bad luck ~ sometimes I end up hating the manga I have read deliberately

it`s awful how the thing go with me... with my reading manga, to be precise. I`ve forgotten which manga is which and I started reading
"Seimaden" by Higuri Yuu
after I read "yami no kakan" I was waiting for something splendid. though I saw "shounen-ai" tag of this manga on some sites, I`ve also read that it`s not the main thing described and I realized I can simply ignore it following the story of the main characters.
in other words, I thought the story would be that great to sweep me off my feet and absorb me completely.
I was mistaken...............
I feel awkward. I used to find great pieces of art by chance, enjoy them and stop and the very moment I see that the further reading/watching/listening will only get worse. now I`ve read lots of useless stuff and I continue making mistakes. what`s wrong with me??? where`s my intuition? T__T
after the 2nd chapter of this manga I already understood the options for the plot to evolve. we either kill the young boy and the girl cries for a while and calmes down, or we kill the demon who gives up and wishes her well and again the girl cries for a while and calmes down. or we might kill her, just if the author is going to show some pathos. well I might be wrong in my prediction but I even don`t care. I was so naive assuming that Hilda will somehow put her demon on the straight and narrow... well, to put it honestly, I wasn`t really expecting this to be the way I want, but deep in my soul I did believe in that. then I saw we have a triangle and I thought "oh nooo" cause I understood - though Laules (I call him that way... idk y) is a demon and he`s not hesitating to kill anyone, all the flowers and fangirl`s admiring go to him. I`m not from that group. sorry guys, I`ll never be able to accept the concept of a person who kills for the sake of love. the only time I was touched by such a story was "Alichino" and I still have some cognitive dissonance after reading that. now this time I cannot join you guys being *___* with Laules...
as for the others I cannot tell anything good either. as for the 2nd volume we have an intricate story of a demon who loves a girl who is loved by another boy whose brother is going to free him of this girl with the help of a woman who loved a man who loved the girl and we also a man who is going to protect the boy and there`s also  an "angel" who loves the demon and a pervert who loves the demon too and there`s one more demon who loves the "angel" and a little girl who loves the "angel" too. isn`t this too much? I already feel like II___II
let us look onto the reasons. so the demon loves the girl `cause she`s beautiful and the girl loves the demon `cause he`s beautiful and sad. and the boy loves the girl `cause she`s beautiful. what`s with that simplicity? I`m not satisfied how pure love is presented. this is sooo wrong... and Sherril who tells Hilda to believe in the person she loves is great! knowing nothing and having no experience in love she just says - have faith! great advice, I admire that
at first I sympathized with Rod and wished Hilda would change her mind `cause Laures was simply obsessed with her. but then I realized I don`t like the girl at all so it`s not really great if it happens like this. she`s not simply irrational - she started to seem a shallow person to me. I just cannot drop reading if I already started, that`s why I`m still reading
and yeah I love those perverts going one by one! so cute... does this make a manga more popular? I wonder
yahoo! it`s getting more and more funny
I laughed a lot seeing Rod say "you must be Laules`s ..." - mwahaha, Laules`s second in command of course, who else!!!
Sherril`s death. that`s a nice way to behave, isn`t it? when you see something is wrong all you have to do is to kill yourself. adorable

another laughable phrase. Tetius - "I love him but not in the way you`re thinking..." yeah we believe that! that`s why mangaka drew the pics with Teti and Laules especially clear and big
thanks goodness she has a sense of humour. I`m glad to see Laules joking that he might love boys. this was funny too
oh and when we`re getting too serious we have an unexpected present - a count-demon who loves Laules too. surprise-surprise!
finally I got used to the stupid plot and I only paid attention to Asubaru `cause he`s cool and Rod of course, `cause he`s too kind and you know... I feel more and more sorry for him.
nothing else distracts me, even those frequent (yeeeah rather frequent) shounen-ai parts (is this a shounen-ai? it`s a otona-otoko-ai actually) and the mess with Karoun, Iria and Gelm and the others... "I love you that`s why I`ll kill you" - this concept has always made me laugh.
so we had a happy ending. that didn`t surprise me much `cause while reading I already understood I don`t care at all if things turn out like this.
I`m happy Rod left. I hope he found a person able to love for an understoodable reason and able to distinguish who is really her beloved.
I am so relieved to proclaim I`ve finished reading this. it was a terrible experience I hope will never be repeated!

