Utada speaks

Thanks to UBlog. Great video of Utada introducing all 10 of her songs on "This Is The One." http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m186P3VUYO1LVR I like how she talks about her "photoshop" lyric and her semi-British accent in "Poppin'."

New anime I may get addicted to

First, I would like to say how I really want another season of "Skip Beat!." Just when Ren realizes his feelings for Kyoko the series ends. Kyoko really starts to "find herself" over the course of the show.

I have already tried several new shows courtesy of Veoh and crunchyroll. These are the ones I've liked so far. "007-Ghost" is action packed fantasy with plenty of bishounen and a hint of shounen-ai. "Ristorante Paradiso" looks like a good josei comedy romance. All the bishounen are older gentlemen with glasses, so it's different from the normal reverse harem show. "K-ON!" is a cute shoujo slice-of-life comedy about girls forming a rock band in high school. "Eden of the East" is incredibly well drawn and detailed. The first episode was set in Washington DC and the authenticity of the actual locations looks spot on. Also, the American characters actually sounded like Americans when they spoke English, so I give props for that! The mystery of the naked guy with no memory and his relationship to the kind college graduate girl he meets in front of the White House (of all places) is something I will try to continue to watch. Am I spending too much time watching streaming anime? Yeah.

"Mei-chan" and "Toradora" end

"Mei-chan no Shitshuji" was an entertaining show that had this strange forbidden master-and-servant theme interwoven in this shoujo fantasy comedy. There was little chemistry between the Mei and her butler Rihito, but hey, it's still a little thrill to fantasize having a handsome butler serve you to the point of fighting duels for you.

"Toradora" was a very non-anime anime. I could imagine this being done in a live-action version. It's got all the makings of a good drama: unconfessed love, various high school festivals and outings, likeable characters, and no need for CGI (like mecha, elves, or aliens). Sorry to see this fun anime end.

Love it!

A funky Utada with clever lyrics. Makes you move. Favorite tracks so far: "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI," "Apple and Cinnamon," "Taking My Money Back," "This One (Crying Like A Child)," "Automatic Part II," and "Dirty Desire." "Poppin'" makes me laugh. Intoxicated, emancipated, unapologetic... so says Utada in "On and On" and so sums up the album.

"This Is The One" Is Here!!!

Finally, Utada's "This Is The One" is available for digital download! I already bought my copy! I'm going to listen to it now.

Yay! K-Dramas on Crunchyroll

Dramas are coming back to crunchyroll. "Coffee Prince" is even included in the drama lineup at crunchyroll. Quality of the video is great too. Look forward to even more dramas becoming available soon.

"The Sky Crawlers" (2008)

This feature film is another depressing, yet beautiful anime. Pilots dogfight in a neverending war for reasons which become clear later in the film. Actually, a lot of things become clear way late in the film and you have to stick it out to finally understand what is going on. Who is the main pilot Kannami and what is his relationship to his commander Kusanagi? What are "kildren?" Upon second viewing, the answers become clearer, but I still have questions like who is the "Teacher?" Stay through the closing credits to get the full effect and a dash of hope.

"Toradora!" anime

I have enjoyed this anime so much and it's about to end:( I just watched the fansub of episode 23 and it's the best one so far. Spunky girl character Kushieda has spilled the beans about the big secret everyone has been keeping...finally! Check out http://www.animefuel.com/category/t/toradora/

Stream "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI"

More Utada! This excellent full length track is available at this page http://www.ilike.com/artist/Utada. Can't wait for her new album coming out digitally on March 24.

"Twilight" audiobook

Bought the audiobook for "Twilight." Yes, I am actually too lazy to read the book. So far, it's pretty good. Maybe I should have tried reading a little farther. The narrator takes a little getting used to, but I'm all in now.