GHP 02/21/10: Happy Lunar New Year!
あけましておめでとう to everyone! It is now the start of the year of the metal tiger, and it is also a HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! (Kapal ng mukha!) Anyway despite konti lang kami nung Saturday, I still enjoyed the celebration of my 29th birthday, Urrgh! I'm getting old. Actually nagka vision ako na old guy na ako na nakahawak sa DSi LL, naglalaro ng Pokemon, magchachallenge pa ako ng bata "Hoy iho! gusto mo mag battle!" eventually I'll get my ass kicked dahil sa retro Pokemon I own. Anyway, despite Mike not being here to do the practical jokes, I was still a victim of one. Keith actually took a box out that’s color blue, It has a Disney Princess gift wrap, he showed it to Shopao. I thought it was for a one of Pao's kid relatives. Then after that he gave the box to me, "Happy birthday tol!" Medyo nagulat ako dun. It was a combined prank ni Pao at Keith since magkahati sila sa gastos. But when I checked the contents of that girly wrapped gift item, bagay yung wrapper actually dun sa laman. It was a figma of Drossel von Flügel. She is from the Japanese Disney miniseries "Fireball". She can be considered a Disney princess actually, but she's more of a Disney Duchess dahil anak siya ng 19th Lord of Uranos' Kingdom's Tempest Domain, Drossel Juno Vierzehntes Heizregister Fürstin von Flügel. I think that name was longer that Jose Rizal's.
To Pao and Keith, eto yung laman na figure na kasama ng Newtype Magazine. There are actually three of them.
Anyway, dito kami kumain, sa Mall of Asia branch ng Yakimix. It’s more of a Yakiniku place where you cook your food on the spot with the griller in front of you. (Raymond is the guy holding the tongs)
and its real life equivalent…
cue epic manzo opening theme, and with the introduction of the first few verses, we see our favorite hero running frantically alongside a speeding train (nearly running faster than the train, if i may add) probably trying to get home before kayoko does to hide the fact that he’s been at the pachinko parlors all day:
sunred here is actually running on top of the shinfutakobashi overpass bridge, which was built as an overpass to the Futakobashi bridge as an extension to Route 246 in order to ease navigation over the Tama and Nogawa rivers. the train that you see in the scene also looks incredibly similar to that of the Hitachi Tōbu 50050 series, which is currently commissioned by Tōbu Railways to run on its Tōbu and Tōjo lines. 
in the next scene we actually see our exhausted protagonist boarding a train with yellow stripes running across its top and bottom, which makes you wonder, if he can run faster than a speeding train, why would he ever need to ride one?
evidenced by the type PS33 single-arm pantograph on the train, it appears that this is 10:07 (Week-end 920F) to Musashi-Kosugi/Kawasaki docked at JR’s Musashi-Mizonokuchi station platform 1.
next in the opening sequence we see our favorite sugamama sending out an SOS because her bags are too heavy from buying too much:
even though the name is slightly modified–like many other commercial products in this series–it is beyond doubt that kayoko is walking out of the Mizonokuchi’s branch of the now-international conglomerate/shopping market Ito Yokado , as seen below.
next we come across a scene where we see Sunred running across what the opening theme suggests to be the Fuchu Kaido street, with an oblivious Kayoko innocently walking home from shopping:
and it would appear that manzo is right on the money again, as the background depicted is indeed Fuchu Kaido street (Route 409) in front of the Takatsu Ward Fire Station.
next in the sequence we’re told that the bad guys are annoying and they’re back yadda yadda, as the scene zooms out to two buildings under an eery purple sky with what looks like red and purple lights rising up the building:
and as any shoppaholic in the greater Kantō region can testify, the buildig on the left is one of the many iconic Marui towers owned by the Marui Family. this particular haven of tweenage fashion is located in front of Tōkyu Mizonokuchi station, since we see the NOCTY plaza towering right next to it.
subsequent scenes show our favorite hero battling some familiar faces on top of a bridge, with a few baddies being beaten up thrown off and whatnot, as if to reassure us that the opening sequence (from both seasons) always seems to show exactly what never happens in the series:
although i’ve never been to this bridge/slide gate because pedestrian entry on the bridge is strictly forbidden, this is the slide/sluice gate located behind the Nikaryousui cylindrical water splitter which manages waters coming in from the Tama and Gotanda rivers.
next we see vamp and co. shopping for groceries over at what looks like a market of some sort:
our happy bunch is actually shopping in front of Juujiya’s main branch stationed conveniently in the Mizonokuchi Shopping Arcade two blocks away from the Tōkyu Mizonokuchi station.
and we’re finally near the ending scene where we’re brought back to Mizonokuchi square with our hero being cheered on (?) by the citizens for saving the day from the pedestrian deck.
and that’s Mizonokuchi/the greater Kawasaki area, compliments to the producers of Astro Fighter Sunred in a wrap.
