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

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

STILL RUNNING FROM 2006

Asatte no Houkou

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

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto

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

Busou Renkin

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

Le Chevalier d’Eon

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

La Corda d’Oro

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

Death Note

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

Kanon

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

Mai-Otome Zwei

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

Red Garden

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

Saiunkoku Monogatari

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

Shounen Onmyouji

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

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

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

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

Ichigo Mashimaro OVA

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

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

Maria-sama ga Miteru OVA

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

Nodame Cantabile

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

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

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

Claymore

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

Darker than Black

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

Dennou Coil

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

El Cazador de la Bruja

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

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

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

Koutetsu Sangokushi

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

Lucky Star

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

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

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

Oh! Edo Rocket

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

Romeo X Juliet

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

Saiunkoku Monogatari II

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

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

Seirei no Moribito

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

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

Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica

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

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

Victorian Romance Emma Second Act

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

Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~

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

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

Baccano!

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

Doujin Work

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

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

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

Mononoke

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

Mushi-Uta

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

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

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

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

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

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

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

Clannad

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

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

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

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

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

Kaiji

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

Minami-ke

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

Mokke

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

Moyashimon

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

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

Shakugan no Shana II

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

Sketchbook ~full color’S~

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

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

Sometimes fate can be cruel. For example, I recently spent over £60 on single DVDs of Scrapped Princess, and now a cheap boxset has appeared for around a third of that price. I even looked for a boxset before settling on the singles, and there didn’t seem to be any sign of one. Damn you, Bandai- damn you, I say!

Reviewed this week: Iroha 13-15, Busou Renkin 21, Deltora Quest 3, Kanon 21, Les Miserables 3, Red Garden 17-18

…and in manga: Emma Bangaihen 6, Fate/Stay Night 6, Shana 9, School Rumble, Spiral Alive 2, Tsubasa 145, NHK 33-4, xxxHOLiC vol 10 c2

ANIME

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 13-15: Whilst episode thirteen sees the dramatic conclusion to the mix of stage play and real life events that Soutetsu has orchestrated, episode fourteen takes us on the aftermath, with both Kanna and Akidzuki choosing their next moves. With everything thus in place, fifteen properly commences a fresh arc, with Akidzuki and Kakunojo setting off on a journey together to seal the Lord’s Head- although Kakunojo seems in danger of becoming the stereotypical useless female tag-along at first, matters seem more promising at the conclusion of the episode.

Apart from some irritating funeral chanting at the beginning of episode fourteen (I won’t tell you who died, but suffice to say the chanting erased what little emotion I felt at their passing) and some grating singing in episode fifteen, this is a trio of highly enjoyable episodes, with some well executed action scenes and excellent background music.

Busou Renkin 21: Busou Renkin still seems to be stuck in plot limbo in this episode, resulting in a rather pointless fight between flame user Hiwatari and our heroes, whilst Victor ends up taking on a submarine. I can’t help feeling we could have done without this episode entirely and perhaps had something a bit more relevant to the plot, but then again not having read the manga I don’t really know if the remaining material would fill the last stretch of episodes satisfactorily.

Deltora Quest 3: It’s always a worrying sign when a series has to resort to budget saving stills and recap during its third episode, but that is exactly the fate that befalls Deltora Quest in this instalment. As Lief and Barda face their first real boss in the form of golden armour Gorl, the pace slows to an excruciating crawl as what was meant to be a battle turns into an extended talking session. Oh well, at least this series will be fun to parody when the time comes.

Kanon 21: With no new arcs to come, I’ve finally reached the point in the series where I can stop expecting Kanon to suddenly become good and just enjoy it on the basis of thinking up a parody explanation for what is going on. With Ayu gone, this episode sees Yuuichi finally spend some time with poor, neglected Nayuki, but can one girl ever be enough for a certified harem master? Complete with a car crash ending that initially seemed a little over the top until I saw the video of it happening in real life, Kanon 21 might promise a cliff-hanger to those unfamiliar with the franchise, but the rest of us already know how it will turn out.

