Monday, April 23, 2012

Nana


















Nana Osaki is a punk singer who wants to debut with her band, Black Stones (BLAST for short), where she is the lead vocalist and her boyfriend, Ren, is the bassist. Nana and Ren have lived together as lovers since she was 16. When Ren is offered a chance to debut in Tokyo as a replacement member of the popular band, Trapnest (Toranesu in Japanese), Nana chooses to continue on with BLAST and to cultivate her own career instead of following Ren, as she has too much ambition to simply be a rockstar's girlfriend. She eventually leaves for Tokyo at the age of twenty to start her musical career.
Nana Komatsu, the other Nana, has a habit of falling in love at first sight all the time, and depending on other people to help her. When her friends, and then her boyfriend, leave for Tokyo, she decides to join them a year later after having saved enough money at the age of twenty.
The two Nanas meet on a train by chance, both on their way to Tokyo. After a string of coincidences, they come to live together in an apartment numbered 707 (nana means "seven" in Japanese). Despite having contrasting personalities and ideals, the Nanas respect each other and become close friends.
Nana Osaki gives Nana Komatsu the nickname Hachi (after Hachikō, because she is weak-willed and has characteristics that resemble a puppy, and also as a joke since hachi means "eight" and nana means "seven" in Japanese).
While BLAST begins to gain popularity at live gigs, the two Nanas face many other issues together, especially in the areas of friendship and romance. The story of Nana revolves heavily around the romance and relationships of the two characters as one seeks fame and recognition while the other seeks love and happiness.








Fruits Basket

When high school student Tohru Honda's mother dies in a car accident, Tohru begins living in a tent and supporting herself. That is, until she finds a home in the least likely of places, inhabited by her classmate Yuki Sohma and his cousins Shigure and Kyo. The Sohmas however, live with a curse. Thirteen members of the family are possessed by spirits of the Chinese zodiac and turn into their zodiac animal when hugged by the opposite gender, are weak, or when under stress. When Tohru discovers the Sohmas' secret, she promises not to tell and is allowed to keep living with them. The Sohma's curse, however, is deeper and darker than Tohru realized, but her presence soon becomes a large, positive influence on those possessed by the zodiac. She sets out to break the curse, and on the way, meets and discovers each of the Sohma's vengeful zodiac spirits. Each has a different personality, just like the animals in the Chinese Zodiac. Tohru's existence changes the Sohma clan's lives forever...

Full Moon Wo Sagashite

12-year-old orphan Mitsuki Kouyama is a talented singer who dreams of becoming a singer, but she is afflicted with sarcoma, which is curable only through a surgery that could ruin her vocal cords, and destroy her ability to sing. The tumor in her throat already affects her ability to breathe well and sing loudly. Her grandmother also hates music and is completely opposed to Mitsuki's wish to audition. Mitsuki’s dreams seem impossible to achieve, until one day she is visited by two shinigami, whom only she could see. The shinigami, Takuto and Meroko, inadvertently tip Mitsuki off that she has only one year left to live. Mitsuki then realizes she cannot wait any longer to fulfill her dream, so she runs away from home and the shinigami, to try to audition for a singing competition. However, the shinigami stop her before she is able to audition. She moves Takuto, the male shinigami, to agree to a compromise: If Mitsuki promises to go quietly when her year is up, he would help her become a singer, so she could leave the world with no regrets. Takuto gives her the ability to transform into a completely healthy 16-year-old, so that she could meet the age requirements of the audition, and sing without hindrance. Despite heavy competition, Mitsuki wins over the judges with her excellent voice and her enthusiasm for singing, sealing a contract with Seed Records. To conceal her true identity, she chooses the stage name "Fullmoon". Mitsuki had decided to become a singer two years before, when she was 10 years old. She had made a promise with Eichi Sakurai, a 16-year-old boy she met at her orphanage, that the next time they met, they would both be closer to their dreams. Eichi wanted to become an astronomer and Mitsuki wanted to become a singer. Shortly after, Eichi was adopted and emigrated to America before Mitsuki could express her feelings for him. Mitsuki hopes that by becoming a famous idol, Eichi would be able to hear her sing and realize her feelings for him. This is a tale of growing up, falling in love, awareness of life and death, and desire to move forward. Then later in the series during a Fullmoon's concert (aka Mitsuki) a black thing comes and goes for Mitsuki. Meroko jumps in and protects her and to continue singing. Mitsuki continue singing. Then a lady comes and says they are going to have a punishment. Then she was going to take Mitsuki's life. Takuto says to take his life and saves Mitsuki. Takuto's (aka Takuto from Route L with Mitsuki's father.) (also Takuto died of a motorcycle accident) life is taken so Meroko says to take her life instead of Takuto and let him live. Meroko turns into a angel and Takuto a human. After the surgery in the hospital Mitsuki wakes up and starts crying because Meroko and Takuto disappear and she can't see shinigami anymore. Then at her house her Meroko doll floats away. The doll floats away from Meroko. (Mitsuki is no longer Fullmoon) On the radio people are wondering where is Fullmoon now. Makoda buys flowers for Mitsuki and sees Takuto. When Makoda comes Mitsuki runs past her and her friends. She meets Takuto. Mitsuki yells Takuto in her weak voice then her strong voice. Takuto notices her while holding Meroko's angel feather. Meroko says "farewell Mitsuki." and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Mitsuki sees her and yells Meroko. Meroko disappears into the sky. Then Takuto remembers who Mitsuki is and Meroko. Then it is the end of the TV series.

