(my) Top 5 Final Boss Theme

I don't play a lot of video games, and since only less than 10 final battle themes are meroable to me, so I will only list 5. I'll write them in order:

5. Dark Messenger

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

Video Game: Final Fantasy IX

Boss: Trance Kuja

[it's a TRAP!]

'cos it starts with a lovely pipe organ intro and has some electric guitar 8D. I dunno how to explain it, but I really like this as bgm when fighting Kuja (but this is more like 'almost' final battle than the actual one). Dark Messenger is an epic version of Kuja's Theme, which is in piano (one of my faves as well). Another name for it is The Darkness of Eternity.

4. Slasher Zero

Composer: Neo Geo Music Performance Group

Video Game: King of Fighters 2000

Boss: (Clone) Zero

[Personally, I think Original Zero and Igniz are sexier]

- Well I don't exactly remember the video game version, but I have the KoF'00 Arranged OST album and fell in love with this song. Here's the Arranged version of Slasher Zero if you'd like to listen. Just another song with the pipe organ and choir thingy. The intro is scary yet appealing :3



3. Subete no Hito no Tamashii no Tatakai
Composer: Meguro Masashi
Video Game: Persona 3
Boss: Nyx Avatar

["You cannot avoit death. To live is to die. They are one in the same..."]

- looks like rock music really suit final battles, especially for Persona 3, which is set in modern times and in an urban area, very much unlike most Final Fantasy series. Suddenly, somewhere in the middle of the track there's a soprano voice singing the Velvet Room tune!! *A* Then the vocalist is accompanied by violins, thus giving you the symphonic gothic music feel. The battle is looooooong and irritating but thankfully the music makes the battle worthwhile. Preview now!

2. The Sun Rises
Composer: Rei Kondoh
Video Game: Okami
Boss: Yami

['Darkness' apparition in a form of a hand lol]

- I kinda forgot about the song in my first gameplay, but then my friend gave me this track and I thought it was some ending sequence or trailer music. I played Okami the second time, and the final-est battle with Yami where Amaterasu (the protagonist, yes the Sun goddess) goes all shiny and got all her brush skills back, and realized it's actually a final battle song DX. Too bad I couldn't indulge myself with the song while fighting the big ball boss cos Ammy is already invincible - the fight last for 2 seconds. Anyways, this isn't the final boss' theme, but it's actually the sun goddess' theme when she rose back from the brink of death. Here you go, it's PURE JAPANESE MUSIC I tell ya!

1. One Winged Angel

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
Video Game: Final Fantasy VII
Boss: Sephiroth

[i'm bringin' sexy back~]

- Although I'm no fan of Sephiroth, but I can't deny that his theme rawks! It's the first final battle music I fell in love with, although the tune back then is not as awesome as the recent Final Fantasy games. I collected various version of it, and my fave is the one with high-pitched violin intro. I'm not sure which Orchestra/band played it but I don't think it's by The Black Mages. TBM's album version is awesome too, but the second best for me is Advent: One Winged Angel (from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children movie).

***

That's all for today. Maybe I'll write about best intro and best battle theme next :3

Clumsy Ninja is clumsy #1: The Trousers

[safety pins = my life saver. Why? read below :3]

I have a habit of hiding my embarrassing and clumsy moments from people. Even if I seriously needed help, I try my best to depend on my creativity than to let others know because I fear getting laughed at. I also wish not to make others worry or become a burden to them. I will only tell about the silly story after I settled the problem myself... if I could.

Okay, here's one that happened about 3-4 years ago. I don't think anyone knows of this, but for those who happen to come across this post... consider yourself lucky because I'm revealing an embarrassing secret I've kept for a long time.

I was in my A-levels college and we had to go for a camp. Seeing how small other people's bags are, I decided to pack my luggage as small as possible. Somehow it's always hard for me to carry a small bag, and I wonder how many things they packed for 3 day camp. Especially the girls... what about facial wash? Talcum? Sanitary pads? Panties? Really... I wonder, still. So, by trying hard to pack little things as possible to make my bag look as small as theirs, my clothes are rather limited. Especially... the PANTS.

