Excel Saga

The Story: The ideological organisation of Across has but one goal- to conquer the ignorant masses and take over the world. To that end, Lord Ilpalazzo and his underlings- the enthusiastic yet incompetent Excel and the terminally ill Hyatt- plan to start by conquering F City, but with ultra-cute aliens, the Department of City Security and a general lack of funds to contend with, they may never actually get around to it.

Excel Saga marked my first exposure to this type of series, and in many ways, it was a case of being thrown in at the deep end. With dialogue rattled off so fast that it is hard to follow in either Japanese or English, and a screen littered with AD-Vid Notes in the DVD version, Excel Saga was an unrelenting audiovisual barrage that one really had to work at to get much out of. Watch it once, and you probably won’t like it; give it a second chance and you may find yourself warming to it.

In terms of content, each episode parodies a different genre of anime, and unless you have an overwhelming familiarity and love of them all, the result is somewhat mixed. Episodes such as the sports, dating sim and Fist of the North Star rip-offs all have their hilarious moments, but equally there are some instalments that will leave viewers completely nonplussed- and that’s before we even consider the two budget-saving clip shows and the ultra crude episode twenty-six (a DVD-only episode that is effectively a collection of everything that is too explicit or obscene to be aired on TV). In fact, although the preceding twenty-five episodes cannot even approach that forgettable instalment in terms of content, it is best to have a strong stomach if you wish to attempt Excel Saga- this is, after all, a series where the leads are frequently killed and resurrected, and one of the characters’ prime traits is coughing up blood.

On the subject of characters, it should come as little surprise for a series of this type that the extensive cast is generally comprised of one-joke personalities, and whilst some of them are amusing, others are just plain annoying. Of particular note is the now infamous Nabeshin, the afro-bearing avatar of director Shinichi Watanabe, a character who shoehorns himself into so many scenes that he becomes more of an irritation than a welcome presence.

Final verdict: It certainly has its funny moments, but with its blunt approach and fondness for crude slapstick, there are times when Excel Saga can be equally tiresome. Some episodes work, some don’t- and by the time it gets to the end, you’ll have probably had enough.

Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi

The Story: Sashi (Satoshi) and Arumi are childhood friends who have lived all their lives in the Abenobashi Shopping Arcade. Unfortunately, the arcade is now set to close down, and Arumi will be moving away. Before that can happen, however, the pair find themselves thrust into a series of themed alternate realities, each based on the original shopping arcade. Can they ever get home- and, more importantly, does Sashi even want to go home?

At first glance, Abenobashi looks to be a retread of Excel Saga, with each episode parodying a different genre in the form of an alternate world. Unfortunately, even at this early stage, the series crippled itself by forcing each episode into the tiresome formula of making the leads have to find and defeat a goblin before they could move to the next world. Instead of being able to sit back and enjoy each world, the knowledge that we would have to see the leads chase after a goblin yet again soured the experience.

Worse yet, in the second half of the series, Abenobashi attempts to meld a serious plot with its random world voyaging, and whilst certain parts of this plot are not too bad when taken on their own (the flashback episode about how the shopping arcade was originally built is actually one of the series’ finer moments), when combined with the parody world elements, everything just becomes a bit too messy for its own good- all ready to culminate in that sort of awful ending that only Gainax can manage. By this point, Sashi’s character has become so irritating and insensitive that even the viewers can feel Arumi’s frustration as a rift opens up between them due to Sashi’s inability to explain the truth of events to his friend.

In fact, most of the Abenobashi cast are such hideous caricatures in both appearance and personality that their presence alone is enough to sour one’s feelings on the series. No matter which world we see them in, the sight of the world’s ugliest trap or the bouncing breasts of the appropriately named Mune-Mune quickly become too much to bear.

Final verdict: Others may have found it funny, but Abenobashi never really clicked with me. Aside from the aforementioned flashback episode and an amusing RPG rip-off episode, whatever humour there was to be found in its parodies was all too often obscured by the irritating cast and crippling presence of a main plot that, when mixed with the less serious elements, resulted in a hideous mess.

Keroro Gunso

The Story: Sergeant Keroro and his platoon were meant to lead the glorious invasion of Earth by the froglike Keron people, but when he blew his cover and got caught by the Hinata family, the Kerons withdrew and left him stranded on Earth. Now effectively stuck as the Hinatas’ live-in maid, Keroro plots to reassemble his other platoon members, complete the conquest of Earth and keep his collection of Gunpla up to date.

A tale of alien frogs causing havoc on Earth, Keroro isn’t as wholeheartedly devoted to parody as the other series on this list, but it still takes whatever opportunities it can to rip off tip its hat to popular series that have come before. Even so, what can be comedic for fifty-one episodes does start losing its lustre the longer it drags on, and even as we receive the news that it will run into a fourth season (bringing the total up to over two hundred episodes), it is hard to muster up enthusiasm for what is most certainly going to be more of the same. I’ll discuss this point more thoroughly in a future editorial, but suffice to say that Keroro is the best example of how stale comedy can become when the same situation is played upon too greatly.

Final verdict: Monster may have left me wanting more even after 74 episodes, but that same amount of Keroro was more than enough to convince me to drop it.

Pani Poni Dash!

The Story: Rebecca Miyamoto is a genius who graduated from MIT at the tender age of eleven, but now she’s about to face her greatest challenge- teaching at a Japanese high school. Join Rebecca, her eclectic class and the perpetually ignored rabbit Mesousa as they prove that high school life can sometimes prove to be anything but routine.

Although it took me a few episodes to properly get into, having watched the entire series, PPD has become my favourite entry in the parody genre. Even compared to the others, it is completely random and often bizarre, but therein lies its strength; since the series is in no way restrained by even the vestiges of a plot, it is free to drift along wherever the whims of the writers take it, without particularly worrying about conforming to any sort of requirements. Of course, ‘drift’ is perhaps not the best word to use since the series often barrels through no end of parodies and references from all corners of the globe at nothing less than breakneck speed.

Like its fellow series, PPD has no shortage of named characters, and whilst they remain the usual one-trick personalities, they are not only a lot more aesthetically pleasing, but they have a vitality and enthusiasm that somehow sets them apart from the average overpopulated cast. It can be bit overwhelming trying to get to grips with them all at first, but give it time and you’ll come to appreciate them all.

Visually, PPD is everything such a crazy series needs to be- brightly coloured, well animated and unafraid of adopting a different style where it better suits the flow of the jokes. And if that isn’t enough to win you over, just take a look at the characters in the cute chibi forms they often adopt.

Final verdict: Suspend your disbelief and accept that this is a world where talking cats living in vending machines is one of the least bizarre occurrences, and you too will find yourself won over by the unashamed randomness of Pani Poni Dash.

Final Thoughts
Comedy is perhaps the most subjective of genres, so whilst everyone will have their own unique take on these four series, for me, crazy comedy works best only when the writers are brave enough to go the whole way and completely abandon any pretence of a framing plot. This isn’t the easiest of genres to get into and it most certainly won’t appeal to everyone, but in those moments when you can just go with the flow and let the series in question take you along for the ride, it becomes thoroughly entertaining.

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.

By virtue of recalling how dull a character Saber is, I’ve managed to get the need for Dark Saber and Maid Saber out of my system (not the one with the chair, the one that actually looks good), but unfortunately the figure wish list just keeps on growing. Aside from the expensive Feena which I’m still deliberating over, the current list includes the following (bear in mind that I have no idea who either of these characters are):

• Shiki: I rarely see worthy male figures, but this one looks quite appealing, and it’s cheap enough to be seriously considered.
• Saika: Quite expensive for what it is, but I love the hair, and the blue colour scheme will contrast nicely with Ignis and Hikaru.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Natural 18-19, Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 7-8, Busou Renkin 11, Kanon 12, Keroro 74, MariMite OVA 1, Red Garden 11, ROTK 36, Rozen Maiden Ouverture

…and in manga: Hataraki Man 2, Mai-Otome vol 5, REC 23-5, SaiMono 5

ANIME

Aria the Natural 18-19: There’s no better tonic for washing away the ills of the day than a double dose of Aria, and as always, you cannot help but be drawn into the gentle world of Neo Venezia. Both of these episodes feature a refreshing change of focus by bringing Aika into the spotlight- eighteen sees her grow her hair out, only to burn it at a barbecue shortly afterwards, whilst nineteen follows her exploits after catching a cold. Even cheesy sentiments like “just be yourself” and the Aika X Al of the latter part of nineteen (I’m usually not too keen on this aspect of the series, but I am getting used to it) seem good in episodes of such excellence.