Kaleido Star

First Season Sora Naegino, a young Japanese girl with a great talent for acrobatics, comes to the United States in hopes of auditioning for the Kaleido Stage, a world famous circus which has mesmerized her since childhood. However, she runs into difficulties as soon as she arrives. She gets lost on her way to the Stage, is leered at by a mysterious stranger, and has her bag stolen by a nimble thief. Employing her acrobatic skills, Sora chases down the criminal. A kind police officer gives her a ride to Kaleido Stage, but she discovers that she has missed her audition. Her idol, lead performer Layla Hamilton, advises her to return to Japan but a performer's unexpected injury provides Sora with a window of opportunity. She is given the rare chance to perform by the Stage's owner, Kalos (who turns out to be a mysterious man who had eyed her legs earlier). Alienated by her failed attempt, Sora leaves for Japan, but then Kalos reconsiders, and lets Layla know that someday Sora's performance will be the main draw at the circus. The other members of Kaleido Stage, particularly Layla, disapprove of Sora. With the help of stage manager Ken Robbins, the performers Mia Guillem and Anna Heart, young Marion Begnini, as well as a lot of hard work and determination, Sora begins to earn the respect of those around her. Her personality eventually earns the respect of the performers as well as several increasingly major roles in the productions. She also befriends Layla over time. However, Layla's father pressures her to leave and insiders plan to take over and shut down Kaleido Stage. Sora relies on her winning personality, hard work and close friendships to keep the stage afloat. New Wings In the second season Sora returns to the stage after attempting the Legendary Great Maneuver with Layla. This leaves Layla's shoulder injured and unable to perform. The absence of her co-star, having retired to further a career in Broadway productions, prompts a slight decline of the Kaleido Stage. Because of this Kalos brings in a new recruit, Leon Oswald (a lofty trapeze artist). It seems at first that Leon is reminded very much of someone due to Sora's presence, and at times this causes him to either be really rude or really sweet to Sora. Despite this, however, Leon disapproves Sora as worthy of being on the stage with him. This leads to the most talented of the new Kaleido Stage recruits (the Chinese May Wong, who is also an ex-figure skater deciding to compete against Sora) to question and challenge Sora's position as Leon's partner and star of the show. Sora's first goal in the season is to attend the circus festival in Paris, but the competitors will do anything to attain the title of 'festival winner': betray, deceive, or even attack their opposers. The atmosphere and attitude this creates does not bode kindly to Sora's carefree, optimistic, ultra-idealistic outlook. It in turn causes her to withdraw from the competition in the middle of her act (or the Angel Act) with the redeemed Yuri Killian, leaving her friends, family and Layla confused and otherwise disappointed with Sora. Most of the season concentrates on Sora finding, questioning, and pursuing new dreams. After many trials and rejections, Sora eventually aims to become a "True Kaleido Star" while creating a fun, conflict-free stage, the complete opposite of what she experiences at the festival in Paris.

