Ever since Nyanko-sensei came into his life, Natsume Takashi has slowly learned that being able to see spirits doesn’t mean he has to distance himself from other people. But even as he juggles the responsibilities of human friendships and the Book of Friends, new challenges will arise that test his powers and make him consider his place in between everyday life and the world of the supernatural.

In its first season, Natsume Yuujinchou quickly grew on me and established itself as one of the better supernatural series out there- and with a fresh batch of manga stories to draw from, it seemed only sensible to expect the second season to keep on delivering quality material. Fortunately, not only did this season live up to expectations, it went a long way towards strengthening Natsume Yuujinchou’s already worthy reputation.

Continuing in the vein of the first season, Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou brings us more episodic tales of the supernatural, offering its usual mix of the amusing and the thoughtful to bring each story to life. From a delightful tale in which a black version of Nyanko-sensei mysteriously shows up to hideous monster intent on devouring its victim, each episode is always a treat to watch, and certainly the highlight of any viewing schedule.

In the first season of Natsume Yuujinchou, we saw our hero grow beyond his enforced isolation, and Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou continues the process. Once again, we see our hero slowly opening up to the people in his life, maintaining old friendships, establishing new ones, and even slowly breaking down the barriers he erected between himself and his foster parents. Not that Natsume is the only character on display, of course, for as well as bringing back the always solid supporting cast, this second season throws a few new faces into the mix, most notably Taki Tooru, an onmyouji and new ally who can see spirits who pass through her magic circles. Also of interest are some further insights into the character of Natsume’s capricious grandmother Reiko, whilst the delightful Nyanko-sensei remains a consistent scene-stealer.

Visually, Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou brings us more of the same subdued pastel visuals; it will never be the flashiest series out there, but it still looks attractive. Nyanko-sensei seems to be fatter than ever, but other than that the series is on a par with the first season. Similarly, background music continues to serve its purpose without particularly standing out.

Final Thoughts

After a strong first season, Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou brings us a slightly tweaked and improved formula that delivers even more goodness than ever before. Watching it is a thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable experience- more of the same, please.

Tier: Gold

Yumi is nearing the end of her second year at Lillian, and there is much to be done before her beloved onee-sama Sachiko can graduate and leave her to take over the role of Rosa Chinensis. Of course, the most pressing matter is finding a petite soeur, and whilst Yoshino is pressured by Rei and Eriko to pick one, Yumi must finally make a decision. Is Touko the one she wants to give her rosary to, or is there someone better out there to join the Red Rose ‘family’?

A series infamous for its HARD YURI undertones, MariMite nonetheless managed to bring us two enjoyable seasons, before blowing it somewhat on a ridiculously over the top OVA filled with bizarre sports festivals and all kinds of love rivalry. In the space of five episodes, the OVA had destroyed most of my goodwill towards the series- could a brand new TV series bring it back?

Fortunately, with all the festivals out of the way, the series proved to be back on track, bringing us a more acceptable level of HARD YURI angst. The main focus of the season, of course, was Yumi’s attempts to find the right soeur for her (dominant or submissive? Sachiko replacement or something new?), and even though most of us must have known how it would turn out eventually, the journey was still entertaining. And fortunately, there are also a number of side stories to keep us entertained, most notably Yoshino’s own attempts to find a petite soeur.

Although there is one notable new addition to the cast this season, for the most part the focus is on the core characters we’ve come to know and love. Whilst both Yumi and Yoshino are forced to grow up a little this time around, Touko is finally becoming more likable- yes, she’s still a stroppy, contrary little princess, but every so often a more human and vulnerable side to her personality starts to show through.

As always, MariMite isn’t working with the highest budget when it comes to animation, although it still manages to look decent enough (certainly flashy effects aren’t needed for this sort of series)- and in fact overall it seems a bit more polished than the surprisingly poor-looking OVA. Similarly, the background music is the same old elevator fare we’ve come to expect.

Final Thoughts

Obviously, those brand new to the franchise aren’t going to start with this season, and those who’ve made it this far will watch it regardless, but if you’re poised on the threshold after the disappointing OVA, rest assured that MariMite is back on form for its fourth season, delivering all the angst and HARD YURI undertones we’ve come to expect from the series. Watch and enjoy it for what it is.

