GINBAN KALEIDOSCOPE

Okk...if there has ever been an anime which made me cry like a baby in the end then this has to be it...I hate its ending very strongly but then i guess thats exactly what made it so different from the usual romantic animes that i've ever watched...So,here goes the story...

With $10 billion worth of beauty (or so she says), Sakurano Tazusa is a contestant for the selection of the Japanese representative at the winter Olympics' figure skating competition. However, her ability is questionable in the eyes of the media and public, as she constantly falls during critical moments in her competitions. During a qualifying round in Montreal,Canada, Tazusa falls in the middle of a triple lutz. At the same time, a Canadian teen by the name of Pete Pumps dies mid-performance when his stunt plane crashes due to mechanical trouble. Before being allowed to pass on into the after life, Pete possess' Tazusa supposedly for a hundred days, living on in her body. Despite the discontent and anger Tazusa faced having her body and privacy invaded by this Canadian ghost, she moves her focus onto improving herself in hopes to be selected for the Olympics.

TAZUSA SAKURANO:

A Japanese figure skater known for her sharp tongue. She is on bad terms with the media and the public because of her cold attitude and string of bad luck in competitions. Her goal is to compete in the Winter Olympics in Torino.At the beginning of the series is possessed by the ghost of Pete Pumps and while she initially hated him, she gradually grew to accept his constant presence in her life and grew even more to love him. While possessed, she picked up the habit of eating tomatoes, because her possessor Pete hates tomatoes, and using masochism, since Pete can share Tazusa's pain, to keep him in line. She has an unlucky tendency to fall asleep when she gets bored, but can never sleep the night before a competition. In the anime, she describes herself as "The $10 Billion Dollar Beauty."

Initially Tazusa is potrayed as a bratty, cold girl. She doesn't have many friends and lives with her coach and sister. However after spending time with Pete, she slowly changes and opens her heart. Especially in school where Pete helps her through her exams. She also starts to express herself more during the skating routines which enable her to represent Japan in the Olympics. At the same time she also experiences falling in love, she finally realises what's important to her.

PETE PUMPS:

A Canadian stunt pilot who died when his stunt plane developed mechanical trouble and crashed in a fireball. As a ghost he needs to wait 100 days before he can go to Heaven (his date of ascension is February 23) and inadvertently ends up possessing Tazusa.
Pete likes Tazusa and tries to help her improve her public image and succeed in being selected for the Olympics. He even gets jealous of the reporter Kazuya Nitta, as Tazusa seems to have a crush on him. Though Tazusa at first doesn't agree with him and ignores him, he eventually wins her over and she starts to get to know him better, and he designs her "waitress on ice" performance.

During their last performance, Pete kisses her in his ghost form and seems to love her in return. He bids her an emotional farewell as he finally departs.

And this is exactly the part that i hated the most...Pete leaving Tazusa forever,never to return back...It made me cry for about 2 mins and made me sulk the whole day...But honestly speaking,the ending is kind of justified...Its more or less like Titanic where in the end the hero dies(although in this case he was already dead)...It was Tazusa's strong will to move on and live life like Pete had taught her to live that made this short but definately touching anime worth rememebering forever...

SAIUNKOKU MONOGATARI(THE COLORCLOUD PALACE)

Saiunkoku(Colorcloud Kingdom) is a world of eight provinces or houses, each named after a different colour. The new Emperor, Shi Ryuuki, has gained for a reputation for being uninterested in courtly matters(he believes his exiled elder brother Shi Seien to be the rightful heir of the throne and hence waits for his arrival neglecting his duties as the emperor) and for being gay(which he uses as an excuse to avoid getting married to royal princesses).

Shuurei, although born into the important and royal Kou family, has difficulty making ends meet as her father was disowned by the clan and their family became poor during the civil war where her father used up all their wealth to help the starving people during the war. She easily accepts an invitation to be the Emperor's concubine in order to turn him into a good ruler. The mysterious Seiran, a young man who was adopted by her father, goes with her as Ryuuki's bodyguard. Entering the imperial palace revives Shuurei's dream of being a court official, and, together with the many companions she meets along the way, continues moving bravely forward while trying to fend off the Emperor's advances.