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge

The Wallflower is about a girl who was called ugly by the first and only person to whom she confessed her love. This incident sparks a life change, and as a result Sunako shuns all forms of beauty, both in herself as well as in life. Concerned by her change for the worst, Sunako's aunt, the owner of a beautiful mansion where four very handsome students live, offers the guys free rent in her mansion if they can turn Sunako into a "perfect lady" (referred to in Japan as the titular Yamato Nadeshiko). While the four of them manage to make Sunako physically beautiful enough to become a lady, the problem lies with her attitude and interests (which Sunako has no intention of changing). Up until the most recent release in the story, they've managed to convince Sunako's aunt that her niece is indeed a lady befitting the mansion in which they live (and prevent the rent from skyrocketing to triple the required amount). However, in reality Sunako has not changed considerably. Sunako has the tendency to spurt out in a nose bleed when seen by bright creatures, especially around Kyohei.

Fairy Tail

A 17-year-old celestial wizard named Lucy Heartfilia runs away from home to join Fairy Tail, a rambunctious wizards' guild whose members are infamous for their overly destructive antics. Along the way, she meets Natsu Dragneel, a boy who is traveling the land of Fiore together with his partner Happy, a talking cat, in search of his foster parent, a dragon named Igneel who had disappeared without a trace seven years prior. Shortly after their meeting, Lucy is abducted by a wizard posing as the famous Salamander of Fairy Tail. Natsu rescues Lucy and reveals himself to be the real Salamander and a Dragon Slayer, a wizard with the abilities of a dragon. Natsu offers membership to Fairy Tail for Lucy, which she accepts. Lucy forms a team together with Natsu and Happy, as well as Gray Fullbuster, an ice wizard with a habit of stripping, and Erza Scarlet, an armored female wizard. The five go on missions for their guild together and battle a wide variety of villains, which include: multiple dark (illegal) guilds led by an organization called Balam Alliance; demons created by an ancient, evil wizard named Zeref; Phantom Lord, a rival guild to Fairy Tail; Erza's former childhood friend Jellal Fernandes; and Laxus Dreyar, the renegade grandson of Fairy Tail's master, Makarov. The Fairy Tail guild also sees the inclusion of two other Dragon Slayers—Gajeel Redfox from the Phantom Lord guild and Wendy Marvell from the Cait Shelter guild—who were both raised by dragons (Metalicana and Grandine, respectively) that disappeared on the same day as Igneel. Later on in the series, several members of Fairy Tail, including Natsu, Lucy, and their friends, gather for an annually held examination on their guild's sacred ground of Tenrou Island, where they discover that Zeref has been living on the island and is being sought out by one of the guilds of the Balam Alliance, Grimoire Heart. Though Fairy Tail defeats Grimoire Heart, the incident summons the black dragon Acnologia, which attacks the island. However, everyone on the island is protected by the spirit of Fairy Tail's founding master, Mavis Vermilion, and reappears seven years later. The guild faces new threats, including the former dark guild Raven Tail led by Makarov's son Ivan, and a knight who plots to kidnap Lucy for unknown purposes relating to Zeref, now on the loose.

Saiunkoku Monogatari

Set in the fictional empire of Saiunkoku, the story centers on Shurei Hong, a descendant of a noble family that has fallen on hard times. Her father works as a librarian in the Imperial palace, a post which offers prestige and respect, but little compensation. Shurei teaches in the temple school and works odd jobs to make ends meet, but her dream is to pass the imperial examinations and take a post in government, a path forbidden to women. Shurei's plans come to an abrupt halt when the Emperor's Grand Advisor makes a startling offer for her to join the imperial household for six months as the young Emperor's consort and teach the Emperor to be a responsible ruler. If she succeeds, the financial reward will be great. The story details Shurei's growing relationship with the Emperor and other members of the court, the intrigues of imperial politics, and her commitment to better herself and her country.