Les Miserables Shoujo Cosette 3: As it moves ahead into its third episode, it becomes clear that Les Mis would be a solid and enjoyable series if not for one thing- its painful level of predictability. In this episode, Cosette’s miserable life continues, but at least she and Gavroche are able to make a new friend when they take home a puppy. Naturally, the puppy must be kept a secret from the Thenardiers, which, alongside such plot elements as having to wash Eponine’s favourite blouse which absolutely must not be damaged in any way, ensures that viewers don’t need a degree in theoretical physics to know exactly what is going to happen. Fortunately, this side of the story is at least tempered by the ongoing story of Madeleine/Valjean, who is in for a nasty surprise when old nemesis Inspector Javert becomes the chief of police in his town.

Red Garden 17-18: There are times when I have to wonder just what the entire point of Red Garden is- I call those times “the minutes spent watching Red Garden”. Whilst episode seventeen sees the others eventually find out they will lose their memories in the midst of a sea of pointless angst, eighteen is somehow even less edifying, with Hervé chatting to a restaurant billboard, Lise walking into the sea, and Rose deciding that life with her increasingly irritating siblings is better than blissful forgetfulness. There is a bit more to it than that, but it’s all so dull and needlessly convoluted that it’s actually hard to care, especially when the visuals seem to have lapsed back into ugliness.

MANGA

Emma Bangaihen 6: Bangaihen slips further and further away from the main story as this chapter focuses on minor maid Tasha as she goes home to visit her family and contemplate her future. Once again, as short and vaguely Emma-related stories go, it remains enjoyable, although the ending is a little abrupt.

Fate/Stay Night 6: With its recounting of the beginning of Rin and Archer’s relationship, this chapter certainly makes a refreshing break from the usually Shirou-centric nature of the series, but even so, giving Archer dialogue just demonstrates what an annoying character he is. A fairly innocuous chapter overall- nothing special, but not particularly poor either.

Shakugan no Shana 9: The mediocrity continues as Shana puts the PE teacher in his place (what other fate can someone who messes with the title character expect?), before the story slowly crawls onwards. Perhaps by the end of the volume there’ll actually be some action, but don’t hold your breath.

*CATCH-UP* School Rumble: For one brief, shining moment, I thought the School Rumble manga could take away the taste of the disappointing season two, but unfortunately, I was terribly wrong. Although I had hoped that many of the more pointless and tiresome segments of season two were just filler, far too many of them turned out to be manga material (Akira et al stuck in the floor springs to mind), and it only gets worse as the manga progresses past the anime. With a trip to Kyoto that involves a fight with students visiting from England, and a complete change in character for Eri, this is one series I cannot even recommend to fans of the anime.

Spiral Alive 2: Imari has just learned that Amanae, the most beautiful girl in school, is dating the boy she likes, but this no normal tale of high school romance- someone has just been murdered, and one of Amanae’s music boxes has been left at the scene of the crime. It may not yet be clear what the bigger picture is, but as a prequel to Spiral, excellent artwork and an intriguing story is all but assured.

Tsubasa Chronicle 145: Whilst Syaoran’s fight with Hikaru gets underway (fans of Angelic Layer should at least enjoy this part), we continue to uncover a little more about Sakura’s motivations- having used her slowly returning precognitive power to see a future she wishes to change, she has decided to travel to a specific world alone. Unfortunately, with the Infinity method of crossing worlds unable to determine which world the traveller ends up in, Sakura must also pay Yuuko if she wants to get to her desired destination- and the price is her extraordinary good luck. Somehow, Sakura without her good fortune (aka plot protection) doesn’t seem right, but we’ll just have to wait and see how this turns out.

Welcome to the NHK 33-4: To say that NHK is a series where every character remains stuck in their rut was perhaps a little of unfair of my past attitude, for I now realise it is actually more a case of them all getting progressively worse. By this point in the series, Satou, Misaki and Yamazaki all seem so far gone that the chances of them ever recovering are slim at best- it is certainly hard to believe that a scant few chapters ago it looked as if Satou might actually get better. Admittedly, having waited so long since the last batch of chapters makes this slightly more entertaining than it would have otherwise been, but reading entire volumes of this in one go is not recommended.

xxxHOLiC vol 10, chapter 2: After so many short chapters, it was a surprise to see this one running to fifty-three pages, although unfortunately most of those are dedicated to Watanuki and Doumeki repeatedly fetching water from a well- all the while watched by a mysterious, unchanging woman in a nearby house. Towards the end, however, things become more interesting when the duo enters the house to retrieve a cloth, and discovers the truth about the woman, leading to a cliff-hanger ending that may finally reveal a little more about Himawari.

