Reviewed this week: Allison and Lillia 7, Amatsuki 5, Baccano! 15, Chi’s Sweet Home 25-8, Himawari!! 4, Itazura na Kiss 7, Kurenai 7, Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 5, Nabari no Ou 5, Persona Trinity Soul 9, Toshokan Sensou 6, Wagaya no Oinari-sama 6, xxxHOLiC Kei 6

…and in manga: Akagi 12-13, Elfen Lied 85, xxxHOLiC 121-57

OH

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Chi’s Sweet Home (1)- Chi scratches
2. Kurenai (2) – singing
3. Kaiba (3) – memory chip
4. Nabari no Ou (4) – ninjas are cool again
5. xxxHOLiC Kei (5) – Kohane-chan
6. Wagaya no Oinari-sama (6) – fox trap
7. Real Drive (7) – a better orgasm
8. Soul Eater (8) – Bones does shounen
9. Persona Trinity Soul (9) – catch-up, start!
10. Himitsu (10) – HARD GAY and siscon
11. Toshokan Sensou (11) – library wars
12. Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (12) – disillusioned
13. Itazura na Kiss (13) – everything at or below this line is generic
14. Amatsuki (14) – the new Shounen Onmyouji
15. Allison and Lillia (15) – yawn

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Shion no Ou (1) – demoted to slow
2. Tetsuko no Tabi (2)- is this ever going to be subbed?
3. Love GetChu! (3)- light entertainment
4. Himawari!! (5) – needs less plot
5. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (4)- licensed
6. Shounen Onmyouji (6)- end in sight?

ANIME

Allison and Lillia 7: Even by A&L standards, this week’s episode is a particularly pointless instalment, in which our heroes steal a plane (not that they particularly needed to) and spend the entire episode flying to the capital so that Fiona can claim she’s the princess- even though she isn’t really the princess. Meanwhile, the Benedict X Fiona angle is predictably played upon, and next week some people question whether this random girl who has just shown up is really the princess she claims to be! How dare they!?

Benedict: I have to tell you the truth…I’m actually a woman!

(second half of sentence may not have appeared in actual episode).

Amatsuki 5: Another episode of Amatsuki comes and goes without too much fanfare, as the Princess reincarnates into her reverse trap body, Kuchiha has some flashbacks about the past, and some other stuff happens that I can’t even remember a mere day after watching it. Even the villains don’t seem to be taking their role seriously, so I’m not really sure how or even if I’m expected to.

Baccano! 15: The Baccano! OVA continues to improve in this episode, in which we get some insight into Nice and Jacuzzi’s past (including how she lost the sight in one eye), before flashing forward to just after the Flying Pussyfoot incident. Jacuzzi’s gang has taken in Chane, but when she gets kidnapped by the new character (who has mistaken her for Eve Genoard), Jacuzzi rises from his hospital bed to get her back- because that’s what friends do. It was actually refreshingly different to be able to follow what was going on for once, although that didn’t diminish the quality at all.

Boys and girls, this is why we have goggles.

Chi’s Sweet Home 25-8: When Chi starts scratching the sofa and Dad’s vintage jeans, the family decides something must be done, but in typical fashion she doesn’t understand what her newly-purchased scratching post is for. In the end, the family is forced to clip her claws, which I don’t really like to see done to cats, but other than that quibble, this is as entertaining as ever.

Himawari!! 4: Another episode of Himawari!!, another monster of the week, and this time around it’s Himeji who’s targeted- by a group of micro-ninjas. With the ninjas invading her body, it’s time for a Fantastic Voyage style trip into her body to fight them off- a story that, if not particularly good or inspiring, is at least better than the last few instalments.

Itazura na Kiss 7: It’s not like I’ve really liked Irie up to this point, but in this episode he really crosses the line- which is a shame as the series was finally ready to graduate from high school romance to, well, college romance. Anyway, trouble starts when Classes A and F end up having their graduation dinner at the same restaurant; naturally this leads to Irie insulting Kotoko in front of his classmates and Kotoko responding by showing everyone the photos of young Irie dressed as a girl. Anyway, the upshot of it all is that Kotoko finally seems to realise that Irie is a bastard who isn’t worth wasting time on, but in a manipulative turn of events, he decides to make it harder to forget him by kissing her. Kotoko, defy the story and leave him! Find a decent guy!

Kurenai 7: Each week, Kurenai brings me more reasons to love it, and this instalment was no exception. Whilst Shinkurou is away, Tamaki decides to show Murasaki a little more of the outside world by taking her into college; a place where Tamaki is well established as a man-eater who scorns women who are desperate to hang onto their boyfriends. After getting dumped by her latest conquest, however, even Tamaki has to admit that she is no different from those women. In the midst of all this, we have an interesting range of both amusing and poignant dialogue, before moving onto a flashback about Murasaki’s mother and the revelation that an ally of the Kuhouin family has finally tracked down our diminutive heroine. I’m not sure if I’m ready for this turn of events (especially if it means we have some Seirei no Moribito-esuqe Eight Evil Men coming after her), but I’ll place my trust in the series not to let me down.

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 5: It’s finally time for the honeymoon, but after the obligatory family beach scenes, a troupe of evil monkeys attacks the hotel and abducts Yuuka. It’s clear the series isn’t going to live up to my early expectations for a worthy crazy comedy that could break the mould, but at least it’s watchable enough for now.

The Hakuoro look is back in this summer.

Nabari no Ou 7: We’re ready to move ahead into the next section of the story with this episode, as the head of another village approaches our heroes and offers to give them the scroll they need if they’ll just assassinate an evil CEO named Mr Frosty (no, not the crushed ice maker). And if that wasn’t a good enough deal for them, she also has a special ability that lets her read minds and expose people’s darkest secrets. Despite the lack of action, this is a worthy and indeed interesting episode, although I have a hard time believing that our heroes will actually be able to kill Mr Frosty when it comes down to it.

Persona Trinity Soul 9: Jun gets to go out with an older woman in this episode, which otherwise doesn’t see a great deal happen beyond the revelation that Jun actually has transplanted tissue from his sister’s brain, explaining his alternate personality in the way that only anime can. Still, I must forge ahead if I’m ever to catch up with and then finish this series.

Toshokan Sensou 6: When this episode started with Komaki and Kasahara in the middle of a face-off with the Media corp, I wondered if I’d missed something as the last episode certainly hadn’t ended on a cliff-hanger. Fortunately, a cut to flashback reassured me that I wasn’t going mad, and that our heroes were trying to protect the Book of Prophecy, a banned tale of a society in which books are banned (possibly Fahrenheit 451). Unfortunately, it all got a bit messy as the current story was blended with a flashback to one of Dojo and Komaki’s early missions, with the result being a ‘decent enough but nothing special’ episode.

Wagaya no Oinari-sama 6: I’ve revised my expectations for the series down once again- it’s now firmly in the light entertainment category that housed MagiPoka, Himawari! season one and its ilk. Anyway, this episode takes more of a harem slant on the series, with Misaki worrying so much about Kou and Kuu living with her beloved Noboru that she decides to invite herself over to his house. Cue speeches about friendship, cooking disasters and various other anime staples, all presented in a generally entertaining but occasionally painful format (how many times do we have to see Kou and Kuu breaking things?).

xxxHOLiC Kei 6: Although the series somehow manages to make an entire episode out of mahjongg this time around, I don’t mind- after all, I did watch and enjoy Akagi. It’s all pretty predictable stuff, with Yuuko, Mokona and Doumeki completely thrashing the beginner Watanuki, but it’s still entertaining enough. Meanwhile, next episode’s water gathering was originally for the sake of the Tsubasa X world, but I hear the Tsubasa connection has been removed for the anime.

MANGA

Akagi 12-13: Well, the first arc is finally over, but Akagi is ready to plan for his second match- provided that the wager is high enough to hold his interest. After writing such a long post about Kaiji and his character, it’s interesting to go back and consider Akagi once again, a man who can win by abandoning his fear of death and putting everything on the line where others would be too afraid.

Elfen Lied 85: A surprisingly long 95 page chapter this time around, in which we get a glimpse into Lucy’s past, and how she befriended a girl, only to watch her get killed when the authorities came hunting for Diclonii (hmm, who would have guessed?). Meanwhile, in the present Nana’s “Papa” has become a little unhinged after the death of Mariko, the villains continue plotting and everyone moves into Yuka’s mother’s place (I think), although she has an instinctive mistrust of poor Nana. It’s all par for the course, really.

*CATCH-UP* xxxHOLiC 121-57: Cheer, everyone, for after many months of hiatus, I have finally caught up with xxxHOLiC, and apart from a little too much crossover with Tsubasa, it remains good. The artwork is as stylish and high contrast as ever, whilst the number of stand-alone stories has drastically reduced in favour of storylines about Watanuki’s lost memories, his link with Syaoran, and the spirit medium Kohane. Dare I say that I actually enjoy reading it, which is more than can be said for Tsubasa these days.

Reviewed this week: Allison and Lillia 1-2, Amatsuki 1, Chi’s Sweet Home 7-8, Crystal Blaze 1, Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino 6, Kurenai 2, Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 1, Tower of Druaga 2, Wagaya no Oinari-sama 1, Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 10

…and in manga: Akagi 10-11, Chi’s Sweet Home 1, Doujin Work 20-22, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 12

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Kaiji (1) – ざわ, ざわ…
2. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (2) – the state of modern society has left me in despair!
3. Chi’s Sweet Home (3)- litter tray
4. Kurenai (4) – Murasaki
5. Wagaya no Oinari-sama (-) –fox trap <-new!
6. xxxHOLiC Kei (5) – wow, it’s actually good
7. Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (-) – family frenzy <- new!
8. Amatsuki (-) – the new Tactics/Shounen Onmyouji <- new!
9. Persona Trinity Soul (6)- I really should catch up with this
10. Shion no Ou (7) – Hani Meijin’s secret videos
11. Allison and Lillia (-) – a bit disappointing <- new!
12. Itazura no Kiss (8) generic so far
13. Tower of Druaga (9) – don’t lose the humour!
14. Blassreiter (10) – dropped!
15. Crystal Blaze (-) –here today, gone next week

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Tetsuko no Tabi (1)- is this ever going to be subbed?
2. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (2)- kaleidoscope
3. Himawari!! (3) – needs less plot
4. Love GetChu! (4)- light entertainment
5. Shounen Onmyouji (5)- end in sight?

*NEW* Allison and Lillia 1-2: Everyone knows how eagerly I search for the next Last Exile, and this series (or rather pair of series fused together) from the author of Kino’s Journey seemed like the perfect candidate- at least until I started watching it. It seems that Lillia is on the backburner for this half of the series, which instead focuses on Allison and her friend Wil as they enter enemy territory to rescue a kidnapped young man. Unfortunately, everything from the story to the animation is as generic as it comes, putting me in mind of the likes of Pumpkin Scissors and its ilk. I’ll be sticking with it for now, but my initial high expectations have been revised downward.

*NEW* Amatsuki 1: As I said in my season preview, this series is about a high school student who fails at history and has to take up a make-up course in the form of a virtual simulation of the Edo era- only to end up really going back in time and getting stuck in the past. With that in mind, the series makes a mildly entertaining start, but ultimately it looks like it will be yet another in a long line of Edo era supernatural series. Still, unless it reaches Shounen Onmyouji levels of mediocrity, it can stay on the viewing list.

Chi’s Sweet Home 7-8: The great expedition to buy kitty litter is here, but what sort of litter should Dad buy, and even when he chooses, will Chi understand that her ‘playbox’ is a litter tray? Next up, Chi finally gets her name (which in fact means ‘wee’), and there you have it- more development in the space of five minutes than some series manage in twenty-six full episodes.

*NEW/PROBABLY DROPPED* Crystal Blaze 1: What is it with the word ‘crystal’ that makes me want to investigate a series? Truly it was a mistake this time, because what I hoped might be a follow up to the “not so bad after all” Heat Guy J actually turned out to have very little to recommend it. This season’s Rental Magica, the series sees generic Detective Agency of Bishie Leader, Little Brother and High School Assistants take on a job to protect Mysterious Young Woman With Special Powers. If I had all the time in the world and nothing to do with it, maybe I would watch this series, but as it stands I can’t be bothered.

Gunslinger Girl – Il Teatrino 6: It’s been so long since I’ve watched an episode of this that I really don’t care anymore- the manga is so excellent that this anime seems superfluous to requirements. In this episode, a chairwoman has to be protected, whilst Henrietta’s kaleidoscope breaks and must be fixed, with both stories coming together in a mildly unexpected way.

Kurenai 2: Kurenai continues to score highly on both the content and presentation front as we move into the second episode, in which Lead and Murasaki continue to adjust to living together, complete with missed phone calls, unpredictable neighbours and a trip to the public baths. Despite some worry at the back of my mind that this could turn into another Seirei no Moribito, it’s proving to be a strong series so far, so perhaps I should just get on with enjoying myself and taking each week as it comes. After all, it even has a black cat.

