Azure Flame Reloaded

Akram stares into his magic pool of water.

Akram: See how I choose to employ the full extent of my power- the creation of magic CCTV! Hurry, Ryuujin no Miko, assemble the destined bishounen capable of defeating me, for only then will my plans be complete! Continue Reading »

Reinterpreting the ending of SAC 2nd Gig.

A series of strange events in Tokyo all points to one thing- a mysterious apple maniac is on the loose. As the evidence mounts up, Section Nine are forced to consider an unwelcome possibility- could the culprit be Major Kusanagi herself?

The first clue: the mysterious disappearance of a warehouse filled with apples. Continue Reading »

Lu Bu wanted to believe he was more than an annoying mid-boss, but unfortunately for him, his time draws short. No matter how many times he cuts heads or utters “Damn you!”, the writing is on the wall- he just can’t stand up to the combined powers of Cao Cao, Hero of Chaos, and Liu Bei, Defender of Justice.

…however, he didn’t know whether to be angry or amused at the lack of grammar. Continue Reading »

Akane sits outside, looking at the fragment of Akram’s mask.

(Akane: Why? Why must the main villain be so bishie? Now I must angst between having eight bishounen who are all devoted to me, or one who regularly insults my friends and tries to hurt everyone.)

At the Minister of the Left’s residence, Tenma confronts Fuji and Tomomasa.

Tenma: Look, this Ryuujin no Miko stuff isn’t good for Akane- she might get injured.

Tomomasa: Akane is very important to me, er, I mean to the country of Kyou. And since she’s the main character, she shouldn’t come to any permanent harm. Continue Reading »

When it comes to money, police officer Rio Kinezono is little more than hopeless- with her love of expensive clothes, living within her means is an unlikely goal. Fortunately, whenever Rio needs some extra cash, she can turn to her undercover job as a member of Team Warrior, a group of mercenaries tasked with taking on high stakes, high risk assignments. Together with firearms maniac Maya, ace hacker Lilica, inventor and tech expert Nanvel, token pervert Yuji and enigmatic leader Maki, Rio sets out to complete a range of missions, and earn a nice bonus in the process. Continue Reading »

Yasuaki indulges in a flashback to last episode, whilst Akram activates this week’s monster.

Akram: The last few weeks were just a warm-up, but this week the red cherry blossom will surely bring your downfall!

At the castle, Akane is about to attend an important meeting. Fuji insists that she dresses in period clothes.

Akane: But wait- in this sort of series, the heroine is supposed to wear her school uniform no matter what happens! Continue Reading »

Another week, another round-up, another persistent feeling that I really am following more series than the handful I seem to be covering. This week seems to be an oddly unbalanced one, featuring a select handful of gems amongst a desert of tiresome, forgettable dross- some of it from series I highly praised mere months or even weeks ago. Apologies if the words ‘tedious’ and ‘dull’ have been overused.

Reviewed this week: Black Blood Brothers, Chevalier, Hanoka, Higurashi, Keroro, Mai-Otome DVD Special, Ouran, ROTK, SaiMono, School Rumble, Utawarerumono, NHK, xxxHOLiC

…and in manga: Chokotto Sister, Mai-Otome, Mushishi, REC

Continue Reading »

Hakuoro here. Although I have finally managed to add Kuuya to my harem, it is a bittersweet victory. No matter how successful I am with my harem, the demands of my monstrous HARD GAY side refuse to disappear, and I worry that it will soon jeopardise everything that I have worked for…

Continue Reading »

Haseo has always been a conflicted man. Torn between the lure of HARD GAY and his lingering feelings for women, he threw himself into whatever was at hand in order to escape his inner turmoil- drugs, adult tapes, even a career as a movie star. Now, however, the time has come for Haseo to make the final choice- should he challenge Tri-Edge himself for the HARD GAY crown, or let Tabby persuade him to take up life as a family man?

Bordeaux gets in shape for the upcoming HARD GAY vs. HARD YURI rematch. Continue Reading »

For the benefit of viewers with short memories and animation studios with low budgets, the episode begins with over three minutes of flashback.

Finally, the episode proper begins, and we see Akram’s three subordinates arranging some monsters of the week.

At the castle, Princess Fuji is giving her latest lecture.

Fuji: Yes, it’s exposition time again! This time, I will explain all about the destined Hachiyou bishounen. Continue Reading »