ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Rejoice! Yet another Soundtrack Pick of the Week. I'll be delving into more creative stuff (outside just anime series) later, since I have been scavenging around AnimeSharing for individual albums...too bad they just release random stuff as it comes into their reach though. Much cleaner than JPz downloads though.

Zzz (Nichijou ED1)
Sayaka Sasaki

Happy Holidays: Otaku Style

Warning:  to say that this is image heavy would be an understatement.

Well, 'tis the season to be jolly, to drink hot cocoa, and to wait for gifts from an overweight man in red who constantly seems to barge down people's chimneys regardless of security measures. Don't ask me what he does if there aren't any chimneys. But it is also the season to write college essays take a well earned break, and perhaps marathon a series or two! So here are a series of pictures which should help get you in the holiday spirit! Most are christmas oriented (i.e. girls dressed up in santa outfits), some just have snow in the background (despite northern VA's lack of it), and some just look festive (i.e. red, green, yellow stuffs). But hey, it's all good.

...we'll keep this as SFW as possible. But I'm pulling a bunch from Danbooru (which in turn pulls them from pixiv), so no promises. Going along with that, no one at Infinity And One claims any ownership of these images unless otherwise stated.

Now...enjoy

Expectations: Winter 2012 Anime (January/February)

Happy holidays guys! To make your days even better, we've got a very convenient set of previews for you to read for each of the upcoming anime series (not OVAs, too many random ones popping up nowadays) this winter. Nothing like reading about how terrible this season's A Channel imitation will be by the yule log, eh? Furthermore, we have not one, not two, not three, but FOUR differing opinions to get the full blast of how each series will probably be perceived. So without further ado, here's the blog team and the color code - let's get on with it! (Note: due to the lower quality and high quantity of seemingly terrible series this season, please understand that some comments will be cut short, often to "urgh" or "god this is gonna suck". Bear with us.)

Extracareful - blue (because who the hell else would watch Tamayura with me)
NotMoe - green
BartreTheBeast - red
CrimsonMonarch - pink cuz im a boss

Oh and I'm only including series here that are not sell-outs OR create brain aneurysms. That means YOU, Tantei Milky Opera Holmes.

Mashiro-iro Episode 12 Triumph

I'd just like to point out the following [SPOILERS AHEAD]:

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

More! More songs! (This one was late because I crashed after that sudden deadline post)

Magic Number (Kobato. OP)
Maaya Sakamoto

Because Free Money is Good: Last Minute Panic Challenge Accepted Mashiro-iro Conclusion Predictions

Due to a request, I have here a last-minute review/predictions post before Mashiro-iro Symphony episode 12 comes out (today, holy shit). Personally, there's not a lot of pathways the plot can go; the major problem is that the characters are so wishy-washy. I'm not sure how accurate I will be compared to previous "successes" (e.g.: Ano Hana), but I will try. Here goes!
[WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD]

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Another week, another song.

Omokage Warp (Hanasaku Iroha OP 2)
nano.RIPE

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

More. I need to post more. But in lieu of my lack of posting diligence, I present to you this song:

Kawaru Mirai (Kami-sama no Memo-chou OP)
Choucho

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Well at least now I can't say that I forgot one of my favorite songs. It's a classic from K-On!! too, so it's bound to be good. Get ready to listen to...

Go! Go! Maniac (K-On!! OP 1)
Aki Toyosaki, Youko Hikasa, Satomi Satou, Minako Kotobuki, Ayana Taketatsu 

First Impressions: Ad-Lib Anime Kenkyuusho

IT'S SO BAD

Dumb and Dumber: A Case for the Slapstick and the Simple

Here's one of my rarer, more reflective pieces. Hopefully it won't be as radical as The Necessity was, but I'd just like to point out something that's many people have casually passed off as an obvious statement, but something that might be worth it to take a second to ponder over.

And so I write.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Sorry for the delay. Anyways, here's yet another song to pique your musical tastebuds.

