Doujin Work to hit the US?
Alongside the second season of flagship franchise Genshiken and its spin-off Kujibiki Unbalance, Media Blasters has claimed that it will be dubbing “Doujin Works”, although they refuse to confirm or deny whether this means they have the license to the 2007 Doujin Work anime. That being said, it seems hard to imagine what else they could be referring to, and so it seems that this series may well be hitting the US at some point in the future.
Nobue: Well, duh, what other series could they mean?
Matsuri: You know, we shouldn’t assume anything until they confirm it.
Chika: Meh, they’re just building up anticipation.
Miu: FUNGYAAH!!!

Lucky Star licensed- what a surprise
Kadokawa and Bandai have allied once again to bring fanboys what they want- a dose of KyoAni’s twenty-four episode comedy series, Lucky Star. A series that divided anime viewers between the factions who found it either dull or hilarious, Lucky Star managed to inspire discussions that were at least more exciting than the rather inoffensive series itself, and now you can own it for yourself- that is, if you want to.
Nobue: We already did the girls do random stuff comedy so much better.
Matsuri: Shouldn’t we give this a chance?
Nobue: No way- besides those girls aren’t as cute as you.
Miu: They’re not meant to be- they’re older than you, Nobue.
Nobue: Shut up- they look underage.

Persona 3 anime
As if there weren’t enough inferior RPG adaptations flooding the market, Persona 3 will become the latest game to get its own anime come January 2008. Whilst I am planning to get the game at some point on manga’s recommendation, I can’t say I’m particularly enthused about this series, although apparently it will be a sequel rather than a retelling of the game story.
Nobue: Hey Miu, let’s play some Persona 3.
Miu: Yay, is it a beat-‘em-up?
Nobue: You are hopeless.

Honey and Clover gets dramatic
It’s had an anime and a live-action movie, but now Honey and Clover will also be receiving a drama series. Starring 15 year old Riko Narumi as Hagu and 23 year old Toma Ikuta as Takemoto, the series will begin in January.
Ana: I don’t really understand the point of live action adaptations.
Chika: Actually, they can be good.
Nobue: But real girls will never be as cute as you!
Miu: You’re including me in that, right?
Nobue: No.

More live action from Viz
Viz continues its live-action licensing with a few more movies- Honey and Clover, Lovely Complex and both Nana movies. All movies will have limited screenings either theatrically or at the New York Anime Festival before being released on DVD in early 2008.
Nobue: Yawn- next item please.

Mai-Otome S.ifr website
I know what big Otome fans readers of this blog tend to be, and so I’m sure you’ll all be delighted to learn that the website for the latest OVA is open for business, complete with story and character information.
Nobue: Do you want to pretend to be an Otome, Matsuri, and I’ll kiss you to confirm the contract?
Matsuri: Um, er…
Miu: Kiss me! Kiss me!

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

The Grand List Part One: A to L

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

Air

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

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

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

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

Akagi

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

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

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

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

Aria

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

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

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

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

Azumanga Daioh

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

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

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

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

Beck

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

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

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

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

Berserk

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

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

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

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

Big O

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

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

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

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

Binchou-tan

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

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

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

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

Boogiepop Phantom

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

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

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

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

Le Chevalier d’Eon

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

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

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

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

Crest of the Stars

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

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

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

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

Fafner

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

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

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

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

Fantastic Children

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

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

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

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

Fruits Basket

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

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

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

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

Gankutsuou

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

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

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

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

Genshiken

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

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

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

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

Gungrave

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

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

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

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

Gunslinger Girl

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

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

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

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

Haibane Renmei

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

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

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

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

Hikaru no Go

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

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

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

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

Honey and Clover

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

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

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

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

Hunter X Hunter

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

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

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

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

Ichigo Mashimaro

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

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

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

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

Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu

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

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

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

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

Kare Kano

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

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

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

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

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien

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

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

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

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

Kino’s Journey

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

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

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

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

Koi Kaze

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

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

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

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

Kurau Phantom Memory

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

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

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

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

Last Exile

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

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

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

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

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

Interested in yuri manga and other obscure titles? Since I don’t have much to say about the vast majority of the Comic-Con licenses, just make your way over to ANN instead.

This week, we are joined in the newsroom by El Cazador’s LA, who takes time out from talking Ellis to offer his unstable and often quite disturbing opinion on the events of the week.

A fresh taste of Honey and Clover
H&C fans, rejoice, for after months of “have they, haven’t they, when are they going to officially announce it?”, Viz has confirmed that they will be releasing both the manga and anime. Much as I loved H&C at first, the second season caused me to cool on the franchise somewhat, although I will probably at least pick up the manga, since I never did get past around chapter eleven. Other licenses include the Nana anime, Blue Dragon manga, Death Note novel and “How to Read 13” story and bumper three-in-one omnibus volume releases for longer series such as Dragonball, DBZ and Rurouni Kenshin.
LA says: How can anyone say that Hagu is their favourite loli when dear Ellis exists?

Hero Tales: that chin can crack rocks
Gather round, everyone and feast your eyes on…some character designs and screenshots from Juushin Enbu Hero Tales. Then go away and find something better to look at, because quite frankly, where FMA was able to get away with fairly simplistic designs since they at least looked attractive, this series cannot. Let’s go through the characters from the top down and see why they might just be receiving a caution from the Fashion Police.

Taitou: Pretty generic outfit here, and that face and hairstyle looks similar to numerous other heroes of bygone years. I actually quite like the red tunic, though.

Keirou: Scroll down to the screenshot of him, and you’ll understand why that chin is built to do some serious damage. His outfit is at least detailed, but that is surely a face for radio- I’m guessing he’s the older mentor type with a Hidden Past that explains the scar.

Ryuukou: He does look slightly bishie in close-up, but zoom out and he looks like a workman abruptly cast for a part after the original actor left.

Housei: If you’re going to wear a fur-lined tunic, don’t cut half of it off- it just looks like you can’t afford the fabric. And when you have such a generic face, lose the bandana- it doesn’t do you any favours. Not that yellow and brown is a great colour scheme at the best of times for anyone not trying to camouflage themselves in a wasteland.

Koyou: Jewellery, long hair, a short dressing gown- and a beard? This guy clearly can’t decide whether or not to start cross-dressing, as he’s gone for a sort of halfway effect. He needs to choose between MANLY man and transvestite as soon as possible.

Rinmei: The first and only female on the page, she at least doesn’t look too bad, although most likely that knife is going to be used more on vegetables than bad guys.

Shokaku: There’s an air of calm priest/strategist about him, but overall his design is far too simplistic for its own good.

LA says: Complain all you want about Bee Train, but Ellis and I are far more attractive than these louts- plus I beat they couldn’t beat me in a fight, no matter how destined they are!

The prettiest Death you’ll ever see
I’ve never played Peace@Pieces, but ever since I got my Hikaru figure, I’ve fallen in love with the character designs. Even so, I skipped on the Nagi figure, but will I fall prey to this charming Death-sensei? I have to admit I’m personally undecided on whether to get her with so many “must get” figures already on the list, but even so, she should be a nice addition to anyone’s collection.
LA says: I’m no stranger to death, but she’s never looked quite like that before! Even so, this shinigami will never have the beauty and charm of my Ellis. Oh, Ellis, I will be coming for you soon…

New OSTs out this week
Kajiura and Kanno fans are serviced equally this week, with the release of both El Cazador de la Bruja and Darker than Black OSTs last Tuesday. Whilst neither OST can be said to equal their respective composer’s best work, each contains some worthy tracks and is at least worth a listen. More detailed reviews will follow in future Tuesday Rumbles.
LA says: I still remember the music that played when I first confessed my love to Ellis- ah, good times, good times…

I can now exclusively reveal that the reason my blog is so HARD GAY is because I have Lui chained up in my basement.

As the days became depressingly short and winter tightened its grip upon the land, I had the great idea of summarising all the 2006 series I watched in one great ‘Annual Round-Up’; hardly an original idea since everyone likes to do it, but nonetheless a course I became determined to take. Little did I realise that such an innocent decision would lead to a massive fifteen page document that took over a month to compile; in fact, if I had any sense, I would take the lazy route of posting this over several days in order to avoid having to write anything else for a week or so. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on your perspective), I’d rather just include it all in one guide so that I can get on with writing newer and more interesting things to spice up the inevitably dull and grey January.

I shall also take this opportunity to thank necromancer, whose screencaps made many parody posts and Tuesday Rumble sections possible, as well as my blogging ‘sempai’, who can identify himself if he wishes.

For once, red is not for generally poor series, just for the ones I dropped before the end of their run (mostly because they were generally poor). Series in blue are my top picks for the year. Links lead to earlier reviews, rants and parodies of the series in question.

STILL RUNNING FROM 2005
I’m only including series I was still watching in the New Year; several others had long since been dropped by this point.

Ginga Densetsu Weed
A bloodier canine version of a shounen action series, Ginga Densetsu Weed follows the adventures of young dog Weed as he recruits allies to fight evil dog Hougen. It ranges from dull and predictable to laughable and predictable, but the parody potential and novelty of having dogs as the main characters conspired to keep me watching this right through to the end.

Final words: It’s not good to be a generic brown dog; you always get killed.

Jigoku Shoujo
When it first started, Jigoku seemed like a compelling series, the tale of people driven to such extremes that they would accept eternal damnation in order to remove their tormenters. Unfortunately, it all became a little ridiculous and far too repetitive after about four episodes- not only did the basic concept of each episode lose a lot in the execution, but there are only so many times you can watch tales of revenge before getting thoroughly bored.

Final words: Revenge is a dish best served sparingly.

Karin
Karin is a strange series; it’s too tasteless and generic to even be mediocre, but at the same time it feels like it could be good- only I can’t really quantify just what is needed to make it better. The tale of a ‘blood-making’ vampire and her slow romance with a human boy could at least have made for light entertainment, but the inclusion of irritating supporting characters and the gimmick of having blood spurt out of Karin’s nose with alarming regularity are more than a little off-putting.

Final words: No, just no.

Mai-Otome

It’s hard to believe, but there was a time when I thought Mai-Otome was actually going somewhere; an illusion that was soon dispelled as the series moved into its closing episodes. Despite the numerous flaws of this series, it somehow remains memorable, burned into the brain by hype, wasted potential and the presence of fat grey cat Mikoto.

Final words: Fat cats may improve a series, but even their furry bulk cannot compensate for a lack of plot.

Mushishi
Although I took my time starting on Mushishi, I’m glad I finally got around to watching it, since it turned out to be one of the better series of recent times. An absorbing and atmospheric folk tale-eqsue collection of stories featuring the laid-back Ginko and the myriad strange phenomena he encounters, Mushishi is recommended viewing for anyone with even a passing enjoyment of fantasy, drama and slice-of-life.

Final words: If your memory is bad, blame it on the mushi.

Noein
When it first swept onto our screens, Noein seemed to be the sci-fi series that we had all been waiting for- a mixture of complex storyline, grandiose action scenes and alternate worlds that would surely only improve as it went on…or would it? Unfortunately, the studio was so busy spending money on CG house shots that it forgot that the series actually needed a proper plot (not to mention decent animation), and so by the end, Noein became little more than a pretentious but ultimately empty series that never lived up to its early promise.

Final words: The quantum mechanics of Noein is not clever- if you want clever, then come to some theoretical physics lectures.

Rozen Maiden Traumend
Given the excellence of the first series, another season of Rozen Maiden was highly anticipated, but somehow it just couldn’t live up to what had come before. Rearranging and diverging from the manga material led to some continuity issues with the first season, whilst the plot itself had numerous pacing problems. Despite promising that the battle royale Alice Game would be getting underway right from the start, it took nine episodes to get down to business, after which the writers chickened out of going the whole way so that things could be left open for a third season. Even the new characters introduced in this season were less than inspiring, although overall the series was not a bad experience, just one that did not live up to expectations.