so I started reading the long mangas ^_^ ~ well, not THAT long

"White Garden" by Miyagi Tooko
at first I loved the stubborn girl and I wished for her to "win". but she surrendered and recognized that the people surrounding her "kept her on feet" or something.
oh what a waste. I hate such stories. al of a sudden she becomes friendly and caring and attracted to those people... why could this happen? I don`t get such a quick change of mind. it`s not logical or realistic or pleasant to see. it`s stupid. that`s what I think of such characters

continuing the previous list ~ manga I read

"Chouchou Kumo" by Ashihara Kinako
there are 4 short stories and the first one was realistic but not very touching so I thought the others to be dissapointment too, but they were rather cute.
"Coelacanth" by Shimotsuki Kayoko
the graphics is sophisticated but I don`t like it to the extent I`d be looking on the pics for a long time and admiring them. the story is a mystical-detective-idk what and it doesn`t make you smile when you read it, you know... though I wished the best for the main heroine and the boy she grew to like, it`s not a manga I wanted to read actually
"Daydream World" by Yasuko
a veeeeery sweeeeet thing! chu-chu and those confessions of high-scoolers...
"Dogi Magi" by Ooka Saori
a cute thing but too childish (ehm... I mean it`s about children and it`s for children ^^`)
"Dokusen Happiness" by Ozaki Ira
Ira is a Russian name don`t you know??? ^o^
the manga is sweet and it`s o`k to read if you`re not waitnig for some extraordinary plot peripeteias or just any surprising events in it
"Blue Ramun" by Ryo Yuuki
I wasn`t really delighted seeing the graphics on the first pages but I was totally absorbed in the plot so I changed my attitude towards the pics from "eeem...." to "wow" very quickly. especially considering Eagle-san........ ooooh *melting*
I wonder why shoujo mangakas-women often have a good capability of drawing men and mangakas-men make girls rather cute? it`s not that it works for all of mangakas though, but it seems to be this way to me...
I`m even thinking I will not be ready to read something else very soon... I`ve read lots of one-shots and short stories (I say nothing of the long ones `cause they didn`t satisfy me actually) never paying too much attention to the contents, just seeking for some lovey-dovey scenes... and then oops! I find this manga where it`s not as simple as it seems.
it`s as if I read a good romance novel for women... I really couldn`t stop reading this one yesterday evening (I mean, if 3 am can be called evening...) and barely made myself go to bed. I even think I`ve seen some good dream while asleep but I can`t remember (of course! good dreams are so hard to catch when you get up...). I can even tell there`s a trend in my preferences... though I love slice-of-life stories about the modern society in shoujo style, they`re always very cute and I have no doubt the end will be great - some reuniting, kissing and hugging and "I`m sorry" and "let us not be separated once more" and all the stuff. what we have here is another kind of shoujo-stories which makes you heart ache and feel so involved in the events taking place in the manga and just making you so concerned about the characters `cause you`re not sure that mangaka wouldn`t decide to cut it off in the end killing `em all or drawing some sad farewell... "Blue Ramun" was a relief. it`s not that I was fond of Jessie but I would feel so sorry for her if the end wasn`t as it was. I`m really happy this manga turned to have a good end.
though some initiative from Eagle it REALLY lacking! it`s great that he put off the earring and hold Jessie by her hand but I WAS waiting for his confession after all (it`s not fair, is it? Jessie confessed first - it`s o`k, but she kissed him... I wish it were vice versa!!!)
p. s. - is there a trend that characters named Eagle have fair hair and are rather handsome? it is true for Eagle Schneider and Eagle from "Rayearth" and I bet I`ve seen one more Eagle I`ve forgotten where! I need to recall and check but I guess it`s impossible.....

and the last part of my opinion on what I have read

"Romanticist Egoist" by Namino
the name sounds almost like the name of a Porno Graffitti song....... *nostalgia*
well, the plot... usual. the pics... usual. am I getting too experienced with shoujo that I begin to choose between them and judge which is truly worth reading?
"Ryuujin-sama to Oyome-sama" by Ohmi Tomu
it`s just sooo plain... nothing special and nothing interesting, the usual shoujo stuff (maybe josei, to be more precise)
"Tonari no Danshi" by Yokoyama Mayumi
one more Christmas shoujo... I feel lazy to read such stuff again. could please someone predict whether I`ll like some manga or not? I`d appreciate that...
well this means my talent to judge by the description/cover/comments doesn`t work here. I`m sad..........
"Tonari no Inuyama-kun" by Tsukuba Sakura
did I say I like her works? well I do. this one is rather nice and though the plot isn`t an outstanding one it soens`t look like complete nonsense. I wonder why...
"Tsuki no Waltz" by Kako Mitsuki
I don`t like this kind of graphics at all, these huge lips and so on... but the story was good. I can even say, it was an average good story ^.^

I'm already finishing! ~ my humble opinion on some mangas I read

"Yasei no Bara" by Katsumoto Kasane

the first chapter was like "what the hell is going on....... is this a shoujo or what???" but then... it`s really rare to see a story of a close friendship. I`m glad there are people willing to tell such stories to the world. let them make you kind and happy!