Shinsou (BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Song Accord #2 [Game Opening Theme])
Imai Asami

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

All right, here's a very good song I'd like to share - one that is, surprisingly enough, NOT just another headbanger.

Soramimi Cake (Azumangah Daioh OP)
Masaki Kurihara with the Kuricorder Pops Orchestra and Oranges & Lemons

First Impressions: Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai

I don’t normally keep up with currently airing animes, mostly because I can’t seem to balance my time as well as my fellow contributors (the last anime I kept up with was Oreimo). However, I made a rare exception for this series, which I have had high expectations for after reading the light novels. It may have fallen a bit short of my expectations, but that is no reason to avoid watching this. Drum roll please for Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai. (WARNING: THIS POST IS IMAGE-HEAVY)

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

All right, here's another soundtrack pick of the week!

Joint (Shakugan no Shana II OP 1)
Mami Kawada

First Impressions: Mashiro-iro Symphony: The Color of Lovers

My last First Impression; here's Mashiro-iro Symphony: The Color of Lovers...sorry for the delays. Mediocre, but will it turn out all right like Amagami SS did or will it flop worse than Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi? Only time will tell...

First Impressions: Tamayura ~Hitotose~

Here's another impression, and I won't regret it too much by spending it on this series...let's see how Tamayura ~Hitotose~ holds up against the other...giants...of this season. Here goes!

First Impressions: Ben-To

Hoo, now that Early Action deadlines are past for me, I'm rushing to do all of these First Impression posts. Here's another one - one that I think you should definitely watch this season. Welcome to the world of Ben-To.

First Impressions: Chihayafuru

After a lot of delays, this one finally managed to crawl out of the woodwork. Without further ado, here's Chihayafuru!

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

All right, I have a really good pick this week. The anime seems slightly shallow, but man oh man is Nana Mizuki as impressive as ever. Here goes!

Scarlet Knight (Dog Days OP)
Nana Mizuki

First Impressions: Fate/Zero

Overview

Jesus monkey balls.

This is an unexpected top-tier anime that has wowed me from the start of episode 1. You weren’t too thrilled by Fate/Stay Night? I wasn’t either.

You are new to the Fate series? No problem. Fate/Zero is capable of standing alone.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Bit delayed, but here's the music pick of the day.

Koi no Shirushi (The World God Only Knows ED [Main]) [Music Box ver.]
Kami nomi zo Shiri-tai
arr. shibiosiren

First Impressions: Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!

Here comes the second in the wave of Fall 2011 anime! And it certainly doesn't disappoint...despite how it looks.

First Impressions: Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon

Here's the first First Impression for a decent Fall 2011 series. Kyoukai Senjou has been getting a LOT of pre-emptive hate (for trying to make an anime adaptation of a light novel series that don't...well...don't contain very many light novels) and personally, I expected it to be a clusterfuck too. Did that prediction come true? Here's the review.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Ok, here goes another one.

Sekai wa Odoru yo, Kimi to (Ikoku Meiro no Croisee OP)
Youmou to Ohana

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Hey, it's another week...here's yet another soundtrack.

Renai Circulation (Bakemonogatari OP 4)
Kana Hanazawa

Conclusion: Nichijou

So what is Nichijou? To answer that in any specific way would be an egregious error. Nichijou is probably the best summer 2011 series and a contender for becoming one of the top series of 2011, period. I shied away from this series like crazy at the beginning since its forerunner in the spring (A Channel) was just so bad. Then, at the urging of MorningLescue, I took a peek at one episode and realized something of vital importance. What was it?

Never bet against the house KyoAni.

Conclusion: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni!

Ah, the old favorite for the summer season. How much we expected of you.

No, it didn't disappoint hugely. But it DID disappoint. This highly-awaited sequel deviated slightly from what made Baka to Test, Baka to Test and by doing so, the series became that much harder to watch, even as a fan. However, it was still an ok sequel (better than anything Zero no Tsukaima has done) and here's my review on it.