Okay, you might see it coming. But allow me to continue. Somehow there's this old pair of trousers that used to belonged to mom, I brought it along because somehow I ran out of track bottoms. Clothes in my hostel room cupboard are limited as well. It's not tight, fitting but not stretchable... I had hope it can last till the cultural night is over because I know I'm not thin enough for the trousers. Thankfully, I'm not part of the performance; I'm just the stage designer.. which did not need a stage design at all LOL. So i did nothing. Okay, then the event starts... I think it was during some sort of performance when I flopped down on the floor and heard something like 'PRAKK'. I was already on the floor when I notice a huge hole formed from the groin of the trousers. Looking around, thank God everyone is focusing their eyes on the stage, and it was noisy so the sound of the torn fabric is inaudible.

HOLY CRAP!!!!!

Goddammit I felt like a comic relief anime character. and I remember I was putting on a fake smile and laughter while watching the show, and had a worried look when no one's looking. I'm glad the trousers were black and my t-shirt is long enough to cover half my thighs. I dunno if I should just get the hell outta there back to the dormitory but I don't want anyone to notice... and I can't think of any reasonable excuses to flee. I was too embarrassed to tell my classmates, and I didn't want to ruin their fun. Then I tried to think of something I might have brought along with me.

Sewing kit? Nada.
Safety pin? Well well whaddya know? I had a few in my wallet. Don't ask me why I keep them in there 8D

I used them to hold the pieces of fabric together.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

That's the best option I had, even when the pins aren't firm enough.

And now I still carry safety pins everywhere I go.

Side note: Safety pins are also my personal symbol of romance lol. The day before an important event I had bought meself a bunch of safety pins and I brought it to the event venue. Coincidently, the person I like(d?) asked me if I have any because he wanted to use it! So I gave him some and was like "wahhh even if it's just safety pins, I'm so glad that I can help him!" [complete with the shoujo manga mood and all *blush*]. Consequently I just let him keep 'em because I still have loads of them. Ah, btw it's an old story so the feelings faded away already :3

#2 comings soon...

2009 Epic End

I never thought my 31/12/2009 would have an epic moment, unlike the past end of year events where the day just pass by just like that.

I used to enjoy watching those bloody concerts on TV, with KLCC as background and "Final Countdown" as the last music blared out loud before the old year ends, and the new year borns. Glad that they don't have it this.. I mean, last year. lol. But I grew bored of those stupid concert. Every year is the same thing. Has nothing to do with new year stuff. It's getting old. Malaysia needs something fresh and new (same goes for National Day events).

[gambar untuk hiasan semata2. Shadow of Collosus]

Anyway... the memorable thing about the last day of 2009 is a silly adventure my friend and I been through. This is a true story of two young scholars in an epic quest for hazardous knowledge. After waking up and drinking my tasteless yet nutritious lunch, my coursemate (Norra) called me, asking for my company to find a legendary book.

Riiiiggghhhttt...

She said there are three of the books available in Pusat Asasi Sains UM (PASUM) stacks according to the library database, while those in the main library are no longer in the shelves. So we got our stuff ready, with me being a little late because she called me from outside my room earlier than I thought. SORRY! I'm usually punctual but I was reading both manga and Bohr's model, and I had to tidy up some things. Then we're off.

We decided to walk since the PASUM area is like... 4 buildings away from our college. If we had taken the bus, it'd waste our time waiting and had make one round around the lake. I had no idea where the PASUM library is, but from the surface I understood that PASUM layout is goddamn complicated, so I let her lead the way. She used to take her pre-U course here. However, after 2-3 years of not wandering about the compound, she has a vague memory of the location... but she knew we had to climb a hill to reach the destination.

