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April 3, 2011 at 7:37 pm #841613
I’ve edited the first post to make it look a little smoother and I’ve made it so that every title should link to the first review written about it 🙂
Let me know if you see any errors! I currently can’t find the “Bleach” review in order to give it a link (if anyone sees it, hollar at me!), and then there are still a few “page #” listnings that should get changed at some point. If you see the post # in question, please let me know! I’m getting tired of looking at the screen so I may take a break right now 😀
Oh! I also did NOT test every link – if anyone is willing to go through and do that for me and let me know if I messed up anything that would be awesome XD I just did all this in an hour or so of staring at code so I’m pooped!
Commission spots are currently closed! Please message me for details.
Please visit My Webpage to see my art and PYO's that I've done in the past!April 3, 2011 at 7:39 pm #836417Oh my gosh I forgot to mention that – the “French” accent was about as bad as you can get! I haven’t seen the live action version of Blood+ but now I’m going to have to look it up! Thanks Jerusha!
Title: Mushishi
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcoZHk3M3io
Funimation has made this entire series viewable on Youtube – the quality is excellent – I’ll link the first episode here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdhR5XZNXbs&list=SLSynopsis: (From Wikipedia) The story features ubiquitous creatures called Mushi that often display supernatural powers. Mushi are described as beings in touch with the essence of life, far more basic and pure than normal living things. Due to their ethereal nature most humans are incapable of perceiving Mushi and are oblivious to their existence, but there are a few who possess the ability to see and interact with Mushi.
One such person is Ginko, the main character of the series. He employs himself as a Mushi master, traveling from place to place to research Mushi and aid people suffering from problems caused by them. The series is an episodic anthology in which the only common elements among episodes are Ginko and the various types of Mushi. There is no over-arching plotline.
Star Rating:
Review: I have put the last phrase of the synopsis in bold because it is the main reason that I think people may not like this anime. It’s completely true – there is NO over-arching plotline!! This means that each episode is it’s own story completely, the only thing that ties each of these episodes together is the fact that Ginko is involved in each one. Ginko does have some backstory of his own, but episodes that were written specifically for that purpose. Let me put this in a different way: there is NO ENDING to this anime.
So why did I give it 4.5 stars? Because simply put, it’s beautiful. The idea behind the story is that Ginko is one of a very small percentage of people who can see mushi – which generally are tiny little ambiguous looking creatures that cause issues in the human world without ever truly being part of the human world. Ginko wanders across the countryside looking for these creatures so that he can research them and aid people with their problems involving them, but he can never stay too long in one place because the mushi are attracted to him and will cause even more problems if he lingers too long. There is very little action in this anime compared to many that I’ve seen and reviewed. It’s very much a story that is heavily fantasy based, and I get the feeling that a lot of the little stories that are told are rooted in old Japanese storytelling or mythology (I have no background in these areas so I can’t say that for sure, it’s just a feeling that I get by the way certain stories have a familiarity to them).
By the end of the series you definitely know more about Ginko than you did at the beginning, but he hasn’t set out to accomplish anything solid, and you won’t ever see the end of his journey. I say this not as a spoiler of any sort, but because I don’t want anyone to watch the entire series and be disappointed. The animation for this series is very soft and beautiful (the picture I have posted is fan artwork, but it captures the feeling of the series well). I’m really not sure when this anime is supposed to take place, as almost everywhere Ginko goes people seem to be wearing clothes that I can’t place the time period of – it very well could take place in modern times but out in the countryside where people are still farming for a living, I don’t honestly know enough about Japan/Japanese history to be able to say. However, Ginko himself is always dressed in much more modern clothes than the people around him.
There has been a live-action version of this anime (or I should say, of the manga that the anime is based on) but I have not yet seen it so I can’t weigh in on how good that one is. I guess the bottom line for this one would be that if you like story-based anime, give this one a try! It’s on youtube so it’s free to watch for everyone in any case 🙂
I also totally fell in love with musician Ally Kerr because of this show! The theme song, called “The Sore Feet Song” is such a beautiful little melody, and it totally goes in line with the series. I bought his album because of that song alone <3
Warnings and Praises: I can’t express enough that if you’re not the type of person who enjoys episodic animes, you will NOT like this one. There is no feeling of closure when the anime ends. However, if you can handle stories that take place in half hour periods of time, and you prefer slower animes that are more about storytelling than action, give this one a try!