Conclusion: Dantalian no Shoka

By virtue of being a Gainax series, the Dantalian no Shoka series was at least guaranteed to be a unique series this season, regardless of whether it was a manga adaptation or not. And by virtue of being a Gainax series, it definitely lived up to that expectation - as to whether or not this is a good thing...well, you decide while I do the review.

Conclusion: Ro-Kyu-Bu!

Sometimes it's not very wise to judge a book by its cover. A prime example of this hidden diamond in the rough is the series I'm about to present to you right now - Ro-Kyu-Bu!. Doomed for failure on face, but in the end surprisingly decent. Here's my take on it.

Conclusion: Hanasaku Iroha

Ok, so I think this one is going to be a bit more long-winded than the rest (except for possibly Nichijou). However, I only do this because I think Hanasaku Iroha deserves it. This series reminded me why we watch slice-of-life series (other than the random comedy/romance stuffed into it) and is most certainly a contender for the best anime series of the entire year. And now I'll show you why.

Conclusion: YuruYuri

Yet another brain-melting 4-girl action. What can I say? It's my weakness. >____>;;;
Yet for some reason, everything seems to meld together into a semi-coherent and rather decent series. Don't knock it 'till you've watched it. Here's YuruYuri.

Conclusion: Ikoku Meiro no Croisee

Alllllllll right, here's another review coming up - the French show with the loli that everyone loves, Ikoku Meiro no Croisee.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Annnnnnndddddd here's one more!

Netsuretsu Kangei Wonderland (Saki ED 1)
Kana Ueda, Ami Koshimizu, Rie Kugimiya, Ryouko Shiraishi, and Shizuka Itou

Conclusion: Mayo Chiki

Sorry for being waaaaaay behind on ending reviews. Hopefully I'll start pumping them out 2 at a time like a madman. The other series should also be covered soon by the other folks (e.g.: Penguindrum, Usagi Drop, Steins; Gate) but I have the majority of the series burden so I'm the one in a rush. I think I'm a bit rusty though. Time to sharpen my knife of pessimism on this wee series.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick(s) of the Week

It's time for more soundtracks! Yes I know that a lot of series have ended, but I'll probably do all the conclusions starting next week when I have more time. Anyways, this time the picks are...

Hyadain no Kakakata Kataomoi - C (Nichijou OP 1)
Hyadain


Hyadain no Joujou Yuujou (Nichijou OP 2)
Hyadain

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Picks of the Week

Oook, here are two of my more favorite soundtracks this week. I think you'll find these short beauts to your liking.

Break Through Love and War - Run, Oh Maiden (Koihime Musou Visual Novel BGM)
BaseSon

Expectations - Fall 2011 Anime (September/October)

Fall 2011 is turning out to be a pretty hefty season. That's not to say that it just has 2 good series and then we go home though. Not at all. This could be a pre-cursor to - dare I say it? Seasons full of anime that don't actually suck. Well....I can dream, can't I. Anyways, here they are. ExtraCareful is in blue, NotMoe in green, and MorningLescue, red (Hopefully the others will update this after I'm done with it.) WARNING: THIS POST IS IMAGE-HEAVY.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Aiight, here goes.

Shangri-La (Soukyuu no Fafner OP) [Exit Trance Remix]

angela [remixed by YURiE]

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Alright, it's Tuesday, and today the song is...

Kizunairo (Fortune Arterial: Akai Yakusoku OP)

Lia

Funny Videos

Here are some videos I found that I thought were funny/weird (or had awesome comments; the ones with great comments will be hyperlinked and the good videos overall will just be embedded):

1: i bet my niggas be cryin when dey be watchin clannad

The Necessity

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THE MANGA SERIES SEIKEN NO KATANAKAJI IN THIS POST. DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE A SPOILER FREAK. Also, this post is rather text-heavy.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

All right, it's Tuesday, and here's another piece!

Hero (Unofficial Single - Theme for Aoharu Magazine)

Supercell

Amagami SS Season 2 - Here We Go Again

Too lazy to do a full post...so I'll just do this.

