Category: Special Articles

Now that the summer holidays have begun (well, for me, at least), I found it a good time to start wondering whether Star Crossed can be improved somehow. It’s been ages since I changed something on this blog, and I’ve basically been using the same blogging format for two years now. This is why it seemed an interesting idea to run some sort of reader survey. Perhaps some nice idea will come from it. Let me start with the following question: which part of Star Crossed do you like best?

	Which part of Star Crossed do you like best?
	Episode Posts
	Series Reviews
	Quick First Impressions
	Monthly Summaries
	Season Previews
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I’d also like to ask a number of questions, for which you can leave the answers in the comments:

1). What do you think of the amount of series I’m blogging at the moment? Is it too large, too small, just about right? Are there too many popular series?

2). Those who’ve looked at the archives probably noticed the huge amount of dead or botched-up pictures. Three image-hosts after each other turned against me, causing me to lose more than a year’s worth of screenshots. I’m currently slowly trying to re-upload these pictures, but how important is it to have these pictures back online again?

3). Is there something about Star Crossed that you’re missing? Is there a feature you’d like to request? Is there something about Star Crossed that you don’t like?

4). Regular commenters know that I’m not someone who replies to every single comment that gets posted on this site. I read every single one that gets posted, but I only reply if I feel inspired. Do I need to reply to every single comment? (apart from the ones like “where can I find subs of show X”, perhaps?)

5). Is there something else you’d like to add, but which I forgot to add to this survey?

Thank you for taking the time to read and reply to this. 🙂

So, the nominations are over, and it’s time for the real voting. I’d like to thank everyone who nominated me in te preliminaries, I never thought that this many people consider this blog among the best of the episodic ones.

Apparently, the reader’s choice and blogger’s choice don’t start at the same time. I guess that the polls for the reader’s choice will be set up in a few days or so.

And now for something completely different. It’s taken me nearly two and a half year, but Star Crossed has finally received one million pageviews! To be precise, as of 10:00, GMT, there have been 1884531 pageviews, 1000047 unique visitors, of which 631120 are first-time visitors and 368927 are returning visitors.

Okay, enough self-whoring. I’d like to use this post to thank all my visitors and especially the ones who stuck around, because I wouldn’t have been able to reach this milestone. Heck, I dout that when I started, I ever imagined to get this far.

This is sort-of a compilation-post of all the movies I’ve watched up till now. They’re basically my opinions on the best movies that I’ve checked out. The format is the same as my end-of-the-year summary. I’ve tried to include screenshots, but for a few entries this didn’t work out (tip: never go with an image-host you don’t know). Also, feel free to share your own top-10 of movies and OVAs. 😉

Biggest Disappointment:

Aachi wa Ssipak

One failed comedy, in my opinion. I went in, expecting to see some brilliant jokes, but it went way too far in being absurd, and in the end the most worthwhile aspect of this movie were a couple of very impressive action-scenes.

Most Pleasant Surprise

Blue Submarine No.6

Metropolis too was a gem that I didn’t see coming, but what surprised me even more was that Gonzo’s first real production actually turned out pretty decent. Sure, it may have had its flaws, but I saw no traces at all of the questionable reputation that the studio would build up in the years afterwards.

Funniest Movie

Eternal Family

One thing that surprised me was that there were very few good comedy-movies. Okay, I may not have looked carefully enough, but still. In any case, the biggest sources of laughs for me were Satoshi Kon and Studio 4C, and one particular part of Robot Carnival. Still, I don’t think anything can beat a sadistic baby with a pair of scissors, so Eternal Family wins for this award.

Best Graphics

Ghost in the Shell II: Innocence

Well, I don’t think there’s hardly any contest here. Everything about this movie looks absolutely stunning. An honourable mention goes to Metropolis, though. Yet another visual feast.

Best Action

Adolescence of Utena

Of course, it’s a given that you need to have seen the original series to fully enjoy the movie, but if it’s action you want, then you should give this one a shot. Good action in my eyes isn’t flashy, but creative, and that perfectly describes the scenes you’ll see here.

Best Mystery

Twillight Q

Unfortunately, there aren’t that many mystery-movies and OVAs, though the three movies/OVAs with the best mystery in my eyes are Twillight Q, the xxxHolic-movie and They Were 11. All movies have a great mystery-oriented plot and a definite recommendation for any mystery-fan.

Best Science-Fiction

Jin Roh – The Wolf Brigade

Science Fiction doesn’t need to take place in the future, it can also play in an alternate universe. In addition to Jin Roh, Metropolis, Alien Nine and Hyper Future Vision Gunm also feature some very interesting ideas and settings.

