I must admit that around half of the series I’m watching at the moment are rather forgettable- if I’d know in advance how poor they would be, I would never have even started them in the first place. Of course, once you make headway into a series, it becomes very difficult to drop it, but in a few weeks’ time I should be released from the chaff in time to sample the best (and most likely the worst) of the autumn season.

Lucky Star OVA

Ah, I can hear the fanboys stirring over this one- as you know, personally I wasn’t too impressed by Lucky Star (Hidamari Sketch was far superior in presenting an amusing tale of everyday life), but I may watch this for completion.

Hakushaku to Yousei

Also known as “Count and Fairy”, this is actually the tale of a 19^th century count and fairy knight and doctor on a quest for a legendary sword. Despite the generic premise, I’m torn between expecting this to be a solid historical fantasy in the vein of Chevalier and fearing that it will actually be the next Allison to Lillia.

Akane-Iro ni Somaru Saka

Another eroge adaptation with nice character designs, this time about a new transfer student who happens to be the arranged husband of the girl he manages to piss off by kissing her (apparently to save her from danger, however that works). I can’t help thinking of Full Metal Panic, and to be honest, unless this can make itself into the next True Tears, it may as well be left alone.

Shikabane Hime: Aka

We’ve had Murder Princess, Sister Princess and so forth, but now the Corpse Princess has joined in the fun. Our undead heroine must hunt down 108 corpses if she wishes to go to heaven, seemingly a recipe for a near endless series. With Gainax at the helm, there’s bound to be some degree of hype, but even if you subscribe to the Eva and Gurren-Lagann fanclubs, please remember that they did bring us Koni Mini and Mahoromatic as well.

Toradora!

A kind-hearted guy with the looks of a delinquent becomes the personal servant of the ultimate tsundere and the two become allies in an attempt to share their respective crushes. I can’t help thinking of Midori no Hibi with a splash of Nogizaka Haruka, and if, like those series, this is only 12-13 episodes, I might indulge- but I don’t have the time or inclination to tackle anything longer.

Rosario to Vampire Capu2

As always, a second season I only mention for completeness, since I didn’t watch the first season and have no intention of doing so.

Hyakko

A series about four schoolgirls and the people they interact with, this series isn’t handled by SHAFT, but it sounds so much like Hidamari Sketch meets Pani Poni Dash that it really should be. This kind of series is usually good fun, so I may take a punt on this one.

Clannad After Story

The hyped KyoAni series of the season, the long awaited After Story begins with Tomoya X Nagisa getting together, and depending on which game path it follows, can either be miserable or utterly depressing. Still, as it’s focusing on the Clannad relationship that I like the best, I’m willing to follow it through (although I have a good idea of what could happen thanks to some of Hinano’s game spoilers).

Tales of the Abyss

Let’s not bother with the plot (something about a destined hero) and focus on just one thing here- this is an RPG adaptation, and I think I may have finally learned my lesson about their generally poor quality. With that in mind, and with Sunrise’s involvement not inspiring much in the way of confidence, I’m going to leave this well alone.

Hokuto no Ken Raoh Gaiden Ten no Haoh

You might have thought that Hokuto no Ken had had its day, but from out of nowhere this spin-off manga about Kenshiro’s brother Raoh has appeared. Bringing this sort of ultra-retro series into the 21^st century probably isn’t the best of ideas, and even if I felt tempted to watch this any time soon, I’d leave it until I’d watched the rest of the earlier series.

Kuro Shitsuji

The butler genre gets a new entry in the form of “Dark Butler”, the tale of a perfect servant and his twelve year old master. I’m not sure what to make of this, as it could either be amusing or entirely dull- perhaps it’s best to watch it based on the blogworld’s reaction to the first couple of episodes (go forth, my fellow bloggers, and sacrifice yourselves for my sake!).

Casshern Sins

My sole experience of this franchise comes from watching and reviewing the OVA “Casshan: Robot Hunter”, which I will always remember for having a DVD menu that loaded with the epic battlecry “I am- Casshan!” As a remake of a 70s series about a robot hunter fighting an evil empire of artificial lifeforms, surely even Studio Madhouse can’t elevate this beyond the level of retro cheese.

Yozakura Quartet

After acquiring some artwork from the original material, I became rather interested in watching this for shallow reasons, but in true Terry Pratchett fashion, my Second Thoughts told me that looking forward to it on such a flimsy basis could only be a recipe for disaster. The fact that the eponymous quartet consist of one normal boy and three girls with superpowers also has those alarm bells ringing- isn’t this just the dull Telepathy Shoujo Ran all over again? And yet, even with all that in mind, I feel that I must at least try it.

Kannagi

The tale of a sacred tree that turns into a girl and a guardian deity who wants to be an idol, this sounds like another light entertainment shrine maiden series in the vein of Shrine of the Morning Mist. I’m keeping my expectations grounded, but I’ll certainly give it a try.

Kurogane no Linebarrels

A typical shounen story about an underachiever who finds a giant robot and then has his life changed, this sounds like the kind of thing I can easily live without.

Tentai Senshi Sunred

At first glance, I would have passed over this as an out of place sentai series, but apparently it’s actually a spoof of all those retro Japanese clichés, and with that in mind, it could be quite amusing. Then again, I can spoof things quite happily on my own.

Jigoku Shoujo: Mitsuganae

Will the hellish trip through the excruciatingly dull world of Jigoku Shoujo ever end? One season was too much for me, but somehow they came up with a second, and now a third is on its way. Good luck to anyone still following this.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 2nd Season

Gundam 00 continues after a time skip of some four years, but since I gave up on the first season after three episodes, I’ll need to catch up if I ever want to be ready for this- and right now I don’t have the time or inclination for that.

Kemeko Deluxe!

How many times can a high school student meet a mysterious alien who claims to be his destined bride? Apparently, there’s still room for more, with Sanpeita meeting a mecha musume fiancée in her own mobile suit. It may be light entertainment and amusing, but it sounds like the sort of thing that should be watched after it has aired rather than be worried about catching it every week.

To Aru Majutsu no Index

Another light novel adaptation, this one takes place in a world where supherhuman powers and magic are just par for the course. Our protagonists are a boy with a hand that can negate magic and a nun with forbidden magical texts in her head- think Chrono Crusade meets Getbackers, Johnny Mnemonic, Rental Magica, Polyphonica and god only knows what else. In other words, whilst it may look appealing, I’m also concerned that it will be a generic, cookie-cutter experience.

Noramimi 2

Apparently the original Noramimi was very underrated, but until I have the opportunity to watch it, I won’t be indulging in this second season.

Inazuma Eleven

An RPG adaptation with childish character designs- strike this one off the list immediately.

Macademi Wasshoi!

Thanks to the success of one Harry Potter, magical academies will probably never go out of fashion, with this series showcasing yet another one. Our hero manages to summon up a girl who has the power to destroy an entire country- now only her loyalty to him can avert disaster. I can’t help thinking of Zero no Tsukaima added to Hibiki’s Magic, and to be honest I’m not terribly interested.

Ga-Rei: Zero

A boy, a girl and a ‘Ga-Rei’ team together to destroy evil spirits in something that looks and sounds pretty generic. I may watch it, but it depends on the rest of my viewing schedule.

Skip Beat!

Although I haven’t read it myself, this is one those manga series that is so all-pervasive that you expect it to have had an anime adaptation already. The series focuses on a girl who follows her singer boyfriend to Tokyo, only to discover that he thinks of her as little more than a convenient housekeeper. In an attempt at revenge, she decides to become more famous than him, but without the ability to love, she doesn’t quite have that ‘x-factor’ needed to succeed. This sounds like it could be a painful example of generic shoujo, but there’s always the chance that it might actually be worthy.

Kyou no Go no Ni

Although fifth graders indulging in sexual innuendo always sounded rather disturbing to me, I now have the OVA in my possession, and so I can sample that before the series begins to see if it’s my thing. Should it prove to be amusing, then I’ll take a chance on the TV series.

Vampire Knight Guilty

The bishies return for a second season of shallow shoujo antics; if you liked the first season you’ll no doubt go in for more of the same.

ef – a tale of melodies

Whilst my fellow bloggers may have waxed lyrical on the perceived complexity of ef’s first season, I put it on hold after three episodes and still haven’t felt like getting back to it. If the backburner has a backburner, then that’s where this one is going.

Mouryou no Hako

Apparently this series starts with a private investigator looking into a case involving dismembered schoolgirls- to be honest, from that alone, it sounds like it could be the next Kara no Kyoukai movie. I’m not sure whether the series will be about that one case or whether it has more tricks up its sleeve; either way, if it can pull off a decent horror story, it might be worth looking into, but if not, it’ll just be another Ryoko’s Case File.

Stitch!

I’m not sure how a minor Disney character got his own anime series, but here it is, although as I wasn’t a particular fan of the original movie and imagine this will be rather childish, it’s not going on my to-watch list.

One Outs

On first glance, an anime about baseball and gambling doesn’t sound terribly appealing, but you factor in the obvious MANLINESS and the fact that the same team who worked on Akagi and Kaiji will be handling this, it suddenly sounds like it might have a chance of being oddly compulsive. With that in mind, I must at least sample this- or get someone else to sample it for me.