Final words: If you thought dolls were scary before, wait until you watch this.

Shakugan no Shana

A tale of swords and sorcery mixed with high school romance and comedy, Shana proved to be a solid enough source of light entertainment, but unfortunately turned out to be lacking beyond that. Disappointing villains and a story that proved to be flawed on close inspection ultimately prevented the Shana from reaching the heights it initially promised- whilst by no means a bad series, it was certainly in need of improvement in key areas.

Final words: urusei, urusei, urusei!

WINTER 2005/6

Ayakashi
A collection of three separate folk tales collected across eleven episodes, Ayakashi promised period horror, but in the end, it brought only contemporary boredom. What would have been perfectly enjoyable as a three episode OVA became drawn out and monotonous in TV series form, so much so that watching it was something of a struggle.

Final words: Rap OPs never work- no really, they don’t.

Binchou-tan
Having convinced myself that Binchou-tan would be sickeningly cute, I avoided watching it for a while, only to predictably regret that when it turned out to be far better than I had imagined. A series that really does embody ‘simple and sweet’ Binchou-tan is a delightful slice-of-life tale that really needs more episodes.

Final words: Unexpectedly worthy.

Ergo Proxy
To be fair, I only watched a single episode of Ergo Proxy, but I never could bring myself to continue with it. Despite the echoes of Texhnolyze, the fact I neither knew nor cared what was going on in the first episode was not much of an incentive to continue- the animation may have been slick, but that could hardly make up for the lack of comprehensibility.

Final words: When people say ‘hard sci-fi’ they must mean pretentious, nonsensical crap.

Fate/Stay Night

Admit it, you want a Caster figure too.

There was a time when Fate seemed filled with potential; yes, it had a spiky-haired hero, but it also had the incredibly worthy Rin, not to mention the prospect of a hard fought battle of wits and strength between legendary heroes and their Masters. Unfortunately, Fate never lived up to its promise, instead turning out to be a combination of insipid characters, flimsy story, and Shirou’s harem exploits.

Final words: I will make ‘True Fate’ one day.

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora
A short and sweet hospital-based tale of drama and romance, HanTsuki was an almost overlooked series that turned out to be a hidden gem. Within its six episodes, the series managed to weave a tale that was bittersweet, heart-warming and entirely worthy.

Final words: Natsumi is evil.

Meine Liebe Wieder
Despite promising something in the way of a plot this time, the second season of Meine Liebe turned out to be an inferior rehash of the first, featuring increased angst, more HARD GAY, additional characters and Beruze’s latest puppet duke attempting to take the throne of Kuchen. It wasn’t bad, but it could have been so much more.

Final words: Ludwig-sama is an A-ranked bishie.

REC
An oddly addictive series about the romance between a voice actress and a salaryman, REC is enjoyable while it lasts, but is over all too quickly. In retrospect, it was perhaps a bit too angst-filled, but it made for an entertaining experience while it lasted.

Final words: Umai-ki!

Shinigami no Ballad

Yet another brief series, this time about a pure white shinigami and the people she meets, SnB was filled with character pieces, but was oddly short on death. Whilst it never really had the impact that it could have done, SnB was an enjoyable series that didn’t overstay its welcome.

Final words: The RPG episode was the best one, but the series overall gains points for the winged talking cat.

Pale Cocoon
Having been told that Pale Cocoon was somewhat incomprehensible, I went into it expecting not to understand anything, only to be pleasantly surprised at how much I could actually grasp (of course, the accompanying pdf file helped). A brief yet worthy glimpse into the far future, Pale Cocoon may be short on explanations, but is nonetheless a worthy snapshot of a distant era.

Final words: Watch it now, it won’t take long.

Hellsing Ultimate
It was the event that all Hellsing fans had been waiting for- a more accurate adaptation of the manga material that would surely blow them all away. Unfortunately, having realised that I really didn’t like Hellsing all that much, this wasn’t something I was inclined to keep following.

Final words: When are we going to get a good vampire show?

SPRING 2006

.hack//Roots
Hard as it is to believe now, I was actually looking forward to .hack//Roots- I was in the middle of my Item Completion obsession phase, and somehow I convinced myself that it would be a series that married the addictive qualities of SIGN with the action and faster pace of Legend of the Twilight. After several episodes of deluding myself, however, I came to realise that Roots was not so much a case of a train wreck as of the train simply not leaving the station in the first place. Characters came and went, but the plot never arrived- in the end, it was just too boring for me to watch anymore.

Final words: The origin of the screencap parody format.

Ah! My Goddess: Sorezore no Tsubasa
I’ve said it on more than one occasion, but a second season was just too much for the Ah! My Goddess- how much can you actually squeeze out of a harem story about a regular guy living with goddesses? Admittedly, it did seem like a bit of harmless light entertainment for the first few episodes, but it soon fell into the realms of the utterly boring, especially when Peorth arrived.

Final words: Sometimes, less is more.

Air Gear
I have to admit that Oh Great’s artwork is good, but since I’m not particularly interested in nipple shots, ridiculously oversized breasts or Bob Makihara’s penis, the actual content of his manga does very little for me. An unholy fusion of Tenjho Tenge, Ikki Tousen, Beyblade and Shaman King, Air Gear is the tale of spiky-haired Ikki, his buxom companions, and the rollerblading sport of Air Trak- or to put it more succinctly, it’s complete dross. No matter how much curiosity compels you to watch this, take my advice and give it a wide berth.

Final words: With breasts like that, those girls must get backache.

Aria the Natural

The first season of Aria was excellent, but Natural goes one better by doubling the episode count and giving us a full 26 episodes of sweet and heart-warming gondola life on the planet of Aqua. From the beautiful setting to eponymous fat cat President Aria, everything about the series is right on the money in terms of creating a simple yet absorbing world. Bring on season three.

Final words: Punyu!

Disgaea
Since RPG-based series are rarely worth watching, I wasn’t really planning to investigate Disgaea- at least until I watched the trailer. An ironically hilarious take on the RPG world, Disgaea’s trailer promised much, but the actual series itself delivered all too little. As it turned out, the reason the trailer was so good was because the entire series budget had been spent on it- meaning that the episodes themselves were poorly animated cyclical repeats of the same tired and worn jokes.

Final words: Pizza in the face? Excuse me while I try to force a laugh…oh wait, I can’t.

Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid Tessa OVA
Much as I like Tessa, this OVA didn’t really do much for me; aside from a select handful which hit the mark, most of the jokes fell completely flat. It’s something you watch for completion rather than enjoyment.

Final words: Dull, dull, dull.

The Gargoyle of the Yoshinagas
The tale of the Yoshinaga family’s animated stone guardian, Gargoyle may seem like a kid’s show at first glance, but it is nonetheless a highly entertaining story. In Gargoyle’s hands, everything from battles between stone monsters to talking to flowers takes on a new vitality. It’s funny, off-kilter, and eminently worthy.

Final words: All hail Gar-san.

Gintama
I only watched the first twenty-five minutes of Gintama, but what I saw didn’t really click with me. Apparently it’s meant to be a tongue-in-cheek approach to Shounen Jump, but I just couldn’t force myself to pay attention to it.

Final words: I liked that large white animal, but nothing else drew me in.

Good Witch of the West – Astraea Testament
When it first started, Good Witch seemed to be the fantasy series we had all been waiting for; a fairytale of intrigue and romance set in a magical kingdom. Unfortunately, within the space of a few episodes, Good Witch had become so bogged down with different plotlines that it was difficult to tell where it was supposed to be going. After continuing in this manner all the way to the end, Good Witch left viewers with plenty of story threads, but not much in the way of coherence- maybe the manga is better, but I’m not about to risk wasting money on it.

Final thoughts: It’s the sample book of plot directions.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
It may have started as a tense psychological horror, but after the first few episodes Higurashi’s main draw was its sheer gore factor. A somewhat inconsistent series that mixed moments with greatness with more pedestrian sections, Higurashi may have only covered six of the eight game arcs, but spoilers revealed that the solution to the mystery was too obvious to be satisfying.

Final words: “It wasn’t me, I am not evil or suspicious at all.”

Hime-sama Goyoujin
Truth be told, I shouldn’t really be writing about Hime-sama- I only saw about eight minutes of the first episode, and I had so little clue as to what was going on that I couldn’t bring myself to watch anymore.

Final words: Utterly confusing.

Jyu-oh-sei
One of a rare few series which I picked up months after dropping it, Jyu-oh-sei made good parody material, but had little worth as far as entertainment went. The bulk of the series, which saw cycle-wear model Thor stranded on jungle planet Chimera, was average and predictable, but was nonetheless sheer excellence when compared to the laughably ridiculous ending. A rushed story with a nonsensical ending- if I hadn’t wanted to parody it, I would never have watched past episode four.

Final words: If you want to attain at least a shred of credibility, magical DNA is not the way to go.

Kamisama Kazoku

At first glance, Kamisama Kazoku looked to be the spiritual successor of Kamichu- a sweet and simple series about a youthful god. In fact, to borrow a phrase from a lecturer of mine, Kamisama was a very different animal- a series that ranged from juvenile to infantile in its fanservice laden lack of hilarity. After struggling all the way to the third story arc by virtue of the show’s worthiest character- Tenko- I realised that I simply could not take anymore and crumbled a mere four episodes before the end.

Final words: Look, Mama is naked in an apron!

Keroro Gunso: the Movie
Series-based anime movies are as formulaic as they come, and unfortunately the Keroro movie is no exception. There are a few entertaining moments, but not really enough to justify spending an hour of your life watching a story that has been done a thousand times before.

Final words: Giant Keroro is the worthiest aspect of this movie.

Kiba
Like Tokyo Underground, Kiba is one of those series that just seems like an inferior amalgam of numerous other series- there’s industrial word, pastoral world, summoning of destined monsters, and numerous other ideas that have been done better many times before. Roia was truly the only worthy aspect of this seemingly never-ending series- in fact, is anyone even watching it anymore?

Final words: Series and games ripped off by Kiba include Tokyo Underground, Ergo Proxy, .hack, Yu-Gi-Oh!, YuYu Hakusho, Dragonball Z, Pokemon, Hunter X Hunter Greed Island OVA, Mai-HiME, Dynasty Warriors and Suikoden.

Love GetChu!
Due to slow subbing, I have only watched four episodes of this series so far, but it has already proven itself a worthy source of light entertainment. The tale of a group of young girls trying to become voice actors, Love GetChu! does exactly what Kiba failed to achieve- it takes ideas used in earlier series, and combines them into a worthy whole. There’s a ditzy lead, standard personalities, a Maison Ikkoku style apartment and a hint of romance, but somehow it all comes together to make something enjoyable rather than tiresome.

Final words: Please sub more, or I’ll have to start on the raws.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Once an obscure series of novels, Haruhi catapulted to fame after its first episode captured the fandom, but as the series progressed, opinions became divided. Although there now exists a small but vocal “yay Haruhi great lol” group, still others (myself included) concluded the series with a more sceptical view on the whole franchise. The characters were insipid, the stories were disappointing and not at all helped by being aired in a random, non-chronological order, and the humour had all but dried up after episode three. It may have gained cult status, but I can’t help wondering why.

Final words: I did actually like the fourth novel.

Nana
The tale of two very different girls both named Nana, Nana was an interesting shoujo drama in manga form, but unfortunately the transition to anime turned it into something far more dull and boring. With the bulk of the series’ focus falling on ‘Hachi’, the less interesting of the two Nanas, Nana failed to engage the attention, and was eventually indefinitely put to one side.

