Yuragu Koto Nai Ai Get Backers Song Quote Analysis

“Don’t forget that you’re not alone.”
- Yuragu Koto Nai Ai (song lyrics from Get Backers)

Yuragu Koto Nai Ai, which means Unshaken Love, is the first opening theme song of the Get Backers anime and manga series written by Yuya Aoki and illustrated by Rando Ayamine. It was sung by Tamura Naomi.

Get Backers is all about the adventures of Midou Ban and Ginji Amano. These 2 have special abilities, which they use to help them do their job of getting back anything that's been lost or stolen.

What can you say about the quote from Yuragu Koto Nai Ai and the song itself? For me, I love both. The song isn't just catchy, it also has meaningful lyrics as evidenced by the above quote.

It's just one simple line, one simple phrase. There aren't even any big words in it. You won't need a dictionary to understand its meaning.

And yet these words are still so powerful precisely because this is all something that we need to hear every once in a while, right?

It can be easy to forget that we're not alone. Sometimes, we can't help but feel that we're all on our own, that there's no one there for us.

Sometimes, even in a crowd of people, we can still feel so alone especially when we see others talking and laughing and having a good time while we stand by, feeling miserable and melancholy with nothing and no one.

Sometimes, we just need to be reminded that we're not alone, right?

Sometimes, we just can't help but look for reassurance, look for someone who cares about us, look for someone to be there for us especially in times of need.

What about you? What do you think? I talk more about my thoughts on this Get Backers quote in this post here on Soyuz Mir.

I'd have moved this one here on Anime Archives (Anime Meta) too, but it's already got some comments and notes on Tumblr, so I decided to keep it there indefinitely. I'm mentioning it here for reference as the rest of the anime posts on there will eventually be moved here.

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by kirimatsu (CC:BY) from deviantArt

Sugar Sugar Rune Episode 2: Confusing Magic System

Just saw episode 2 of the Sugar Sugar Rune anime and manga series by Moyoco Anno and I think the magic system in this show is really very confusing so far.

Seriously. It’s like they’re making it up as they go along or something. Stuff isn’t making sense, but, hopefully, it will improve in the future episodes.

In episode 2, there’s this magic book and we see Vanilla Mieux / Ice and Chocolat Meilleure / Kato having to draw a pentagram to summon their familiars - Blanca, a mouse, and Duke, a frog.

Why do they need familiars anyway? How are these animals supposed to help?

And why were they only properly introduced now when we already saw them in the very first episode?

Plus, how come Vanilla and Chocolat are only summoning them now?

Why didn’t they have these animals before - back when they were in the magical world or even as soon as they got to the human world?

You know what these 2 familiars just reminded me of? The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. It's because the wizards and witches there have familiars too, like owls and frogs.

So, it’s kind of like Blanca is Peter Pettigrew since he’s a rat animagus and he used to be Ron Weasley’s pet before stuff happened (long story, very long story) and Duke is kind of like Trevor, Neville Longbottom’s frog. LOL.

Also, you know how Chocolat and Vanilla have to use a wand to cast spells? Well, Duke can cast spells too, but how come he doesn’t need to use a wand then?

He can just gesture with his hand and stuff happens. It’s like that with Rokcin' Robin too. So, like, what’s up with that? What do you think?

*Notes:
- Pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

Similarities Between The Golden Apples Yu-Gi-Oh! Card And The Apples Of The Hesperides

The Golden Apples is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Trap Card. How can this be related to the apples of the Hesperides? What are the Hesperides anyway?

You can see an image of The Golden Apples card to the right. Notice the name of the card and the image depicted in said card.

The name is plural and yet the picture only shows one single apple. This can actually be related to the apples of the Hesperides.

But, first, what are the Hesperides? The Hesperides appear in Greek Mythology and they pertain to two things. First, they can refer to nymphs, commonly thought to be 3 in number.

Second, they can refer to a garden that is either filled with a single tree or with a multitude of trees. This can explain why there is a discrepancy in the name of the Yu-Gi-Oh! card and the picture shown on said card.

The Garden of the Hesperides belongs to the Greek goddess Hera who is also the queen of the gods.

The goddess of the earth, Gaia, gave these apples to Hera as a wedding present when the latter got married to Zeus, the king of the gods.

The nymphs of the Hesperides were the ones tasked by Hera to tend to the garden. The garden itself was home to golden apples that some say can give one immortality and this can be likened to how powerful The Golden Apples trap card can be.

As long as you are able to fulfill the requirements of the card, you can get a high-powered Malus Token.

The Garden is also home to a dragon with a hundred heads whose name is Ladon.

Ladon's job is to protect the golden apples. Some say that Hera added the dragon to prevent the nymphs from eating the golden apples.

The dragon can be likened to how the Yu-Gi-Oh! card in question has several requirements that you need to fulfill before you can activate it.

The Garden of the Hesperides is heavily protected by Ladon in the same way that The Golden Apples card is protected by the requirements and conditions that you need to fulfill before you can activate said card.