Tytania

A space opera from the brains behind Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Tytania promises to be a complex epic that should please everyone who loved both the aforementioned and the ever popular Seikai series. This time around, count me in from the start!

Chaos;Head

A visual novel adaptation starring a boy who cannot tell reality from delusion yet believes he is being pursued by a murderer, this sounds a lot like this season’s answer to Higurashi. I must admit I’m tempted, but I’m also wary.

Nodame Cantabile: Paris-Hen

Nodame Cantabile may not be one of my favourites, but I did generally enjoy the manga and the first season of the anime, and so even though I’ve read the material that will be turned into this season, it’s been long enough that I can enjoy it again in animated form. A decent silver level series.

Kurozuka

A story of love and obsession that spans the generations, Kurozuka sounds somewhat reminiscent of Otogi Zoshi, although it’s hard to tell just where it’s going to fall in the quality spectrum. At only 12 episodes in length, however, it’s tempting to give it a try.

Junjou Romantica 2

Another second season of a series I haven’t seen- first season viewers only need apply.

Michiko to Hatchin

Move over all other anime partnerships, Michiko and Hatchin are here- a sexy diva and a little kid on the run from her foster parents. Exactly where their story will take them is a matter for debate, but I assume it will be some sort of Sisters of Wellber type affair. At any rate, I can live without seeing this one.

Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Zetsubou shita! The fact that this is only a two episode OVA has left me in despair! Still, I’ll take what I can of Sensei’s bleak antics, and hopefully they will be as hilarious as ever.

Switch

A typical detective odd couple take to the streets as drug busters, up against a new super-addictive substance that has taken hold of the life of a popular actor. I’m not sure what to make of this one- it certainly sounds like something more suited to primetime TV, but can it work in animated form?

Zettai Shougeki: Platonic Heart

An OVA about eleven women chosen to search for a jewel that can grant any wish, this sounds highly generic. AniDB has also tagged it as ‘paper clothes’, which suggests that this will be Ikki Tousen’s spiritual successor.

It’s been a year of ups and downs, of anime gems and utter disappointments- a year when I’ve alternated between craving more and feeling utterly fed up with the continuing deluge of episodes that take no account of the fact that people might have other things to do than stay in and watch all day. Nonetheless, in true years-end tradition, we must review all the new series in an Annual Round-Up, a project which I meant to periodically update through the year but ended up writing at the last minute again.

As always, red titles are those which were dropped, and blues are the picks of the year. Come back on Tuesday for the New Year Rumble, in which we take a look at the year in the life of Azure Flame.

STILL RUNNING FROM 2006

Asatte no Houkou

The beginning of the year saw the end of Asatte no Houkou, a series that had started as a strong character drama and slice-of-life piece, but lost it somewhere with its slow pacing and plot contrivances. Ultimately, the series was a ‘curate’s egg’, good in parts but sorely lacking in others.
Final words: The series may have been called ‘The Direction of the Day After Tomorrow’, but sadly the plot sometimes lacked direction.

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto

Last year, I labelled the emerging Iroha as a tentative pick of the year, but in retrospect, it was more silver than the gold tier it seemed at first. Despite remaining generally enjoyable throughout, the series got mired in a repetitive storyline, numerous historical cameos and an ending that defied sense and explanation.
Final words: Good for those who like action or historical series, but sadly not worthy of entering the hall of classics.

Busou Renkin

Ah, Busou Renkin, a series replete with cheesiness, ridiculous special abilities and Shounen Jump clichés- on the surface of it, hardly something worth writing home about, and yet an important series in its own right. A prime parody candidate, every week of Busou Renkin brought more hilarity than the creators had ever meant to include as Kazuki found himself torn between the worlds of HARD GAY, STRAIGHT and BI.
Final words: I wouldn’t actually watch the series ever again, but parodying it was a lot of fun- blogging hasn’t been the same since.

Le Chevalier d’Eon

At the end of last year, Chevalier was going strong, and it lost very little of its appeal as it moved into its closing episodes. Yes, the ending didn’t make a great deal of sense on close inspection, but with strong characters, worthy action scenes and an unfaltering sense of historical atmosphere, Chevalier remained enjoyable throughout.
Final words: Good enough to parody twice.

La Corda d’Oro

Last year, I had an optimistic view of Corda; this time around, the tale of a Neoromance reverse harem would surely have decent characters and some kind of a plot- or so I thought. Unfortunately, it was not to be- whilst our lead cheated her way through the music competition with a magical violin, the shallow supporting characters and slow pacing did nothing to disguise the general lack of substance.
Final words: Another game adaptation hardly worth writing home about.

Death Note

I enjoyed the Death Note manga, but in anime form, it wasn’t a series that could work for me- the long exposition scenes never seemed suited for an animated format, and attempts to bring the story to life only made Light seem overly theatrical under his red spotlight. After many episodes of thinking “well, the next arc will be better”, I decided to terminate my relationship with the series.
Final words: It didn’t flourish in animated format.

Kanon

As we must all know by now, after the first few episodes, Kanon failed to do much for me- Yuuichi was always too sarcastic and cruel to the girls, who were in turn too one-dimensional to do anything about it. Despite the series’ attempts to tug at the heartstrings, overall it failed to ignite for me, ending up as only another excuse for parody.
Final words: Sad girls in snow don’t make me cry.

Mai-Otome Zwei

Most trainwrecks have the grace to stop and let the rescue crew hunt for survivors, but not Mai-Otome- it just keeps rumbling on. Aside from one or two good action scenes, this whole OVA proved to be a waste of time, introducing a pointless enemy and filling every spare moment with character cameos and fanservice. There was no real reason to expect anything else, but why do I keep getting sucked into this franchise?
Final words: Why do I already know I’ll be watching the next sub-par Otome OVA?

Red Garden

Despite attempts to make its mark with a distinctive art style and a New York setting, Red Garden managed to utterly fail at either the horror or character drama it was presumably aiming for. With four angsty leads who spent most of their time whining or crying and a mystery that dragged on into a totally ridiculous conclusion, Red Garden was a largely dull experience that never rewarded the patience of those who dared to persevere with it.
Final words: Don’t bother with it. Really. It doesn’t get better later on.

Saiunkoku Monogatari

On the strength of its first season, SaiMono established itself as one of my favourites; far from the reverse harem series it first appeared, it actually proved to be an absorbing tale of intrigue, politics and character interaction as one woman chased her dream of becoming her country’s first female official. Of course, the attractive character designs don’t hurt, but to consider this series shallow just because of that would be to do it a great disservice.
Final words: I don’t see why anyone reading this blog wouldn’t have watched SaiMono yet, but if you haven’t, get to it now.

Shounen Onmyouji

A fairly generic tale of a young onymouji being sent to fight the strongest demons just because he happens to be the main character, Shounen Onmyouji was often pointless and rarely very good, but somehow managed to retain interest by having twelve spirit summons who were gradually introduced over the course of the series- and with many of them having little more than a basic appearance, the series even seemed to demand a second season in which to adapt more of the novels.
Final words: Large casts usually work against a series, but in this case it was a draw for an otherwise average series.

WINTER 2006/7
Winter is traditionally a slow month for anime, but could the fledgling 2007 break the curse of the cold months? Sadly, with only a couple of worthy series that were worth following to the end, it seemed that it could not.

Deltora Quest
Despite numerous failures, I’ve always kept my eye out for decent fantasy series, but sadly, Deltora Quest was not one of them. Despite being so packed with cliché and unintentional hilarity that it could have made a good parody candidate, the fact that the series needed to resort to budget saving flashbacks and stills as early as episode four was far from a good sign, and when the next episode proved to be even more dull and uneventful (consisting as it did of answering riddles), the series was quickly shelved, never to be touched again.
Final words: Classic fantasy in anime needs drastic reinvention.

Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight
School comedies have always been hit or miss for me, and Manabi Straight struck right out in its first episode. With an energetic and clueless lead who somehow becomes school president, Manabi Straight didn’t do a great deal for me, and was quickly assigned to the Recycle Bin.
Final words: Not for me.

Ichigo Mashimaro OVA

Basically a continuation of the TV series, the Ichigo Mashimaro OVA offered three more episodes of Nobue and the girls’ everyday adventures. Despite dragging a little in the second episode, overall the OVA was as entertaining as the TV series, with apt observations and polished delivery and timing turning basic activities into a source of amusement and entertainment.
Final words: A nice coda for a strong TV series.

Les Miserables Shoujo Cosette
As an attempt to adapt the original novel to a fifty-episode series aimed at the younger audience, Cosette seemed determined to make life hard for itself, and the results were appropriately unspectacular. With its emphasis on the Cinderella-esque life of Cosette, the series dripped with twee sentiments and overused plotlines to the exclusion of the good parts of the story.
Final words: Almost painful in its execution.

