Anime Review~Hanasakeru Seishounen

Title: Hanasakeru Seishounen

Writer: Natsumi Itsuki

Director: Chiaki Kon

Producer: Studio Pierrot

Main Cast (Voice Actors): Aya Endo as Kajika Burnsworth, Toshiyuki Morikawa as Fang Li Ren, Diasuke Ono as Eugene De Volcan, Diasuke Namikawa as Prince Rumaty, Jun Fukuyama as Carl Rosenthal

Genre: Drama, Romance

Original Run: April 5, 2009 - February 14, 2010

No. of Episodes: 39

Language: Japanese

Links: MAL ~ Wikipedia ~ Amazon 

Synopsis: A very powerful industrialist directs his daughter to pick a husband from three candidates he has chosen for her. They are to come into her life, and their uniqueness would cause her to recognize them immediately. All three of the candidates are outstanding. Well, it’s actually four...

The story evolves along the lines of a power political mystery involving a small middle eastern country. 

My Rating: 8/10

My Thoughts: I have watched A LOT of anime! I had this phase a few years back where I was addicted to anime and I think I've watched almost all kinds of them. But Hanasakeru Seishounen is unlike any. The story is very different and unique and though it's a bit unrealistic, it is very interesting.

The story has a lot of different elements blended together nicely. There's romance but the story isn't all about that. There's a lot of action and politics too. There's deceiving and cunning schemes and suspense which was all nicely done. The flow of the story was maintained well and I really liked everything.

I hate it when a lot of boys like the same girl. Like all the other girls in the world are dead or that particular girl is so perfect that every boy in the world falls for her. But surprisingly, it didn't bother me much in this anime. I was OK with 4 guys falling for the same girl. Though it was not much of a surprise who she would chose in the end. It was obvious from the first episode.

I really liked seeing how Kajika changed the lives of the three bachelors chosen by her father. The underlying themes of family and love were nice. It was also interesting to see the story of Raginei unfold. I don't like action stuff much but I liked it in this anime. 

Kajika was a really strong, independent girl and I really liked her character a lot! She was annoying sometimes but that was only because I couldn't have dared to do half the things she did. None the less, she was likable and unique, unlike the "weak, helpless girls" which are the usual protagonist of anime.

The boys were all gorgeous and it would've been hard for me to chose one too if I was in Kajika's place! Their personalities were different and I'm glad that they were shown to be more than just a pretty face. Their stories were sad and I liked seeing how Kajika mended their broken hearts. I also liked seeing the different forms of love portrayed in this anime.

Li Ren reminded me a lot of Sebastian (from Black Butler)! Sebastian is my favorite character of all time and not only was Li Ren's personality a little like Sebastian's but the way he was drawn and his expressions were a lot like his too. (Though Sebastian will always stay #1!)

All the side characters were amazing too! I even liked the villains. My favorite side characters would be Isaac & Toranuske. They were really likable and amiable. I liked Quinza too. It was interesting to see his schemes and plans and anticipate what his next move might be.

This anime had a lot of stuff I don't usually watch but I still ended up liking it very much. I think this says a lot about the anime and I'd highly recommend it!

Do songs remind you of books?

Ever heard a song and felt like it describes a book so perfectly that it might as well be written for it? If you said yes, then you're not alone! Though it's not frequently, but sometimes I'm listening to a song and the lyrics remind me so much of a particular book that it's hard to believe that the song wasn't written for it.

Yesterday, while listening to songs, I got the exact same feeling and now I'm sharing it with you guys. I recently read Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire and when Trip by Hedley came up on my iPod I really felt like Travis was singing the song. Not only does Jacob's voice resembles Travis's voice in my head, but the lyrics are so much like Travis's story and thoughts.

Listen to the song below:

If you've read Walking Disaster, then don't you think the song voices Travis's feelings in the book?

Some say love is not for sinners

I believe that isn't true

'Cause when I was finished sinning

Love came down and showed me you

Well everyone knows Travis isn't much of a saint. And somewhere amid his sinning he found Abby and fell in love.

