Higurashi: When They Cry or Why Hinamizawa Sucks As a Tourist Location.

   I'd always wanted to get into the anime for Higurashi: When They Cry the day I first picked up the first volume of the manga. It was an intriguing plot; Our young, plucky protagonist, Keiichi Maebara moves to the rather quietly tucked away countryside town of Hinamizawa, makes a few friends, and finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that is downright creepy. The conspiracy: mysterious deaths, explained by locals as an event known as 'Oyashiro's Curse'. It seems that for every year for the five years prior to Keiichi's arrival, one person dies, while another disappears or is 'spirited away by the demon', as the locals say. The truth is darker than the legend. And what starts out peaceful becomes a delightfully gory and creepy ride throughout.
   I've always said that good art, good storytelling, music that fits the mood of the scene, and well fleshed out character development are the core of every great anime. Higurashi delivers all of this in panorama of awesomeness that will leave you wanting more after the final episode. Every character has a story to tell, every scene holds great importance in the storyline, and every question has an answer, no matter how strange or hard to understand (at first).
   I do have a few things to nag about concerning the art. While everything else looks great, sometimes there are some peculiar moments when things get a little too crazy and the art suffers for it. Some characters end up with weird looking limbs, or their faces have a little too much wrinkling when they are laughing maniacally. One scene in particular had me actually say "What's wrong with her face?" out loud. And I try to never talk when I'm watching anime.
   In conclusion, this is one anime most people who like creepy stuff shouldn't miss. It had me watching episode after episode until I ran out. Sadly, only the first season of the anime is available here in the states. As of this writing, that's the only season I've watched, but I know that each season has their self-contained storylines, so worrying about the other seasons is moot. I think I'll give this magnificent anime a 9.5 out of 10.

It's been two months...

               Sorry I haven't reviewed anything. I've just had crap thrown at me left and right, curve balls thrown by life. I curse my luck lately; It's left me with a lot of dark thoughts. In the last couple of weeks, I've questioned my motivations, who my true friends are, etc., but all seem pretty bleak. I don't really know what I want to do anymore. I feel like I want to get lost in something, but what? Video games are beginning to bore me, and nobody has even heard of the roleplaying systems I love. Miniatures and war-gaming sound fun, until you realize they take more of your money (which I don't have) than they should.
          You know, I shouldn't have even typed this message, but I feel I should vent. I... I think I'm gonna lay down.

A webcomic about a pregnant nun. Holy crap.

This is a (insert one: review/advertisement) for a webcomic I currently read called Sister Claire, writing and art by Yamino.


BASIC PLOT:
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The story is about a coven of nuns... well, one nun, really. She's the young, clumsy nun-in-training, Sister Claire, and she has been chosen by an agent of G.O.D, Gabrielle to become the second mother of our savior. Hijinks ensue.

ART
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Anyone knows that to be a successful webcomic author/artist/whatever, you need art. Good art. Passable art, at least. Yamino succeeds with a fusion of styles that's part anime/manga-part Powerpuff Girls, and a charming color palette. Each page is colorful and lively, and even the darkest of pages are lovely.

WRITING
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Another essential aspect of forming a webcomic is knowing how to write. Yamino obviously shows her writing prowess; every page is humorous and emotional. Did I mention it was humorous? The comedy is INCREDIBLE. It's almost irreverent in it's portrayal of nuns- THE MOTHER-SUPERIOR IS YODA. Needless to say, it is epic in scope and even the most casual of readers will discover subtle references to other media, such as Star Wars and Pokemon, among other things.

CONCLUSION
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I recommend this webcomic to everybody who likes humorous, irreverent humor. It's not anything over PG-13 in content. Sister Claire is an endearing character, and I rank her high in some of my favorite protagonists. And Yamino is quite the lady herself; you can find her on Deviant Art, and one of her drawings of Lady Gaga was recognized by the artist herself, who posted it on her Twitter FOR HER 3 MILLION PLUS VIEWERS.

You can find the comic at http://www.sisterclaire.com/. I'm serious, check it out.

Who knows. You might like it.

Ethan Reviews Stuff NOW ONLINE!!

Hey, everyone! It's me, Ethan, and this is my first ever blog. My goal with this particular blog is to bring forth the knowledge of great anime/manga/video games/visual novels/etc.. I hope you can be patient with me, as reviewing takes time, and you'll have to put up with my personal biases (I'll try to be as unbiased as possible!), but I'll find the awesome stuff so I can share it with you too. I'll review as I finish/remember things, so keep posted, and thank you.