Maria-sama ga Miteru OVA

Prior to this OVA, I liked MariMite- despite all the angst, it managed to deliver a worthy tale of school life with a sprinkling of HARD YURI. Unfortunately, it was not a format that could make the transition to fifty-minute OVA episodes with any grace- everything became terribly long, drawn out and dull, whilst the HARD YURI content took advantage of its newfound freedom to reach new and unforeseen heights.
Final words: I’ll still be trying season four, but this OVA was a major setback for the franchise.

Nodame Cantabile

The only real noteworthy TV series from the winter season (aside from Hidamari Sketch and Himawari!!, both of which I still need to start), Nodame Cantabile promised to be ‘Honey and Clover with music’, but instead became tantalisingly inconsistent. At times, its insights into its two leads- one a technical genius, the other an intuitive talent- made it compelling viewing, but all too often the off-kilter humour and wacky side characters ruined the mood, whilst an air of Shounen Jump “let’s level up and make the strongest orchestra!” always lurked in the background. Despite these flaws, however, Nodame was overall a worthwhile investment of time, and with the manga still ongoing, a second season would be welcomed.
Final words: Snatches of greatness kept the series appealing even as the wackier elements suggested switching off would be the way to go.

SPRING 2007
Spring is usually the best season for anime, and indeed there were lots of promising contenders right out of the gate. When it came to the long haul, however, which would make it to the finish line, and which would run out of steam?

Bokurano
As readers may know, I love, adore and worship the Bokurano manga, and so I was delighted to hear that it was going to be adapted into an anime…right up until the moment I heard Studio “adaptation trainwreck” Gonzo would be handling it. Nonetheless, I went into the series with an open mind, only to find disappointment with major story changes and a complete lack of tension in the pacing- worse yet, the director himself claimed that he didn’t even like the original! I took his advice and chose not to watch any more.
Final words: If someone tries to pretend this anime even existed, I shall stick my fingers in my ears and sing loudly.

Claymore

I’ve managed to upset many Claymore fans by not rating the manga very highly, but let’s face it- faults aside, I’m still reading after seventy-four chapters and I do want to know how it’s all going to turn out. The same could not be said for the anime, which bucked me off like a recalcitrant horse after a mere eleven episodes thanks to uninspiring characters, dull fight scenes and a washed out colour scheme.
Final words: Give me Berserk any day.

Darker than Black

During its early episodes, I had the highest of hopes for Darker than Black- it seemed slick, well directed and packed with the perfect mix of exposition, mystery and action. Unfortunately, despite such a strong start, the series soon began to flounder, adopting a pacing more suited to a fifty-episode series as it introduced minor characters, packed in last minute explanations and generally failed to live up to those early days. Even Yoko Kanno’s work on the music didn’t seem up to her usual high standard, ensuring that no aspect of the series really lived up to its potential.
Final words: Darker than Black it may be, but it wasn’t better than good.

Dennou Coil

Ah, Dennou Coil, how much more can I praise you? I accept that this series wasn’t perfect, but if you’ll excuse the lapse into informality, it was damn close. Never before has a series so deserved to be lavished with internet praise along the lines of 1337, awesome and w1n, all thanks to an intriguing setting and story, combined with memorable and well developed characters. Mere words alone are not enough to praise this series, which was surely the best offering of 2007.
Final words: I worship at the shrine of Dennou Coil, and encourage others to join.

El Cazador de la Bruja

Better known as “El Caza-bore”, this third instalment in Bee Train’s girls-with-guns series did indeed contain girls and guns, but not in any combination that produced action. Instead, what we got was the most dreary road trip through a version of Latin America that contained only cacti, roadside diners and various other dusty clichés. Just watching all twenty-six episodes was an effort in itself, and one I only pursued for the sake of creating a superior parody version of events.
Final words: You haven’t experienced boredom until you’ve watched El Cazador.

Heroic Age
A series about a character named Age rather than an age of heroes, Heroic Age tried to create an epic setting involving space battles, legendary tribes and the like, but somewhere along the line it all became a dull universe populated by rejects from other Xebec series. With even the cameraman opting to stay well back from the action, there seemed little reason for anyone else to try to examine it closely.
Final words: Another average offering from Xebec.

Hitohira
A series about a shy girl who gets so nervous that she can’t speak (yet somehow gets into the drama club due to her occasional ability to shout), Hitohira was something I stuck with for a mere two episodes, before deciding that it wasn’t going to bring me anything particularly worthy. With forgettable characters and hints of HARD YURI, Hitohira seemed to patch together elements of other series like Tsuyokiss and Gokujou Seitokai- hardly a recommendation.
Final words: Like its lead, Hitohira remained quiet and unnoticed.

Koutetsu Sangokushi

As a fan of the Three Kingdoms era, I was looking forward to a series that would surely present it better than the forgettable 1990s effort- but sadly, despite superior production values, Koutetsu Sangokushi was not to be that series. Although Koutetsu should be praised for focusing on the kingdom of Wu, it loses points for its extreme levels of ridiculousness, from a super-HARD GAY gender-confused cast to the inclusion of special sentai powers for the main characters- somehow I just don’t remember these things happening in the original novel.
Final words: As far as historical adaptations go, this one is just laughably ridiculous.

Lucky Star

A series that attracted both hate and adoration in adoration, Lucky Star did very little for me; I didn’t despise it, but for me it just did very little- episodes would pass by and I would sit in front of them, almost completely indifferent to them. Occasionally I would laugh, but much of the series was just white noise.
Final words: Ichigo Mashimaro and Minami-ke make everyday life amusing, but Lucky Star just rambles on and on.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS
The first two seasons of Nanoha weren’t great, but they won me over with their attractive character designs and worthy action scenes; sadly, the first thing StrikerS did was to introduce new characters to an already bloated cast and throw out actual battle in favour of training against robots. Whilst the leads were forced to wear limiters to remove their God Modes, everything was left in the hands of the newbies, whilst what had once been a simple world of magical girls fighting evil became tied up in pointless bureaucracy. It may have improved later on, but after six episodes, I bailed out.
Final words: No more Nanoha for me.

Murder Princess
An OVA from Bee Train, Murder Princess told the tale of a princess and a bounty hunter who rather randomly end up swapping bodies, but unfortunately, what looked like it would at least be a mildly entertaining fantasy series was ruined by ridiculous elements such as a mad scientist and his two loli androids. In the end, even a mere six episodes of this seemed like too much.
Final words: Nice character designs, shame about the rest.

Oh! Edo Rocket

With its low profile and childish-looking character designs, Oh! Edo Rocket initially didn’t seem like something worth watching- but how wrong I was. After some positive recommendations, I reversed my position and took the plunge, and it was eminently worth it. A series so crazy that you cannot help but love it, Oh! Edo Rocket is nominally about a fireworks maker trying to create a rocket that can go to the moon, but there is much more packed into it- from secret ‘Men in Black’ with special powers to aliens, monsters and a metric ton of pop culture references. It’s crazy, hilarious, sometimes a little dark, and a cut above pretty much every other anime that relies so heavily on humour and parody.
Final words: If Dennou Coil is the best series of the year, then this one must deserve the silver medal.

Romeo X Juliet

Adaptations come from many sources, but could anime really make something out of a Shakespeare play? Whether or not it could, Gonzo was determined to try, and in their usual fashion, they glanced at the original, threw it out of the window, and created a version that involved magical trees, flying horses and an aerial city that just happened to be named Neo Verona. Despite the general lack of similarity to the original, the series started well enough, and seemed as if it would go down as inoffensive light entertainment; unfortunately, as it progressed, the plot became ever more lacking and ridiculous, whilst the leads hardly inspired one to care for their plight. In the end, it found its greatest worth in the parody arena.
Final words: Romeo X Juliet? More like Ridiculous X Joke.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II

After such a strong first series, was it any surprise that I wanted more SaiMono? Unfortunately, with subs having dried up, I had to go it alone into the domain of raws, which for such a dialogue-heavy series meant relying on Impz and usagijen to help me through. Unfortunately, this approach distances me a little from the action, so that whilst I still enjoy the series and think it is good, it just doesn’t hook me in as it did before. Is it the complex web of storyline that I can’t follow in raw, the introduction of a few too many new characters, or the decision to slow down the pacing a bit to accommodate the fact that the series is catching up with the novels?
Final words: I love it, but I want to spend more time exploring the main characters- maybe a full immersion in the world of the series is what is needed.

Sakura Taisen New York
Having enjoyed the first two Sakura Wars OVAs and the TV series, I felt it was high time to branch out into the later OVAs- only to discover that with New York, I had chosen a poor place to start. With a brand new lead and his harem of shallow girls, this failed attempt to recapture the original Sakura Taisen magic completely and utterly fell flat, forcing me to abandon it by its second episode.
Final words: The original cast cannot be bettered.

Seirei no Moribito

It had the most beautiful of settings, but after a strong early start, that ultimately seemed to be all Seirei no Moribito could offer. Although its slow and tranquil pacing satisfied some, for me it was a case of being a series where not only did nothing ever happen, but it took a long time about not happening. There were a few worthy action scenes, but the rest of the series was drenched in sitting and talking- and so many episodes of static conversation can grow stale.
Final words: Instead of making anime, let’s just sit and talk about it.

