25 Days of Manga: December 21st - 24th

December 21st
Eien no With (1 Vol Complete)
Status: Read

Impressions: I'd already had this on my want to read list when someone requested it for 25 Days, so reading this kind of felt like killing two birds with one stone. At its heart, this is about the relationship between a young girl (Hitomi) and a dog (Eye); except the canine in question is a guide dog in training and is only staying with Hitomi for a year. The manga spans from the year the two spent together, in which time Eye completely changed Hitomi's life, and then skips forward to when Eye is too old to continue working and returs to live out her years with Hitomi. I won't go into too much detail, but this was a genuinely heart-wrenching manga that had me in tears by the end. I certainly enjoyed it way more than I had anticipated, and if anyone has even a passing interest in this, then I'd urge them to read it.

Rating: 4.5/5


December 22nd
Old Boy (8 Vols Complete)
Status: Reading at 1 Volume

Impressions: I've never seen the film of Oldboy, though I've wanted to for a while, so seeing this requested felt like an ideal oportunity to see the origins of the hit Korean film. Already, I'm fidning this quite engaging. a man has been imprisoned for the last decade with no idea why or by whom. Now he's been freed and he wants to find out who was behind it and get his revenge. Should be interesting to continue reading this one and as an already completed manga at least I won't have to wait for the tale's conclusion.

Rating: 4/5


December 23rd
A Bride's Story (4+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 2 Volumes

Impressions: I love Kaoru Mori. Undoubtedly her artwork is some of the most exquisite that I've ever seen. Naturally, I was overjoyed when I saw a request for one her titles came up and I've not been disappointed. Mori's strength lies in slice of life period pieces that are romantic in nature and this series is no different, except instead of being set in Victorian England it focuses on a mid-Asian tribe near the Casian Sea. I love this type of manga and I genuinely had to restrain myself from devouring the rest of what's available so that I could continue on with the rest of the titles.

Rating: 4.5/5


December 24th
Coo no Sekai (2 Vols Complete)
Status: Read

Impressions: This manga was... odd. Not bad, but a bit odd. The story follows Renei, a young girl just entering middle school who continues to mourn for her beloved, deceased brother. The night before her entrance ceremony, Renei falls asleep and ends up in a bizarre dream world where she meets her dead brother, except he calls himself Coo and has no idea who she is. The first volume covers her travelling this bizarre land full of odd customs and fantastical creatures as she tries to find her way home, except it's not so simple as that. The world of Coo, is more than it seems (all of which becomes clearer in the second installment), and Renei's time there is more about her learning more about her brother, acceptiing his death andgenerally growing up. It's definitely an interesting read and if you like the idea of a sort of coming of age tale with a fantastical twist, then it's worth reading this.

Rating: 3.5/5


7 Billion Needles (4 Vols Complete)
Status: Reading at 1 Volume

Impressions: In an odd sort of way, I don't really know what to say about this. I'm enjoying it, I know that much. The concept is rather intriguing and I'm looking forward to see where it goes. Shame that the final volume isn't yet scanlated.

Rating: 3.5/5


Acid Town  (3+ Vols Ongoing)

Status: Stalled at 16 Chapters

Impressions: This was a different sort of shounen-ai series than I've ever read before, mainly because the boy love aspect isn't quite so prevalent. More than anything I'm intrigued by the storyline. There's plenty of intrigue, mafia, and troubled pasts. Looking forward to seeing where it all goes, but at the moment the boy love part seems a bit... tacked on. Hopefully it won't take over, but if it does take centre stage a bit more, it really should be a natural inclusion.

Rating: 3.5/5


Majo (2 Vols Complete)
Status: Read

Impressions: Majo is a two-volume manga consisting of several separate stories about witches during a period where the world has converted to mainstream religion and has abandoned the old ways of magic. It's an interesting read and if one of the tales doesn't tickle your fancy, then the others may well do. Though the overall tone of the manga is generally the sort of thing that I tend to like, this manga never quite gelled with me. I enjoyed parts of it, but I wasn't bowled over.

Rating: 3/5


Drifters (2+ Vols Onoing)
Status: Dropped at 1 Volume

Impressions: This was an odd sort of manga. Take a whole bunch of historical figures and plonk them in some alternate world with elves, magic and all sorts of other stuff. Can you tell I wasn't all that fussed about this? It wasn't horrible, but the story throws a whole heap of things at you all at once and I struggled to get into it. Won't particularly miss reading this one.