What are you doing to me?

I'm so into you and the hardest part is

Knowing that I'll never follow through

You're slowly killing me and I wish it wasn't true

'Cause I'm so into you

I think these lyrics really show how Travis was feeling throughout the book. How he knew he wasn't good for Abby but he wasn't able to leave her either and it was killing him.

Last year when I read Beautiful Disaster, I read a review of the book on I Heart YA Books and Debbie had posted a song along with the review which went really well with the book. Coincidentally the name of the song was also Beautiful Disaster (by Kelly Clarkson) and I think that song is exactly how Abby feels in the book.

So, have you ever heard a song that reminded you of a book?

Music~Trap by Henry

Released June 7, 2013

Recorded 2013 at S.M. Studios, Seoul, South Korea

Language Korean, English

Label S.M. Entertainment

Producer Lee Soo Man

Track listing

1.  Trap (featuring Taemin & Kyuhyun)
2. 1-4-3 (I Love You)
3. My Everything
4. Ready 2 Love
5. Holiday
6. I Would

My Thoughts: I'm loving Henry's new EP! For those of you who don't know, Henry is a Korean artist who is in the band Super Junior M. He recently went solo with his first mini-album named Trap. And I love love love it!!

I've loved Henry's voice since I started listening to Super Junior M. My favorite song off of Super Junior M's album 'Perfection' was Off My Mind which was Henry's solo. So when I heard Henry was going solo I got really excited!

I bought the album as soon as it got out and I love every song on it! Henry's voice is just so amazing! My favorite song is 'I Would' the main reason being that it is in English and I actually understand it :P But the music and lyrics are really good too!

The first single, Trap, is really good too! I love the music video for Trap! The song is really up-beat and Henry looks amazing in the music video. Plus it featured Kyuhyun and I ♥ Kyu! Watch the video below:

If you like KPop then what are you waiting for? Go, buy Trap! And then jam out in your room to the awesome songs!

Book Review~Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Author: J.K. Rowling

Series: Harry Potter #4

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Pub Date: September 1st 2002 (first published in 2000)

Format: Paperback

Pages: 734

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Paranormal

Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site

Synopsis: The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can't wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there are spells to be learnt, potions to be brewed and Divination lessons (sigh) to be attended. Harry is expecting these: however, other quite unexpected events are already on the march ...

Rating: 10/10

Source: Bought.

My Thoughts: I seriously have no idea why I still review these books when I have nothing new to say. I mean... J.K. Rowling is perfect. This series is perfect. And I dream day & night of going to Hogwarts. So what I'm going to do is, I'm going to show you how I felt about this book:

When I started the book:

During the book:

At the end: 

Umm.. Mam Rowling..

All in all

Sorry for the lame review, readers. I just really don't know what to say..

Favorite Quotes:

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” 

“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.” 

Book Review~Beautiful Disaster & Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Title: Beautiful Disaster. Walking Disaster.

Author: Jamie McGuire

Series: Beautiful #1 & 2

Publisher: Atria Books

Pub Date: BD:May 26th 2011. WD: April 2nd 2013

Format: ebook

Pages: BD: 310. WD: 433

Genre: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary

Links: Goodreads: BD WD ~ Amazon: BD WD ~ Book/Author Site

Synopsis: 

BD: INTENSE. DANGEROUS. ADDICTIVE.

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

WD: Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster. 

Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

Rating: BD: 8.5/10. WD: 6/10. Overall: 8/10

Source: Netgalley.

My Thoughts: I read Beautiful Disaster last year but I didn't write a review because I was very confused about my feelings about the book. I'm still just as confused, if not more, but I need to get this off my chest so here goes...

I enjoyed the story. Honestly, I liked Beautiful Disaster better than Walking Disaster. Maybe because it was from a girl's POV and I could understand it better? Anyway, I enjoyed reading it but it wasn't a story that would stay with me. Which is why I had forgotten most of it by the time I read Walking Disaster. Which leads to my first problem: Jamie McGuire did not tell the details in Walking Disaster which had already been mentioned in Beautiful Disaster which sometimes caused confusion for me. I felt like I had to read Beautiful Disaster along with Walking Disaster to understand the story better. I think writing one book with alternating POVs would have been better.