"Yowaito Nikki" by Takayanagi Sankusu

this story almost made me watch "Slayers", it was so fantasy and it was pretty interesting... though the pics would better be more clear and easy to see the details.

"Yume Nanka ja Nakute" by Yamanaka Riko

the pics didn`t please my eye but I liked the story. maybe it was because I read this one in the beginning of my shoujo way?

it seems to me I`m finished with one-shots and short stories. now moving to the long ones. wish me luck! ^_^

next part of my humble opinion on some mangas

"Issho ni Ofuro" by Taamo
I strart thinking her works are always that bad. so boring and dull... though I see she tries to create some interesting details... she just fails, I think
"Jewel to Canary" by Akino Subaru
that was touching! you know, I do think brothers and sisters should cherish each other and get along very well. though I was seeking for some romance, not just a good story.
"Kaze no Yubiwa to Hikari no Udewa" by Natsuna Kawase
this is the manga I should have started with (but I didn`t). unfortunately it didn`t impress me much... idk y! was I expecting too much from this manga? yeah I think I was
"Kimi o Omofu" by Shin Yui
that was a waste of time. a very short one-shot and nothing catching your eye
"Kimi to Boku to Sekai no Owari" by Kayase Shiki
I see, her mangas are all that way... it`s cruel. it`s sad to the extent it makes you depressed. all you see is people`s hatred and death everywhere. I know it`s the world we live in but I prefer something more positive so just thank you, no

continuing the previous post ~ my humble opinion on some mangas again

"Hatsukoi Rocket" by Taamo
the graphics is really cute but the plots are too plain. the 3rd chapter was the only one to raise some feelings inside me, actually
"Hitomi Kara Destiny" by Tsukuba Sakura
I love her works. not only they are beautiful in terms of pics but they are also touching and I can`t call them boring at all! this one is not the best but I`m in favour of it (what did I just say? in favour? a strange expression really... though it can`t be helped - it just came to my mind...)
"Holiday" by Yakuso
that was just an ordinary one, but I read it with pleasure. makes you smile you know - every girl tries to look cute!
"Honey Witch" by Sakisaka Mea
I`m not quite sure I spelled the name properly. please forgive me if I did a mistake! ^.^
the girls will definitely enjoy the manga. let me be honest, the plot is stupid! I mean the idea is good (though it`s been used by mangakas and not only mangakas for thousands of times) but the plot itself is stupid. the same thing I`cve said somewhere not so long ago - "like-dislike-love-hate-looove" changing every 2 pages. it`s not how people behave, I`m honestly telling you. but the end justifies everything...... admiring the last pages for 5 minutes is worth reading the poor stuff before it ^_^ I mean... we have lots of kissing and confessions! ehm... they`re not really explained anyway so just don`t think about "why did he change his mind so often" and enjoy the sweet pics in the end
"Ibara no Majutsushi" by Fujitsuka Yuki
well this particular story is not very shoujo to my mind. but it`s a nice one to read and there`s an idea about a real friendship and the philosophy... (to tell the truth even the philosophy didn`t impress me much as I don`t like such stories where someone dies for the sake of some idea or just anything)
"Ikenai Candy Love" by Nagae Tomomi
I didn`t notice that there was going to be some smut..... that`s only myself to blame I was like O____O what`s this doing on my PC???
a story about an introverted girl who seduces (a seducive introvert we have!) a sex-addict colleague and finally falls in love with him (the argument is great - he`s cute when he does this!) and he also falls in love with her (and he tells he`s not going to have sex with somebody else - how nice!) and she also gains self-confidence...... is it somehow supposed to impress me? o_O the pity is that the graphics is good. it could be enjoyable you know
"Ipaasha" by idk who ^^`
the pics are just adorable! you can watch every page for several minutes... to be honest I didn`t like the plot very much as it seemed a little underdeveloped... but the general idea was good

my humble opinion on mangas I read ~ part number what?