Yes, the hill climb is quite an exercise. And it somewhat reminds me of traversing through a video game stage with the 'ancient' architecture and all. We walked by silent labroratories that looked like they're abandoned (although I know the fact that this place is still running, just that maybe the pre-U students are on a break..?). And further up was a construction site, which looked like they're building a shopping complex within the campus area. Really, it's big and like four-storey high. What worries me the most is that it's located on the hill slope, and we had several cases of landslide already. I won't be surprise if this construction crumble into pieces because of careless humans. I pray they won't go shaving the preserved forest in the middle of the campus or the monkeys will RAGE.

"There's no other way to reach the library," said Norra. Referring to the construction site, "It's supposed to be here..." [not the exact dialog but she said something like this]

"Maybe they've demolished the library to build this 'shopping complex'," I said. Being highly imaginative, I saw the construction site as 'ruins of ye olde library' instead LOL. "Let's ask the folks here..."

[gambar untuk hiasan semata2.]

First I suggested the lecturers since the lecturer's block is near, but then better ask someone nearer. We headed for the computer lab's staff room. I almost doubt no one was there because the area looks deserted. Imagine a Silent Hill ghost popping out of nowhere, despite of the blazing sunlight.

"The library....." the staff began answering our question, "....is no more..."[okay i exaggerated mood for the bad news]

Oh despair!

"Never mind..." said Norra.

But being the devoted believer of Kamina-ism (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann), I wasn't going to give up! Especially when I had agreed to tag along to search for this book, and it'd be a dishonour to drop our quest. I said, "I beg your pardon, sir! We were looking for a book and we discovered that it is kept in PASUM library! If that library is no more, then I am absolutely certain that the book(s) is/are relocated somewhere else! So, answer me kind sir; do you happen to know where it is?" [as if I really said it like this! XD]

Logically speaking, the books can't just vanish with the building =_=

"Oh, then you have to consult the office..." he said.

After thanking him, we climbed down the mossy stairs and through the lousy excuse of a Japanese-esque structure. Then we entered the next site; I can only laugh at the drastic change of theme. You know, UM has a very inconsistent building designs that's equivalent garbage in my eyes. There's a new so called high-classed toilet in my faculty that is totally unsynchronized with the faculty's old buildings. Shamefully, the flush is broken about a month after it's completed LOL.

Anyways, we asked the lady behind the counter of the PASUM office. I almost couldn't hear her voice because she's too softspoken.

"The library....." said the lady, "....is no more..." [well, the way she said it was more sombre]

I repeated the same thing about the book can be found here, and insisted about the books' location. I expected that they might have a temporary library around there. But she asked us to leave our number (only Norra gave) because she would give it to the person in charge of the library books and also suggested that we consult the folks in the main library.

"So what should we do now?" Norra asked me as we walked through the corridor that looked liked an alleyway in spite of facing the main one way road (issit called Lingkungan Ilmu?). "Should we wait for this person to call?"

"I kinda have doubts that this person to call us, we could've asked for her/his number too so we could inquire him/her," I replied. "But let's just go check out the main library."

Then we had to walk again. It's a good thing that I really do like walking even if I worry that I'd stink due to sweating. Walking at the pavements, opposing the traffic, and our vision was partially clouded by gray vehicle farts (I ran out of pretty metaphors). We passed the epic waterfall and the huge UM logo, where we last see the number '2009' on it. I thought of taking a picture there, but a cluster of students were hanging around with that very motive so I passed. So carried on walking and stepping on unnaturally straight zebra stripes plastered on the road.

Straight to the point now, the staff at the counter confirmed that the PASUM books are relocated there. SEE! I knew those binded pages full of vast knowledge would have refuged somewhere! Next, we went to the floor where the books were supposedly situated. The odd looking shelves were in the middle of the main library's standard shelves as though they're surrounded. Norra recited the book's code, and as we had anticipated, the three books of Introductory Nuclear Physics by Kenneth Krane stood together like valiant sentries awaited us!

REJOICE! Victory dance! [Nay, we did nothing more than expressing our gratitude to God that we finally found it]

But in the end, we took just one of them intending to make photocopies of them lol.