Al and Winry are welcomed by Rosé and the people of Liore. Meanwhile, Darius, one of the chimeras who helped Ed after he had been injured, goes to a bank and makes a withdrawal from Ed's State Alchemist research account. However, the military is informed and they storm the clinic where Ed and the chimeras are, though the trio manages to escape from them. Hohenheim tells Al the truth about himself and his involvement with Father. While Olivier is shown the army of artificial humans created by the military, Bido is spotted by Greed. Bido realizes who he is and tries to make him remember his chimera friends, but Greed ends up killing him. Angered at seeing Greed kill one of his friends, Lin's conscience has a vicious clash with Greed's. Later that night, Greed storms King Bradley's mansion and confronts him in front of his wife and Selim.
Tentai Senshi Sunred is a powerful, battle tested hero of many years. He has sold his super bike, which is seen in the opening credits. Now he smokes a lot, is effectively unemployed, and lives by the grace of his girlfriend, Kayoko Uchida. His arch enemies in the Evil Florsheim Army are still trying to take over the world. Under the direction of their local leader, Vamp, they help members of the community, run a cooking show, assist Kayoko Uchida whenever possible, and try to attack the ever powerful Sunred. All in all, a light parody of the Japanese hero genre.
Kimi ni Todoke is about a girl named Kuronuma Sawako. She is nicknamed Sadako (from the ring) because many people see her as strange and often mistake her for a ghost. A boy called Kazehaya kun becomes her friend and, to her, is “100% refreshness.” Kuronuma Sawako’s one wish in life is to make friends. That’s a difficult proposition when everyone who meets her cowers in terror. She admires her classmate, Kazehaya-kun, a popular, easygoing and 100% refreshing guy who is nice with everyone, even with her.
The love & music story continues between Noda Megumi, the talented yet distracted (almost childish) piano player, and Chiaki Shinichi, the prodigious, always focused on advancing forward, orchesta director. How love will finally find its way for this two persons. Will it be able to surpass the challenges ahead or will it die prematurely. Paris, the city of light, is the more accurate place to find out how this "love musical" will reach its FINALE.
Divergence Eve
In the future, interstellar travel takes place via "inflation gates" that pass through a parallel universe. Unfortunately, denizens of another universe, called "ghouls", want to invade our universe using the same portals. At Watcher's Nest, a distant station, a ship arriving through a portal is attacked by a ghoul, and one of the passengers, rookie soldier Kureha Misaki, undergoes a dreadful change.
There are three known worlds--the human world, the angel world, and the devil world. The evil queen Raindevilla yearns to destroy the angel world with help or her many devil minions. The goddess Aphrodite sends an angel to the human world, Limone, to summon three love angels in the form of three school girls, Momoko Hanasaki, Yuri Tanima, and Hinagiku Tamano, who together become Angel Lilly, Angel Daisy, and Wedding Peach. The three girls must fight to overcome the evils of the devils, as well as their own lives, and restore peace to the angel world by gathering all pieces of the Sacred Four Somethings (or Saint Something Four) and defeat the evil queen once and for all.
The story is set in 19th century England and centers on a "fairy doctor" named Lydia. Her life takes a 180-degrees turn when she meets a legendary blue knight count named Edgar and his crew. He hires her as an adviser during his quest to obtain a treasured sword that was supposed to be handed down to him by his family. 
When Marin and Urin – two sisters who live in the sea – find a ring that dropped into the water from the land of Sky, they decided to travel above to return it. There, amidst a bustling festival, they meet the ring’s owner; her name is Kanon, and she wants nothing to do with the ring, which was a present by her ex-boyfriend. After Kanon refuses to accept the ring and throws it away once more, the girls continue to search for it, accidentally releasing half of a great evil whose spirit was sealed both above and below the water. But luckily, there’s hope – Matsumoto, the Elder Turtle from the sea, appears and reveals that Marin is none other than the Priestess of the Sea, charged with defeating the villain. Marin must now fight alongside Kanon - who discovers she’s the Priestess of the Sky - to put a stop to this ancient power and its possessed minions before it’s too late…
Mari Wakatake has been living with her Grandmother for the past 5 years after a tragedy caused the loss of her home, friends and family, as well as her memories. Fearing for her future, her Grandmother admits her into Kaihou Academy, for her to make friends, instead of home studying. Although reluctant to go, she does and meets Hagino Sekonji. At first appearance, this girl appears like a normal student but inside her lies a deep secret that relates to the tragedy of 5 years ago. 