So if your side of the field isn't empty and you still control even just one monster, then you can't activate this trap card even if you take battle damage.

If you manage to get past Ladon, then you can have a taste of the Golden Apples of the Hesperides in the Garden of the Hesperides.

In the same way, if you take some battle damage while there are no monsters on your side of the field, then you can activate The Golden Apples trap card.

This will allow you to gain the life points that you lost, making it seem as if you didn't lose any life points in the first place.

In addition to that, you can also special summon a Malus token whose attack and defense are equal to the amount of life points that you just gained.

With that, wouldn't you say that The Golden Apples Yu-Gi-Oh! trap card can be as cool and awesome as the Golden Apples of the Hesperides that can give you immortality?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Edward Burne-Jones (Public Domain) from Wikimedia Commons
- Pic depicts the Garden of the Hesperides, the nymphs, Ladon and the Golden Apples of the Hesperides
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget

Sugar Sugar Rune Episode 1: Problems With Chocolat And Pierre Meeting

In episode 1 of the Sugar Sugar Rune anime and manga series by Moyoco Anno, Chocolat Meilleure / Kato, the main character, meets Pierre Tempête de Neige for the first time. What’s wrong with this meeting? What’s wrong with what happened between the 2 during this particular scene?

(*Warning for possible spoilers for said show)

Since we saw Pierre, I think it’s already way obvious that this guy is the main male character and the love interest for Chocolat Meilleure / Kato.

He’s all bishounen and mysterious, and, while I’m looking forward to finding out more about him, at the moment, I do NOT want him and Chocolat to end up together.

I’m not buying their first meeting at all. For starters, I think Pierre totally had a point with what he said.

Chocolat could have at least thanked him because, really, it was obvious that he didn’t try to steal the heart. He saw it rolling around towards him and he just picked it up.

What’s wrong with that? I mean, if you see something on the ground heading towards you, like a ball or something, you might feel inclined to pick it up to return it, right?

Pierre picked the heart up, but it’s not like he pocketed it and decided to keep it. Chocolat was the one being rude by demanding that he give it back and acting like he was all set to steal it.

So, really, I don’t get what’s up with Chocolat saying that Pierre was rude. She should have thanked him for picking up the heart for her. What do you think?

*Notes:
- Pics are from Amazon.com; links shown above

Justice Vandread Song Quote Analysis

“Fight for your justice. Never give up, even if the current is against you.”
- Justice (song from Vandread: The Second Stage)

Justice is the opening theme song from Vandread: The Second Stage, the second season of the Vandread anime series. It was sung by Aki Kudou.

Vandread is an anime belonging to the adventure and mecha genre. The main male protagonist is known as Hibiki Tokai.

He tries to steal what is known as a Vanguard only to end up in an all-female pirate ship with 2 other guys.

What can you say about Justice by Kudou Aki? The song sounds okay, but, to me, what I really like about it is the lyrics itself. Look at the quote above. It’s so inspirational, right? It’s so true too.

People should fight for justice and their rights. They should stand up, get up and do something instead of just standing by and doing nothing, letting others walk all over them or bully them or hurt them. Even if the current or the odds are against you, you should keep on fighting.

Don’t give up or give in. Keep on hoping and moving forward and believing.

Nothing is ever going to happen if you just stand by and do nothing. Change has to start somewhere.

Sometimes, we may end up thinking that it’s useless to try to fight for our rights and the things that we believe in because what’s the use, right?

If you’re up against powerful people like giant companies or something, then, how can you hope to stand up against them?

Sometimes, we may think that we mean nothing at all or that we’re too insignificant to change things or make a difference. But we can’t let these kinds of thoughts get in our way and stop us from trying.

Where’s the harm in trying? If we don’t try, how will we know what will happen? Maybe, if we actually tried, something favorable might happen and change might occur.

But this is only if we try. If we don’t, aren’t we just left with nothing but regrets? So, no matter what, the important thing is to keep on trying and believing.

We can’t be silent. We have to speak up, let our voices be heard and fight for our rights, for justice, for what we believe in. What do you think?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Rusembell (CC:BY) from deviantArt
- Pic is meant to symbolize the featured quote from the Justice song
- Vandread pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

Sugar Sugar Rune: Initial Thoughts About Vanilla

Vanilla Mieux / Ice is a character from the Sugar Sugar Rune anime and manga series by Moyoco Anno. She's the best friend of Chocolat Meilleure / Kato, the main character in said show.

Both are also rivals for the Queen Selection Contest wherein they're tasked to collect as many hearts as they can. Whoever does this will be declared Queen of the Magical World. So, what's there to like about Vanilla? What can be said about her?

While I haven't finished watching the entirety of Sugar Sugar Rune, already (for now, at least, maybe), I can say that I like Vanilla far more than I like Chocolat. Ice may be shy, but at least she isn't annoying like Kato.

Sometimes, I even find myself wishing that Vanilla was the main character instead of Chocolat. Yeah, it's gotten that bad.

Honestly, I think it would have been far more interesting to have shy, quiet and nice Mieux as the protagonist rather than loud, brash, meddlesome and infuriating Meilleure.