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 7-8: Despite the near-laughable ridiculousness of having a ‘gwakaka’ class villain who controls a yellow ball of doom, Bakumatsu manages to remain strong in this pair of episodes, which seemingly conclude the Nakaiya arc. It may just be the atmospheric setting and the top notch animation, but Bakumatsu seems to have absorbed Chevalier’s quality of taking the near-cheesy and turning into something compelling.

Busou Renkin 11: More of an odds and ends episode than anything else, this instalment has the obligatory Flashback Mode section for Kazuki’s opponents, before wrapping up the fight and installing the twins as friends and rivals rather than outright enemies. Although he does look rather terrifying in close-up, Moon-Face makes a welcome appearance here, but just when are we going to see his face change to full- and what does it say about the series when this is the thing I am most looking forward to?

Kanon 12: Before I talk about the episode itself, I really want to rant about Yuuichi and Mai’s waltz (I’m assuming it was meant to be a waltz). I appreciate that neither of them had much dancing experience, but seriously, what was that? They were barely in hold, there was no rise and fall- even Squall and Rinoa did better. Anyway, with that out of the way, this seemed to be another pick and mix episode, combining elements from Ayu and Mai’s storylines, and seeing Yuuichi back to his normal sarcastic self. Kanon seems to have settled into a pattern of mediocrity by this point- it’s not particularly awful, but it hardly grabs the emotions in the way it is supposed to.

*DROPPED* Keroro Gunso 74: The time has come to accept the fact that Keroro isn’t going to get any better- in fact, if this episode is anything to go by, then it is steadily getting worse. A pick and mix of fifteen shorts, Keroro manages to once again take the tiresomely overused and grind it into the ground just that little bit more. No matter how enjoyable the series used to be, the time has come to accept that I must move on and stop subjecting myself to this sort of pain.

*NEW* Maria-sama ga Miteru OVA 1: HARD YURI, flower petals and overflowing angst- what else could it be than a new episode of MariMite? This 50 minute OVA episode sees Yumi accompany Sachiko to her summer villa, only to end up spending half the week in complete monotony, before the obligatory evil lesbian trio show up to spoil the other half- at least until everything comes right at the end. Unsurprisingly, it’s a little too overdramatic for its own good, and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for poor innocent Yumi as she grappled against both boredom and minor antagonists, but despite being annoyed with Sachiko’s attitude towards her petite-soeur at the beginning, it was good to see her acting like a real human being by the end. Overall, not something that needed to take fifty minutes, but reasonably entertaining nonetheless, if not up to the TV series in terms of both content and animation quality.

Red Garden 11: Red Garden is a title that has become synonymous with angst, and this episode is no exception; Kate angsts over her position in Grace, Rachel angsts over her relationship with her boyfriend, Claire angsts over finding a job (again) until finally going back to the very place she originally left, and Rose just angsts in the background. All hope of a coherent plot is slowly slipping away, but at least certain characters look as if they must soon turn evil and thus have to be beaten to death with Claire’s baseball bat.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 36: Unfortunately, ROTK 36 isn’t as hilariously awful as some of the series’ finer moments, but watching four episodes in the space of a few days really can’t do much to promote the series’ (lack of) worth. I have to admit I’m at the stage where I’m getting bored of ROTK, but with just eleven episodes left to go, I can probably make it to the end regardless of how quickly it is subbed.

*SPECIAL* Rozen Maiden Ouverture 1-2: I deliberately kept my expectations low for this OVA, and perhaps that it was just as well, since it wasn’t terribly enthralling. Instead of answering the numerous questions raised by Traumend in particular, this OVA just confuses the issue even more- in fact, I plan to write an article about the flaws of Rozen Maiden in the near future. Story-wise, the OVA chronicles the first meeting between Shinku and Suigintou; in principle, such a tale should be interesting, but unfortunately, I was distracted by the various contradictions and plot holes that I have come to realise exist in the Rozen Maiden universe.

MANGA

*DROPPED* Hataraki Man 2: I wanted to give the manga a chance to see if it was any better than the anime, but unfortunately, it wasn’t. This instalment resolves the corrupt minister story started in chapter one, but unfortunately most pages are a combination of a headache inducing layout, forgettable characters, and dialogue that barely makes sense. This series is definitely one to miss.

*COMPLETE* Mai-Otome 36-44: It may have necessitated reading an entire volume in one sitting, but at long last, the Mai-Otome manga is over and done with (at least until the Zwei manga is translated). Fanservice in every sense of the word, this volume packs in F-cup breasts, HiME cameos, HARD YURI and a complete lack of any kind of coherent plot- just what you’d expect from this series, really. Following a fight against evil HiME and the final boss form of Sergey, everyone settles down to their lives as Manshiro’s harem members; the artwork may be good, but that’s about it.

REC 23-25: I have to admit that these last few chapters left me feeling a little uncomfortable- taking a previously likable character and having him commit what amounts to attempted rape was going too far even for a series that has always bordered on the adult. I can’t help wondering if the series included this simply because it is running out of ways to put stress on Aka and Matsumaru’s relationship; I’ll continue reading for now, but the series really isn’t going in the direction I wanted or expected.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 5: I’m desperate to see more of the SaiMono anime, but in the meantime, this chapter from the very first arc of the series will have to do. This chapter sees Shuurei realise that Ryuuki is not as stupid as he pretends, whilst in the background Ran and the others try to figure out who is attempting to poison Shuurei. It may be a healthy 45 pages, but it still feels far too short.

Star Ocean has taken over my life; it seeps into all the cracks and leaves me with no time to do anything else. Nonetheless, I shall get on top of this addiction, even if it means playing all three games (four if you count Blue Sphere) to death. In the meantime, Bakumatsu 7-8 will be covered next week since my birthday cut into regular anime viewing time.

Reviewed this week: Asatte no Houkou 9, Code Geass 10, La Corda d’Oro 5, Death Note 11, Kanon 11, Keroro 70-73, Red Garden 10, ROTK 33-5

…and in manga: Bokurano 33-7, Chevalier 1, Chokotto Sister 37-8, MariMite 21, Pani Poni 1-7

ANIME

Asatte no Houkou 9: Whilst Karada makes her way to the coast and gets a job at a small inn (anime destiny came through after all), Tetsu is finally pushed into going to look for her, with Kotomi just happening by in order to give her a hand. Although there were some excellent moments in this episode such as a confrontation between Shouko and Hiro in the café, it just felt a little lacking when compared to the overall standard of the series- certain events felt a little too contrived, and I found myself distracted by the ugliness of Tetsu’s costume. When will anime characters realise that the Heero Yui look is out of date?

*DROPPED* Code Geass 10: There comes a point in many series where you wonder what compelled you to start watching them in the first place, and Geass has finally reached that point. This episode sees Lelouch provoke a pointless fight just to increase his Ego Counter, all the while hoping to snag some Pizza Hut along the way- since I can no longer force myself to pay attention to what passes for a plot in this series, I feel no inclination to wade through any more episodes.

La Corda d’Oro 5: Corda’s plot is hardly what you’d call complex and unfathomable, but this must surely rank as one of the most predictable episodes ever to grace our screens. As the first round of the concours begins, Kaho’s accompanist seems strangely absent- could this possibly mean she is as evil as she looked in the closing shot of episode 3? Will our heroine finish in last place and have to struggle her way to the top in later rounds? Will secret piano genius Tsuchiura step up and do something unexpected like playing the piano? Far be it for me to give anything away, but if you can’t work out the answers to these, then you probably aren’t that interested in televised media anyway.

Death Note 11: After waving to some passing treacle, Death Note continues on its way, which finally sees events begin to move with the introduction of a second Kira. I keep saying that from hereon, things will get interesting, so I realise that now is the time to tone down my optimism- events may improve, but they may equally continue to plod along at the current pace.

Kanon 11: With Makoto’s story over, this week sees a shift towards Mai’s arc, whilst making sure to check up on all the other girls along the way. After such a heavy focus on Makoto, it is refreshing to see some of the more neglected characters return, but unfortunately that also means that Yuuichi is slipping back into his sarcastic and abusive mode. Overall, though, it’s a fairly average and inoffensive episode, although if not for the parodies I probably wouldn’t still be watching.