Commission spots are currently closed! Please message me for details.
Please visit My Webpage to see my art and PYO's that I've done in the past!April 3, 2011 at 10:02 pm #836362ooooh… I’m bookmarkin’ this thread! Awwwesomenesssss! 😀
drag0nfeathers wrote:Hmmm… I’ve watched from adorable cuteness that makes you wanna hurl to horriffic disgust… that also makes you want to hurl! OH the possibilities!
lmao!! I’m a big fan of Cardcaptor Sakura. :bigsmile: The original Japanese version… not the BUTCHERED American version.
Title: Cardcaptor Sakura
Synopsis: A young girl discovers a book that houses magical cards and accidentally releases them into the world. With the help of the books guardian, Kerberos, she has to find and seal the cards to prevent them from wreaking havoc on the world.
Fanmade trailer, which actually isn’t all that bad. It has parts of her original premonition, the Cards ‘ release, and bits from the series. Music might be a bit dramatic though.
The sealing of Light and Dark During a play, Sakura seals both Light and Dark. Cards are usually never this cooperative. LOL. This isn’t that big of a spoiler. There were other clips I wanted to post, but I feel some of the characters are practically spoilers themselves (Yue, for example – that’s a biggie, IMO!).
Star Rating:
Review: This is probably the only anime I own that doesn’t have any blood in it. LOL. It’s a bit girly. It has the girly costumes and everything, but it’s a wonderful heartfelt story of a young girl growing up and facing the challenges thrown at her. I love the characters and the fact that the cards have personalities. It’s good for both kids and adults. I laughed, I cried. I absolutely love this series. My hubby even watched it… the entire series! ^_^
Warnings and Praises: Do not bother with the edited version, Cardcaptors. It is highly butchered (70 episodes cut to 35), and the dubbing is AWFUL. It changes the entire feel of the series and leaves out a lot of what makes this anime good. It might seem like a good show, but after watching the uncut version, there’s no comparison. Fox aired it on TV here. They made it into an action cartoon. They took out all the emotion… and heaven forbid one of the characters might be gay, so they cut it. I have the uncut version in Japanese… I’m not sure they make an uncut dubbed version.
April 3, 2011 at 10:08 pm #836434Here’s another… since I’m procrastinating the housework tonight. 😛
Title: Devil May Cry
Synopsis: Taken from Wikipedia… The series is based on the manga and novel volumes, and sees the return of series regulars, Trish and Lady. In the show, Dante runs his devil-hunting business, Devil May Cry, while struggling under constant financial debt. There are also two new regular characters—Dante’s agent Morrison who visits frequently, and Patty Lowell, a young orphan girl he saved in the first episode, who also visits frequently and shares a sisterly relationship with Dante. While the show’s stories were mostly self-contained, a season-long plot was introduced in the first episode and came to the forefront in episodes 10-12.
Opening theme
Devil May Cry anime AMV WARNING – Blood!Star Rating:
Review: It’s like Ghostbusters, just a bit more violent. LOL! Dante gets calls to exterminate the supernatural, but unlike Ghostbusters, there’s a lot of blood… blood spraying on the walls, pooling on the floor, amputated limbs, neck fountains… you get the idea. It’s Devil May Cry, after all. There are only 12 episodes, and it does feel very episodic with a plot reveal at the end, but the animation is really good.
I’ve got 2 issues with the series. One is Patty. A little girl that age should not be that comfortable around someone who hacks up demons with a giant sword and blasts holes in them until they look like swiss cheese with blood flying all over. Seriously? She gets more upset at his empty pizza boxes. Second, they tried to bring some of the campiness of the game to the anime, but I felt it fell a little short in that aspect. But at only 12 episodes, it’s still worth a watch if you’re a Devil May Cry fan.
I gave it an extra half star just for having animated Dante. Yes, indeed! 😉
Warnings and Praises: Definitely NOT for kids… The video game is probably better suited for kids. LOL! I’m thinking at least older teens for this one.
April 3, 2011 at 10:17 pm #836392Shouldn’t we be doing something more productive? LOL!
