Fortune Arterial Akai Yakusoku

Kohei Hasekura has transferred schools so many times due to his father's work that he has stopped trying to keep track of them all, so when he finally gets a choice of his own he opts for Shuchikan Academy, a boarding school out on a peripheral Japanese island that he had once briefly stayed at several years ago. There he meets a pair of girls he knew as a youth and quickly gets associated with several classmates, including the eccentric Student Council. Something odd happens when he comes into contact with vice-president Erika Sendo, however, which rattles her to the core and leaves Kohei perplexed. Much more disturbing for Kohei, though, is the discovery that a vampire may be on the prowl at school, and it's someone he's already met.

Yeah, this is yet another adult visual novel adaptation. It spends its first episode introducing the premise and all of the key players, with revelations in the prologue and at the end that vampires may be involved, and that's about all it does. Except for the vampire angle, everything which transpires here is rigidly formulaic, including a cast of girls (read: potential love interests) who could have been taken from almost any random visual novel or ero game. The same applies to the building and character designs, too, which look good but also absolutely typical for this type of series. The way vampirism is going to fit into the picture could be a bit intriguing and may serve as an initial hook, as these are vampires who apparently have no difficulty walking around in daylight, but this offering from developer August and producers ZEXCS and Feel has yet to show anything that will entice those who are not already fans of this style of series to keep watching.

Another day, another adult game, transformed into an anime. Eroge adaptations are now ubiquitous enough that they have to be treated like shonen action series: namely you have to start ignoring the broad outlines, since they're generally the same, and start enjoying the variation in details. Taken that way, Fortune Arterial isn't half bad. If you're into this sort of thing. The broad outline: Kouhei Hasekura has been moving all his life. He's never had a lasting friendship, much less a meaningful romance. Which is why he's happy to be moving to a new school, this one with a dorm. A dorm means no more moving. A dorm also means living with a slew of girls. There's student council vice-president Erika Sendou, who might be a vampire; possible nun-in-training Shiro Togi; twin childhood friends Haruna and Kanade Yuuki; and probably several more.

Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls

In some strange alternate universe Japan, the Tokugawa Shogunate is still alive and well. Served by their loyal samurai minions, they have fended off every evil aggressor that's tried to soil their country, including those pesky Americans. Their samurai class is so powerful and strong, the country has apparently never felt the need to develop modern firearms and artillery, even though they have Internet and digital cameras. Luckily, they are forever served by the perpetual reincarnations of dead warriors, like Yagyu Jubei, who shows up at the end of the episode in the form of a cute girl.

Our protagonist is Yagyu Muneakira, a samurai in a long, noble line of warriors who have served the shogunate for centuries. He's transferred to a new private school, but when he heads to the dojo, he's confronted with two naked girls. They're naked because that's what fanservice dictates, and because it has to launch a whole series of jokes about one girl's lack of breasts. From then on, all the stereotypes just pile up like bricks. There's a feisty girl who's self-conscious about her flat chest, her busty attendant who prefers the breezy feel of a fundoshi to pants, and some angry little glasses-wearing maid who has a serious lesbian crush on her boss.

And of course, there is copious amounts of fanservice. Except in Samurai Girls, they try so hard it's almost awkward. There's no reason for half the fanservice to exist, other than to milk in as much bare flesh as possible, lest the ravenous masses disapprove. But unlike your typical hot springs scenes or your accidental shower scenes, the nudity in this series doesn't happen organically. It's like someone went into the script and forced in naughty bits, like the part where the maid gives implied cunnilingus to the princess. Did it have to be there? No. Is it even titillating? Hardly. It's just awkward.

The visuals in Samurai Girls are gorgeous enough that it doesn't need fanservice to be appealing. The backgrounds are beautiful, occasionally resembling Chinese brush paintings or pencil sketches. The characters are outlined with heavy brushstrokes, creating a contrast that really makes them pop out of the flat surface. With that kind of artwork, it almost seems a waste to have a breast dripping into the corner of the screen, because it takes viewers out of the scene. Though to their credit, every time they want to hide a nipple or a crotch, they censor it with an ink splat. It's a cute touch for something that's otherwise unnecessary.