So ends the quest, and that's how my 2009 ended.

Moral of the story: ya gotta be persistent to get what ya want. and for knowledge's sake, we may have to sacrifice luxury (of transporation aka air conditioned bus), travel for miles to reach our objective (like Xuanzang in Journey to the West). InsyaAllah, may we get an A for our worthy efforts =]

bak kata norra... "kalo tak dapat A tak tahu la..."

p/s: dialog sume tak semestinya sama dengan keadaan sebenar sebab ingatan aku berkenaan kejadian ini samar2. Dialog juga diubah untuk menimbulkan suasana cerita Lord of the Rings HWAHAHA

~~~~~

End note: HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! WELCOME 2010! i suck at sappy motivational speech so just go your merry way~

[source: http://www.motifake.com/ ]

The Mystery of Soggy Veggie Feeling

[random pic is related.... somehow....]

Yesterday I had this feeling... i've got a feeling... a feeling deep inside. Oh yeahh...
lulz Beatles. This is all Beck's fault DX
Anyways... that evening I feel like a soggy vegetable leaf taken out from a soup. And my tormented intestine yearns to produce more shit soup.

I actually forgot that I only had 3 hours sleep the night before, and I couldn't resume sleeping after Subuh prayers after greeting my cat 'good morning'. Lately I've been staying up at night like traditional vampires and sleep at dawn. I wake up around 10 am -12 noon. I chose to do this because I don't like oversleeping, for no matter what time I sleep, I will always wake up around that time. Let's say I sleep at 1 am, and wake up at 10, I sleep for 9 hours. I don't like it! The ideal sleeping time is 6-7 hours. So assuming that I sleep at 7 then wake up at 12.... wait... I got only 5 hours. Lack of sleep is unhealthy too. Oh geez I just realized it while writing it. Never mind, sometimes I sleep for about an hour in the evening. So that makes 6! But actually not sleeping at night isn't a proper lifestyle either... but I'd rather not exceed my sleeping time to more than 7 hours!

Okay back to the story.... the moment I feel so worn out I just remembered that I needed sleep. So I slept for about 2 hours and got some energy back.

Another thing that contributed to my stir-fried kangkung-ish feeling is my stomach ache... which has been going on for a few days. I had no idea why... I considered the way I eat. I have early breakfast if I manage to stay up until Subuh. Eating at night time isn't good, because at night the metabolism is slower so the rate of getting fat is higher than eating during the day. My biohealth buddy confirmed this. But my routine of eating at this time of the morning contributes to my abnormal digestion. Or maybe drinking this particular thing and munching some random things drove my organs insane??

I eat banana. It's not helping so far.

Then I noticed something... I wasn't sure if it's true so I risked to experiment it. And I probably can confirm it. Good detective work (yeah right)!!

I make cherry-berry (Malaysian slang for diarrhea) after eating a cake. That particular cake. In fact it all started after I ate it. It's not even as indulging as I expected it to be, so contradicting to the name. It has too much layers of cream, so much more than the real cake. The name of the cake is.... Chocolate Indulgence. That's right. From Secret Recipe.

I don't remember it tasting like that... nor do I remember if I had tasted it before. Everyone seems to like chocolate and favours this one, but it disappointed me. Not only that it tasted like sweet nothing (not even intesne chocolaty flavour), it's also hurting my colon. Even when I consume it with banana... geez, just because we bought it cheap on SR's 12 anniversary doesn't mean you have to give us a cheap cake. But nothing happens to my other family members. okay, no more Secret Recipe Chocolate Indulgence for me. I'm gonna avoid it or else I'll feel so freakin' uneasy when my stomach aches in a weird way... and it hurts when you can't crap normally. From now on.... I will only look forward to tasting Trans-fat blueberry cake and buying another piece of hi-fibre cheesecake.

It looks like I have manry tongue. I don't like anything too sweet, just moderately sweet is fine. I don't like chocolate, except for dark chocolate (and white) because it doesn't give me a headache. The bitterness is addicting too. Thanks to grandma for introducing me to such an obscure candy.