Title:The Vision of Escaflowne
Sometimes simply called Escaflowne, but don’t confuse it with Escaflowne – The Movie.
Synopsis: Taken from Wikipedia… The series focuses on the heroine, Hitomi Kanzaki, and her adventures after she is transported to the world of Gaea, a mysterious planet where she can see Earth and its moon in the sky. On Gaea, Earth is known as the Mystic Moon. Hitomi’s latent psychic powers are enhanced on Gaea and she quickly becomes embroiled in the conflicts between the Zaibach Empire and the several peaceful countries that surround it. The conflicts are brought about by the Zaibach Empire’s quest to revive the legendary power from the ancient city of Atlantis. As the series progresses, many of the characters’ pasts and motivations, as well as the history of Atlantis and the true nature of the planet Gaea, are revealed.
Star Rating:
Review: This was another anime that Fox network tried to butcher and make kid-friendly. Did you watch the anime first before attempting this? I mean, c’mon, it’s in the middle of a war! Yah, it got cancelled. HA!
I love this series. I still watch it from time to time. It’s kind of a metaphysical sci-fi fantasy romance all rolled into one. It’s got a neat storyline that touches on various concepts such as fate, destiny, and the power of will. It has some bloody battles, love torn characters, characters with interesting pasts, a neat take on Atlantis, and a mech that can change into a dragon (bonus!). :snappy:
Warnings and Praises: While there is a happy ending, it’s not happily ever after… at least not in my opinion. It’s not the ending that I wanted, but when does anime ever give you that? LOL! I still love it though… and for some dumb reason, I always cry at the end.
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I might as well add this here…Title: Escaflowne – The Movie.
Synopsis: A alternate story with elements of the series. Basically, two brothers at war… with Hitomi as the one person who will either save or destroy Gaea.
Star Rating:
Review: I’m being generous here. The 2.5 stars are for good animation and music. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this one. All I remember is that I didn’t like it… at all!! I know it’s an “alternate” story, but really? The characters that you grew to love have been completely altered. The twins have maybe 2 seconds of movie time. Seriously? How can you not give the twins a decent part?? All the characters’ personalities have been completely changed. Hitomi is practically suicidal. And Folken!! What have they done to my beautiful Folken!? They turned him into some barbarian with a mullet on steroids! You should all be condemned for such a travesty! *cries* OK, I’m done now, but you get the idea.
Warnings and Praises: Maybe watch the movie first. This way you’ll have no basis for comparison, and you won’t be so upset. But if you find the movie is still crap, don’t let it keep you from the series.
April 3, 2011 at 10:24 pm #836389And now for something COMPLETELY different! :bigsmile:
Title: Those Who Hunt Elves
Synopsis: Three people from Earth – Junpei (martial arts jock), Ritsuko (a high school girl with a passion for military weaponry), and Airi (a keenly intelligent Hollywood actress)- are accidently summoned to a magical land. The elven sorceress, Celcia, must send them back, for their presence is causing their two worlds to collide. In the process of reciting the spell to send them back, Celcia gets distracted (Junpei’s fault) and loses control of the spell. The spell separates into 5 pieces and is shot across the lands, planting itself on the bodies of 5 random (and unknown) elven women. In order to get back home to Earth, and to prevent the destruction of both worlds, they must travel the lands to find the spell fragments… by getting elven women to reveal themselves one way or another. Yep, you read that right. LOL.
Opening song
…still trying to find a clip without spoilers…Star Rating: (but I love it!)
Review: Some may give this 1 star, other may give it 5. I love it! You have to take it for what it is. It’s unrefined brainless stupidity and definitely not high class literature, but it is hysterical! It’s one of the few animes I actually watch in English. It is a MUST in English. The Japanese version is over the top, but the American dubbed version is 10 times more so. The first time I watched it, I spit my drink up laughing so hard! I love the tank (yes, a military tank). I can’t say why, it’s a major spoiler… and the interactions between Junpei and Celcia are awesome.
Warnings and Praises: You might as well consider this potty humor. It’s not for the classy (I just labeled myself, didn’t I?)… and NOT for children. There is some mild cussing as well. The first two episodes are a little lame, but it picks up after that. I LOVE the episode with the little mandrake elves! I pop that episode in whenever I need a good laugh. There’s also a second season, but it’s not as good.