Final words: Less Hachi, more Nana.

Ouran High School Host Club

The delightfully over the top story of one poor girl and six rich guys running a host club at the prestigious Ouran High School, Ouran delivered standard jokes with such infectious enthusiasm that it was impossible not to laugh at them. A fewer weaker instalments and too many episodes focusing on twin brothers Hikaru and Kaoru prevent this from being a pick of the year, but it is certainly worth watching.

Final words: Kyouya is god.

Ray the Animation

Ray is another series I dropped after a single episode, but unfortunately it didn’t really seem to merit any more. As someone with various family members in the medical field, ridiculous conditions like tumours that retreat into the heart when operated on are a bit too much to swallow, and thus this medical-themed series was not fated to last long.

Final words: Monster remains the only decent medicine-related anime.

Saiunkoku Monogatari

At first glance, SaiMono looked to be yet another period series featuring a girl and her attendant bishies, but how wrong I was. SaiMono is leagues beyond the likes of Fushigi Yuugi in terms of quality- this isn’t a reverse harem romance, it is an absorbing tale of political intrigue in the fictional country of Saiunkoku, blended with the the story of Kou Shuurei, a young woman dedicated to improving her country through breaking precedent and becoming a government official. Every episode of SaiMono is like an addictive drug, leaving you desperate for your next fix.

Final words: I need more! More, more more!

School Rumble Nigakki
After thoroughly enjoying the first season of School Rumble, I was looking forward to the continued antics of Tenma, Yakumo, Eri and the rest, but unfortunately, Nigakki failed to deliver. With its crazier humour and lack of plot progression, Nigakki soon grew stale, especially when it meandered into the realms of filler during the latter half of the season.

Final words: Please, let it end.

Simoun
I was actually looking forward to Simoun before it aired, but upon actually watching the first episode, all my expectations for the series were shattered. A poor woman’s HARD YURI version of Last Exile, Simoun features ugly snail-like craft that are not only powered by the pilots getting out of the cockpit and kissing whilst in mid-air, but also have special abilities like drawing pretty lines on the sky. With no discernible plot whatsoever, the series had to be dropped.

Final words: HARD YURI power is an eco-friendly solution to dwindling supplies of fossil fuels.

Tsubasa Chronicle season 2
Whatever it was that made Tsubasa season one so enjoyable (and in retrospect, was it really all that enjoyable?) seemed to have vanished by season two, which devolved into a slow and dull mix of lacklustre adaptations and mediocre filler, all animated in Bee Train’s trademark “stills only” style. When each episode started featuring no fewer than three insipid insert songs, it was time to put the series to rest.

Final words: Go, you filler bus! Drive along that road, carrying your passengers!

Utawarerumono

It started as a pastoral fantasy, only to slowly reveal its flaws and turn into a harem series with ill-fitting sci-fi elements, but nonetheless, somehow Utawarerumono merited its own addiction phase. The series itself was lacking, but it led into the game, the mini-game, the parodies, and sparked many ideas simply due to the potential the setting contained. Not a pick of the year, but notable for being integral to the life of this blog- even now “gwakakaka” is still going strong.

Final words: Karura and Touka are all.

xxxHOLiC
I love the darkly stylish xxxHOLiC manga, but when the time came to turn it into an anime, something seemed to go terribly wrong. The high contrast art style became a washed out version of its former self, stories were slow and filled with dull exposition scenes, and the overall result was none too tantalising. I completed the series out of loyalty to the manga, but in retrospect I would have been better off not to do so.

Finally words: This could have been so much better.

Yume Tsukai
At first glance, I thought that the story of three dream masters would be a touching slice of life piece in the vein of Kokoro Library. At second glance, I awoke to the fact that this was not the case; instead, this was a poorly animated and poorly constructed series of tales in which one of the main characters has a fetish for underage girls. Shrine of the Morning Mist simply blows it out of the water.

Final words: It could have been good, but let’s face it, it wasn’t.

Zegapain
Sunrise, when will you learn that churning out endless mecha series doesn’t necessarily mean that any of them will actually be worth watching? Apparently Zegapain improves later on, but the starving man’s Aquarion vibe given off by the first couple of episodes (not to mention the unnecessary nudity) was enough to ensure that I never actually reached those episodes.

Final words: The apples that appeared in episode one were the best characters.

SUMMER 2006

Binbou Shimai Monogatari
The evening before watching the first episode of Binbou, I read sixteen chapters of the manga, almost all of which began with a variation on “Mother died; Father ran up gambling debts and disappeared.” In case you hadn’t guessed, that is the setting for this anime about two sisters living in poverty, which is perhaps the most lifeless and half-hearted slice-of-life series that I’ve encountered. An angst-filled example of how poor the genre can be, Binbou went through the motions, but achieved nothing more.

Final words: I don’t know if you’ve heard this before, but Mother died and Father ran up debts and disappeared.

Bokura ga Ita
One of the first ever series to feature in my Weekly Round-Up, Bokura ga Ita’s tenure in my viewing schedule was nothing if not brief. A poor man’s version of Kare Kano, Bokura ga Ita featured all the angst and drama, but completely neglected the elements that would have made the series enjoyable. After struggling through a dull episode populated by dislikeable leads and a Nagato Yuki clone, I gave up on it.

Final words: Not my cup of angst.

Le Chevalier d’Eon

Despite treading perilously close to the realms of cheese, Chevalier consistently manages to deliver an absorbing historical fantasy despite its lack of much in the way of accuracy. The tale of d’Eon, a French knight who not only gets drawn into a shady underworld of magic and manipulation, but also ends up housing his sister’s soul, Chevalier’s only inconsistency in its animation, which starts well but soon goes downhill.

Chocotto Sister
Haruma has always wanted a little sister, and one Christmas, Santa delivers just that. Choco, as Haruma names her, is entirely devoted to her big brother, but unfortunately she is so completely lacking in life skills that she has to refer to a notebook. This could have been a passable slice-of-life series, but unfortunately it chose the route of excessive fanservice instead- when a series needs to use police tape as a censor, it is never a good sign.

Final words: What, you don’t like naked aprons?

Coyote Ragtime Show
Aside from its infamous turn as the “Great ANN Ad”, Coyote Ragtime Show is a series best forgotten- even the name serves a warning. A tale of MANLY men and gothlolis for every month of the year, Coyote Ragtime Show lacked anything even approximating worth; I went into it with low expectations and was still disappointed.

Final words: ADV licensed this? They think it’s good? Where is Kurau!?

FLAG
Years ago, when my supply of anime was less plentiful, Gasaraki happened to be one of the few series that I had access to. Despite appearing to be quite bland and boring on the surface, I forced myself to keep watching the series until I finally gained something of an appreciation for its intricate politics; with that in mind, I was determined to give FLAG- a similar series from the same creators- a fair chance. Unfortunately, once the novelty of having the story told through monitor stills and the lens of a camera wore off, FLAG proved to be a dull series with bland character designs and ugly mecha. I feel slightly guilty for not giving it as much of a chance as I did for Gasaraki, but then again, there’s more to watch these days.

Final words: Gritty realism with issues relevant to today’s society? Take it back, please, and come up with a phrase that’s less overused.

Hanoka
No matter how poor it was, I was confident I could sit through a series where each episode was only five minutes long, but as Hanoka went out of its way to demonstrate, that wasn’t the case. Animated in Flash, Hanoka looked like an amateur piece, complete with a generic storyline to accompany its unimpressive looks- in the end, it had to go.

Final words: Five minutes of boredom is five minutes too many.

Honey and Clover II
I loved the first season of Honey and Clover, and perhaps it was because of that that I was secretly sceptical about a second season; the last thing I wanted was for my high opinion of the series to be ruined, but unfortunately, that’s just what happened. Although it did indeed have its moments of excellence, H&C II lost points for focusing on minor character Kaoru before turning into some kind of “who gets Hagu?” dating sim (with added “Mayama the stalker”). Yes, I understand the deeper arguments behind the resolution and the characters’ choices, but it was simply handled too flippantly for me to enjoy it.

Final words: One word- disappointing.

Innocent Venus
Innocent Venus may have looked vaguely promising before it aired, but when it turned out to be a poor rehash of ideas from numerous different series (not to mention completely unable to retain the attention), the adventures of Jo, Sana and Jin had to be put aside. Thanks to this series, however, there are various unwelcome images that will forever be burned into my mind- the irritating pirate captain and his busty first mate; the Last Exile psycho killer team; blood pooling out of a man’s smashed faceplate and those ugly, ugly mecha. After the series finished airing, I did consider giving it another chance, but happily I think I’m over that phase.

Final words: I already posted this list way back when I was watching the series, but let’s refresh our memories as to the series IV ripped off- Last Exile, Wolf’s Rain, Kurau, Hunter X Hunter, Burst Angel, Mahou Shoujotai, Arc Twilight of the Spirits, Stand Alone Complex, Gasaraki, .hack//Roots.

Kemonozume
If appreciating Kenozume’s artwork is supposed to indicate some kind of superior taste, then I’m happy to call myself inferior; yes, technically it has its strengths, but on purely visceral grounds, I find it hideous. The tale of a clan of demon hunters, one of whom falls in love with demon, the relationship between Kemonozume and I was destined to be short from the moment they showed a man losing bowel control onscreen.

Final words: Sex and defecation- how mature.

Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique
With its nine brightly coloured bishies, Angelique was clearly never going to be marvellous, but I went into believing that it would at least offer up some light entertainment. Unfortunately, what I got was an insipid mess with even less plot than its sister series Haruka 8; unless watching a dull lead wandering around a castle and chatting to bishounen sounds exciting to you, be sure to avoid it.

Final words: It’s like a computer game in which you can’t ever leave the hub world and actually play a level.

Night Head Genesis

Featuring a pair of brothers pursued due to their unique psychic abilities, NHG had the potential to be a chilling and compelling series that would have been the spiritual successor to Kurau, but as it turns out, reality was far less kind. A barely comprehensible string of scenes that seemed to thinly disguise a HARD GAY propaganda piece, NHG become downright painful by its fourth episode, and was thus swiftly removed from the viewing schedule.

Final words: Give me Kurau and Christmas any day.

Otogi-jushi Akazukin TV
It was always abundantly clearer that Akazukin was aimed at a younger audience, but in the early days it nonetheless exuded a simplistic charm that was enough to keep it watchable. Unfortunately, as the series progressed with no hint of a plot outside of our fairytale-based heroes fighting magical monsters of the week, it all started becoming a little tedious. I haven’t actually dropped it yet, but I’m only a hair’s breadth away from doing so.

Final words: I hate those damned Sweet Phones.

Tsuyokiss
Tsuyokiss was one of those series I watched just because the name got stuck in my head after the “Great Tsundere Debate of 2006”. Unfortunately, after assembling a cast that was generic beyond belief, and throwing in some awful scenes about a drama club, it managed to drop into the red after just one episode. I had originally intended to watch a little more of the series, but when the subs dried up, so did what little enthusiasm I had for the series.

Final words: It may be Cool X Sweet, but it tastes more like Generic X Dull to me.

Welcome to the NHK
Just prior to watching the first episode of NHK, I finally started on the manga, and was instantly amused at its bleak comedy. As I well knew, however, Gonzo are not the best at adapting manga series into animated form, and indeed, no amount of optimism could disguise the fact that they messed up with NHK, somehow sucking out all the humour and turning it into a bland romance instead. Apparently the series improves in its second half, but I really didn’t have the will to keep watching past episode eleven.

Final words: Damn you, Gonzo, for messing up ultimate moe!