Best Short Movie

Comedy

For those who want to waste ten minutes, Comedy by Studio 4C is my top-recommendation. She and Her Cat was great too.

Best Romance

Millennium Actress

Millennium Actress took romance to a whole new level, with terrific results. Other gems include Jin Roh, Porco Rosso and Mahou Tsukai Tai.

Most Thought-provoking Movie

Patlabor II

Unsurprisingly, a production by Mamoru Oshii. The plot is so complex and the storytelling is so captivating that it’ll definitely keep your mind busy as it goes on. Other and OVAs with interesting themes are Hitsuji no Uta, the second Kino no Tabi-movie, Eternal Family and Tokyo Godfathers.

Best Story

Arete Hime

Arete Hime was very slow, but it also had a memorable story. This was quite hard award to decide, as the stories of Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress and They Were 11 all sparkle with creativity as well.

Best Character-Development

The Dog of Flanders

The characters for the Dog of Flanders were just amazing, and it’s an award well-deserved. I do want to hand out a honorable mention for Oseam and Hitsuji no Uta, though. I’m still impressed at the huge depth of its characters.

Top 10 Movies and OVAs

#10: Hitsuji no Uta

I know that I’ve given it a relatively low rating, when compared to the others on this list. But looking back, I can see what an amazing character-study it has been.

#9: Jin Roh

Mamoru Oshii’s best work. Everything seems to fit in this movie, nothing feels rushed at all.

#8: Arete Hime

It’s a bit strange for a movie about boredom to appear on a top-10 list, but I really enjoyed this little Studio 4C-production. This is everything a fantasy-movie should be.

#7: Rurouni Kenshin – Tsuiokuhen

Of course, this one can’t be omitted in a list like this one. The original series may be to large of a commitment with its 90 episodes, but its four-episode OVA is a must-watch.

#6: Millennium Actress

The movie about movies. Satoshi Kon shows the viewer here an imaginative story with an absolutely lovable cast.

#5: Eternal Family

Eternal Family has a bunch of terrific themes, it’s hilarious and it also has a great cast. With thirty minutes, it also has the perfect length so that its jokes won’t be milked out, and it’s among the best movies that Studio 4C has created.

#4: Metropolis

Osamu Tezuka’s own productions may have been flawed, but when it’s another director who was tasked to bring his old creations back to live, then the results become amazing. Metropolis has really been a terrific movie, despite its standard storyline and concept.

#3: Tokyo Godfathers

In my opinion, Satoshi Kon’s best work. It has managed to mix a great sense of humour with a terrific storyline and quite an original setting.

#2: Tales of Phantasia

What can I say? Tales of Phantasia was one of the reasons why I started blogging in the first place, and although I feel I’m a bit biased, it’s been my most favourite OVA ever since.

#1: The Dog of Flanders

I’m so glad that I gave the Dog of Flanders a chance, as it’s without a doubt the best movie I’ve seen. The story is just so gut-wrenchingly sad, and another example of why Nippon Animation is one of my favourite animation-studios, along with Studio 4C and Production IG.

Top-10 Most Accessed Series 10. Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 9. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 8. Bokura no 7. Toward the Terra 6. Death Note 5. Seriei no Moribito 4. Les Miserables – Shoujo Cosette 3. Claymore 2. Dennou Coil 1. Saiunkoku Monogatari Top-10 Most Accessed Posts (unfortunately, not all of which I’m proud of): 10. Some quick first impressions: Kotetsushin Jeeg, Darker than Black and Koutetsu Sangokushi (Really, I have no idea why this one made it to the top-10. This also is one of those examples of how wrong my first impressions can be at times.) 9. Claymore – 20 8. Death Note – 37 7. Tsubasa Chronicle 52 (This one turned into a mini-bbs over time, about the potential third season ^^;) 6. Dennou Coil – 01 5. Death Note – 36 (Ironic how such a small posts generates that many pageviews) 4. Autumn Season Preview 3. Some quick first impressions: OverDrive, Fuyu no Semi and Saint Beast (That’s one post I’m trying to forget. Even six months after writing it still got comments) 2. Some quick first impressions: Kaze no Stigma, Ookiku Furikabutte and Kaibutsu Oujo (Same here. These two posts taught me how you shouldn’t rant without giving valid arguments) 1. Top-10 Anime Top-10 Google Keywords (aside from the obvious ones as “psgels” and “star crossed”): 10. Death Note 37 9. Claymore 20 8. Death Note 36 7. Toward the Terra 6. Overdrive Anime 5. Top 10 Anime 4. Seirei no Moribito 3. Dennou Coil 2. Saiunkoku Monogatari 1. Kaze no Stigma (Seriously, I have no friggin’ idea why this one became #1. I only made one single post about it, for goodness’ sake!) Amusing search-terms .hack//roots trainwreck – Yes, it is. coughing site:http://psgels.net cold site:http://psgels.net – Why would someone call my site cold and coughing? O_o ergo proxy all men learned toilet – I know for which episode this guy was searching, but it’s funny when taken out of context. higurashi keiichi episode dead body – Erm… you need to be a bit more specific than that. 😉 psgels.net sex scenes – Good to see that people who come to this site search for sensible things. psgels is gay – No, I’m not. And if I find out where this came from, I’ll gladly show the one behind it a taste of hell. what is at the bottom of a tornado – Err… strong winds? “anime show” +diapers – It disturbs me that people are searching for this… “best snowball” – Sure. “beans” anime little girl – Why would someone want to associate beans with little girls? “crush them now giant robo” – This one made me laugh. ^^; “his earrings” / “i like rose ” / “smell her feet” – A few examples of which I have no freaking idea how they ended up here. “your back looks just as graceful as stars” – Not exactly my choice of the ultimate pickup-line, but what do I know about it? “who invited dynamite – Nice Holystone, perhaps?]]>

