NHK ni Youkoso 06: Satou Returns to Class

In “Welcome to the Classroom!”, Satou has a slight nervous breakdown but manages to make some progress in his hikikomori recovery program. Misaki gives him some bad advice but everything works out in the end. Also, Yamazaki doesn’t get angry this episode…well, at least not his real-life self.

NHK ni Youkoso OST Review

It seems that Victor, the same company that produced Haruhi CDs, is also putting out the NHK ni Youkoso music and this time, there is an official soundtrack. The band Pearl Kyoudai (Pearl Brothers) composed the music for the series and it was interesting to hear the BGM with lyrics. I think what the band did was record the songs normally and then created off vocal versions for use in the show. There were also some nice original songs on the album including “Dark Side ni Tsuitekite”, a song which could have made a better ending song than “Akachan Ningen” IMO. Numbers after the jump.

Bandai to Subbers: “No Solid State Society!”

Bandai USA has pre-emptively told subbing groups not to distribute copies of the upcoming “Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society” or they would risk litigation. The movie will premiere on a Japanese satellite pay-per-view channel on September 1 and released on Region 2 DVD on November 24. The company holds the North American license and, according to their press release, will release the title sometime in 2007. Way to be generic, guys!

Potluck – Fugainaiya at #6, Akito Souma on Blogger, etc.

UPDATE (8/22 9:50PM PST): I accidentally disabled comments when I first posted this, but now it’s open. Not that there’s going to be any comments anyway… -_-;;

Here again is another edition of Potluck, where miscellaneous crap gets stapled together into a semi-coherent post. I’ve begun to lag behind on Honey & Clover and NHK, totally neglected Poor Sisters’ Story and Mamotte Lollipop as well as not getting around to starting “want-to-see” series like Monster. School starts in a month and I move into my apartment in ten days so I’ll be getting my gear together for the rest of August. This means many of my upcoming posts will be based on either news or random Akibablog stuff. God save the readers.

Otaku Space Tourist Fails Physical

Former Livedoor executive Daisuke “Dice-K” Enomoto (34), who had planned to wear a Char Aznable costume into space, was “deemed not ready to fly for exclusive medical reasons” and bumped from a next month’s mission to the International Space Station. Enomoto was going to accompany the next space station crew on their September 14 flight, hang out on the ISS, and return to Earth with the astronauts up there now. The expected replacement for the third shuttle seat is Iranian-American entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari.

Hachimitsu II 5 – Morita is a Hand Biter

Hachimitsu II 4 – Rika’s Past

One of my favorite features of Honey and Clover is the relationship that developed between Rika, Harada, and Hanamoto when they were graduate students. This episode adds more backstory to those three characters including a scene featuring a cute albeit inebriated Rika. Also, Mayama mans up and tells her he will protect her from herself.

NHK ni Youkoso 05: Satou Comes Clean

It has been 4 years and 4 months since the last time Satou and Hitomi talked to each other. Satou finds out that she is currently gets prescriptions from three hospitals. He admits to her that he is a hikikomori and that he was shopping for anime goods in Ahikabara. They reminsice and wonder what could have been if they had actually dated back in high school. Before Hitomi leaves, she gives him her cell number.

FLAG 1: Living Through Lenses

Pictures capture moments in time. They can evoke feelings and start serious discussions. Saeko Shirasu photographed a flag and that world-famous picture now has a serious chance to resolve a civil war. Peace talks were reaching their final stages when the flag was stolen. She has been assigned as a cameraman for the Special Development Command (SDC), a UN force that uses the HAVWC (High Agility Versatile Weapon Carrier).

Kawabuchi! YA-ME-RO!

So I was kicking around on YouTube’s “Most Viewed” page yesterday and found an interesting video of Japanese street protesters. You’ll never guess who they want to resign from office: JFA (Japan Football Association) president Saburo Kawabuchi.