The writing was pretty good. It kept me interested and I didn't wander off in my thoughts, which is always a good thing. But then again, it wasn't one that would leave an impression on me. And I found the writing in Beautiful Disaster better. I think I got much more emotionally invested in the first book than the second one.

I'm very confused about my feelings toward the characters. I'm not sure whether I liked them or not. I really don't have anything to say about them. In Walking Disaster I didn't even care about them. 

Another reason I didn't like Walking Disaster was because of the Epilogue. It was so unrealistic, and wasn't needed at all. Firstly, with such a dysfunctional relationship, it would've been more realistic if Abby & Travis would've ended up divorced. Secondly, seriously? Seriously? *SPOILER ALERT* FBI? Unrealistic much?

So all in all, I'm not sure how I really feel about this book. I liked the story. But then again, I'm not sure I liked it enough to recommend it to anyone. Maybe I'd recommend Beautiful Disaster but advice you to skip Walking Disaster.

Favorite Quotes:

“To douchebags!" he said, gesturing to Brad. "And to girls that break your heart," he bowed his head to me. His eyes lost focus. "And to the absolute fucking horror of losing your best friend because you were stupid enough to fall in love with her.” 

“I knew the second I met you that there was something about you I needed. Turns out it wasn't something about you at all. It was just you.”

About The Author:

Jamie McGuire was born in Tulsa, OK. She was raised by her mother Brenda in Blackwell, OK, where she graduated high school in 1997. Jamie attended the Northern Oklahoma College, the University of Central Oklahoma, and Autry Technology Center where she graduated with a degree in Radiography.

Jamie now lives in Enid, OK with her three children and husband Jeff, who is a real, live cowboy. They share their 30 acres with four horses, four dogs, and Rooster the cat.

Books published by Jamie include the Providence trilogy, and The New York Times best seller Beautiful Disaster, a contemporary romance. When she’s not writing, Jamie spends her days letting her four dogs in and out.

Music~DEMI by Demi Lovato

Released May 14, 2013

Recorded 2012-2013

Genre Pop, Dance-pop

Length 47:48

Label Hollywood Records

Tracklisting

1. Heart Attack
2. Made in the USA
3. Without the Love
4. Neon Lights
5. Two Pieces
6. Nightingale
7. In Case
8. Really Don't Care (featuring Cher Lloyd)
9. Fire Starter
10. Something That We're Not
11. Never Been Hurt
12. Shouldn't Come Back
13. Warrior
14. (Bonus Track) I Hate You, Don't Leave Me

My Thoughts: It's very rare that I like all the songs on an artist's album. Taylor Swift and Hedley are the only two artists whose all songs I love. But I guess Demi's making it to that list too.

Demi's latest (self-titled) album has been on replay on my iPod since the day it came out! I love each and every song on it. Demi has definitely did an amazing job with this album. Her sound is changed, her voice is more powerful. The songs are amazing! And I can see that this album is more personal than her previous ones. 

The first song I listened to from the album was her first single, Heart Attack, and the moment I listened to it I got addicted. Demi's voice is so powerful in the song! She hits high vocals so well and, though I've always known Demi has an amazing voice, I was surprised when I listened to this song.

The album is a mix of fun, dance music and sad, ballads and all the songs are relatable. I can't choose a favorite, but one of the songs I really really love is I Hate You, Don't Leave Me. The lyrics, like in all of the other songs, are amazing and so sad. Warrior is such an inspirational song.

All in all, I love the whole album. The lyrics are wonderful, the music is beautiful and this is one of my all-time favorite albums!

Favorite Lyrics:

You make me glow, but I cover up. Won’t let it show.

