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