For one thing, wouldn't it be interesting to see how such a shy and quiet character could evolve and grow into someone more outspoken or, at the very least, less shy? Wouldn't it be interesting to see how she would interact and socialize with others, how she'd be able to overcome her insecurities and shyness?

So, what do you think about Chocolat and Vanilla? I talk more about them in this post here on Soyuz Mir. I'd have moved this one here on Anime Archives (Anime Meta) too, but it's already got some comments and notes on Tumblr, so I decided to keep it there indefinitely. I'm mentioning it here for reference as the rest of the anime posts on there will eventually be moved here.

*Notes:
- Pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

Alone Gensomaden Saiyuki Song Quote Analysis

“All of the people coming and going bear heavy burdens, searching for tomorrow.”
- Alone (song from Gensomaden Saiyuki)

Alone is the second ending theme song from the Gensoumaden Saiyuki anime and manga series by Kazuya Minekura. It was sung by Shimokawa Mikuni.

Saiyuuki tells the story of 4 men who were sent by the Goddess of Mercy on a journey to the west to stop the resurrection of the Demon King and to save the world from youkai (demons) that have gone berserk and out of control thanks to what was known as the Minus Wave.

Alone is such a sad and melancholy-sounding song, so it’s no wonder that you get quotes like this as part of its lyrics. What do you think of it?

It’s the truth, isn’t it? Everyone has problems, things to worry about, stuff that bothers them, etc. We all have our burdens, our pains and sorrows. There are times when despair and anxiety and fear grip us.

You may see people smiling and looking happy, but is that really the truth? What is really hidden behind the smiles of some people?

Are their smiles fake? Are they just smiling to hide the pain that they feel inside? The phrase 'searching for tomorrow' can be likened to hope.

With all the things that we have to endure and face each and every day, we all just want to find tomorrow, right? We’re searching for something or someone to believe in. We want to cling to tomorrow, to hope, to the future, just trying our best to hold on and keep believing no matter how much it hurts.

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Dane-of-Celestia (CC:BY) from deviantArt

1 Thing To Hate About Sugar Sugar Rune

Sugar Sugar Rune is an anime and manga series by Moyoco Anno. From the title itself, you can already tell that this is a shoujo-type show that's aimed for girls. Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. So, what's the problem with this anime then? What's there to hate about it?

The answer to that question can be summed up in three words: magical transformation sequence.

Yep, this is one of those shows that's all about magic and fantasy. While I love the genre, I could definitely do without the magical transformation sequences.

For one thing, these scenes are completely pointless and useless. Seeing Chocolat Meilleure / Kato and Vanilla Mieux / Ice, the main characters in Sugar Sugar Rune, transform once is already more than enough.

Who needs to see them transform into their witch outfits again and again each and every episode? What's worse is the fact that there are a lot of episodes when these 2 witches transform more than once.

Their transformation sequence may be short, but if they have to do it more than once per episode, it doesn't make it any less annoying, not to mention a complete waste of time.

The whole thing doesn't even make sense. Why? It's 'cause Chocolat and Vanilla are the only ones we see having to transform to use their magic.

We've seen other magical people in the Human World, like Rockin' Robin, and yet none of them have to change their outfits in order to cast spells.

So, what's up with that? At least, be consistent, right? What do you think about this issue? I talk more about this problem in this post here on Soyuz Mir.

I'd have moved this one here on Anime Archives (Anime Meta) too, but it's already got some comments and notes on Tumblr, so I decided to keep it there indefinitely. I'm mentioning it here for reference as the rest of the anime posts on there will eventually be moved here.

*Notes:
- Both Sugar Sugar Rune pics are from Amazon.com; links shown above

Kimi Shinitamou Koto Nakare Shangri-La Song Quote Analysis

“Don’t know where I am. Don’t know what sound to make. Don’t know what to do.”
- Kimi Shi Ni Tamou Koto Nakare (song from Shangri-La)

Kimi Shi Ni Tamou Koto Nakare or Kimi Shinitamou Koto Nakare, which means Thou Shalt Not Die, is the first opening theme song from the anime series known as Shangri-La. It was sung by May'n.

Shangri-La started as a light novel before an anime and manga adaptation was made. It belongs to the science fiction genre and focuses on the story of Kuniko Hojo.

What do you think about the quote from the song? It sounds so sad and depressing, doesn’t it, not to mention desperate with a touch of confusion?

It’s like the speaker is filled with so much confusion, worry and anxiety and has no idea how to solve or deal with his or her problems. Sometimes, don’t you find yourself saying or wanting to say these phrases too?

"Don’t know where I am."

It’s like being or feeling alone even when surrounded by so many people, isn’t it? It’s like feeling as if you don’t belong and wanting so much to find the one true place that you can call home, where people will accept you for who you are, where you can be happy.

It’s like saying, “I don’t know where I am, but I just want to find the place I can call home, where I belong. How can I find this place? Where is the happiness that I seek?”

"Don’t know what sound to make."