Shining Tears X Wind
RPG adaptations are renowned for not being up to much, and when the source material is reputedly “the worst RPG ever” (and its sequel), you can’t really expect much. Even so, Shining Tears somehow managed to achieve new levels of awfulness, with its pointless and forgettable leads, incongruous elements (tanks and lasers in a fantasy kingdom) and general lack of anything that can be praised. I once considered Disgaea to be the worst anime ever, but this series has taken that spot.
Final words: It was a pile of Shining Tears X Wind.

Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica

Despite having encountered disappointment with the likes of YoakeNa, I still found myself drawn to eroge and visual novel-based series with worthy character designs- hence my brief relationship with Polyphonica. Unfortunately, even the lovely Corticarte could not disguise the fact that Polyphonica was pretty much entirely pointless filler- and when a beach episode appeared as early as episode three, I knew it was time to bail out.
Final words: Have I learned my lesson this time? I hope so.

SKULLMAN
Skullman, Skullman, does whatever a skull can…sits motionless, on a shelf- well, you get the idea. Based on a retro manga and series, SKULLMAN was not a series well-adapted for life in the twenty-first century, and by its first episode it was already floundering. With spoilers on wikipedia recounting a miserable background and fate for the eponymous anti-hero, it hardly seemed watching any more.
Final words: He’s a man… with a skull for a head! Bet you couldn’t guess that from the title, eh?

Victorian Romance Emma Second Act

The first season of Emma was highly enjoyable, but the fact that it only covered two volumes of the manga left the story hanging. With that in mind, a second season seemed a true blessing, although ultimately it was not one that was handled as well as it could have been. Despite having a further five volumes to cover and only twelve more episodes to do it in, Second Act began with a filler episode, before proceeding to cut out large chunks of the story (although admittedly the manga storyline of Emma being kidnapped and taken to America had seemed a little farfetched at the time). All in all, it was still a highly worthy series, just not as good as it could have been.
Final words: You can’t go wrong with Emma, but this still didn’t quite live up to its potential.

Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~

The tale of a thief and a princess trying to flee one country and make it to another before a deadline, Wellber was another of those series that didn’t seem to bring anything original to the table, but nonetheless appeared entertaining enough to watch. Unfortunately, elements such as predictable storylines and a talking tank conspired against it, but overall it just managed to pull through as a piece of light entertainment- not least because of the unintentional hilarity that cropped up in most episodes.
Final words: Mildly entertaining.

SUMMER 2007
In principle, summer is when everyone is enjoying themselves in the great outdoors- and so why bother to air much in the way of good anime? Still, given the poor showings of summer 2005-6, 2007 might just have the edge over them with its single digit selection.

Baccano!

With a wealth of named characters and a timeline that jumped back and forth through early 1930s America, Baccano was never the easiest series to follow, and indeed, even now I cannot say I had much of a clue what was going on throughout large chunks of it. Even so, the sheer enthusiasm and attack which the series brought to our screens was so infectious that one could not help but enjoy it- whether it was a tense shootout or just Isaac and Miria getting up to their usual antics, Baccano was always entertaining- and with many more novels left to adapt, hopes for a second season are high.
Final words: Every season needs a good historical series, and this was the summer’s candidate.

Doujin Work

A short series focusing on a young woman who believes she can make her fortune drawing doujinshi, Doujin Work was never going to be anything very special, but despite the budget animation and predictable jokes, it was somehow entertaining. And with the actual episodes running at only fourteen minutes (the rest of the time slot was taken up with a live action guide to making doujinshi), it isn’t a huge investment in time either.
Final words: Light entertainment done right.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

After the first season, Higurashi had generally failed to impress, but having embarked upon the franchise, I felt I had to carry it through- a feeling that eroded with every week of watching Kai. Everything just felt so drawn out and over the top, especially Satoko’s situation (I would applaud the series for at least having a go at tackling the difficult subject of child abuse, but then again, is that something I really want to watch for entertainment?). Even the introduction of Hanyu to the mix couldn’t save the plot, and in the end I decided to leave the citizens of Hinamizawa to their miserable fate.
Final words: It fails in the execution.

Mononoke

Having been largely bored by Ayakashi, I approached its spin-off with caution- what if it was more of the same excruciatingly slow pacing? Nonetheless, having watched and enjoyed Requiem from the Darkness right before it started to air, I decided to take the plunge, and although Mononoke did indeed have its weak points, it turned out the be the right decision. With an intriguing lead character, unique art style and slicker direction than its predecessor, Mononoke managed to hit all the right notes for supernatural fantasy. A second season would not go amiss.
Final words: It succeeded because it didn’t have ‘Ayakashi’ in the title.

Mushi-Uta

Call me shallow, but the whole reason I wanted to watch Mushi-Uta was because the title seemed to label it as the bastard son of Mushishi and Utawarerumono. In fact, aside from a masked character who resembled Hakuoro, it bore very little resemblance to either, but after a shaky start, Mushi-Uta finally came up with the goods. Although the mixture of giant bug battles and high school life was often confusing, and in spite of the fact that I could barely get a grip on the characters’ names, the story slowly drew me in, to the extent that I even cared about the fate of a minor character. As with several other series this year, it needs a second season.
Final words: Sometimes randomly picked choices can work out well after all.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Since the blogworld once had its own Hopeless Sensei, this anime seemed almost destined to be watched, and happily it was a series well suited to SHAFT’s randomness. A classroom comedy with a twist of bleak despair, Sensei was much like any other comedy- funny when it hit the mark, but somewhat random and a little tedious when it didn’t. Coupled with a distinctive high contrast art style, it made the series memorable and unique, but not always for the right reasons.
Final words: Somewhat inconsistent, but with some highly worthy moments.

Tetsuko no Tabi
It’s hard for me to really appraise Tetsuko no Tabi since out of thirteen episodes I’ve only seen a badly subbed version of the first one, but nonetheless I’ll include it for completeness. A series based on actual train journeys, Tetsuko no Tabi had an interesting enough first episode, but without more material to work with, I can’t really form a proper opinion on this.
Final words: Won’t anyone sub this?

Zombie-Loan
DearS never looked promising, and Peach-Pit had already disappointed me with Rozen Maiden, but nonetheless for some reason I just had to try Zombie-Loan. Unfortunately, the series proved to lack much in the way of appeal, coming across only as an inferior version of xxxHOLiC and Tokyo Babylon.
Final words: CLAMP already did it better.

AUTUMN 2007
Like the spring, the autumn is meant to be replete with series worth watching, but let’s face it- Autumn 2007 was a big fat disappointment. Yes, there were some good series, but somehow the preponderance of mediocrity combined with circumstances in the outside world ensured that anime enthusiasm reached new and previously unexplored lows.

Aria the OVA ~Arietta~
For those of us who needed more Aria to keep us going, this brief OVA would have to make do between the long-finished second and upcoming third seasons. There’s not much to say about it, really, other than that it was another gentle and tranquil half-hour of life in Neo-Venezia, and in fact proved to be so worthy that I sat and watched it without even wanting to disturb my concentration by taking screencaps.
Final words: Punyu!

Clannad

I enjoyed Air and disliked Kanon, so it seemed likely that Clannad would fall somewhere in between, and indeed, so far it has. With a more likable lead than Kanon, it immediately scores over its predecessor, but unfortunately there seems to be a limit to the number of “sad girls” stories one person can swallow before becoming a little blasé about the whole thing.
Final words: It’s not bad, but I just can’t fangirl over it.

ef- a tale of memories
Whilst Owen and the others raved over it in their multi-post extravaganza, ef for me was a title that needed to be put on hiatus after episode three- the idea of someone being unable to retain their memories for more than thirteen hours was intriguing, but watching ef felt like following three different series, of which only one was worth following. I shall one day go back and watch the rest of the season in one go, but it wasn’t something where I wanted to put the effort of watching weekly.
Final words: I’ll get back to it…later.

Genshiken II
I enjoyed the first season of Genshiken, and so it seemed a foregone conclusion that the second would strike gold as well- after all, it had the rest of the original manga to work with. And indeed, Genshiken 2 quickly launched back into familiar territory, with familiar situations, character development and the sad realisation that many of our favourite personalities were graduating and moving on.
Final words: Now onwards to the manga.

Gundam 00
After Seed Destiny, my relationship with the Gundam franchise hit something of a rocky patch, so much so that it would take something far better than the usual Sunrise fare to repair it. Sadly, Gundam 00 wasn’t about to do that for me, and after a few episodes of pointless factions and a group who planned to enforce world peace by instigating wars, I decided to put the whole series on the heating element behind the normal back-burner.
Final words: Watching it can wait until 2008.

Hero Tales
With a name like ‘Hero Tales’, it was pretty obvious that this series wasn’t going to be up to much- even the FMA mangaka couldn’t really weave a good story about a boy with a destined sword. After watching an episode to assess its parody potential, I decided that even the gods of parody couldn’t expect me to watch something so boring in aid of a few laughs, and so it was put aside.
Final words: As original as its title.