Zero no Tsukaima
Although the novels are quite entertaining, Zero no Tsukaima takes what could have been an interesting (dare I say Harry Potter-esque?) story about an Earth boy interacting with the students of a magical school and turns it into insipid, fanservice-ridden fluff. This was yet another series that I briefly toyed with picking up again, but when every cell in my body rebelled against it, I was forced to abandon that plan.

Final words: Guiche is no Tamaki.

AUTUMN 2006

Asatte no Houkou

Despite the fact that I have yet to watch the ending (which sounds quite bland from what I’ve read), I’ve tentatively given Asatte ‘Pick of the Year’ status for the ease in which it drew me into its world. It does have its flaws, but the series certainly deserves points for taking the age-old idea of having a child suddenly become an adult (and vice versa) and turning it into a compelling drama instead of playing it just for laughs.

Final words: The manga just sounds scary.

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto
The final title to earn ‘Pick of the Year’ status, Bakumatsu was not a series I could easily get into; trying to penetrate just exactly what was going in the first few episodes was pretty much beyond me. Over time, however, it began to exert an irresistible lure; from the beautiful OP and general atmosphere to the refreshing novelty of a series set in period Japan that isn’t an action or Shounen Jump title, there is much of worth here.

Final words: Like Chevalier, it takes the cheesy and transforms it into the highly worthy.

Bartender
When I first heard of a series about a bartender who helps his customers by finding their ‘destined drink’, I knew I had to watch it for the novelty alone- and I was secretly hoping that it was one of those series that sounded laughable but actually turned out to be worthy. As it turned out, Bartender was the kind of series that leads only to boredom, fidgeting and irritation- especially when you try to swallow the fact that a mere glass of a particular cocktail can radically change someone’s entire life.

Final words: I don’t even like alcohol, so I should have known I wouldn’t like this series.

Black Blood Brothers
“Oh dear” is all that can be said to the prospect of yet another series featuring a moody bishounen vampire and his unhelpful sidekicks fighting against generic evil vampires, and indeed, BBB had nothing to bring to an overworked franchise. By the third episode, it proved entirely impossible to concentrate on what was going on, and so the series had to be abandoned.

Final words: I played Go through much of episode three.

Busou Renkin

Upon learning that Busou Renkin was from the same creator as Kenshin, I was actually looking forward to it- little did I know that where Kenshin was solid and sound, BR was the dumping ground for all the mangaka’s strange and twisted ideas. A standard shounen series filled with everything from the terrifying (Papillon’s thong) to the bizarre (Moon Face), Busou Renkin is far from great, but I watch it partially for Tokiko and mostly for my parodies.

Final words: I pinned all my hopes on Moon Face, but his special technique is a big disappointment.

Code Geass- Lelouch of the Rebellion
The latest stage in the search for that elusive good mecha series, Code Geass turned out to be yet another product from the dango-addled minds at Sunrise. Despite boasting CLAMP character designs, Geass proved to be little more than Gundam Seed Destiny Remix, complete with Kira, Athrun, Lacus, Flay, Lunamaria and more (not to mention added rip-offs from various other sources). Had I known from the start that it was going to be fifty episodes, I wouldn’t have struggled with it for as long as I did.

Final words: How many times am I going to have to say that the cat was the best part of a particular series?

La Corda d’Oro

Despite my bad experiences with fellow Neoromance series Haruka and Angelique, Corda’s focus on music made it seem worthy and so it was duly tried. Despite the extreme predictability and the fact that giving the lead a magical violin amounts to little more than cheating, Corda is an enjoyable series which mixes brightly coloured bishies with an actual plot.

Final words: Behind every good natured lead are multiple bishounen backing her up.

D. Gray-man
Although there was a brief period in which D.Gray-man looked like it might be the one shounen action series I followed this season, this poor man’s FMA blew it early by killing off its most interesting character (unsurprisingly, a fat cat which I have named “Big Boss”). The series never really recovered from this loss, and by the third episode, it was clearly time to put it aside and focus on shounen series which could at least be parodied.

Final words: Why is it called D.Gray-man anyway?

Death Note
Despite my quibbles with the second half of the series, I did enjoy the Death Note manga, and therefore it might seem quite odd that I always seem so negative towards the anime. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that the battle of wits between Light, a student with a notebook that can kill people just by writing their name in it, and L, the detective appointed to stop him, is simply too exposition heavy to succeed in animated form. Excepting those laughably theatrical moments when Light and L seem to phase into a coloured ‘Justice Mode’, Madhouse have done the best job they can with the material, but this is really a series that needed to be told through straight prose, not animation.

Final words: Justice Mode, engage!

Ghost Hunt
In case you hadn’t already guessed, Ghost Hunt is about hunting ghosts…or at least, standing around and arguing over what to do about said ghosts. Featuring the by now familiar ‘eclectic bunch of heroes’, Ghost Hunt seemed to be nothing more than the autumn’s Ayakashi- a series that made mediocre stories even worse by playing them at 1/3 speed.

Final words: Generic by name, generic by nature.

Hataraki Man
When I first read about Hataraki Man, it sounded like it could easily become a pick of the season- what could be more enjoyable than the tale of an overworked journalist? Unfortunately, my hopes for a superior slice-of-life series were instantly shattered by the first episode, which portrayed the main character as just the sort of ‘I need a REAL MAN’ woman that I really dislike, and surrounded her with a group of dull and generic supporting characters. A single episode turned out to be more than enough.

Final words: It’s strikeout time for Moyoco Anno.

Kanon [2006]

Given how much I loved Air, I was expecting Kanon’s ‘sad girls in snow’ to elicit the same feelings of enjoyment, but unfortunately, after the first couple of episodes, it was clear that Kanon just wasn’t in the same lead. With an overly sarcastic lead whose main pastime seemed to be verbally abusing all the girls around him whilst they smiled and asked for more, Kanon proved that its main worth lay in parody.

Final words: Yuuichi is one of the foremost villains of the era.

Mai-Otome Zwei
Like the very dango that Sunrise subsists upon, Mai-Otome may not be good for the health, but an unhealthy fascination draws one back to it. The first episode of this OVA sees an evil Shadow Otome start petrifying and absorbing various main characters, whilst Queen Mashiro and Meister Arika’s bond is tested to the limit in preparation for the angst, forgiveness and destiny phases later on.

Final words: At least we got to see some fat cats.

Maria-sama ga Miteru OVA
I enjoyed the first two seasons of MariMite, but having been expecting this OVA since around March, I had pretty much lost enthusiasm by the time it finally rolled around. Episode one sees Yumi accompany Sachiko to her summer villa, only for her week of HARD YURI to be spoiled by general apathy and evil lesbians. The next episode looks like it will be better, but this one was far too standard to truly entertain.

Final words: Onee-sama!

Negima!?
Although the idea of a ten year old boy teaching a class of thirty-one junior high students was never really one that appealed to me, Negima is one of those big name titles that you have to try just to say you have. With my progress into the manga going slowly and my knowledge of the first anime season basically nonexistent, this new series seemed like an ideal place to start. Unfortunately, our relationship was never destined to be a long one- the animation may have been good, but the story left far too much to be desired. With too many insipid characters and a divergence from the very manga arcs I was interested in, Negima!? had to go.

Final words: That ferret is creepy.

Pumpkin Scissors
Gonzo series must always be watched in case they turn out to be the next Last Exile, but as Pumpkin Scissors demonstrated, most of them have no hope of ever entering the same league as Claus and Lavie’s tale. Another FMA-lite tale, this time with Blonde Heroine 10658 at its head, Pumpkin Scissors failed to inspire to such an extent that it was abandoned after the first episode. It will, however, be making a comeback in parody form.

Final words: The Pumpkin Scissors must cut through the pumpkin-esque layers of corruption like a pair of scissors. I’m not kidding.

Red Garden
Another Gonzo effort, Red Garden is effectively ‘Gantz with girls’, featuring four teenage girls who have been revived after their deaths in order to fight slavering men. Despite being drenched in angst, Red Garden looked to have an interesting mystery at its core, but with each passing revelation the truth behind it all becomes ever more laughable and ridiculous.

Final words: KEITO! KULAIR! ROSU! RACHERU!

Rozen Maiden Ouverture
Great visuals and average story were what I expected from Ouverture, and predictably, that is just what this two-part special delivered. The tale of Shinku first met Suigintou and turned her into the psychotic witch we know and love, any enjoyment Ouverture had to offer was simply overshadowed by the amount of plot holes in the Rozen Maiden story.

Final words: More explanations, less ‘wtf’, please.

Shounen Onmyouji
After a poorly subbed first episode, my time with Shounen Onmyouji seemed destined to be short, but fortunately Yoroshiku saw fight to pick up the series, and it was a given a second chance. As the title indicates, Shounen Onmyouji covers the adventures of youthful onmyouji Masahiro, grandson of Abe no Seimei. Together with his destined powers and sidekick Mokkun, Masahiro set out to battle evil foreign demons from the West, but can he prove himself worthy of being Seimei’s successor? A surprisingly fun series that is, if not gold, at least parody silver.

Final words: Imagine how good it could have been if Bishie-Seimei was the lead, and Guren wore proper clothes.

Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi
Yet another in a long line of period series, Ayakashi Ayashi is about…well, I actually can’t recall what it was supposed to be about. The only images burned into my brain are those of a disturbingly HARD GAY male bathhouse scene and a fight between two monsters, one with a head shaped like a wang, and the other which looks like three wangs joined together. With that in mind, is it any wonder I chose not to watch past the first episode?

Final words: I should have known that a series with ‘Ayakashi’ in the title was to be avoided.

Tokimeki Memorial
As the doyen of all dating sims (not to mention the one that gets parodied most often), it seemed only right to watch Tokimeki’s long overdue anime incarnation. After just a single episode, however, all such feelings of duty had long since evaporated in the face of the fact that this series was completely and utterly crazy and random- and not in a good, Pani Poni Dash sense. Apart from the chick in the first episode, there seemed little to recommend this makeshift collection of scenes, and so it was quickly swept under the carpet.

Final words: I think I’ll stick with Ukidoki Memorial.

Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na ~Crescent Love~
If you discount the sex scenes, H-game CGs always look good. Anyone got any from Jingai Makyo?

A series that I wanted to watch purely on the strength of some promo artwork, YoakeNa follows the romance between earth boy Tatsuya and Feena, princess of the Moon. Admittedly, it did start out as light fun, but as the weeks passed both the animation and story quality deteriorated to the point where each episode was more an excuse to take a nap than anything else.

Final words: I dislike the series, but I need that figure.

Looking Ahead to 2007
I had planned to try my hand at the obligatory ‘winter season preview’ post, but when I realised that my three paragraph effort would be a firefly as compared to the moon of Hung’s multi-part season preview posts, I quickly abandoned that idea in favour of putting a few words at the end here.

To be honest, the coming winter season doesn’t really look that exciting- do we really need more episodes of Angelique, FLAG and Kamisama Kazoku, much less a remake of Ikki Tousen? Despite the danger of not enjoying the most hyped series, I can’t help looking forward to trying the Ichigo Mashimaro OVA and ‘Corda but better’ Nodame Cantabile; I’m also slightly curious about Les Miserables, although fifty episodes of that does seem a bit much. The likes of ‘chibi-HiME’ Venus Versus Virus and anything dating sim or virtual girl based will most likely be avoided.

Looking further into the year, we have the disappointing news that Bokurano’s anime adaptation is being handled by ‘let’s mess up the story’ Gonzo, as well as a Spring debut for the third season of Nanoha, now with less loli. And regardless of whatever else there is to watch, there’s always more Otome Zwei and MariMite episodes- what fun…

Join me again on Tuesday for the New Year Rumble.