This sounds so sad and depressing when you really think about it because it’s like feeling so hurt that you can’t even cry out and say that it hurts.

It’s like feeling so much pain, having so many problems and not knowing how to ask for help or if there’s even anyone out there that will help you.

It’s like wanting to scream and shout and just declare how much it hurts and how angry and sad and depressed you are and yet being unable to do so.

It’s like silently screaming and crying and hoping that someone out there can hear your voice and save you from all this pain and suffering.

"Don’t know what to do."

This sounds even more depressing than the first 2 lines, right? This is just one simple phrase with only a few words and yet there’s so much meaning to it.

It sounds so desperate like you’re about to give up or you just want to give up because you have so many problems and you don’t know what to do anymore. You don’t know how to solve your problems or find the answers to your questions and it just hurts so much that you want to end it all. What do you think about this song and this quote?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Dane-of-Celestia (CC:BY) from deviantArt
- Shangri-La pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

What happens when magical people fall in love in Sugar Sugar Rune?

One of the things that can be really confusing in the Sugar Sugar Rune anime and manga series by Moyoco Anno is the way that love works for the magical people in said show. What's wrong or what are the problems with this?

For starters, did you know that the Magical World's code is "The heart is yours to take. But you must not allow your own to be taken."?

This is in reference to how the magical people take the hearts of humans.

In fact, the Queen Selection Contest is based on this very concept - Queen Candidates Chocolat Meilleure / Kato and Vanilla Mieux / Ice have been tasked to get as many hearts as they can and the one who does will be declared the new queen of the Magical World.

Nothing negative or bad happens to humans when their hearts are taken. They just forget that they ever felt anything or any love or emotion for a particular moment or person. This implies that magical people can take a person's heart as many times as they want and there would be no lasting damage.

However, apparently, that's not at all the case with magical people. Apparently, they only have one heart and it would be very bad if it were to be taken, hence the code mentioned above. That sounds nice and all, except it doesn't make a lick of sense.

For an answer, let's take a look at Queen Candy and Cinnamon Meilleure, Vanilla and Chocolat's mothers.

Didn't those 2 fall in love? Or is it that they just entered into some meaningless, loveless relationship to have their kids?

Is it that no one ever falls in love in the Magical World even though there's a lot of talk about hearts and love and the like? How does all this work there?

And what happens if a magical person ends up falling in love because there's no way that hasn't happened before, right? That would just be unbelievable.

I talk more about this topic in this post here and here on Soyuz Mir. I'd have moved the articles here on Anime Archives (Anime Meta) too, but both have already got some comments and notes on Tumblr, so I decided to keep them there indefinitely. I'm mentioning them here for reference as the rest of the anime posts on there will eventually be moved here.

*Notes:
- Both Sugar Sugar Rune pics are from Amazon.com; links shown above

Believe In Tomorrow Hunter x Hunter Song Quote Analysis

“Wherever you may be, whatever you might be doing, there are always doubts, there are always worries. But let’s believe in ourselves.”
- Believe In Tomorrow (song lyrics from Hunter x Hunter)

Believe In Tomorrow is the first opening theme song of the Hunter X Hunter GI Final OVA anime. It was sung by Sunflower’s Garden.

In Hunter x Hunter GI Final OVA, we join Gon and Killua, the 2 main characters, as they play a very interesting virtual reality game that also involves cards.

Well, there’s more to it than that, but let’s not get into it now :-). Let’s get back to the song, which sounds wonderful, to say the least.

One reason why I like the words quoted above is because of how true and inspirational it is. We all have our own worries, right? We have doubts and fears. We can feel scared, upset and anxious. We can be afraid of tomorrow and of the future.

Sometimes, maybe we can’t help but doubt ourselves. Sometimes, maybe we can’t help but think that this isn’t good or we’re not good enough or our efforts are worth nothing. Sometimes, maybe we just can’t help but worry about everything.

Sometimes, maybe we just can’t help but feel lost and unsure of ourselves like how can we solve this problem or feeling like our problems are too much to handle. And, really, it’s so easy to say "let’s believe in ourselves," right? But it’s just words. Saying it is easier than actually doing it.

The quote from the Believe In Tomorrow song from Hunter x Hunter serves as a good reminder though and it doesn’t try to sugarcoat the truth.

It tells us the truth by saying that, yes, there are always doubts and worries, but it also reminds us that the important thing is to believe in ourselves, to always have hope and to never give up.

As the song title says, "believe in tomorrow." There is always hope, so don’t give up.

Look at Gon’s face in this pic. He looks so determined, right? And that really fits this quote from Believe In Tomorrow perfectly because it’s like Gon is saying that even if he and Killua have to face tough times, even if they have so much to worry about and even if they may have doubts about their strengths and capabilities, they’re still going to fight and they’re still determined to win and not just give up.

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Dane-of-Celestia (CC:BY) from deviantArt
- Pic is meant to symbolize the featured quote from the Believe In Tomorrow song
- Hunter x Hunter pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

What to Hate About Snow White with the Red Hair Episode 1?

What's wrong with the first episode of the Snow White with the Red Hair anime? What's there to hate and dislike about it?

