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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Rent | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:2219#1552] |
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(Rent-/ Watch+) The second half of the season is slightly better here as we get to learn more about the several women Touya interacts with and their developments and Touya's womanizing starts hitting him hard here. The guy's still a scumbag and isn't too redeemable as a lead character in his developments, being about as bad as Makoto Itou in the lack of regard he has in how his actions affect the girls he has interest in. On the other hand, the girls involved with him make for more interesting characters as we get to see the pressures and challenges that they face in their lives with those involved in the pop idol world having their ordeals with scandal and the loss of fame, while a few deal with less grand ordeals. I was more entertained with the drama that faced these women in their developments than I was with Touya's interactions. Beyond that, not much else to really comment on. The visuals and soundtrack are no different in quality than the first half of the series. I had heard that White Album was a chore to work through and that it had a payoff in its second half if you pressed through it. This half does somewhat deliver thanks to having the female leads being more fleshed out and developed, but Touya is still as pathetic as he was from the first half. I suppose your mileage will vary quite a bit with how well you enjoy White Album as a whole. Last updated Wednesday, October 22 2014. Created Wednesday, October 22 2014. | ||||||||
| Rent |
 Jan-Chan
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[series:2219#967] | ||||||
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Read XenoKnight's review for a blow-by-blow analysis. But in some ways this series is actually more tragic than School Days. At least Itou Makoto was just an ignorant boy fooling around with a lot of pretty girls, before having to 'pay' for the consequences of errant actions. Fuji is actually many times worse that Itou, He knows what is going on and is painfully aware of what he is doing. He even tries to redeem himself by repeatedly reminding everyone that 'he's in love with Yuki' or that he is putting up with this for Yuki's sake. He even tries to mention this just before indulging in a mercy f*** with Haruka. Of the seven girls in this series, only Yuki can claim to be an untarnished innocent so far. Of the four guys, everyone of them is a messed up in some way or another. White Album is proving to be a long series of messed up mind games and maliciously manipulative people. Good drama, but still nasty tasting and way-messed-up. Last updated Tuesday, May 11 2010. Created Monday, December 21 2009. | ||||||||
| Buy | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
 Xenoknight
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[series:2219#2967] | ||
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watching now... 25 (or 12) eps watched... Ep 25: Another award-winning episode! Touya and Menou seem to dodge a bullet with Yuki, but Rina isn't so lucky. She gets admitted into the hospital and she can't speak! The characters coming to visit her was one of the most painful sights of the series. Rina can no longer enter the Venus competition and all seems lost. Eiji, having his fill of chaos and depression, turned himself in (!) to clear up the truth. Yayoi admits defeat and talks to Touya about Yuki really needing him and that he isn't a bother to her career anymore (I wonder about that). The issue of the whole last season is finally solved as Yayoi finally agrees to let him be regarding Yuki (it was an important scene). After a few more words involving love and hate, he says goodbye to Yayoi (mentally) and that is the end of their strangely mature relationship. It finally dawns to me that he is slowly eliminating his harems! He confirmed Haruka's relationship and saved their friendship, said goodbye to Misaki at his father's house, and now has cleared the trial to be with Yuki - thus dark and twisted relations with Yayoi are no longer required. Only Menou, and Mana remain since the show is still about Yuki vs Rina. Akira and Touya later discuss Menou's past and how she is connected with Yuki and Touya from their childhood. Touya manages to admit to who he really is and we see a pic of him and Rina with the guy who runs the cafe while the couple were still kids (?). Rina is seen struggling as she is trying to find her voice when the prez walks in. The prez mentions many things about Eiji confessing, and her apologizing for everything. She speaks fast and says things that Rina could easily clear up, but she can't speak or write fast enough to stop her before she leaves. The prez decides to start fresh with her now destroyed company. Back then when Touya was young, Menou was there and she told him that she would always protect him in different forms (!) as his savior goddess. THE