Review of 2010 Anime Part 4 ~Fall~

Fall has proven once again to be a very enjoyable season. Having so many shows airing certainly helps. I always feel a little overwhelmed with Fall and Spring anime wise though because there is just so much to check out.

The only 2 shows I didn't start were To Love-Ru and Pokemon. The first because I just haven't watched the season one of and honestly I have no real desire to watch it. It doesn't look like the type of show that I would enjoy in the slightest. The second being Pokemon well... I'm working on it very, very slowly with my Pokemon workout. I'm totally going to be starting that back up again come January.

I'm glad that I enjoyed this season a lot. There are only 5 shows that are under 5 out of 10 rating wise. I think that's pretty darn good out of 25 shows. I'm sad that it does hold the worst show of 2010 for me though. It would have held the best show as well but honestly Katanagatari is a pretty darn good pick for my 2010 best overall.

Best Show of fall for me aside from that adorable little dinosaurs would be Kuragehime. Every character was simply awesome. I'm completely in love with everything about this show it's impossible just to pick one moment.

Worst Show of fall for me without a doubt is Yosuga no Sora, actually no I'll make that one the worst overall for 2010. So next in line for fall is Fortune Arterial. Did anyone honestly even watch this show and enjoy it? Granted I didn't keep up with any chatter about it.

Here's my big list of Best to Worst shows of fall 2010:

1. Kuragehime 10/10
2. Omae Umasou da na 10/10
3. Arakawa Under the Bridge 9/10
4. Sora no Otoshimono 9/10
5. Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto (still airing) 8/10
6. Bakuman (still airing) 8/10
7. Letter Bee (still airing) 8/10
8. Otome Youkai Zakuro 8/10
9. Ironman 8/10
10. Shinryaku! Ika Musume 7/10
11. Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru 7/10
12. A Certain Magical Index (still airing) 7/10
13. Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai 7/10
14. Super Robot Wars: Original Generation (still airing) 7/10
15. Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Girls 7/10
16. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt 6/10
17. Yumeiro Patissiere 6/10
18. Togainu no Chi 6/10
19. Hakuouki 6/10
20. Psychic Detective Yakumo 6/10
21. The World God Only Knows 4/10
22. Tantei Opera Milky Holmes 4/10
23. MM! 2/10
24. Fortune Arterial 2/10
25. Yosuga no Sora 1/10

Surprise enjoyment: Bakuman I personally can't believe I'm enjoying as much as I am. It's slow, slice of school life, and about making manga. I have pretty much NO interest in any of these subjects. Not to mention the romance thrown in here and there. So what keeps me watching and not bored to tears like most people with it by now? I honestly am not sure. I've just been really liking it. I think it heavily has to do with the characters though because they are just all amazing.

Surprise fail: Psychic Detective Yakumo not so much a surprise as a disappointment. I watched the first episode like everyone else and had the grrr reaction to it. The very end held my interest but it still failed. This show made me very sad because I was so looking forward to it.

Honorable mentions: Omae Umasou da na DINOSAUR! Enough said. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt I didn't enjoy for the most part but I give credit where credit is due generally and it certainly deserves some of that. It was totally unique in a strange and odd kind of way. Yumeiro Patissiere what kind of ending was THAT?! I'm still very angry that they changed the OP from the amazing fluffy macaroon song to the shitty who know what OP. Don't get me started on the lame ending. They should have just kept going with the other series or nothing at all. This is why I generally hate shoujo!

OP 1

OP 2

Thanks for reading!