Kaiji

Series dripping with GAR MANLINESS aren’t usually my thing, but having enjoyed Akagi so much, it seemed only logical to see what Madhouse could make of one of the mangaka’s other works- ‘Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji’. Whilst Kaiji is more emotional and less cold than Akagi, the twists and turns of his story are still worthy viewing- although one cannot help feeling a little sorry for poor Kaiji as his mammoth efforts in trying to win games dreamt up by sadistic yakuza only seem to result in him getting ever more in debt. I fear that twenty-six episodes won’t be enough for this series.
Final words: This series should be shown to everyone who finds themselves in danger of incurring debt.

Minami-ke

Keen for an extra dose of Ichigo Mashimaro, I went forth into Minami-ke, a similar tale about the everyday lives of three sisters. Despite trepidation that it would turn into another Lucky Star, Minami-ke had the required wit and delivery to make it entertaining rather than dull, and already a second season (albeit a retelling rather than a sequel) is set to air this January.
Final words: Forget choco cornets, melon pan and taiyaki, this year’s in-food is cream stew.

Mokke

Ever since enjoying Shrine of the Morning Mist, I’ve been on the lookout for the next entertaining silver/bronze tier supernatural series, and Mokke seems to be it. It may not be anything special, but the episodic tales of a pair of sisters- one who can see spirits, the other who gets possessed by them- has largely proven to make for enjoyable viewing, and the addition of a cat with special powers is just the icing on the cake.
Final words: Bronze tier entertainment.

Moyashimon

As the latest series to air in the vaunted noitaminA block (I know it’s ‘Animation’ spelt backwards, but it still sounds like some kind of vitamin or mineral to me), Moyashimon had a lot to live up to, but fortunately, all it needed was its uniqueness to make it a hit. Unappealing as a series about microbes may sound, when you take into account the fact that to our lead these microbes look rather cute, the whole thing takes on a new dimension; in fact, you wouldn’t go far wrong if you were to watch the series for this novelty alone. Fortunately, the rest of the content is solid enough, even if the characters are a little wacky.
Final words: I never once thought I’d say that I wanted a plushie of Aspergillus oryzae, but I want one.

Rental Magica
Where the search for supernatural light entertainment brought some successes in 2007, it also racked up a few failures, and Rental Magica was one of them. Populated by rejects from other series, Rental Magica seemed sure to at least mildly interest with its episodic tales of a company of magic users solving problems, but apart from a master of cat shikigami, there was little to engage the viewer.
Final words: Something to go back to when you have absolutely nothing else to watch.

Shakugan no Shana II

Even though I enjoyed it at the time, in retrospect the original Shakugan no Shana had a lot wrong with it- not least of which were the pointless and uninspiring villains. Even so, a second season would surely forge ahead into interesting and unknown parts of the novel series- or maybe not. For instead, Shana II decided to diverge into an uninteresting game-based tale that seemed determined to shake off all but the most devout of fans. With last season’s confession revoked and the love polygon once again taking hold, it seemed as if this was one series worth bailing out of.
Final words: There’s completion, and then there’s masochism- watching Shana II was surely the latter.

Sketchbook ~full color’S~

Every year needs a good slice-of-life series, and whilst Sketchbook was not to be in the Aria/YKK class, it was still an enjoyable series, not least because of the high volume of cats and fat chickens contained therein. Although it times it seemed as if it was trying too hard to capture a calm atmosphere that should just come naturally, Sketchbook was still worth watching, and after initially thinking little of the shy and quiet lead, after a while I began to identify with her- all too often I end up thinking a lot more than I actually end up saying (but no more! Now I shall never shut up!).
Final words: Full of cats.

And so, 2007 has shown us both good and bad (much like every year, really) and all we can do is await 2008 and the offerings it shall bring us. See you next year!

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.

Reviewed this week: Clannad 2, ef 2, Genshiken 2 1-2, Gundam 00 2, Hero Tales 1, Higurashi Kai 14, Kaiji 2, Minami-ke 1-2, Mononoke 12, Moyashimon 1, Mushi-Uta 12, Rental Magica 2, SaiMono II 21, Seirei no Moribito 25-6, Shana II 2, Sketchbook 1

..and in manga: Elfen Lied 78, HxH 262, Tsubasa 169

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. SaiMono II (3) – art thief
4. Baccano! (4) – eternal life
5. Kaiji (5) – nice gambling boat
6. Mononoke (7) – bake-neko <-complete!
7. Mushi-Uta (6) – big bugs <- complete!
8. Minami-ke (-) – Ichigo Mashimaro II <-new!
9. Genshiken 2 (-) – Comi-Fes <-new!
10. Mokke (8)- seven flowers of autumn
11. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (9) – I’m in despair
12. Moyashimon (-) – cute microbes <- new!
13. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (-) – lots of cats <-new!
14. Clannad (10) – sad girls in springtime
15. Gundam 00 (11) – double balls
16. ef- a tale of memories (14)- tomorrow’s me won’t be the same
17. Rental Magica (13)- episode seemed to go on forever
18. Koutetsu Sangokushi (15) – pure HARD GAY
19. Shakugan no Shana II (16)- harem+1
20. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (17) – Takano meets Hitler
21. Hero Tales (-) – generic and dull <- new!
22. Seirei no Moribito (18) – the end at last <-complete!
23. Romeo X Juliet (19) – what’s the point anymore?
24. El Cazador de la Bruja (20) – the end is in sight

Clannad 2: Two more characters are introduced in this second episode- Kotomi, a genius who spends her time in the library cutting up books, and Fuko, who likes to carve wooden stars (I know there’s a plot reason for this but I forget what it is). Meanwhile the series continues to combine the amusing (such as sidekick falling down a chute and Tomoya announcing to his class that Kyou is BI) and the dramatic (the whole issue with Tomoya and his father) and whilst watching it raw means I can’t get the most out of it directly, it remains solid enough. Don’t ask why I’m even watching it raw when it’s being subbed so quickly, I just took it into my head to make it a ‘raw project’ to assess my understanding level.

ef- a tale of memories 2: I really wish SHAFT could stop taking the mind enhancing substances for a moment and try animating something without a lots of jumps, cuts and random imagery- yes, it works for their peculiar brand of comedy, but in a more serious show like this, it isn’t doing the audience many favours. Anyway, this time around our mangaka is dragged to school purely to skip class and meet the girl from last episode, whilst Renji spends more time with Chihiro and learns that she has Sick Girl Syndrome, which in this case manifests in some kind of persistent short-term memory loss (for whatever reason, she can’t remember anything that happened more than thirteen hours ago). Yes, it’s an illness that raises many questions, but as with so many anime ailments we just have to take it at face value and not poke at the plot holes.

*NEW* Genshiken 2 1-2: I have to admit that I still haven’t got around to watching the Genshiken OVA, but never mind, I’ll get my hands on that soon and just start on the second season in the meantime. Anyway, the new season opens with Genshiken getting a place at Comiket, but now the heat is on to produce a doujin to sell there. Although it lacked some of the humour in favour of moving the story on, this was a solid enough first episode, only marred by the appearance of the irritating manga club guy and his manipulations. At least the mess he made was easily undone.

Episode two jumps ahead a month, and despite the best of intentions, neither Sasahara nor Kugayama has made any progress on the doujin- and they are both quick to blame each other. With just three days left, can Genshiken pull together and actually produce something? Even though over half this episode is basically sitting and talking, it still manages to be entertaining, but it seems that episode three will be where the story really heats up, with the doujin finally going on sale.

Gundam 00 2: Oh Sunrise, why do you even bother with all this political setup when we all know that by the end you’ll get bored and the series will turn into Gundams vs. Final Boss? Anyway, this time around Celestial Being decide to pursue their agenda of peace on earth and goodwill to all men by, er, intervening in a civil war and murdering numerous generics- surely a good example to set. In the meantime, our lead seems to be undergoing the first stages of SEED mode, whilst Haro steals the show with his “short straw!” line.

*NEW* Hero Tales 1: Even though all the promotional material indicated that it wouldn’t be any good, I knew I had to give Hero Tales a try, if only out of loyalty to FMA. Unfortunately, as expected, it was rather generic and boring, featuring a villain who wants to rule the world for some reason, and the Seven Destined Heroes led by Generic Shounen Lead. I’m not sure whether to stick with this for the sake of parody and general mockery, or whether such a thing will be too draining on the schedule.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai 14: It’s Takano’s turn on “Villains: the Early Years” this time around, as we learn of the depressing childhood that put her on the path to evil- spanning everything from the death of her father, time spent in the world’s most miserable Generic Cruel Orphanage and the meeting with Adolf Hitler that led her to pursue a similar path of evil. Yes, I do feel sorry for her and regard her as more than the mere ‘gwakaka’ class of villain that she was before, but it did seem that there were some gaps in the story (is there more to be told), and just because this was more interesting than the bulk of episodes this season does not make it more than mediocre in the grand scheme of things.

“…and I am also Hitler!”