Copied from chat excerpts between MorningLescue (denoted by ML) and me (denoted by EC):

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Sorry for the hiatus...but at least now I'm starting back up again with what is personally the post I look most forward to - the Soundtrack Pick of the Week!

Ren'ai Koujou Committee (Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu: Matsuri OVA OP)

Natsuko Aso

First Impressions: Ikoku Meiro no Croisee

So here's a chip-in for Ikoku Meiro no Croisee. Personally, Ikoku and Baka to Test are currently my favorite series so far (barring Usagi Drop again, since I will not watch it due to the fact that I finished the manga series and I know that the anime series will not be as good) and Ikoku just seems to be getting nicer and nicer as the series goes on. And here goes my pitch!

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Iiiiit's Tuesday, and here it is:

Aoi Shiori (Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai OP)

Galileo Galilei

Not Expecting the Unexpected

So....lot of stuff that surprised me over the past several days. Oh, and I'll do the Ikoku Meiro review soon, don't worry.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

So it's Tuesday again, and here is another post!

Flower of Bravery (Koihime Musou OP)

fripSide (Nao/Sat)

Early Looks: Summer 2011

Here are some opinions that I (NotMoe) have of the new season:

Conclusion: Gosick

Gosick also finished along with Aria, with a pretty tense ending. I have to say that while there was definite 'excitement' value from the fact that the ending threw 50 different things at the same time at the viewer to overload his/her sensibilities, the actual end was pretty shallow and devoid of any actual cojones.

Conclusion: Hidan no Aria

Soooo I finished Hidan no Aria a while ago. And...it actually didn't have that much fanservice because the series was cranking out its plot conclusion at 500 mph. Kinda disappointing, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

Conclusion: Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

I have finished Denpa Onna (except for the Blu-Ray/DVD 13th episode, which I'm eagerly awaiting) - and I can say that watching this series was very worth it.

Conclusion: The World God Only Knows II

So The World God Only Knows II has finished and I have come out of my cocoon to bring my wrath down upon this inferior adaptation. (Beware, this post is rather image-heavy.)

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

So it's time for me to introduce to you another delightful OP:

Perfect-Area Complete! (Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu OP)

Natsuko Aso

Conclusion: Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.

So now that it's over, there are a lot of thoughts tumbling through and at least I (ExtraCareful) think it's time to see what we got out of this series. Let's start...

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick(s) of the Week

Hey - after a long hiatus, it's time to wind this thing up again. It'll be synchronized again on Saturday starting this week, don't worry. So this week, the pieces are... No Buts! (Toaru Majutsu no Index II OP1) Mami Kawada See visionS (Toaru Majutsu no Index II OP2) Mami Kawada

Ano Hana Last Episode HYPE!

So on the 23rd Ano Hana's last episode will be coming out. To be quite honest, the series sorta only noticed that it was lagging a bit behind on plot in the 9th and 10th episodes and then started to speed itself up - so much so that I believe I went through at least 3 "oh my God" moments of tension in episode 10 alone - which was more than what I experienced in episodes 6-8 combined. So I'm going to speculate a bit since the ending seems more vague than what I had previously thought. Get ready for some hype!

Beware of Witch Burglary

Although it is not a visual novel, light novel, or anime (with the exception of a one episode doujin made work), I, BartreTheBeast, will introduce something new to this blog. And that is...

Expectations - Summer 2011 Anime

Let's do this.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

This should be another classic for the people who have played the VN/watched the anime...

Kochi (Clannad Insert Song/VN Theme)

Shinji Orito, Arr. by KEY Studios

The Bus Stops Here

So...Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai episode 15 (True Route) has finally been subbed in standard quality by Mazui. This means that finally - finally - we have kicked, beaten, and flamethrower-ed the dead horse enough for us to get up and leave it. The incest wave is over. Glory Hallelujah.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Hey, fellow music-lovers; someone urged me to put this on the blog, but I would have done it sooner or later, knowing its popularity. And the song is...