Rating: 2.5/5


Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas (25 Vols Complete)
Status: Dropped at 2 Volumes

Impressions: When the request for this came in, it was bigged-up as an epic tale. Unfortunately, I just never quite got into this. In the end I just read what I needed to in order to get a decent synopsis out of it. It wasn't a terrible manga, I could see certain aspects that would make for a compelling story, but the whole thing just didn't strike the right chord with me.

Rating: 2.5/5


Vagabond (33+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 4 Volumes

Impressions: I wasn't sure what to expect with this manga. I purposely left it til last as there was a chance that I'd have to read more than the standard volume or two in order to get a decent synopsis. If I'm brutally honest, I didn't expect to like it. Luckily, this was another of those occasions where I was pleasantly surprised. While explicit violence isn't normally my thing, I can't explain, but in this case I kind of liked it. Luckily, with it being a fairly long series, I have plenty more to read, and I can't wait to get stuck in to it!

Rating: 4/5

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Eleven Weeks of D'AWWW-ness
Ten Heaping Cow Turds
Nine Stop-Motion Wonders
Eight Slappable Arseholes
Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!

Summer 2011 was a little on the meh side with very few series I wanted to pick up, and most of those that I did watch didn't particularly overwhelm. However, there was one series that managed to not only impress, but exceed all expectationsand that was Usagi Drop.

While I didn't watch week-by-week I know that if I had, I'd have been chomping at the bit for the next episode. The relationship between Daikichi and Rin was so cute and fun to watch and it struck hte perfect balance between comedy and drama. I've already praised this series to the hills in an official review so I won't bang on now. Needless to say it was one of the most adorable series that I've ever seen and certainly another shining reason why I gravitate to the noitaminA anime each and every time.

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Ten Heaping Cow Turds
Nine Stop-Motion Wonders
Eight Slappable Arseholes
Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!

I hate Yoji Kuri.

Just thought I'd start with a simple four word sentence that can sum up pretty much this entire post. I've never been a huge fan of abstract arty farty short films that apparently have some kind of deep meaning but look like someone just threw a bunch of random shit together. I spent three years of my life at art college and saw many a pretentious art film, but I don't think I've ever seen a catalogue of work that so resembles a steaming pile of cow dung as Yoji Kuri's. I concede that I could appreciate a couple of his films from a stylistic point of view (which is why Stamp Fantasia is not on the heaping cow turd list), but the rest are utter shite. Unfortunately I still have a couple more to watch at some point, but I'm saving that "pleasure" for when I'm drunk or get too pissed off at seeing the Yoji Kuri folder on my hard drive.

Ai Yoji Kuri hates women. Now, I'm not much of a feminist, but even I have my limits. Ai portrays a woman confessing to a guy and him running for the hills. But instead of leaving it at that, the woman then goes all out to snag her man like some relentless bunny-boiler with zero redeeming features. If it's meant to be funny, it fails. Aos Random images of random shit. Pretention for pretentions sake. Basically, this sums up everything I HATE about arty farty film shit. Au Fou This is one of Kuri's more "comic" offerings that focuses on the consequences of various actions. Of course there's plenty of Kuri's trademark woman hating thrown in for good measure. Human Zoo Oh look, a woman with her husband on a leash! Yep, plenty more hating on those with the boobies in this look at the more animal-like tendencies of humans. Love of Kemoko Did I already mention that he really hates women? Oh I did, well it should come as no surprise then that this is yet another film about a poor guy being hounded by a stalker-like woman. Misogynistic prick. Manga Random sketch comedy Yuri Koji style - meaning that it's bloody odd and not all that funny. Pop Oh look, a train! Yeah, that's basically about it. The entire three minutes of this film simply shows a train chugging along some naff abstract landscapes. Whoop-de-fucking-do. The Bathroom I have to commend the mix of cel animation and what I can only describe as live action stop motion, since it is an interesting concept, but that's as far as it goes. The Room Really random shit happens in a room. It's freaking dull. The end. Tragedy on the G Line The line has a mind of it's own and weird crap happens all around it. Yeah, that's about it.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Nine Stop-Motion Wonders
Eight Slappable Arseholes
Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!