Tier: Bronze+

The town of Sakurashin is one of the few places where humans and youkai can coexist in relative harmony, but unfortunately, its location on the cusp of the two worlds also makes it a magnet for trouble. That’s where Akina, Hime, Ao and Kotoha come in- four teenagers with special powers who are also charged with keeping the peace. Together with their allies, these four pit themselves against all the forces who seek to disrupt the town, but even their combined talents aren’t proof against the revelation that their greatest enemy wears an all too familiar face.

Since I don’t seem to have learned my lesson about watching anime for purely superficial reasons (hey, it does pay off sometimes), I was drawn to Yozakura Quartet simply because I had seen a calendar displaying its distinctive artwork. Unfortunately, if unsurprisingly, the series itself proved to be a classic case of style over substance.

Sticking with the standard ‘teens with super powers fight demons’ storyline, Yozakura Quartet has little to offer in the way of originality; the characters are insipid, the storylines are forgettable, and by the end you can’t really pinpoint what you got out of the series. Even the main plot, which had the potential to prove at least vaguely worthy, turns out to be repetitive and irritating as our heroes angst over having to fight a demon that has possessed their former best friend. Matters aren’t helped by the fact that powerful God Mode beings are always watching from the sidelines- even though the rules prevent them from interfering, it does remove any sense of jeopardy from the series.

Similarly, although mildly likable, the characters are hardly anything to write home about. We have Akina, the bland male lead with destined powers; Hime, the stoic mayor with hidden vulnerabilities; Ao, the immature cat girl and Kotoha, the laid-back half-demon who can create things with her words (a rather ridiculous power considering that with a little imagination, she could basically do anything with it). Add to that an equally uninspiring supporting cast, and you have the full grouping of standard anime personalities, none of which ever threaten to break out of their moulds.

Visually, Yozakura Quartet has the distinctive, angular designs that first drew me to the series, ensuring attractive designs even if the animation budget itself isn’t particularly well endowed. The background music attempts to be cool and edgy, but it isn’t particularly worthy of note.

Final Thoughts

A classic case of style over substance, Yozakura Quartet may have some nice character designs, but in all other regards it falls sadly short of expectations. Unless you like wasting your hours with bland, disappointing material, give this one a miss.

Tier: Wood

Nagisa and Tomoya are finally together, but there are still many more obstacles for them to face. Whilst Nagisa continues to battle with her illness, Tomoya must grow up fast as he takes responsibility for supporting himself and his partner. Will they be able to overcome everything and live happily ever after, or is this one tale that must inevitably end in tragedy?

Since I spent the entirety of Clannad waiting for Tomoya and Nagisa to get together, I was optimistic that After Story would be more my cup of tea. Unfortunately, even though it was a solid enough series overall, it still had its ups and downs.

After some customary faffing around with baseball and the like, After Story seemed happy to get on with the process of furthering the story of Tomoya and Nagisa’s relationship- all to the good, you might think, except that it’s hard to really get ‘comfortable’ with the story. You know that Tomoya and Nagisa are supposed to have a deep and caring relationship, but it’s hard to see evidence of anything more than a superficial connection. Maybe it’s just a failing on my part, but I just couldn’t see it- especially as they both still looked about fifteen despite having graduated from high school.

Of course, even my hardened and cynical heart couldn’t help but be moved by the events of episode 17; thanks to spoilers, I had long known of these events, but somehow the emotion that was lacking from the earlier episodes was all packed into here, making for a genuinely touching and poignant moment.

With this turning point, the series jumps ahead several years, and, understandable as it is, we have to deal with Tomoya’s angst arc before he finally gets his act together. Although they never hit the heights of that fateful episode, the closing chapters of After Story are at least an improvement of the faltering start, despite a somewhat dubious ending.

Given that this series is basically “Tomoya and Nagisa: What Happened Next”, it should come as little surprise that the supporting characters now have more minor roles- naturally, for the sake of all the fanboys, everyone makes at least a token appearance, but overall the series is much more focused.