WHOLE TWO SEASONS OF WHITE ALBUM BOTH CLICK AND SNAP INTO PLACE WITH THOSE WORDS. The prez comes over and wants to talk to Menou. The Venus concert begins and Yuki goes to do her song. Touya and Rina talk about him not going because of her and he says he can't go anywhere. All I can say is that the silent text was screaming at me in this episode. I couldn't believe Menou's words about being his savior goddess. So many other girls appeared before him and he would always call them his goddess of the day. This series is a special one for damn sure. I'll wait for the last ep to make things official. Special ep... Ep 24: I'm speechless yet again...Misaki's article reveals everything about Menou! Eiji finds himself in a similar position soon enough. Tamaru (Misaki's violent ex) forms a new plan now that his recent business with Menou and Misaki didn't fall through as planned. Rina and the prez talk about the scandals and Rina reveals the true nature behind these accusations. I though my head was going to explode. The prez does what I've constantly been doing all season long – she asks for a moment to think about everything (LOL). Even the characters in the anime need time to digest this much crap. We find out that the little girl who sings for Menou is named Natsuko as Rina and the prez discuss their own problems in company regarding the now unusable singer. Rina demands to sing in her place at the Venus concert (a requested position out of circumstance)! That night in ep 10 with Touya and Menou, they were in the same bed, but Touya actually showed some sense and realized the situation for once per fear of the repercussions. She tells him that she revealed the truth to the world so that he wouldn't be taken from her (? – wouldn't that have the opposite effect instead). Later, Yuki goes to see Eiji and what happens in the room made me cover my face in disbelief! He played her like a violin as he is seen flicking a toy doll of her. She goes to Touya's place to tell him the truth (really bad move), but finds that he is hiding some things of his own (screwed). It looks like Rina's coffee was poisoned as per Tamaru's plan. I was lost in a world that couldn't be defined with reason. The silent text in this episode made my ears want to bleed! I haven't heard anything this loud for quite some time with words that are full of such thought and meaning. The ending quote made me laugh tremendously hard. You’re entirely at fault here Touya and there is no backing out of it now. I LOVE THIS TITLE...Ep 23: Here we go again. Touya and Misaki had another moment of misguided passion. Was he saying goodbye to another one of his 'good sides', to the last bit of Misaki's innocence (too late for that one), or was he referring to actually never seeing her again after that moment. When Haruka came to see Touya and saw another woman's shoes at the door, she just closed it and left (LOL). It wasn't intentionally funny, but I laughed so hard that I came to tears by how twisted this title has become (poor Haruka). Touya is seen congratulating Mana and coming to definite terms with Haruka. Rina and the prez sit down to discuss certain things about each others past and the viewer learns several truths that all make the WAM picture come together. A certain accident puts the story into a more realistic focus. With Menou as Touya's seventh harem, the sex count is now 4 (more than half of them)! The end quote was about the night doing nothing to you, but the sun that makes things fade. A perfect way to look at this title. It's the light that's evil (in a sense) since this anime is shrouded in darkness. This title is too much... Ep 22: This title has reached for a place that is not usually strived for. Every episode leaves me in a place I never thought I could be mentally. Touya, having 7 harem girls, has had sex with nearly half of them and the reasons for his actions get more and more unreasonable. His sex addiction is on the path to rivaling Itou Makoto (!) and that is a nearly impossible feat if you remember that series. What Misaki had to deal with would make most women cringe. She basically agreed to be the whore that she was two years after finding out about Touya and Yayoi! Menou's actions made Misaki's look like a joke. She basically took pics of herself in comprising positions (nude pics or porn pics maybe?). Her reasons were noble, but her attitude for it was entirely sinister. As for Haruka and Touya....... Watch at your own risk. I did like how he referenced sex with "drinking water" and "breathing". If only it were that simple all the time. I don't think I can ever look at this title the same way again! The end quote was applause worthy once again. Position-changing ep... Ep 21: What a mess!!! The maturity and confusion levels in this anime have risen to a new standard it seems. What Yayoi did to Touya in the men's restroom was downright rape! She tackled him and forced herself on him like a cheap whore with a sex-addiction. I was stunned with her for continuing these twisted relationships with the men in her