Whoa… seriously…. I expected this series to take the same path as Les Miserables and Perrine, where the first season would be used to quietly introduce the different characters and settings, especially since Perrine has been a rather quiet series while Perrine and her mother have been travelling through Easter Europe. And then Sara comes, and already delivers such a powerful episode, so early in the series, where Sara has to say goodbye to her father. She really is something different from your usual spoiled child, and the bond between her and her father is huge. This probably is due to the loss of her mother, which made a major impact on the two of them. The majority of the episode is filled with Sara, trying to find Emily. It becomes even clearer that she’s got a lot of imagination, and sortof lives in her own world. And because she’s so innocent, she probably also gets her way. It’d be interesting to see in the future episodes when she doesn’t. The head of the school she’s in already suspects that she’ll cause huge amounts of troubles when that happens, though she looks more like someone who hides her sadness, like this episode showed how both Ralph and Sara refused to cry in front of each other. One thing’s for sure, though: the people in the school are going to have to get used to Sara’s strange personality.]]>

I can still hardly believe it, but it seems that Star Crossed has finally won itself an award. The people from Anime 2 Manga have turned one year old today, and with that they gave out an award for the “Blogging Master of 2007”. I must say, congratulations on turning one year old, and thanks for the award. 🙂 I also love the banner, by the way, and how it consists out of some of the screenshots I made in the past. Some of them are actually quite old, and I’m surprised that Darren (who I assume photoshopped it) managed to dig it up. I especially like how the teddy-bear from Master of Epic was included. ^_^]]>

After Ayatsuri Sakon finished, nearly two years after I originally started blogging it, I’ve been searching for another anime to blog once every month or so. In the end, I decided to support Live-eviL, C1-Anime and Minor ja Nai in their attempt to revive interest for the World Masterpiece Theatre-production Little Princess Sara. Les Miserables has been turning into a true masterpiece by now, and the few episodes I’ve seen of Perrine Monogatari have been really good as well. Little Princess Sara is also special, in the way that it’s based on the same story that Soukou no Strain was based on, though obviously the writers of the latter took a lot of artistic liberties by placing a story that originally happened in England, about a century and a half ago into a science-fiction setting. It’s also notable that Sara’s original last name is now Crewe, instead of the Werec, which later changes into Crewe in Soukou no Strain. Ralph also isn’t her brother, but her father, surprisingly. I also don’t think that Ralph is going to kill Sara’s precious friends in this one. ^^; The thing that did remain the same, though is Sara’s huge respect for Ralph, but that’s naturally obvious, since her mother died when she was four, and he’s been taking care of her ever since. He’s also incredibly rich, and he’s been giving her whatever she wanted, hence the title of this series: Little Princess. Because of that, the Sara of Little Princess is rather spoiled, but I wouldn’t call her arrogant. She doesn’t fit in the stereotype that has been set by anime that the rich kids have to be the cocky bastards who look down on everyone at all. Instead, she’s incredibly innocent. Her father probably has been protecting her from everything harmful, but yet she tries to please everyone, and she looks incredibly naive as well. I’m not sure whether we’re supposed to hate her or like her at this point, but that probably will become clearer in the next episode. This first episode was actually quite similar to the first episode of Les Miserables as well, if you ignore the fact that Fantine was incredibly poor and Ralph is incredibly rich. Ralph has been coming from India, and he’s about to get back, leaving his daughter in a local prestigious school in the middle of London. The rest of the episode basically focused on Sara, spending her last few moments with her father. Another interesting detail is that in the next episode, Sara will be purchasing Emily, making another link to both Soukou no Strain and Les Miserables.]]>