Update 7/12/15

Hey guys! I am so very sorry that I have not been able to post anything on the blog the last couple of weeks. The next thing you will read is the original opening from the July 5th update. If you guys follow my YouTube channel you will see that I have been catching up on my videos. On the 2nd, I was bit by a dog. It wasn't a bad dog but I wasn't able to use my hand fully until the end of July 7th. By that point I was helping a friend move and then moving to a different room in my house. I don't even know what I could have done differently to try and get out the blog post on time but I wasn't able to a type or write (if it wasn't my right hand I would have been able to hand write the blog and have someone else type it for me...but it was my right hand). Now besides that I am going to be posting the anime review I was supposed to do back them but I will also be posting my Recommend It and my VA Spotlight.

Hey guys! I can't believe it is already July! Well I hope all of you had a great 4th of July whether you celebrate Independence Day or not. (And for those in different countries, I just hope you had an amazing Saturday)! Well I completely forgot that I was going to be writing an anime review today. Since last post I talked about the composer of this series, I am proud to present Attack on Titan season 1 anime review! (This review won't be as elaborate as the Tokyo Ravens review I have coming out on July 27th, but it is something at least)!

So before I start the blog let's talk about something that I just watched and absolutely loved. A few weeks ago in California was Anime Expo, an anime convention of gigantic proportions. One of my favorite YouTubers Octopimp had a panel for his abridged series of the anime Free! Iwatobi Swim Club called 50% Off (you'll remember when I discussed with here). He had it recorded and uploaded onto his YouTube account! It's really funny and you deserve to check it out as well.

I just think it is always cool to see panels like this and to see the guys who actually put in the work to make this cool show. Speaking of YouTube, don't forget to check out my new podcasts! I posted both episodes already and I think that my favorite of the two is Episode 3 because I get real and I love feeling like I can be open about my feelings. 

Kat's Anime Corner Episode 2: Kuroko Takes Over Wonderland

Kat's Anime Corner Episode 3: Joey Graceffa is my Inspiration!

Now that I got that out of the way, let's talk about anime!! (I also apologize for the crappy review....)

Anime Review: Attack on Titan

I never planned on watching this show but it was highly recommended by fans and friends. So I took a chance and was I glad I did. Yeah the series got a lot of hype even becoming the number one show of 2013, but that doesn't mean it is for everyone. The gore is real and unlike shows like Tokyo Ghoul it is completely uncensored. You see people broken in half and eaten alive within the first episode. Usually it takes a few episodes to get to the grit of the action but AoT is different. You get the grit right from the get go. 

As I was watching the anime for the first time, it was currently airing on Toonami. I watched the entire series in Japanese within like 24 hours (okay it was longer than that, but still) then I started to watch the series in English until I was caught up with the English dub and could watch the new episodes on Toonami. So basically I watched the first season twice within a couple weeks. By the time I was caught up on the English dub I was on episode 20 or so.

If you have been reading my blog for the last two years, you know that I HATE gore with an intense passion, but shows like Attack on Titan and Tokyo Ghoul have something that captivate me into watching despite the major ew factor. I think I really liked the characters in Attack on Titan because everyone had their own story and a very different personality. It had been a long time since I had seen a show that has so many well-rounded characters in one series. Every character is important in some way or another, whether they live or die they play a major role in the story. I can't wait to see what is in store for season two coming next year.

It also doesn't hurt that the characters are voiced by amazing actors in both English and Japanese (here is the part where you see the main draw of the series to me). I won't list ALL the characters because there are a lot, I'll just mention the ones I feel are important.