Shurei Hong

Shuurei Kou is the daughter and only child of Shouka Kou of the Kou clan, one of the two most powerful clans in Saiunkoku.Despite the high social status of her family, Shuurei grew up in relatively impoverished circumstances.There are no servants at the Kou residence, so Shuurei has grown adept at household chores such as needlework, cooking and cleaning, traits unusual in a lady of high social standing. She has also held a number of odd jobs to earn money, acting as a professional erhu player, working as an accountant at Kochou's brothel in the Red Light District, and serving as a teacher at the local temple.

Shurei experienced first-hand the chaos the nation suffered during the fight over the succession, and her childhood dream was to become an imperial official and serve in government. She yearns for the power to change the lives of the people for the better. Shurei studied for the official examination with her father, but after she learned women were ineligible to take the exam, she abandoned her dream to the children she taught at the temple school.

Ryuuki Shi

Ryuuki Shi is the reigning emperor of Saiunkoku.However, he avoids any involvement in politics or government, wanders the palace for hours so no one would be able to find him. He even spread rumours that he preferred the company of men to fuel speculation he could not produce an heir. Ryuuki secretly hoped that Seien, his beloved older brother, would eventually return and take his place as Emperor. Ryuuki's avoidance of responsibility came to an end when he met Shuurei, who told him of her dreams of making a better life for the nation's people.

The youngest of six brothers, he was an unlikely candidate to ascend to the throne. Of his five elder brothers, four killed each other over the succession and one was exiled for treason. As a child, Ryuuki was badly mistreated by his mother and his brothers, except for his brother Seien, who seemed to be the only one who truly cared for him. His other brothers and mother used to beat Ryuuki and lock him in a closet for hours at a time, telling him his birth order was bad and that he stole affection from his siblings. These experiences led to a lingering fear of the dark and sleeping alone. Ryuuki often took refuge in the garden or the imperial archives, where he first encountered Shouka Kou. Shouka tutored the young prince and encouraged War General Taifu Sou to teach him swordsmanship.

Seiran Shi

Seiran was taken in thirteen years ago by Shoka Hong, and he has made a vow to spend his life repaying that kindness, helping the Hongs by protecting them, performing repairs, and taking small guard jobs to earn money.He has known Shurei ever since the latter was little, thus is very protective of her, usually following her in order to guard her, even when she does not know it. The two are often mistaken for a couple due to the amount of time they spend together, but neither of them show romantic feelings for the other.

Seiran is later revealed to be the previously exiled second elder brother of Ryuki, Seien, whom was the only one to ever treat Ryuki nicely. He was known as the "flower" of the royal princes due to his handsome looks, kind heart, and also his physical and intellectual superiority over his brothers. Because of this, his brothers grew jealous, and after his mother, who hated his existence, and grandfather conspired to make him Emperor, he, along with his mother, was exiled. The other royal families sent assassins to kill him, and though he did away with them, his mother was killed in the process.

Sometime later, he is brought into the Satsujinzoku, a murderous band of thieves in Sa Province (Brown Province) where he was nicknamed "The Little Whirlwind". Ensei Ro joined the group as well, and the two destroyed the band themselves. After leaving Sa, the Hong Family comes across him and takes him in, with Shokun giving him the name 'Seiran', meaning 'Silent Orchid'..