Whether or not this series will end up being worth the time and energy may require a few more episodes to figure out. The premise of powerful warrior incarnates is a fun one, albeit not entirely original, and if they can chop up planes like in the opening sequences, it could provide some delightful action scenes. Now it's just a question of whether the show can move past these ridiculously trite stereotypes and focus more on the story.

episode 2 review :

In this alternate version of 21st century Japan, “master samurai” can only achieve their full super-powered potential by making a pact with the General, which means that they are, by default, under the direct control of the Tokugawa government. The newly-arrived Jubei demonstrate just such an overwhelming level of power, however, and only Muneakira's entreaties seem capable of staying her hand. Once the battle is over, however, the menacing Jubei becomes a sexy, amnesiac simpleton, however, and Princess Sen, who was childhood friends with Muneakira, is left to sort out the ensuing mess. While Yukimura and Hattori squabble, Muneakira wonders about the mysteries and potentially dark truths which might lay at the bottom of Jubei's identity.

As weighty as this synopsis may sound, the second episode is no less the sexy, samurai-themed harem romp that the first episode was. It starts with a pulse-pounding action sequence before retreating into more typical squabbling, interpersonal interactions, and lurid antics. None of this will disappoint anyone who's normally a fan of such fare; in fact, what it's trying to do it does very well. The traditional Japanese musical themes and a hyper-stylish art style which gives the impression that the whole series was animated on old scrolls lets this one challenge even Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt for the most distinctive-looking and sounding series of the season, and it doesn't shirk on the appealing character designs and fan service, either. The ink blots are still around for some self-censoring, though they also get used to transition between scenes. The nice animation is still around, too, and the writing even milks the material for a few laughs.The samurai style with two sword, she's very cute..:)

Basically, episode 2 merely confirms what episode 1 revealed: that this is the sharpest action and fan service-oriented title of the new season.

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The World God Only Kows

There's something decidedly charming and refreshing about The World God Only Knows. It takes all the shonen romance genre tropes, complete with the headstrong girl who punches the male protagonist every time she's remotely embarrassed, but uses them in a quirky way. It even goes as far as to make fun of itself, pointing out genre clichés and showing audiences just how outlandish they can be.

It's just too cute! Too cute to be allowed! The World God Only Knows is the winner of this season's Better Than It Has Any Right To Be award, with its honest charm and good-natured ribbing of the odd social mores that have taken over Japan's visual arts and entertainment industry. The hero of this series, you see, is not an ordinary schoolboy who gets all the girls. It's a pathetically geeky schoolboy who gets all the girls ... in his dating-sim video games. (Philosophical question: if we're watching a 2-D show about a guy who plays games about 2-D girls, does that make the game characters technically 1-D?) This pathetic geek, Keima, fancies himself to be a Casanova-like God of Conquests—until a naïve demon named Elsie mistakes his reputation for the real thing. Due to this misunderstanding, Keima is tasked with conquering real girls in reallife in order to neutralize bad spirits ... or die trying.

Normally, this would result in some horrible cross-breed of clichés—except that the first episode plays it intentionally silly and lighthearted, knowing that taking it dead seriously would just look stupid. Keima, despite being an obvious jerk, somehow becomes endearing as he tries to apply romance-game logic to real life, and the payoff comes in the last few minutes when his ridiculous strategy actually works—with soaring romantic music and a perfectly paced climactic moment to boot. The gradual mood shift from geeky in-jokes and comical blunders to a heartwarming finish may not be a masterpiece-level feat of genius, but it creates surprising artistry out of mundane material. The changes in hue over the course of the episode—from bright afternoon to sunset to nighttime—also reflect this mood shift, the kind of subtle trick that most will miss but perceptive eyes will appreciate. Fluid gesture animation and a distinctive sense of character design also add to the visual appeal.

At first, I was concerned that Keima's mission might mean that he's inadvertently leading these girls on, only to leave them hanging in subsequent episodes, but if the first episode's any indication, he's just giving these girls the shoulder they need to lean on. The World God Only Knows may sound silly, but I'm willing to give this a few more episodes. It's cute and funny, and despite some of the overused gags, it's a new take on an old genre.