...............Stupid cake!! But I don't think it's food poisoning cos I'm not vomiting at all. I just don't feel so good....

SOAKED ( Muse vs Adam Lambert )

Soaked by Muse (Unreleased) <--click to listen (and for download link)

[written by Matthew Bellamy]

Soaked to the bone
Sink like a stone
Walk on alone
It's not the first time
It's not the worst crime
Your soul will be OK

And you've had enough
Searching for love
And you miss the touch
Of someone new

Burned by your dreams
It's never how it seems
Cold crushed esteem
Take shelter
And hide forever
Your soul will be OK

And you've had enough
Searching for love
And you miss the touch
Of someone new

And you've had enough
Searching for love
And you miss the touch
Of someone new

Soaked to the bone
Sink like a stone
I will take you home
It's not the first time
It's not the worst crime
Our souls will be OK

Click to listen to Adam Lambert's version <-- Yeah, he wrote that for Adam Lambert (available in "For Your Entertainment").

Soaked is about one night stand?? <-- dammit, I could never guess that! Bellamy is awesome... and Adam's amazing the way he actually makes an effort to understand the song meaning.

[i dunno why videos fail to appear here =_= ]

***

Muse likes to have Arab-like tune in their songs don't they XD.

Personally I like Muse's version more. It's much more sombre and although it's not the best of Bellamy's voice, but the way he crooned calmy and sentimentally suits the message even more. The dude really knows how to deliver the song. It's like... this person has already given up on love that he has no more energy to wail accompanied by mashed up melody of piano and electric guitar (i suck at describing music stuff ok *blush* ) which is sooooooooo Muse. Let's not forget the dramatic bridge in 3.00 minutes, it's like... you know... the kind of song played in romance movies where the hero chases the heroine before she goes away in an airplane (or the other way round).

I've been listening to Adam Lambert's version several times already. I like it too. Somehow I think it's good in his own way. The intro (or the mashed up instrument melody Muse made) is much clearer and more energetic, and reminds me of Bollywood. Adam's voice is a bit too powerful for a song like this, but there are a few intervals that are spine-chilling. And before the bridge at approximately 3 minutes it went through some sort of dimensional vortex for a while, then unlike the romance movie bgm, it gives me the image of... a protagonist crying over a friend who or a lover who just died in a bloody battle (complete with fresh corpses and collapsed building around them).

There goes my imagery. I really made good use of my imagination this time. Suddenly it's hard to judge, cos both singers have their own unique way of singing and vocals. But as much as I love Adam, I still think Soaked is meant for Muse... because, look at the lyrics. It's just... soooooooooo Muse!

Review: Kuroshitsuji (anime)

[it's not BL, okay!!]

[WARNING: This review may contain spoilers!]

[WARNING 2: Sebastian fangirls GO AWAY!]

I finished this a long time ago. but I'm bored and I feel like writing reviews. So I picked Kuroshitsuji because I see everyone is obsessed about Sebastian, and I wanted to know what's so great about him. Then there's a shota that I'm attracted to, so I bought the anime before reading the manga. As I suspected, though it is not officially BL, but there are hints. *wink*

Oh yeah, this is Square-Enix's production! My fave game company.
Set in the Victorian era, this is a story about a 12 year old boy who lost his parents in a fire. He made a Faustian contract with a demon who serves him as a (combat) butler. Somehow this brat called Ciel Phantomhive got his riches back after he makes a deal with the demon butler, Sebastian Michaelis. Ironically he's named after a real life Sebastian Michaelis, a French inquistor who compiled a hierarchy of demons in Hell. Ciel is a sour-faced boy with an eye-patch, an have enough intelligence to manage a toy and candy company. But he's completely useless in combat so he goes SEBASTIAN, I CHOOSE YOU to protect him from pedophiles. But Sebastian doesn't mind being treated like a pokemon because it's his job anyway... until Ciel finds the murderer of his parents....
PROTAGONISTS PLEASE...

1. Sebastian Michaelis