Keroro Gunso 70-73: A quadruple bill of Keroro was never going to show the series in the most flattering light, and unfortunately, it has forced me to make the oft-delayed decision of placing Keroro in the red (it was previously on ‘orange’). Admittedly, episode 73 was an entertaining trip to the past that prevented me from dropping the series entirely, but the preceding trio of episodes were all tired rehashes of overused ideas that could barely hold my attention. Perhaps this is simply the curse of episodic comedy- since the story and setting are bound to always return to the status quo, there reaches a point where you simply can’t do anything more with the format.

Red Garden 10: Angst phase two continues in this episode, as the girls train for future random encounters (Claire swings a baseball bat, Rachel orders an abs training machine, Kate fails to do one press-up and Rose, er, cooks meat). By this point, most of my hopes for the plot have been dashed by the fact that it makes little sense and seems unnecessarily convoluted; nonetheless, for now, it just manages to stay above the drop zone somehow.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 33-5: The punishment for over a fortnight without ROTK was inevitably going to be a triple bill of episodes, but for once, I was able to get through them all with little fuss. At long last, the time for Liu Bei to meet Zhuge Liang and begin the destined HARD GAY that will found the Shu kingdom. In case you hadn’t already guessed, I’ve given up even trying to review this series seriously- you either watch it because it is unintentionally hilarious, or you don’t watch it at all.

Ironically, episode 36 was released just after I wrote this- here’s to another HARD GAY review next week.

MANGA

Bokurano 33-7: I hadn’t realised that Kirie’s story actually ended with chapter 32, meaning that this sequence of five chapters is entirely devoted to the next pilot, Takami Komoda. The daughter of a military man, Komo must find the strength to step up to the plate and control Zearth, but events take an unexpected turn when the enemy pilot runs away- if he isn’t located within 48 hours, both sides lose. Bokurano is always excellent and these chapters are no exception; as always, however, I am eager for more.

*NEW* Chevalier 1: It would be no understatement to say that the Chevalier manga was not at all what I was expecting. A far cry from the animated version, the manga may share the same characters and basic ideas, but the execution is very different. The series revolves around D’Eon du Beaumont, a laid back bishie guard who pulls double time not only as an agent for the king, but as a cross-dressing vessel for his sister’s spirit in order to fight Poets of evil. Compared to the anime, this is more of a Chevalier-lite Otome/magical girl version, but I will continue to read out of curiosity.

Chokotto Sister 37-8: The fanservice may be in abeyance here, but Chokotto Sister still has a way of giving you a few pages that impress you with how good the series can be, only to drop back down to the level of a child’s reading book straight afterwards. This pair of chapters concludes the ‘Choko and the panther’ arc, but mars its surprisingly tragic ending with a trite reversion to ‘brother makes it all well again’. Perhaps I shouldn’t complain; the whole ‘Choko keeping a panther’ premise was a little bizarre, after all.

Gunslinger Girl 18-19: I never thought this day would come, but at long last, I have been able to start the fourth volume of Gunslinger Girl (damn you, ADV!). Chapter 18 covers a day in the life of Claes as she goes about her normal routine whilst showing hints of remembering the time she spent with her handler. 19, meanwhile, starts a new story in which Triela and Hilshier must act as bodyguards for the daughter of the mafia defector they protected in a previous chapter. Although 19 is the better of the two stories, both chapters are a very much welcome continuation of Gunslinger Girl’s trademark excellence. Apparently two new cyborgs will be introduced later on, so the need for more chapters is great.

Maria-sama ga Miteru 21: Sei’s past story and volume three conclude in this chapter, which sees the tragic separation of Sei and the girl she loved. I can’t say it was a particular tearjerker, but it was still a well executed ending to one of the series’ best arcs.

*CATCH-UP/DROPPED* Pani Poni 1-7: If Pani Poni has anything to tell us, it’s that oddball comedy series really need the vibrancy and motion of the animated medium in order to shine. Unfortunately, on paper, the series is little more than a poor man’s version of Azumanga- there are a couple of worthy jokes, but most of the content seems like random ramblings grouped together into mercifully short chapters. Even if you’re a fan of the anime, there’s not much to see here.

This week marks a first for the Weekly Round-Up, and I have to say it isn’t a particularly edifying one; for the first time since I started this feature, there is no manga to write about. Fortunately, this lack of new releases does mean that I have been able to clear Alice 19^th out of the backlog (expect to see a post on that in the near future) but it does leave the Round-Up feeling curiously empty.

It has also come to my attention that people are starting to think I am obsessed with HARD GAY. Let me clarify- it’s not that I’m obsessed with it, it’s just that HARD GAY is everywhere.

Reviewed this week: Asatte no Houkou 8, Bakumatsu Kikansetu Irohanihoheto 6, Busou Renkin 10, Code Geass 9, Death Note 10, Kanon 10, Keroro 69, Red Garden 9, SaiMono 23, Shounen Onmyouji 8

ANIME

Asatte no Houkou 8: Having learned about Hiro and Shouko’s relationship, Karada runs away from home- only to learn that surviving in the real world is a lot tougher than it looks. Reaching her lowest ebb leads her to fall into Flashback Mode, where we finally see how Karada and Hiro first met, and that she already knows that Hiro is not her real brother. Another excellent episode from the consistently enjoyable Asatte no Houkou- but is this series really going to be only twelve episodes?

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 6: I can’t help but like Bakumatsu and its OP more and more with each passing episode, especially as I’m gradually getting to grips with what’s going on (which, it has to be said, is always a bonus). As the troupe puts on the final performance of their latest play, real life events are also moving ahead, with current Fei Wong style villain getting overexcited about impending chaos. This series is slowly but surely moving its way into the top bracket of the year.

Busou Renkin 10: There’s a refreshing lack of Papillon’s crotch in this episode as twins Shuusui and Oka finally initiate a battle with Kazuki and Tokiko. Although I would have preferred to see more of the women fighting, predictably the bulk of the episode is handed over to the boys as they trade blows. Thankfully, the fight doesn’t last too long, but other than that, it’s a fairly standard episode.

Code Geass- Lelouch of the Rebellion 9: Geass dips back into the red with this collection of dull scenes more commonly known as an episode. Whilst Karen/Kallen’s obligatory tragic backstory takes the forefront, the Sunrise dango addicts make a cry for help by introducing a drug known as Refrain to the plot for no apparent reason. Suffice to say that little of note occurs here, and unless something does actually happen soon, Code Geass won’t be lasting much longer.

This cat is the best part of Code Geass, but it’s no Mikoto.

Death Note 10: When I said last time that Death Note would really be taking off soon, what I obviously meant was that there would be a dull exposition episode first. With that in mind, episode 10 is hardly the most enthralling of moments, consisting of numerous lines of speech which were more easily tackled when they were on paper- whilst I can’t help but chuckle every time Light and L go into “evil red” and “justice blue” mode respectively.

Kanon 10: It may have been intended to be the tear jerking ‘farewell Makoto’ episode, but unfortunately, by this point, Kanon is little more than a continuing struggle to get through. Not only was I disappointed at the lack of “MAKOTOOOOO!!!” at the end, but the emotion of the episode really didn’t reach me- perhaps it’s just hard to believe that Yuuichi could care so deeply about Makoto after the way he treated her in earlier episodes.

Keroro 69: It’s episodes like this that reaffirm my belief that Sunrise are getting high on sweet potato dango; whilst the first half initially looked like it was going to be an amusing Spirited Away spoof, it somehow metamorphosed into a completely random hunt for banana slug eggs (and no, banana slug is not a typo). If not quite as drug induced, part two was a similarly pointless story, featuring a repeat of the beach manzai competition from the last year, only this time without adult Natsumi. Keroro is hovering very close to the red now- can it save itself yet again in the next episode?

I have to admit that I am tired of 556, but he was actually mildly amusing in this episode.