*NEW* Kyouran Kazoku Nikki 1: Many years ago, the evil Enka attempted to destroy the world, and whilst it failed, its spirit lives on in various different beings. Now, all those beings must be gathered together as a family in an attempt to quench any latent desires to annihilate the planet- but what exactly happens when you put a paranormal investigator, a catgirl goddess, a jellyfish, a lion, a combat robot, a loli and a HARD GAY guy together? Presumably that’s what we’ll be finding out over the course of the series, and although I’m not entirely sure this will something I want to follow until the end, for now it looks promising- this could be what Disgaea and Kamisama Kazoku might have been like if they’d actually been funny.

Tower of Druaga- Aegis of Uruk 2: The humour is over, and Tower of Druaga is settling down into the kind of generic fantasy that makes me not really want to watch it. I’ll probably give it another episode or so, but with more series flooding in every day, it’s hardly something I want to devote a great deal of time to.

*NEW* Wagaya no Oinari-sama 1: Horo the wolf goddess is gone, but in its place we have this series about an unsealed fox god who becomes the guardian of two young members of the Miduchi clan- the only trouble being that s/he can’t even remember his/her original gender! I doubt this will be an overly complex series, but this could well be the next Tactics/Shrine of the Morning Mist, which is another series that I’ve been searching for. And of course, a nice fox-girl/guy always scores extra points.

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 10: This time around, Sensei ends up in despair because of detuning (deliberate toning down), try to make the impractical work by saying “well, maybe it does” and the need to make the show friendly to first-timers. Although the second segment was a bit dull, the first and third parts were entertaining enough to make up for it, but I’m in despair that the despair will be ending soon. 

MANGA

Akagi 10-11: We’re into volume two now, but still on the match against Yagi, who manages to take the lead with a Baiman hand, only to be suckered in by Akagi’s bluff in the very next round. As always, we’ve already seen this in the anime, but since that was a while ago now, it’s good to refresh the memory.

*NEW* Chi’s Sweet Home 1: It may only be the first episode of the anime in eight colour pages, but I’ll take all the Chi’s Sweet Home I can get. Now, if only the manga could surge ahead of the anime.

Doujin Work 20-22: It’s time for another brief burst of Doujin Work, and again the manga is more perverted than the anime. Chapters 20-21 see Sora trying to claim Justice as her own by going on a date with him, only to end up hitting him so that he transforms from gentleman to pervert (fortunately nothing illegal happens). Then it’s on with the story as Tsuyuri persuades Najimi to draw an ero-manga, prompting Kaneru to try her hand at some adult works as well.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 12: Anime viewers will recall Commodore Perry, the man who feels compelled to open everything, and this is his chapter in the manga. For some reason, I found this segment far more hilarious second time around, so bring on more manga.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 2, Clannad 13, Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino 1, Kaiji 14, Mokke 7, Moyashimon 5-6, SaiMono II 32, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 10-12+Zoku 1, Shion no Ou 5-11, Spice and Wolf 2

…and in manga: Akagi 9, Chokotto Sister 49, Tsubasa 178-9

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (2) – the Single life
2. Spice and Wolf (8) –spicy wolves make for interesting chilli
3. SaiMono II (4) – close those eyes!
4. Kaiji (5) – ISHIDA!!!!!!!
5. Moyashimon (10) – cute microbes
6. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (-) – more despair <- new!
7. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (12) – lots of cats
8. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (-)- why, god, why? <-new!
9. Clannad (13) – Kotomi
10. Shion no Ou (11) – tournament time
11. Mokke (14)- magical cat

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (1) – I’m in despair! <-complete!
2. Tetsuko no Tabi (2)- is this ever going to be subbed?
3. Sisters of Wellber (3) – predictable but fun
4. Himawari!! (4) – needs less plot
5. Koutetsu Sangokushi (5) – pure HARD GAY
6. Shounen Onmyouji (6)- mediocre
7. Love GetChu! (7)- light entertainment
8. Romeo X Juliet (8) – WOOD

Aria the Origination 2: I don’t know why (actually I have a good idea, but let’s not go there), but I never appreciated the healing properties of Aria as much as I did with this episode. This week, Akari’s services are requested by a customer, prompting much speculation from the others as to why anyone would choose a Single rather than the legendary Alicia. Worries aside, Akari goes ahead and does an excellent job on what is hopefully the first step towards to becoming a Prima at the end of the season. And if that wasn’t enough, you have President Aria’s ever-hilarious antics, but shame on him for eating all the doughnuts.

To be fair, he did offer Akari half of this last one.

Clannad 13: The childhood friend angle is pushed some more as Kotomi’s tragic past is revealed- her parents died in a plane crash, taking the secret of the Philosopher’s Stone some world-saving discovery with them. As a result, Kotomi grew up a little unbalanced, and now only her newfound friends can save her- Tomoya works tirelessly in the garden (as you do), whilst the girls buy her a violin for her birthday, only for it to get damaged in an accident. This violin-related accident is surely a blessing in disguise given Kotomi’s ability with the instrument, however. I want to parody this episode, but DS has already done such a good job that I can but link him instead.

Yes, and in space there are giant rubber ducks that orbit the centre of the galaxy.

*NEW* Gunslinger Girl- Il Teatrino 1: I love Gunslinger Girl with a good portion of my heart and soul, and I will always remember Madhouse’s top notch work on the first season- which is why I was already apprehensive at the news of cast, staff and studio changes- would Artland really be up to the job? And when any remaining optimism I had was blown away by the blogworld’s reaction to the first episode, I was reluctant to even watch this, but watch it I felt I must. Having prepared myself for the worst, the resulting experience was not as bad as I had feared, but it was still lacking in many things- gone is the impeccable visual style and atmosphere, replaced with a world where the cars are ugly, the budget is tight and the handlers look like they’re still attending high school. Where season one was gold tier, this is merely bronze.

Kaiji 14: Last time on Kaiji, Kaiji and his friends were walking across a long, narrow, electrified beam- and this week, they’re still there. Even so, and in spite of the setting, the series manages to remain GAR and MANLY as we delve into the depths of the human psyche- who needs a psychotherapist when an episode of Kaiji can go so quickly to the heart of your issues? Most memorable, however, must be the moment of Ishida’s silent death, which brought combined sadness and a feeling of “damn, Kaiji went to all the trouble of saving you for this?”.

“Help, my eyes are melting! Melting!”

Mokke 7: My enthusiasm for Mokke isn’t all that great these days, which is why I’ve only watched one more episode since last I spoke of it. This time around, Mizuki finds herself possessed by something that winds around her neck- could it be something to do with the scarf lost by a friend? This wasn’t a bad episode, it’s just that my appetite for average supernatural series has cooled in the face of other things to occupy my time.

Moyashimon 5-6: Hopefully I’ll have the rest of the series watched by next week, but for now all I’ve got through is this pair of episodes, which introduce a new character and plenty of new microbes. Aside from some indications that Tadayasu isn’t the only one with special microbe abilities, the series never really goes anywhere, but it’s still fun to accompany it.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 32: SaiMono continues in the Dynasty Warriors theme this week, with named general battles, Shusui losing her free will and Shouka opening his eyes to reveal their evil redness . Meanwhile, Shuuei agonises over the length of his ‘sword’ and concludes that he isn’t fit to service his lovers- although Ryuuki feels otherwise.

“This is why I keep my eyes closed.”

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 10-12 + Zoku SZS 1: The start of the second season made me realise that I should get my finger out and finish watching season one, and happily it proved more the same bleak, zany and largely amusing humour. I won’t deny that there are segments that fail to amuse me, but there are also plenty of good parts, such as the ‘guilt complex’ or blaming the failure of an adaptation on sticking too closely to the ‘original way’.

Season two kicks off with a fresh injection of cash for the animation budget, with the success of the first twelve episodes also making SHAFT feeling more comfortable in ramping up the zaniness. Whilst the new OP is all about the rumba (appropriately enough I watched it on the way to dance class), the first eight minutes of the episode were either epic or a total sweet potato dango-fest- was it the animators who were on drugs, or was there something hallucinogenic in the chocolate I had eaten before watching? We then moved onto material I was more familiar with from the manga, introducing ‘normal girl’ Nami and her amusing attempts to stand out in a class full of misfits, before the drugs took over again by the end.

Shion no Ou 5-11: When it’s just about the shogi, I enjoy Shion no Ou- tournaments about board games are my thing, after all, even when they are arranged by blonde bastards with dubious motives. Unfortunately, whenever the whole murder storyline rears its head again, it spoils the series for me- everything about it is just so forced and generic that all I can do is sigh and wait for it to get back to the shogi. Meanwhile, in other news, even ‘evil’ old Kamizono has turned out to have his own tragic past and medical condition, although it has to be said that his deceased lover Kyoko looks more like a man than a woman.

Oh, there’s no need to explain- everyone does it.

Spice and Wolf 2: I know I should write about what happened in this episode, but really all I want to do is fangirl about this series, because somehow it feels like the promised anime I was always waiting for (please ignore all the other times I have said this in the past, this time I mean it). The characters, the visuals, the atmosphere, the ambience and of course the content- I love it all, and I just want to watch more and more of Horo and Lawrence.

MANGA

Akagi 9: So we’re finally at the end of volume one, and Akagi and Yagi are still at it, but to deflect attention from the fact that I don’t have much more to say about this manga than I did last week, I’ll just mention that the group scanlating this series are now set to start on Ten. This is excellent news, given that Ten obviously has no anime adaptation as yet, so watch this space for reviews on that series as well.

Chokotto Sister 49: Now that Haruma is spending all his time nursing the sick Konatsu, Choko can’t help feeling jealous- after all, isn’t she meant to be the main girl? Anyway, it seems that Yurika is ready to move the plot on a little, but that will have to wait until next chapter.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 178-9: Readers, bear with me for a moment whilst I indulge in such internet actions as lol, roflmao and pmsl…okay, you can come back now. You see, some time ago, we learned that Syaoran was a clone, then later on, we learned that Fai was actually the twin brother of the real Fai (deceased)- and in this chapter we learn that the Sakura we’ve known and disliked all this time is actually…a clone created by Fei Wong. See, you’re laughing at the ridiculousness of it all now too, aren’t you? Anyway, said clone has just been stabbed by one of the Syaorans, whilst Kyle has showed up again to take away the real Sakura (I think). Why, CLAMP, why?

Fellow anime fans, heed my words- never, ever let a massive backlog build up, for it will crush your very soul. Sadly, there is still much I have to catch up on, but in the meantime enjoy my coverage of what I have managed to get through since mid-December.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 1, Baccano! 13, Clannad 8-12, Dennou Coil 21-6, Genshiken 2 7-12, Himawari!! 1, Kaiji 7-13, Minami-ke 7-13, Oh! Edo Rocket 21-6, SaiMono II 27-31, Spice and Wolf 1, Tsubasa OVA 1

…and in manga: .hack//Link 1, Akagi 7-8+108-9, Chokotto Sister 48, Clannad 5, Claymore 75-6, Elfen Lied 79-81, HxH 267-70, Kaiji 1, MariMite 23-4, Meine Liebe 7-8, Nodame 94-9, Oniisama E… 10, REC 34-6, Risky Safety 2-3, Solanin 10-28, Spiral Alive 11-16, Spiral 60-66, Tsubasa 172-7, Yotsuba& 49-50

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Dennou Coil (1) – a great series from start to finish <- complete!
2. Aria the Origination (-) – PUNYU! <-new!
3. Oh! Edo Rocket (2) – I love this show! <- complete!
4. SaiMono II (4) – Jyuusan-hime rocks!
5. Kaiji (3) – human racing
6. Minami-ke (6) – Ichigo Mashimaro II <- complete!
7. Baccano! (5) – the end of the line <- complete!
8. Spice and Wolf (-) –spicy wolves make for interesting chilli <-new!
9. Genshiken 2 (7) – graduation <- complete!
10. Moyashimon (8) – cute microbes
11. Shion no Ou (9) – it’s a trap
12. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (11) – lots of cats
13. Clannad (12) – sad girls in springtime
14. Mokke (10)- magical cat

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (1) – I’m in despair!
2. Tetsuko no Tabi (2)- is this ever going to be subbed?
3. Sisters of Wellber (3) – predictable but fun
4. Himawari!! – needs less plot <- new!
5. Koutetsu Sangokushi (4) – pure HARD GAY
6. Shounen Onmyouji (5)- mediocre
7. Love GetChu! (6)- light entertainment
8. Romeo X Juliet (7) – WOOD

*NEW* Aria the Origination 1: Having a new season to watch is so great that I just want to roll around like President Aria, but instead I will try to put those feelings into words. Spring is coming to Neo Venezia, and even though the snow hasn’t quite melted yet, Alicia gets a gift of sakura tea and jam which she decides to share with everyone. Cue a nice, fluffy tea party in which the amazing feats of the three Primas are discussed, from stopping an idiot falling overboard to cheering up a baby with funny faces. And as the icing on the cake, President Aria is up to his usual antics, although his poor flabby stomach has already been bitten twice.

Remember, don’t eat too fast.