Early this year I discovered the work of Kihachiro Kawamoto. Now out of all the methods of animating out there my favourite above all else is stop motion, so when I found all these stop motion films I had myself a nerdgasm! With the exception of a handful of titles, Kawamoto's work just oozes traditional Japanese storytelling, which is a big part of what I love about it. Another thing I like is how creepy is all feels. Most of his work is created using traditional puppets, and puppets can be damn creepy!

Hanaori This is one of the more comical offerings from Kawamoto, if I'm brutally honest, I just love the drunk monk. Dojoji A tale of obsessive love gone about as bad as it could go. As much as it does the woman no favours whatsoever, I couldn't help but enjoy it. House of Flame This film had some really nice filming techniques and when looking at the age of it, I'm astounded at how incredible the animation is. This is possibly one of the more inherently Japanese of his films, and with the tragic tale it almost gives off a sort of... Kabuki theatre vibe. Fusha no Sha You know what, I can't quite put my finger on why I loved this particular film so much, I just did. It just felt like a wholly traditional tale of a young archer training to become the world's greatest. With beautiful animation to boot, I couldn't really complain. Oni Out of all of Kawamoto's films, this is possibly the one that creeped me out the most, mainly because of the old woman as seen above. Sorry, but that is a face that's ready to haunt nightmares. Self Portrait Self Portrait is a short little film about a guy making a clay model, which then turns into some messed up demon thing. Not a bad little film, certainly better than the Tezuka short of the same name. Shisha no Sho Unlike Kawamoto's other films, this is much longer. At sixty nine minutes in length, making this must have been a labour of love. Plot wise it certainly wasn't my favourite and I confess to getting a little bored throughout, but this is certainly a bloody good example of stop motion animation. Ibara-Hime mata wa Nemuru-Hime This is a somewhat different sort of take on the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Mainly, I was impressed with the animation in this, the actual plotline was a bit odd to be honest. Kenju Giga As a film, I wasn't actually all that keen on Kenju Giga. It possibly didn't help that it was all in French so I only had a basic understanding of it, but even if it were in English, I doubt I'd have liked it. However, animation wise I still couldn't help but be impressed.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Eight Slappable Arseholes
Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!

This year, as has been the case in many years, I have encountered many characters that have irritated, angered and full on enraged me. Some have been previous additions to the list of hate that have continued to piss me off, while others are new additions worthy of my most potent vitrol.

Makoto Itou (School Days) This guy is one of Anime-Planet's most hated characters, and with good reason. Makoto is a dick. And not just any dick, a proper pustule-coated, disease-ridden dick. Among his many "qualities" the guy is selfish, a coward, a serial cheater, manipulative and wholly unreliable manwhore. Sekai Saionji (School Days) I think out of all the School Days asshats, Sekai pisses me off the most. Sure, Makoto should be castrated for his behaviour, but to a degree he was at least driven by his cock, Sekai was conscious of what she was doing at (nearly) every step of the way. She gives girls a bad name. Megumi Shimizu (Shiki) From the minute I saw Megumi, I hated her. Actually, that's not true. When I saw her mincing around I had a feeling I'd dislike her. As soon as she opened her mouth, I knew I hated her. She's a vengeful, selfish, materialistic tart and I was damn pleased she died at the end of the first episode - less so when she freaking came back from the dead though. Masao Murasako (Shiki) Masao. What a simpering git! He's selfish and believes that he should be adored and receive adulation and attention for being the poor put upon teenager. This alone is enough to make me dislike him, but it's his snivelling and wimpish demeanour that really takes the biscuit. I do admit to cheering at his end in the manga. Yuuko Aioi (Nichijou) While everyone was wetting themselves with how awesome Nichijou was this year, I was merely sitting back going... "eh". It took me a very long time to get into the series, and I eventually figured out one of my biggest problems with it: I hate Yuuko with a passion. She annoys the hell out of me, and while most boke characters tend to have some kind of charm about them, Yuuko doesn't, she's just an annoying attention whore. Sure, I like seeing her get the short, dog-shit covered end of the stick at times, but to be perfectly honest, it's much better when she isn't on screen at all. Hakase grew on me, Yuuko didn't. Fumi Kamohara (Mainichi Kaasan) Yeah, yeah, I know, "how can you hate a little kid?" Well, quite easily. Sure, when she's cute she's adorable, but most of the time, Fumi is a right little bitch. She's the perfect example of everything I hate about certain types of women. She's just a kid and yet all she cares about is marrying a RICH guy, she isn't interested if they can't buy her shiny, expensive things. Add to that her manipulative streak and frequent use of crocodile tears and I find myself wanting to smack her round the head so hard that she'll be breathing out her arse for years to come. Jealous, selfish, money-grabbing little cow. Aiko Iwase (Bakuman) I didn't like Iwase much when she briefly appeared in the first season of Bakuman. I thought she was an uptight bitch who should have stuck that pole up another hole to loosen her up a bit. However, when she turned up again in the manga she ventured into full-on irksome bitch mode. Koichi Shido (Highschool of the Dead) Oddly enough, this guy doesn't earn quite as much of my hatred as the others on this list, mainly because he's not as prominent as some of the other characters. However, that doesn't change the fact that he's an evil shitbag who deserves to die a horrible, gruesome death.