I really loved this series because its not only hillarious but pretty touching too.Shurei dreams of becoming a court official and serve her country but women in her country are not allowed to take civil service exams.After seeing Shurei's determination to change the state of the country,Ryuuki changes and starts to fulfill his duties as an emperor.He also passed the bill to allow women to take the civil service exams which allows Shurei to become the first women court official(She secured 2nd position in the exam). However, she faced a lot of discrimination and had to work very hard to change the mindset of other officials about women officers. The distance between Ryuuki and her increases when she was made the governor of Sa province.Thus,Ryuuki had to part ways with Shurei to enable her to fulfill her dreams with the hope that after she had acheived all that she wants to acheive for the country,she'll come back to him.Though the series doesnt quiet reveal if Shurei loves Ryuuki or not(Ryuuki time and again tries to show how much he loves Shurei) but it does gives hints that Shurei likes Ryuuki but for her,her country is more important than her personal life.

Another reason why i like this anime so much is that though its kinda romantic & touching story yet its pretty hilarious...Especially when Shurei and Riyuuki kiss for the first time.Shurei was totally not expecting it. Who in the world would??? Imagine standing with your family and a bunch of court officials and out of nowhere the emperor(who you all this time thought to be gay and hence didnt mind to share ur bedroom with) grabs you and kisses you!!! Shurei's freaking out is so justified. It would have surprised the hell out of me too. And on top of that, Riyuuki told Shurei that he's not only interested in men but in women also! The look on Shurei's face practically made me fall from my chair laughing!!!

NODAME CANTABILE

People who know me well know that i have 3 biggest obssessions... Watching ANIME,reading NOVELS and last but never the least MUSIC!!! And so i was very glad when this romantic comedy anime premiered on Animax...

Megumi Noda, or "Nodame" is a piano student at Momogaoka College of Music. An extremely talented pianist who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, she prefers playing by ear rather than reading the music score. She is messy and disorganized, takes baths several days apart and loves to eat, sometimes stealing her friend's lunchbox when it is filled with delicacies.

Shinichi Chiaki is Momogaoka's top student. Born into a musical family, he is talented in piano and violin and has secret ambitions to become a conductor.He is an arrogant multi-lingual perfectionist who once lived abroad in the music capitals of the world as a young boy (namely Prague). Although he has enrolled in piano classes, his real dream is to become a world-famous orchestra conductor. Unfortunately, an extremely traumatic event which occurred during his childhood has resulted in a fear of flying, destroying his chances of studying abroad under the wing of the renowned conductor, Sebastian Viera.
Chiaki’s attitude, as well as his frustration and disappointment with the state of his life, results in him keeping an arms-length relationship with his fellow students, and in conflicts with his instructors.However, things begin to change for him when he meets fellow piano student Noda “Nodame” Megumi. She may be a slob, an airhead, and a slow learner, but there’s something about her piano playing that moves his heart. Perhaps even change it.

They meet by accident. Nodame quickly falls in love, but it takes much longer for Chiaki to even begin to appreciate Nodame's unusual qualities. Their relationship causes them both to develop and grow. Along the way, they meet some crazy people (like Masumi, Mine, and Stresemann) and make lasting friendships. Because of Nodame, Chiaki gets the opportunity to lead a student orchestra and begins to have a broader appreciation of people's musical abilities. Because of Chiaki, Nodame faces her fears and enters a piano competition. Opportunities open up as both begin taking risks, stretching themselves far more than they ever thought possible.

After graduation, Nodame succeeds in curing Chiaki from his phobia and they both move to Paris where Nodame continues her piano studies at a conservatory while Chiaki starts a professional career as a conductor. In Europe, they encounter new friends and rivals, as well as keep in touch with their friends from Japan..

The whole series is truly hillarious with Nodame acting like a love struck puppy and always chasing Chiaki who gets regularly freaked out with Nodame's messy apartment and her habit of always showing up at his doorstep for dinner... The series also has beautiful music with opening theme being "Allegro Cantabile" by Suemitsu and Suemith and the ending theme 1 being "Konna ni Chikaku de(I'm so in love with you)" by Crystal Kay. The ending theme 2 is again by Suemitsu & Suemith named "Sagittarius".

