Odds and ends.

A few reactions, some Harry Potter bits, and another anime/manga rec:


1. I have now seen the first episode of the the Wallflower anime, and yes, the artwork is awful. (Plus, they chose a disturbingly girly voice actor for Sunako.) It could be worse, but I wouldn't pay money to watch something of this quality. Then again, thanks to YouTube, I don't have to.
Overall grade: C-






2. I've seen Blood and Chocolate, too. If you go to watch a crappy horror movie, you'll be fine; if you go to see something like the book, you'll be profoundly disappointed. The filmmakers should have just called it Underworld III: This Time, No Vampires. In the movieverse, Adian is a sensitive graphic artist with carefully tousled hair, Gabriel is this Eurotrashy dude going through a midlife crisis, and Vivian is a dour young woman with a running fetish. Everybody spends a lot of time leaping off of walls.

Also, they used real wolves, which looked pretty cool when the pack was running around but got rather disturbing during fight scenes, and I didn't see one of those "No animals were harmed..." things at the end of the film.
Overall Grade C+

3. More Harry Potter news
Rowling has said that two "major" characters will die in the last installment of her Harry Potter series. I'll believe it when I see it. If you'd like a complete list of the bits and pieces of info Rowling has given readers on book seven, click here.







4. If you're looking for a cute, silly anime (and manga, if you're willing to brave IRC and hunt down the scanlations) that's appropriate for all ages, try Gakuen Alice. This series does a nice job of blending a G-rated romance/friendship story with a few darker plot elements. It's not Shakespeare, but it's a sight better than The Wallflower.
Overall Grade: B






5. And, last but not least, Nathan gave me a DVD of the complete Goong series for my birthday, for which I am profoundly grateful. It's even better this time around, because I can fast-forward through all of the scenes featuring either A) the four main characters staring sadly into space, B) pointless flashbacks, or C) Yul's mother's yawn-inducing political machinations. If you can get your hands on this series--watch it online, get it from bittorrent, whatever--you should TOTALLY DO SO, because it is AWESOME.
Overall Grade: A-