25 Days of Manga: December 16th - 20th

December 16th
All Rounder Meguru (7+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 2 Volumes

Impressions: Another day, nother mixed martial arts manga. When I started reading this, I couldn't help but compare it to Teppuu since I'd not long read that. Generally I think I'm enjoying this a little more than the aforementioned series, largely because Meguru is a far more amiable protagonist than Natsuo. All Rounder Meguru is an easy read, and there are already the signs that he has some kind of inherently amazing ability despite his seeming lack of talent. I can't necessarily see this becoming one of my all-time favourites, but it's certainly a decent read and worth continuing with.

Rating: 3.5/5


December 17th
Omoide Emanon (1 Vol Complete)
Status: Read

Impressions: I had absolutely zero idea what to expect with this manga and I was quite pleased with what I found. The basic premise is that a student meets a mysterious girl on a boat trip back home and she reveals that she has an inherited memory that's passed down her bloodline, meaning that she can remember everything that has ever happened since the beginning of the world. Omoide Emanon makes you question the merits and pitfalls of having a three billion year old memory and it's that ability to make you think that I liked the most about it. As much as I likea nice easy read that I can simply sit back and enjoy, when I encounter manga that can provide more mental stimulation, I can't help but appreciate it.

Rating: 4/5


December 18th
Dengeki Daisy (9+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 1 Volume

Impressions: Another decent dose of shoujo that's just as detached from reality as so many others I've encountered. A girl's brother dies leaving her with no family and only a cellphone connected to the mysterious "Daisy" who will always be there to help her out. Now, I'm sorry but in that situation I'm buggered if I'd trust some complete stranger who only communicates through text messages. But of course our naive protagonist, Teru, not only trusts this guy implicitly but has seemingly fallen in love with him. Naturally, Dengeki Daisy is infused with the standard sorts of shoujo humour and a good old hate becoming love relationship between Teru and cranky janitor Tasuku who just so happens to be the illusive Daisy. But you know what, I kind of don't care that it's unrealistic because I enjoy reading it, and really, that's what manga is all about.

Rating: 4/5


December 19th
Tough (31+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Stalled at 1 Volume

Impressions: I seem to have had a fair number of manga requests that are based around mixed martial arts and considering that my only experience of this type of manga so far has bee History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi, it's been a bit of an eye-opener. So far, this is definitely the most brutal of the MMA manga I've experienced, and surprisingly, I'm rather enjoying it. Certainly, 25 Days has opened my eyes to genres that I'd not normally have bothered with, and its definitely teaching me more about my tastes in manga.

Rating: 3.5/5


Bonus: Kokou Tekken-den Tough (42 Vols Complete)
Status: Stalled at 1 Volume

Impressions: Since I had the requet for Tough, I thought I may as well fill in the rest of the franchise. This part is actually the prequel and focuses on Kiichi when he was younger, and boy, is the tone different. Granted I'm not too far in, but where Tough is darker and all together more serious, Kokou Tekken-den Tough has more humour, and crude humour at that. The fights still have the same sort of vibe, though so far they're not as brutal.I'm intrigued to read on a little more, but this part of the franchise seems to have less direction than its successor.