THE PRINCE OF TENNIS

Ryoma Echizen is a young tennis prodigy who has won 4 consecutive tennis championships but who constantly lies in the shadow of his father, a former pro tennis player. He joins the Seishun Gakuen(Seigaku) junior high school, one of the best tennis schools in Japan, and there along with his teamates he learns to find his own type of tennis in an attempt to defeat his biggest obstacle of all: his father as well as himself...

His father is Nanjiro Echizen, a former tennis pro nicknamed "Samurai Nanjiro". At his father's request, Ryoma returns to Japan in order to attend Seishun Academy ("Seigaku" for short), a private middle school famous for its strong tennis team. Due to his cocky attitude, he constantly butts heads with some of his upperclassmen as well as anger most of his opponents in tennis matches. Still, he, along with his team, evolve as tennis players in order to win the National Tennis Tournament. Throughout the story, Ryoma continues to find his own style of tennis by creating original techniques instead of merely being a copy of his father. His catchphrase in the Japanese anime is "mada mada dane," literally meaning "no, not yet" or "not good enough." In the American version, it is translated as "You still have a ways to go."

The other major characters of the series are the members of the Seigaku Tennis Team namely Tezuka Kunimitsu(captain),Oishi Syuchiro(Vice captain & member of the golden pair), Shusuke Fuji, Kikumaru Eiji(member of the golden pair), Takashi Kawamura, Sadaharu Inui, Momoshiro Takeshi, Kaido Kaoru and their coach Riyuzaki...

Its really a very exciting series...I just love this anime and i never get bored of watching it over again and again...May be its because of Ryoma's arrogant yet cool attitude and awesome play style... I'm also in love with the other members of the Seigaku team for their unshakeable determination and ever evolving play style which makes the whole series pretty addictive...

BLOOD+

Blood+ was inspired by the 2000 anime film Blood: The Last Vampire; however, there are only a few allusions and basic elements from the film. Fujisaku has been involved with both works, including acting as the director for Blood+ and writing the novelization of Blood: The Last Vampire.

Under the care of her adoptive family, Saya Otonashi has been living the life of an anaemic and amnesiac, but otherwise ordinary schoolgirl. Saya’s happy life is shattered when she is attacked by a chiropteran, learning that she is the only one who can defeat them.
Armed with her katana, Saya embarks on a journey with her family, allies, and her chevalier, Hagi, to rid the world of chiropteran and rediscover her identity. The course of the journey reveals the background history of the chiropterans and Saya's very deep past, which extends into the mid-19th century.

Haji first met Saya when he was a child of age 12 and was brought by Joel to be her companion and hopefully mate and create more specimens someday. At this time Saya was 43 although she doesn't appear to be since she stopped aging in 1863. He lived with her in Joel's mansion for many years. But one day he fell from a cliff in an attempt to pick a flower that Saya wanted as a present for Joel's birthday. Seeing him bleeding everywhere and not really understanding that people don't drink blood to remain healthy, Saya gave him her own blood. Thus she unwittingly turned him into her "Chevalier."

The series is initially set in present day (September 2005) Okinawa City (Koza), on Okinawa Island, near the US Kadena Air Base. In the course of the series, Saya visits locations across the world, fighting enemy chiropteran and searching for her origins...And realising a terrible mistake she made in the past that has led to the rise of the chiropterans... A mistake she herself named as Diva,her little sister...

Saya's twin sister and the story's main antagonist,Diva. She provides the Delta67 (derived from her blood) which is used to transform people into Chiropterans. When she was born she was kept in an isolated tower as part of an experiment. Because of that she hated Joel, such that when Saya freed her she slaughtered him and the people at his birthday party. Her isolation left her childish and socially inept as well as ignorant of the moral ramifications of her actions. It is also hinted that Diva only wanted a family just like Saya's.

I must admit that the anime was pretty boring in the beginning but it did have certain unexpected twists as it progressed which helped to me remain hooked to it till the end without missing a single episode of the 50 episodes long anime....