Snow White with the Red Hair or Akagami no Shirayukihime is an anime and manga series by Sorata Akizuki. It's about an herbalist named Shirayuki. She's got beautiful red hair that's apparently really special and unique. This is the main reason why Prince Raj of the Tanbarun Kingdom (where she lives) wants her.

She doesn't want to be with him though, which isn't all that surprising since they don't even know each other (they've never met), so she leaves and heads to the neighboring kingdom of Clarines.

She'll end up meeting this guy named Zen who's actually a prince. From what I've read, they'll fall in love and end up together.

I don't know just how believable their relationship will be though because I couldn't get through episode 1 of this anime.

I just couldn't finish it, which was unfortunate since it started out pretty well. The beginning was actually quite interesting, particularly with regards to whole herbs thing what with Shirayuki being an herbalist. I mean, usually the characters would be into cooking or things like that.

Anyway, then we got introduced to Prince Raj who seems to be acting like the evil queen in the Snow White fairytale. I wasn't the least bit impressed with his character as he seemed like a walking cliché, a cardboard cutout with no personality. I mean, what's up with him suddenly wanting the main character just because of her red hair?

All he knows about Shirayuki is that she's pretty and has red hair, and, just because of that, he wants her? He didn't even confirm if the guy who told him about this was telling the truth or not. How does he even know the hair will be to his liking? What if he doesn't actually like that shade of red? Or what if his definition of beautiful isn't the same as the informant's?


Basically, I found that part really quite lame especially when the informant went on about Shirayuki and her red hair. Already, she's being made out to be this special snowflake, which was infuriating and annoying, to say the least. We're only in episode 1, and, already, I'm seeing the main character favoritism. Ugh.

And then there's the part where the protagonist cuts her hair. I have several questions regarding that because it just doesn't make sense. For one thing, what is the point of cutting her hair? Seriously, she was already leaving Tanbarun Kingdom (obviously, she couldn't stay since she didn't want to be with Prince Raj), so why bother cutting her hair?

It would have made more sense if she actually planned to stay, so she could hide in plain sight, but since she's leaving anyway, why not keep her hair?

Another thing to point out is the fact that she was actually wearing a hood to hide her hair, so why bother cutting it? What difference does it make if her hair is long or short if she's hiding it by wearing a hood?

As it is, the whole cutting her hair thing just comes across as completely pointless especially since it didn't really solve anything.

If she really wanted to get rid of her hair, then why didn't she just cut it all? Why didn't she decide to go bald? I mean, she cut it and now it's short, but it's still red, so, basically, nothing much changed.

Her hair still looks all unique and special even if it's short. If she wasn't planning to go bald, then why bother cutting it? Why only go halfway? The hair thing really pissed me off. Ugh, either go bald or don't bother cutting your hair. Sheesh.

After that, I just couldn't take it anymore. The damage was done. I couldn't get through the rest of the episode.

It just wasn't believable anymore especially when you see Shirayuki with a hood on and you can still see her red hair and- ugh. No. Just no.

Maybe I'll try to watch Snow White with the Red Hair again later on. But, for now, this is it for me. So, what about you? What did you think about this anime series? Does it get better in the later episodes? Is the love story believable?

*Notes:
- First pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget

Disillusion Fate/Stay Night Song Quote Analysis

“Gently cast aside your fake self. And just be who you are.”
- Disillusion (song lyrics from Fate/Stay Night)

Disillusion is the first opening theme song of the Fate/Stay Night anime and it was sung by Sachi Tainaka.

Fate/Stay Night tells the story of a war for the Holy Grail where magus or magicians known as Masters fight against each other with the help of Heroes or heroic spirits known as Servants.

The winner of this war will get the Holy Grail and all of their wishes will be granted.

Needless to say, the storyline of Fate/Stay Night is pretty interesting, but let’s not get into that now. The Disillusion song sounds pretty awesome too. You can listen to a sample of it below to see for yourself.

Anyway, one reason that I like the quote featured above is because it’s so inspirational. It reminds you to be yourself, whoever and whatever you may be.

It reminds you stop pretending to be someone you’re not.

The addition of the word ‘gently’ instead of just saying the line without it gives the impression or the notion that you can take things slowly.

If you’re not yet ready, then you can take your time and build up your courage to try and be who you are.

You don’t have to do it so fast or so abruptly. You can take it gently and slowly. So, what do you think of this quote? Do you like it?

*Note:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by MizuSasori (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt

Problems With The Queen Selection Contest In Sugar Sugar Rune

Here are some questions and thoughts about the queen selection test in the Sugar Sugar Rune anime and manga series by Moyoco Anno:

(*Warning for possible spoilers for the first episode of Sugar Sugar Rune)

In episode 1 of the Sugar Sugar Rune anime, we find out that Chocolat Meilleure / Kato and Vanilla Mieux / Ice have been chosen to be the candidates for the queen selection test/contest that would determine who will be the future queen of the Magical World.

How were these 2 chosen? What’s the criteria for being one of the candidates for the queen selection contest? How come there are only 2 candidates?