*COMPLETE* Baccano! 13: The tale of immortality and numerous characters in the 1930s finally draws to a close in this episode, which ties up the insane number of plot strands in the best way it can, sees justice served to certain characters, and ends on a high in the way only Isaac and Miria can manage. Yes, it was confusing along the way, but with so much packed in it was also highly entertaining- I can’t request a second season enough times.

Clannad 8-12: Episodes 8-9 see the conclusion of the Fuko arc, with everyone slowly forgetting about her in the run-up to the wedding- can they remember in time to show up? Whilst it was hardly enough to make me cry, I did feel a pang of emotion at this arc, which made going into the next one a bit of an anticlimax to start. This time around, the focus is on genius girl Ichinose Kotomi, who seems almost unbelievably socially ill-adapted to start with, but whose story is slowly picking up now. It does seem a bit of a sci-fi

*COMPLETE* Dennou Coil 21-6: I already reviewed Dennou Coil in its entirety, so all that’s left to put here is how satisfying the ending turned out to be. Yes, if there was more time some elements could have been expanded upon, but the later revelations were still a lot more substantial than many other series, and overall there was a feeling of satisfied completion rather than a need for more. A most excellent series indeed.

*COMPLETE* Genshiken 2 7-12: Genshiken 2 is over, and it’s something of a bittersweet ending- practically everyone has settled on their future career and is ready to commence life in the ‘real world’, although of course they’ll never forget their otaku roots. There’s still content here for those looking for comedy, but an almost Honey and Clover-esque feel crept into this season- university graduates should be able to identify with it.

*NEW* Himawari!! 1: At long last, the second season of Himawari!! is being subbed (yes, I could watch the raws but I’m being lazy), and although I have little hope of it proceeding at any speed, it can fill a gap here and there. Unfortunately, whilst meeting up with the characters is like slipping back into a comfortable old set of clothes, the fact that this season seems to contain a main villain with his underling monsters of the week does not fill me with optimism. I like Himawari when it’s just episodic light entertainment, but introducing low-budget enemies such as this episode’s gum-chewing boy adds an air of tedium to the whole thing.

Kaiji 7-13: The Espoir arc finally concludes in episodes 7-9, with Kaiji suffering both betrayal and the Room of Naked Men before finally coming out on top- at least until he realises the whole thing has left him with twice as much debt as before (poor guy). Then, after an episode of trying and failing to fit in with normal life, our hero is whisked off for another night of gambling, only this time he is the horse in a ‘Human Derby’. The even sees Kaiji and other debt-ridden young men walk across a thin beam suspended over a twelve foot drop, but even if you manage to get across without being pushed off, there’s worse to come when they have to do the same again across and electrified beam suspended between the twenty-second floors of two high-rise buildings. It’s addictive, MANLY stuff, but are we really halfway through already?

*COMPLETE* Minami-ke 7-13: I finally found the time to watch the second half of Minami-ke’s first season, and happily, it was everything I expected it to be. As the adventures of the Minami sisters continue, more amusing everyday antics ensue, more friends get drawn in, and they even meet another Minami family consisting of three brothers and a younger sister who Chiaki adopts as her little ‘brother’. Not since the days of Ichigo Mashimaro has everyday life been so entertaining, but I’m approaching the second season with trepidation- how will the staff changes affect the tone of the series?

*COMPLETE* Oh! Edo Rocket 21-6: Another excellent series goes out with a bang (no pun intended) as Oh! Edo Rocket draws to a close with a packed final stretch that showcases everything that is so great about the series. From comedy and hilariously out of place pop culture references to darker and more serious storylines, Oh! Edo Rocket somehow manages to have everything, and it even achieves an ending entirely appropriate to the tone of the series. Move over FLCL and Pani Poni Dash- this is how it’s done.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 27-31: The overload of new characters arc has finally come to an end as the anime moves into new territory with the arrival of Shuuei’s sister Jyuusan-hime. Jyuusan-hime has been sent to become Ryuuki’s concubine, but with assassins after her life, Shuurei ends up becoming her body double (sometimes even main characters get the short straw). Despite my aversion to having so many new characters dumped on us of late, Jyuusan-hime is a most welcome addition to the cast- she’s beautiful, tough and more mature than the still naïve Shuurei, and since she’s also adopted, her apparent feelings for Shuuei aren’t as incestuous as I first thought. Meanwhile, poor Shusui seems to have fallen under the influence of the voices in her head- what will become of her? Whatever the case, the anime is not only almost at an end but has also drawn level with the novels- so we’ll either have to have a huge break before any potential third season, or move into the realm of occasional OVAs.

SaiMono goes all Dynasty Warriors.

*NEW* Spice and Wolf 1: For a multitude of shallow and tenuous reasons, I loved this series before I even watched it, and happily I still feel the same way after episode one. Having completed Okami the night before I watched this, I was all too ready for more content about wolf goddesses, and so when trader Lawrence Craft found one in his cart, it made for interesting viewing (even with the random fanservice). Provided it doesn’t turn into the new Sisters of Wellber, this should be a great series, and since the original material is apparently about economics, it’s like entertainment’s next step from Dragons’ Den.

*NEW* Tsubasa Chronicle Tokyo Revelations 1: My relationship with the Tsubasa TV series ended in a filler fest of pain and suffering, but with Production I.G. taking over the reins for this three episode OVA covering the X-Tokyo arc, I figured it wouldn’t be so bad (let’s forget that they did that pointless movie). Happily, unlike Bee Train’s efforts, this version of Tsubasa actually has revolutionary new concepts like proper movement and animation, and whilst the story is essentially flawed, this is the fault of the original manga and not really something the studio can do much about. If the rest of Tsubasa must be animated, let’s keep it to OVA format (I notice that the final image in the closing appears to be from the Infinity arc- a sign of things to come?).

In the latest manga chapters, Mokonas’ earrings actually have previously unmentioned plot importance.

MANGA

*NEW* .hack//Link 1: Although it might sound like a .hack/Legend of Zelda crossover, the franchise’s latest cash-in manga is set in a brand new iteration of The World- R:X. Tokio is the typical annoying shounen hero who has cleared every other game around and wants to play the newly relaunched The World, but since access is restricted, he can’t get his hands on a copy of the game. Fortunately, a new transfer student at school lets him use her copy- but it proves to be an edition of the game that transfers him into The World itself! I don’t see this offering anything new, but it should be interesting enough to follow.

Akagi 7-8, 108-9: Like the anime, the Akagi manga doesn’t seem to feel the need to rush anywhere, and so we’re still on Akagi’s first match- although we’ve just reached the point when Akagi is playing rep player Yagi with their fingers at stake. For a beginner at Mah-jongg, watching this sort of thing in animated form is easier than slogging through explanatory text for each match, but even so it’s still an enjoyable manga.

Meanwhile, an anonymous scanlator has decided to pick up where the anime has left off, so I’ll be covering that as well. 108-9 commence volume 13 and cover the last part of the anime, where Akagi throws away his blood and challenges Washizu to play for the last part of his fortune. Having waited so long to see what happens next, we are now on the verge of this exciting new territory, and hopefully it will be as good as ever.

Chokotto Sister 48: When Konatsu catches mumps and falls in, it becomes a perfect opportunity for her to slip into a Flashback Mode, in which she relates a typical tragic past of being abandoned by her parents and Haruma promising to always be by her side (which she takes to be one of those standard childhood marriage proposals that have so much more meaning in fiction than real life). Everything is proceeding along the rails for the moment, but I’m becoming increasingly disturbed about Choko’s origin- just where did she come from? (Smart alecks need not respond).

Clannad 5: When I read the first four chapters of Clannad, the anime was months away from airing, but to go back and try another chapter in the middle of it run is a slightly strange experience. Fortunately, whilst Clannad the anime is nothing special to me, watching it seemed to make this chapter seem better than its predecessors, even though it only covers the early anime content of Tomoya trying to help get the drama club off the ground.

Claymore 75-6: As it turns out, the blinded Galatea wasn’t hiding from the organisation- she wanted them to send Claymores out to her so that they could help her defeat the latest Awakened Being- former number 2 Claymore Agatha. As the battle begins, however, it remains to be seen if they will offer assistance or just blindly follow orders, culminating in a cliff-hanger ending for chapter 76. As always, I’m not particularly impressed by the action scenes, but I’m still interested in seeing what happens next, and oddly having just one chapter a month helps to enjoy the series since I’m always hungry for more.

Elfen Lied 79-81: We may be getting close to the end of the series, but the story is still ready to throw us a few more twists and turns- not to mention some fresh characters. Whilst Kouta laments the loss of his harem due to the disappearance of Lucy/Nyu, Nana and Mayu, elsewhere yet more plans are being made to recapture Lucy- using obedient clones of Mariko. In charge of them is the latest eccentric scientist and his tough-as-nails bodyguard- it’s a familiar formula but hopefully this is all slowly building towards a conclusion.

Hunter X Hunter 267-70: Having put all his efforts into getting the chapter count up to a nice round number, Togashi has retired to his deathbed once again, leaving the series on yet another indefinite hiatus. Perhaps it’s just as well, as the excruciatingly slow pace and intensely detailed narration of the first phase of the attack on King has really put me off this arc, to the extent where I have to wonder if I even care any more. All I want now is for the series to properly end, but at the current rate I could be in my thirties before that happens (a scary thought indeed).

*NEW* Kaiji 1: As with Akagi, the Kaiji anime has basically followed the manga word for word, so all this first chapter provides is a recounting of how Kaiji came to be offered a place aboard the Espoir, with less technically accomplished art. Even so, it’s an enjoyable enough way to relive the series, and hopefully more chapters will be available soon.

Maria-sama ga Miteru 23-4: We’re already at the start of season two, with Yumi, Yuuki and Rosa Gigantea spending the night at Sachiko’s house for the new year, complete with some “Kashiwagi is HARD GAY” and Sei teasing Yumi scenes that never made it into the anime. As always, this manga complements the anime nicely, but I’m increasingly noticing the poor standard of the artwork compared to the anime character designs, whilst for some reason Yuuki has black hair in this version.

Meine Liebe 7-8: First off, a big thank you to “Meine Liebe Project” for picking this up- it may not be the best manga in the world, but I at least want to read the second half of it. Anyway, chapter seven sees Erika get picked to be Orphe’s dance partner for his grandmother’s party, but much to my disappointment, no actual dancing was seen- surely a whisk or throwaway oversway wouldn’t have been too much to ask for? Wasted opportunities aside, as we go into chapter eight, it becomes clear that Erika’s feelings for Orphe are deepening, but with the likelihood that he may be her brother ever increasing, romance could turn to incest. In fact, since it’s being played so obviously, they probably aren’t related, but we’ll see in the coming chapters.

Nodame Cantabile 94-9: Chiaki’s goal is to move ever onwards and upwards, but when his father shows up at one of his performances, it puts him off guard- and proves that Chiaki isn’t as indifferent towards his parent as he might claim. Meanwhile, poor Nodame is beginning to feel like she is left behind- if Chiaki’s goal is his father, then her goal is Chiaki. Even though the “estranged parent” storyline is nothing new, I’m still intrigued by the continuing development of Chiaki and Nodame’s characters as they enter another growth phase. In particular, Chiaki seems determined to move far ahead in order to accomplish his goals, but at the same time he seems to expect Nodame to be waiting for him, even though she is busy with her own agendas. Are they just not destined to be together?

Oniisama E… 10: The second volume of the angst-driven manga continues as Kaoru gets injured during a basketball match and Nanako fangirls over Saint-Juste some more- it will all be familiar to anime viewers, but told in a much abbreviated form. Now to wait another year or so for the next chapter.

REC 34-6: If there’s one thing you can count on with REC, it’s that if something can go wrong, it will. Take Matsumaru, for example- all he wants to do is help Ao get through a cold, and the next thing he knows she’s undressed him whilst he’s asleep, taken a nude picture for Photoshop purposes, and left the door open so Aka can walk in. Naturally, Ao isn’t just your typical ‘other woman’- she has past issues, but it’s all so painfully predictable- and yet somehow I can’t just give up the series and walk away.

Risky Safety 2-3: I can’t even remember when I read the first chapter of this (memory supplies a date of around August 2006), but I’ve finally tracked down another two instalments of the series. Unlike the anime, the manga isn’t exclusively about Risky and Safety- in fact, they don’t appear at all in these two chapters. Instead, we get two stand-alone stories- one about a puppet girl named Fuzzy who will become a real human if she can just make one boy happy, the other about a mysterious new transfer student who may be attacking fellow classmates with demon blood. As short stories, they are both enjoyable (if much like various similar manga), but the chances of reading more any time soon seem slim.

*COMPLETE* Solanin 10-28: I’m happy to report that at long last I’ve been able to finish this manga, and that it was good enough to be worth the wait. With a spoilerific twist at the end of volume one that I can’t reveal, the second half of the series sees Meiko put in a position where she must make a decision about her future, but will she choose something constructive? I don’t want to give away too much here, but suffice to say that this is one series worth reading, and that a proper review to that effect will appear soon.