Dontcha? Oh everybody does except for me :). Sebastian is overrated. His perfection is awesome but it's a turn off because he's a demon and he can do all the house chores impossibly fast. Faster than vampires! Every girl dreams of getting into his pants, including Maylene the maid, but you can obviously see how he condemns clumsy and imperfect people. Yup, the very moment he shoos the other servants away and do everything himself, I know I can never love him (I've met somebody who does all the work without discussing with his subordinates - i didn't like that leadership). And I wonder why you want a boyfriend like this hehehehehe.... unless you make a Faustian contract with him, he'll defend you with his life (?)... but it's not sincerely because it's what he has to do!

2. Ciel Phantomhive

 

Is it me, or are child geniuses overrated? Like his predecessors, he serves the Queen. But unlike his predecessors, he has a bodyguard. He treats him like a chess piece, and other people he knows are his chess pieces including his aunt. So he doesn't mind sacrificing his pieces until he attains his goals. Like Lelouch who's unathletic, but Lelouch has more pawns. Oh yea, one of Ciel's eyes is cursed too! Dammit, weird eye power is overrated too. He has an a fiancee who's complete opposite of him and annoys him with her girlish decorations (these b1tches just HAVE to exist). But poor Elizabeth just wants to cheer him up even though she's oblivious about what's really going on in his life.

3. Servants of the Phantomhive Household
Well at first I thought that the servants are useless, because Sebastian practically did everything the servants cannot do. He's an attention whore, so what can we do about it? But later in the anime (and manga) you'll find out what's their actual purpose.
- Tanaka. Issit me or are butlers always named Tanaka and Sebastian? Maybe the japanese butlers are Tanaka descendants... hmm. Anyways, he's the house steward, and used to be a butler serving under Ciel's late parents. But he got stabbed and can't do anything much... but he still can kick ass.

[From left: Maylene, Bardroy and Finnian]

- Bardroy. The cook. He cooks with flamethrowers and bombs. Go eat some black things if you leave him be. He's an American, and he's a bomb expert who can use whatever he finds in the kitchen to ward off intruders.
- Finnian. The gardener, who kills of flowers instead of giving them life. He was actually a super soldier of some sort about 500 years before Allelujah's time, so he has super strength in spite of his girlish looks.
- Maylene. The clumsy maid with a cracked pair of glasses. She refused to change them because it's the first present her master gave. But the truth is, she's a far-sighted sniper. You should see how she use hundreds of rifles to decrease the reload time.
***
Unfortunately, like any other anime adapted from a manga, it does not follow the real storyline much. At first, it did, until it reached the middle, where suddenly the plot got f*cked up at the point where everyone is fed with curry bread. Some characters that only appear once in the manga, became re-occuring characters. I'm okay with that because I love them (although they're lamer than Sebastian) - Grell Sutcliffe and Viscount of Druitt... both are rather gay-ish but they amuse me.

[yes I do, Grell!!]
In fact, the anime is gay-er than the manga. There's this dog-man called Pluto (only available in the anime) and he's often seen naked begging for Sebastian's affections. Fanservice much? I nosebled. Yeah... not to forget Grell's pansexuality that is misintepreted as lustful homosexual (not that I mind heh).
Towards the end, it becomes an angel and demon feud. Guess who won lol.
Adding up to the weirdness, it's the Queen Victoria's preserverence of youth and death god's realm (at least we get to see European's Soul Society). Suddenly Lau, the incestuous President of the British Branch of a Chinese trading company got his true purpose revealed when the manga didn't conclude anything about him yet. And the Undertaker's true self is revealed! Then it is revealed how useless Ciel is without Sebastian. And then the mission of the two protagonist seem to be complete, but then I heard the second season is coming. I really hope they don't f*ck it up anymore, cos I do want to see the Noah's Ark Circus.