Rating: 3/5


Bonus: Oton (2+ Vols Ongoing)

Status: Stalled at 1 Volume

Impressions: This is possibly the most bizarre of the Tough franchise. This part focuses on Kiichi's father and is an episodic (or chaptersodic) manga that follows the day-to-day life of Seiko as he uses his immense strength to help people. It's kind of ridiculous to be honest and at times stupidly far-fetched. In chapter one the guy not only trains himself to pluck a speeding bullet out of thin air, but he also cures a paralysed man through a hand massage. Seriously. Since there are currently only two volumes I will likely read the other one, and decide what to do after that. I oddly like it's outlandish stories, but the sensible part of me thinks I should quit while I'm ahead.

Rating: 3.5/5


December 20th
Dorohedoro (15+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 1 Volume

Impressions: I was a litle anxious starting this one as I wasn't sure it was going to be my cup of tea, but I can say with certainty that I like Doroheodoro. It's got fantasy, magic, curses, and a guy with a lizard's head. But it's not a fluffy sort of series by any stretch of the imagination, in fact it's pretty damn dark. Humans live in a shithole city and are live experiments for wizards who do all sorts of messed up crap to people, such as completely disfiguing their faces, turning them into insects and all sorts. Plus there's a fair amount of brutality. The main character has to bit the heads of magicians to find the one who cursed him, and if they're not the one he kills them in some pretty vicious ways. Mixed in with this is the odd little bit of humour that makes the whole thing go down smoothly. Definitely looking forward to continuing this one.

Rating: 4/5

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!

While watching Shiki one of the main things that struck me were the crazy-ass hairstyles of half of the cast! But while I oddly liked them in the manga, the anime just looked wrong, mainly die to lack of movement or exceptionally dodgy movement. Anyway, with such a variety of oddball hairstyles, I just had to pick seven for today's post.

Ritsuko Kunihiro What happens when a ponytail gets rebellious and goes on a rampage? Well, this apparently.

Natsuno's Father Those are some pretty serious bangs for a guy. No doubt they're the result of hours of styling in the morning.

Seishirou Kirishiki Not to be outdone by Natsuno's father, Seishirou's hair seems to have more width than anything else.

Sunako Kirishiki There's one scene in the early episodes where Sunako is in a church with Muroi and she starts spinning around. Her hair genuinely worries me in that scene. I half expect it to be revealed that she's some kind of Medusa.

Kyouko Ozaki Ever been to the shop and found they've run out of the hairspray you want? Chances are this tarty bint has probably bought out the whole shop's supply. There must be some pretty hefty product in her barnet to get it so stiff.

Takae Ozaki Seriously, what brand of hairspray do these women use?! It must surely be industrial strength.

Tomio Oookawa This guy may be bald, but he deserves some kind of award for the epic nature of his facial hair. Beard, mustache and eyebrows, each part of this guy's facial topiary is freaking wild. Congratulations Tomio, you are the King of Facial Hair!

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!

2011 has certainly given us some pretty awesome sequels, and these particular six each made me remember why I loved the first seasons originally. (Had I actually gotten around to watching it, I imagine that Natsume Yuujinchou San would have been here, but alas, I am lame and haven't seen it yet).

Bakuman Series one was awesome. Series two is continuing said awesomeness. I genuinely cannot wait for my next dose of Ashirogi Muto and getting the new episode of this is one the highlights of my anime week and it's certainly captivated me. In fact, I may head off an watch this week's episode in a moment!

Working'!! You know what, I've enjoyed this series more than the first one. It's been far more balanced in terms of the cast and thus hasn't worn out any of its jokes. I will be genuinely sad to see this one end next week and will have to find something else to fill the Wagnaria-shaped void in my life.

Shinryaku Ika Musume!? As much as I miss the irritatingly catchy opening theme of series one, Ika Musume is a strong as ever. I have to admit that some of the squid-licious puns don't seem to translate too well and frankly seem a bit weird/forced but who cares de geso.

Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge I'm pretty sure I saw some people moaning about the second series of Arakawa not being as good as the first, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed the random wackiness just as much this time aorund as I did before. Seeing Ric's sanity suffer is almost as enjoyable as

Kimi ni Todoke S2 I admit that this wasn't as amazing as series one, and in a way was more frustrating, but still, I couldn't wait for my weekly fix of yelling "JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY!" at the screen. There were times this series felt rushed, but it's still one of my all time favourite romances - I need to find me a Kazehaya!