Spiral Alive 11-16: Whilst Kanone and Eyes step forth to make an appearance, the story continues to move on, and it all seems to be centred on a particular file that can disclose the identities of the hidden and dangerous Blade Children. It’s good stuff (although I wish Kousuke would let Ryoko help out instead of trying to protect her), even if there are a few too many feints and conflicting motives to get to grips with at the moment.

Spiral 60-66: This is the point I feared, where the series starts to lose its way, for whilst Hizumi makes a move by killing Kanone (NOOOOOO!!!!!!), the truth about Ayumu and Hizumi’s origin seems about to come to light, and it seems something of a cop out. Thanks to Hinano, I long knew it was coming, but even so it’s like that infamous spoiler from Star Ocean 3- you just don’t want to believe it until you’re confronted with it. Oh well, the artwork is still nice.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 172-7: I don’t really know what’s going on in Tsubasa anymore, and the sad fact is that I can’t even say that I particularly care (but I must keep reading, for like Macbeth I’ve come too far to go back now). After randomly showing up, Syaoran-clone decides to pick a fight with the real deal, whilst Fei Wong decides he only wants Sakura for her body (understandable, since her mind isn’t up to much). It’s just a shame that CLAMP have got so into drawing epic fight scenes (large explosions, tiny characters) that they’ve forgotten about the concept of including a plot.

Yotsuba& 49-50: Fifty chapters in and I’m still far from tired of Yotsuba- after all, we still have to see her go to school. In these two chapters, we see Yotsuba still enchanted with the farm after coming home, before she and her father head out to a restaurant for lunch, with the usual hilarious consequences.

Akagi 4Kids

Great news, Akagi fans, your favourite show has been licensed- by 4Kids! After the success of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, we decided that kids were ready for yet another gaming craze in the form of mah-jongg (or as we have decided to rename it, Tile Frenzy). In this series, plucky lead Ace (formerly known as Akagi) will bravely battle against the Gentlemen’s Club (yakuza) as he tries to prove to everyone that courage and faith are all you need to win at Tile Frenzy! Unlike Akagi, Ace doesn’t cheat- he just uses the power of friendship and destiny, and he has no fear of his opponent’s pointy fingers of death!

The main event of the show, however, must surely be the final arc, in which our plucky lead Ace wagers his mother’s precious jars of tomato soup (formerly his own blood) against a retired gentleman who wants to take over the world with the power of Tile Fenzy! You wont want to miss it!

This Week in Anime

Who needs liquor when you can get drunk on whisky bonbons?

These days, even oranges are entitled to bathe in the hotsprings.

“God bless this nondescript vegetable.”

Apples step up a notch in the ongoing fight against oranges.

Note the presence of grapes.

Apples prove to be among the more engaging characters in Romeo X Juliet.

Battle lines are drawn in the vegetable version of Risk.

“Hey, they laid on a swimming pool just for us apples.”

Titus’ loyalty to grapes can be clearly seen.

“Here, take this and join the Brotherhood of Yellow Fruit.”

HARD GAY corner: Princess Tutu

From an early age, Fakir was always HARD GAY for Mytho (a literal storybook prince), but there always seemed to be rivals for his affection- most notably their fellow students at ballet school, Rue and Duck. Nonetheless, the separation between male and female dormitories enabled Fakir to keep a close eye on Mytho, turning him into an obedient love slave.

Unfortunately, as Princess Tutu returned Mytho’s heart, he rediscovered his love of STRAIGHT and began to move away from Fakir’s affections.

“I must seduce Mytho to the ways of STRAIGHT!”

“Get away from my lover!”

Fakir finds a new lover

“If you don’t want HARD GAY with me, I won’t make you do it.”

“No, I would like to see your Liang.”

“Excellent- you have made the right choice.”

“Let’s set a date for tomorrow.”

“Don’t stand me up.”

You are so talented!”

Neko-sensei’s lessons of love

“…HARD GAY!?”

“I feel the time has come to teach you the advanced techniques.”

“How about we make it a threesome?”

“Now, to the bedroom!”

A typical night

“…to my body.”

“Just don’t start having STRAIGHT!”

Mini-editorial: Analysing the political situation in Kuchen

Usually, this mini-editorial is quite a serious and fairly relevant affair, but sometimes I just get the urge to do something completely silly and pointless- and so this week, we will be taking an in-depth look at the political situation of Kuchen, the fictional European island in Meine Liebe. As viewers of the show will know, Kuchen operates under a monarchy, with the king taking advice from appointed nobles known as the Strahl. Every season, we see a generic duke try to usurp the throne, and although we are encouraged to think of them as the villains of the piece, perhaps we should step back and consider for a moment whether this is actually the case.

After all, perhaps these dissatisfied dukes actually represent the popular opinion of the Kuchen public- that the time has come to shuck off a useless and ineffectual nobility and move into a republican age. Maybe the king, who does seem a little past his best, is a terrible ruler whose lack of ability to govern is sending the country into ruin. Is the life of luxury that our noble bishounen leads enjoy built on the backs of millions of struggling peasants? Should we, the humble viewer, abandon our support for king and country and throw our weight behind the revolution? Perhaps the villainous Beruze is merely an unsung hero wishing to lead his country to a new age- only time will tell (actually it won’t, but that seemed a good way to conclude the sentence).

In Your Reflection

This week we have a head-to-head between two moody semi-bishounen- Witch Hunter Robin’s Amon and Last Exile’s Alex Rowe. As well as being similar in appearance, they both have aloof personalities and keep their distance from the leads at the beginning of the series, only to become more central later on. They also share a voice actor in the English dub.

Amusing Search Terms

Old favourites: Romance of the Three Kingdoms Goes Hentai

“If you want do delete your site from ou: yes?

prince charming and romeo: I never thought much of Prince Charming- he was too generic and lacking in personality.

pumpkin with flames: Burn, pumpkin, burn!

anime girls with boy child: Okay…

dark maiden anime: In the name of the Maiden of Light!

Amusing Spam

“organic skin care…

It is tiring attempting to calculate the time we”ve used up looking for h2o pages….”

So we’re looking for plain old water this week?

“Eric…

i dont think you did that but that is juts me…”

That Eric, he keeps showing up here and you can’t trust him.

“hello…

will read it later…”

It annoys me when spam bots can’t take the time to read your post.

“As the world wide web continues to mass demon drawings webpages, we will work to deliver them to you….”

Good to know…I think.

This week, we have “not enough time and inclination to watch all the anime that was released edition”. Enjoy.

Reviewed this week: El Cazador de la Bruja 25-6, Clannad 3, Dennou Coil 17-18, ef 3, Genshiken 2 3, Gundam 00 3, Higurashi Kai 15, Kaiji 3, Mokke 2-3, Shana II 3, Shion no Ou 1

…and in manga: Akagi 6, Bartender 3, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 11

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Dennou Coil (1) – the best of the best of the best, sir!
2. Oh! Edo Rocket (2) – I love this show!
3. Kaiji (5) – nice gambling boat
4. SaiMono II (3) – art thief
5. Baccano! (4) – eternal life
6. Genshiken 2 (9) – Comi-Fes
7. Minami-ke (8) – Ichigo Mashimaro II
8. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (11) – I’m in despair!
9. Shion no Ou (-) – it’s a trap <- new!
10. Moyashimon (12) – cute microbes
11. Mokke (10)- seven flowers of autumn
12. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (13) – lots of cats
13. Clannad (14) – sad girls in springtime
14. Gundam 00 (15) – double balls
15. Rental Magica (17)- episode seemed to go on forever
16. Koutetsu Sangokushi (18) – pure HARD GAY
17. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (20) – Takano meets Hitler
18. ef- a tale of memories (16)- tomorrow’s me won’t be the same
19. Shakugan no Shana II (19)- harem+1
20. Romeo X Juliet (23) – what’s the point anymore?
21. El Cazador de la Bruja (24) – it’s over!! <- complete!

El Cazador de la Bruja 25-6: At long last it’s over and we’re free of the boredom of El Cazador, although it wasn’t about to go down without a fight. Episode 25 is the actual conclusion to the plot (such as it is), with the dull final boss fight against Rosenberg, whilst episode 26 is an excruciatingly boring epilogue in which Ellis and Nadie are living quietly until the HARD GAY guys from the first few episodes (now grossly overweight) show up and spur them to start travelling again- this time for the sake of it. What an underwhelming ending to the world’s most incredibly dull series.

Clannad 3: Since I just mindlessly take the advice of commenters, I watched Clannad episode three subbed, and whilst it made some of the humour easier to pinpoint, my lack of need to concentrate as hard rendered large sections of it quite dull. In this episode, Tomoya and Nagisa make some small effort to re-establishing the drama club, Fuko gives Tomoya a wooden star, Nagisa’s mother gets upset over bread-related matters again and comic relief Sunohara is once again the target of amusing violence. The only moment that really hit home as being better in the subbed version was the opening scene about the girl and her mechanical robot.

Dennou Coil 17-18: It’s been a while, so let me start by reaffirming my love for Dennou Coil, one of the few series that can shake off the general apathy I have been feeling towards anime lately. Anyway, this double bill continues the excellence as we inevitably knew it would, as Isako tries to use her kirabugs to create an encode that will open a portal to the mysterious other world- the place where the souls of Kanna and her brother may be trapped. Mere words cannot express how much I love this series and its central mystery, but I desperately need more, and even when the series is over I shall crave fresh exploration of its imaginative world.

*HIATUS* ef- a tale of memories 3: The somewhat distractingly extreme aspect ratio of this episode aside (seriously, what was up with that?), I’ve decided to move ef to the backburner for now- I’m struggling to fit in all this anime as it is, and after this episode, I’m in no hurry to follow this series up. Although the first half, which focused once again on Renji, Chihiro and the subject of memory loss, wasn’t too bad, once we switched over to Hirono and the other characters, I swiftly lost interest. This latter aspect of the series is not only turning into generic harem, but it is hard to see how it can possibly develop. Since the series is only 12 episodes overall, I will probably get back to it some day, but for now there’s no need to clutter up my schedule.

Genshiken 2 3: The Comi-Fes arc comes to a worthy end in this episode, as we see our intrepid team selling their doujinshi with the aid of cosplay and even some crossplay. It’s an enjoyable ‘seller’s take’ on the Comic Festival, but the preview for the next episode promises even better things to come.

*HIATUS* Gundam 00 3: What am I doing, even pretending to be a Gundam fan? I won’t deny I haven’t enjoyed selected episodes of certain series, but to religiously follow a Gundam series week by week is a step too far- especially when this instalment was so boring that I can barely remember what happened. I think I’ll let a good lot of episodes build up before I get back to this one.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai 15: As I’d hoped, we cover more of Takano’s back story in this episode, explaining how she escaped the clutches of the generically cruel orphanage and came to live with Doctor Takano Hifumi and study Hinamizawa Syndrome. Although she was quite a sympathetic and hard done by character in the past, however, it does nothing to change the fact that in the present she is a villain of gwakaka class, whilst Hinamizawa Syndrome can never be anything other than ridiculous.

Kaiji 3: Poor Kaiji- no sooner had he formed a group of three to fight the odds together than one of his new allies tries to cheat him, although as it turns out he fails and Kaiji lets him rejoin. It seems, however, that this desperate situation has honed our hero’s tactical ability, and through the fog of desperation the slimmest thread of hope appears- but will it be enough to overcome the odds? Since Kaiji is the hero, we can assume he will indeed win the star chips needed to get off the boat, but never before has the build up to a game of rock paper scissors been so absorbing. Bring on the next episode.

Mokke 2-3: Mokke continues to entertain in these next two episodes; first an instalment in which Mizuki is possessed by a being claiming to be a god- and whatever he is, he certainly seems to want to help. Next up is an instalment in which Shizuru gets worried about a being she can see attached to her best friend’s brother- both tales are fairly standard and predictable, but with a touch more thoughtfulness than the average series would give them.

Shakugan no Shana II 3: Laziness caused me to watch this episode subbed after all, but sadly it did not really enhance the experience. Hecate-a-like Konoe has joined school as a new transfer student, and whilst she immediately takes the role of shy and clueless harem member, Shana becomes determined to see if she is indeed an enemy. Naturally, all evidence points to Konoe being no more than she seems, which as we viewers could have guessed, is all part of a clever plan. I still feel compelled to stick with this series through franchise loyalty, but it will probably go on hiatus soon.

*NEW* Shion no Ou 1: In the memory of Hikaru no Go, I’ve decided to whet my appetite for Asian board games with Shion no Ou, the tale of a mute shougi genius who witnessed the bloddy deaths of her parents seven years ago. Although it doesn’t yet seem to be certain as to whether it wants to focus on the murder mystery or straight up shougi playing, this is still good enough to warrant a fair chance, especially with such unique characters as a trap who is trying to become a female pro (apparently faster than becoming a male pro) to earn money for his sick mother.