Somebody please tell me if the Victorian butlers are really capable of being bodyguards too!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention another butler and his bratty lord. But this butler is more like a bodyguard who can do chores like cooking curry. They're good looking fellahs from India. Most likely ancestors of Bollywood actors. I suppose this is one of the three encounters of the name 'Soma' (other than Persona series and Gundam 00) - he's a cheery prince that claims to be Ciel's friend. In my opinion, his servant Agni is a hell lot better than Sebastian. (but why Indian youth always get white hair? Take a look at Lakshata in Code Geass and that Indian mercanary in Bladestorm video game). Although he's human, he can rival with Sebastian's skills. And he doesn't pretend to be nice, and he's at least genuinely helpful to the Phantomhive servants - something Sebastian failed to do (the story is about him, the black butler, of course he deserves all the limelight lol).

[Agni says, "DONTCHA wish you boyfriend was RAW like me?"]

So what do I think overall? The animation is pretty for a manga based anime. I'm happy with the exact adaptation in the first half until the sudden alteration of plotline in the middle of the episode. more supernatural stuff dominated the series, and I think the manga makes more sense. I'm really glad that that Maaya Sakamoto plays Ciel; I'm always amazed by how she can use husky voice and sing like a woman as well.
My favourite song is the second ED, Lacrimosa by Kalafina.
btw don't get me wrong. I love the manga, just not satisfied with the anime. And I may have offended Sebastian fangirls here - oi i told u to go away, didn't I? *points at the top* Sorry but... I fangirl too. It's just that I'm not the kind of person who shuts one eye to one's weakness(es) especially when s/he is so-called perfect (direct translation of a Malay phrase + pun intended). now now... don't get angry. Here' have a motivator~

Review: Gundam 00 Season 2

[from left: Lockon Stratos & Cherudim, Tieria Erde & Seravee, Setsuna F Seiei & 00, Allelujah Haptism & Arios]

[WARNING: This review may contain spoilers!]

After a tragic end in the previous season, the important members of the Celestial Being got seperated. Including Sumeragi, who went back to her unsuspecting exboyfriend and soaking herself with alcohol. Tieria was the only one left in the team, while the grown up + sexier Setsuna lurked for Sumeragi and the 'reincarnation' of Lockon Stratos for a reunion. The only thing left to do is to rescue Allelujah Haptism from some sort of rehab, although he is already 'cured' from his manic depression (he's new hairstyle proves it!).

The main objective is no longer eradicating war, since the godly Veda is already hacked and then..... I dunno what really happen cos I really suck at understanding politics lol. But I do know that there's still war among the people. And the major group citizen erased some middle eastern capital, that totally reminds me of what happened in the real world. Godammit, deja vu! Those future people don't learn anything from history, don't they? They sure have fun bombing the desert. But now the main antagonists are the Innovators; androgynous humanoid who claimed to be more high classed than human. Yet they have human-like personality and because of that, they act like Greek deities who can't really work together in spite of their 'godhood'...

[The innovator faggots lol. it's funny that i don't like 'em]

Really... I hate villain organizations that went f*cked up like that. Two of the Innovators ended up in Celestial Being... so it's easy for the Innovator leader to find out their location in space. And since the show provides point of views of different sides, there's no suspense/mystery factor to keep viewers curious. However, what I like about the season 2 is better character development. Yes, frankly speaking, I like season 2 better than season 1.

We were forced to see lame-ass civillan's point of view in season 1; a couple of university students oblivious to the war until they saw a tragedy themselves. Saji Crossroad and Louise Halevy, I hated them in the first season... but then I realized that the role they play reflects the ignorance of the people not involved in the world's conflict. Then they returned in the second season, matured and finally contributed their sweats in the battle. Saji is still the peace loving dude, while Louise attitude got a 180 flip - which I think it's cool except for her occasional emo-ing. The new Lockon (although physically the same) is more attractive than the previous one, and Allelujah broke my heart because of Soma Pieres/Marie. I actually liked Soma at first, but when she becomes Marie I'm a jealous b1tch! Tieria, although he becomes a joke in one episode, is still not as 'hot' as I expected him to be. Setsuna remains colder than Tieria, even after he met a few girls (namely Marina, Louise and Nena) but the best part is fighting against Mr. Bushido (another wapanese!!). What Setsuna and Mr. Bushido have in common is love for Gundam *hint*hint*