Visually, the series brings us more of the usual KyoAni eye candy- by now, we would be disappointed with anything less. Background music is of similar quality to the first series, mostly ‘visual novel’ easy listening with a couple of standout tracks and a somewhat catchy OP.

Final Thoughts

Although it has its own flaws to bring to the playing field, overall After Story proves to be an improvement over the first series, bringing us a more focused and driven narrative. Those who didn’t support the Tomoya X Nagisa path will no doubt be disappointed at the reduced role played by their favourite girl, but overall this is a second season that surpasses its predecessor.

Tier: Silver-

Although not familiar with any Nitroplus games firsthand, ever since I first ‘met’ Ignis I have loved their character designs, and so both curiosity and visual appeal drove me to see what Chaos;Head had to offer beyond its bizarrely punctuated title. And at first, it seemed like just the thing for me- a series where delusion and reality blended so seamlessly for our main character that you couldn’t be sure what was really happening and what was just his imagination. It was fascinating and compelling- and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

Unfortunately, instead of drawing me in further as the series progressed, Chaos;Head had quite the opposite effect. With a multitude of characters and an explosion of technobabble, the story changes from an intriguing mystery into a solid but not outstanding sci-fi/fantasy series- decent enough in its own right, but hardly delivering on its early promise.

As with so many 12-13 episode series, Chaos;Head has a few too many characters for its own good, with our hero predictably being surrounded by numerous beautiful girls. Fortunately, most of the characters are generally likeable- it’s just that we don’t have time to properly get to know them. What character development there is usually takes the form of ‘shocking’ plot-related revelations that mostly don’t come as a surprise at all.

Visually, Chaos;Head has far less to worry about- the basic character designs are aesthetically pleasing, whilst other details such as the “D-Swords” wielded by various characters are all very well done. Background music is generally solid, with a number of worthy tracks and an oddly catchy ending theme.

Final Thoughts

Although it didn’t live up to its early potential, Chaos;Head is still a decent enough series- if you like science-fiction with a hint of mystery and plenty of eye candy, it is definitely worth looking into.

Tier: Silver-

Rita’s name has been cleared and her country saved, but she isn’t quite ready to settle down just yet. Instead, the intrepid princess decides to accompany her friends on a quest to track down the man who killed Tina’s parents- but along the way they will run into conspiracies, a love triangle and any number of trials that will test their friendship to the limit.

With the first season of Sisters of Wellber proving to be entirely average, I was expecting the second to offer more of the same bland inoffensiveness. Unfortunately, what I hadn’t counted on was that the series was now so practised at being dull that the second batch of thirteen episodes would be even more underwhelming than the first.

Whilst it was never anything to write home about, I at least felt able to pay attention to the plot of the first season, but this time around it seemed more lacklustre than ever. The bulk of the season meandered around with a pointless revenge story, but since that obviously wasn’t considered mind-numbing enough on its own, we were treated to yet more ‘fascinating’ plot elements. After inserting a painfully irritating love triangle involving Galahad, Rita and Tina (come on, we all know Rita and Tina are meant to be together!), the series tried to enliven itself with the kind of twist that you wish would end with the main characters shouting at each other on the Jeremy Kyle show. Unfortunately, the series opts for a more conventional finale, leaving you to wonder why you even bothered in the first place.

As before, the characters prove to be little to write home about; the main characters are just as uninteresting as they were before, whilst the antagonists (in particular the ‘final boss’) are little more than laughable. The most interesting bit of character development in the whole series is an episode detailing the origins of talking tank Cyrano de Bergerac, and even this is hardly worth taking the time to watch.

Visually, the animation quality is much the same as last season- decent enough, but nothing special. Background music is as forgettable as ever.

Final Thoughts

Average as it was, the original Sisters of Wellber was still just about watchable, which is more than can be said for this utterly bland second season. Even at the best times it struggled to keep my attention- even if you made it all the way through the first season, there is no reason to subject yourself to this.

Tier: Wood

With terrorist attacks continuing to plague Italy, the cyborg girls of Section 2 are needed more than ever- and through a mixture of conditioning and adolescent, they are more than willing to fight alongside their handlers. But even the enhanced abilities of a cyborg may not be enough to combat the likes of naturally gifted killer Pinocchio- especially as some of the older girls must confront their own mortality as their life spans run short.