Kimi no Shira nai Monogatari (Bakemonogatari ED)

Supercell

Random Thoughts, a Rant, and a Recommendation

These thoughts will not be full-on reviews of anything - they will probably end up being just specific viewpoints on certain series or ideas. Today I have a song and a couple of completed series I would like to thumb down or applaud. Get ready for some fuming...

Mid-Season Impressions: Hanasaku Iroha

Sorry for the delay. Anyways, this review will be a bit more pleasant; I feel that Hanasaku Iroha, AnoHana, are Denpa Onna make up the 'must-see' anime of this season for me. At first, I didn't expect much from this series after a couple of people told me that it was boring. However, being the slice-of-life addict that I am, I decided to check it out after around 5 episodes had come out. What I saw gently delighted me. Here's to hoping for a great run!

Mid-Season Impressions: Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

(I suppose I'll call this a midseason impression since it's basically half over already....)

This probably has the longest title of any anime I've seen in quite a while, and that's because it's a full sentence: We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw that Day. For obvious reasons the title has been shortened to AnoHana by fans and 4chan, and for that reason I'll just refer to it as that. The airtime of this series is inversely proportional to its title's length: 11 measly episodes. But, as it turns out, the fast pace of the anime has so far delivered in terms of providing me enough plot and delicious character development to keep my attention (a difficult feat, no doubt).

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick(s) of the Week

All right, here are TWO treats for you:

Straight Jet (Infinite Stratos OP)

Kuribayashi Minami

Super Stream (Infinite Stratos ED)

Hikasa Yoko

Rie Kugimiya: The Tsundere Seiyuu

Nowadays, in almost every season, Rie Kugimiya seems to always have a role in one anime or another. Although I do create hyperbole and rage a lot when people mention that she's taken this or that character, I don't necessarily hate her. It's just that there are definitely others who could take the spotlight every once in a while. So here's a bit of clarification as to what my view exactly is.

First Impressions: The World God Only Knows II (Anime Adaptation)

I promise that this will (probably) be the last anime review for quite a while. Fortunately, I've saved up what I think is...actually the second best anime this season for last. Anyways, here goes. For those of you who know my feelings towards this series in general (manga & anime both), the review may surprise you a bit. Beware, my opinion does get a little lengthy.

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

Second time around, which song will be highlighted? And the winner is...

Immoralist (Dragon Crisis OP)

Yui Horie

First Impressions: Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (Anime Adaptation)

So here's yet another review. Don't worry, the pain will soon be over and I'll do more random stuff. Will Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko be another unique classic to add to Shaft Animation Studio's already hefty list? Let's see...

First Impressions: A Channel (Anime Adaptation)

So yet another upcoming anime this spring, "A Channel", is on my watch-list. How is it? Well...

ExtraCareful's Soundtrack Pick of the Week

So I hope this becomes a regular occurrence, but I want to share a piece of music that I think is relatively very well made. And the winner is....

A Whole New World God Only Knows (The World God Only Knows II OP)

Elisa

First Impressions: Hidan no Aria (Anime Adaptation)

Hidan no Aria is one of the more promising anime this season, and one that I was personally looking forward to. So far it's living up to my expectations except for a couple of flaws. Of course, when I say that it meets the expectations, more often than not it follows the light novel relatively well without messing stuff up or skipping a lot of the good stuff in between. So without further ado, let's get into the nitty-gritty.

More Early Looks: Spring Anime 2011

Well, to cover many of the remaining anime this season, light_rook and NotMoe will be looking at what we're following:

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control: This anime probably takes the award for most promising first episode.

Early Reviews - Spring 2011 Anime

Just some first impressions (because one episode of Lotte no Omocha == no clue as to what the anime is even about unless you've read the manga) on some of the current anime so far...

Starting Out...

This is the first sentence of my first post.

I hope this becomes a multi-author blog soon because I need more views on stuff. For those that don't know me, I'm (ExtraCareful) just another anime/Light Novel/manga reader in a sea of other people...