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Fairy Tail Character

Lucy Heartfilia

Lucy Heartfilia (ルーシイ・ハートフィリア, Rūshi Hatofiria^?) is the main female character of the series. She joins Fairy Tail at the start of the series, having always wanted to be a member. She is always teamed with Natsu when on a job, though the frequent battles they get involved in have left her wishing she could do an easy job by herself. Lucy is one of the saner and more stable members of Fairy Tail, often being the only one to recognize the absurdity of her teammate's actions. She is also very confident in her appearance and sex appeal, exuding a certain amount of vanity. Lucy comes from a wealthy family, her father owning a large valley that serves as his estate's garden. Because she is estranged from her father, she left him and his fortune after the death of her mother so that she could follow her own path. She is voiced by Aya Hirano. Her given name was inspired from The Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" .

Lucy practices Celestial Spirit magic, a skill that allows her to summon spirits from another world using Gatekeys. Before she is allowed to use the key she must sign a contract with the spirit to decide upon when she is allowed to summon them. There are two types of keys: silver, which are common and of a large variety, and gold, twelve extremely rare keys that open the "Twelve Gates of the Zodiac." Her Celestial Spirits have varying levels of power, with different ones suited for different tasks. For example, Aquarius can control water, while Taurus has enormous strength. She can summon multiple spirits (an uncommon ability) at once for short periods of time, but tires out easily when doing so. Lucy's main weakness is she cannot perform magic without her keys, although recent chapters show Loke is able to be appear with or without being called out. Along with her keys, she also carries a whip which she is proficient with.

Gold Keys

• Aquarius: "The Water Bearer" is a long-haired mermaid that can only be summoned into a body of water. She is selfish and dislikes Lucy, often attacking both Lucy and Lucy's enemies with a torrent of water. Scorpio is her boyfriend.
• Taurus: "The Golden Bull" is a minotaur with a white and black splotched coat and a nose ring. He wields a giant two-bladed axe. He is a pervert and constantly compliments Lucy's body.
• Cancer: "The Great Crab" is a hair stylist with crab-claw shaped hair. He has six large crab-legs that come out of his back and carries around scissors. When he is first summoned, Happy assumes that Cancer would end all of his sentences with kani (crab), but in reality, Cancer ends all of his sentences with ebi (shrimp).
• Virgo: "The Virgin" is a maid with shackles and chains around her wrists. Her ability is to tunnel underground. Her appearance reflects her current master's preference: when introduced under the ownership of another wizard she looks giant and overweight, but she slims down after Lucy takes possession of her key.
• Sagittarius: "The Man-Horse" is a man wearing a horse costume that uses a bow and arrow. It is given to Lucy as a reward for saving Galuna Island. He ends his sentences with "moshi-moshi" (hello-hello).
• Leo: "The Lion" is actually Loke, who gives his key to Lucy after she helps him return to the spirit world. After he regains his former powers as a Celestial Spirit, Loke demonstrates that he is much stronger than he used to be when he was a member of Fairy Tail. Loke is also able to appear into the real world at will, without being called; he can sense when Lucy is in danger, and come assist her when needed.
• Scorpio: "The Scorpion" is a man with a cannon in the shape of a mechanical stinger, and hair split into two different colors. He is Aquarius' boyfriend. and was previously owned by Angel, a member of the Oracion Six.
• Gemini: "The Twins" are two small imp-like creatures who can copy others in terms of appearances, abilities, and even thoughts. They were previously owned by Angel.
• Aries: "The Ram" is a young girl dressed in wool, and long boots. She looks up to Leo, and is very soft-spoken. She was previously owned by Angel, who killed her former master .