Red Garden 9: Angst phase one may have ended last episode, but phase two is just beginning as Red Garden forges ahead along the path of teenage girls fighting slavering monsters. Despite finally giving us a few answers to the questions that keep us watching, Red Garden nonetheless manages to turn in yet another dull and mediocre offering that seems designed to make viewers question just why they started watching in the first place. I shall give it a few more episodes, but I can’t deny that it is now worthy of a place in the red zone.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 23: SaiMono is like a drug- even while you’re getting your fix you can’t help looking ahead to the next one. This episode sees Shuurei end up on her own after the rest of her party is taken into custody by the Sa clan- with plenty of intrigues, a Fei Wong style gloating villain and a new pink-haired bishie, the series is as satisfying as ever (well, that list may not sound particularly inspiring, but SaiMono makes even the trivial seem entirely worthy).

Shounen Onmyouji 8: SO moves more slowly than I would have liked in this episode, in which Masahiro and Mokkun battle their way up Kifune Mountain in the hopes of rescuing Akiko from the evil foreign demons. The other shikigami are slowly getting more screen time, but it isn’t enough for me- I want to learn more about them, and given that there are twelve in total, the series can’t afford to take its time in exploring them. Apart from these complaints, however, this is a reasonably entertaining episode, and I’m looking forward to the next one.

Alas, real life has been getting in the way of blogging again- really, how dare it? All sorts of cruel conspiracies have come together to keep me away from the computer for crucial hours, and therefore I must apologise for the lack of content and quality this week, and promise that improvements will be forthcoming.

Reviewed this week: Asatte no Houkou 7, Busou Renkin 9, Corda d’Oro 4, Death Note 9, Kanon 9, Keroro 67-8, Otogi-jushi Akazukin 19-22, Red Garden 8, SaiMono 22

…and in manga: REC 20-22, Tsubasa 137

I won’t be watching or reviewing Code Geass 8.5; I don’t see any reason to knowingly expose myself to a recap episode.

ANIME

Asatte no Houkou 7: It’s Hiro’s birthday, and that means something of a role reversal for Karada and Shouko when they decide to bake him a cake- this is the one area in which Shouko really is a child when compared to Karada. Another top notch episode that provides some nice character development, with a cliffhanger ending that takes the story in a new and interesting direction. As far as tone and presentation goes, I can’t but think of this as a superior version of Someday’s Dreamers, and given how much I enjoyed that series, that is quite a compliment.

Busou Renkin 9: It’s the turn of the twincestuous twins this week in Busou Renkin, as Dr Butterfly sends out his next opponents of the week to menace our heroes. Just as we’ve come to expect, traumatic bathhouse scenes, Papillon’s crotch, training and opponents of the week are all in plentiful supply- yet somehow it remains vaguely entertaining. At the very least, I must watch up to the point where Moon-face changes his head from crescent to full.

La Corda d’Oro 4: In between deciding which piece she should play for the first round of the concours, Hino must increase her relationship score with soccer club member and secret piano genius Tsuchiura. Despite some odd contrivances, such as the music store owner keeping videos of young Tsuchiura, this is an enjoyable character-based episode which more than makes up for the slight disappointment I had with the manga.

Death Note 9: It’s another exposition episode with some overly theatrical moments as Death Note forges ahead to the first meeting between Light and L. Aside from Ryuk’s slightly ridiculous apple withdrawal, this is a decent enough episode, with the promise that the momentum of the series will really take off from here instead of periodically flaring up and dying down as it has done thus far.

Kanon 9: Having given up her life just to become human and see Yuuichi again, Makoto can now only wait for the inevitable, with her condition worsening all the while. Whilst this episode is nothing special, a distinct lack of Yuuichi’s trademark sarcastic and abusive dialogue makes the episode more enjoyable and heartfelt than previous instalments- I almost enjoyed myself.

Keroro Gunso 67-8: Whilst watching the dull haunted house story that opened Keroro 67, I found myself wondering once again just why I was still watching this series, but always, it managed to pull itself out of the red with three more entertaining stories. Whilst 67 concludes with the Keroro Platoon’s attempts to create their own video game, 68 follows up with Keroro’s rather drastic remodelling of the Hinata house, and an Inuyasha/Naruto/Weed spoof in which a mysterious ninja dog named Zeroyasha comes to town. All in all, a less painful double bill than expected.

Otogi-jushi Akazukin 19-22: I’m no stranger to tackling three episodes of Akazukin in the same day, but even though it’s no more than I would get on the average DVD, four did seem like a bit too much. Nonetheless, since this quartet was at least better than the musical pumpkin episode, I was able to forge ahead. Episode 19 was a somewhat inspiring tale about Val getting poisoned and Souta visiting a city of werewolves, before 20-21 went into a short and dull arc about elemental powers and the ‘ultimate magic’, complete with a reusable animation sequence of Akazukin transforming into Princess Mode. The final leg of the marathon involved a story about Rapunzel, and quite possibly featured one of the worst sections of dialogue ever, with Cendrillon suggesting that Hansel surrenders to darkness, to which he replies “okay”. Apparently next episode reveals the secret of Cendrillon’s past- what a shame I already guessed it after watching the preview.

Episode 20 attempts to explain the purpose of the Sweet Phone, and thus convince us that it isn’t a cheap marketing gimmick. What a shame that the episode also includes a CM for sweet phones, then.

“…Okay.”

Red Garden 8: At long last, the angst phase is over, and that means it’s time to move into the “we’re all good friends fighting slavering men together” phase. Thanks to the lack of crying and the girls’ more positive attitudes, this episode is a lot more enjoyable than previous instalments, although the obligatory insert song at the end was less than welcome.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 22: At long last the journey to Sa province has begun, but it won’t be an easy one- not only will assassins and obstacles be waiting along every step of their six week journey, but if Shuurei and Eigetsu don’t get to the capital within three months, they’ll be stripped of office. A solid beginning to a new arc of this ever-satisfying story; the next episode cannot come soon enough.

MANGA

REC 20-22: In a surprising turn of events, REC’s newest character is actually a likable man who makes friends with Matsumaru; unfortunately, he is also after Aka, causing the usual Matsumaru inferiority complex to kick in. This arc is a little too angst riddled, but compared to the lacklustre volume two, it isn’t too bad.

Matsumaru realises that Kushi is HARD GAY for him.

Tsubasa Chronicle 137: After throwing us right into the middle of events last chapter, 137 finally sees fit to go back and show us (or rather, start showing us) how our heroes came to the latest world, Infinity. Meanwhile, Syaoran-clone is busy stealing feathers, with Syaoran-real getting the blame if he happens to land in a world after his clone has already been and gone. The story stretches ahead in front of us, with no hint of a resolution in sight.

With December now upon us and the festive season on its way, it occurs to me that I do something clever like an “Anime Advent Calendar” for the month; however, since I only just thought of that idea about ten minutes ago, it will have to be the necessarily basic idea of just posting a different image in the sidebar every day. Is there any point to doing this? Absolutely none whatsoever.

Reviewed this week: Asatte no Houkou 6, Busou Renkin 7-8, Chevalier 11, Code Geass 7-8, Death Note 8, Gargoyle 5, Kanon 8, Keroro 66, Akazukin 18, Red Garden 6-7, ROTK 32, Shounen Onmyouji 6-7

…and in manga: Nanoha StrikerS 2, REC 18-19, Haruhi Suzumiya vol 5-6

ANIME

Asatte no Houkou 6: Although it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the previous episode, Asatte no Houkou remains far ahead of the competition this week, in an episode which sees Amino meet the adult Karada (although he entirely fails to recognise her). Not only is this episode another touching and absorbing instalment, but there must be few series which can show you a pool of water and make you want to reach into the screen in order to dip your hands in it.

Busou Renkin 7-8: Whilst nothing in this episode matches the trauma of seeing Papillon reach around in his thong, Busou Renkin is degenerating ever further into allies vs. monster of the week, with the arrival of a whole host of new characters doing little to alleviate that. Aside from the curious attraction of the moon-faced Moon Face, the increasing vulgarity and generic nature of the series conspires to make it somewhat uninspiring to watch- only when Tokiko appears onscreen is my resolve renewed.

Le Chevalier d’Eon 11: If Peter’s reign was short historically, then it becomes even shorter in this episode of Chevalier, which can perhaps be said to not be the series finest moment. Whilst it is certainly enjoyable and ahead of most other series in terms of quality, the episode suffers from continually jumping between one set of characters and another, resulting in fast paced yet extremely short scenes. The animation is also somewhat inconsistent, but nonetheless episode twelve is highly anticipated.