"Kuroneko Guardian" by Izumi Asuka
that`s the kind of guys who seem to be girlish and the kind of girls who are tomboys, speaking simply. as for me I get it - we have an ethic-intuine boy and logic-sensoric girl... that`s nothing wrong to me. that`s why I like it

"Moujuu wa Ori no Naka" by Toyota Yuu
that`s just the greatest success! ehm... I mean, it was the thing I liked most. no, I loved this! though the theme was not very unique, I liked the plot even (the pics are not very mature as well... but who cares when we have such relations!!! a girl and her beast *___*)
I`d love to read something else with the same concept...

"Nageku Shinigami" by Mitsubachi Miyuki
I almost cried in the end being so touched by this... but then I thought... it`s really not right! exchanging memories for a new life... it`s not how things should go. I don`t quite love such stories trying to be sad and make you sorry for the characters when there are lots of thing yet to be explained

"Rakuen" by Fujiwara Kaoru
I was waiting for some sad and sophisticated story... I was mistaken
the first chapter was all right though I didn't like it very much. but I understood what the style is and it was o`k
the second was very short and I didn't understand what`s the meaning of that. just some beautiful pics? oh that`s not what I came for
the 3rd was toooo sophisticated. can I call it this way? it was depressive. and moreover it was dull. there`s nothing really beautiful in the things described. and the meaning is not impressive either. I start thinking she is somewhat crazy
the last one proved I was right. a girl gets fond of being f*cked both by a guy and by herself and her hand turns into a wolf. what`s the matter??? is it supposed to have some philosophy? or some moral? or just any thoughts or ideas? there are none. I hate this pathetic attempt to look like a cool author for some elite readership
I`m not gonna read her other mangas though I intended to

"Watashi no Okusuri" 

this was just one of the greatest things I've read recently. the length and the plot and the characters are suitable to each other and even the graphics doesn't spoil the impression. I've reread the favourite moments like... 5 times? or something like that
"Watashi no Suki na Hito" by CLAMP
it`s a bunch of one-shots each one dedicated to some word, better to say - concept... and each one is nice and simply great. it's shoujo and it`s not super-original but I was glad to read every single chapter. so I think this is the thing which distinguishes a good author from the bad
"Yami no Kakan" by Higuri Yuu
I was afraid of reading the main manga but I read this short story without knowing its relation to the main one and I liked the prequel so much that I'm going to read the main now ^_

some "wooow" and then just disappointments going one by one

"Hyakkiyakou Juliet" by Izumi Asuka
it was nice and there was an idea and the pics are lovely... but nothing above that
"China Blue Jasmine" by Kakinouchi Narumi
I was supposed to like it `cause there are vampires and the pics are beautiful (lemme call a spade a spade, they are mature and they so have style and they don`t look like they were created by a 13-year old girl) but I didn`t like it too much. I see some attempt to be original, you know the Chinese words and the fact that everything is just happening in China, but it doesn`t really save the manga in the whole. it`s just... boring
"Gar to Oujisama" by Saitou Ken
ohhh that`s the lovely thing!!! it was really funny and the stuff and we have a kiss in the end (yes this IS important!). to be serious - this is a much more preferable way of a mangaka trying to create something unique. she managed to do this!
"Hana Sakasu Te" by Seo Eriko
well this is not a real masterpiece..... you can just kill some time reading this manga but... it doesn`t leave the aftertaste (which is a vital thing for me when reading a manga)

"Mugen Dokei" by Saitou Ken
it`s a story about time, about clocks, about life and death... and I was waiting for such a thrilling story and some true emotions... but none of them appeared. I see it was supposed to be touching but it wasn`t really
"NG Baby" by Tachibana Yutaka
did she drink something while writing? the plot is so nervous and I couldn`t get what`s happening until the end and in the end I thought "that`s all you have to offer me???"

next part of my humble opinion on mangas I read

"Natsu no Zangai" by Touda Yoshimi
I wish I never read this... so silly...
"Non-chan to Watashi" by Yoshino Aki
that was pretending to be cute... but I don`t like such stories... like "I didn`t realize and he didn`t understand" and so on... I can`t see any particular reason for this and I can`t see any proper development. so this one passed by without leaving any great memories
"Ojousama no Okiniiri" by Morita Fuji
now this is ugly! I`ve not read lots of manga to be honest, but it already seems to me I`ve met this kind of plot millions of times. we have a rich girl and her beloved bodyguard and of course she has to marry another guy and of course the bodyguard find something improper about him and we celebrate a happy ending. hey if you create such a usual story you should offer something else, how about pics? oh, a failure. some interesting details? oh a failure again. so what?
"Otogibanashi no Fude" by Akizuki Sorata
yeah I know there was a philosophical trend but I`m not satisifed. it`s not touching! it`s not impressive! how can you mess up the plot like that, dear mangaka???
"Paradise Cafe" by Morita Fuji
it seems to me this work is much better. has she grown up as a mangaka since "okiniiri"? joking! I don`t even know which one is earlier... however, this "cafe" is much more interesting to read
"Dr. Rabbit" by Ogura Akane
except for Alice itself there`s nothing cute actually. the plot is rather usual and the pics are not very admirable... well, just one more simple story (and no kiss in the end, by the way)