Day 2 of Pokemon Workout! Two more in the Group

~~~Guess that Pokemon answers at the end of this post!~~~

Day 2!

There would have been a workout session on the weekend but my boyfriend left for the weekend to go out of town. Since we are doing it together I didn't feel right watching an awesome episode of Pokemon without him! Even though I'm sure he wouldn't have cared. But I insisted that he needed to know if Ash could catch another Pokemon or not!

We decided on only one episode for todays workout since his back is hurting him a little for some reason and well mine is in worse condition since Friday. I think Thursdays workout might have been a little too much. My abs area was sore 2 days after it which I expected but my back pain moved into my leg worse than normal. I do think that the weather highly effected that as well though.

Biking was done for all of the bf's workout while I did just the 10 minutes again. I did some fun ball crunches along with normal ones. Also managed some of those stretches that help relieve my back pain only when I do them. I kind of wish I could be in those positions all the time because I really don't remmeber what it is like to be pain free.

Episode 3 - Ash Catches a Pokémon

Surprise! Ash actually catches a new Pokemon! 2 to be exact actually. Unlike his failure in episode 2. Misty keeps following Ash even though she hates his new bug Pokemon, Caterpie. I can understand how she is afraid of bugs but this is a Pokemon! Not quite the same thing as a normal bug in my opinion. I do suppose a bigger bug equals more fear. I'm not overly afraid of bugs myself but I can relate to being afraid of something small and squirmy *looks at mice and cries*.

When a Pidgeotto appears Ash sees another chance to capture a new Pokemon but without thinking he sends out poor Caterpie to fight it. I mean really? Logically most people know birds eat bugs! RIGHT?! So why or how he expects Caterpie to win against a Pidgeotto is beyond me. All I can think is poor little Caterpie while I watch him get beaten up till Pikachu finally steps in and shocks that bird. Ash was able to capture it at that point making his Pokemon total a whole 3 now. I'm glad Misty chewed Ash out for trying to get the bird Pokemon with a bug one. What a dumb-ass.

Pikachu and Caterpie decide to chat on a tree stump while Ash and Misty sleep through the night. I can only assume Caterpie is upset that he has not evolved as fast as he would like. We see a Butterfree sparkling through the moonlight sky and poor Caterpie gets tear filled eyes. Pokemon have dreams too! While this scene was cute, it was WAY too long. I did laugh when Pikachu actually looked like he was PIKAing to the audience watching like we should help motivate Caterpie or something.

After this small win and a rest, it's time for everyone's favourite Team Rocket to appear. I'm annoyed with their speech already but I do enjoy how their silly moves change around slightly each time while saying it. The background for this one was amusing. Not too sure why it was so dark though. Maybe to show how much "bad guys" they really are! XD

Team Rocket once again tries to capture Pikachu but to everyones surprise Caterpie comes to the rescue, kicks their butts, and ends up evolving at the end of the episode right before Misty was about to accept him. That little Caterpie sure is a determined little bug! Instead of an actual ED this time we got to see the Pokerap! I totally forgot how cheesy it was.. Honestly I did forget that it even existed.

Overall Thoughts: I don't like how much I'm hurting after today's one episode and really want to do more tomorrow but we'll see how I feel in the morning.

Boyfriends Overall Thoughts: "There better not be a 'Pokerap' at the end of all the rest of the episodes."

~~~Guess that Pokemon answers~~~

Day 1 of Pokemon Workout! Pikachu is a Jerk

So today I actually started! I wanted to yesterday but things got pretty busy and I ended up having no time. I was going to start Tuesday but I had just gotten home from Ottawa on Monday night so I was still feeling under the weather because of the travel involved. Anyway here we are today starting finally!

~~~Guess that Pokemon answers at the end of this post!~~~

Day 1!

We managed... Oh yeah by the way I'm totally making my boyfriend do this with me because well why not. He needs to get fit too! Anyway! We managed to get through 2 episodes. I was rather impressed with myself since I figured I would only be able to do 1 at the most on the first day and that's what I planned for.

I started with 10 minutes on the bike then switched to my stretches and other cardio exercises for 20 minutes. Attempted to get back on the bike for the last 10 minutes but only managed 5 of those. I won't try that again till a little later down the road methinks. My boyfriend did the bike for 30 minutes and then for the last 10 minutes he did weights. We were both pretty tired at the end of those 40 minutes but not crazy out of breath or anything. This tells me we aren't THAT much out of shape which is very encouraging.

Episode 1 - Pokemon, I Choose You!

Ash Ketchum begins his Pokemon journey, following in the footsteps of his father according to his mother. Ash has wanted to get his first Pokemon for quite some time now and Professor Samuel Oak will be the one to give him his first one. Sadly Ash sleeps in and gets there very late. After running into a rival once Ash arrives at Professor Oak's, he is even more eager to get his Pokemon and get going on his journey to be the best Pokemon master of all. A rough Pokemon is given to Ash after his first 3 choices were already taken by kids that were on time. Pikachu enters and they start their interesting relationship.

I've seen this episode now about 10 times now or something weird and stupid like that. But it has been a really, really long time since I have watched any Pokemon. I still can't believe how cheesy the English version is. The Professor says some silly sayings from time to time but in general has good advice for Ash. Ash's mother is a special lady. She's kind of a fruitcake honestly and has an odd obsession with making sure Ash changes his underwear. Ahhh immature humour. We see the Professor's grandson Gary briefly. He's a stuck up egotistical brat honestly. Then again, I can see why he's like that since his grandfather is a Pokemon expert after all.

Ash and Pikachu wanter off on their new journey and things aren't going so well for Ash since Pikachu doesn't like him one bit. Pikachu is kind of a dick about it all honestly but it is after all a very stubborn Pokemon. I do love Pikachu and all but there's plenty of cuter ones out there that attract me more. The run into some mean Spearow and Pikachu ends up wounded. This is where Ash meet Misty fishing. He quickly takes her bike and rushes off to a Pokemon hospital to help his Pokemon. I think I'll be ok if I actually never watch this episode again. It was really fun this time though watching my boyfriend watch it for the first time ever. That alone was worth it.

Episode 2 - Pokemon Emergency!

After "borrowing" Misty's bike Ash arrives in Viridian City where he seeks out the Pokemon hospital with the help of Officer Jenny to help Pikachu. Team Rocket's, Jessie, James, and Meowth first appear this episode and attempt to take Pokemon from the hospital in hopes that there will be some rare ones that they can take back to their leader.

Ash sits and waits for news about his Pokemon from nurse Joy. He calls his mother to get some encouraging words then receives a phone call from the professor randomly. I found it odd that announcements were made for Team Rocket and that either of them weren't bothered by this. They really are the lamest duo ever. Beloved but oh so very dumb. I'm kind of glad their Pokemon Meowth talks because he does add some sense to what's going on where Jessy and James don't have much of that between the two of them. When they do their famous speach for the first time for Ash he has no clue what is going on and I honestly don't blame him one bit.

Pikachu shows some respect to Ash by saving the day from the bad guys. Misty is impressed and now Ash has a new journey partner. At least till she gets her bike back! Pokemon is REALLY easy to watch while you aren't looking at the screen I've noticed. Sometimes it even makes those small boring parts enjoyable. I think it's only a matter of time before I start singing along to the OP. But I do see myself getting annoyed with Team Rocket's speech very soon...

Overall Thoughts: I think this is going to work very well as long as I keep at it and don't give into laziness.

Boyfriends Overall Thoughts: "Why are we watching Pokemon while doing this?"