I have low standards. LOL!
April 3, 2011 at 10:45 pm #836407Agreed. For example, my husband watches shows that I don’t. This world would be no fun if everyone liked the same thing. 😛
Knowing the reasons why someone gave a star rating is what I’m interested in…. not the rating itself. There are some things I just won’t watch… and heaven knows I like things that most people don’t.
For example, if a great review says something like, “Awesome torture scenes!” then I know it’s not for me. LOL!
My hubby just found Digimon episodes in Japanese the other day on Hulu!! OMG!! OMG!! I’ve wanted the Japanese version forever! So excited!! XD
April 3, 2011 at 10:53 pm #836403Oh, I will. 🙂 I will most likely have a review for Trinity Blood. It was one that I was planning, but dreading, because of the backstory. Put this in, leave that out. My brain can’t edit that much info. 😛 We’ll probably have two different angles, as I got backstory after watching. I’m pretty sure Siberakh1 had backstory before watching (but please correct me if I’m wrong).
And go ahead and give Bleach and Naruto 5 stars from me now. 😆
April 3, 2011 at 10:55 pm #841636Wow, Hannah, it looks great! Awesomeness!! 😆 The links look good so far… but I have a few YouTube links I need to replace in a couple of my reviews. The clips got removed. >.<
The Bleach one is just a comment I made on post 46… it's not really a review. I could do an formal review for it later, but I have at least 2-3 others I want to do first. :bigsmile:
April 3, 2011 at 11:45 pm #841643YAY! I’m so glad you go to watch Saiyuki and Samurai Champloo bayou!!!
I think Black Butler will be the next series I pick up. I’ll also keep my eyes peeled for some of the titles I’ve seen reviews for I haven’t watched yet! Last year I didn’t get any DVDs cause they were ridiculously overpriced and ended up with a huge manga haul instead, but we’ll see what happens.
I haven’t watched anything new lately. I RE-watched a few of my favorites (cause I can half pay attantion while I work on PYOs or repairs) I have also been on a Dreamworks kick. Been watching How To Train Your Dragon and Megamind almost every other day >_< ROFL!
Here's a new one for you guys… bear with me, I don't know how to make the font different colors yet.
Title: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Synopsis: This story follows the title character Haruhi Suzumiya, a “seemingly” regular high school girl who is obsessed with aliens… and who can unconsciously change reality (unbeknownst to her) The series follows her strange antics with her school club the SOS Brigade which she founded to investigate any mysterious happenings. Haruhi forcibly drafts her cynical classmate Kyon who narrates the series, and similarly recruits three additional members into her club: the silent bibliophile Yuki Nagato, the shy and timid Mikuru Asahina, and the friendly “mysterious exchange student” Itsuki Koizumi. These members soon reveal themselves to Kyon as the extraordinary characters Haruhi is seeking, sent by their various organizations to observe her and hold her reality warping powers in check by maintaining the illusion of a normal life.
Star Rating:
Review: I loved this series! The animation was amazing, all the characters were all very unique, and the story was all in all an adventureous comedy rollercoaster! Every episode had something about it I loved.
Warnings and Praises: Some pervertedness (even though it was still pretty hilarious…mostly silly stuff like characters unnecessarily running around in revealing bunny suits type of stuff) and the series does get a little overboard at some parts, but overall it was still a really fun watch no matter how crazy it got!
Got a busted Windstone?
drag0nfeathersdesign@gmail.com
*OPEN for repairs**SEEKING GRAILS*
Arc-en-ciel Emperor
Siphlophis Male Dragon
Calypso Hatching Empress
Ivory Moss Sitting Baby Kirin
Tattoo Mother Kirin
Emerald Tabby Male Griffin
Tie Dye + Orion Hatching Royalty
Indigo Rockfish + Flame Tabby Little Rock Dragons
Dragon Quail + Obsidian Frost Old Warriors
Betta Sun Dragon + Male Dragon
Dreamscape, Orion, Poison Dart, Fireberry, Spangler + Tigerberry DragonsApril 4, 2011 at 7:47 pm #836368drag0nfeathers wrote:and DUDE! I don’t wanna ruinit but I was like WHAT!?!! It’s…. just like that?!?! It’s over!??! So many things that I waited for to happen………. none of them happened?!? GAH! Not even the main purpose of the whole damn story was resolved. 🙄 GAH! <— sorry, I get emotional when I talk about anime!