Ureshiko Asaba, 26 years old, married. Few people know the fact that she is actually a magical girl named "Agnès", and she is the guardian of the town where she lives. One day she meets Sayaka Kurenai, aka "Cluje", another magical girl appointed by the magic realm as the legitimate successor to her position, but Agnes is reluctant in letting her take over, because she knows that Cluje has orders to erase the whole place, including its human inhabitants with the purpose of creating a new one. To complicate matters, Ureshiko must deal with the growing distance between her and her husband, Tamotsu, her escalating feelings for Tatsumi Kagura, a young man who is now living as a tenant in her home, and the fact that, the moment she ever kisses a common human, she would lose her powers forever.
When a motley band of travelling performers have a deep-space collision with another spacecraft, they find that the sole survivor of the other craft is a humanoid infant. They decide to raise the child as their own on the nearest planet as they wait for other members of the girl's race to come and find her. 
He is a dog with a rainbow-coloured afro. He is innocent and blameless and always in a good mood. Afro Ken is always willing to try new things. Afro Ken is attracted to objects that look like he does. His hair changes to look like these things as he gets close to them. There is an Afro Ken Family Tree with other dog characters who have outrageous names, such as Techno Ken, Funky Ken, Lord Ken, Super Afro Ken, and Normal Ken. Unlike the others, Normal Ken does not have wild hair. 
A modern detachment of the Japan Defense Force finds itself transported back in time to 1942. The JDF force must decide whether or not to change the course of history by involving itself in WWII.
Shogo was an average teenager who worked at McDonalds, drove a motorcycle and hung out with his friends - until one day, his friend Shingi showed off a prototype motorcycle called 'Garland' and was killed by secret agents attempting to steal it for themselves. Shogo escaped with the bike and his life. The next day, there is no indication that this ever happened. Shingi is reported as overseas for special training; but secret agents are staking out Shogo's apartment and are still hunting him down! Eventually the conflict comes to a head and Shogo discovers that Garland is able to transform into a giant robot - how can this be? With these new developments, Shogo must discover the purpose of the conspiracy and the secret world around him.
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda
Drossel Juno Vierzehntes Heizregister Fürstin von Flügel
Yup it's longer.
To Pao and Keith, eto yung laman na figure na kasama ng Newtype Magazine. There are actually three of them.
Anyway, dito kami kumain, sa Mall of Asia branch ng Yakimix. It’s more of a Yakiniku place where you cook your food on the spot with the griller in front of you. (Raymond is the guy holding the tongs)
Mameshiba (7-Eleven Japan's newest mascots)
I actually encountered them first in the Wii no Ma channel and I had no idea why the people who encounter these strange beans actually lose their appetite after these things start speaking, and now that there is an english website for these "things" I finally found out why.
What exactly is Mameshiba? They're not quite a bean, nor a dog, but rather a hybrid of both. They love to appear out of nowhere and offer random bits of trivia whether you like it or not...
If you're willing to know kung gaano sila kasabog go to http://dogatch.jp/mameshibaworld/ and watch their videos.
Astro Fighter Sunred, the live action. (Taken from Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai)
For some of us watching this show in Japan, especially those of us who are familiar with the Kawasaki/Futakotamagawa area, have been pleasantly surprised with the similarities of the area depicted in the series with their real life equivalents. having been a resident of Yokohama for the last six years, i was pleasantly surprised to see some of Kawasaki’s landmarks proudly represented in the opening sequence of this series, and since asunder’s been hyping this up after one year of the show airing, i guess now’s a good time if any, to introduce some of these wonderful places that this show tries to introduce to us. First and foremost, near the beginning of the opening sequence (before logo appearance), we see our favorite protagonist waiting for a bus in front of what looks incredibly similar to the Takatsu Ward Office:
if you’re interested in more Kawasaki/Futakotamagawa references in popular culture media, this area has been featured in countless movies and j-dramas as well, such as the manga/drama/movie ROOKIES and the recent blockbuster hit Yomei Ikkagetsu no Hanayome
PS. for comparions from scenes from the season one opening sequence, check out this link
New Downloads:
Ongoing:
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Episode 44
Episode 44
Tentai Senshi Sunred
Episode 40
Complete Series:
Kimi ni Todoke
Nodame Cantabile Finale
Divergence Eve
Wedding Peach
Earl and Fairy
Umi Monogatari - Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto
Blue Drop Tenshi-tachi no Gikyoku
Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo
Space Family Carlvinson
Afro-Ken
Zipang
Megazone 23 OVAs
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