~~~Guess that Pokemon answers~~~

Pokemon Workout!

So, I've been planning this exercise thing for a good long time now. It was one of my new years personal goals to accomplish this year but I didn't take it to the level I'm about to (the most I've done is go out for walks) because like always my health is so up and down. I was also doing some pretty wacky stuff with my back earlier on this year medical wise so I didn't really want to interfere with that. Since things have eased lately I've decided to finally start working out.

I'm going to start attempting a regular schedule for getting into better shape starting next week. I figure I'll start off with 2 or 3 days a week in the beginning and hopefully I'll be able to start doing more days after a while. Why is this called "Pokemon Workout" you are asking at this point I'm sure. Well the goal is to watch one or 2 episodes of Pokemon while working out. Why not mix what I love watching with actually making me a little more fit? I will be posting after each workout about 1 or 2 Pokemon episodes along with my getting fit thoughts and what I feel my progress is like. I will not be posting any weird videos like this or images of me actually working out. XD I'm going to start off with the very first Pokemon series. I look at this as trying to get back to those younger years.

I've made this little starters list that I'll be following at first. I hope to be adding more "challenges" to this as I progress to see what works and what doesn't.

Workout Plan

"Fun" challenges:

Push ups or curl ups during the opening and ending credits.
Jumping jacks when team rocket appears and they say their catch phrase.
At the halfway point while "guess that Pokemon" is happening speed up whatever doing at the time.

Main exercises during the first half and second half of show:

- Ride bike
- Arm/ leg weight training / planks
- Special stretching that I learned from my physiotherapist to not hurt my back
- Ball exercises

The above main exercises are made for 2 Pokemon episodes in a row. It will most likely just be one at first so I'll pick and choose which I feel like doing. I do hope to get it up to a whole hour at some point but baby steps first for me.

Fitness is always on a person's mind that sits behind a computer. Office workers especially are always looking for ways to keep them from turning chubby. So after being basically stuck doing nothing for about 3+ years now due to my decline in health, I do not wish to turn into a fat blob at all. I'm no where near being overweight but I don't want to get there either. With this I hope to prevent what happens to most of us with little activity and keep the pounds from creeping higher and higher till it's too late. Even though it's never too late to start loosing weight and get back into shape!

I suppose we can call this a tad inspired by Training with Hinako, although I won't need to watch her on the screen each time I do my workouts. I think cute little Pokemon will do the trick nicely for me instead of bouncing boobies. Even the cute Wakey Wakey Exercise that Sumomo does, I think is just a little too annoying for me.

Also since I've got people here, starting next week I'm going to be doing a series of posts every Tuesday called "Tuesday Tally". Since I watch a lot of anime I thought it would be fun to keep a list around for a while to see just how much I've actually watched in a week going by each day. I'll be keeping a list over on my small blog on AnimePlanet and at the end of each week I will post a bigger one over here with more thoughts and reaction to what I have viewed. Thinking about adding a "Manga Monday" or maybe more suited to me a "Movie Monday". I'm still debating over which project to start for that.

If anyone has any suggestions out there for workout tips, I'm all ears. ^_^ Pokemon Workout here I come!

365 Days of Anime Characters: Day 73/365 Pikachu

Day 73/365

From the anime Pokemon, Pikachu is a small mouse like creature although it is not as small as a mouse, more like a groundhog in size. It's fur is yellow with brown stripes on it's back and it has pointy black tipped ears. It also has red circles on each cheek that are electrical sacs where its electrical power source comes from. Pikachu can turn into Raichu with the use of a Thunder Stone.

Why I like him: Most people hate characters that say only a few "words" but hearing Pikachu saying pikapika or chu is too cute! I like that he was stubborn and refuses to get into a poke ball with Ash. Although he is small he shows great courage and power.

Why I hate him: I've thought about it for hours. I can't think of a thing that makes me hate Pikachu.

Overall: Pikachu is probably one of the most beloved anime creatures ever. Definitely the most popular Pokemon character.