Code Geass- Lelouch of the Rebellion 7-8: Upon watching this unexpected double bill of Code Geass, I realised that I couldn’t decide whether this series was laughably poor, or just plain bad. There’s a definite sense that the writers don’t really know where they’re going with this, and are just playing it by ear à la Mai-Otome; where episode seven has Lelouch attempting to go after Cordelia, eight suddenly throws in a hostage situation and a whole new anti-Brittanian faction for no apparent reason. I guess it’s to the series’ credit that it somehow manages to keep me interested to not to start playing Go, but I do feel that I’m watching it more to see how bad it can get rather than because I expect anything of merit.

I can’t help thinking of Fye and Kurogane when I see this.

Death Note 8: The momentum begins to pick up again in this episode, which continues to take a good story and add some laughably theatrical touches that drag it down a little. The presentation remains top notch, and there’s no reason to stop watching, but the series does need to tone it down a little before it becomes too difficult to take it seriously.

The Gargoyle of the Yoshinagas 5: An enjoyable instalment even by Gargoyle standards, this episode sees Futaba accidentally get stuck with a helmet that enables her to talk to plants, opening up a whole new world of communication. Although the likes of Camus and Souta have made the idea of talking to flowers seem a little wimpy and desirable, Gargoyle turns that notion on its head and comes up with a hilarious and thoroughly entertaining episode; if you’re not already watching this series, start now.

Kanon 8: After watching this episode, all I really feel like saying is ‘oh dear’. I’ve ranted a lot about Kanon lately, and this episode really isn’t making matters better; Yuuichi treats Makoto like an annoyance, Makoto’s tragic past is offhandedly revealed, and I struggle to care about anything other than how long I have to endure until the ending. I wanted to like Kanon, but this really isn’t working for me.

Keroro Gunso 66: Keroro brings us another pair of mildly entertaining if unoriginal segments in this episode, which promises a busy time for Keroro, Giroro and Tamama as they first attempt to rescue the Hinatas from a space TV studio before spying on Natsumi as she goes on a shopping date with Koyuki. I haven’t gone so far as to want to stop watching Keroro, but each passing episode doesn’t really expose me to anything new.

Otogi-jushi Akazukin 18: Even for a show like Akazukin, there’s a point where it can get a bit too ridiculous, and this episode marks that point. Featuring a musical pumpkin, the unwelcome return of the Bremen quartet and some budget-saving flashback/insert song combinations, this episode has very little to recommend it. Just a hint of a reminder that a vague plot exists would be nice.

Red Garden 6-7: Instead of explaining anything (that’s being held in reserve for the final episode) Red Garden continues to throw in more mysteries, adding a hospital of evil, experimental combat life forms girls of some unknown purpose, and revealing that the girls can return to their original lives if Gantz gives them enough points. It’s like a mix of standard Gonzo ideas (sans the mecha) combined with record levels of angst and tedious insert songs, but I must keep watching for now.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 32: It had to happen eventually; we’ve had so many hilarious episodes of ROTK that it was almost inevitable that a less entertaining one would come along eventually. To be fair, ROTK 32 starts off amusingly enough, but as events move into the infamous battle of Fan Castle, it all becomes a bit weak. Whether you watch this seriously (is there anyone who would do that?) or just for a laugh, this is not one of ROTK’s finer moments.

Shounen Onmyouji 6-7: I never thought I’d say this, but I’m actually enjoying Shounen Onmyouji- it may be entirely predictable and filled with characters who will probably never get the screen time they crave, but at the same time, it’s straightforward fun. These two episodes see monster of the month Kyuuki send out underlings in an attempt to kidnap Akiko- can Masahiro and Mokkun deal with him alone, or will they need to recruit new party members from Seimei’s stock of shikigami?

MANGA

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS- A’s to StrikerS 2: Given the relatively large cast of Nanoha, it should perhaps come as no surprise that this chapter largely consists of characters talking whilst the plot (such as it is) advances at a crawl. I’m not entirely sure what is supposed to be going on, other than the fact that some generic enemies are going after artefacts whilst Vita struggles with the memory of some tragic past event.

REC 18-19: Every series needs a swimsuit segment, and chapter eighteen marks REC’s efforts in that area, offering the usual bikini service, romantic misunderstandings and a few panels that seem more suited to an adult series. After that short break, nineteen changes direction entirely by including a heist at a post office (to be honest, I was expecting the whole thing to be publicity stunt) before introducing yet another new character intent on breaking Aka and Matsumaru up. I can’t help feeling that another wave of angst is on the horizon.

NOVEL

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 5.1-6.2: After the refreshing change that was volume four, Haruhi is back to standalone stories presented in no particular order. Volume five contains three longer stories- Endless Eight, the tale of a never-ending summer vacation; The Day of Sagittarius, a computer game showdown between the SOS Brigade and the Computer Club (as seen in the anime) and Snow Mountain Syndrome, in which our leads go on a skiing holiday, only to get trapped in a mysterious mansion. Unfortunately, all of these chapters suffer from the same problem- despite the relatively interesting setup, the resolution is always too swift and arbitrary to provide any real satisfaction.

Volume six marks a return to some shorter stories, with the first two chapters corresponding to anime episodes twelve (Live A Live) and one (Asahina Mikuru’s adventure Episode 0, aka the movie). Neither are particularly bad, but by the time you reach the sixth volume, you start to want a little more character and story development.

As the season hauls itself to the midway point, the inevitable pruning time has come again (although sometimes it feels like I prune every week). The first few series to face the chop are YoakeNa, Negima and Ghost Hunt, none of which inspire me to waste any more of my life on them. Code Geass and Red Garden now rest in the danger zone, with Busou Renkin only remaining safe due to parody potential.

I must also confess to some blogging inefficiency this week, so Otogi-jushi Akazukin 18, Keroro Gunso 66 and Asatte no Houkou 6 will all appear in the next round up.

Reviewed this week: Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 5 (why does this series not lend itself to a catchy acronym), Busou Renkin 6, Code Geass 6, Corda d’Oro 3, Death Note 7, Ghost Hunt 3, Kanon 7, Keroro 65, Otome Zwei 1, ROTK 31, SaiMono 21, Shounen Onmyouji 5, YoakeNa 7

…and in manga: Emma Bangaihen 4, Otome 35, Tsubasa 134, 136, Haruhi Suzumiya novel 4.6

ANIME

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 5: Although there are still large stretches of confusion, Bakumatsu is slowly becoming more comprehensible with each passing week (especially after the discovery of this site; to borrow a phrase from a former tutor of mine, it’s ‘fantastically useful’). This episode sees the villain of the fortnight power up his generals of evil in a specially designed S&M shop before unleashing them on our heroes; as always, it remains interesting even when I don’t have a clue what’s going on.

Busou Renkin 6: ‘Traumatic’ is perhaps the most fitting way to describe this episode, a twenty-five minute showcase of horrors in which Chouno transforms into Papillon, a villain clad only in a butterfly mask and tight-fitting thong. Whilst the episode itself was a fairly standard shounen hero vs. enemy battle, the sight of Papillon is surely enough to permanently scar the brain. If you must watch, approach with caution.

Code Geass- Lelouch of the Rebellion 6: In retrospect, I’m not sure that Code Geass was ever in a position to make viewers take it seriously, but if it was, then all hope of that was lost in this Pizza Hut drenched instalment in which Lelouch’s Zero helmet gets stolen by a cat. The resulting chase around the school grounds was eerily reminiscent of Tokimeki Memorial, but it was entertaining enough in its own way (which is to say mildly entertaining, but not something I’ll be rushing to watch again).

La Corda d’Oro 3: Last episode Hino was saved from embarrassing herself in public, and this one begins in much the same way, as Hihara comes to her rescue. Now, however, our heroine must find an accompanist for the first round of the concours- can her attendant bishies help her in this quest? In between Hino’s struggles, the episode focuses on the cold and standoffish Tsukimori and his opposite number, the apparently non-musical but friendly Tsuchiura, making for another entertaining and enjoyable instalment.

Death Note 7: This week’s instalment focuses almost entirely on Light’s attempts to manipulate Ray Penbar’s fiancée into giving her real name and thus sealing her fate; it’s a somewhat exposition-heavy segment with some overly theatrical scenes (the metaphorical gallows, Ryuk walking around and laughing, ‘inner Light’ being red and evil) but nonetheless retains enough of the original’s quality to be worthy.

