Anime : xxxHolic 05

This episode is a definite improvement from the previous. The animation may not be very impressive but the excitement was very well built. I thoroughly enjoyed the scene where Watanuki was chased by the spirits at night and had to play Shiritori with Mokona to ward the spirits off. And I totally love the soundtrack for this episode. It is simply outstanding. The sequence of events in this episode is quite different from the manga (note the Kitsune-Lantern arc was removed from this anime episode), but I'm still quite pleased with the animation done. I must say, Clamp's artwork is really enjoyable. I love the designs they used on Yuuko.

Anime : Jigoku Shoujo 17

Love this episode. Jigoku Shoujo simply gets better as the season approaches the end. It started with Shibata Hajine and Tsuugumi traveling in the car towards an isolated sanatorium when they suddenly heard the sound of a musical box playing. In the fog, they suddenly saw the shadow of Jigoku Shoujo, who possessed Tsuugumi to warn them away from the sanatorium. Of course, Hajime did not comply and they ended roaming in the empty sanatorium and falling into the trap of an unrest soul of a doll. This episode took a twist: because the one who accessed the Jigoku Tsuushin was actually a soul, not a living human, Enma Ai refused to accept the request for revenge. The other twist surprised me: Enma Ai took the trouble to save Hajime and Tsuugumi from the revengeful soul of the doll. It was really creepy when the doll went all out to kill Tsuugumi and Hajime. The sanatorium environment was very well portrayed, setting the quiet and cold mood, rendering the loneliness and helplessness that Nina felt very real. I was especially sad when they revealed the reason to why the doll wanted to seek revenge. Great episode it is.

Anime : Bleach 79

Okay, I used to complain about the poor entertainment quality of the current filler arc. With this episode, I take them back. This episode has got some good humor and action. The first half showing Ichigo and co. having breakfast and chatting was great. I love the light-heartedness and the closeness amongst the characters rendered by this scene. The character development given to Claude was quite surprising (the part where Claude & Nova were chatting & observing Ichigo and co.), but pleasant. I find it funny when Renji asked Rukia if she drank coffee before and she proudly told him she "cleared" the drink. XD And for the first time, the action involving Bound was exciting. I especially enjoyed the part where Yoshino fused with her doll, Geitei, to fight Kariya. I hadn't seen that coming. And Kariya, though evil, looked kinda cool when they showed his doll (which was embedded on his body). Bleach love to have really evil dudes looking super cool - first Aizen, now Kariya. But I kinda missed watching Rukia. She's my favourite character and her screen time this week is terribly short. Hopefully, there's more of her scenes next week. The scenes involving Ichigo's fighting however, left more to be desired. With his poor focus, Ichinose could have kicked his arse easily, but then again, Ichinose did not. Oh well, maybe we'll see more of Ichigo's Zangetsu-brandishing next episode.

Review corner

okay, this is where I give my thoughts about the stuff I've watched or read. Mainly, it'll be where I review the animes and manga I've read. Will be posting my reviews soon. Yoroshiku!