I admit I’m in and out of my head
Don’t listen to a single word I've said
Just hear me out before you run away
‘Cause I can’t take this pain
No, I can’t take this pain
I hate you, don’t leave me
I hate you, please love me

I’m addicted to the madness
I’m a daughter of the sadness
I’ve been here too many times before
Been abandoned and I’m scared now
I can’t handle another fall out
I’m fragile, just washed upon the shore
They forget me, don’t see me
When they love me, they leave me

I can't believe I ever stayed up writing songs about you
You don't deserve to know the way I used to think about you

But even if the stars and moon collide
I never want you back into my life
You can take your words and all your lies
Oh oh oh I really don't care

You fought through the darkness and brought me back to life

I felt picture perfect
On and off a shelf to a broken frame of mind, a broken frame of mind
It comes back and haunts me
A bullet undercover, it fooled me every time, it fooled me every time
But even if I lose it all
I've got so much left to give, I won't give up, no, no
My heart's on the front-line, I'm not afraid

I will love you and forever
I will love you like I never
Like I never heard goodbye
Like I never heard a lie
Like I'm falling into love for the first time

No matter how far we go, I want the whole world to know
I want you bad, and I wont have it any other way
No matter what the people say,
I know that we'll never break

I need a voice to echo
I need a light to take me home
I kinda need a hero
Is it you?

Can you be my nightingale?
Sing to me 
I know you're there
You could be my sanity 
Bring me peace
Sing me to sleep
Say you'll be my nightingale

All the pain and the truth
I wear like a battle wound
So ashamed, so confused
I was broken and bruised

Out of the ashes, I'm burning like a fire
You can save your apologies, you're nothing but a liar
I've got shame, I've got scars
That I will never show
I'm a survivor
In more ways than you know

Now I'm a warrior
Now I've got thicker skin
I'm a warrior
I'm stronger than I've ever been
And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in
I'm a warrior
And you can never hurt me again

There's a part of me I can't get back
A little girl grew up too fast
All it took was once, I'll never be the same
Now I'm taking back my life today
Nothing left that you can say
Cause you were never gonna take the blame anyway

Tired of being so sad, tired of getting so mad, baby
Stop right now, you'll only let me down

In case
You don't find what you're looking for
In case
You're missing what you had before
In case
You change your mind, I'll be waiting here
In case
You just want to come home

Strong enough to leave you
But weak enough to need you
Cared enough to let you walk away

In case
You're looking in that mirror one day
And miss my arms
How they wrapped around your waist

We're only lost children, trying to find a friend
Trying to find our way back home

We don't know where to go, so I'll just get lost with you
We'll never fall apart, 'cause we fit together right, we fit together right
These dark clouds over me, rain down and roll away
We'll never fall apart, 'cause we fit together like
Two pieces of a broken heart

Now I can lay my head down and fall asleep
Oh, but I don't have to fall asleep to see my dreams
'Cause right there in front of me

Why are we acting like lovers?
We don't know each other
Even though we used to rule the world
Why are you singing me love songs?
What good is a love song?
A love song without the love

You're beautiful but cause me pain
You played my heart like it's a game

And you work so hard to get me just to let me go
Yeah, you put me in the spotlight just to steal the show
And you try to take me home like you're DiMaggio
Oh (oh, oh) it's criminal

I might look all innocent
But the embers are burning inside of me

I'm a bad ass, jumping off the moving train
I'm a Jane Bond, putting all the guys to shame
I'm a wild card, and I'm gonna steal your game
You better watch out

TV Show/Drama Review~Love Rain

Title: Love Rain

Writer: Oh Soo Yeon

Director: Yoon Seok Ho

Producer: Yoon's Color

Main Cast: Jang Geun Suk as Seo In Ha (1970s) & Seo Joon (2012), Im Yoona as Kim Yoon Hee (1970s) & Jung Ha Na (2012), Kim Shi Hoo as Lee Dong Wook (1970s) & Lee Sun Ho (2012)

Genre: Romance, Melodrama

Original Run: March 26, 2012 - May 29, 2012

Original Channel: KBS (Korean Broadcasting System)