I`m stiil on shoujo ~ my humble opinion on what I read

"Amairo Omoi" by Konno Risa
a sweet thing. easy and lovely, though I don`t like the graphics itself. but it`s just the thing we need when we read shoujo, isn`t it? ^_^
"Bitou na Koi" by Yoshinaga Yuu
well it`s not bad but it doesn`t leave much of an impression. just killing some time. the plot is weird and though I like both coffee and "love" (I mean as a phenomenon) I don`t like how it was mixed here. the idea it good, I can`t tell anything bad about it, but it wasn`t expressed properly...
"Bitter Trap" by Takagi Shigeyoshi
you can enjoy the graphics and the pictures themselves but the plot isn`t of the enjoyable kind...
"Blanc Marie" by Yoshihara Yuki
the pics are good and those of you who are fans of "cold" guys are welcome. the only thing spoiling the impression is that part in the hotel - I`m not really against this but it`s just not the thing I admire as an expression of feelings.
"Bus Hashiru" by Sahara Mizu
there are several short stories, not all of them`re quite cheerful though. the first 4 are rather realistic and do not use any fantastic elements. but the 5th one is quite astonishigly a surreal story... it impressed me much more than the other ones, it`s more elaborated and more touching.
then we have "nanairo sekai" as the continuation. the 1st story in this cycle is good but not outstanding really. a usual "like-dislike-love-hate-looove" thing. the second took me a long time to understand we have two boys as the main characters. or not? any way it was dull. the third was plain and the last was beyond my understanding. so I`m not quite happe with this author.
"Canaria Child" by Setsuri Tsudzuki
once I see the word "canaria" I remember Rikki`s song named "canaria". though it has nothing to do with the manga or anything ^.^
I was expecting to see some good story involving the dolls as the description promised but... the great concept was poorly implemented by the lazy mangaka. the dolls however reminded me of "Alichino"cometimes but the general pics were far from the splendidness of "Alichino", yeah...

move on ~ another manga I have read

I thought about turning my spring into a "study English by using authentic material" one. so I decided to watch some more British series and read some shoujo at the same moment `cause I just can`t forget about manga and anime at all

so I downloaded some... dozens? of manga, you know simply opened some web-site and downloaded everything I could. I thought about making some consideration which one is suitable and which one is not very interesting for me, but I ended up merely reading a description and thinking "oh there might be something good inside so just let`s try"

that is how a huuuuuge collection appeared in my "manga" folder

so

let`s see what`s in there

"zion" by Kayase Shiki

the art is good as it reminds me of KoBJ a little. the story is not very. it`s rather intricate and the world the characters live in is really elaborated by the mangaka with some efforts. but most of characters are ugly. I mean, they are dangerous, noizy, cruel and flawless, or nice and calm but too plain.

there`s even some philosophy. I can get it. but I don`t like it... an anti-utopia, isn`t it. I`m not against anti-utopias, though...

I was about to quit reading after the 1st volume, fortunately some strange and entertaining personalities came in the story and made it a little more interesting. the best point was that phrase of Ruou "hate guys like you who do what you`re told without hesitation and wind up acting like a victim in the end". simply great...  

but then I was disappointed with the end. I cannot even comprehend what annoys me most in this manga. however strange and negative the mood of a manga or anime may be - I have no prejudice against it... but this particular impression is awful. so depressive and exhausting you know... and the end is also awful. we discovered some of the secrets but I don`t quite understand what will follow and what will happen to the characters and you know it wasn`t an end I was expecting to see. to think about the characters themselves, well they developed but... why? we never found really what happened to Rouran in childhood, what happened to Sion and NK in the past... to say nothing of the others. and Minaze is quite starling with his swift changing of manners. I hate this. I mean, it makes noooo sense to me. I cannot perceive the purpose of all this. there are some good ideas but they were not fully expressed and the general moral or just conclusion is lacking.