Kaiji 2: It’s time for that all-important game of Restricted Rock-Paper-Scissors to begin, but in a game that’s mainly about luck, some people will take any measures to win- and our naïve young hero manages to get himself conned by one. Now backed into a corner, Kaiji must search for a way out, because if he doesn’t, then we’ll have to watch him toil away in a forced labour camp for the rest of the series. Once again (and I suspect I’ll be saying this every week), it’s very GAR and MANLY, but also highly enjoyable. Unlike Akagi, however, I don’t have the luxury of being able to watch the whole thing in one long marathon to compensate for the measured pace.

*NEW* Minami-ke 1-2: I was initially reluctant to try Minami-ke- as a tale of three school-age sisters living together, it could either turn out to be good Azumanga/Ichigo Mashimaro league, or poor Binbou/Lucky Star style. Fortunately, it turned out to be the former- an enjoyable slice-of-life tale instead of a merely dull attempt. Aside from little oddities like the drop-shaped mouths of the three leads, this series has made an amusing and entertaining start with nothing more than short sketches about the daily lives of the characters- I must write about what makes series of this type work as opposed to those that fail miserably.

*COMPLETE* Mononoke 12: The medicine seller’s journey has finally come to an end with the unravelling of the mystery behind the dead reporter who triggered this series of events. All-in-all, this was a solid arc and a nice conclusion to a series that managed to deliver overall, but it just seems a shame to cut it short here- if only we could have both a second season and some insight into the character of the medicine seller himself.

*NEW* Moyashimon 1: The latest anime to air in the legendary noitaminA block, Moyashimon tells the tale of a boy who can see microbes with his naked eyes (they look like cute little chibi shapes) as he starts studying at an agricultural college in Tokyo. Naturally, his teachers are very interested in his apparent ability, but whilst one of them is ready to believe him, the other will take some convincing- and how much time does he want to spend with a pair of professors who have a taste for raw and rotting meat? Although the premise does seem a little strange, the microbes are so cute and well done that it is worth watching for them alone.

*COMPLETE* Mushi-Uta 12: It’s a CG bug extravanganza as the first season of Mushi-Uta comes to an end, complete with Kakkou facing off against Nanahoshi is giant final boss form, Shiika trying to survive being stabbed and the legendary Voracious Eater watching from the sidelines. It did seem as if they tried to pack in a few too many story threads into what turned out to be an extended final boss confrontation, but overall this has been an enjoyable series despite its tendency to cover everything from normal high school interaction to giant bug fights. Bring on season two.

Rental Magica 2: Even though it wasn’t particularly slow-paced or dull, this week’s episode of Rental Magica just seemed to drag on forever, and it certainly puts my long-term relationship with the series in doubt. This time around we seemed to jump back in time to the days when Itsuki was angsting over whether to become Astral’s president, during which time we see his first meeting with Adilisia and learn about a past connection with Honami. The hints about how he got his demonic eye were at least interesting, but the rest was a bit too standard to enthral. I must also note Gintama as an influence since the cat-user Nekoyashiki looks a lot like Gintoki.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 21: Yes, I know I’m a week behind (totally unacceptable for a series I profess to like so much), but these things happen so bear with me. In this episode, Shuurei and the others continue to investigate the art forgeries, with Santa’s laid back attitude getting on both Shuurei’s nerves and that of the audience. I must admit I’m somewhat put off by the number of new and minor characters that have taken precedence in this arc, but apparently it’s building into something worth sticking around for.

*COMPLETE* Seirei no Moribito 25-6: At last the long slog is over- the egg has hatched safely, Chagum is back in the palace, and Balsa has gone on her way for now. I have to admit that episode 25 was one of the best instalments in a way, with a tense action scene as the Eight Evil Men fight off a mass of La Lunga, but whilst it is usually welcome to have some sort of epilogue for a series, in this case it only meant that 26 was more on the dull side that we’ve come to expect (although Chagum and Balsa’s parting did raise a tiny bit of emotion).

Shakugan no Shana II 2: The raw project begins this week with the second episode of Shana II, which includes the usual harem elements, action and disappointing villain, as well as a rare chance to see a bento box entirely stuffed with melon bread. After dreading how bad this was going to be, it was actually quite a manageable episode, although the appearance of Hecate (?) in school at the end seems to indicate that the tiresome harem-go-round will only escalate.

*NEW* Sketchbook ~full color’S~ 1: Quirky capitalisation aside, Sketchbook offers a first episode that can only be called ‘nice’- as slice-of-life goes, it isn’t particularly outstanding, but it is so gentle and filled with cats that one cannot be offended by it. The series follows various members of an art club, with the lead, Sora, being the typical thoughtful and not very talkative type- she may be perfectly erudite in her head, but she does come across as somewhat bizarre thanks to her lack of communication skills. Even so, I must stick with it to see the promised glut of felines.

MANGA

Elfen Lied 78: Bandou finally meets his long-delayed end in this chapter, which is basically a tearful goodbye between him and Mayu. It should be an emotional moment, but since he’s cheated death so many times, it’s more a case of relief that he’s gone now.

Hunter X Hunter 262: It’s been over eighteen months, but Togashi has finally produced a new chapter of HxH- the question is, was it worth the wait? Sadly, not really, for whilst the artwork is better than before, backgrounds are still completely nonexistent and the story has yet to go anywhere- let’s just start end the preparations and start the attack on King before Togashi gets ‘ill’ again.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 169: CLAMP must have been reading FMA of late, because this time around Fuuma shows up with an artificial arm for Kurogane, the payment for which is the last of Fye’s magic. That aside, the time all the fanboys have been waiting for is here- after many, many volumes, Seishirou is finally back, but it remains to be seen just what he is after this time (possible Fye since he is now a vampire).

Damn you anime, I want to live! Due to an unmanageable amount of releases this week, some titles have been postponed until next round-up.

Reviewed this week: Baccano! 8, Doujin Work 8-12, ef- a tale of memories 1, Gundam 00 1, Kaiji 1, Koutetsu Sangokushi 14-15, MariMite OVA 5, Mokke 1, Mononoke 10-11, Oh! Edo Rocket 19-20, Rental Magica 1, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 8, Shana II 1, Shounen Onmyouji 19, Sisters of Wellber 10

…and in manga: Chokotto Sister 46, Claymore ES 4, Spiral 58-9

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. SaiMono II (3) – four men in a closet
4. Baccano! (4) – eternal life
5. Kaiji (-) – gambling boat <-new!
6. Mushi-Uta (5) – best episode yet
7. Mononoke (7) – bake-neko
8. Mokke (-)- seven flowers of autumn <-new!
9. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – I’m in despair!
10. Clannad (9) – sad girls in springtime
11. Gundam 00 (-) – double balls <-new!
12. Doujin Work (10) – light entertainment that was actually entertaining <- complete!
13. Rental Magica (-)- generic but new light fun <-new!
14. ef- a tale of memories (-)- three shows in one? <-new!
15. Koutetsu Sangokushi (11) – pure HARD GAY
16. Shakugan no Shana II (-)- way to reuse old events <-new!
17. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (12) – Takano meets Hitler
18. Seirei no Moribito (13) – the egg must hatch
19. Romeo X Juliet (14) – what’s the point anymore?
20. El Cazador de la Bruja (15) – the end is in sight

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Tetsuko no Tabi (1)- is this ever going to be subbed?
2. Sisters of Wellber (2) – predictable but fun
3. Shounen Onmyouji (3)- mediocre
4. Love GetChu! (4)- light entertainment

Baccano! 8: It’s back to the train as the main focus in this episode, although there’s also plenty more going on as usual. This time around, we get another look into the exploits of the delightfully eccentric Isaac and Miria, who among other things, once robbed the Genoard house. I’m probably speaking too soon, but I’m slowly getting a handle on what’s going on, and happily, it still remains as enjoyable as ever. I want more right away, and more than that, I’d love to read the original novels, which look delightfully complex in their mix of characters and timelines.

*COMPLETE* Doujin Work 8-12: The light fun continues apace in this unprecedented five episode spree that brings this short summer series to a close. First up is an episode which sees Najimi and Nidou compete once again to sell the most copies, before everyone heads to the beach for a spot of relaxation that swiftly turns into an unproductive doujinshi drawing camp. Meanwhile, the final three episodes set up a short arc of sorts, in which Hoshi’s manga editor brother shows up, causing Hoshi to persuade him that Najimi should be given a chance to debut as a professional artist. As always, it’s on the rails stuff with a predictable outcome, but unlike most series that try to offer light comedy, Doujin Work has actually been funny. I wouldn’t actually mind a second series of this.

*NEW* ef- a tale of memories 1: I should have known it was a mistake to look forward to this one too much, for although I didn’t dislike it as much as I feared after reading Hinano’s write-up, but even so, what the hell is going on? I feel like I’m watching three different shows here, each of them populated with rip-offs from Air, Kanon, Tsukihime and Polyphonica. The animation is also rather strange; not just because of the odd visual quirks that are SHAFT’s stock-in trade, but because everyone seems to have massive eyes (even by anime standards) stuck onto thin faces. Anyway, from what I can gather, there’s a girl who hangs out at an abandoned station and randomly meets a guy there, and her two older siblings, one of whom is a secret manga artist. He too randomly meets a girl, and so the stage is set for our various story threads, wherever they may lead. And what was up with the random Touhou playing?

