Things I've Watched: Jan '12 - May '13

I've realized that since around the end of grade 12 and since starting university I've actually started spending more time on my hobbies (gaming, watching anime, dramas, reading) and I just wanted to keep track of all the things I've watched and what I thought of it. I'll probably be do something like this for games as well depending on how many games I play - books I already write about on my LJ so I'll just keep doing that there. So yeah. Just a quick review of all the dramas/anime I've watched and what I thought about them:

Anime:

• Baccano: Definitely very interesting, although a bit hard to follow. The story doesn't flow in a linear fashion - it jumps from time to time so you have to put the pieces together but it's all worth it. The characters are interesting and who doesn't like the concept of the classic mafia/mob storyline except with the added twist that some of them are immortal?! A bit on the gory side - the worst one would be when one the characters kills a guy by pressing his head against train tracks AS the train is moving... so... you've been warned! 
• Fate/Zero: I've watched Fate/Stay Night and remembered thinking it was alright, but the end was kind of lame. This one is a lot better - although I watched it all in one sitting on a 12hr plane ride to Hong Kong so admittingly I wasn't completely paying attention 100% of the way. The characters are more interesting in this one though for sure so if you're debating about which one to watch (or saw Fate/Stay Night and wasn't impressed) WATCH THIS - It is definitely worth your time
• Gundam Wing (re-watch): I'd seen Gundam Wing as a kid, in English when it was airing on YTV but that was a long time ago so I decided to re-watch it. I'm not much of a mecha person, I've tried to watch other Gundams but ultimately I never got into it. What really makes me enjoy this series in particular is simply the fact that the 5 gundams are super cool looking (DEATH SCYTHE!). Yeah - I'm pretty superficial sometimes. Aside from that it's the classic political battle between Earth and the Space Colonies - lots of switching allies etc. and the characters are all pretty cool - except WuFei who is a total jackass.
• Durarara!: This was done by the same director as Baccano and even if I didn't tell you this you probably would've noticed anyway (like I did) thanks to the classic jumpy storyline that this director seems to enjoy. With that being said I enjoyed Durarara!! much more than Baccano. The story was a lot easier to follow and if you thought the characters in Baccano wait until you meet these guys. There's a lot of similarities, namely the one aspect of fantasy entrenched in a world that is very much our reality - this time it's the presence of a Dulluhan (headless rider) mixed into the teenage gangs of modern-day Ikebukuro. Also it's not as gory so if you turned your head away from Baccano due to the gore warning this one is a lot cleaner - and as I said - much easier to follow.
• Darker Than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha: I enjoyed this - I generally like the whole aspect of having special powers in a modern world. It was a bit slow at first and I had trouble getting through the first 8-10 episodes but once I hit the halfway mark the episodes literally just flew by and before I knew it I was at the end. Generally anime like these always having endings that disappoint me but this one wasn't bad. If you're looking for something a bit more action-y and straight forward, but not as political as Gundam Wing and you like people with special powers and assassins etc. this would be the show for you.
• Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (re-watch): If there's something you must know about me it is that Full Metal Alchemist is my most favourite anime and manga of all time. So, I re-watched this as I was studying for my exams and despite knowing the story inside and out I still felt myself being pulled into the emotional roller coaster this show takes me through. I'm sure all of you guys have heard of this show so there's not much more I can say but WATCH IT. It is light, and plays off like a simple anime with some comedy but it's actually got quite serious themes and all the characters (male and female) are absolutely amazing and I'd be surprised if you didn't fall in love with most of them.
• Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita: This was kind of a weird one I picked up because it was short but generally I don't watch anime like this very often. The whole idea of weird fairies controlling everything had me interested but it was a bit too episodic for my tastes. It's an anime that tries to be more thought-provoking than plot driven so if what you feel like doing is thinking and contemplating about certain topics in life than go ahead and pick this one up - it does offer you lots of think about.
• Hellsing Ultimate OVA: Since this is an OVA the episodes run up to about 1hr most of the time and a lot of the episodes are very literally, very dark, but it's very well done. If you've seen the original you have to check this one out. The art and the pacing is so much better and the ending is much more satisfying. This is Hellsing though so be prepared for lots of gore - not gore in that what happens is disgusting but you're dealing with vampires and warfare so there is just literally lots of blood flying everything. Alucard is one kick-ass character though so if anything - watch the anime for him!
• Shin Sekai Yori: A more mellow anime - quite different from everything else I've listed although still within the realm of fantasy that I never stray too far away from. It's set in our world, but way in the future and does quite an interesting job in explaining how exactly this new world came about. What the anime mostly tries to do is explore this world while following a basic plot revolving around the main character as she grows up and starts getting involved in romance, politics, and essentially tries to uncover the demons of her past (which were wiped from her memory by the government *cue suspenseful music) - intrigued? I mostly got into this anime because I loved the concept and the setting but admittingly got a bit bored by the end but I still made it all the way through. Short 24eps and definitely worth your time if you're looking for something a bit more simple and slow.
• Phantom: Requiem of the Phantom (still-watching): What I can say so far at 7 episodes? Awesome. Assassins, mafia politics, questioning life/your existance etc. etc.