I’m so confused… You did see Inuyasha: The Final Act?? … It’s so hard to type without spoilers… when the jewel “goes away”? Maybe I should just PM you. LOL!
April 4, 2011 at 8:16 pm #841714Title: Origin: Spirits of the Past
<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MvVtFzV6L._SX500_.jpg"Synopsis: A boy named Agito stumbles upon a machine which has been keeping a girl named Toola in suspended animation for 300 years. Toola awakens to discover that the earth’s environment has been radically altered due to genetic experiments that her father was involved in, and that the forest itself has become a sentient entity. Together with Shunack, another person from the past, Toola attempts to use long dormant technology to return things to the way they used to be. When Toola comes to the realization that the ways of the past should not be revived, she and Agito fight to protect the world as it has become, and try to create a balance between mankind and nature.
Star Rating:
Review: I so wanted more from this one. The concept sounded so neat, and the trailer looked so dang cool… I was so looking forward to this one when it came out on Netflix. *sigh* I found it a bit slow and boring, and I felt nothing for the any of the characters. I remembered the very beginning, the end, and one part in the middle where Agito goes into the forest. That’s it. If this had been a series instead of a movie, we probably would have stopped watching. We figured we had already watched half of it; we might as well finish it off just to say we saw the whole thing. For the hubby to get bored is one thing, for me that’s another story. When I say I can’t remember much about this one, I mean it… I can’t even remember if I saw this in Japanese or the English dub. o.O Maybe I was just having a bad day.
Warnings and Praises: I don’t remember there being anything that stood out that would be offensive in any way.
April 4, 2011 at 10:41 pm #841728Ugh!!! I saw this and you hit the nail right on the head. I fell asleep 3 tries before I finally got through it >_<
Got a busted Windstone?
drag0nfeathersdesign@gmail.com
*OPEN for repairs**SEEKING GRAILS*
Arc-en-ciel Emperor
Siphlophis Male Dragon
Calypso Hatching Empress
Ivory Moss Sitting Baby Kirin
Tattoo Mother Kirin
Emerald Tabby Male Griffin
Tie Dye + Orion Hatching Royalty
Indigo Rockfish + Flame Tabby Little Rock Dragons
Dragon Quail + Obsidian Frost Old Warriors
Betta Sun Dragon + Male Dragon
Dreamscape, Orion, Poison Dart, Fireberry, Spangler + Tigerberry DragonsApril 14, 2011 at 2:59 am #842315Yep, another one… I’m on a serious kick right now. Apparently, it’s a bad idea if I quit watching for any length of time. It seems I’m making up for it, as I have a nice little queue list building. :bigsmile:
Title: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
Synopsis: (taken from AnimeNewsNetwork) Syaoran, a boy who wants to become an archeologist, and Sakura, a princess from the Clow Kingdom, are childhood friends with a close relationship. On a fateful night, Sakura lost all her memories as a result of a conspiracy to obtain her powers. In order to regain her memory, Syaoran seeks help from the witch, Yuuko. Yuuko tells Syaoran that he has to travel from one alternate reality to another to collect fragments of Sakura’s memory. However, even if Sakura regains her memory, she will have no recollection of Syaoran. Travelling together with them is Kurogane, a warrior who was exiled from his country, and Fay, a magician who wants to escape from his King. With the help of a magical creature, Mokona, they set off on an exciting journey through time and space.
Tsubasa: Reservior Chronicle (seasons 1 & 2 – 52 episodes)
Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations (OVA – 3 episodes)
Tsubasa: Shunraiki (OVA – 2 episodes):exmark: Since there are only 5 OVA episodes, I will include a small “review” for them at the bottom but will not post a synopsis for either… because the synopsis themselves are spoilers.