MANGA

Akagi 6: Akagi continues to dominate against Ryuuzaki, but there’s a nasty surprise waiting in the wings- rep player Yagi. Will this first time player be able to stand up to a yakuza pro, or will he crumble and cause the series to end prematurely? Well, it’s hardly difficult to guess what’s coming, and reading in small graphically inferior chunks isn’t as satisfying as marathoning 26 episodes of anime, but a little bit of Akagi here and there will help keep the GAR meter ticking over.

Bartender 3: The eponymous Bartender returns for a third outing in this chapter, in which two very different people show up at his bar- one a hard-working office lady, the other a young man who has tried and failed to get into the acting scene. Could it be that the same drink will help them both find their path in life? Yes, it’s that simple, but it is the straightforwardness and brevity of this chapter that makes it far more enjoyable than the animated version was- these are just satisfyingly short vignettes rather than painfully drawn out experiences.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 11: Another short chapter, this time about tanabata wishes, prompting Sensei to reflect how they may as well write down their most hopeless desires. It’s not the nest chapter I’ve read, but again this series needs to be read in more than one chapter chunks.

The news that Clannad’s widescreen version would not premiere until a month after its 4×3 showing has angered many, and by looking at the screencap above, we can see why- no one wants to miss out on views of desks and classroom windows. That being said, let’s just imagine what sort of delights might be available in those hidden sections.

• Gratuitous fanservice.
• Hidden anime-only characters!
• Snipers trying to pick off the main characters.
• Fat cats.
• Papillon in a thong.

Kaiji rips off Yu-Gi-Oh! For shame!

It has come to our attention that the gambling anime Kaiji, which just started airing, is not as original as it seems- it is actually a rip-off of Yu-Gi-Oh! Let’s parody the first two episodes whilst we look at the evidence.

Hey, what’s my laptop doing on here?

He does have a point…

“I’ll tell you what I want- what I really, really want.”

On Kaiji, Kaiji is forced to go on a mysterious ship in order to erase his debts, whilst in the first arc of Yu-Gi-Oh, Yugi took a mysterious ship to Duellist Island to get his grandfather’s soul back.

Admittedly, in Yu-Gi-Oh the ship was floating through the depths of heck.

Wait, isn’t that a Nippon Ichi SRPG spell for curing status effects?

Any excuse to frisk a fit male body.

“Listen very carefully, I will say this only once.”

These stars greatly resemble the star chips used on Duellist Island.

They’re even playing card games to win stars!

“But- but Yu-Gi-Oh is all about the power of friendship!”

Yep, this is definitely just like Yu-Gi-Oh.

Random Thoughts: Furude Rika\r\nThis week, we interview Furude Rika from Higurashi, and spoilers will most certainly be involved! So, Rika, what was it like living the same events over and over again?

Incredibly boring, if it must be known, and of course getting killed over and over isn’t nice. When I took this job, I had no idea how repetitive it was going to be, but at least it’s made me famous.

Does it ever disturb you that technically you’re an ancient person stuck in the body of a child?

Of course it does- I want to grow up, damn it!

All your friends got to go on killing sprees- didn’t you ever wish that you could do the same to relieve the stress?

Many times, but then I realised that everything would just reset once I was done.

Don’t you think “Himanizawa Syndrome” is a bit ridiculous?

Don’t even ask me to defend the writers on that one.

And finally, how do you really feel about Satoko?

Don’t get me started- I have never met a character more annoying in both her happy and miserable arcs. If you must know, I was the one who secretly encouraged the town to hate her, and when I was pretending to be her friend, I was really just isolating her from everyone else.

This Week in Anime

It’s like every series has to have a bartender these days.

Mmm…strawberries.

I never knew I had my own bar…

Oranges are evolving personalities of their own.

Even so, it isn’t helping them to win the war.

Anime World Tour: Akagi

Welcome to a world filled to the brim with GAR and MANLINESS, so much so that even women would grow a pair if they entered it. In this yakuza-dominated world, the main (and indeed only) pastime to indulge in is mah-jongg, and for those of you who have already mastered the normal game, fear not, for there are all sorts of crooked and fixed matches to participate in. Whether you fancy trying to outsmart your opponent with glass tiles, bet your own lifeblood on a match, or just switch their hand when they aren’t looking, we have every variation of mah

In Your Reflection

This week we have a head-to-head between two quiet young women- Maggie from R.O.D. the TV and Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh. Both are good-natured yet somewhat introverted, and totally committed to their most beloved pastime (books for Maggie, cute things for Sakaki).

Amusing Search Terms

This week, a misguided but conservation-minded internet user asks “Are Wolves Going Extinct?”. A question worth looking into, indeed, but other people have more pressing queries, such as “Is Koutetsu Sangokushi Gay?”.

Old favourites: Romance of the Three Kingdoms Goes Hentai

Full moon wo sagashite animated banners: not here, sorry.

The samaga com: Am I stupid for completely failing to grasp what this is?

ANIME BABY ANIME: yeah baby, anime!

good charm school witch storys: might as well fit everything you want into one anime.

“Ikkitousen ” NAKED: I love the way “naked” is capitalised to add emphasis.

what Mercutio looked like from Romeo and: Who’s Mercutio again? …(yeah, that was irony- it’s like goldy and bronzy, only made of iron).

harvest moon were is the gods drop: Er, don’t look at me.

anime(dreams vs. reality): I dream of the perfect anime…

I have seen the end and no one survived,: oh noes! The end is nigh!

Amusing Spam

“Jessie…

I”m going to look into this and let you know what I find….”

Good for you.

“PianoKawai…

…”

How cute…a piano.

“libido for women…

It is wearisome striving to compute the hours we”ve invested searching for libido articles….”

And sometimes, spam just makes me laugh.

On a side note, don’t expect the likes of Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion to appear on here. Whilst the first two at least are certainly solid enough, they appear on recommendation lists throughout the land, and it’s time they stood aside to let worthier series get some of the spotlight.

The Grand List Part One: A to L

Of course I wanted to include Dennou Coil on here, but since it hasn’t finished airing yet, it’s a bit too early to pass final judgement.

Air

What’s it about?: When travelling puppeteer Yukito comes to a new town, his only thought is earning enough to eat, but in short order he finds himself drawn into the mysteries of the inhabitants. Based on an eroge by Key, Air is split into three arcs- the Summer arc, in which Yukito becomes entangled in the life and back story of the various female protagonists; the Summer Arc, which goes back a few centuries and explores the lives of the previous incarnations of the protagonists, and the Air arc, which concentrates on main girl Misuzu as sickness threatens to consume both her life and her bond with her adoptive mother.

Why watch it?: Far more than a simple harem series, Air unites a likable lead with a group of girls whose stories are far more compelling and heart-wrenching than the standard “mother died and father disappeared” of so many series. Coupled with the beautiful visuals and poignant music, the series creates an atmosphere that inevitably draws you into its world and makes you care about what is happening onscreen (unless of course you happen to be Owen).

Devil’s Advocate: With only twelve episodes to fit everything in (the thirteenth and final episode is a mere recap), it isn’t surprising that the anime has to proceed forward at a brisk pace, sometimes to the detriment of letting a point sink and truly make sense. Even so, when you consider that 24-6 episodes could have made the whole thing painfully slow, and that the Summer arc at least got two special episodes to help expand it a bit more, maybe its current incarnation is all for the best.

Final Verdict: Atmospheric and beautiful- an eroge adaptation done right.

Akagi

What’s it about?: One rain-soaked night in the 1960s, a teenager named Akagi Shigeru lights up the underworld by winning a high stakes mah-jongg match- despite having never played the game before. From then on, Akagi’s rare talent and unique genius for risking everything blazes a trail through the underworld as he becomes involved in a series of increasingly high-stakes matches.

Why watch it?: An entire series based around mah-jongg may sound dull, but Akagi proves to be a compelling series that draws you into its world regardless of whether you have any prior knowledge of the game. With its expertise at creating tension, Akagi can make you care far more about the flip of a single tile than some series do about the death of a major character.

Devil’s Advocate: Yes, it’s ugly, MANLY and the ending is inconclusive, and for this reason most people will be put off before they even begin. Even if such things aren’t to your taste, however, I must urge you to put aside your preconceptions and at least try the first few episodes.

Final Verdict: It may look like an unattractive testosterone fest, but Akagi’s extreme mah-jongg action can draw anyone into its world. Sit back and enjoy the ride- and maybe learn something about the game along the way.

Aria

What’s it about?: On the terraformed planet Aqua (formerly Mars), beautiful gondoliers known as undines ply the canals of Neo Venezia, a recreation of Earth’s Venice. Having come to Aqua from Earth, Akari Mizunashi works and trains hard for the day when she too will become a full-fledged undine, although on the way there is plenty of time for her and her friends to explore the secrets and wonders that their world has to offer.

Why watch it?: Aria is the epitome of slice-of-life- gentle, tranquil, charming and yet never dull. Thanks to the sense of wonder that infuses the entire series, even the simplest of actions seems fresh and new once again, and with such delightful characters exploring a beautiful city, it seems impossible to tire of their adventures. Oh, and there’s a fat cat too- what more can you ask for?

Devil’s Advocate: For those who aren’t as enamoured of the genre, Aria may seem a little slow and boring, even the most dedicated of followers cannot deny that there are moments when the whole thing becomes a little too saccharine and sweet.

Final Verdict: Though not quite perfect, Aria is still very good, and if you have any liking at all for quieter anime series, you must absolutely give this a try.

Azumanga Daioh

\r\nWhat’s it about?: Six very different girls are attending high school together- ten-year-old prodigy Chiyo, loud and energetic Tomo, completely spaced out Osaka, hard-working Yomi, quiet cat-lover Sakaki and sports jock Kagura. Accompany them through their high school years and experience everything from everyday events to the downright bizarre.

Why watch it?: It may not be Pani Poni Dash or early School Rumble, but Azumanga’s randomness and running gags are a lot of fun. Even though on the surface it doesn’t seem to go anywhere, Azumanga guides us through three years of high school antics, whilst sparking all sorts of oddball encounters and random conversations through the combination of six very different personalities.

Devil’s Advocate: The way the series moves from one short skit to another will not sit well with viewers looking for something more continuous, and even fans may have to admit that showing similar events occurring in the girls’ first, second and third years is more a route to repetitiveness than amusement.

Final verdict: Yes, not every part hits the mark, but when you consider that each episode is divided into five five-minute sketches, it is still quite impressive that so many of them manage to amuse.

Beck

What’s it about?: Koyuki is a bored fourteen-year-old who feels distanced from life- at least until her meets the dedicated yet eccentric Minami Ryuusuke, a young man looking to set up his own band, Beck. Gradually, Koyuki finds himself drawn into the world of rock music, eventually joining Beck as the band struggles to make a name for itself.

Why watch it?: Most music-based anime are hopelessly idealistic, with the lead becoming a star mere moments after they first pick up a microphone- not so with Beck, which aims to give a more realistic portrayal of the difficulties of breaking into the industry. Victory is not inevitable here, and so for once you can really throw your lot in with the characters as you long for them to overcome the odds and finally succeed.

Devil’s Advocate: On the flip side of the coin, because things can and do go wrong so often, it can sometimes be a little painful wondering if the band’s latest success will only be a fleeting one.

Final verdict: Even if you don’t like rock music, I urge you to give this a try- unless you are completely apathetic and dead to the world of music, you will find yourself drawn into the world of Beck.

Berserk

What’s it about?: Feared as the Black Swordsman, the mighty warrior Guts roams the land in search of revenge on the powerful Griffith- yet once, Guts and Griffith were comrades and fellow mercenaries in the Band of the Hawk. What was it that drove the two men apart?

Why watch it?: Berserk may look like a sausage-fest of manly men wielding large swords in an age of gore, but beneath this off-putting exterior, it truly is very good. An immersive tale of the lives of its characters, Berserk may be explicit, but such things seem vital to the nature of the story rather than gratuitously included for the shock value. Just like Guts’ bulging muscles and mighty sword, this is a story that is solid as iron and substantial through and through- you’ll get so drawn into its world that you will absolutely need to keep watching.

Devil’s Advocate: Admittedly, with all the gruesome monsters and bloody battles going on, this is not for the faint of heart, and there are many who dislike the turn taken by the conclusion of the story (although personally, whilst those scenes are quite disturbing, I accept them because that it where the story was going all alone). Also, the anime only covers the flashback arc of the manga, with the ongoing present day events left out through lack of time.

Final verdict: One of the rare series that manages to be MANLY yet worthy, Berserk will gleefully welcome you into its world of extremes, and may never let you go.

Big O

What’s it about?: Forty years ago, a disaster occurred that changed the face of the planet and left the survivors without any memory of their past; now, gathered together under the domes of Paradigm City, humanity tries to live as best it can, but fragments of memories have a way of resurfacing. As a Negotiator, Roger Smith acts as a mediator in various cases throughout the city, but when things turn ugly, he must rely on the assistance of Big O, a giant robot that answers to his call.

