It was quite a lot of weeks ago that I watched Nabari on Netflix. The moment I saw the opening, with the musiiiiiic and with Raimei and her swoooord and Koichi and his leaf-teleportatiooon.... just like Gunslinger Girl, I was hooked. Of course, I didn't know their names then. But the premise of ninjas in a modern world was so gripping!
I was really into the whole five regions each with their own kinjutsushō, or forbidden art, which I will probably have to look up again cuz I forget but that was awesome. It really did inspire me. Okay so first of all, and characters are pretty much the most important aspect of any story for me, so lets start with those.
MIHARU I WUV YOU!! So very apathetic, so very adorable. Having him as the main character was a good move. I love how he changed over the episodes after meeting Yoite, you could see how much they affected each other. One thing I kinda don't get is why he could fight in the manga and not in the anime. It pissed me off that he was so helpless! It was like JUST FIGHT! But then, with him containing the shinrabansho, it's not like anybody was gonna kill him anyway.
Yoite I ADORED. His past was so, so tragic, I couldn't stop thinking about it for ages. It sickens me that parents can treat their children that way, but also made me so (tearfully?) happy that he found a new family in Miharu, Raimei, Kouichi, Tobari (to some extent lol), Hana (LOVE HER!), Yukimi, Raiko and Gao.
The way they came together was really endearing although it crushed me that Yukimi couldn't bring himself to see him once more before he died. His bond with Miharu is so heart-wrenching! Although it did seem like bordering on Yaoi. Maybe because Miharu's... well, prepubescent so he looks like a girl. I guess the creators can get away with it hahahaha.
Okay, fucking Raimei! She annoys me so much! Especially her voice, no offence to her voice actor. Towards the end, you get used to her, but when she first appears, URGH! I like that she's a samurai but that's pretty much it. Argh I can't believe Kouichi likes her.
The bit when you discover Kouichi is immortal is completely like WAHHH!!! It explains why both him and Shijima have white hair and red eyes, (lol you think somebody would have noticed!!!) and the outcome for him did NOT make me feel good. I wish Miharu could've uncursed him. Kouichi's fighting abilities are epic, but then he is immortal. Call me twisted, but I did laugh when Kouichi put a sword through Miharu because he thought he could stop the shinrabansho... like DUH?! UNSTOPPABLE POWER HERE?!
One of my favourite characters is Shijima Kurookano, I love her voice, her name, and just the way she acts and looks. The discovery that she is Miharu's cat really shocked me because it was so subtly revealed. (How can she be such a pretty human but such an ugly cat? Cats don't look like that!)
So many secrets in this damn anime makes it so damn gooooood...
Okay, so I really liked Tobari (I couldn't help laughing that a grown ass man is travelling around with a bunch of kids) and I felt HORRIBLE for him when Miharu stops trusting him at the end. I could see that he was only trying to help him while keeping his promise to Miharu's mother. It was a nice addition that he was a ninja who couldn't kill anybody. It made him complete in my head. A well-rounded character.
HANA! She should be my Godmother! Her place the anime was just perfect, she was always there when they needed her. She's too wonderful.
Tobari's relationship with Hanabusa was so, so sweet. Also, and I don't know why, but it seems really fitting that she is older than him.
-Probably missing out a shitload of people but there you go. WHY is Saraba's boobs spilling out of her clothes? If you have a huge bust then fine, but wear a decent kimono or something!!
-GAHH Kotarou was so clearly evil! He was an EXCELLENT character though, soo funny, I did really like him. But God couldn't anybody see he was up to something?!
-Gao was a little irritating but his good-nature and loyalty to Raiko was sweet. Always fucking complaining though.
-Raiko's voice bugs me a little - why does he sound almost English? Like, transatlantic? WTF? But by the end, it suits him perfectly. I cracked up when he crashed Yukimi's car because I didn't believe he would really do it - at least not so fast!!
Okay, abilities.
So Fuuma's forbidden art, the Tenpenka - which is basically shapeshifting, was pretty cool. You know. Seen it before but it's cool. Though, compared to the Kira technique, why is Tenpenka forbidden?
The Kiroushu's forbidden art, Kira, was an AMAZING concept. There are so many little parts to it that make it intriguing, like eventual loss of all five senses. It infuriated me that Hattori makes Yoite use it. How you see him deteriorate is freaky, but realistic.
The Togakushi's forbidden art, the Izuna Shingan, is actually better than it first appears. Yae Oda pissed me off quite a lot but you knew her motives for everything. When you think about it, this forbidden art is really powerful.
Okay now, Banten. RIGHT. After trailing through two seasons to find out what Tobari has kept soooooooo secret, I thought that Tobari's Engetsurin was a COMPLETE hax. Like, how convenient! Something that takes away and restores memory. But then, ironically, it was also very good how every single person forgot who that last Shinrabansho possessor was because of it. Tobari has this secret hanging over him for the whole anime. Even though the idea was really good, I still this his kinjutsushō was a shit little cheat. But there you go.
So yeah, that kept me busy for a long time. the art above is for the soundtrack to the first season, which I LOVE. (And MAAAN look at the scenery of Banten, in the artwork above! So beautiful!) As you know, I'm addicted to anime soundtracks. I'm addicted to every type of music, hahaha (listening to Phil Collins and Genesis right now) but ANYWAY my favourites are Main Theme - Seijaku, Tobari no Ketsui (FREAKING LOVE THIS ONE), Koakuma Shounen (the violins are too good), and Shinra Banshou no Sasayaki (every time the shinrabansho activates, this song plays. Love it.). This soundtrack is, although sad at times, also quite lively. But Soundtrack 2... damn...
Art above is for soundtrack to the second season, and oh my God, it is so damn depressing. I can understand that though, because Yoite is dying in the second season, but damn. This soundtrack is titled in English. My favourites are The Tragedy of a Brother and Sister, Deep Darkness (I always think of Yoite drinking Yukimi's lemonade at this song), Miharu's Perplexity (so sad! so good!), The Profile of a Death God (SO DEPRESSING! SO AMAZING!), Hanabusa (I LOVE HANA!!!), Two People (cough Miharu Yoite... lol Mihite...? Yoharu? Okay wait stop, that's Yaoi if I do that right? OKAY STOP NOW), Wailing, Main Theme Piano Solo, and Departure.
Main Theme Piano Solo and Departure are variations of Main Theme - Seijaku and I think that's really cool. Like in Gunslinger Girl with TEMA I, II, III, IV and V.
Last but ABSOLUTELY NOT LEAST! I just HAD to get Crawl by Veltpunch because the opening credits make me pumped up for every episode. The full version is even better than the TV size. Hikari by Elisa, which plays at the closing credits for season 1, really annoyed me when I heard it, I used to skip it. But the full version is actually very good. I surprised myself because I don't normally like ballads like that.
Favourite song ever - I would trade all the songs for this one - is Aru Ga Mama by Anamu and Maki, which played at the closing credits of season 2. I love it to death (no pun, sorry Yoite). The full version has extra harmonies that the TV size doesn't have so naturally, I'm in love with it. I've never heard Japanese (?) Alternative or Acoustic music before and I'm desperate to find more. It's a beautiful song.
And it sums up Mihite perfectly.
Still making my way through the mangas online when I'm not doing Uni work. Pretty good so far, but no urge to be buying them yet. I DID just buy Psyren 3 and 4 after reading 1 and 2 in the library - they are fucking awesome, about kids projected into a game which may possibly be Earth's future - but that's a story for another day.
Star.
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