life. Touya didn't fight back so he is equally as foul. As Rina and Yuki's albums continue to race neck and neck in the charts, Touya's relationship with his father continues to fall apart. As a joke or not, he told his father to "hurry up and die"! The mentioning of Touya not being able to celebrate the Coming of Age Day was funny to me considering the choices he decided with his life. The camera freak is picked up by Misaki's potential murderer. A meeting of evil results as Misaki's ex plans something sinister with the local camera pervert. An interesting discovery comes to my attention about Menou and her 'voiceless' friend. Rina's smile during dinner was the smile of a witch! Knowing that Touya is becoming less concerned about Yuki, she smiles as if she broke the triangle and snatched Touya for herself! Later, Touya puts the 'accidental moves' on Mana and she falls her him even more. The prez finds out that he is Mana's tutor (!) and begins to ruin everything he has worked so hard to build. She mentions things that Mana had no business hearing and the little girl throws a pretty big temper-tantrum (not like that info was supposed to bother her anyway). A mysterious scene is brought to the viewer's attention concerning a pregnant woman and a celebrity. It has to be either Yuki or Misaki, but the evidence points to Yuki more even though it was Misaki all along. My confusion was at a peak as I tried to understand the power behind those words in that conversation. The rest of the world begins a man hunt for Fuji as Mana's fit hasn't subsided and never returned home. Knowing that Mana and Haruka hang out all the time, he goes to see her and mentions that Haruka has come back to life (?). Only this series can leave such a confusing mess in it's wake. Confusion-packed ep... Ep 20: This title is unrelenting. The mind games have certainly stepped up quite a bit with this ep. My head was spinning after watching all that and trying to stay one step ahead of the game. Everything is just becoming so ridiculous: Menou: what in the world did she think was she trying to do at Touya's place? Yuki: her simple words were enough to bring down the mighty Ogata!!! Yayoi: I don't even want to think about the kind of relationship she has with Ogata. The once invincible Ogata has been defeated by Yuki and she didn't even know any better. She was able to solve the painting issue so easily (it was clear as day to her), but to think that no one else had the audacity to say anything in fear of his wrath or something along those lines. He was never a sane man to begin with anyway. We catch wind of Touya and Menou's former relationship (as to be expected). Another one of Touya's random goddesses of the day reappears before him and they hit it off in no time flat (Touya is such a pimp as well as a glutton for punishment). Akira and Misaki see them together and assume the obvious conclusion. Touya gets a shock in hearing about Mizuki's (the former family name of Mana's mother) family ties which we know as her being the president of the company. Things just go on from there in the signature WAM fashion. I absolutely love the ending phrases at the end of each ep. They get more and more creative and easier to relate to as the series progresses. This title leaves an impact on me with each passing episode. That's how you know you're watching a good anime - when you walk away from each episode with battle scars! I love this series. Great ep... Ep 19: The WAM has been raised yet again! Yuki and Rina's little discussion could register a 9 on the Richter scale! Rina's attitude towards it all was highly admirable in many ways, but Yuki seemed to be on the constant receiving end (poor girl). The Sakura-dan lead girls aren't quite finished just yet in the singing world it seems. Touya looked like such a loser with not being able to secure a car for Rina (I was laughing pretty hard). He is able to meet up with Menou and things get really awkward. Her cryptic laugh after hearing that he and Yuki were dating may have confirmed what Stretch and I predicted earlier - that Menou will play a part in the race for Touya's heart (which makes it seven girls now). After watching this ep 3 times, I can only conclude that Menou, who doesn't look very stable in the head, might have what it takes to destroy the already-so-fragile bond Touya has with his harem girls. Man, this title is getting too hot to handle right about now. 'Too hot to handle' type of ep... Most of the test signs have been made clear and this title only need push a little more to ascend to greatness! 