Why watch it?: Big O is one of those delightfully complex series that packs in everything from giant robot battles to a deeper mystery that examines the nature of self and memory. From memorable moments such as Roger re-spraying his car on the fly to elude pursuers to the deeper questions as to what the whole series was about (whole internet sites are devoted to this topic), Big O certainly leaves you with enough food for thought to mull over long after you finish watching it.

Devil’s Advocate: By the same token, Big O is confusing- so much so that it’s debatable whether anyone other than the writers knows what it was really meant to be about. This is not a series that takes well to casual viewing- you will need to invest a bit of effort to get the best out of it.

Final verdict: It may be confusing, but with such uniqueness in both storytelling and visual style, it stands apart from the crowd and is thus worthy of attention.

Binchou-tan

What’s it about?: Binchou-tan is a tiny girl who lives on her own in the forest and spends her days gathering necessities from the surrounding area, heading into the nearby town to work, or just taking time out to relax. Join Binchou-tan and her equally diminutive friends as they fill their days with both work and play.

Why watch it?: Binchou-tan is epitome of “simple yet sweet” slice of life, whose quietly charming approach and beautiful settings make it addictively cute rather than saccharine. With each episode only running to ten minutes in length, it never has time to get boring or outstay its welcome.

Devil’s Advocate: That being said, just because I didn’t find it dull doesn’t mean others will take to it as warmly- Sasa for one lost interest in it early on, and others may find themselves put off by the moe aspect and extremes of chibiness.

Final verdict: It’s not Aria, but nor is it as sickeningly cute as you might think- instead, this is a nice little slice-of-life series that should satisfy most fans of the genre.

Boogiepop Phantom

What’s it about?: Something changed the night the white light was seen in the city. People started evolving, gaining new abilities beyond those of normal humans, whilst all across the city, strange phenomena began to appear. What triggered these changes? What is the truth behind the mysterious Towa Organisation and their interest in evolved humans? And just who or what is the shinigami of urban legend known as Boogiepop?

Why watch it?: A series that combines horror, mystery and the supernatural, Boogiepop Phantom is just one part of a much larger franchise, but even taken on its own, it proves an intriguing and absorbing series. With individual stories told from different perspectives and often encompassing different time periods, Boogiepop slowly but skilfully builds up the bigger picture whilst simultaneously delivering content that works on an episodic basis.

Devil’s Advocate: Unsurprisingly, this is another series that only rewards concentration and multiple viewings- without them, it can be hard to even remember the bulk of what happened, let alone grasp the overall story. It also has to be admitted that not all the episodic elements are up to par- episode three in particular stands out as a poorly done and largely pointless piece.

Final verdict: It is a bit inconsistent in places, but overall Boogiepop Phantom is a quirky and unique series that stands as one of the better horror and supernatural offerings out there.

Le Chevalier d’Eon

What’s it about?: The year is 1742, and the body of Lia de Beaumont has just been found in a coffin floating down the Seine- and for her brother d’Eon, it signals the start of a journey. Possessed by Lia’s restless soul, he finds himself driven to find the cause of her death, and in so doing, he and his comrades find themselves travelling across Europe and uncovering conspiracies and agendas that permeate even the highest of authorities. Can d’Eon survive long enough to uncover the truth, or will he fall victim to mysterious powers possessed by the many forces seeking to advance their own agendas?

Why watch it?: Historical series always have the appeal of letting us relive another time and place, and Chevalier is no exception, combining drama and politics with a splash of fantasy for generally positive results. It may teeter on the edge of the realms of cheese, but somehow it always pulls itself back from the brink with strong performances that bring a little piece of 18^th century France, Russia and England to life.

Devil’s Advocate: Much as I love it, I would be the first to admit that Chevalier is not without its flaws. On close inspection, several key story elements seem questionable (especially the ending), and certainly those looking for more mindless action and less introspection may find themselves disappointed- it also won’t go down well with the ‘history is dry and boring’ crowd.

Final verdict: A series that encourages you to overlook its flaws rather than dwell on them, Chevalier is the kind of series that breeds new addicts to historical fantasy.

Crest of the Stars

What’s it about?: When Jinto was just a boy, his father handed his world to the Abh Empire, a mighty stellar force of genetically modified human who believe their empire is the best buffer against instellar war. Flash forward a few years, and Jinto is now an honorary Abh being given the same off-world education as any noble in the Empire. On his way to military college, however, he not only undergoes a fateful meeting with the beautiful and proud Abh Lafiel, but becomes embroiled in the forefront of events when the so-called United Mankind decides to declare war on the Abh.

Why watch it?: Set in a well-realised sci-fi universe, Crest of the Stars proves to be an adept hand at presenting close-up character drama alongside space opera on a grander scale. Whether you like coming-of-age stories or simply yearn for aliens, politics and tense space battles, Crest of the Stars has it all, and it all makes for compulsive viewing.

Devil’s Advocate: Take on its own, thirteen episodes is really only just enough to get the series going rather than wrap everything up- for more of the same you’ll have to progress to the sequel series Banner of the Stars.

Final verdict: It may be getting on in years, but sci-fi fans will eat this one up.

Fafner

What’s it about?: The remote Tatsumiya Island is one of the last outposts left to humanity in its war against the alien Festum. The children of the island remain completely unaware of this, however, until the day a Festum attacks and the truth of their world is revealed. Now recruited into the battle against the Festum, teenager Kazuki Makabe and his friends must learn to pilot the Fafners, giant robots capable of holding their own against the enemy, but at a terrible cost to the pilot.

Why watch it?: I almost judged Fafner not quite good enough for this list, but even though objectively it can be considered a flawed and incomplete work, there is just something about it that makes it curiously compelling. Perhaps it is the glimpses of sheer potential seen in such moments as the death of a pilot, maybe it is simply the top notch presentation of battles between Fafner and Festum, but the series exerts pull beyond that of most mecha series, making one desperately want more.

Devil’s Advocate: Whilst I wouldn’t quite call it the bastard child of Evangelion and RahXephon as so many do, Fafner does suffer from a lack of overall cohesion- interesting story ideas are woven in, but inconsistent writing often makes it hard to penetrate the intent of a scene, or why the series as a whole took a particular direction.

Final verdict: Far from perfect, but possessed of an addictiveness few mecha series achieve and thus more memorable than the bulk of the genre.

Fantastic Children

What’s it about?: Throughout history they have a appeared- a group of white-haired children wise beyond their apparent years, searching for something they once lost. Who are they, what are they looking for- and why does their quest seem so intimately involved with that hazy and forbidden realm that separates the living from the dead?

Why watch it?: Although it’s hard to explain the story without giving away too much vital information, in some ways it is enough to merely say that Fantastic Children is sheer excellence. A carefully woven mystery that will keep you guessing right up until the end, Fantastic Children entices without frustrating as it slowly but surely places its cards on the table. With its strong characters and adeptness at handling everything from tense action scenes to lighter moments, Fantastic Children makes good use of every single minute of screen time.

Devil’s Advocate: The simplistic character designs may make the series look a little childish at first, but spend enough time with them and you will begin to appreciate their odd attractiveness.

Final verdict: One of the finest examples of anime to date, it may not have the visual allure of other series, but the story really packs a punch.

Fruits Basket

What’s it about?: When high school student Tohru Honda becomes a housekeeper for the Sohma family in exchange for a place to stay, she discovers that they are afflicted with a most unusual curse- when hugged by members of the opposite sex, they transform into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac! It may seem comical, but their unique condition has led this family to experience their own problems of fear and isolation; can Tohru’s optimism and kindness help them to open their hearts to others?

Why watch it?: It’s hard to find someone who has watched Fruits Basket and doesn’t love it, and even now it remains one of the best character dramas out there- delivering heart-wrenching serious content whilst knowing when to lighten up without destroying the moment or feeling too flippant.

Devil’s Advocate: Since it aired whilst the manga was still ongoing, the series covers less than eight of the story’s twenty-three volumes, but whilst this leaves it definitely unfinished, it has to be admitted that it prevents the anime from experiencing the same decline as the manga. There’s also some odd pacing in the last quarter of the series, possibly because these later episodes are drawn from the manga in a changed order.

Final verdict: If you can put aside the disappointment of the later manga volumes and just focus on the anime alone, this remains a worthy series.

Gankutsuou

What’s it about?: Loosely based on The Count of Monte Cristo, Gankutsuou takes the classic tale of revenge and sets it in a space-faring future. When the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo returns to Paris, young Albert de Morcerf is very taken with the rich and enigmatic noble, but beneath his fabulous wealth and genial outlook lurks a hidden past, and a deep need for revenge on those who once wronged him.

Why watch it?: Gankutsuou immediately captivates with its unique visual style and use of patterns and textures, but beneath this there is also plenty of substance. Yes, the sci-fi elements give away the fact that staying true to the book is not the series’ prime concern, but even so, it retains a strong and compelling story with an entire cast of distinctive characters.

Devil’s Advocate: Book purists will no doubt be put off by the sci-fi setting and changes to the original story, but overall there is little to say against this series.

Final verdict: Unique, stylish and one of Gonzo’s better efforts- why can’t all of their adaptations be like this?

Genshiken

What’s it about?: It’s not the anime club, and it’s not the manga club- this is “Genshiken”, the Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture. Looked down upon by their fellow university students, this eclectic bunch nonetheless strives to embrace the otaku side, indulging in everything from cosplay to doujinshi.

Why watch it?: Ever wanted to peek into the otaku lifestyle? Perhaps you just want to be reassured that, compared to some, your obsession with the hobby is really quite mild. Either way, Genshiken will do the trick for you, offering an amusing yet often disturbingly realistic glimpse into the lives of various otaku and the people closest to them.

Devil’s Advocate: The only downer is not from Genshiken itself, but from the accompanying Kujibiki Unbalance OVA, which is meant to parody various anime but actually comes across as quite dull and generic in the process.

Final verdict: Always good fun, Genshiken mixes memorable characters and apt observations to make a solid final product. Look forward to the upcoming second season.

Gungrave

What’s it about?: Harry McDowell is the chief of the criminal organisation Millennion, a powerful man who fears only one thing- his resurrected nemesis Brandon “Beyond the Grave” Heat. Yet these two men were once the best of friends- what could have happened to change things so?

Why watch it?: In its first sixteen episodes or so, Gungrave has the makings of a masterpiece, a tale of friends who must inevitably turn against each other, driven by ambition, ideals or just a desire to protect. The dialogue is incredibly well-written, layering each scene with a variety of intents and meanings, whilst the mafia setting allows for a healthy dose of action as well.

Devil’s Advocate: Sadly, once it hits the home stretch, Gungrave turns from a top notch character drama into a straight-out adaptation of the first game, thus offering little more than a series of successive boss fights. Yes, there are still good moments, but compared to what came before, it feels like a bit of an anticlimax.

Final verdict: Although it is let down by its later episodes, the mafia drama of the earlier arcs is enough to warrant investigation.

Gunslinger Girl

What’s it about?: Italy’s Social Welfare Agency- on the surface, it is an organisation dedicated to helping disadvantaged children and giving them a new lease of life. Whilst this not strictly inaccurate, however, what few people know is that the girls taken in by the Agency are actually turned into cyborgs and given training and conditioning designed to turn them into deadly assassins. The girls seem happy enough with their new lives, but can anyone justify robbing them of their childhood and turning them into mere tools to be used and discarded? Or is this the only way the Italian government can hope to fight back against the terrorists who would go to any length to ensure their message is heard?

Why watch it?: A strong character-driven piece, Gunslinger Girl combines the trials of adolescence with the unique condition of being a cyborg, trained to kill and show utter devotion to one’s handler. The true meat of the series comes from exploring the different cyborg-handler relationships, with a healthy dose of action and intrigue thrown in for good measure. Production values are also top notch, bringing Italy to life through both visuals and music.

Devil’s Advocate: Admittedly, some of the political elements are somewhat forgettable, and minor characters don’t really get much development- an unfortunate consequence of only covering the first two manga volumes. Happily, a second season is on its way.

Final verdict: Beautiful in every sense of the word, Gunslinger Girl is a must-watch for anyone who considers themselves an anime fan.

Haibane Renmei

What’s it about?: It started with a dream of falling, and then she woke up in a new world with no memory of what had come before. Given the name Rakka by her peers, the young woman grew wings and gained a halo, thus becoming a Haibane. Together with her fellow Haibane, Rakka begins living and working in this mysterious land within the walls, but it cannot last forever- for one day each Haibane must undergo the Day of Flight and finally move on…

Why watch it?: As well as carrying deeper themes that will give the viewer much to think about both during and after the series, Haibane Renmei is to be commended for its incredible attention to detail. Every piece of this world has been painstakingly brought to life, and you can do no less than completely immerse yourself in it from start to finish, sharing the emotions and experiences of its characters.

Devil’s Advocate: This is not a series for those who like clear, definitive answers, because for the most part, it leaves you to draw your own conclusions. Certainly it isn’t hard to put together an interpretation of the series, but if you yearn for explicit explanations of every single aspect of the series, then you will be left feeling frustrated.

Final verdict: Touching and heart-wrenching, Haibane Renmei is a series to be drunk in and remembered in all its vivid detail for a long time to come.