No. of Episodes: 20

Language: Korean

Links: MDL ~ Wikipedia ~ Amazon 

Synopsis: "Love Rain" depicts a 1970's pure love and a love from the present day at the same time. It shows how the children of a previous ill-fated couple, who met in the 1970s, managed to meet and fall in love. Seo In Ha and Kim Yoon Hee, an art student and a shy beauty, met and fell in love with each other during college in the 1970s but unfortunately their love was fated to never be. Now in the present 21st century Korea, Seo In Ha's son, Seo Joon (a liberal photographer) meets and falls in with the daughter of Kim Yoon Hee, Jung Ha Na, a cheerful and energetic girl who's personality is different from her mother's. Will their love for each other keep them together or will they have to face the same fate as their parents?

Trailer: 

My Rating: 5/10

My Thoughts: Aaahh! I was so sure Love Rain would make it to my favorites! Why do you have to do this to yourself, why??!

Uhm.. Anyway, I'll divide this review into 2 parts. Things I loved, & things I hated. So here goes..

Things I loved: I loved loved LOVED the scenery! It's one of the things I loved the most about this drama. The scenery were so pretty! See for yourself:

Another thing I loved was the 1970s story. I loved the cast and the fashion and the scenes and the story! I like the past story better than the 2012 one. The love was cute and innocent. The acting was really good. I liked seeing JGS play a different role. Yoona was almost unrecognizable and she did a pretty good job. The side characters were fun to watch too.

All the actors that were both in 1970s and in 2012 (Yoona, JGS, Kim Si Hoo etc) did a really good job in playing the different roles.  The looked and acted really different in 2012 than from their 1970s self so it was really good to see that.

I loved how the 2012 cast looked like their 1970s self. It was like it was an older version of them, though they were played by different actors; especially Hye Jung, Yoon Hee and Chang Mo.

Things I hated: I hated the fact that the 2012 JGS was exactly like all the other roles he has played (for example You're Beautiful & Mary stayed out all night), and why does he love to look so... gay?

I hated the love triangle. It was sweet in the 1970s story but there was no point in adding it to the 2012 story. It annoyed me a lot! And why does every guy in the show love Ha Na so much? It was a bit (a lot!) over done. I mean, 4 guys were in love with her... Seriously?

The 2012 Ha Na-Joon love story was bleck.. I just couldn't believe that they were actually in love. It was like they were forced to be together and they had to pretend that they were in love but in reality they didn't feel anything for each other. Yes, the kissing scenes were better than some other dramas but other than that I didn't see any chemistry. Plus, sometimes it got too cheesy to bear.

The story was good at first, but after half of the episodes it got stupid. First of all, I felt that it dragged a lot. Secondly, everyone was making such a big fuss about little things. I really didn't get why Ha Na and Joon couldn't be together. What was the big deal about Yoon Hee, it wasn't like she was dying (though everyone was acting like she was). And almost all the problems were caused because the characters didn't talk to each other and assumed everything. It was all just stupid and frustrating and during the last few episodes I couldn't wait for the drama to end. I even found myself wandering off in thoughts while watching it.

Honestly, this drama had potential. But the story got so.. stupid and weird by the end that it fell flat. I would not recommend watching this drama if you're looking for something entertaining. It just gets boring by the end. Or maybe you could only watch the 1970s episodes. :P

I survived high school..

I'm back! My exams are finally over and I'm back!

May has been the longest month of my life! It felt like it had been going on for years and it would never end. But it finally did and I'm so happy.

So now I'm coming back in full swing! I'll start the memes from Monday and new reviews are coming up since I'm half-way through Walking Disaster and Goblet of Fire. I've also lined up some discussion posts and I may even do a giveaway. So stay tuned!

BTW, can you believe half the year has already passed?! Time sure flies by fast!

P.S. I'm open for book recommendations if you want any for your summer reading. Just email me (at hmviewsnreviews@gmail.com) or comment on any of my posts with your favorite type of books, movies & TV shows and I'll get back to you ASAP :)