As someone who ranks both the Gunslinger Girl manga and the first season of the anime amongst my all-time favourites, a continuation of the animated version seemed like an early Christmas present. Unfortunately, when it transpired that Studio Madhouse was handing over the reins to Artland, the warning bells began to go off- and unfortunately even my lowered expectations weren’t prepared for the awful reality.

Where the original series added colour, music and atmosphere to the material without compromising on the quality in any way, Il Teatrino was little more than an exercise in how to ruin good ingredients. Somehow forgetting everything they did for Mushishi, Artland threw away the depth and poignancy of the series, replacing it with something bland and shallow. In the manga, I cared for all the characters, but here I was barely motivated enough to watch them- it wasn’t just that I knew what was coming, it was all just handled so shoddily.

As if to add insult to injury, the series couldn’t manage to offer up a bit of eye candy to compensate for its many flaws in content. Instead, Il Teatrino is visually inferior to the first series, offering simplified character designs that are of average quality at best and an insult to the original anime at worst. Similarly, the wonderfully atmospheric background music of the first season has been replaced with generic anime themes that will impress no one.

Final Thoughts

Before this series came along, I would have sworn that it was impossible to ruin something as good as Gunslinger Girl, but Artland have proven themselves more than able for the task. A disappointing addition to an otherwise strong franchise, this is one anime that should probably be put to one side- it may not be the worst series out there, but its very existence sullies the good name of Gunslinger Girl.

Tier: Wood+

Suzuki Sora is an apprentice mage who has come to Tokyo to finish her training. Together with her fellow apprentices, she must learn to hone her skills, deal with clients and provide all the services that are expected of a licensed mage. Becoming a professional is no easy task, however, and Sora has many lessons to learn- without ever losing her pure heart and idealistic outlook.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the tranquil beauty of the original Someday’s Dreamers and its manga-only sequel Spellbound, I was very much looking forward to Natsu no Sora- especially as the first chapter of the manga had seemed entirely promising. Unfortunately, instead of having my expectations fulfilled, I was to find myself in for a disappointment so great that it would forever sour the franchise in my mind.

Although I usually leave commenting on the visuals until later, this time around I must make an exception- because the first and most important deficiency in this series is the lack of Kumichi Yoshizuki’s beautiful watercolour style artwork. Instead, we are fobbed off with bland and generic character designs coupled with backdrops that only look good because they are slightly photoshopped photographs of real landscapes. If I wanted to look at landscapes, I’d go directly to an image gallery, not start watching an anime!

Of course, such things could be tolerated if the series had something to offer in the way of content, but unfortunately it falls down here as well. The entire series is an exercise in blandness, presenting episodes so dull that it is an effort of will just to pay attention to them. Not only is the pace excruciatingly slow and constantly punctuated by the aforementioned landscape scenes, but the story never really goes anywhere. Throughout the early episodes, we are so numbed by the lack of progression and Sora’s irritating idealism that by the time the ‘shock twist’ is revealed towards the end of the series, it comes across as pathetically stupid rather than something to care about.

Unsurprisingly, the characters are equally insipid- so much so that it is hard to remember their names, let alone care about them. From the idealistic lead and disaffected potential love interests to friends and rivals, everyone is drawn from standard anime types, and none of them develops beyond those one-dimensional briefs.

Final Thoughts

Instead of being the beautiful and gentle series I hoped for, Natsu no Sora took bland inoffensiveness to new extremes, resulting in something that was painful at worst, and provoked only indifference in its better moments. If you want to see what Someday’s Dreamers should be about, try the original series or the manga, not this watered-down version.

Tier: Wood

When Keiichirou Tachibana chucks in a well paid job to become the proprietor of a patisserie, it seems an unlikely move for a man who doesn’t even like sweets that much. Still, his new life is far from uneventful, thanks to his new employees- a chief patissier so gay that he’s been fired from all his jobs for making even straight men fall in love with him, an ex-boxer with a sweet tooth and an overly devoted family friend. But does Tachibana’s sudden desire to deal in confectionaries have something to do with the fact that he was once kidnapped by a man with a strange predilection for delicious cakes?