Surely, there are lots of other girls in the Magical World, so how come it’s only Chocolat and Vanilla that have been chosen?

Yes, Cinnamon Meilleure, Chocolat’s mother, was once one of the candidates for the same test, but so what?

Does that automatically have to mean that her daughter should be a candidate as well? Candy Mieux is the queen of the Magical World, but what does that matter with regards to the contest?

If they’re just going to go with royalty, why not just have Vanilla be the queen without the need for the contest? After all, her mother is already the queen anyway, so what does it matter if Cinnamon used to be a candidate? Why does Chocolat Kato need to be a candidate as well? Why aren’t there other candidates?

Chocolat herself expresses surprise at having been chosen to be a candidate and I have to agree with her. Why was she chosen? Why her and not someone else?

Vanilla outright says that she doesn’t want to be the queen. She wants to be a baker and she wants her best friend to be the queen, so why are they still having this contest?

Why can’t she just lose on purpose or something? Then again, maybe Vanilla is still competing because she doesn’t want to disappoint Queen Candy.

Although, from what we’ve seen of the queen so far, she appears to be a very nice and kind person, so there’s a possibility that she might be understanding if her daughter tells her that she doesn’t want to rule the Magical World.

But, even if Candy wouldn’t approve of her daughter’s choices and/or even if Vanilla doesn’t want to disappoint her mother, there’s still a way out of this, isn’t there? Why can’t Chocolat and Vanilla just agree to keep this decision (of letting the former win) to themselves?

What if Vanilla just doesn’t collect hearts? Or what if she just helps Chocolat collect hearts? If asked, she can just say that she’s unable to get hearts. Why not do something like that if she really doesn’t want to be the next queen? What do you think about all this?

*Notes:
- Both Sugar Sugar Rune pics are from Amazon.com; links shown above

Yuzurenai Negai Magic Knight Rayearth Song Quote Analysis

“How long do I have to cry before I see tomorrow?”
- Yuzurenai Negai (song from Magic Knight Rayearth)

Yuzurenai Negai, which means Unyielding Wish, is the first opening song from the Magic Knight Rayearth anime and manga series by CLAMP. It was sung by Tamura Naomi.

Magic Knight Rayearth stars 3 girls- named Hikaru, Umi and Fuu- as the main protagonists or heroines. The 3 of them get transported to another world, which they’re tasked to save from evil before they can return to their world.

This particular quote from the lyrics of Yuzurenai Negai is really very sad and depressing, isn’t it? The word ‘cry’ here can refer to feelings of pain, sorrow, misery, despair and suffering. The word 'tomorrow’ can refer to far-away things like the future and even concepts like not giving up and hope.

It’s like saying how much longer do you have to face all of this suffering and endure all the pain and sorrow before you can see the light at the end of the tunnel?

Or how long can you put up with all of your worries and fears? How long do you have to take? How long do you have to endure all of this before either breaking down or giving up or, if you’re lucky, actually being able to see tomorrow?

In the end, that’s what we all want, right? We all want to see tomorrow. We all want to see the future. We wouldn’t want to give up.

In the end, what we really want is for all the challenges that we experienced and all the pain that we felt to be worth it. In the end, we want to see that all our hard work meant something, that it made a difference and that it wasn’t useless or for naught. What do you think about this?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by CoDLia (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt
- Magic Knights Rayearth pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

Sugar Sugar Rune’s Chocolat Meilleure Versus Harry Potter’s Lily Evans

Also known as, “Using magic for pointless reasons?”

What’s with the usage of magic for pointless reasons in the Sugar Sugar Rune anime series by Moyoco Anno? It’s like using magic only for the sake of showing it off to us, the audience, or something. But, then again, at least we can say that Chocolat Meilleure / Kato’s actions are much better than what Lily Evans (from the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling) did, right?

(*Warning for possible spoilers for episode 1 of Sugar Sugar Rune and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

In episode 1 of the Sugar Sugar Rune anime, we see one of the students in Chocolat’s school teasing one of the other students. The redheaded witch attempts to use magic in order to stop this.

But did she really have to use magic? Don’t you think that that seemed too extreme, not to mention pointless?

Of course, it was right for her to want to stop the teasing, but, why couldn’t she just talk to them? Why did she have to resort to using magic? The boys were already scared of her anyway, so it’s highly likely that they would have listened to her had she spoken to them. In fact, that’s exactly what happened.


When Chocolat’s spell failed, she used her words to get everyone to stop with the teasing and it did work, so what’s with the need to use magic in the first place? That part seemed contrived, like we just had to see Chocolat’s transformation sequence and the magic usage thing.

On the other hand, I did like how active Kato was in this situation. It’s so much better than what Lily Evans did when faced with a similar, but so much worse, situation.

In the Snape’s Worst Memory scene in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Severus Snape, Lily Evans’ best friend, is bullied by the Marauders.

It’s 2 (4 and more if you count Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin as well as everyone else who were happily watching someone get hurt while standing by and doing absolutely nothing about it) against 1 and Snape was on the losing side.

