Arab working there :D

On our very first day after spending almost 4 hours on the trip from the airport to the hotel, we decided to take a look around in the area near our hotel. We decided to find a place to eat, but then realized we only had dollars and not a single Turkish lira, until we found this little place with a guy calling for people to try their food and with ears like antennas we instantly detect the Arabic words :D We asked him if we could pay via credit card, so the manager tried to withdraw 1TL and we were in luck! It was our very first meal on that side walk with the slightly chilly night breeze with delicious Shawarma, warm fries and soft drinks ^_^

2. Fast food

Once again as Egyptians we know that the quality of fast food in Egypt is simply bad! (and yet I love having a meal of those every week :D) and so we have to try whatever we find of the world famous food chains.
I was lucky enough to try two of those, McDonald's and Burger King. The thing in common is the frying process. Not a single time of the 3 that I ate fast food did I find the fries over-fried or greasy. It tasted great and I wasn't feeling much guilty about breaking my diet ;) I even saw a guy in the street frying something and the oil was pure gold!
Another point is they appreciate Mayo!! I enjoy Ketchup but what I love is Mayo. They provide you with little packets of both to enjoy with your meal.

In McDonald's when we ordered extra fries, they gave us a special pack to put the fries into, add this flavored powder and shake! They also gave us gifts and it wasn't a happy meal!

 3. Baked goods

Near our hotel we discovered this amazing place called Simit Sarayi which hosted our dinners for the rest of our stay :D
They have a great variety of goods displayed that capture your heart at first sight. We tried their mini pizza, regular and with cheese. We also tried the muffins, croissants and of course simit.
Words won't do this place justice. I loved every single item <3 The prices were very reasonable and frankly I'd gladly give them my money :D

The great news I found out while writing this post is that IT'S HERE!!! yes in Egypt \O/\O/\O/ ^_^ There's only one branch, but I'd go the distance for it and gladly it's only in "Eltagamo3 el 5ames" so not way too far from home :D


Wait for my next post about more delights of food we had in Turkey ;)
To be continued...