Hikaru no Go

What’s it about?: Whilst rummaging around in his grandfather’s attic, Shindo Hikaru gets more than he bargained for when he comes across an old Go board- a board that just happens to be possessed by the spirit of Heian Era Go player Fujiwara-no-Sai. Since his last chance to get out of the board and play some Go came over 140 years ago, Sai instantly takes the opportunity to possess Hikaru in the hopes of being allowed to participate in a few more matches. Unfortunately, Hikaru is not at all interested in Go, but as he reluctantly indulges his ghostly partner, he begins to discover a new appreciation for the game.

Why watch it?: I know what you’re thinking- a Shounen Jump series about a board game you’re probably unfamiliar with can’t be any good, right? Think again, for Hikaru no Go not only sidesteps the usual SJ conventions by offering a likable cast who are more than mere stereotypes, but it is also filled with an infectious love of Go that will make you want to play too. Instead of sighing at the cliché adventures of Hikaru and his friends, you’ll be urging them on.

Devil’s Advocate: Sadly, the later volumes of the manga are not covered by the anime, and even a New Years special only takes the story partway through the final arc. Another complaint which can be equally levelled at the original material is that the ever expanding cast means that certain characters get forgotten along the way, although efforts are usually made to check up on them later.

Final verdict: “SJ done right”; my favourite Shounen Jump series and a truly addictive one at that.

Honey and Clover

What’s it about?: Takemoto, Mayama, Morita, Hagu and Yamada are all attending art college and experiencing the same problems as students everywhere, from assignments and lack of money to deciding on a career and sorting out the love life. Join them as they go through the turbulent years that separate education from the “real world”.

Why watch it?: The events of Honey and Clover will ring true for anyone who has gone through even vaguely similar life experiences, ensuring that you cannot help but empathise with the characters as they undergo their own struggles. At times simple, funny, touching or just plain quirky, Honey and Clover always knows how to deliver on the emotional front.

Devil’s Advocate: The second season, sadly, is another matter, spending too long on minor characters and transforming some of the leads into simplistic caricatures (such as Mayama’s stalker tendencies). It’s also a sad fact that this series won’t even appeal to everyone in the first place- if you lack similar experiences, then you simply won’t “get it”.

Final verdict: A burst of nostalgia for those college years.

Hunter X Hunter

What’s it about?: After learning that his father is not only alive, but also a prestigious Hunter, Gon Freaks becomes determined to follow in his footsteps. At age 12, Gon leaves his home in order to take part in the Hunter Exam, a rigorous assessment of skill and stamina where even making it to the next exam is a test in itself. Together with the friends he makes along the way- hot-headed Leorio, logical Kurapica and youthful assassin Killua- Gon becomes determined to meet all the challenges that come his way, and prove himself capable of becoming a true Hunter.

Why watch it?: Another decent Shounen Jump series, HxH may get off to a slow start, but once it finds its feet, it proves to be a worthy adventure that combines elements of action and fantasy. With a fast pace that avoids the drawn out fights of other series whilst still getting in more detail and development than the manga version, Hunter X Hunter continually goes from strength to strength, proving to be an addictive experience fronted by likable rather than annoying characters.

Devil’s Advocate: The pace does slow a little in some of the later arcs such as the Sky Arena and Yorkshin auction, but this is only a temporary blip.

Final verdict: It may not be especially sophisticated, but HxH is plain good fun that rarely drags.

Ichigo Mashimaro

What’s it about?: Most sixteen (or rather twenty in the anime) year olds would choose to hang out with people their own age, but Nobue Itou is a little different. She would much rather spend time with fifth and sixth graders from elementary school- to be precise, her sister Chika, next door neighbour Miu, and friends Matsuri and Ana. Join this unlikely group as they while away the days amusing themselves with games, banter and all the other minor diversions that crop up in day-to-day life.

Why watch it?: Even though it isn’t really about anything and there’s no plot in sight, Ichigo Mashimaro manages to entertain rather than bore thanks to some smart pacing and comic timing. The observations are always amusingly apt, the jokes never drag on past their sell by date and the characters are most certainly distinctive and memorable.

Devil’s Advocate: The loli factor will certainly put off some (and indeed, Nobue’s obsession with the girls is a little disturbing at times) but if you can look past these moments, there’s a good slice-of-life series to be had.

Final verdict: It looks like it’s about nothing, but give it a chance and it proves to be an amusing experience.

Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu

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What’s it about?: After the summer vacation, a new student transfers into Asaba’s class- a mysterious girl named Iriya. A friendship quickly builds up between the pair of them, but as Asaba soon discovers, there is more to Iriya than meets the eye- for she is the pilot of the Black Manta, and the last line of defence in a war between aliens and humans that has secretly been going on for decades.

Why watch it?: Whilst the series may seem like a carbon copy of Saikano, Iriya brings its own unique flavour to the concept of a high school tied in with an alien war. A touching story set in an almost dreamlike environment, Iriya layers light and simple high school content like eating contests and club activities with darker undercurrents running just under the surface.

Devil’s Advocate: Due to its brevity, it is left to the reader to connect all the dots and figure out everything from the information presented, which means at least two viewings will be needed to gain a solid understanding of the series. It is also difficult to decide afterwards whether the ending was genuinely touching and emotional or just plain cheesy.

Final verdict: It may not always be clear just what is going on, but Iriya is nonetheless a compelling OVA that is more than the Saikano-clone it first appears to be.

Kare Kano

What’s it about?: A self-professed “Queen of Vanity” with an insatiable hunger for praise, Yukino Miyazawa spent years playing the model student, her facade so convincing that only her close family members knew the truth. When she enters high school, however, she finally meets her match in Soichiro Arima- an accomplished classmate who appears to be the real deal when it comes to being a paragon of virtue. Desperate to retain her position at the top of the class, Yukino declares Arima her bitter rival, but when Arima finds out the truth about her, it seems that matters can only get worse…at least until her anger and resentment start giving away to deeper feelings of friendship and even love.

Why watch it?: A cut above your average high school romance, Kare Kano takes strong characters with interesting quirks and back story, and puts them in a situation where they can naturally grow and mature. Nothing is abrupt or jarring0 instead, matters develop in a natural manner, with a healthy dose of comedy thrown in to prevent the series from ever getting bogged down in deep drama.

Devil’s Advocate: Not only does the anime stop rather abruptly less than halfway through the manga story, but budget issues mean that the animation is extremely short-changed, with much of the series relying on stills and other money-saving tricks. Although the inner excellence of the series still shines through, this lack of proper animation takes some getting used to, and early on it can even the alienate the viewer from onscreen events.

Final verdict: It may be a mere taster of what the manga can achieve, but that doesn’t stop it from being very good.

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien

What’s it about?: When Mitsuki helped her best friend Haruka to get together with classmate Takayuki, what she didn’t count on was falling for Takayuki herself- and when Haruka ends up in a coma after a car accident, she ends up being the one to help Takayuki get through it. Now, three years later, Mitsuki and Takayuki are an item, but when Haruka awakens from her coma with no knowledge of how much time has passed, he is to find himself torn between his past and his present.

Why watch it?: One of the rare worthy eroge adaptations, KimiNozo somehow takes a situation that should be totally laughable and ridiculous, and turns it into one where you actually find yourself on the edge of your seat as you wait to see what will happen to the protagonists. With its mastery of emotion, the series can make you laugh and cry in the same episode without ever feeling that the changes in tone are forced or abrupt.

Devil’s Advocate: That being said, there are many who find the entire series angsty and overdramatic, and indeed, even those who love it can see their point of view.

Final verdict: Like Marmite, you’ll either love it or hate it, but there’s no real way to guess which until you try it.

Kino’s Journey

What’s it about?: Kino is a traveller who journeys from country to country on her talking motorcycle Hermes; by her own rules, she must stay in one place no more than three days, but whilst there, she makes an effort to see everything it has to offer. Join Kino and Hermes as they turn up all the weird and wonderful things to be seen across the world.

Why watch it?: Although it is entirely episodic in nature, Kino’s Journey is hardly lacking in depth, with each episode introducing a new country and leaving the viewer with plenty to think about. With so many sights to see, and Kino acting as a thoughtful yet sardonic guide with a distinctive personality and back story of her own, it is impossible not to appreciate all the sights the series has to offer.

Devil’s Advocate: Although I can’t vouch for it myself, apparently the anime only draws from a mere fraction of the novel material, with some of the best stories to be found only in the original books.

Final verdict: A memorable series that leaves the viewer with plenty of food for thought, Kino’s Journey comes highly recommended.

Koi Kaze

What’s it about?: Koshiro and Nanoka are siblings, but thanks to their parents’ divorce and twelve year age gap, they haven’t seen each other since Nanoka was a baby. All that is about to change, however, for once she starts high school, Nanoka will be moving in with Koshiro and her father to avoid a lengthy commute each morning. Now, Koshiro will have to learn how to cope with this unexpected intrusion into his life- but will his relationship with Nanoka evolve into something beyond what is considered normal for a brother and sister?

Why watch it?: Incest is not something that very many viewers will be in favour of, but despite its controversial subject matter, Koi Kaze proves to be a highly worthy series. A touching tale of taboo feelings and the two people who struggle with them, Koi Kaze is so powerful that you will actually find yourself rooting for Koshiro and Nanoka in spite of their situation. To quote what I said in my original review, “The gentle music, minimal art and softly spoken characters weave a magic akin to that of any slice-of-life series, the perfect veneer for the tangled web of emotions that lurks beneath”.

Devil’s Advocate: There’s not really much to say against this series, unless you take such a violent exception to incest that a fictional and non-graphic depiction of such feelings cannot even be countenanced.

Final verdict: A series that all mature romance fans should try.

Kurau Phantom Memory

What’s it about?: When she was a little girl, a science experiment gone wrong saw the body of Kurau Amami fused with a pair of Rynax- life-forms from an alternate dimension. Years later, and the strange abilities Kurau has gained from the fusion have enabled her to become a special operative, but when the second Rynax emerges and takes a body of her own, the two women must go on the run from an organisation seeking to harness their unique power.

Why watch it?: A top notch sci-fi series from Bones, Kurau has everything- action, special powers, strong characters and an absorbing story. Instead of starting well and going downhill as so many sci-fi series are wont to do, Kurau goes from strength to strength, creating dramatic and emotional moments without ever going overboard, and including a memorable soundtrack to enhance every scene.

Devil’s Advocate: Finding fault with this series would be being picky for its own sake, so I won’t even try.

Final verdict: The best sci-fi series anime has to offer, and perhaps even one of the best series overall, even among its peers on this list.

Last Exile

What’s it about?: Claus and Lavie are best friends who dream of flying the farthest skies in their vanship like their fathers before them, but when they end up rescuing young Alvis Hamilton from a wreck, their lives are changed forever. Drawn into the battle that rages across the skies of their world, Claus and Lavie are taken on a journey filled with friends, foes, adventure and mystery.

Why watch it?: Another of Gonzo’s better efforts, Last Exile takes us to a whole other world, whose marvellous settings are limited only by the imagination. With everything from distinctive characters to tense airship battles, Last Exile weaves a compelling story filled with painstaking attention to detail.

Devil’s Advocate: Aside from the matter of a rather disappointing ending, Last Exile is one of those series that feels as if it just doesn’t have enough episodes- with so much potential in this world, it really needed more time to be explored further. The direction taken by certain characters is also questionable and a bit disappointing.

Final verdict: Although not without its flaws, Last Exile paints such a compelling world that I cannot help but love it anyway.

Come back tomorrow for part two of this article, covering Mahou Shoujotai to Zipang!

Reviewed this week: Baccano! 5, Doujin Work 6-7, Oh! Edo Rocket 2-6, Seirei no Moribito 21, Sisters of Wellber 8

…and in manga: Akagi 5, Aria 24-5, Spiral 53-6, Tsubasa 166

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Dennou Coil (1) – Don’t make me wait!
2. SaiMono II (2) – I need the next arc, and soon
3. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (3) – I’m in despair!
4. Baccano! (4) – I don’t know what’s going on, but I like it
5. Oh! Edo Rocket (9) – bizarre yet fun
6. Mushi-Uta (5) – best episode yet
7. Mononoke (6) – masks, and lots of them
8. Darker than Black (7) – caring at minimum
9. Doujin Work (8) – this is becoming a guilty pleasure
10. Koutetsu Sangokushi (10) – pure HARD GAY
11. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (11) – evil uncle
12. Seirei no Moribito (13) – Flashback Mode
13. Romeo X Juliet (12) – what’s the point anymore?
14. El Cazador de la Bruja (14) – useless Nadie

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Shounen Onmyouji (1)- now getting its own musical!?
2. Tetsuko no Tabi (2)- demoted to slow
3. Sisters of Wellber (3) – predictable but fun
4. Love GetChu! (4)- light entertainment

Baccano! 5: It’s been a while since I had any new Baccano, and whilst I still don’t have much idea of the overall story, it remains highly enjoyable. Whilst the events on the Flying Pussyfoot continue on course, elsewhere we learn more about the product that can render a person immortal, as well as see Firo join up with a mafia group. Memorable scenes include the well-choreographed knife fight, an evil boss sucking in this body and memories of an underling through his hand, and of course any scene in which the energetic Isaac and Miria appear. More of the same, please.