After all the oblique references to real life, interviews and the like, it turned out that my application to a research degree that I thought was a sure thing turned out to have been rejected. Oh well, this must be what they call a ‘character building’ experience. Now off to learn about teamwork and problem solving…

Reviewed this week: Asatte no Houkou 12, Busou Renkin 20, Gargoyle 9, Kanon 20, Les Miserables 2, Nodame 5-6, SaiMono 31-3

…and in manga: REC 27, Spiral 27, Tsubasa 143-4

ANIME
Death Note has been dropped; I’m not getting anything out of either watching or blogging the series, so it may as well go.

*COMPLETE* Asatte no Houkou 12: It took a while to be subbed (and the interim I already read about the ending anyway) but at long last Asatte no Houkou can be moved off the active list with a convenient ending that sees the status quo restored. Hopefully I’ve already posted my full review on this series, but I have to admit I’ve been left with mixed feelings- some episodes made it seem like the next Someday’s Dreamers in terms of quality, but others just seemed a bit too dull and contrived. If only the manga wasn’t skewed towards more adult themes, I would give it a try.

Busou Renkin 20: Busou Renkin goes into Dragonball Z mode this week, with an episode that consists mainly of ‘that SJ fight we’ve all seen before’ between Kazuki and Bravo. Apart from a lot of posturing and lance action, this is a rather sparse episode in terms of content, and worse yet, Tokiko is becoming even more useless than ever. Those who care little for fights and completion could easily skip this episode.

Gargoyle of the Yoshinagas 9: Whilst Hyakushiki finds himself bedridden from a cold, Lily decides that she wants to follow in his footsteps as a “Kaitou” (Phantom Thief), even going so far as to attempt a job in his place. Whilst this is an enjoyable episode for the most part, it does lose something at the end thanks to some last minute “and by the way, here’s a mission I went on earlier” exposition from Hyakushiki.

Kanon 20: So here it is, the potentially most heart-wrenching part of the story in which we discover the truth about Ayu- only even this cannot move my heart of stone. Is it because I know the critical points of what’s coming, or the accumulated effects of the treacle slow pace? Whatever the case, getting into Kanon has been impossible, and all I really enjoy now are the beautifully drawn settings.

Les Miserables Shoujo Cosette 2: Continuing on from the first episode, the second instalment of Les Mis sees poor Cosette continue her Cinderella-like existence with the evil innkeepers, whilst Madeleine indulges in a flashback mode about the good old Jean Valjean days. Apart from a degree of predictability and some unintentional hilarity (such as Alain telling Madeleine “you don’t seem like yourself today” twenty-four hours after first getting to know him), this is another solid episode.

Mai-Otome Zwei 2: If ever we needed more evidence to prove that Sunrise just makes up Otome as they go along, this episode was it. Instead of focusing on whatever the main plot involving the Shadow Otome is supposed to be, most of this episode concentrates on a generic bus-jacking and the subsequent talking that accompanies it. Although there are a few highlights, such as some airtime for Sarah and the appearance of fat cat Mikoto, the point of this episode escapes me. Expect a dedicated blog post next week.

Nodame Cantabile 5-6: The love I began to feel for the series in episode three still hasn’t returned, in spite of this week’s double bill. The irritating skirt-chaser Streseman has set up a new orchestra, only to leave Chiaki in charge of conducting it with predictably mixed results (I’m now waiting for a training montage). Meanwhile, double bass player Saku Sakura is the latest name character to be introduced, although the fact that her family is penniless is resolved within the space of an episode- how am I supposed to care for the characters when their situations are dealt with so flippantly? I also have to admit that I agree with ANN’s Right Turn Only writer when he says that Nodame reminds him of a shounen series sometimes, even though it is not meant to be.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 31-3: Much as I like SaiMono, sometimes an episode comes along that makes me fall in love with it all over again, and episode was one of them. As Shuurei puts herself in danger by accompanying Sakujun to the Sa manor, the others try to coordinate a plan to foil the Sa clan’s ambitions; whilst the content isn’t particularly outstanding when compared to other episodes, the background music, setting and character designs all come together to provide an entirely compelling instalment.

Whilst not up to level of their predecessor in terms of addictiveness, 32-3 are nonetheless another strong pair of episodes, advancing the Sa clan arc even further and even providing such delights as some airtime for Shunki, and a chance for Chuushou to finally get up out of his chair. Shuurei’s sparring with Sakujun also manages to remain fresh even after all this time thanks to the way their relationship continues to evolve- once, Sakujun held all the cards, but now Shuurei is certainly beginning to hold her own.