[pic for the lulz]

More people die, but the sad scenes are not up to par with fellow mecha anime - Code Geass. then the bad guys team and good guys team (depends on which one you wanna define as good or bad) worked together to save people from a collapsing orbital elevator (SEE I TOLD U IT'S NOT STABLE!). Then they have the Gundam Peace theme song called "Tomorrow", which I personally think isn't as touching as "Fields of Hope" of Gundam Seed Destiny. Just looking at the title gives me the chills, and I didn't even watch GSD when I first listened to the song - even more spine chilling when I did. Even without knowing the lyrics I could sense the sadness in a war and the 'hope' they look forward to. "Tomorrow" is a little too cheerful and idealistic; because Marina Ismail is a hippie who can't even pull the trigger (ala tembak sikit pon tak boleh ka?? Thus, genocide princess Euphemia wins!).

Yet again, I love the Gundams. Lockon's Gundam Cherudim is so cool with its GN Shield bits which can served as automatic ammo blocker in defense mode and shoot beams in offense mode. Allelujah's Gundam Arios... well, I didn't see much difference from its predecessor though it's still cool cos it can transform into jet. But it has an add-on now; Soma's Gundam Archer (suddenly she's a meister too??) which hugs Arios at the back (now I'm even more jealous!!). Tieria pilots another bulky one, Gundam Seravee, which is pretty nasty cos it hides extra hands in its limbs and sneakily attack foes while being blocking enemy's advances. It also has a child called Gundam Seraphim, that kinda helps its mommy to rape her opponent at the backside.

Last but not least, the star of the show: Gundam 00... let's say it's something 10x better than Setsuna's previous machine. It's equipped with twin GN drive, that creates its own GN field (go google what GN is... the engineer dude theorized it's photon decay). 00 also have an add-on, which is the 0-raiser, unwillingly piloted by the hippie Saji. When combined, well duh, the abilities enhances, 00 can teleport or quantized (SCHROEDINGER EQUATION APPEARS IN MY HEAD!!), and when in Trans-Am mode, everyone near the warmachine becomes naked!

Yeah, there are lotsa naked scenes in the anime. +10 points lol~

I dunno what else to blab... so overall, summing up both seasons, Gundam 00 is an okay story. I mentioned before that I can't bring myself to watch it continuosly; only watching when I had the free time. G00 lacks memorable moments, lacking something that makes you wanna go "NO WAYYY WHY DID THIS HAPPEN??" (except for Lockon's case) or "OMG I HAVE TO SEE THIS AGAIN". It's not even awesome enough to have a popular meme, unlike Code Geass (spinzaku, 'nani nani mai hani', C.C.'s pizza obsession, fake Zeros, Nina's table-fap... whoa that's a lot) yet I can lol at Setsuna's "I am Gundam!" and Graham Aker's obsession for the 'shonen' XD. oh yeah, I am comparing it with Code Geass, cos CG have a lot more than just srs biznez and raeps ur emotions. So anyways... I like it... but I can't fall in love with it as much as how I felt for CG. The main attraction to me is, ironically, not the bishounens, but the Gundams. For the first time in my llife, I developed a desire to collect the mobile suits (quite different from the desire to own Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann figurine).

[OHNOES WHUT HAPPENED?]

Before I end this rant, I'd like to express my love for the second ED, "Trust you" by Yuna Itou. I think it's a love song like none other for it sings... "I love you, I trust you". Most love songs will say 'I need you' or 'I want you', but expressing that the persona 'trusts' her lover is so rare that I can't help loving it!

btw, my apologies if my words are harsh and offending. But this how I do it. I might sound biased to you, but this is my opinion (and you can't make me change my thoughts about it). Thanks for bearing with me ;3