*DROPPED* Ghost Hunt 3: Unfortunately, Ghost Hunt is just not a series I can get on with; the events of the series barely interest me and the fact that it has taken three episodes to conclude an arc that was barely worthy of one isn’t an incentive to continue. Perhaps in a distant, anime-drought filled future, I will give it another chance, but for now it seems hardly worth watching unless I need an excuse to play Go.

Kanon 7: Another week means another chance for Yuuichi to tease the girls, and unfortunately, that’s pretty much all that happens in this episode of Kanon. Whilst fans of the game are no doubt enjoying seeing all their favourite non-H scenes animated, the rest of us can only hope that the series cuts to the chase soon.

Keroro Gunso 65: Following the slight improvement of the last three episodes, 65 is back down in the “watchable enough, but the premise has been so many times before that I’m not terribly enthralled” category. Whilst the first half has the Keroro Platoon turn into a detective squad in an attempt to catch space criminal #303, part two sees Tamama’s jealousy stirred when hyper-cute new recruit Karara arrives on Earth Pekopon. Once again, the 70+ episodes in front of me are beginning to look like a long and barren haul, but at least the series has finally brought in a new eyecatch.

*NEW* Mai-Otome Zwei 1: Clearly I love Mai-Otome so much that I had to watch this OVA raw (it remains to be seen whether I’ll bother with the subbed version) and whilst I can’t exactly heap praise upon it, at least it wasn’t as awful as feared. Thankfully, fat cats do appear, but unfortunately they must take a back seat to Arika, Mashiro, 600 supporting characters and an Evil Shadow Otome that can petrify people and absorb their powers. It’s somewhat annoying that we’ll have to wait three months to find out what happens next, but perhaps that’s for the best- too much Otome at once isn’t good for the health.

The star of the show, even if she does seem to be drawn differently.

Arika loses her blue Zwei mode after Mashiro tells her to shut up and follow orders.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 31: It’s hard to accept that ROTK is at all taking itself seriously by this point, as the series comes up with an episode that made me laugh more than most intended comedies manage to do. Seven years have passed since the last episode (I must say that it felt more like about five days to me), in which time Liu Bei has grown a beard, fathered a son and not done much else. But fear not, Shu supporters, for the stage is already being set for that fateful meeting with the king of HARD GAY, Zhuge Liang…

Saiunkoku Monogatari 21: Just as Chevalier took its time to get to Russia, SaiMono is in no hurry to reach Sa Province, although that’s not to say that this episode is not as enjoyable as all the others. It may seem that little actually happens, but with its insights into the world of SaiMono, and reunions with Kourin and Ryuuren, this is an absorbing episode nonetheless, despite a slight loss of animation quality. And of course, the announcement of a second season must rank as the best news all week.

Shounen Onmyouji 5: Despite the fact that facing a boss enemy who stands around instead of fighting is somewhat laughable, Shounen Onmyouji manages to maintain its light fun level this week through the introduction of some new OP characters. Although they seem to be fairly standard, these character have been long anticipated, and will hopefully add some variety to the mix.

*DROPPED* Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na ~Crescent Love~ 7: It’s a sad state of affairs when the OP is the most interesting part of an episode, especially when it’s an OP as slow and dull as the one that graces the beginning of Yoake. Whatever light entertainment the series once contained is now long gone, replaced by tedious scenes that are mix of clichés and non-events as Feena’s generic Blonde Prince fiancé arrives and True Love is challenged. Even the animation has sunk back down; use of stills is up by 50%, and many faces look poorly drawn. There may be only five episodes left, but that’s still 125 minutes of pain that I cannot possibly face.

MANGA

Emma Bangaihen 4: Continuing the Eleanor story that began in chapter three, this instalment sees Eleanor meet up with Earnest Reeve once more. It’s another worthy chapter for Emma fans, and a nice complement to the original.

Mai-Otome 35: Without their Shinso-sama, the Otome are basically just women in maid costumes, but now Natsuki proposes to restore everyone’s powers by becoming the new Shinso-sama, that is, if she can get past the wall of enemies first. I wouldn’t exactly call this chapter good, but in a way it is better than the Otome anime.

Tsubasa Chronicle 134, 136: Filling the gap that opened up last week, chapter 134 is mainly an exposition piece, renewing everyone’s intention to travel together as they prepare to face the next 134 chapters (seriously, is it likely Tsubasa will end before civilisation itself crumbles?). In contrast, 136 opens an entirely new world, an Alice (or perhaps Miyuki-chan) in Wonderland-esque place where a Deus master controls her angels pieces in a pseudo chess/tag team battle. Sakura and her team of Kurogane, Fye and Syaoran are oddly successful, thanks to the newfound resolve Sakura discovered on her desert trip. Was the desert to Sakura what FFX-2 was to Yuna? Maybe we’ll find out in the next 10-20 chapters.

NOVEL

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya vol 4 chapter 6+epilogue: The best volume of Haruhi thus far ends with a return to the original world, alongside the realisation that the twists and turns of this tangle in time aren’t quite over yet. It was far from perfect, but it was fun whilst it lasted; next week I’ll be setting my sights on tackling volume 5.

At the beginning of the year, I was desperate to have Alter’s version of KOS-MOS, but since I hadn’t got my order in in time, I had to go without. When a re-release was announced this year, I was determined not to miss out, and so I put in a pre-order with Yesasia. Unfortunately, in the intervening time I realised that a) I could have got it cheaper elsewhere and b) I didn’t really want the figure any more, but due to some annoying Yesasia policy, I couldn’t cancel it. Now the figure has been shipped, but the big question is whether or not I’m going to like it. If not, my only hope is that I can sell it on to someone who wants the world’s favourite blue-haired android.

Reviewed this week: Aria 17, Asatte no Houkou 5, Chevalier 10, Code Geass 5, Corda d’Oro 2, Death Note 6, Gargoyle 4, Ghost Hunt 2, Kanon 6, Keroro 64, Otogi-jushi Akazukin 17, Red Garden 5, ROTK 30, Shounen Onmyouji 3-4, YoakeNa 6

…and in manga: Otome 34, SnB prologue, Tsubasa 135, Haruhi Suzumiya novel 4.5, Zero no Tsukaima novel 1.2

ANIME

Aria the Natural 17: I never thought I could possibly get emotional about the loss of a gondola, but this episode of Aria has proved me wrong. Picking up where last episode left off, this instalment sees Akari and Alicia spend one last evening with the gondola they spent so much time training in- as always, the series is so simple and sweet that you just can’t help getting swept along for the ride.

Asatte no Houkou 5: One mark of a good show is how quickly time seems to pass whilst watching it, and if it can go so far as making twenty five minutes seem more like five, you know you’re onto a winner. Such is the case with Asatte no Houkou, a series so brilliant that it makes all my other favourites look unworthy in comparison. This episode sees Shouko and Karada move in with Hiro for the foreseeable future, and whilst Karada is slowly adjusting to life as an adult, Shouko is having equal difficulty dealing with the reality with being a child again.

Le Chevalier d’Eon 10: As Chevalier has continually proved throughout its run, it can somehow manage to be worthy even when it introduces the most ridiculous of ideas- and this episode is no exception. Only a series as absorbing and well-presented as this can take such liberties with history whilst trying to convince us that the villains want to unite Europe under one king (what for?). The animation also seems improved this week, although flashbacks seem to be the price we have to pay for that.

Code Geass 5: Whilst the return of green-haired C.C. (did anyone really think an OP character would die in the first episode?) helps Lelouch to expand his harem, Suzaku-Kira is kept busy elsewhere when he meets Code Geass’ version of Lacus. After the slight improvement that the series seemed to be making, this somewhat average episode has dragged it back down into the realms of mediocrity.

Kira and Lacus, Mark II.

La Corda d’Oro 2: Hino is saved from embarrassing herself in front of the HARD YURI trio, but her problems are only just beginning as she realises that even a magical violin can’t guarantee a good public performance. Fortunately, its magical properties mean that talking to bishies is just as helpful as practising, so she might just have a chance in the competition after all. Although a tale of numerous bishounen and a magical violin might sound like something to avoid, Corda continues to show the promise seen in the first episode, proving to be an enjoyable experience with some nice visuals.