MANGA

REC 27: I was on the verge of dropping REC after this chapter, but luckily it choose to put the increasingly tedious romance on the backburner in favour of focusing on Aka’s latest voiceover job- dubbing a US film. The cliff-hanger of the chapter has the director (yet another Aka obsessive, there’s a surprise) seemingly disappointed with the work- although there will no doubt be a twist to come, it’s worth reading onwards to find out what the aftermath of this recording session will be.

Spiral 27: Having stabbed Eyes, Kanone makes his next move by transferring to Ayumu’s school, and whilst he seems oddly reluctant to take anyone else on just yet, he is still committed to his role as a Hunter. This is really just a setup chapter, but it is still an interesting read nonetheless; kudos to the translators for keeping up a decent pace of releases- Spiral fans have never had it so good.

Tsubasa Chronicle 143-4: Picking up where we left off, chapter 143 sees Sakura admit that she needs the ability to cross worlds (even if it is only once and to a random world) in order to separate from the group and begin her own FFX-2 adventures (come on Sakura, you know you can’t strike out on your own- it’ll be a disaster). 144 takes us into the chess match final that Sakura must win in order to gain that ability, and after a few pages of meaningless posturing and nicely drawn panels, sees Syaoran about to take on Hikaru from Angelic Layer- might as well recycle as many character designs as possible, after all. Oddly enough, the match is prefaced by a segment in which Sakura talks to Syaoran-real as if this was their first conversation; having worked together for long enough to reach the final of the chess tournament, you’d have thought they might have had to communicate with each other already.

Real life truly can be pain sometimes; on Wednesday, I had to deal with water pouring through the ceiling thanks to a burst pipe (thankfully there was no lasting damage), and Thursday was the day of numerous power cuts thanks to Wind’s evil brother Snow. Hopefully matters will stabilise soon, before this becomes my personal woes blog.

Reviewed this week: Busou Renkin 18, Death Note 16, Kanon 18, Les Miserables 1, Nodame 3-4, Red Garden 14-15, SaiMono 30, Shounen Onmyouji 10-11

…and in manga: REC 26, Spiral 23-4, Spiral Alive 1, Tsubasa 142, Twin Spica 2

ANIME

Busou Renkin 18: Whilst Kazuki, Gouta and Tokiko head off to uncover the mystery of Kazuki’s Black Kakugane, the FMA rip-off team that we’ve been seeing in the OP for a while finally gets fully mobilised in their quest to stop both Victor and Kazuki (aka Victor III). Unfortunately, this isn’t so much an episode where things happen as one where everything is put in place for them happening later on, with even a fight between Papillon and alchemic warrior Ikusabe proving to be rather repetitive and unexciting.

Death Note 16: Why is it that when it comes to this series, the next story arc always seems more appealing than the current one? Unlike Hikaru no Go, which I was happy to watch in spite of its extreme faithfulness to the manga, the Death Note anime is continuing to leave me feeling impatient, especially when Light and L ‘time out’ and enter their coloured Justice forms. This episode sees Light voluntarily enter confinement in an attempt to prove to L that he is not Kira; whilst the pace remains slow, the way the shape of Light’s eyes changes when he loses his memories of the Death Note is rather amusing (slanted = evil; round = good).

Kanon 18: If the fact that Shiori is even sick at all is hard to swallow, then it becomes even harder once we realise that she will not be allowed to go out after her sixteenth birthday- after all, her condition may magically deteriorate. That aside, this episode ends the Shiori arc, complete with a few plot points previously seen in the Toei series; as always, it is somewhat soporific in content, but I have to admit to feeling some emotion towards the end.

*NEW* Les Miserables- Shoujo Cosette 1: If anime truly does have things to teach us, then this week’s lesson must surely run along the lines of ‘don’t pay to leave your daughter with clearly suspicious-looking innkeepers’. Unfortunately, not being aware of this lesson, that is just what Fantine chooses to do to her daughter Cosette in the opening minutes of the latest classic novel to anime adaptation, setting the stage for forty-nine more episodes of drama and angst. Having approached this series with a mixture of scepticism and curiosity, I was happy to find that episode one was a solid effort- my only real complaint at this stage is the rather basic and often ugly character designs.