'WAM' will be my official acronym for this title before long. Ep 18: ..................................................... Those that have been following this title will be greatly rewarded - That much is guaranteed. With only 5 eps in, the story has taken another turn for the astounding and words cannot possibly be enough to describe the different elements that are all in play with this anime. People are going to start getting hurt before long at this rate (viewer included). Buy rating confirmed. Jaw-dropping ep... Ep 17: This show is amazing! Things are starting to escalate at an enormous rate. Rina's conversation with Yuki was bittersweet with everything being confirmed as to what they both must do in their respective pursuits of stardom. Scenes from the past season are flashed before the viewer's eyes in a nostalgic manner. It all just reminded me of the incredible journey it took to get to this point. Yayoi was out of her usual element and it only serves to further intrigue the notion as to where this story is headed. Mana and Haruka's scene was to die for. They attempt to uncover everything that Touya has been up to in order to understand the reasons why he is surrounded by so many women who all seem to be falling for him (themselves included). Mana accidentally confesses her feelings about him to Haruka's surprise, but they talk it off like it was some sort of joke with Haruka switching the title of 'Zashiki-warashi' to Mana (more WAM material if you ask me). The whole deal with Ogata's picture was serious, ridiculous, and confusing all at the same time. It went completely over my head until I watched the ep a second time. Ogata likes to emphasize a bunch of confusing crap, but he got 'played like a violin', only to have the last laugh in the end (more WAM goodness)! Looks like Menou's true purpose is not too far away from being revealed. I get the feeling that both the lead singers, Rina and Yuki, are going to have to contend with her before long. The silence in the room as Touya and his father both watched Yuki's performance on TV, was perhaps one of the most deafening moments so far and when I say deafening, I'm referring to the many thoughts that were spinning in my head as to what Touya was thinking in that precise moment. After that we get the silent text conversation between him and his old man! It's a shame because they both kept missing their marks and each sentence was critical in importance for both of them. Later, Touya and Mana complete another session only to have him laugh at all of Haruka's suffering leading up to this point! Before Mana can let him have it, they both catch wind of Rin's transfer! What a ridiculously jam-packed episode. Look how long this recap is! I'm sincerely exhausted and I'm still loving all of it. Great freakin' ep... Ep 16: Incredible! Absolutely Brilliant!! This story is so well written that it scares me. I give this episode a standing ovation. It's not everyday that I get thrown for a loop and find myself unable to get back up again (generally speaking)! Pay critical attention to the silent text in this ep. I have a feeling that they will play a significant role later on. I was so damn shocked and confused that I was forced to walk away from my computer as I attempted to digest what transpired on the screen. To have the worlds of multiple characters all come crashing down at once, it made me truly appreciate this title for what it really is. Rina is so screwed that it isn't even funny. As for as she is concerned, she just got OWNED by her own brother and best friend. Talk about being betrayed! The deck has been shuffled and the cards have been dealt. Something sinister is at work and the all of the puppet strings are going to be severed soon enough. Astounding ep... Ep 15: More White Album Madness (WAM) to deal with. Everyone is seen trying to live their lives one day at a time as there isn't much going on in this ep. Touya sees him dad and they talk about being old and life experiences, Yuki confesses her concerns about her recent actions as well as her friends, Haruka and Mana take up bike training, Misaki and her (second rate) boyfriend have an unpleasant romantic encounter, and Rina's brother comes to certain realizations about his life. Yuki and Touya spend an unusually large amount of time together and their relationship seems to have recovered most the damage it sustained last season. As always, I was left with confusion as to what the prez was referring to when he said, "they know" at the end. Know what? Yayoi must have something in store for Touya and I'm dying to know what it is. Good ep... Ep 14: No need for first impressions since this series never really ended, so I'll just offer a brief recap of the six 'issues' in this story. Touya is still way in over his head with girl problems it seems: Yayoi - Yuki's manager who doubles as a sex-crazed seducing bit** that sells herself (!) to preserve Yuki's future Haruka - the 'so called' sister of Touya who doubles as a confused and misunderstood ↗monster Mana - friend of Haruka and the girl he tutors who has enough insight to rule a country Misaki - a long time friend of Touya who is now seeing his best friend at Touya's request Yuki - his real girlfriend (as far as good intentions and morals are concerned) Rina - Yuki's best friend and singing rival who also is secretly fighting for Touya's love The ep itself can be described in one word - ridiculous. Things kick off right where they left with Touya's father in the hospital with heart complications. As