Death Note 6: Light’s father and the few remaining NPA personnel on the Kira case have teamed up with L, but both Light and L are well aware that one more piece of decisive evidence is needed before Kira can be identified. As it turns out, however, the fiancée of the deceased Ray Penbar might just have the key that L needs, but it will do no good if Light can get to her first. The series continues to gain momentum with this surprisingly enjoyable episode, but as always I’m impatient to move ahead with the story.

The Gargoyle of the Yoshinagas 4: Whilst Lily’s father Hamilton searches for the Philosopher’s Stone to cure her and further his evil plans, Lily herself enjoys a day out with Futaba and the others. Whilst not as engaging as previous Gargoyle episodes, this instalment is nonetheless entertaining when compared to most other series, and next episode looks promising.

Ghost Hunt 2: The trouble with Ghost Hunt is that while it isn’t particularly awful, nor is there anything to mark it out as good. This episode sees our ghost hunting team stand around and argue about whether or not there are spirits in the old school building; perhaps it’s meant to be filled with suspense and character development, but unfortunately it just comes across as pedestrian and underwhelming.

Kanon 6: As Yuuichi becomes more and more dislikable, Kanon continues to degenerate into one man’s harem diaries. Now that the lead’s purpose seems to be nothing more than to torture, tease and otherwise browbeat the female characters, there isn’t much to recommend Kanon, and even my viewing of the old series cannot save the franchise in my estimation. I shall continue to watch for the sake of the parodies, but it cannot be said to be much of an enjoyable task anymore.

Keroro Gunso 64: The second series continues to hold steady at its new level, with this episode seeing Keroro and the others face a Nyororo catastrophe after attempting to use them to dry laundry, followed by a voyage into Dororo’s mind in an attempt to combat his trauma. As with the last few episodes (or indeed, most episodes of the series), it’s all been done before, but it’s still reasonably entertaining- and it’s somewhat refreshing to see the incredibly evil young Keroro get repeatedly hit by Tamama Impact.

Otogi-jushi Akazukin 17: After following a talking bird to a city blanketed in falling ash, Souta and the others find a mirror that could possibly link them back to Elde (or Erde, as it now seems to be called). Compared to the last two episodes, this one is tediously formulaic even by Akazukin standards.

Red Garden 5: Red Garden really should be renamed Angst Garden, because aside from the rare moments when it looks like the plot might advance, the girls spend all of their time angsting and crying- their lives aren’t normal anymore, they don’t like their normal lives anyway, you name it, they won’t like it. I continue to watch because I remain convinced that ‘next episode’ will uncover a little more of the mystery, but how long can I keep fooling myself that it’s going to be good (how many episodes is the series anyway)?

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 30: Sun Quan finally gets the briefest of mentions before the action switches back to the Battle of Guan Du (Cao Cao vs. Yuan Shao). Whilst not as hilarious as the HARD GAY arc, this episode nonetheless proves to have its fair share of amusing moments as the plot creeps slowly forward.

Shounen Onmyouji 3-4: As Shounen Onmyouji settles down into its monster-of-the-week format, any kind of story development is put on hold for some dull sequences in which Masahiro angsts and talks to Mokkun. Its “Tactics 2” status and some interesting looking OP characters will keep me going even through the story’s slower sections, but hopefully it will pick up soon- although at least next episode should bring some kind of boss encounter.

Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na ~Crescent Love~ 6: Yoake tries to pretend it has some claim to depth by throwing in a few scenes about Earth-Moon politics, but nothing can disguise the fact that the series has become more a cure for insomnia than anything else. Whilst the relationship between Feena and Tatsuya continues to deepen, Wreath is instructed to split them apart for the sake of both the Earth and Moon, but can such an uncommunicative person hope to achieve that goal? With the lighter sections now more throwaway than entertaining and the attempted seriousness coming across as little more than laughable, the only thing to recommend Yoake are the character designs and that expensive Feena figure.

MANGA
The manga section has been short for the last few weeks, but since my backlog is a sprawling, hideous mess I’m not going out of my way to pick up any new series.

Mai-Otome 34: Garderobe is under attack, and the Otome have lost their Robes- it may well be that the only choice is for someone to become the new Shinso-sama. Meanwhile, Manshiro completes his harem and starts acting like a true ruler, but can he hope to combat the evil Sergey and the real Mashiro? Despite the various points and cameos that this chapter manages to include, the story doesn’t really move forward a great deal; it’s hard to believe that this can be concluded satisfactorily within the next ten chapters.

*NEW* Shinigami no Ballad prologue: The tale of the white shinigami Momo begins afresh in manga form, with this brief prologue seeing her attempt to talk a girl out of killing herself. Whilst the artwork is different to the anime version (in particular, Momo looks older and more composed), it is by no means bad, and I have a feeling that the simple yet appealing SnB formula will work better in this format.

Tsubasa Chronicle 135: I was unable to get chapter 134, but 135 mad up for the lack by providing the long-awaited end of the X arc (I think I ended up looking forward to that arc so much that it could only be disappointed). After everyone bids farewell, Yuuko talks and Fei Wong watches more Syaoran TV, the chapter ends rather abruptly, but surely next chapter must take us to a new world.

NOVEL

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya vol 4 chapter 5: It’s crunch time as Kyon learns just who altered the universe in the first place, and what he will have to do to set things right. Whilst not quite up to the level of the last few chapters, this instalment showcases an interesting turn of events in preparation for the final part of this novel to wrap things up.

Zero no Tsukaima vol 1, chapter 2: The anime turned me off after only two episodes, but the novel version is much closer to what I wanted from the franchise. Without the visual element, fanservice is neglected in favour of an actual story about Saitou’s adjustment to his new life as a familiar. Surprisingly, I’m actually looking forward to reading more.

I hate resizing images. Picture heavy posts are always tough and tedious work, because up until now I’ve been resizing them manually. It was only last night that I finally discovered the power of the batch resizing program, a device which shall make my life infinitely easier. No longer shall I spend hours at my computer painstakingly editing images- now I can go out and live (or more likely, stay in and spend time at the computer doing something else).

Reviewed this week: Asatte no Houkou 4, Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 3-4, Busou Renkin 5, Bartender 2, Code Geass 4, Death Note 5, Hecatan 1, Kanon 5, Keroro 63, Chevalier 9, Negima!? 4, Otogi-jushi Akazukin 15-16, Red Garden 4, ROTK 29, SaiMono 20, Shounen Onmyouji 2, YoakeNa 5

…and in manga: Furuba 133-4, GITS 1.5 1, Gokinjo 33, Otome 33, Spiral 17-18, NHK 32, Haruhi Suzumiya novel 4.4

ANIME

Asatte no Houkou 4: It’s up to Shouko and Karada to convince Hiro that they really have swapped ages, but can he be persuaded to believe that his little sister is all grown up? Apart from some touching moments towards the end, this episode wasn’t quite up to the level of the previous three, but it was still enjoyable nonetheless (not to mention far ahead of most other recent releases). I really can’t recommend this series enough, and am almost considering promoting it to the hallowed ‘top ten’.

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 3-4: As Bakumatsu forges ahead, I continue to have less and less of an idea what’s actually going on, but somehow it remains entertaining. From the excellent FictionJunction OP to the atmospheric setting and slick action scenes, the series’ presentation comes together to such an extent that the story itself doesn’t really matter. It may sound like a case of style over substance, but it isn’t so much that the substance is absent, just that I’m finding it a little impenetrable.

The Millennium Eye from Yu-Gi-Oh makes an unexpected return.

Busou Renkin 5: It’s standard shounen all the way as Kazuki and Tokiko face off against the third general of evil, the eagle homunculus. Unfortunately, the fast pace that characterised the first few episodes is now slowing down, and there are a few too many “only the destined hero can do it”-style clichés, but the series still manages to remain watchable.

*DROPPED* Bartender 2: I can’t say that I’ve ever felt fidgety and irritable after watching an anime episode before, but somehow the second episode of Bartender managed to achieve just that. I want to like the series, but I just feel divorced from the events of the episode due to the presentation; the narrator’s voice sets my teeth on edge and the incessant piano playing that passes for background music intrudes too much on my consciousness. This episode saw a woman come to the eponymous bartender in the hopes that he could identify a drink related to a story of her past- unfortunately, it is impossible to care about her tale when the characters seem so lifeless.