Mitsudomoe Zouryouchuu Easy watching and perverted humour? Yes please! Watching the second series of Mitsudomoe not only made me remember just how much I want to taze Mitsuba, stuff her in a weighted bag and toss her in the river, but it also reminded me how much the perverted antics of the trio and their naive teacher make me laugh.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Five Kick-Ass Dudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!

In my year of watching anime and reading manga, I've happend upon many guys who are awesome in so many ways, but here are five of my favourites.

Gildarts Clive (Fairy Tail) This year I immersed myself in a LOOOOT of Fairy Tail. I'd stalled on both the anime and manga and eventually decided to catch up on both. It was then that I met Gildarts. I think one of the main reasons I like Gildarts is that he reminds me a lot of Shanks both in appearance and in his role when it comes to the central hero. I love the imposing presence that his power accords him, but I especially like that it contrasts with him more humorous, philandering side. For me, he is an immediate win as a character, but we've yet to see much of him, and I can't wait for the time that we see more.

Apachai Hopachai (History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi) So, I fell in lovewith Apachai for the first time last year when I watched the History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi anime, but I fell all over again when I started the manga this year. I can't help but adore the complete and utter contrast between his lethal fighting style and complete inability to hold back with his naive and child-like personality. The guy is sweet, but misguided; helpful, but a complete walking disaster. I love his misguided quirks, such as hammering voodoo dolls believing them to be a good luck charm, as well as his lack of comprehension of the Japanese language causing him to answer the phone with "Hello, we have your children". While I love all the masters for their own oddities, undoubtedly Apachai is my favourite.

Rin Okumura (Ao no Exorcist) I started out in this franchise by reading the manga and quickly fell in love with it. I was slightly less enthused by the direction that the anime adaptation took, but nonetheless, my love for the cast remained the same. In particular, I can't help but love Rin. I'm not going to lie, he's basically your run-of-the-mill shounen hero: rambunctious, a bit dim, and incredibly inherently powerful. His basic personality is nothing too dissimilar to Luffy, Naruto, Natsu and (to a certain extent, if you switch the brooding emo tendenceies for a more light-hearted attitude) Ichigo. But you know what, I don't care. I like the energetic and dim characters that kick more and more arse each time they fight and Rin is a perfect example of that.

Old Man (Sumire 16-Sai) Simply put, the reason I adore this guy is because he is a freak. This is the bizarre middle-aged man with no name who seems to wholeheartedly believe that there is NOTHING wrong with carrying around a doll named Sumire and attending the local highschoool AS said doll. What makes this guy so awesome is that he doesn't even seem to be a complete pervert, instead he actually becomes Sumire. As such he seems to be utterly oblivious to the utter inappropriate nature of asking Sumire's new female friends to bathe together. Yet still, instead of become a creepy stalker or sex fiend, his various acts of heroism (under the guise of Sumire) and his seemingly utter disregard for his own safety makes this guy a total and utter legend.

Alaindelon (Beelzebub) I toyed with the idea of having my fifth and final Kick-Ass dude as being Oga from the same series, but in the end, I couldn't help but give it to Alaindelon. My sole reason for this guy landing my final spot is his completely camp nature and his bizarre relationship with Furuichi. Despite being a fairly powerful demon with cross dimensional transfer abilities, the guy acts more like a new wife when it comes to Furuichi. Like some kind of downcast gay housewife, his constant unwanted advances on Furuichi and the horrified teen's hilarious reactions give this guy a special place in my heart.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!

I've waxed lyrical about the madness and insanity of Popee the Performer many times now, both in a post here, and on an official Anime-Planet review. Having become such a phenomenon for me in the last few months, there was no way I could have 12 Days of Christmas without Popee (or in this case, Papi) hi-jacking one of the posts! So with that in mind I decided that my fourth day would be given over to the most eye-meltingly weird and messed up four minutes of my life that I've ever spent. Yes, it could only be the "Sleep" episode and what better way to sum up this entire episode, than a short clip of Papi "doin' his thang!"