From some viewpoints, this may seem a little strange- surely black and white pictures squeezed onto an A5 page cannot compared to something that has colour, movement and sound? Admittedly, this is often case for action series; trying to follow a battle via static images is often a futile cause, but most other genres seem to lose something in the transition from page to screen. Not only is manga a medium in which the audience can easily set their own pace, but a story designed to fill a certain number of pages may simply not adapt well to being squeezed into a set amount of 25 minute episodes- all too often, the pace of the anime becomes too slow at the start and too rushed towards the end. Whilst this is a general complaint, however, there are many other causes which affect specific series, some of which I will try to cover below.

• Catching up with the manga. For long running series, this may mean the inclusion of the dreaded filler arc, anime-original material which rarely lives up to the manga and often drags on forever, but which ultimately keeps the franchise warm.
• Anime original endings. If the manga is still ongoing, or the anime simply doesn’t have enough episodes to cover the whole story, it has no choice but to create its own ending, which all too often is inconclusive and unsatisfying finale that seems destined to make frustrated viewers turn to the manga.
• Sticking too close to the original. There are a number of series which are very successful examples of remaining faithful to the manga, but it can be a bit of a double-edged sword. For a series like Death Note, familiarity with the story adds a degree of impatience to the viewing experience, since there is always a sense of just wanting to get on with it. Viewers may equally not want to waste time and money on experiencing the same story twice over.
• Alternatively, diverging too much is not always wise, as Gonzo’s adaptations often seem to demonstrate. Whenever an element is changed, you run the risk of damaging the very qualities that made the series enjoyable in the first place; arguably it is a risk worth taking to see what new qualities can be brought to the franchise, but it is all too often a gamble that does not pay off.

Contradictory as these points are, they are all factors that must be considered when bringing a manga series to life, and all too often they prove to be stumbling blocks that damage the respective anime.

All that being said, I thought it would be interesting to point out the series that have broken the trend and improved on the foundations of their respective franchises.

Angelic Layer
As I pointed out in my recent review, the Angelic Layer manga isn’t bad, but it does suffer from being very fast paced. In contrast, the anime does perhaps drag on a bit, but it has more time to devote to character and story development. Since each version of the story has its own strengths and weaknesses, I find it hard to pick out which one I prefer, but both are good for some low-demand light entertainment.

Aria
As with several of the other titles to come, Aria is not so much a case of improving on the manga as simply maintaining the standard; whether brought to life by an animation studio or Kozue Amano’s beautiful artwork, the sweet and simple tale of the undines of Neo-Venezia is a touching story that will always have a special place in my heart.

Hikaru no Go
The HnG manga was a good story that could only have been improved by not ending so abruptly, and the fact that the anime was so faithful to the manga (bar some of the later material) means both are worthy of note.

Honey and Clover
Since I haven’t read far enough in the manga to compare it to the original, I won’t comment on Honey and Clover II, but both the first season and the corresponding manga chapters weave an absorbing story of a group of people making the transition (or not) from college life to the real world.

Hunter X Hunter
Whilst HxH is a worthy concept in any form, the manga suffered from rough artwork and an overly fast pace in certain arcs. The anime cleaned things up, added some filler material that was actually good, and generally created a superior product overall.

Kokoro Library
The Kokoro Library manga suffered from its very short chapters; each instalment was more like a brief snapshot of life at the library than something that told any kind of story. In animated form, we were finally able to get to know the characters and setting a lot better, and thus properly enjoy this appealing story.

La Corda d’Oro
It’s still early days for the English manga release, but so far the story hasn’t quite lived up to the animated version- with its sparse page content and less aesthetically pleasing character designs, the manga does not exert the same draw as the anime. There is still plenty of time for it to improve, however, and hopefully it will find its feet soon.

Le Chevalier d’Eon
The first chapter of the Chevalier manga was not at all what I was expecting; where the anime is a historical fantasy that manages to excel despite stepping close to the realms of cheese, the manga seems to be more of a straightforward action series featuring a magical transvestite who switches between laid back bishounen and evil-fighting Otome wannabe.

Mushishi
Be it anime or manga, Mushishi is excellent whatever form it comes in. The anime adds colour and music to the manga stories, but whilst it has superior presentation, the manga has more chapters and thus a wider selection of stories to choose from.

Ouran High School Host Club
Like many comedy series, Ouran is simply that much better in animated form- what can be static and confusing on the page becomes vibrant and enjoyable onscreen. In particular, the manga version suffered from the fact that it was not always possible to tell certain characters apart- a factor which was never a problem in the anime- whilst their respective VAs really brought some additional vitality to the lively characters of the Ouran Host Club.

Pretear
I would hardly call Pretear an especially good story under any circumstances, but the anime and manga complemented each other nicely by offering a slightly different perspective on the same events. Together, they make a mediocre story rather than two poor stories.

Read or Die
Flame me if you like, but I read the first volume of the ROD manga (Die, not Dream), and I didn’t really like it. Much as I liked the idea of seeing Nenene and Yomiko’s past, I couldn’t follow the action, and the dialogue was so heavy that it gave me a headache. I really enjoyed the OVA, but this manga did little for me.

Rozen Maiden
Despite the lack of those little inconsistencies that plagued the anime, the Rozen Maiden manga simply lacks the impact of the animated version. Where the manga has somewhat scrappy and simplistic artwork (and reputedly increased harem leanings as the series progresses), the anime has high quality visuals and music- perfect for establishing the goth-loli atmosphere. Nonetheless, I must read the later volumes to see what the story was meant to be, as opposed to what it was in Traumend.

Tactics
Most Tactics fans prefer the manga and slate the anime, but even if I stand virtually alone in this, I really enjoyed the Tactics anime- despite Kantarou’s hideous personality, it was a worthy fantasy series that filled my need for such an anime. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough- I could do with a second season.

Tokyo Mew Mew
It can’t be denied that the TMM anime is mostly filler, and while that in itself is somewhat tedious, it did give the supporting characters a chance to do something. The manga was so highly focused on Ichigo and her boyfriend that hardly anyone else got a look in, but the anime finally brought the more interesting characters to the fore, even if it was via a monster of the week format.

Final Thoughts
Adapting a story that was conceived with one medium in mind is never an easy task, and whilst most studios are up to producing an anime that is at least reasonably entertaining, more often than not, they simply cannot live up to the original. With that in mind, it isn’t likely that I’ll stop saying ‘the manga is better’ any time soon.

Coming soon: Part Two- anime based on games.

EXTRA ADDITIONS

Koi Kaze
As already mentioned in comments, the Koi Kaze does indeed improve on the manga, taking a story which is solid and turning into something where the viewer becomes completely absorbed by the characters and their situation. A quietly powerful series, Koi Kaze demonstrates just how much colour and sound can enhance a story as opposed to detracting from it.

Pani Poni Dash!
PPD and its original manga share the common trait of being completely and utterly random, but what works onscreen is not always as successful on the page. Watching a colourful and crazy anime can be entertaining, but trying to follow similar events on the page just leads to confusion and an inability to get into the series at all. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than with Pani Poni, which carries the viewer along in anime form, but leaves the reader cold as a manga.

REC
The REC anime may have been a little too short, but at least it was also a reasonably enjoyable mix of drama and romance. In principle, the manga should be better since it takes the story further, but unfortunately, it is not as desirable as it would first seem. Not only do the characters continually get stuck in endless ruts of angst, but the content verges on the uncomfortably adult at times, with everything from an attempted rape to one of the female characters spilling her drink all over her exposed crotch.

]]> http://azureflame.dasaku.net/2006/12/21/can-anime-surpass-its-source-material-part-one-manga-based-series/feed/ 12 http://azureflame.dasaku.net/2006/10/27/weekly-round-up-october-27th/ http://azureflame.dasaku.net/2006/10/27/weekly-round-up-october-27th/#comments Fri, 27 Oct 2006 10:15:44 +0000 Karura http://azureflame.ikimashou.net/?p=1506

There’s going to be a bit of a parody break for the next few days; not just because of the Jyu-oh-sei HDTV incident, but because I’ve been spending a lot of time on the Mai-HiME RPG (despite a tendency for the victory music to play in unwanted places, episode three is generally going well). If you’re a parody fan, however, don’t worry, because they will be returning soon.

Due to a general apathy towards the series, I have yet to watch Keroro Gunso 62 and will be leaving that to next week. Also, there are some pretty big spoilers for the Tsubasa manga towards the end, so don’t read if you’re not up to date and want to maintain the element of surprise.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Natural 15-16, Asatte no Houkou 1-3, Ayakashi Ayashi 1, Bakumatsu 1, Busou Renkin 3, Chevalier 7, Code Geass 2, Death Note 3, Gargoyle of the Yoshinagas 3, Kanon 3, Keroro 61, Negima!? 3, ROTK 26-7, YoakeNa 3

…and in manga: Emma Bangaihen 1-3, Higurashi Onikakushi-hen 1, H&C 12, Otome 32, MariMite 20, Tsubasa 133, NHK 31, xxxHOLiC 9.7, YoakeNa 1, Haruhi Suzumiya novel 4.3

ANIME

Aria the Natural 15-16: After such a long wait, any new Aria is gratefully received, but unfortunately, episode 15 was not one of the series’ stronger moments. The episode sees Al and Akatsuki join Akari at a café and relate an event from their childhood on the Floating Island; however, whilst the flashback is worthy enough, the framing scenes fall too far on the side of the saccharin sentimentality that Aria usually manages to avoid. Perhaps it was simply due to the lack of Aika keeping things down to earth with her “embarrassing lines are prohibited”.

Fortunately, episode 16 is a far more satisfying instalment, as Akari makes one last outing with her gondola prior to getting a new one. A quiet and gentle segment even by Aria standards, this is one of those episodes that ensures that Aria continues to outshine the competition.

*NEW* Asatte no Houkou 1-3: Although it didn’t penetrate at first, at long last the fanboying about AnH has come to my attention, and I duly decided that I might as well investigate the first two episodes. The series sees lead Hiro leave his girlfriend Shouko for some siscon to look after his little sister Karada, only for Shouko to turn up years later. Now, through a wish on a magical stone, Karada becomes an adult, whilst Shouko reverts to a little girl; it may sound like the perfect excuse some loli ‘fun’, but actually this is a rewarding character drama that has swiftly become one of my top picks for the season.

*NEW/DROPPED* Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi 1: I really should know better than to trust any series with the name ‘Ayakashi’ in the title, but I convinced myself that this might have some parody worth. Apart from the historical setting, however, Ayakashi Ayashi really doesn’t have much going for it. The series seemingly consists of two types of scene- the ultra-boring and the incredibly scary (it’s not so much horror as “how long do we have to look at fat naked men in the bathhouse”). Even the monster at the end has a head that looks like a giant penis; I may joke about HARD GAY, but that is going a bit too far.

*NEW* Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 1: After dismissing Ayakashi Ayashi, the next stop was ‘that other samurai series with the long name’, featuring a lone ronin who inadvertently ends up as part of a performing troupe. It’s not particularly worthy, but it’s good enough to keep watching for the time being.

Busou Renkin 3: Another week, another episode of mostly generic but somehow entertaining adventures. With seven days to go until Tokiko becomes a Homunculus, Kazuki enters the training phase, and is fortunate enough to discover his destined battle during a battle with one of the generals of evil. It’s nothing special, but the episode earns points for the speed at which the generals of evil are defeated, and of course for Tokiko, the number one reason to watch the series in the first place.

Le Chevalier d’Eon 7: Russia is still some way off as our intrepid team stops off in Cologne and runs into some minor agents of evil. It’s an entertaining and action-packed episode, as well as the easiest one to parody so far. Russia is taking longer to reach than I anticipated, but I’m looking forward to actually getting there next week.