Despite its obvious HARD GAY reputation, I initially regarded Antique Bakery with an optimistic eye; maybe it would be like the cake version of Bartender, with troubled customers coming in each week to find their perfect cake. The result combination of delicious confections and human drama could only be a recipe for a success, couldn’t it? Well, maybe it could have been if the series had gone down that route- but unfortunately, it didn’t.

Instead, what we get is something so ridiculously HARD GAY that it’s hard to believe even the producers took it seriously- in fact, all I needed to do to parody each episode was just relate almost exactly what happened. From gay baker Ono’s fear of anything lacking a Y chromosome to family friend Chikage’s overzealous devotion to Tachibana, everything is completely over the top- and worst of all, nothing really happens. Yes, there is an attempt at a main plot in which Tachibana tries to use his cake shop to track down the cake-obsessed man who kidnapped him as a child, but the whole thing is so utterly stupid that it is hardly worth classing as a plot at all.

Similarly, the characters, whilst unintentionally amusing, are largely a case of wasted potential. Despite having points where depth or development could be explored (such as ex-boxer Eiji having to give up his career or risk losing his sight), each of the main characters is portrayed one dimensionally, leading to a quartet of the uptight STRAIGHT man, the openly HARD GAY guy, the overeager novice and the stoic sidekick. The supporting cast is even less substantial, with the few other named characters proving forgettable at best and irritating at worst.

Visually, Antique Bakery sticks to a pale, pastel style that suits the series, although its greatest accomplishment is the paper cut out style opening and jigsaw ending. Background music is inoffensive and forgettable.

Final Thoughts

I don’t know what it was intending to achieve, but ultimately all Antique Bakery managed was to be an over the top HARD GAY-fest that was hilarious for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps the original manga held more promise, but this adaptation certainly didn’t have much of genuine value to offer.

Tier: Wood+

When Soichi Negishi vowed to make it big in the music scene, he’d imagined a peaceful and intellectual career emulating his Swedish pop heroes- but unfortunately, things don’t always go to plan. Playing guitar at street corners is all very well, but when it comes to making money, Negishi has to rely on his other job as lead singer of heavy metal group Detroit Metal City. Playing the role of Krauser- a demon from hell who claims to have started his life by raping and killing his parents- goes against everything Negishi believes in, but somehow this sweet and gentle young man just can’t walk away from the nightmare he created.

At first glance, Detroit Metal City sounds like exactly the kind of series not to bother with- aside from the fact that I don’t like heavy metal, Krauser himself sounds like exactly the kind of puerile and unpleasant character that should be locked away in a deep, dark place and never spoken of again. To my surprise, however, the content is handled in such a way that, whilst it certainly isn’t the kind of thing you’d want to show to your grandmother (or indeed anyone except close friends and fellow anime fans), it is actually entirely hilarious. And in case you’re worried, no one gets raped or killed in the making of it.

The humour in Detroit Metal City arises from the mismatch between Krauser and the ‘real’ Negishi, one that causes him all sorts of mishaps. Whether it’s an attempt to do good that backfires, or an inadvertent slip into his Krauser personality, Negishi is always the centre of some escalating situation- and it invariably proves to be thoroughly entertaining.

As with most comedy series, Detroit Metal City is more about getting in the jokes rather than developing the characters, but there is no doubt that there are plenty of memorable personalities, from the masochist who plays a whipped ‘capitalist pig’ onstage for DMC to the fearsome group manager who only wants the kind of sick extremes that get her ‘wet’. Of course, Negishi/Krauser remains the centre of the show, but it is only through his interactions with all these extreme personalities that the series really takes shape.

Visually, Detroit Metal City sticks with a simplistic look that will hardly win any aesthetic prizes, but which suits the nature of the series well. As someone who isn’t a fan of either Swedish pop or death metal, the music alone does little for me, but as the central theme of the series, it performs its function admirably.

Final Thoughts

Against all the odds, Detroit Metal City emerges from a potentially gratuitous and unappealing premise to deliver something completely hilarious. As long as your sensibilities can cope with some crudeness and bad language, you’ll have a whale of a time watching this one.

Tier: Gold-