6 posts tagged “review”

A new batch of Anime is arriving from our friends from the fansubbing groups. The following are some new (and not so new) series I have been checking out.

Umisho

I have only seen the first episode and it looks like a fun ecchi series dealing with swimming and the ever popular teen interaction between boys and girls.

Code E

Also only one episode seen so far. It does look interesting with a high school girl who affects electrical and electronic devices in a bad way. Makes for interesting dynamics in a society that is highly digital.

Claymore

This one is up to episode 16 and is probably better known than the other two above. Demon slayers that are themselves part demon. A European type setting in a middle age time frame.

Devil May Cry

Demon Slayers again and again with half demons hunting demons though the setting I believe is Japan and modern or slightly futuristic. The main character practically lives on strawberry sundaes and pizza and has huge debts. Several attractive female characters around to keep people interested.

Zombie Loan

More undead and demon hunting. The two episodes so far have been enough to pique my interest. The main character is a timid introverted high school girl who has the eyes of a shinigami. She gets recruited by two guys who hunt undead / demons.

Those are only a few of the series I have been looking at lately. When I get a chance I will list some more with my thoughts as well.

Okay, So my Norton security suite was pinging me everyday for the last month reminding me that my subscription was about to expire. I was putting it off because I really didn't want to spend the money to renew and I wasn't exactly satisfied with the product. So fate steps in and Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson interviewed one of the people at eEye on the latest Security Now podcast. Steve had mentioned the people at eEye before on the podcast in regards to research into computer vulnerabilities.

A portion of the interview turned into product plug discussed some of eEye's products but of most interest to me was their security suite Blink. The part that really caught my attention was they had made a personal version available for free for the first year so I figure what the heck I will try it out. So this morning I downloaded the free software and for those super privacy conscious out there, yes, you do have to register an email address and yes it phones home. The phone home feature is explained in the license  and privacy agreements as how they gather information on new malware and is your cost of getting the free use of the product. For me it is a worthy reason and a way to help contribute to the safety of all that are online.

My impressions so far are very favorable. It has replaced at least 4 programs on my system freeing up quite a bit of hard drive real estate. It runs much more smoothly than Norton ever did. I also ran the included retina scan and found a few vulnerabilities I was unaware of. The Scan found more than 40 possible vulnerabilities on my computer though many really didn't apply as retina is a corporate system vulnerability detection software.

More disturbing though was the 5 malware programs found on my system that had gone undetected by Norton including an IRC worm, a hijacker program, 2 surveillance programs and an adware program. Now to give Norton a little credit (just a little) looking at the malware found I do not believe any had been triggered so they were on the system but had never run. It is great to know they have been found and removed before they could do any damage.

My philosophy to internet and computer security has not been a matter of whether or not I am paranoid but rather whether or not I am paranoid enough. It has become obvious to me that I have not been paranoid enough.

I have seen the first two episodes and probably won't see any more. What looks like what might have been a decent story is, in my opinion, ruined by the excessive and totally distracting panty  and boob shots. I will pass on this adolescent fantasy run amok.

I have just watched the first three episodes and I am liking what I see. Great quality graphics though mostly computer generated. Lots of excitement and some interesting characters in this one.

Basic synopsis: After two mountain climbing buddies have conquered the highest peaks on 7 continents they set their goals on the only place higher, space. There is also the hint of geo-political intrigue at this point along with a few moral decision points for different characters.

I am going to keep watching this one.

Source: http://www.animeyume.org/ http://www.anime-planet.com
Genres: Action, Schoolkids, Super Power
Type: TV series
Total episodes: 26
Year: 2004
Studio: Sunrise
Homepage: http://www.sunrise-inc.co.jp/my-hime/

Synopsis:
(Taken from the AniRec Database)
Guided by a star only they can see, a group of maidens known as HiMEs have begun to gather at Fuuka Academy. These young women have been endowed with dangerous supernatural powers that they can use to their heart's content, but there's a price: to wield them, they must put their most important thing on the line. Now, in the midst of school work and friendships, they find themselves caught in the midst of strange conspiracies seemingly related to the terrifying monsters that attack them. Is the power of the HiMEs strong enough to save themselves and the ones they love?

Review:
Wow. What a wild rollercoaster ride this story turns out to be. I can't say too much without spoiling the ride. Some unexpected plot twists along with the usual teen angst. I recommend this one for viewers over 13.