Code Geass- Lelouch of the Rebellion 2: With his new powers and an almost irrational hatred of tea, Athrun Lelouche uses his Eternal Sabbath powers to coordinate the rebellion against Brittania, whilst Kira Suzaku is picked to pilot the destined mecha that fights against him. Already the vague promise that the first episode offered is beginning to fade away, and if not for the fluidity of the sequence which the Lancelot mecha launched its attack, I probably wouldn’t be inclined to watch any more.

Death Note 3: Upon watching the recap of episode two, I couldn’t help wondering why I hadn’t laughed at Light proclaiming “I am Justice!”. Nonetheless, as the episode moved into new material, it settled down into the realms of “solid enough”, as Light and L move into the first stage of their battle of wits. To be perfectly honest, Death Note isn’t really the kind of series that needs to be animated (I’m sure I could get just as much out of the story if it were a visual novel) but it’s still entertaining enough within the limitations of the medium.

The Gargoyle of the Yoshinagas 3: There’s a new rival for Gar-san when the phantom thief Hyakushiki puts in an appearance and challenges the gatekeeper to guard against him; matters soon become more complex, however, when Hyakushiki makes the acquaintance of Lily, a little girl with psychic powers. Putting aside the joy of getting another Gargoyle episode less than five months after the last one, this instalment isn’t quite up to the level set by episode two, but it nonetheless proves to be entertaining.

Kanon 3: There’s something of an uguu~ and auu~ overload in this episode as the energetic Makoto comes to stay with Yuuichi, bringing a new sound bite and a large appetite. Whilst not a bad episode by any means, this one felt a little too overloaded to attain the oddly enjoyable quality of the first two episodes- I’d rather see fewer girls covered in more detail for a given episode than have a large chunk of them paraded out for a token scene.

Keroro Gunso 61: Whilst Fuyuki meets a mysterious transfer student with amazingly bad luck, Natsumi’s fortunes seem on the rise after Saburo comes over- that is, until they get trapped in a rocket together. Before any Saburo fans get excited, however, I must warn you that he spends most of his time off screen; it’s hard to believe there was a time when I anticipated him being somewhat important to the story. Overall, the episode isn’t a bad way to spend twenty-five minutes, but it’s hardly outstanding.

Sunrise puts in a bulk order for dango.

Negima!? 3: I don’t really enjoy Negima, but I keep watching because for some reason I always think “next episode, it will all be worth it”. Hopefully, this will actually be the case next episode, as this week’s showdown between Negi and Evangeline was not terribly engaging.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 26-7: When episode 26 introduced Zhuge Liang as a poorly disguised excuse to have a clip show (here’s what happened whilst Zhuge was growing up!), I was almost tempted to drop this show entirely, but fortunately the swift release of episode 27 proved to be a boon in keeping it alive. By getting back to Guan Yu’s stay with Cao Cao, the episode washed away the dull flashbacks with all the unintentional hilarity and HARD GAY references you could ask for- it now seems increasingly likely that I can see this through to the end.

Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na ~Crescent Love~ 3: Cooking competitions can usually elevate even the worst series into the realms of entertainment, but unfortunately Yoake does better at the non-cooking scenes than the actual competition in this episode. What starts off as another enjoyable instalment of light fun deteriorates a little when the content gets started, mainly because the actual cooking part of it takes place off screen. The animation also seems weaker this episode, especially as I have now seen the quality of the game CGs.

MANGA

*NEW* Emma Bangaihen 1-3: The main Emma manga is still locked in the legendary backlog pile, but nonetheless I made a random comment last week about including Bangaihen in this round-up, and thus thought I’d better come through. Fortunately, as the title indicates, this series is just about side stories; the first two chapters see a young Kelly and her husband save up for a trip to the Crystal Palace exhibition, whilst chapter three begins a new tale centring on Eleanor. If you enjoyed Emma, this is highly recommended.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Onikakushi-hen 1: I haven’t even finished reading the Watanagashi and Tatarigoroshi volumes, but that’s not the kind of the thing that’s stopped me before. This opening chapter is basically an expanded version of the first anime episode, introducing Keiichi et al and setting up the mystery. The character designs look a bit off in some panels, but the content is still good.

Honey & Clover 12: A day out gives everyone a chance to meet a giraffe and get some fresh air, whilst Shuu tells Mayama about his past with Harada and Rika. There are some easy targets to make fun of in this chapter, but it’s still an enjoyable segment that manages to pack in everything from emotional drama to light-hearted comedy.

Rika is left out whilst Shuu and Harada enjoy some HARD GAY.

Mai-Otome 32: It’s HiME-service from hereon out as the real Mashiro summons Dark Mai to her side in order to fight Arika and Nina. There’s still no sign of anything resembling a coherent plot (and I doubt there ever will be) but there’s plenty of action and a look at Dark Kagutsuchi.

Maria-Sama ga Miteru 20: Corresponding to around episode ten of the anime’s first season, this chapter takes us a year into Sei’s past and relates the relationship she struck up with a first year girl, a relationship deemed inappropriate by Catholic standards (even if everyone at the school is clearly HARD YURI anyway). After a certain contact overhyped this arc in the anime, I wasn’t able to enjoy it as much as if I’d come to it with an unbiased mind; now that I can take the manga version at my own pace, I’m finding it a lot more heartfelt and emotional.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 133: It’s taken 133 chapters, but a plot has finally appeared, albeit one that has as many holes and questions as the previous lack of plot. For reasons best left to CLAMP, Yuuko is suddenly able to enter exposition mode and explain that Fei Wong’s plan to gain the power of dimensional travel hinges on Sakura having journeyed to different worlds. For that very reason, he used his powers to turn Sakura’s memories into scattered feathers, killed Kurogane’s mother, made a clone of Syaoran (the original somehow knew his plans) and manipulated Fye; yet despite being able to do all this, the ability to freely go to another world still eludes him. Now all that remains are 600 more chapters of collecting feathers before the confrontation at Final Boss Castle.

Welcome to the NHK 31: Satou is now staying with Senpai in his old flat, but apart from that, everyone is as miserable as ever. Obviously recovering from the problems that beset our leads would be far from easy in real life, but at the same time, NHK is meant to be a form of entertainment, and if it continues in this rut for much longer, the readers themselves may end up suffering from depression.

xxxHOLiC vol 9 chapter 7: Yuuko, Watanuki, Doumeki and Mokona gather together to exorcise a spirit…by playing Mah-jong. As you can probably deduce from that statement, this is a slightly bizarre chapter, which also happens to be somewhat unrewarding.

This is actually from the previous chapter, but the implications are clear.

Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na 1: Yoake completes the set by getting its own manga version, but whilst this first episode seems a little more detailed than the beginning of the anime (see last week for synopsis), the artwork leaves a lot to be desired- even the animation drop in the latest anime episode cannot compare to the simplistic nature of these designs. Given the beauty of the original game art, it’s a shame (if not unexpected) that this manga series cannot do it justice.

NOVEL

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya vol 4, chapter 3: A world free of SOS Brigade randomness sounds like a pretty good thing to me, but Kyon is determined to get the universe back to the way it used to be. To that end, he goes on a mission to find Haruhi in this reality…and actually succeeds. Another entertaining chapter from the series’ best volume so far.

Last night, I suddenly thought it would be a great idea to create a secondary blog for non anime and manga-related material, completely ignoring the fact that a) I may not even have the time or stamina to maintain it and b) anything posted to this blog will probably be pointless ramblings devoid of anything resembling quality. Nonetheless, it exists now, and will probably continue to do so for as long as I want to ramble about Lost and Stargate.

Meanwhile, on the anime side of things, I have decided to adopt a new, harsher policy for tackling the autumn season. Instead of subjecting myself to the usual three episodes of pain for a substandard series, I will aim to drop it after 1-2 episodes.

Reviewed this week: Chevalier, D.Gray-man, Higurashi, H&C II, Love GetChu!, Otogi-jushi Akazukin, Ouran, Pumpkin Scissors, ROTK, SaiMono

…and in manga: Kanon/Air, Mai-Otome, Mushishi, Natsu no Arashi, REC, SaiMono, Suzumiya Haruhi novel

ANIME

Le Chevalier d’Eon 4: Chevalier continues in strong form as the Four Musketeers accept a mission from the King, whilst d’Eon grapples with whether or not to accept his main character destiny and allow Lia’s spirit to use him. Hopefully it was just my imagination, but the animation seemed a little weaker in places this time; other than that, however, this was another worthy episode.

*NEW* D.Gray-man 1: I wasn’t too enthused over the prospect of watching the next incredibly generic and potentially lengthy SJ anime, but after the awfulness of Pumpkin Scissors, I thought it might seem watchable. This “poor man’s FMA” series of Exorcist Allen Walker, meganekko Moore and the weekly Akuma they must combat isn’t particularly enthralling, but I can see myself watching this to fill up the gaps until something better comes along.

OP impressions: Oh dear, the late eighties are back.

ED impressions: A lightweight dance piece that becomes somewhat half-hearted in its latter stages.

*COMPLETE* Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 26: It’s time for a showdown in the school when Rena takes her classmates hostage and somehow figures out how to set a bomb. Like the rest of this arc (past Teppei’s death), this episode didn’t do as much for me as many of the earlier episodes, and the ending smacked a little too much of the “power of friendship can make all things right”, but I’m already looking beyond the anime now, and looking forward to delving into the intriguing world of game spoilers.

*COMPLETE* Honey and Clover II 12: From fervent praise to outright ranting, my feelings about Honey and Clover have really run the gamut over the course of this second season, with this final episode taking the middle ground. The ending didn’t come anywhere near provoking the emotion I felt at some of the series’ finer hours, but nor did I feel particularly disappointed- it was simply a quiet, slightly bittersweet experience.

Love GetChu! 4: It seems as if fortune is smiling on Momoko when she gets a chance to work as a stage hand for an event featuring her beloved Minato- but naturally, when things are going well for a main character, it can only mean that disaster is sure to follow. It’s predictable, and a touch annoying, but for the most part, it’s good fun.

Otogi-jushi Akazukin 11: Our heroes make a brief stop at Shirayuki’s old magic school, and whilst Souta and the others end up taking part in the school play, Ringo decides that she no longer wants to be completely useless. Naturally, it isn’t long before the villains show up for their doomed weekly attack, and in short order everything proceeds in the usual predictable yet mildly entertaining fashion.

*COMPLETE* Ouran High School Host Club 26: In order to prepare for disappointment, I had convinced myself that the ending of Ouran would be one of the series’ weaker moments. As it turns out, however, this episode was extremely satisfying, seeing the Host Club’s dramatic and well-animated attempt to save Tamaki from the clutches of his decision to dissolve the Host Club and marry Éclair. The only real weak point is Éclair herself, as a dislikeable and undeveloped one-shot character, there is hardly much incentive to feel any sympathy for her, even when the plot seems to demand it.

*NEW/DROPPED* Pumpkin Scissors 1: Every time a Gonzo series like this comes along, I know deep down that it will most likely disappointment, but I have to watch anyway, because “you never know, it might just be the next Last Exile”. Unfortunately, to compare Pumpkin Scissors (a title that puts me in mind of a Rozen Maiden spin-off) to Last Exile would be a feat beyond the wildest of imaginations- this tale of war, tanks and chemical weapons has generic Gonzo stamped all over it. The first episode introduces a spunky blonde girl and a scar-faced man with berserker abilities who come together to track down a vaccine for some infected generic villagers. Since I could barely bring myself to care about what was going on in this episode, I won’t be continuing with it.