He was being humiliated and bullied and teased and made fun of in front of a crowd of people. It’s horrible.

Lily Evans steps forward to “help.” Guess what she does? But, first, let’s look at it this way: if you see a really good friend of yours, your best friend, being bullied and hurt, what will you do?

You’d run over to where said friend is, right? You’d want to help them up and ask them if they’re okay. Maybe you’d stand in front of them in a protective way, trying to shield them from their enemies/tormentors.

Basically, whatever else it is that you decide to do, there’s no way that that wouldn’t include helping your friend up and asking them if they’re okay, right? That’s what friends do. That should be a given, right?

Well, unfortunately, that’s not the case with Lily Evans at all. She sees her best friend, Severus Snape, being bullied by the Marauders and she approaches them.

However, instead of going over to Snape, cancelling the spell on him, helping him up and asking if he’s okay, she goes to James Potter and proceeds to shout at him and demand that he cancel the spell that he has on Snape.

What’s up with that? No, seriously. She’s a witch. She has magic. She has a wand. Doesn’t she know how to use it? Why didn’t she help Severus herself?

More than that, even if she didn’t know how to stop the spell on him, how come she never even bothered to ask him if he was okay? She only focused on James in this scene. The only time she spoke to Snape was to insult him and further humiliate him before leaving him to his bullies.

Why’d she give up on him so easily? Maybe if she’d helped out Snape right away and got him out of there before his bullies made things worse for him, he wouldn’t have had a chance to say that he didn’t need help from her.

But, really, if the way she helped him involved her talking to James and ignoring him, then maybe he really didn’t need her help at all.

Chocolat may have overreacted in trying to help someone and it may have been silly for her to use her magic in such a situation (especially since she was only up against humans), but she’s infinitely more admirable than Evans who didn’t really do anything at all.

At least Chocolat was proactive about this and when her magic didn’t really help, she used her words and made the boys listen to her. She made them stop.

That’s more than what can be said about Lily Evans who didn’t even manage to help Severus. She just made things worse for him and she left him to his bullies. How despicable. What do you think about all this?

*Notes:
- Pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget

Change The World Inuyasha Song Quote Analysis

“I want to change the world.”
- Change The World (song from Inuyasha)

Change The World is the first opening theme song from the Inu-Yasha anime and manga series by Rumiko Takahashi. It was sung by V6.

InuYasha tells the story of Kagome Higurashi, a girl who is transported to the past after falling into a well. She then meets Inuyasha, a half-demon. The 2 end up going on a journey in search of the shards of the magical Shikon No Tama.

What do you think about this quote from the song, which is the song title as well? Do you like it? Well, who doesn’t want to change the world, right? With all the evil and the crimes and the hate and everything else that is wrong with the world, don’t you want to change it and make it a better place for everyone?

Don’t you want to make this world a happier and fairer place for everyone and get rid of all the bad guys? Don’t you want to make people smile and be happy?

We hear so much bad news pretty much everyday that it’s hard not to think and wish for the world to change, right?

Do you think we’re being idealistic in thinking this way? Is being able to change the world nothing but a fleeting, faraway dream that’s so far out of our grasp that we won’t be able to see this happen in our lifetime?

Or is there actually hope that this is possible and that this can be done? It’s so easy to say the quote, right? "I want to change the world." We can say it so many times, but it wouldn’t make a difference if we don’t try to change the world. Saying is different from doing.

Change doesn’t come easily and it certainly won’t happen overnight. Change needs time and effort. It’s not enough to just say that you want to change the world.

And maybe that’s why the song from Inuyasha keeps repeating these words in the chorus.

It sounds almost like a commitment, right, as if saying it enough times might get us to believe that this is possible and that it might spur us into action so that change can actually occur. What do you think?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by kirimatsu (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt
- Pic is meant to symbolize the featured quote from the Change the World song
- Inuyasha pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

How Do The Magical Wands In Sugar Sugar Rune Work?

The magical world and the magic system in the Sugar Sugar Rune anime and manga series by Moyoco Anno is really quite interesting and fascinating. So it's really too bad that this part of the series wasn't fleshed out more. What's wrong, you ask?

For starters, let's focus on the magical wands that some of the characters of Sugar Sugar Rune have.

These items look flashy and cool, nothing at all like how the wands in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling looks like (not that there's anything wrong with the appearance of either of these wands).

The problem is with the inconsistencies regarding the Sugar Sugar Rune wands. For instance, how come not everyone uses them? So far, we've only seen Queen Candy, Chocolat Meilleure / Kato and Vanilla Mieux / Ice with wands.

What about all the other magical people like Rockin' Robin? How come they don't have wands? So, what, is everyone else an expert in wandless magic or something?

I mean, in the Harry Potter series, all the witches and wizards get a wand, but a few of them know how to cast silent spells and even spells without the use of wands. They still have wands though, so it's consistent. But what about in Sugar Sugar Rune? How does this magic stuff work in this series?