well, the good thing is the presence of some humour. like the conversation between Shitou and Rouran. "if you tell me you`ll gonna "marry Sei" I`ll rip you apart - it`s not like you can marry him so what do you care!?" - that was funny ^^. and yeah another one of Shitou to Sei "let`s meet without any brats. brats: 1 - Sion, 2 - Rouran"

em... I wouldn`t recommend to read this actually. half boring and half like o__O

and to tell the truth... it was supposed to be shoujo... where???

my humble opinion on FictionJunction - continuing the "playlist" topic

unfortunately I`ve found only the discography of FictionJunction Yuuka, and 2 singles and a compilation album of FictionJunction, but I wish I found all the singles... if I have time I`ll certainly search for them!

 well, let us start

"hitomi no kakera" - I liked the song from the beginning and I even cited a phrase from the lyrics `cause it was so

touching... but I`ve got tired of it too soon

"nowhere" - vice a versa. I didn`t like it at first, but then I grew fond of it. the oriental motif is great, isn`t it?

"inside your heart" - nooo, it`s too plain... though it was meant to be great, as the elements do remind me of "here we stand"

"I`m here" - it`s really tense... but I was waiting for the chorus to relieve the tension. it didn`t... a pity.

"akatsuki no kuruma" - this one is a pearl. the beginning makes you think the song is tender and sad, but then you start hearing the strength and energy and this is simply great

~ piano version - well I like it, though it`s not too great

~ acoustic version - this is not the beneficial variant, I`ll tell you honestly. it lacks the deepness of the original version but doesn`t add anything good. and the intonation in the chorus seems somewhat wrong due to the absense of the nessesary chords

"honoo no tobira" - this one is also great, they are even alike with the previous single. I watched some videos and I can tell you it would soooo great to be in the place of Yuuka or just somebody of the musicians who take part in the performances or create the sound in the studio

~hearty edition - no it wasn`t impressing...

~instrumental edition - well this varitation is interesting, still not very touching

"destination" - another attempt to create some rock? failed

"dare mo inai basho" - well it`s not in my walkman playlist I listen everyday but when I heard this for the first time I though I would cry, so touching it was

"seiya" - the melody is plain, but the whole impression is o`k. something positive, isn`t it? ^_^ my thought was like "wow it is a good item for my J-christmas-party collection"

"shizuka na kotoba" - I didn`t like the song at all though it`s ethereal, you know...

"futari" - and this one is too calm......... snooore

"nostalgia" - I was pretty fond of the verse but the chorus is sooo disappointing... you hear the voice of Yuuka longing for something (you know what nostalgia means, don`t you) but then... the chorus is bad, really

"silly-go-round" - oh that`s awesome. the whole song keeps you attentive and the RIZUMU is also contributing to this. and yeah the chinese (I think it sounds chinese...) tune was also a great addition

"angel gate" - as far as I remember it wasn`t composed by Kajiura. and it`s too plain for me...

"kouya ruten" - I like from the very beginning till the very end. it`s so... full..... o_O I know it`s strage but that`s how I call this type of songs

"blessing" - I like it `cause it`s a lovely waltz. but it`s getting a little annoying already

"romanesque" - it`s a spanish-like song. I usually greet such songs with pleasure (like "agehachou" for example) but this is not a great one

"yakusoku" - this is a one more WOW. i somehow overlooked the whole single but when I finally downloaded it.....

"circus" - a little bit too (I like such phrases ^.^) calm but nonetheless I enjoy it!

"aikoi" - another song I missed while downloading and proved to be worth of searching and downloading the elbum several times more ^^` it has a different mood I wasn`t even expecting to meet in a song by Yuuka. and that`s only for the better

"yorokobi" - I was thinking for a while if I like the song or not. it`s not bad but I lean in favour of not-liking it... ^^`

"hikaru sabaku" -yeeah this thing reminds me of  "I have a dream" but it`s not that great. I think I`d better read some manga or just think about something for this song to be a kind of background for some events happening in front of my eyes

"piano" - I did like the song but due to the constant repeating tune it`s getting on my nerve

"rokugatsu wa..." - it`s tooooo calm and doesn`t impress me at all. you know, it doesn`t worth listening at all. it`s not that I don`t like such songs. I liked "torikago no yume" by Arai Akino (it`s from Aria 3rd season if you don`t know) but "rokugatsu..." is not a good work

"hoshikuzu" - it`s interesting and I even added it to the walkman playlist. but it`s not a song I would like to hear Keiko`s voice in. I wonder why Kajiura-sensei gives the worst things to Keiko. she does deserve a good piece for a solo...