serious as it seems, I think this dilemma is the least of Touya's concerns at the moment. I share in the confusion that Stretch mentions (reasonably speaking - as would most people) with how the new girl, Menou, is 'violently' brought into the mix. Is she the leader of the Sakura team as the lead singer or something, or is she responsible for a more important role? The trip to Echoes was a total disaster with Yayoi lying to Yuki and only moments later, Yuki spotting Yayoi's car right outside the cafe (talk about getting betrayed). I can't wait to see just how absurd and mature this title is going to get. You gotta love it! Here we go again with more White Album madness... Check out my award list to see some of the best anime titles in the world! Never forget Xenosaga. Last updated Thursday, December 24 2009. Created Wednesday, October 07 2009. | ||||||||
| Rent |
 Stretch
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[series:2219#628] | ||||||
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(All episodes watched): Touya: "I never loved you" Yayoi: "That's right. You've never loved anyone. You don't know how to love" These lines, which kind of summarize main character Touya, came as a relief to me since they reassured me that it wasn't just my imagination, but rather Touya had been intended all along to be indecisive and non-commital (which isn't exactly what you'd expect from the protagonist). That being said, I could eagerly re-devote myself to enjoying White Album 2. As I watched "episode 14" I was struggling to make connections with what I remembered from last spring. What state is Touya's relationships with each of the girls in? Should I already be familiar with this rebellious girl from the Sakuya group? Re-reading my review of the first half explains why I was having trouble: the show never did take much pain to explain clearly who was who and what was going on. So, I need not worry too much about my confusion. One thing I did remember was that the show had a certain style to it, which was why I looked forward to this continuation. In all, this seemed a pretty average episode (if my memory is accurate), which reinforces it's status as a direct continuation of the story. No major effort has been made to "wow" fresh viewers. The troublemaker girl from Sakuya seemed the most novel feature; what do you want to bet that she, too, winds up a romantic interest of Touya? What's unique about White Album has got to be that the protagonist himself, Touya, is quite uninteresting while it's the supporting characters that carry the show along. Touya cannot for the life of him make a choice between the various girls that surround him, instead he wanders along and accepts sex wherever he is lucky enough to find it available. It's as if we're playing a romantic video game, but we make the most middle-of-the-road decisions possible, just to keep the story moving onwards so that we can see what will happen with the other characters. Their stories are much more interesting than Touya's, as we discover all sorts of unexpected relationships among them. From one being a touch crazy, to another getting hit by a car, and another engineering a scandal, the question comes to mind 'can things get any more screwed up than they are'? But it's all cleverly written and plausible, which keeps us coming back for more. White Album does a great job of ending episodes with exciting cliffhangers that leave us eager for the next episode. I'm not sure I 'get' Touya's notion of a "Saviour Goddess", though. This was the only show of the season which I couldn't make runable on a DVD player, yet was willing to watch straight off the computer monitor. Going into the final episode, I was eager to see where all of Touya's and everyone else's wheelings and dealings had led. Surely something major had got to happen, but I'd be damned if I knew what it would be. And, huh? Twenty-five episodes worth of scandalous behavior is explained away by an incident in Touya's past? Was this supposed to make all of the pieces fall into place and make perfect sense? I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say that basically this series ended with less of a bang than a whimper. I couldn't help feeling that the conclusion had a haremesque tone to it; that is, the cheap ploy of appealing to the male viewer's unrealistic wishful thinking, and assuring him that however shameful his actions, lots of girls will shrug them off and continue to love him for no particular reason. That was a distinct disappointment. Yet somehow I feel that I've only been cheated out of my enjoyment of an episode, not a two-season series. I guess in the end both seasons of White Album were fun to watch because we assumed that there would someday be hell to pay for all the unfaithfulness, stupidity and betrayal, even if in the end it didn't exactly work out that way. Last updated Tuesday, January 05 2010. Created Tuesday, October 06 2009. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Official website (Japanese) | http://www.whitealbum-tv.com/ |