I talk more about this issue in this post here on Soyuz Mir. I'd have moved this one here on Anime Archives (Anime Meta) too, but it's already got some comments and notes on Tumblr, so I decided to keep it there indefinitely. I'm mentioning it here for reference as the rest of the anime posts on there will eventually be moved here.

*Notes:
- Pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

Platinum Cardcaptor Sakura Song Quote Analysis

“There is nothing that I can’t overcome if I only believe.”
- Platinum (song from Card Captor Sakura)

Platinum or Purachina is the third opening theme song from the Cardcaptor Sakura anime and manga series by CLAMP. It was sung by Sakamoto Maaya.

CCS is a fantasy story about a girl named Sakura Kinomoto who is tasked to find and seal magical items known as the Clow Cards before they cause chaos and wreak havoc in her neighborhood.

Platinum is a feel-good song with inspirational lyrics as you can see from the quote above. The quote encourages us to keep on hoping and believing and to never give up no matter how tough everything seems.

It urges us to keep on moving forward even if there are obstacles in our way because we can do anything and overcome everything if we just keep on believing in ourselves.

Sounds nice, right? Of course, saying the phrase is much easier than actually doing it and that’s probably why Platinum repeats this quote twice - so we won’t forget.

So, what do you think about this quote and the song from Card Captor Sakura? Like it or not?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Lel4nd (CC:BY) from flickr
- Pic is meant to symbolize the featured quote from the Platinum / Purachina song
- Card Captor Sakura pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

Thoughts On The Hearts System In Sugar Sugar Rune

(*Warning for possible spoilers for episode 1 of Sugar Sugar Rune)

Episode 1 of the Sugar Sugar Rune anime series by Moyoco Anno introduces us to the concept of heart crystals. Those with magical abilities are able to turn the feelings of people, their hearts, into crystals. These crystal hearts are then collected. But why and what for?

What do they need these hearts for? If this was just for the queen selection contest between Chocolat Meilleure / Kato and Vanilla Mieux / Ice, then it can easily be seen as a way to determine the winner of said contest (whoever collects the most hearts will become queen of the Magical World).

But even Robin collects these hearts. Why is that?

Chocolat says that hearts are hard to come by in their world, but why is that?

Robin regularly collects lots of hearts (like from his concert), so what does he do with all those hearts then? Why does he need them? What will he use them for?

Then there’s also how Chocolat and the others take the hearts of people, but nothing bad happens to these people.

They don’t die or get sick or anything like that. And it seems to be implied that their hearts can be taken all over again, so what’s up with that?

And why was the explanation on the meanings of the heart colors incomplete? So far, we’ve only gotten the meanings for yellow, red and pink. What about purple and orange hearts?

*Notes:
- Sugar Sugar Rune pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above

Pray Hunter x Hunter Song Quote Analysis

“As this pain rips me to shreds, I live in the real world by my strength alone.”
- Pray (song from Hunter x Hunter Greed Island OVA)

Pray is the first opening theme song of the Hunter x Hunter Greed Island OVA anime. It was sung by Wish.

The Greed Island OVA is part of the Hunter x Hunter series. Here, the story focuses mostly on Gon and Killua as they attempt to join a virtual reality game in search of Gon’s father.

This quote from the song Pray can be classified as both depressing and inspirational. The first part is definitely the former while the second part is the latter.

For you to feel like you’re being ripped to shreds, the pain you’re experiencing must be really bad, to say the least. Who would want to experience something like this? We all want everything to be okay, right?

We don’t want to have all these problems. We don’t want to have to deal with fear, misery and anxiety.

We just want to live in peace without pain or suffering. But, sometimes, that’s easier said than done.

The fact that you’re alive right now - that means that you’re strong, right? Because it means that you haven’t given up and that you’ve continued to move forward no matter what, no matter how painful everything is.

Reality isn’t always good. It can be really painful at times, and, yet, if you’re still trying or continuing to live in the “real world,” this can be a sign of strength, and, of course, that’s a good thing. We should be strong. We shouldn’t give up. We just have to keep on hoping and believing.

If you look closely at the second part of the quote from the Hunter x Hunter song, you’ll soon realize that it’s not as inspiring as it first seemed. Sure, being strong is a good thing and all of us could use some strength, right? But look at that word “alone.”

This part of the Pray song pretty much says: "I am experiencing so much pain that it feels like I’m being physically hurt.

"But, even if this is the case, I haven’t given up. I’m still here, living in reality even if it sucks and I’m managing just fine with 'my strength alone'".

That last part hurts because it implies or pretty much says that the speaker is dealing with their problems all by themselves and there’s no one out there to help them. See that? They’re all alone. They have to deal with all this pain on their own.

They may be strong and capable, but who doesn’t want some friends or family to be there for them? Who doesn’t want some help or even just a shoulder to cry on every once in a while?

It’s depressing to have to be alone and to have to live in this cold, harsh, unforgiving, unrelenting reality all by your lonesome, isn’t it? Who would be able to take such pain?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Dane-of-Celestia (CC:BY) from deviantArt
- Hunter x Hunter Greed Island OVA pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above