Eren Yaeger - Yuki Kaji/Bryce Papenbrook

Mikasa Ackerman - Yui Ishikawa/Trina Nishimura

Armin Arlert - Marina Inoue/Josh Grelle

Reiner Braun - Yoshimasa Hosoya/Robert McCollum

Bertolt Hoover - Tomohisa Hashizume/David Matranga

Annie Leonhart - Yu Shimamura/Lauren Landa

Jean Kirstein - Kisho Taniyama/Mike McFarland

Marco Bott - Ryota Osaka/Austin Tindle

Connie Springer - Hiro Shimono/Clifford Chapin

Sasha Blouse - Yu Kobayashi/Ashly Burch

Krista Lenz - Shiori Mikami/Bryn Apprill

Ymir - Saki Fujita/Elizabeth Maxwell

Erwin Smith - Daisuke Ono/J. Michael Tatum

Zoe Hange - Romi Park/Jessica Calvello

Levi - Hiroshi Kamiya/Matthew Mercer

Eld Jin - Susumu Chiba/Vic Mignogna

Oluo Bozado - Shinji Kawada/Chris Smith

Petra Ral - Natsuki Aikawa/Caitlin Glass

Gunther Schultz - Kozo Mito/Brett Weaver

I think a really cool thing about AoT is that not all the characters are Japanese, a lot of the characters are actually European as well. Looking at the above cast, I bet you see why I have fallen for this cast. Yuki Kaji and Bryce Papenbrook. Then you have Josh Grelle, Rob McCollum, David Matranga, Mike McFarland, Austin Tindle, Tatum, Matt Mercer, Vic Mignogna, and if you follow my instagram you know Todd Haberkorn is in this as well. To top it all off, my new found VA crush is in this show...Clifford Chapin plays Connie....this was one of my first times hearing his voice. I love it so much...

Ahem. Anyway. The music is also the most amazing ever. Attack on Titan's score was composed by the amazing Sawano Hiroyuki (who is also known for Aldnoah.Zero and Seraph of the End). Not just that but the opening and ending credits are awesome! 

The first opening is "Guren no Yumiya" by Linked Horizon. 

The first ending is "Utsukushiki Zankokuna Sekai" by Yoko Hikasa.

The second opening is "Jiyuu no Tsubasa" by Linked Horizon.

The second ending is "great escape" by cinema staff. 

(I couldn't find the actual ending credit, so enjoy NateWantsToBattle singing the English Cover)

The opening music is so fitting and gets you pumped to watch the show. Plus it is a mixture of Japanese and German which makes it so much cooler. The ending music is fitting to get you pumped for the next episode where it is winding you down or raisin the excitement. I don't think I would be as into the show as I am if it wasn't for the music. I will be sorely disappointed if they don't use Linked Horizon in season two. 

Overall this show is amazing and I gave you a spoiler free review. I think you should check it out. Available for streaming on Funimation, Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu. Available for purchase at Funimation and iTunes. Let me know what you think, whether you have seen it or are going to watch it for the first time. I give the show an 8.5/10. 

Recommend It!

Mass Edition

So it has been a looooong time since I have done a "Recommend It!". The last time I did one was back on 12/21/14 about Free Season 1 & 2, Laughing Under the Clouds, and Millennium Snow. Wow. That was forever ago. So since it has been a very long time since I have recommended anime and manga, it is time for a mass edition!!

Aldnoah.Zero [Crunchyroll] - Rating: 7/10

Lord Marksman and Vanadis [FUNimation] - Rating: 9.5/10 

Kuroko no Basuke [Crunchyroll] - Rating: 10/10

Sailor Moon Crystal [Crunchyroll] - Rating: 7.5/10

Seraph of the End [FUNimation] - Rating: 8/10

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan [manga] - Rating: 9.5/10

Fullmetal Alchemist [manga] - Rating: 10/10

Blue Exorcist [manga] - Rating: 10/10

Black Clover [manga] - Rating: 9/10

You can check out the shows and manga I recommend today and tell me what you think. Also don't forget that I only recommend shows that I absolutely love and have already watched at least once. Hop on over to the Kat's Anime Corner Facebook page (link to the right) and check out past Recommend It! posts. 

VA Spotlight: Ian Sinclair

FUNimation VA Ian Sinclair is epic. Enough said. I don't think there is any other way to describe him. He is one of my favorite voices to listen to. I always get excited when I recognize his voice in new dubbed shows. My first roles of his I heard him in were Ginei Morioka from Rosario + Vampire, Bardroy from Black Butler, and Reverse Elmen from Chrome Shelled Regios. 