Code Geass- Lelouch of the Rebellion 4: With Suzaku having been arrested for the murder of Prince Clovis, Lelouch decides to don his ‘Zero’ mask and rescue his friend- cue lots of running around from people with brightly coloured hair. Whilst not as appealing as the previous episode, Code Geass (aka Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Geass) still manages to hang on by virtue of being fairly entertaining.

Death Note 5: It’s a turning point for Light this week, as he goes beyond merely ‘judging’ criminals and starts using the Death Note against those attempting to catch Kira. Now that events are moving, the quality of the series improves as we are given a respite from the lengthy exposition scenes. The background music is also worthy of note for its simple yet atmospheric style.

That being said, I must digress here in order to air a mini-rant about an annoyingly sexist part of this series (and yes, it was in the manga as well).

Perhaps five screencaps is a bit excessive to make one minor point, but even so- “Woman, you are now my chattel and must cease having any kind of life or identity of your own; instead, get to pumping out and raising strong sons whilst I go off and do MANLY things.”

Itadaki no Hecatetan 1: The follow-up to Shakugan no Shanatan, this instalment takes the series of short extras to new and disturbing places. As the title indicates, Shanatan is joined by the chibi Hecatetan; potentially interesting as this may seem, all it does is lead to a special filled with HARD GAY and penis fondling. Unless you have a strong stomach or an unnaturally strong urge for completion, avoid at all costs.

Normally I would have to take this out of context to make it HARD GAY, but let’s just say that this time any alteration to the original intent is unnecessary.

Kanon 5: Despite being advised not to do it, I just had to start watching the old Kanon series this week, and as someone who hasn’t played the game, I’m finding it more enjoyable than the remake. This week sees Yuuichi enter new levels of evil as he tightens his hold on Makoto and begins pursuing Mai and Sayuri; once again it just feels that the development is spread too thinly around all the girls.

Keroro Gunso 63: Season two continues to slowly improve with this episode, which features Keroro coming into school (in Pekopon suit) to teach Fuyuki’s class, followed by an impromptu visit from Keroro’s father in order to announce an arranged marriage for his son. The first half of the episode isn’t particularly inspiring, but whilst it lacks in originality, Keroro’s attempts to convince his father that he is already engaged to Natsumi are reasonably amusing. Of course, I’m a sucker for Keron-style resonance, so the ‘Natsunatsunatsu” scene immediately won points for the episode.

Le Chevalier d’Eon 9: The Russia arc gets into full swing as the Four Musketeers apply their skills to foiling a plot to assassinate Empress Elizabeth. Despite a drop in animation quality, the content remains as good as ever; the only trouble with Chevalier is that one episode at a time is never enough.

Negima!? 4: I don’t greatly enjoy watching Negima, but as before, I’m sure that next episode will win me over. This time around, Negi must combat an encroaching darkness that may be related to the theft of the power Star Crystal; the shoutacon obsessed girls and naked transformations are disturbing, but I can get through each episode by virtue of the visuals alone.

Otogi-jushi Akazukin 15-16: Since Hansel, Gretel and Randagio have lost so many times, episode 15 sees Cendrillon decide to send out mecha-witch Trude, the next recurring enemy. After turning most of the party into wooden dolls and thus trapping them in another dimension, Trude stands around waiting for the heroes to save the day, but from the looks of things she’ll be back many times despite her limited repertoire. Not a particularly enthralling episode, but one that marks a bit of a turning point for the series by adding some variety to the standard formula.

Episode 16 takes our heroes to Ibara’s home land in order to give the sleeping beauty some much needed backstory; it’s an interesting episode by Akazukin standards, which finally answers the question of why she falls asleep so often.

Red Garden 4: The only reason I’m watching Red Garden is to answer the question “why have high school girls been revived in order to fight slavering men?”. I really couldn’t care less about the development of the annoying and dislikeable leads, and hence episodes like this one fail to capture my attention. It is quite possibly more realistic to have them whining and crying all the time, but sometimes realism must sacrificed for the sake of entertainment; until these girls get their act together, this is going to be a painful ride.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 29: The end of Guan Yu’s stay with Cao Cao seemed to promise a reduction in HARD GAY hilarity, but fortunately ROTK stays in form this episode as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Liu Bei reunite. Unfortunately, poor Sun Quan only gets a “and by the way, Sun Quan exists” mention, which is something of a blow for Wu fans, but otherwise it remains as unintentionally amusing as ever.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 20: Shuurei and Eigetsu are off to Sa Province, but before we get to their adventures it’s time for some back story. Focussing on Seien/Seiran and Ryuuki’s formative years and the Saiunkoku civil war, this episode may not further the story much, but it does a good job of filling in some of the blanks. To put it simply, SaiMono is always highly enjoyable, and this episode is certainly no exception.

Shounen Onmyouji 2: With decent subs, SO immediately upgrades from “what the hell is this?” to light entertainment; it may still be a poor man’s Tactics, but now that the dialogue is no longer cobbled together from Google translations, it becomes an enjoyable series for fans of fantasy and action. This episode sees Masahiro pay a visit to the Minister of the Left after his coming-of-age ceremony, complete with Mokkun’s backchat, introduction to female lead and a monster-of-the-week for our hero to face.

Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na ~Crescent Love~ 5: It’s the obligatory swimsuit and summer vacation episode this week, as Tatsuya and his harem take to the beach. Whilst this is somewhat more entertaining than last week, the series is still some way below the “light fun” level it initially promised.

There’s been a lot of HARD GAY this week, so here’s some HARD YURI to even it out.

MANGA

Fruits Basket 133-4: As Fruits Basket grinds slowly towards an ending, Tohru’s classmates discover that she is now dating Kyo, leading Hanajima and Uotani to demand that they accompany Tohru and Kyo on their first date. With lines like “it could take ten years” and “this is just the beginning”, it is hard to imagine the series ever actually finishing (although apparently chapter 136 will be the end of it all).

*NEW* Ghost in the Shell 1.5 1: I probably won’t be reviewing the rest of this, but having read the first chapter, it seemed a bit pointless not to include this in the Round-Up. This first chapter sees Togusa assigned to a mission involving a potential ‘zombie’ under remote control; the story isn’t bad but the artwork is a little too rough and cluttered.

*OMAKE* Gokinjo Monogatari 33: Having thought that I’d already finished Gokinjo, I was surprised to see the release of this extra chapter, but it actually turned out to be the ending the series needed. Taking place somewhere between the events of Gokinjo and ParaKiss, the series ties up the adventures of one set of protagonists whilst introducing their successors. Even if you’ve only read Paradise Kiss, it’s worth looking at this chapter for some interesting back story.

Random trivia: Arashi of ParaKiss is the son of Gokinjo’s Risa; apparently she got pregnant whilst still in school, presumably just after the series ended.

Mai-Otome 33: In the aftermath of Mai’s attack, the real Mashiro and Sergey plan further evil, whilst Manshiro, Arika and the others retreat for now with help from Mimi (yes, Mimi is back, and she actually has a better design in the manga). Very little actually happens in this chapter; it’s more an excuse to show off various cast members and remind us that while the fanservice has been in abeyance of late, it’s never too far from the page.

Spiral 17-18: I had pretty much given up all hope of ever being able to read more Spiral, so to have not one, but two additional chapters is a welcome boon. Those familiar with the anime will recognise these chapters as corresponding to the mid-series arc in which Narumi competes with Kousuke and Rio for both Hiyono’s freedom and a tape implicating the Blade Children in a murder; as expected from the series, it’s an absorbing ride which ends too soon.

Welcome to the NHK 32: Although I’m sceptical about how long it will last, this chapter actually looks like a turning point for our heroes, as Satou and his sempai work out their feelings for each other, and Misaki contemplates her future. Could this be heading towards a conclusion, or will they just rollercoaster down into a new wave of depression?

NOVEL

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya vol 4, chapter 4: Given the way I keep writing about these novels, you’d be forgiven for thinking I was a big fan of the series instead of someone who has written two rants about it. This chapter sees Kyon travel back in time once again as part of his attempt to repair the future; despite the headache inducing number of ‘temporal variants’ I’m still enjoying this volume and not particularly looking forward to the series reverting to standalone stories in volume five.