Silver Keys

• Crux: "The Southern Cross" is a large humanoid stone-made cross with a cross-shaped nose and mustache. He specializes in searching for information on different spirits and their masters.
• Horologium: "The Time Piece" is a living grandfather clock that is large enough for people to hide in. Lucy usually does this for shelter or as a mode of transportation. Once inside, Horologium speaks for her, ending every sentences with "my Mistress says".
• Lyra: "The Harp" wears a bonnet, a dress, and has wings on her back. She sings about emotions and often likes to take requests.
• Nikora the Canis Minor: "Nikora", named "Plue" by Lucy, resembles the same Plue from Hiro Mashima's previous work. His only unique ability is magic cancellation, and so serves more as a pet for Lucy.

Fairy Tail Character

Erza Scarlet

Erza Scarlet (エルザ・スカーレット Eruza Sukāretto^?) is a main character in the series and one of Fairy Tail's S-class wizards. She is a very strong individual and can lift things weighing several tons with great ease. Erza is very stern and places great value on the rules of Fairy Tail; if someone steps out of line or is slow to do as she asks, she does not hesitate to punish them, so many characters are quick to apologize if they think that they have angered her. This comes up most often when Natsu and Gray start arguing, where they are quick to stop and make up if someone mentions Erza. Erza is not without compassion, however, and will do her best to make Natsu and Gray happy, even if it means delaying their punishment until later. She is voiced by Sayaka Ohara.

As a child, Erza was one of the many slaves that constructed the Tower of Heaven. She was beaten frequently while there and eventually lost her right eye. She was eventually able to escape during a slave rebellion but was forced to leave her friends behind. Erza eventually arrived at Fairy Tail, which gave her a false eye and armor to wear so that she would never be beaten again, leading to her titles of "Titania Erza", meaning "Queen of the Fairies" and the World's Strongest Women in the World (世界最強の女, Sekai Saikyō no Onna). Her desire for armor resulted in her "re-quip" style of magic; with it she can instantly equip herself with armor or weapons in her vast arsenal. She is a talented warrior, being of comparable ability to guild leaders like Makarov. Her name was adapted from Eru, a character from a one-shot short story by Mashima that served as the basis for Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail (フェアリーテイル Fearī Teiru^?) is a Japanese manga series by Hiro Mashima. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since August 23, 2006 where it is still on-going. The individual chapters are being collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Kodansha, with 20 released as of March 2010. An anime produced by A-1 Pictures andSatelight was released in Japan on October 12, 2009.^[1] The series follows the adventures of the celestial wizard Lucy Heartfilia after she joins the Fairy Tail guild and teams up with Natsu Dragneel, who is searching for the dragon Igneel.

The series was licensed for an English language release in North America by Del Rey Manga, which began releasing the individual volumes on March 25, 2008.

Manga

Written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima, the Fairy Tail manga premiered in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in the August 23, 2006 issue. The series is still ongoing and As of July 2010, 194 chapters have been serialized. The individual chapters are collected and published intankōbon volumes by Kodansha, which released the first volume on December 15, 2006. As of 17 May 2010, 21 volumes have been released in Japan. A special in Weekly Shōnen Magazine featured a crossover with Yankee-kun to Megane-chan, released in 2008. The official fanbook, Fairy Tail+ was released on May 17, 2010 in Japan.

The series was licensed for an English-language release in North America by Del Rey Manga.^[3] The company released the first volume of the series on March 25, 2008. As of June 22 2010, 11 volumes have been released.

Anime

The anime adaptation premiered on October 12, 2009. It is co-produced between A-1 Pictures and Satelight.^[1] From episode 1 through 11, the opening theme song is "Snow Fairy", performed by Funkist, while the ending theme song, "Kanpekigu-no ne", is performed byWatari Roka Hashiritai. The opening theme for episodes 12 through 24 is "S.O.W (Sense of Wonder)", performed by Idoling!!! and the ending theme is "Tsuioku Merry-Go-Round", performed by Onelifecrew. From episode 25 to 35, the opening theme was "Ft.", performed by Funkist, while the ending theme was "Gomen ne Watashi", performed by Shiho Nanba. Also, the most recent opening theme song was shown in episode 36 being "R.P.G. ~Rockin' Playing Game" by SuG as the 4th opening to the series. "Kimi ga Iru Kara" performed by Mikuni Shimokawa also premiered on episode 36 as the 4th ending. The series currently has 39 episodes officially aired.

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