Appleseed XIII - Alcides

Aquarion EVOL - Malloy

Attack on Titan - Nile Dok

B Gata H Kei: Yamada's First Time - Daisuke Matsuo

Baccano! - Dallas Genoard 

Baka and Test - Hasegawa

Bamboo Blade - Toraji Ishida

Ben-To - Ren Nikaido 

Birdy the Might: Decode - Ryota Sudo

Black Butler - Bardroy

Black Cat - Race Donovan 

Blood Blockade Battlefront - Zapp Renfro

C - Control - The Money and Soul of Possibility

Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century - Detective Mac Fuller

Casshern Sins - Akoz

Chrome Shelled Regios - Reverse Elmen

Claymore - Zaki

Corpse Princess - Shinze Kamiu

D-Frag! - Hiroshi Nagayama

Dance in the Vampire Bund - Ryohei Kuze

Deadman Wonderland - Akira Shindo

Death Parade - Yosuke Tateishi

Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker - Haydi

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods - Whis

Dragonaut: The Resonance - Kawamoto

El Cazador de la Bruja - Douglas Rosenberg

Fairy Tail - Bora, Kawazu

Fractale - Takamy

Free! - Eternal Summer - Sosuke Yamasaki

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Liam

Future Diary - Yomotsu Hirasaka (12th) 

Gunslinger Girl - Mario Bossi 

Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East - Keno Inusaka

Hell Girl - Yuji

Hero Tales - Mo Jun

Hetalia: Axis Powers - Romano

High School DxD BorN - Shalba Beelzebub

Initial D: Fourth Stage - Daiki Ninomiya

Jormungand - Renato "R" Socci

Kamisama Kiss - Otohiko

Karneval - Hirato

Kaze no Stigma - Takashi Takamatsu

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple - Ikeshita, Imai

Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing - Orang

Laughing Under the Clouds - Naoto Kagami

The Legend of the Legendary Heroes - Ryner Lute, Alpha Stigma

Level E - Colin

Linebarrels of Iron - Sobi Nakajima

Maken-ki! - Takeru Oyama

Master of Martial Hearts - Haruki Honma 

Michiko and Hatchin - Daniela Carneiro Jr. 

Nobunagun - John Hunter

Noragami - Daikoku

Oh! Edo Rocket - Toyama

Okami-san and her Seven Companions - Shiro Hitsujikai

One Piece - Brook, Ian, Itomimizu, Ryuma

One Piece Film: Strong World - Brook

One Piece Film: Z - Brook

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt - Chuck

Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ - Carlo

Ping Pong: The Animation - Masayuki Sanada

Princess Jellyfish - Shu Koibuchi

Psycho-Pass - Nobuo Okura

Red Data Girl - Okochi

Rin ~Daughters of Mnemosyne - Shogo Shinozaki

Robotics;Notes - Genki Doto

Rosario + Vampire - Ginei Moriokka

Sekirei - Kaoru Seo

Seraph of the End - Shiho Kimizuki

Shakugan no Shana - Eita Tanaka

Shiki - Tatsumi

Shin-chan - Takeda

Show by Rock!! - Yaiba

Soul Eater Not! - Akane Hoshi

Space Dandy - Dandy

Spice and Wolf II - Marc Cole

Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar - Neil

Tokyo Ghoul - Kazuichi Banjo

Tokyo Ravens - Touji Ato

Toriko - Toriko 

Unbreakable Machine-Doll - Felix Kingsfort

Yona of the Dawn - Ki-Ja

Oh man, my hands are tired from that. So what are some of your favorite roles of Ian's? You'll find out at the end of the month, but I absolutely love Ian in Tokyo Ravens but I also love him in Legend of the Legendary Heroes playing opposite Eric Vale. Sigh. 

Well that is it for this week, and I should hopefully see you all again next week. Keep reading and loving anime!! 

Ja ne! 

xx Kat

=^.^=