Doujin Work 6-7: It’s been a while, but now we have a double dose of Doujin Work, in which Najimi continues to pit herself against her newfound rival. Whilst episode six, in which both Najimi and Rival attempt to improve their drawing skills, is merely passably entertaining, the true hilarity returns in episode seven, in which Rival gets the wrong end of the stick and becomes convinced that Hoshi is HARD GAY for Justice. Yes, this joke has been done before, but somehow the series makes it amusing again.

*SLOW CATCH-UP* Oh! Edo Rocket 2-6: Oh! Edo Rocket is a strange series; along with the likes of FLCL it should be completely random and nonsensical, but somehow its bizarre elements combine to make a greater whole. Alongside the story of fireworks maker Seikichi trying to make fireworks that can go to the moon, we have sky monsters, Men in Black (complete with transformation sequence), a raccoon fetishist, chibis and much more, and yet despite the complete disregard for conventional storytelling or even the period it is supposed to be set in, the series seems tailor made for the more random side of my personality. The only reason I haven’t caught up yet is a simple lack of time.

Seirei no Moribito 21: This week on Seirei no Moribito, Balsa sits down and talks- about her past with Jiguro. Actually, I have to admit to a soft spot for this sort of character developing flashback episode, and with the return of decent action scenes for the first time since episode 3, this actually marks an improvement from “completely dull and pointless” to “largely dull and pointless with one or two good parts”.

Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~ 8: Whilst Rita and Tina decide to speed things up by taking a boat to Greedom, our evil megane villain decides to return to the plot- only now he genuinely wants to marry Rita. This is another mildly enjoyable episode with some potential for parody, but the series still isn’t breaking into the league of true worth.

MANGA

Akagi 5: Very little happens in this chapter, in which the Yakuza guys call their rep player and Akagi explains his reasoning in the previous round, but as always, the series manages to be both absorbing and enjoyable. This is truly one series that can get away with being slow paced.

Aria 24-5: Volume five concludes with these two chapters, which again cover stories we’ve already seen in the anime- first we see Akira giving Akari and the others a training session, before Akari spends a pleasant afternoon at the Café San Marco. Once again, since Aria is so good, there is no problem in experiencing the same material twice, although I also yearn for new stories.

Spiral 53-6: Kudos to the scanlators for keeping up an insanely fast pace in translating this series, enabling us to reach the end of volume eleven only a week after I read volume ten. Sadly, these chapters are basically one long round of exposition, explaining the origin of the Blade Children, as well as Kiyotaka and Ayumu’s place in the grand plan- somehow, with all these revelations, the series is starting to lose its uniqueness, and so I fear this is the turning point where it all begins to go downhill.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 166: Ah, Tsubasa, I now see that the reason for reading you is to see how many ridiculous plot twists CLAMP can throw in before the end. After the death of King Ashura, a secondary curse that was apparently set by Fei Wong activates, trapping our heroes so that they cannot move on to the next world- cue a scene in which Kurogane slices off his own arm to give vampire-Fye (it’s okay if you’d forgotten he was a vampire) the power to set them free. Syaoran-real is also supposed to be taking white Mokona’s earring to black Mokona for some reason, although I’m not sure what bearing this has on anything.

HITS

Akagi
I always seem to be singing Akagi’s praises, but this underrated series truly deserves it. It may be MANLY and not particularly aesthetically pleasing (although the animation is at least technically clean, and mah-jongg tiles are the best use of CG I’ve seen so far), but Akagi is oddly addictive, drawing you into its world and making you hold your breath as you wait for the flip of a tile.

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad
From the inconsistency of Nodame Cantabile to the disappointing dullness of Corda d’Oro, no music-based series has yet to match Beck for its sheer quality of entertainment. Gone is the instant and magical (sometimes literally) success of other series- in Beck, the protagonists face a much more realistic struggle as they try to make their mark on the music world. And yet, for all the difficulties they go through, they remain a likeable group that you cannot help but support every step of the way.

Boogiepop Phantom
Picking up after the events of the first Boogiepop novel, Boogiepop Phantom is one of the best supernatural series out there, expertly weaving different timelines as it tells the tale of people with emerging special abilities. Not every episode is on the mark (the one about Panuru seems particularly poor), but nonetheless overall the series is unique, memorable and packed with enough content to ensure that you have to watch it several times to get the most out of it.

Dennou Coil

Make no mistake about it, I love Dennou Coil; in fact, if it were a religion, I would convert immediately. This is the series .hack could have been if it had pulled its finger out, the series I always wanted but never knew where to find. Set in a world where special glasses let you interact with a virtual overlay of the real world, Dennou Coil not only features likeable characters and imaginative adventures, but it also raises deeper questions, as to just how real ‘reality’ even is.

Gungrave
Although it loses something towards the end when it becomes a zombie bash-fest based on the first game, the first four volumes or so of Gungrave are very good, detailing as they do the early days of Brandon ‘Beyond the Grave’ Heat and Harry McDowell. Knowing as we do from the first episode that these close friends will one day end up on opposite sides lends a sense of foreboding to events, but where Gungrave really shines is in how well it conveys the emotions of its characters, investing even the simplest of lines with multiple layers of meaning.

Gunslinger Girl

A series that I usually name whenever top tens are required, Gunslinger Girl is lamentably short, but over the course of its thirteen episodes it does an excellent job of adapting the first two manga volumes. The crisp, clean animation and piano-driven soundtrack only serve to enhance a story that was already highly worthy in the first place, making for a girls with guns series that should be a must-see for anyone.

Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers
I’ve decided to include these three Satoshi Kon movies together because not only are they all very good, but to write about them separately would result in my repeating myself. Although the three movies are rather different in tone and content, they are all highly enjoyable and memorable- even if you don’t usually care for anime movies, make time for these three.

Monster
Revered by all who have seen it, Monster may not be one of my absolute favourites, but I do concur that it is a very good series, and one of only two where 74 episodes didn’t feel like enough (the other being Hikaru no Go). A suspenseful tale of one man’s efforts to track down an unusual but nonetheless deadly killer, Monster weaves together the various threads of its main characters, never once dropping the ball.

Paranoia Agent
Satoshi Kon’s first (and thus far only) attempt at a TV series, Paranoia Agent offers a unique method of storytelling in which the ‘baton’ of main character passes from one person to another through the course of the series. Not only does this let the series explore a range of unique and quirky characters, but it also allows the mystery of “Shounen Bat” to slowly unfold, until everything comes full circle and the answers are revealed.

Saiunkoku Monogatari

Another entry on the hallowed top ten list, Saiunkoku Monogatari may owe its basic content to the original novels, but the animated version helped bring the story to a wider audience (myself included). Although the quality of the animation is not always up to scratch here, the series is nonetheless a strong one, bringing to life the complex and many-layered world of Saiunkoku, as well as the characters that inhabit it.

Texhnolyze
With its unique ambience and art style, Texhnolyze makes its mark right from the start, and whilst it isn’t the easiest or most coherent series to get into, give it some time and effort, and an absorbing series is revealed. Whether you want to bask in the atmosphere or delve deeper into the content, Texhnolyze’s futuristic world is one truly worth exploring.

X
Okay, so the movie wasn’t so great (and I make no effort to defend it), but even if it did have to work with an unfinished story and a limited episode count, X TV did a pretty decent job of bringing CLAMP’s end of the world epic to life. Although the beautiful animation and memorable soundtrack are truly worthy of note, X TV’s true success is in using a mere twenty-four episodes to introduce and develop both a coherent plot and over seventeen named characters.

NEUTRAL

Aquarian Age: Sign for Evolution
Although it’s hard for those of us in the West to comment on the bits and pieces of the franchise that have bled through from Japan, if we just consider this series as a self-contained unit, it comes up as somewhat lacking. The potential for both story arcs about the lead’s band and about the magical battles that take place behind the scenes simply cannot be developed properly in a mere thirteen episodes, and so the whole thing ends up merely showing flashes of interesting material in a sea of mediocrity. The movie is even worse; it may have some nice character designs, but its fifty-five minute length ensures it is nothing more than a hurried introduction of some new characters before they go into battle against a final boss.

Chobits
CLAMP’s ecchi semi-harem series was never the strongest of material to work from, but the anime somehow made it worse, compressing the good parts of the original so that it could fit in pointless diversions like an entire episode devoted to buying panties. Once again, the character designs are very good, but this is more for CLAMP completists than the casual viewer.

Cyber City Oedo 808
Ultimately, Cyber City is like any other sci-fi OVA from the early 90s- it features MANLY men beating up evil robots whilst the women in their lives either betray them or scream for help. If you feel an odd craving for cyberpunk, then this isn’t a bad way to assuage the need, but it isn’t something I can recommend to everyone- I’m not even sure I can explain why I still have it on DVD.

Paradise Kiss
It’s stylish and fashionable, but ultimately Paradise Kiss is simply too shallow to make it into the hits, especially as the anime cuts out much of the fifth volume, shortening the conclusion and thus failing to properly show where all the characters ended up. Like the other neutrals, it isn’t particularly bad, but nor is there much reason to call it good.

MISSES

Beyblade
Well, to be fair, Beyblade is just a kids’ show designed to sell toys, so it was never meant to be good, but 153 episodes was just a tiny bit too much- it was mindless fun at first, but when the finale saw Beyblades opening the way to a parallel dimension that could engulf the world, I had to question just what I had spent my time watching.

Claymore
I know this will provoke a lot of flames, but Claymore and I never did get on in either anime or manga form- the anime especially just left me with a grey, brown and washed out feeling, with its repetitive and simplistic action scenes and uninspiring characters. Although I may be the only person in the universe to think so, I just cannot see the brilliance that others says it has.

Death Note

In manga form, Death Note is very good, but for me, the anime just didn’t work. Perhaps it was just because the anime followed the manga so closely; as far as content went, I’d experienced it all before, and at my own pace instead of the one that the director chose. Worse yet, Light seemed to become much more theatrical in the anime, often going into red tinted mode as he laughed evilly and went off on another internal monologue of gloating.

Kemonozume
Maybe this series improved later on, but I found myself simply unable to watch past about five minutes into the second episode- seeing the lead character soil himself on screen just wasn’t my idea of entertainment. The only memorably worthy aspect was the detail in the animation, such as the monkey removing screws from a katana (or did I imagine that?).

Kiba
Another series that could have improved in later episodes, Kiba got off to a poor start that ensured I never really wanted to continue with it. Between emo Noa and his post-industrial grime and Zed’s generic shounen “rip off sixteen other series” adventures, Kiba just didn’t seem to have much in the way of originality to offer, and so it soon dropped off the watch list.

Lament of the Lamb
I love the original manga, but this OVA just didn’t do it justice- it was short, washed out in colouration, and generally didn’t offer anything to the franchise that couldn’t be gained from just ignoring it and reading the original.

Nana
Another series that many loved but I didn’t get on with, Nana simply proved to be rather dull in nature, with too time spent on Hachi to the detriment of the more interesting Nana. When thirteen episodes proved to be a struggle, I knew fifty would just be too much.

Otogi-jushi Akazukin
In the old days, Akazukin seemed like a fun children’s series, but as the episode count increased, the repetitiveness of it all began to become grating. With each episode featuring yet another monster of the week to be defeated by our heroines’ signature attacks, it became clear that the patience that saw me all the way through Tokyo Mew Mew was simply not ready for yet another brightly coloured but ultimately childish magical girl series.

Trigun
Trigun may be considered a classic in some circles, but I’m not sure why. Although there were moments when Vash approached my ideal of a character who hides their skill behind a laid back exterior, ultimately he was just too annoying to really get on with, whilst the over the top craziness that permeated the series just wasn’t to my tastes. I watched it once, but I don’t anticipate ever wanting to sit through it again.

Tenjho Tenge
There was a time when I liked Tenjho Tenge, but now I’m not entirely sure why- the girls may be nice to look at, but other than that, it doesn’t have a great deal to offer. Based around a rather bizarre high school where fighting is a part of the curriculum, Tenjho Tenge features a cast that encompasses everything from the downright dislikeable to the completely ugly and psychotic. Recommended for “blood and breasts” fans only.

Yume Tsukai
I went into this series thinking it would be something along the lines of Kokoro Library or Shrine of the Morning Mist, but sadly, it was just a boring knock-off that Madhouse cared so little about that they let the janitors handle the animation. With the original manga apparently focusing more on the lolicon aspects than the actual story, perhaps there just wasn’t much to work with.

Final Thoughts
It cannot be denied that Madhouse have certainly proven themselves capable of producing excellent series in a variety of different styles and genres, but ultimately, even they are only human, and so it is that not all their output can reach the same standard. With such a prolific output, it is no wonder they are good at what they do, but even so, no one can hit the jackpot all of the time.