*NEW* Gundam 00 1: Ah, good old Gundam Double Balls, I was determined not to like you, but I have to admit the first third or so of this episode at least was actually rather good. Then of course it degenerated into the usual confusing mass of factions, mobile suit battles and an organisation who wishes to put a stop to war- by beating everyone to a pulp with their mobile suits. Still, overall this opening episode wasn’t too bad when compared to expectations, but I have to ask- does anyone else experience what I have decided to call “mecha blindness”? For sufferers of this condition, it becomes nigh impossible to understand the convoluted underlying plots of mecha series such as Gundam due to character and faction overload.

Kaiji 1: Akagi was legendary, awesome, MANLY and GAR, and now that it has long concluded we have its brother series to enjoy- Kaiji, another Madhouse production originally created by the same mangaka. This time around, our lead is Itou Kaiji, and unemployed, disillusioned bum who amuses himself by vandalising cars- at least until he gets saddled with a 3.8 million yet debt from acting as guarantor for a friend’s loan. Desperate to get it paid off quickly, Kaiji agrees to board a special boat where he can gamble against other debtors in the hopes of winning the money he needs- but what kind of unpleasant surprises await him on board? It’s obvious that this is going to be slow-paced like its predecessor, and I do hope that the entire series isn’t about this boat, but this was nonetheless a good opening episode, and I’m confident this will be one of my favourites of the season.

Koutetsu Sangokushi 14-15: It’s a double bill of HARD GAY this time around, and somehow the series is still managing to break new boundaries without ever becoming true yaoi. In episode fourteen, everyone mopes over Zhou Yu’s death and the fact that he is only good for CORPSE now, whilst fifteen sees Zhuge Liang set up the country of Shu with Liu Bei et al, whilst Lu Su plans to steal the Lord’s Cube in order to earn his idol’s affection. I guess there is a vague adherence to the broadest of historical events, but the amazing HARD GAY-ness of this show has to be seen to be believed- what other show could make Loveless, Meine Liebe and even Busou Renkin look STRAIGHT?

*COMPLETE* Maria-sama ga Miteru OVA 5: Well, this has been out for ages already, but thanks to my completely failing to notice, I’ve only just got around to subjecting myself to the final fifty minutes of HARD YURI antics from the girls of Lilian. This time around, the second-years are off for a school trip to Italy, and whilst it lacks the out-and-out bizarre-ness of the school festivals, I never realised it was possible to make a visit to Italy so boring. In between all the angst, HARD YURI and hotel room scenes (not as corrupt as they sound), however, it is quite a tedious fifty minutes, with the only consolation being that this marks the end of this long and drawn out OVA. I only hope the return to TV series format in the fourth season will help this series return to form.

*NEW* Mokke 1: When I heard that Mokke was a series about a girl who can see spirits and her sister who gets possessed by them, I had high hopes for it- surely it would another Someday’s Dreamers. In retrospect, it could easily have turned out to be as awful as Yume Tsukai, but if this first episode is anything to go by, it is closer to the worthy end of the scale. In this episode, the younger sister is desperate to collect the ‘seven flowers of autumn’ for her grandma before the imminent harvest moon viewing, but in order to get the last one, she will have to venture into the mountains, home to a dark force that can suck away the life of the unwary. It’s too early to assess Mokke’s full potential, but this is a promising first episode, and if the series continues in this vein, it should be another charming magical outing. It also helps that Grandpa reminds me a lot of an older version of Mushishi’s Ginko for some reason.

Mononoke 10-11: The final arc of Mononoke begins here, and in an homage to Ayakashi, the Bake Neko is back. This time around, the feline strikes on a train journey, isolating six passengers who all have a connection to a mysterious suicide- can the medicine seller figure out the truth behind it? Although this won’t rank as my favourite arc, this has the right level of mystery and creepiness, and will ensure that I want a second season of this series as well.

Oh! Edo Rocket 19-20: Oh! Edo, in my eyes you can do no wrong- after all, who can’t love a series that’s joking around with pop culture references one minute, and then showing the villainess casually ripping out someone’s eye the next? Anyway, in this double bill, Akai’s actions are exposed and we learn the truth about the blue beast’s crimes, before that particular storyline is resolved in an appropriately flashy and completely-out-of-place-for –a-historical-drama fashion. Now all that remains is to send Sora home, but are Seikichi and his friends up to the task? In a series where even bullet-proof vests can show up, anything’s possible.

*NEW* Rental Magica 1: In the first few minutes of Rental Magica, we see magicians-for-hire Astral hunt down a dog monster in an action-packed car, broomstick and other vehicle chase, and for those few moments, I thought that maybe this wouldn’t be too bad after all. Unfortunately, after a promising opening, the series lapses into something safer and more generic, with Astral taking on a new job on behalf of a girl who lost her grandfather. That’s not to say it isn’t watchable, but at the same time, everything about this series seems to have been derived from somewhere else, with such character types as the weak harem lead President of Astral, who is useless until he exposes his bizarre right eye (I’m guessing his dead father gave it to him). So far I count Ghost Hunt, Aria and Shrine of the Morning Mist amongst the show’s influences, although there must be more.

This guy uses cat shikigami.

Young Alicia from Aria lands a new role in this series.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 8: Although this was certainly better than the last episode I watched, my relationship with this series seems to have cooled a bit- it remains entertaining, but I no longer feel any need to laugh out loud the way I did with the first few episodes. This time around, Sensei ends up in despair about how deeds can so easily be overshadowed- all the while failing to notice that one of his own students is so insignificant that no one ever notices him. The second half of the series focuses on ‘criticism training’- the idea of criticising someone so that they will get used to it. I have to admit that the first half was better, whilst the second seemed rather distasteful even for dark humour.

*NEW* Shakugan no Shana II 1: It’s a new season of Shana, which means more addictively excellent animation and a whole new wave of depressingly mediocre story- which isn’t even from the novels this time around. To kick off, we have a lacklustre introduction in which Yuji gets trapped in a world that repeats events from the first season (I once joked that Friagne would be back, but I never imagined that it would actually happen); also, depressingly enough the romantic situation has been reset, and will now be put on repeat for the entire series. I think I will watch this one raw- having to concentrate and not understanding it all should improve the experience.

The animation is the only thing I like.

Shounen Onmyouji 19: After the pointless episode we had last time, I was hoping for something of a return to the main plot here, but even though we get back to the antics of Kazane and her boss, it still isn’t very exciting. Whilst Seimei provides a bit of obligatory back story on this most heinous of villains, Kazane opens a gate to the underworld and Masahiro is left to protect everyone, despite only being a junior onmyouji. It looks like this episode is starting the slow build-up to the final confrontation of the series, but worryingly, we haven’t even met three of the Spirit Summons yet. Mediocre as this may be at times, I still want to see another season.

Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~ 10: What happens after two lead characters decide to go their separate ways? If you answered “they angst about each other until a convenient series of events allows for forgiveness and reunion”, give yourself a gold star, because that’s exactly what happens in this episode. With the help of some returning characters from earlier episodes, Tina tries and fails to get on with her life doing honest work with another woman, whilst Rita learns that she mistakenly accused Tina- the only problem is, now they only have a single day to reach Greedom. Can they make it in time?

MANGA
Chokotto Sister 46: The fanservice breaks new records in this chapter, despite the inclusion of a completely useless police tape censor on one double page spread. This time around, Choko and Konatsu apprehend a thief who had made off with Kakeru’s sister’s bag (it’s a small world), thus earning themselves a free trip to her family’s bathhouse- complete with all the nipple shots and gratuitous nudity you could hope for.

Claymore ES 4: At long last, it’s the story I’ve been waiting for- Claire’s life after she first joined the organisation. Here we get to see her both in training and on the day when she took the test to become a true Claymore, and as always, these side stories interest me far more than the main series.

Spiral 58-9: In a rather bizarre turn of events, Ayumu’s destined rival Hizumi actually comes to live with him at this point, leading to a chapter of him settling in before starting at Ayumu’s school. There, Hizumi quickly gains popularity with his generic classmates, and even the usually unpopular Ayumu is able to ride the wave and enjoy being in the limelight for once. It seems like an oddly light turn for the series, but the darker undercurrents thankfully remain.

Moonlight Mile season 2

I did try to get on with the first season of Moonlight Mile, but after a barely comprehensible opening episode and warnings of extreme MANLINESS ahead, I never did continue with it. I’m not sure if anyone (other than Kryptfo?) actually watched to the end of season one, but if they did, they’ll probably be ready for more STRAIGHT adventures with the manly men of space.

Moyashimon

Also known as “Tales of Agriculture”, this may sound like some sort of Harvest Moon adaptation, but it’s actually about a boy who can see these rather cute looking bacteria and fungi with his naked eyes. It sounds quite quirky and interesting, although I’m not sure if I’m ready to believe the people who say it’s comparable to Mushishi (can it possibly duplicate Mushishi’s excellence?).