Star Rating:
Review: When I bought this, I thought it was the sequel to Cardcaptor Sakura since it had the same two main characters. Nope, I was wrong (that’ll teach me to read thoroughly before buying). Not only was it not a sequel, it had two new main characters. *stomps foot* I don’t want new characters; I want the OLD ones I grew to love! *throws tantrum* At first, I was disappointed, but that feeling was VERY short lived. I quickly fell in love with this series… as well as the new characters. Tsubasa also takes elements and characters from Clamp’s other titles as well, such as Chobits, RG Veda, Tokyo Babylon, and especially xxxHoLiC (which I now want to get).
There’s humor, action, emotion, great characters, awesome music, and some beautiful visuals and settings. If there’s one downside, the pace of the anime will slow occasionally, but I loved everything else about the series so much, I just didn’t care. It didn’t bother me one bit (this will probably be the deciding factor for most people).
Obviously, since there are OVAs, Sakura doesn’t get all her feathers (memories) back at the end of the 2nd season. You could stop at the end of season 2 if you wanted… but you know that there are mysteries revealed in the OVAs, even without a synopsis for them.
I thoroughly loved this one! This will be one I watch more than once. 🙂
Warnings and Praises: The soundtrack is EPIC! I bought it before I even finished the anime. Some of the musical scores have an ethereal world/folk sound which lends to the “otherworldly” feel of the anime. I think the soundtrack is one of the reasons why I like the series so much (but I’m a big fan of world music).
In the first two seasons, there is almost no blood. It has some mild violence but would be fine for older kids. I watched the Japanese version. Even though I heard the English dub was good, I didn’t care for it. It just didn’t sound or feel right to me.
OVAs
OVAs are a bit different. For one, they are much darker. Holy crap! o_O Waaaay different from the first two seasons. There were some plot twists, too… Damn, I sooo didn’t see that coming!… While there are a lot of things revealed in the OVAs, there are also many things that were left out from the manga, especially with the Shunraiki OVA. This makes things a bit confusing to follow. You get the feeling that the OVAs were made just for the manga readers. And no, you don’t really get an ending either. 😐 They just recently finished the manga, so it will be interesting to see if they release a final OVA or a movie (but I doubt it). Even though I was disappointed with the abrupt shortness of Shunraiki, I still enjoyed the series. I just figured a little warning was in order for the OVAs.
Tsubasa “trailer” – done to one of the songs, Ship of Fools. It contains clips from both seasons and the OVAs, but it’s pretty much spoiler-free. Ignore the first 15 seconds.Fai and Kurogane’s fight – LOL! Fai’s theme plays in the background.
Mokona – I just had to find a clip with Mokona in it. :bigsmile:
April 21, 2011 at 2:15 am #842905Title: Izumo: Takeki Tsurugi no Senki
<img src="http://www.anime-direct.com/snaps/Izumo%20Takeki%20Tsurugi%20no%20Senki.jpg"Synopsis: (taken from anime-planet.com) Takeru and Takeshi are best friends and rivals in their school’s kendo club. But when a strange earthquake somehow transports them and their friends to a fantasy land filled with strange creatures and evil spirits, the two friends find themselves separated in a world on the brink of war. While Takeru decides to find his lost companions and fight to save the world, Takeshi sets off on a path to find a new purpose and gain recognition… even if that path that leads him away from his friends. The battle for the fate of the world approaches; will the friends ever be reunited?
Star Rating:
Review: I caught this one on Hulu. It was only 12 episodes, so I gave it a shot. It’s not great, but it’s not the worst I’ve seen either. While it did have some good moments throughout, overall I found it a bit lacking, especially with the characters — too many with not enough time to flesh out that many personalities. Also, for a story that revolves around a major war that will determine the complete annihilation or salvation of TWO worlds, I was expecting it to be a bit more serious as it progressed. About two-thirds the way through, I began to wonder if anyone was actually going to die. I not a “blood and gore fan” type of person at all… but the series revolves around a WAR… with plenty of lackluster characters to spare. It felt like the series was trying to be both cute and serious at the same time, and it just didn’t mesh well. This and some inconsistencies with a few of the characters’ actions in certain situations were my biggest issues with the series. Again, it wasn’t completely awful, and it did have its enjoyable moments, but I won’t be adding this one to my collection. 😛
Warnings and Praises: Meh… not much either way, but I will note there is very little blood for an amine with a war story.
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