"kioku no mori" - the only thing I like in the song is the background high voice (is it Kaida? or Kasahara? or someone else? well in any case - my respect)

"dream scape" - why is that name written in 2 words? well, just wondering. Japlish is a great thing isn`t it? ^.^ the song itself... I love it. the melody well it`s not very unique but the jazz feeling (in the end especially) is just sooo suitable to the general style of Kajiura... (tu-ru-tu-tu-tu-tu-rui-ra...)

"gin no hashi" - there`s a part I like - the oriental tune between the verse and the chorus. the rest is bad

"kaze no machi e" - tooooo plain. again a waste of Keiko`s voice

 "here we stand..." - Kaida can`t be bad, can she? ^____^ I liked the song in the original version (Chiba Saeko to those of you who don`t know ^_~) but this one is also great. love Yuriko`s voice. brilliant

"sinchronicity" - I thought it has always been a Keiko`s song but I was wrong. and you know what surprises me the most? I don`t like neither the original by Yui Makino (I heard her in Aria osts - and that was just the music she should perform, having such a soft and calm voice) nor the Keiko`s version. her vocal is good but the melody and the arrangement are a blow

"hanamori no oka" - let me cite Alice (from Alice of syfy) - what is it??? I`ll even answer - an ugly waltz... so cheap...

"mizu no akashi" - a moodless ballad. nononoo it`s too balladish to listen! I`ve heard this like... millions of times

"casador del amor" - an attempt to create something energetic and... spanish. failed. the violines are great, however

"himitsu" - again Yuriko. what can I add? ^_^

"houseki" - well the chorus is o`k but the general impression is not too great. yeah the melody is interesting and it`s not too pop or anything else... but I just don`t like the song. I feel like there should be something else, something more

"yume no tsubasa" - what`s this, again? a song for a closing ceremony of a children arts festival? like "we`re all united by the spirit of art and we love each other and we love you and everything`s just great and how kind the people and the animals are" (the last is a quoutation translated from Russian ^^`). I see them standing on the stage and waving their hands together under the spreading rhythm of the song. well the vocal is ok

"michiyuki" - a boring song... it`s even hard to remember the melody... I only remember the repeated part which is rather disgusting

"everlasting song" - as an ost it`s good, I do believe, but I`m not eager to listen it many times, you know

"parallel hearts" - a really disgusting thing... I can clearly see how the "pandora hearts" inscription appears on the screen in the opening on the 0-14. it might be a good thing but I don`t like the fact that the song makes any sense only together with the picture. you know, there are all the elements necessary for a successful song. I mean, the vocal is no doubt beautiful, there`s a violin part which is undoubtedly loved by all the fans, especially by those who cannot play violin (like "wow that`s really great how the player can easily play the fast and high notes" or something like this... guys, even I can do this. please don`t be overimpressed) and the melody is o`k for those who aren`t too expierienced in j-pop-...

"hitomi no chikara" - it`s like Kajiura was given 10 minutes to create a new song and asked to make something slow and calm. well, it is slow and calm. cheap and plain, also

"toki no mukou..." - it could be a good song of Kalafina. but that`s FictionJunction`s one, so I was expecting to hear something more distinguished.

"nohara" - and again Keiko`s wasting her beautiful low voice. we have one more plain, slow and calm song with no particular mood or just anything..... what a pity!

conclusion - Keiko`s and Yuuka`s voices are great. others are sooo average... and the songs are good only in Yuuka`s repertoire, others are average again.

though some songs pleased me, the general thought about the Kalafina and FJ projects is "I was waiting for something greater..."

have I got into writing "reviews"?

well, the first thing is - I definitely got into writing in English

I even got into thinking in English & this fact makes me ehm... not too happy but... it seems promising.

two weeks of watching "Primeval" and I already feel better with my English

will it prove to be a real improvement of my "listening comprehension" skills? I hope so

wow it seems to be a long and insignificant discourse

so, about the "Primeval"

please beware of spoilers. better not read this post if you haven`t finished watching yet

at first it was a little entertaining show for me, `cause I didn`t expect any philosophical problems in there... so I was surprised. unfortunately I can`t say this was a totally delightful surprise

I cried when Tom died and that was the moment I understood everything just will not be as funny as I thought. the most unexpected character was Helen of course. she brought a piece of insanity in the plot and the matter of dealing with variants of evolution made me really concerned about what I watch

well, the  first season was great. the plot evolved in an interesting way and I didn`t notice the time passing by. the second season continued the trend and I was enjoying myself episode by episode. the first disappointment came when Stephen died. I know he was a hero, his deed was so selfless... but I didn`t cry. I heard Helen`s voice pronouncing "be patient Stephen" and I was soooo hoping to see him once again `cause I became fond of him (well yeah, at first he seemed simply handsome but then he turned out to be brave and caring).

my surprise grew while I saw nobody trying to raise him from the dead in the third season. and then I understood the reason. this discovery of mine made me sad till the last episode. I understood why somebody dies in the series. it`s just that the actor cannot participate in the show. or doesn`t want to. or is busy somewhere else... I just cannot imagine a director saying "I want to kill your character so please leave". if the actor was successful in his performance and had nothing against going on playing the character, they wouldn`t kick him out of the series, would they? we see Claudia disappearing in the end of the 1st season but the actress came back for another role. there was nothing wrong with it. but Stephen left forever. and that was a pity.