Kodomo no Jikan

So I previewed this for the summer and it got pushed back to autumn, but my comments from then still stand- it’s just not really my thing. I never did try the manga, so I’m not going to be trying this lolilicious anime.

Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun

Based on a light novel series, this series seems to be a mish-mash of elements from different harem and romance series; we’ve got the typical high school student lead, a girl whose been sent to live with him to get over her fear of men, both their sisters, and a student council head who becomes their maid for some reason. It sounds like the typical light fare I tend to steer clear of these days, but the promo picture does have a blue-haired girl (for Necromancer) and a pink/red-haired girl for manga.

BLUE DROP ~Tenshi Tachi no Gikyoku~

A series about the growing friendship between a human girl who was the lone survivor of a mysterious incident and an alien sent to infiltrate human society prior to an invasion, Blue Drop’s synopsis pushes all the right buttons in terms of sci-fi and character elements, and whilst I haven’t read the original manga, I hope this anime can deliver.

Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji

From the character designs alone, you can tell that this series was from the same creator as Akagi, although this time the focus is on gambling rather than mah-jongg. I know it will be ugly and MANLY, but if it’s at all like its brother series, it should also be very good. I just hope they have some CG gambling chips or something.

Macross Frontier

Yes, Macross is back, and I still have all those discs of the previous Macross series waiting to be watched. I’ll probably give this a go because of the “it’s a big-name franchise and everyone else will be watching it” factor, but it remains to be seen whether I’ll stick with it for the long haul. At least Yoko Kanno’s music should be worth tuning in for.

Bamboo Blade

A kendo instructor has to put together an all-female team and train them to beat his sempai’s team- surely a recipe for typical five-girl character combinations if ever there was one. Even so, I’m getting slight vibes of Shrine of the Morning Mist from it, so it may be given a chance to entertain.

Sketchbook: full color`s

Sketchbook is the coming season’s answer to 4-koma based series, this time focusing on what seems to be short vignettes into the lives of high school girls. It looks like it will tilt more towards slice-of-life than previous comedic 4-koma based series, so I’m planning to at least give this a look.

Myself; Yourself

I have to admit I like the character designs for this series, but when I read that it was about a high school student returning to his hometown after a five year absence, I couldn’t quite stifle a yawn at the thought of Kanon Mark 58. I know it’s only thirteen episodes, but I’ve been down the “only 12-13 episode” route before, and it always ends in pain. Consider this one far from my potential viewing list.

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro

The latest SJ series to get an adaptation, this series features a “riddle eater” who comes to our world to eat the ultimate mystery, forcing a girl to tag along and become a detective on the way. I’m afraid I can’t think of this series without remembering how Randall Fitzgerald recommended it for people with weird dental fetishes, and I have the distinct feeling that it’s one of those series that sounds fairly interesting but turns out to be dull Ghost Hunt/Zombie Loan fare. Chances of watching it are low.

Suteki Tantei Labyrinth

This one seems to be popular on a lot of Spanish blogs, but I couldn’t be bothered to either apply my rusty Spanish skills or use Google translator, so I’m not entirely sure what it’s about. Given the title, the blonde tea sipping boy is probably some kind of genius detective, but since both he and his supporting characters seem rather generic, I’m not terribly interested.

Night Wizard

This one’s an RPG adaptation, which immediately sets off alarm bells in my head despite the appealing character designs (minus the main guy, who looks too much like Kanon’s Yuuichi for my liking). I may have to try it anyway despite a generally pessimistic outlook, but I’m more interested in trying the PC game.

Dragonaut: The Resonance

I don’t really know much about this one other than it’s a Gonzo series with lots of rip-off character designs, but that seems enough to give it a middling to wide berth. Let us not forget the lessons of Kiddy Grade and its brethren when it comes to Gonzo.

You’re Under Arrest: Full Throttle

I quite enjoyed the YUA OVAs, but as yet I haven’t got around to the earlier TV series- even so, I doubt the plot is complex enough for me not to be able to jump in here. The artwork certainly looks to have evolved beyond the old days, and so unless it’s another Ah! My Goddess season 2, it should be worth a look.

Shakugan no Shana II

It’s no secret that the first season of Shana disappointed me, but like a moth to our heroine’s burning flames, I shall no doubt end up at least starting the second season. Let’s hope that this time around the darker elements outweigh the harem ones, and that the villains aren’t so disappointing.

Clannad

I loved Air and hated Kanon, but where will Clannad fall in the spectrum? I did read Hinano’s lengthy post about the game, but have since forgotten most of the spoilers she mentioned- exactly how it will pan out on screen, however, is a different matter. It may be dramatic, heart-wrenching and all the rest, or it may be an excuse to post a new set of Harem Diaries.

Shugo Chara!

Another anime based on a Peach Pit series, this one sees a popular girl gains the aid of three magical Guardian Characters in her quest to unlock her true self. I can’t help feeling that Peach Pit have disappointed me too many times to take a chance on another of their series, and this one certainly has no great hook.

Gundam 00

Ah, Gundam, I never did jump on your bandwagon, and even if I had done so, Destiny would have made me jump right off again (come to think of it, I never did watch Stargazer). In any case, I must watch this in order to gauge how parody-worthy it may be, but if I get bored, it shall join Code Geass in the recycle bin.

ef – A Tale of Memories

There’s just something about this series- it sounds like a typical visual novel story and will most likely be one of those overhyped disappointments, but I can’t help really looking forward to it. There’s just something about the atmosphere that surrounds this series that makes me want to immerse myself in it as soon as possible.

Kimikiss Pure Rouge

The original game saw your character desperately trying to earn a smooch from one of six girls at school, and from this we can deduce that this will be yet another harem series. I have learned my lesson (?) about using this sort of series for light entertainment, so I will take care to avoid it.

Mokke

A seinen series about two sisters with spiritual powers, Mokke seems exactly like the series I quietly love, and so I hope it can take the place of Windy Tales and Someday’s Dreamers in providing me with charming, magical slice-of-life stories. A must-see for me.

Da Capo II

Well, this one is out as I have no familiarity with the games and I didn’t watch the first DC anime, but I feel oddly drawn to the character designs. Whether I’ll ever get around to even sampling the franchise remains to be seen.

Jyuushin Enbu: Hero Tales

I’ve already covered the run up to this anime with links to the character designs and so forth, and I have to admit that it looks pretty generic- yes, it does have the FMA mangaka behind it, but even so my hopes are distinctly low. I may try it anyway, but more to see how bad it is than out of any hope for something worthy.

Minami-ke

This one looks like another slice-of-life series, this time about three sisters and their everyday (or not so everyday) adventures. The character designs look good and I’m hoping it will be entertaining, but there’s also the fear that it could be dull Binbou style fare.

Genshiken 2

I loved Genshiken, and even though I haven’t watched the OVA yet, I’m looking forward to continuing with this enjoyable series. I should also invest in the manga at some point- you can never get enough of those otaku and their exploits.\

Prism Ark

As an eroge adaptation set in a fantasy world, it would be great if this series delivered what Utawarerumono couldn’t, but all signs seem to indicate that it will be light fluff rather than the worthy fantasy series I have been looking for. From a fanart perspective, however, I really love the character designs.

Shion no Ou

There’s a good chance this series could be to shogi what Hikaru no Go and Akagi were to Go and mah-jongg respectively, and for that reason alone, I shall certainly be giving this a try. Don’t let anyone tell you that board game anime is boring- there’s something oddly addictive about it, and the prospect of a female lead instead of the usual young man is just the icing on the cake.

Koharu Biyori

For this OVA, I just have to start by quoting AniDB:

“Set in a near future, a time where robots are common workers for their owners. Takaya Murase has just purchased a maid robot from a robotic doll distriubutor, MaidWorks. Ready to live a normal cleaning, cooking, and serving life to her owner, Yui is purchased, by Takaya but he has other plans for her…like dressing her up in dress-costumes of his fantasies and more.”

Yes, that’s right, this series goes beyond the tired old maid robot concept and introduces a robot maid whose master indulges in his fetishes. I almost have to laugh at this, but I certainly won’t be watching the actual OVA.

Ghost Hound

Based on a concept by Masamune Shirow, Ghost Hound follows three people who learn to separate their minds from their bodies and travel to an alternate world. Although I’ve never been the biggest fans of the likes of Ghost in the Shell, these sorts of ideas do intrigue me, although with Chiaki Konaka handling the script there are worries that the ending will be horribly disappointing and inconclusive.

Appleseed Saga Ex Machina

Again, I’m not the biggest Appleseed fan, but I did watch the first movie (that’s the recent film, not the twenty year old OVA), and so I may continue onwards to this one. Maybe I’ll understand it more this time.

Nasu: Suitcase no Wataridori

This one looks like a one-off OVA about cycling, which would normally put me off, but the prequel movie actually sounds somewhat interesting. I think I’ll give the original movie a go, and then perhaps sample this OVA.

Soukou Kihei Votoms: Pailsen FilesAnother one I previewed back in the summer- back then it looked too fugly and MANLY, and my feelings haven’t changed.

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