Nodame Cantabile 3-4: Episode three gave me hope that I could actually begin to enjoy Nodame; in a slow but sure process, the characters and the off-kilter humour began to grow on me with the introduction of HARD GAY timpanist Masumi. Unfortunately, episode four went on to undo much of that good work by adding yet another new character in the form of German conductor Stresemann; with his shallow personality and excessive skirt-chasing, his presence immediately puts a damper on any scene. I want to enjoy this series, but every time I start getting along with it, it seems like a fresh obstacle is placed in my way.

Red Garden 14-15: In episode fourteen of Red Garden, Claire is broke, Kate is vaguely positive, Rachel is moody and Rose is…ever so slightly useful? Yes, in the midst of learning how to fly, angsting about personal issues and tangling up the plot a little bit more, Rose actually does something more constructive than standing around and crying- that’s character development for you. In other news, the headmistress and head of Grace are both connected to Lula and the fight against Hervé’s family, but aside from this little revelation, the majority of the episode is somewhat sleep inducing.

Fifteen deepens the angst cloud that surrounds our leads with further family issues for Claire and Rose, whilst Hervé plays “I’m watching you all the time” with Kate to relieve the stress of Mireille turning evil and getting beaten to death. We also learn that Lise was dating Hervé prior to her untimely end- of course, with the convolutions of the plot and the attention I’m paying to it, we may have discovered that weeks ago only for me to subsequently forget.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 30: A single episode of SaiMono could never have the same impact as last week’s delicious triple bill, but even if it isn’t the series’ strongest episode, SaiMono 30 is still way ahead of the pack. As Shuurei and Eigetsu prepare to enter the capital and take up their role as governors, the various plot threads of the arc all move forward; there are quite a few characters and story elements to keep up with, but it seems certain that they are building towards something spectacular.

Shounen Onmyouji 10-11: Each episode I hope that Kyuuki will be defeated and the series will move on, and each episode disappoints me by increasing the possibility that Kyuuki is, in fact, the final boss. Whilst we remain little closer to discovering the identities of the more interesting Spirit Summons, episode ten is a basic setup instalment which sees Masahiro and Mokkun wander around for no good reason, whilst poor Akiko discovers that being the female lead in a shounen series ensures that one must become a perpetual damsel in distress. Episode eleven manages to advance the plot a little bit and expose the identity of one more Spirit Summon, but despite bringing Rikugou to prominence and including a battle with yet another sub-boss, the plot is not moving forward as quickly as I’d like.

MANGA

REC 26: Like Chokotto Sister, REC keeps luring me back with promises of some gentle romance and slice-of-life, only to morph into something more adult as soon as it can manage it. This chapter sees Matsumaru and Aka planning to celebrate Matsumaru’s recent 100,000 yen bonus with a romantic night in, only to get interrupted by practically every named character in the series. It would have been an enjoyable chapter if not for the unnecessary female nudity- I could have lived with the nipple shots, but did we need to see Yoshioka spilling alcohol all over her crotch? I think not.

Spiral 23-4: It can only be a good thing that the regular supply of Spiral continues unabated, with this chapter starting to put all the pieces in place for the next arc. Whilst Madoka tries to worm the truth of what’s been going on out of Ayumu, Eyes approaches new character and fellow Blade Child Ryoko to warn her that a Hunter will soon be on their trail- but will the reluctant Ryoko want to work with Eyes and the others?

*NEW* Spiral Alive 1: As an added treat on top of all these new Spiral chapters, the first chapter of Spiral Alive begins a prequel story about Kiyotaka Narumi and his wife-to-be, Madoka. In this first chapter, Madoka falls prey to a seemingly innocent crush on a fellow classmate named Sawamura, little realising that this will draw her into a dark and complex world lurking just beneath the surface of society. Even at this early stage, this is highly recommended for all Spiral fans.

Tsubasa Chronicle 142: Everyone may still be out of character and fighting meaningless chess games, but the good news is that we’ve finally been given a bit of a revelation- the tournament prize Sakura is aiming for is a way of crossing worlds by herself. Under inspection, this is another plot point that raises more questions than it answers, but then, when has Tsubasa been any different?

Twin Spica 2: It’s been a while, but the second chapter of Twin Spica has finally appeared, in which Asumi and the others begin their closed confinement test. Although I’m more interested in seeing what happens after the events we saw in the anime, this is a good enough series that I’m happy to relive familiar material.