Drama:

• Lucky Seven: I'm a total sucker for group relations, and friendships and this drama does this so well. The cases were kind of "meh" and I was pretty bumbed when Nitta disappeared and overall if Jun wasn't in the cast I probably would've never watched this, but he is. Also I just kind of enjoy watching Shuntarou getting kicked around and also doing the ass-kicking and I maybe fell a bit in love with the comraderie between Shuntarou, Asuka, and Junpei (and of course Shuntarou and Eita bromance).
• Kagi ga Kakkata Heya: So - I was in the mood for mystery and I figured why not check this out because Ohno apparently did a spectacular job and he did! I enjoyed this a lot and the whole "locked room" concept really interested me. With that being said - does it stand out form the rest of the mystery dramas Japan has released? Not really - but it is certainly one of the better and more intriguing ones out there (since this one is more mystery than pure police-detective/crime-solving).
• Keizoku 2: SPEC: SPEC was great. I remember trying to watch it when it first aired but for some reason after the first episode (which I loved) I was just too lazy to keep watching but I finally did keep watching and I love it! I love Toda Erika in this, and Kase Ryo and I felt they made a great team. It was hilarious, and serious, and if you can't tell from my taste in anime I am a sucker for special powers and all that jazz so SPEC was really right up my alley. This is definitely a great crime-solving drama, everyone should check it. It's already got a twist: special powers!!
• Ooku: Tanjou: If you're an Arashi fan you already know the basic story of this but Ooku is a very interesting manga where a majority of the male population in Feudal Japan has died off due to a disease and the women have to take over all the men's jobs (including that of the shogun!) and this drama follows the next couple volumes of the manga dealing with the first female shogun and the politics that follows during her reign. It is an absolutely amazing story, and I was so glad they were doing a drama of it. The casting was great in my opinion, Tabe Mikako admittingly surprised me a lot - I didn't expect her to fit the role of the shogun so well but she did. Sakai Masato was also a perfect Arikoto (so much better fitting in his role than Nino was as Mizuno...). Admittingly for me though - I realized I enjoyed reading the manga a lot more. There were moments where the drama felt a bit slow, or draggy but it followed the manga quite well (if I remember correctly) so do check it out, or at least check out the manga because it really is worth your time.
• Rich Man Poor Woman:Generally I'm not one for romance dramas but I guess I was feeling in the mood for something sweet and cute and we have Oguri Shun and Ishihara Satomi in one drama - how could I resist? I had actually watched it while it was airing but got bored around the time Hyuga lost his company thanks to Asahina (who I hate and will always hate), but decided to pick it back up again. I'm glad I did because the last couple episodes were adorable and I loved the end at the airport. Hyuga and Makoto are just adorbs and the SP has come out - that was adorable too (although a bit draggy because admittingly I'm not all that interested in company politics).
• Saikou no Rikon: This was interesting. I didn't really know what I was getting into at first but it was definitely an interesting take on relationships and marriage and what one needs to do to keep a lasting relationship that leads to marriage and beyond. It was humorous in all the right ways, serious in all the right ways, the cast honestly did an absolutely stellar job. The end felt like a bit of a cop out, which I don't too much since I generally prefer happy endings but this drama had a lot of potential for something more than just your usual "and they lived happily ever after". 
• Reply 1997 (Korean): I already wrote a review on this but I still loved this. I was in the mood for cute sweet romance and this one had it all. :)