OP impressions: Vaguely Ali Project style, but the singer doesn’t quite seem up to the pace. The video shows off the leads and generic allies.

ED impressions: A cheerful song with a video of the series’ resident canine- unimpressive and out of place.

Am I the only one who associates “Pumpkin Scissors” with something more akin to these images?

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 24: My worst fears have come to pass- the hilarity of the ROTK subtitles is down by over 90%, and there are still 23 episodes to go. Happily, the hilarity of the episode itself more than compensates for this new lack; when you’ve got generics half-heartedly slashing at each other and Zhang Fei trying to lure a general out onto the battlefield by get his men to shout out “you’re a coward!”, any added grammatical errors are just the icing on the cake. Once again, I must highly recommend this to anyone curious to see how “it’s so awful it’s good” can be raised to an art form.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 18: No matter how many vases he broke, Sai couldn’t escape the fact that he was too fat, bald and generic looking to be more than a minor villain. This episode seems to spell his downfall (or at least a good chunk of it) whilst Shuurei rushes to get to the enquiry on time and Kijin is challenged to remove his mask. It’s not quite up to the level of earlier episodes, but since this is SaiMono, it’s still a fair way ahead of most other series.

MANGA

Kanon/Air 2: This isn’t so much a review as a plea for help- I really need guidance in the world of Kanon and Air manga, and nowhere more so than with regard to this bizarre fusion. The chapter I read seemed to consist of Makoto eating meat buns and little else.

Mai-Otome 30: To no-one’s surprise, Sergey is revealed to be an ultimate villain of evil in this episode, with catgirl Mikoto and the real Mashiro by his side. Can Manshiro and his harem of Justice stand against this new threat? As usual, it’s nothing special, but there are some well drawn scenes.

Mushishi 10: This extremely satisfying chapter of the Mushishi manga corresponds to the excellent twenty-first episode of the anime, in which a woman gives birth to a strange green gloop, only to find a succession of babies under her house over the ensuing years. To say much more would be to give away a few of the twists that make this chapter so compelling, but suffice to say that even by Mushishi’s high standards, this is an extremely worthy instalment.

*DROPPED* Natsu no Arashi 2: It’s not often that I drop a manga series so close to the beginning, but it would be no exaggeration to say that reading this chapter literally gave me a headache. I still have little clue as to what the story is supposed to be about, and in fact, I am beginning to doubt whether Jin Kobayashi has any idea either; if anything, he seems to be just making it up as he goes along and hoping for the best. School Rumble or not, promise of white-haired Yakumo look-alike or not, this one has to go.

REC 16: Eccentric anime director Sekigahara makes an unwelcome return in this chapter, which sees him inadvertently let slip that Aka has a boyfriend on national radio. Cue another “can our relationship survive” moment as Aka’s reputation as an ‘immaculate idol’ seems destined to be shattered. This ranks amongst REC’s angstier segments, and as a result is not one of its better ones.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 4: Why did no one tell me I could get this file from IRC before I joined the scanlation forum and made over 25 posts? Anyway, even though this is just covering the early episodes of the anime, the long-awaited file proves to be worthy enough to justify the wait, although the artwork seems a little off in a few panels.

NOVEL

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya vol 4, chapter 2: Kyon should really be happy about being in a world where Haruhi isn’t attending his school, but instead he’s desperate to get things back to normal. This chapter sees him making the acquaintance of the alternate Nagato, a version with enough personality to be able to smile. I have to admit that volume 4 is proving to be the most enjoyable part of the franchise so far.

Fair enough, you say, if the existing material is complete and self-contained, but what about stories without a proper ending? Don’t they deserve some kind of conclusion, be it in OVA or TV series form? This is indeed a valid point, and in fact, several series, such as Fushigi Yuugi and Hunter X Hunter, have successfully continued or concluded with the help of a few extra OVAs. The problems arise, however, when the writers either end up with more episodes than they know what to do with, or don’t have the courage to actually put an end to the series. After all, if a second season can generate some more profits, why not leave the door open for a third? Who needs to worry about quality when you can just squeeze as much from a franchise as possible? And in that case, are the fans equally at fault for continuing to support their favourite shows long after they have ‘jumped the shark’?

Regardless of the reasons behind their existence, the fact often remains that as a viewer, second seasons all too often fail to live up to the standards set by the first- and what better way to quantify this effect than to look at some specific examples? Note that for this article, only direct continuations are considered- alternate universe spin-offs, retellings, or follow-ups based on different characters will be covered in Part Two.

Were these continuations a good thing?
Series in red did not fare so well compared to their respective first seasons. Those in black were able to maintain quality or even improve upon it. Linked titles lead to existing rants and appraisals about the series in question.

Ah! My Goddess Sorezore no Tsubasa
There were only so many times we could hear “Keiichi-kun!”, “Belldandy!” without getting bored of the situation, and where 26 episodes would have been fine, 52 were far, far too many. Four episodes in, the series seemed gently entertaining, but by the tenth, each instalment was nothing more than a 25 minute stretch of tedium and pain.

Aria the Natural
Although it probably wouldn’t be the case in practice, Aria is one of the few series that feels like it could go on forever without losing its charm. Since there are plenty of manga chapters to draw from and no main plot to worry about in the first place, The Natural’s 26 episodes are easily able to stand with the thirteen instalments of the original series.

Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid
(Fumoffu qualifies for Part Two)
Neither FMP nor Second Raid are particularly good, but with its shorter episode count and lack of filler, Second Raid manages to pull ahead of the original by some way.

Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2^nd Gig
Although I will no doubt incur the wrath of fanboys for only the 500^th time since I started writing about anime online, I really don’t rate Stand Alone Complex as the ‘best thing ever’ that most people make it out to be. Yes, it has excellent music, and it’s fairly entertaining, but as far as I can see, it isn’t so much clever as ‘lengthy exposition scenes masquerading as something clever’. Nonetheless, 2^nd Gig manages to come in ahead of its predecessor for one simple fact- it actually had some episodes devoted to character development. At last, the likes of Saito and Paz could finally be characters with more depth than “guys who stand in the background and support the main three”, whilst even Motoko and Batou became more interesting personalities.

Honey and Clover II
My feelings on Honey and Clover II should already be well-known, but nonetheless I’ll be reiterating them here. I absolutely loved season one; from start to finish, every episode seemed to be right on the mark as far as quality was concerned. Then along came season two, and everything became a lot more inconsistent; some episodes were undoubtedly good, but others had a meandering focus, unable to settle on which tone or storyline they wanted to adopt. Mayama became a one-dimensional stalker, debating on whether or not it would be better to break into Rika’s locked room, Shuu’s love of Hagu became almost creepy, and minor character Kaoru suddenly surged into the spotlight from out of nowhere.

Keroro Gunso season 2
Admittedly, I have only seen a short way into Keroro season two, but so far, it just doesn’t quite capture the spark that made season one so entertaining. The early episodes of the season clearly suffered through a lack of Giroro and Dororo, but even their return hasn’t brought things up to speed- what once was hilarious is now merely partially amusing.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s
The first season of Nanoha was so completely and utterly by the book that A’s couldn’t help but improve upon it to some extent. The story may have been only slightly more interesting than the original, but A’s pushed itself forward with new characters and powered up battles to feast the eyes upon. Better still, Nanoha now actually seemed to be contributing to the battles a little more, rather than just standing there and letting Raging Heart do all the work.

Maria-sama ga Miteru ~Spring~
Both seasons of Maria-sama are equally drenched in angst, but ~Spring~ had the advantage of having already introduced the characters and setting. Where the first thirteen episodes had been a bit of a slow burn that took some getting used to, ~Spring~ could just pick up right where they left off, and thus proved a more consistently enjoyable experience.

Meine Liebe Wieder
Meine Liebe will never be renowned for the complexity of its plot, but season one more than compensated for that with some absorbing character studies and intriguing one-off stories. At first glance, Wieder seemed to promise a lot more, such as new characters, shifting relations and even simmering tensions with another country that must inevitably lead to war. Unfortunately, whatever potential Wieder had was lost in the mires of parody as the series itself devolved into character angst, undeveloped additions to the cast, and a main storyline that proved to be a carbon copy of the first season (oh look, Beruze is behind yet another generic duke who wants to overthrow the king! I didn’t see that coming!).

Rozen Maiden Traumend
Like Wieder, Traumend was series that tried to convince us it would be more epic than its first season, and in exactly the same fashion, it failed to deliver. The new characters were dislikeable, the storyline seemed to contradict season one in places, and the promised battle royale not only failed to materialise until the last possible moment, but was given a disappointing ‘let’s leave it open for a third season’ ending.

School Rumble Nigakki
When School Rumble’s second season began with a battle royale style survival game, it immediately became clear that this series would be aiming for ‘wackier’ humour than the last. Nonetheless, if never up to the standard of the first season, for a time, it was a highly enjoyable experience- until slowly, a rot crept in. At first, each three-part episode would have one segment that was a little too nonsensical or pointless to be worthwhile, but over time, such segments became increasingly common. By the latter half of the season, the vast majority of episodes (now with added filler) completely failed to entertain, until finally the whole thing limped home to a sorry ending.

Tsubasa Chronicle season 2
Whilst Tsubasa can hardly be said to be top quality at the best of times, the first season at least had the advantage of drawing from the manga for 25 of its 26 episodes. Unfortunately, everything went horribly wrong in season two, when the anime went too quickly through the Piffle arc and ended up in danger of catching up with the source material. In order to stave off the threat, a series of filler worlds began to appear, each more dull and pointless than the last, filled with generic characters, tedious storylines, and a distinct lack of animation. With a third season still to come, the future does not look bright.

Final Thoughts
Based on this somewhat limited study (unfortunately I can’t include what I haven’t watched), it seems as if second seasons aren’t always bad news after all. Nonetheless, with good series so easily able to be brought low by sub par sequels, and dull shows like Jigoku Shoujo equally likely to be renewed for yet more tedium, it is no wonder that I will always regard news of any follow-up season with apprehension.

Meanwhile, I’ve had to change some regional settings to Japanese in order to play the Fate/Stay Night demo version (ironically, the translated demo), and now Japanese is taking over my computer. Even the backslash in filenames has turned into a yen sign.

Mini-Bites

How to write an anime movie

Spurred on by my recent viewing of both the Keroro Gunso and Ah! My Goddess movies, I have decided that the time has come to produce my own guide to writing anime movies:

1. At the start of the film, the protagonists are seen to be enjoying a typical day- inevitably their peace will be interrupted later on.

2. Although it was not important enough to be mentioned in any preceding series or OVA, an incredibly evil destructive power will break free from its seal. This evil will have some past connection with a main character, and likes to indiscriminately kill generics.

3. At this point, a newcomer with a detailed character design will make themselves known to the heroes. Although they seem obviously suspicious, only the most paranoid of characters will question their motives. The other leads will ignore the advice of their friend and immediately trust the newcomer.

4. As the great evil makes itself known and the fight begins, every single recurring character from the series/OVA will appear.

5. If there is time in the latter half of the film, at least one hero will undergo a brief angst phase in which they wonder if they can combat this evil. This angst will most likely empower the evil.

6. After the newcomer is revealed to be a servant of evil, the main villain comes forward to explain their plans. These will most often involve destroying the world/galaxy/universe, or creating a new, better world/galaxy/universe by destroying the current one. At this point, the newcomer may choose to betray the evil and aid the heroes.

7. Just as it seems as if the main villain cannot be defeated, the powers of love and friendship will gift the main character with a final attack that can put everything right again. A brief flashback scene may occur to show how the villain was merely misguided, whilst the newcomer goes away to reflect on their wrongdoings.

