So, yeah... THAT didn't last very long... once again it's just full of thriller filler. Real inspiration killer fo riller. :/

This summer my manga collection expanded with the whole series of DNAngel, I've been looking into finalize my DB collection, and just now I got my hands on 55 pieces of prime, translated, quality One Piece manga. So you know what I've been doing lately. ;)

Only 66 volumes were released in Swedish before Bonnier-Carlson had to cancel their deal over poor sales figures... which is a shame, since sales figures would surely have risen since with this most awesome of series! The market just wasn't ripe yet. But, apparently canceling a deal is not something that can easily be uncanceled later on, so there might not be any Swedish OP in a foreseeable future!

In the collection I attained there's just about a dozen volumes missing, but I hope to get a hold of those too. After that... English translations I suppose? The Swedish translation ends after the Mermaid saga, so it's not that far after the most recent releases.

Just look at that line!

I'm on #10 so far, and starting to realize why people prefer the manga... even if some scenes aren't quite as pompous as they are in the series - without color, without soundtrack, without a camera panning slowly over the most somber scenes, letting us savor the savagery; shed a few tears before we turn a page.

On the other hand, there seems to be plenty of details in the manga that were never actually animated. Reading the manga now is like rediscovering the OP world once more, in its purest form. It's awesome, and the frequent Q&A columns with Oda are a much entertaining addition, albeit a bit distracting from the action content. Well, I'm moving onto the post-Arlong Park Saga. I'll keep you posted. (One) Peace.

It's done! 12 episodes, and only one remained. It's sad, it's crazy... it's kind of happy after all.

I'm not sure what my impressions are of this series. For most of the episodes, not that much happened. Up until the last few episodes, nothing really made sense. That whole thing about being powered up by panties... seemed to end after the first few episodes. The comedy faded away. The mood changed. The story went from random and nonsensical to serious and impactful. And then... it's all over! The ending's not bad, but it's not good either. It feels... incomplete. Overall, not as memorable a show as I hoped for, but it was a fun watch.

You can find my first impressions here.

 rated 3/5: not bad

On his grave it was written:

His greatest treasure in life was life itself.

And this is... just something I had lying around in a text file that I needed to post. I mean: a valuable memento for an inspiring character. RIP.

YES. Episode 414, that's where it all starts again.

So I recently started watching this new show, Punch Line, and it's... confusing. Not quite Excel Saga or Azumanga Daioh! confusing but still... confusing.

It all starts on a bus, with a hostage drama, where our heroine Strange Juice appears out of nowhere to save the day. Our main character is sitting in the sidelines, until in a fleeting moment he catches a glimpse of this particular heroine's panties and power's up with projectile nosebleed, literally gaining superpowers. He kicks the masked villain way out of the bus, off a bridge, falls into the water with him, is rescued by Strange Juice, and suddenly he's a spirit and someone has taken possession over his body.

Fourth episode in: he is still in his spirit body, and has discovered certain interesting things such as: he can travel back in time, he summons an asteroid that wipes out planet Earth if he gets superpowers in spirit mode, Cinnamon ups his spirit power and he can possess other people too... for short moments of time.

The strange thing about this series, apart from the both strange and stereotypical premises, is that on occasion it's actually packed with emotion. The characters (he learns more and more about them as a spirit entity, free to float through walls and unseen partake in their most well-guarded secrets) all go through their own trials and hardships, shed a tear or two, and in the background a villainous organization and a murderer known as the 'Turtle Man' run rampant. And whomever possessed his body's become a superhero fighting for justice.

What's the plot? What's the punchline? Where will this go and why am I still watching? I have no clue, but so far... it's keeping me entertained!