I couldn`t express my delight when that angry and strict Lester escaped death in the Leek`s attempt to destroy him. I was sooo happy... for a single day.

then I saw Nick dying in the 3rd season. I thought it was a mistake, `cause no main character may die in the middle of the story. but there it was. I remembered I`ve read a description of the 4th season stating that both Nick and Helen are dead. well, I didn`t care about Helen, I mean I was sure that`s how it should be and I even knew she wouldn`t be killed by anybody from the team but it would be an accident.

I was right in my prediction and she really died because of a creature attack. that was an appropriate moment for her death but hey, does everyone believe she couldn`t manage to stay alive in the prehistoric era if she knew all those animals having spent some 9 years of her life travelling through time and dealing with different creatures. it seemed strange a little

well the strangeness of Helen`s death is nothing in comparison to the other`s disappearance. I was really surprised to see Jenny leave the ARC. it was a fast decision for the character, but let me think it was not a decision of Jenny but the decision of Lucy Brown.

well it was still ok while there were some other favourable characters. I was glad to know Becker was all right. I saw Connor and Abby come back. I was sure everything was going to be just as it was. I was wrong. the creators of the 4th season fired Jason and Laila. I wasn`t even upset. I just tried hard not to pay attention to the stupidity of this decision. they were so necessary to me and I was fond of them... but I did my best to forget about them and not to think why the reason of Sara`s death was never explained (was it?) and why Danny coulnd`t get back. I thought he was too strong to have died where he happened to be, and the anomaly could open any time. I remembered him fall on his knees and scream in dismay. the picture was so lively in my imagination. luckily, I saw him in the last episode ans this fact made me happy. though I might be disappointed again if he doesn`s appear in the 5th season.

well, Danny is great but absence of the other characters still maked me depressed a little. especially when I saw Janny Lewis. I`m glad she got married to a good man, but that was just too nostalgic for me. I mean, there were so many wonderful things in the beginning, but then all of it declined. everything would be not that bad if there were some brighter things in the plot of the 4th season. there weren`t any, unfortunately. I saw some mystery man, I mean Matt. I`m not even surprised he came from the future. I`m surprised he refused to be by the side of a woman he loves (obviously!). it always surprises me how people are separating trying to protect each other and wishing well to each other, when none of them would be happy to go on alone. I bet Emily is sooo delighted to come back to the husband she doesn`t know exactly and Matt is going to be ok, ha-ha.

I saw Philip introduced for an unknown reason, doing nothing important in particular (until the last episode when we discover something more important) but making Connor tear between different kinds of work. he managed to settle this at last, but I wondered why this decision took so much time of his, `cause the variant of dealing with both tasks was so obviuos to me. wasn`t it the same as he did in the former ARC?

the relations of Connor and Abby were the last straw. I know they are a couple in the real life, so couldn`t Hannah please show some affection in the romantic moments. she always looks at him as if she hates him or is being angry. why is that so? the fact irritates me even more for the reason I see ALP`s behaviour (well I saw only Alice and Primeval so that`s what my judgement is based on. I don`t claim him to be the same in other situations, though I`d like it to be so) as the kind of a treatment of a guy to his beloved I can only dream of. I thought I wouldn`t doubt his feelings for a second and being touched by them I couldn`t keep restrained the way Abby does. how can she make such a face knitting her brow after he kisses her??? >___< it really annoys me. she was in such a negative mood in the first episode when they were stuck in some (I forgot the name...) era, then she was so loving when standing on the balcony (what happened? an access of tenderness?) and then again the anxiety in the scene I described. rather strange thing it seems to me

well, the conclusion would be as follows

I`m looking forward to the 5th season. I`m really mad about the fact they introduced the most interesting and promising things in the end of the end (I mean, the last episode ^.^) and I`ll be waiting for the new season to come. however I`m not really happy `cause I know no one of those favourite characters I`ve lost will return back in the new series