8. At the end, the status quo is restored for all our heroes. If there is a main couple, they reaffirm their feelings for each other, and dismiss any arguments they had during the course of the film.

Honey and Clover II episode 11

Continuing the recent trend of Honey and Clover related posts, the time has come to treat episode 11 with the respect it deserves, i.e. to pretend it didn’t happen parody it.

Shuu and Morita fight the deciding match in the Loli and Clover tournament.

Shuu claims his prize.

A series of flashbacks shows us that Shuu groomed Hagu from an early age.

Morita and Takemoto battle it out for second place.

After realising that there is no prize for second prize, Morita and Takemoto decide to forget their differences and turn to the only option they have left- HARD GAY.

Secure in his victory, Shuu refuses to be bought off by Morita.

Utawarerumono Empires
You may or may not have noticed that I like to write about Utawarerumono, and this week, I will be showcasing ‘Utawarerumono Empires’, the currently nonexistent game that the franchise deserves. As the name suggests, this is an empire building strategy game in which you pick a hero and faction, and use them to conquer the world. Each character has their own individual starting scenario, but from then on they can choose to climb in status, claim rulership over their own empire, and even recruit enemy heroes to serve under them (all depending on choices made and ‘affection score’ with different characters). The game features an online mode against human players, and an offline mode where the computer controls all opponents.

Factions

Kenashirukouru – Inkara, Sasante, Nuwangi, Benawi, Kurou

Yamayura village – Hakuoro, Eruruu, Aruruu, Tusukuru, Teoro, Sopoku, three villagers

Yamayura region- Oboro, Dorii, Guraa, Yuzuha

Onkamiyamukai- Waabe, Urotorii, Kamyu, Munto

Evinkuruga tribe- Genjimaru, Touka

Shikeripetim- Niwe, three generals

Kuccha Keccha- Orikakan, Touka

Karurauatsuurei- Karura, Derihourai, Katoumau

Na-tunk- Suonkasu

Kunnekamun- Kuuya, Hauenkua, Hien, Genjimaru, Sakuya

Erumui, Nosechika etc alliance- Kanhorudari, Bonahoi

Unaligned- Dii, Mutsumi, Chikanaru

Weekly Awards- Now with added spoilers for Utawarerumono and Higurashi

Long-Eared Mascot of the Week: Since the days of Ryo-Ohki, the long eared cabbit type mascot has been a fixture of anime, and thus demands an award. It should come as no surprise that the winner of this prize is none other than xxxHOLiC scene stealer black Mokona, with white Mokona in second place and Kyupi (Otogi-jushi Akazukin TV) and With (DNAngel) trailing far behind.

Cheesy J-Pop theme of the Week: Since I heard the full version for the first time last week, Brand New Morning (Kamisama Kazoku) regains the spotlight, with Innocent Starter (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha) also making a comeback to stand alongside Believe and Anna ni Isshoni Datta no ni (Gundam Seed).

Disturbing Relationship of the Week: From the proposed marriage of eleven year old Charlotte to a much older man in Rose of Versailles to possessed Aki’s pursuit of his sister Aya in Ceres, over the years many candidates have sprung up to briefly take this crown. In more recent times, however, nothing can beat Honey and Clover’s double team of creepy ‘couples’- not only is there Mayama’s relentless pursuit of Rika, but now we have Shuu’s payoff as Hagu becomes ripe for returning his affections.

Blood Soaked Death of the Week: With Higurashi and Utawarerumono airing side by side, bloody deaths are par for the course in the average anime week, and this week those two series share the crown for the cleaving open of Teppei’s head and the dissolution of Genjimaru respectively.

Tea Maker of the Week: Numerous maids have tried their hand at brewing the perfect cup of tea, and even Archer made some for Rin at the beginning of the Fate/Stay Night game, but none of them can match Eruruu, who scoops another award for Utawarerumono’s trophy cabinet. From anime appearances to game scenes, when Eruruu appears, a cup of tea is never far behind.

*New Feature* OST Corner: Vampire Princess Miyu TV OST
Kenji Kawai has racked up an impressive list of music credits, but the only other OST of his that I’ve listened to outside the context of the series is Fate/Stay Night, and apart from a couple of good tracks, it was none too impressive. Fortunately, Vampire Princess Miyu is ‘Fate done right’, managing to achieve ‘atmopheric and haunting’ rather than ‘tiresomely repetition’.

*New Feature* In Your Reflection
Some years ago, I found an interesting site entitled ‘Separated at Birth’ (I would link, but the site seems to have gone) that pointed out several sets of anime ‘twins’, characters with similar appearance, personality and motives. Starting this week in Tuesday Rumble, I will be doing a similar thing- first under the spotlight is Black Blood Brothers’ Kotarou, as he attempts to stack up against blonde shota both past and present.

For some reason I only have shots of Kotarou in pain, probably because a) he’s incredibly annoying, and b) Jirou likes to abuse him. He seems to be part of the ‘apparently incredibly powerful, but useless unless the plot needs him’ class.

Harukanaru’s Shimon represents the class as a whole, gentle, pure, and therefore by extension completely naïve and useless.

8 going on 5…Honey represents the best use of loli shota, as ‘lovely items’ for the strong but silent type.

Momiji betrayed his fellows by growing up in the later chapters of Furuba.

Amusing Search Terms

The hilariously misdirected: strongest wow boss monster, ginga nagareboshi gin figure, gay manganime gay, Touka flying shooter doujin game

The confusing: hack hard

The terrifying: Tsubasa sakura pr0n, pr0n toube, liu bei pr0n

In due course, the anime came to a close, but we had no need to fear, for come the next summer, a second season would be with us. Despite my usual reservations about having too much of a good thing, at the time it seemed as if Honey and Clover could do no wrong, and so I resolved to put aside my doubts and wholeheartedly look forward to the next few chapters in the story.

Unfortunately, when Honey and Clover II finally came to air, it would be a rocky relationship at best. At times, the series showed echoes of its former brilliance, picking out thought-provoking themes or showcasing emotional moments. As much as I tried to deny it, however, a slow decay was setting it. The focus and balance of an episode, once so finely tuned, now seemed terribly askew. Humorous moments appeared where serious ones were needed; characters that once had depth and development became one-dimensional personalities, repeating the same joke over and over.

For weeks, the rot continued to eat away at the series’ quality, but still Honey and Clover endured simply by virtue of being Honey and Clover- and after all, to speak out against it would be to incur dismemberment at the hands of the series’ fanboys. Nonetheless, upon watching episodes ten and eleven of season two, my course was clear- no matter what the repercussions, the series’ fall from grace had to be documented.

In hindsight, it is easy to say that Honey and Clover II was doomed from the start. Despite being only twelve episodes long (although at the time we believed it to be thirteen), the series began by using its precious time to bring us that most dreaded of budget and effort saving devices- the recap episode. To be honest, as recap episodes went, this was one of the better ones, but nonetheless, its existence served as an oblique warning of what was to come.

In the episodes that followed, the very presentation of the series was to suffer under the new regime. Insert songs were lazily used to fill time every episode, whilst bizarre elements began to creep in. In one scene, Nomiya envisions a squad of unicorns appearing to protect Yamada’s virginity, in another, both Yamada and Takemoto briefly appear to have dog ears and tails. Such visual symbolism is hardly uncommon in anime, but for a series that is relatively grounded in reality, it just felt that little bit too out of place.

Dissecting the story

Mayama the Stalker
One of the key themes of Honey and Clover is the tortuous love chain that sees Rika pining for her dead husband, Mayama pining for Rika, Yamada pining for Mayama, and Nomiya attempting to pursue Yamada. Even in the good days, this situation had a touch of the repetitive about it, but it was nonetheless a rich vein of interesting themes. Yes, the characters were caught in a rut, but that’s what they had chosen- loving from afar was a safe and familiar option compared to the unknown factors a new relationship might bring.

In season two, however, everything changed, as things began to move between Mayama and Rika. Mayama had once been a developed character, the man who had grown up and stepped into the ‘real world’ even as his peers retained the student mindset. Now, however, he became something far simpler, little more than a stalker monitoring Rika’s every move- checking her emails, setting an alarm to stop her leaving in the middle of the night, even considering barging into her locked room. Even as Rika seemed hopelessly devoted to a dead man (yet equally willing to use Mayama as it suited her), Mayama was becoming terrifyingly obsessed with her, to the point where his character less likable than it was simply shallow and creepy.

Loli and Clover
Alongside the love chain, Honey and Clover brought us another romantic tangle, this time focussing on resident loli Hagu. No one could deny that Hagu was targeted for a particular audience- despite being eighteen years old at the beginning of the series and aging several years throughout its course, she seemed to retain the appearance and mental age of an elementary school student. Nonetheless, despite (or perhaps because of) this, no less than three of the series’ leading men fell in love with her, beginning an ongoing tournament to win her affections.

As with so many things, in season one, Hagu was a promising character in her own way. Her personality seemed to mark her out as a pure-hearted artist, one utterly committed to work, who could so easily be destroyed by having to compromise with reality. Even in season two, this is still the case, but then the worst happens- a plate of glass falls on her, leaving her badly injured, and with the possibility that her right hand will never function properly again.

From hereon in, Hagu’s suitors- Shuu, Takemoto, and Morita- seem to engage in an all out battle (physical fights included) to be the one chosen by Hagu. Takemoto and Morita both try their hardest, but in the end they have little chance against the lifelong bond the older Shuu has forged with Hagu. Through the ever useful flashback mode, we come to see how Shuu has groomed Hagu from an early age, making himself so important in her life that she can never escape him. As Honey and Clover II draws to a close, he finally claims the prize that he has spent so long raising, seeing off his rivals so that he can enjoy the fruit of his labours. Needless to say, given Hagu’s outward appearance and the age difference between them, this is more than a little unsettling.

Kaoru
In episodes six and seven, we take a break from our main characters to explore the tale of Morita’s brother Kaoru. With the aid of lengthy flashbacks, we learn about the Morita brothers and their brilliant, slightly eccentric but ultimately good-natured father. Unfortunately, said father is betrayed by the actions of a jealous friend, and his company is bought out- in the intervening years, Kaoru’s actions have been entirely dedicated to earning the money to buy it back (as seen in episode eight).

The main problem here is that Kaoru is not a character we’ve ever had a chance to know or care much about prior to this point, and so to suddenly expect us to invest time and emotion in following his story is a little on the abrupt side. That being said, for a time, I found myself interested in this arc, no doubt aided by the fact that it showcased the question of whether hard work could ever catch up to natural talent, something I had wanted to write about myself at some point.

Thus it was that I was able to sit through episodes six and seven with little complaint, but by episode eight, it was all beginning to break down. The end of episode seven had shown us Hagu’s bloodied hair and shards of glass, and that was the storyline I wanted to see followed up as soon as possible. First, however, the business of retrieving the company had to be concluded, and it soon turned out to be something of an anticlimactic denouement. The man who had bought the company was quickly established as the most generically evil company president ever, the sort of man who laughs cruelly as he proposes firing workers or reducing wages. Kaoru’s ousting of him was something of an inevitable but uninspiring non-event, faltering in sight of the finish line, but somehow dragging itself onwards.

Final Thoughts
Was it inevitable that such a brilliant series could not maintain the high standard it set for itself? Could it only have been a matter of time before it would come to decline as it has? Did I just end up setting my expectations too high? It may well be the case that the answer is ‘yes’ to all of these questions, and yet that makes it no less painful to see a once-favourite series fall from grace. If anything, the last few episodes of Honey and Clover have been the most upsetting yet- not because of any special merit, but because of how they so aptly demonstrated the depths to which the series has fallen to. Only one episode remains to restore the series’ good name, and with the way things are going, it has little hope of achieving such a task.