Last time we time we saw Shuurei and her friends, they were in the process of putting the Sa province to rights, but of course, their troubles are far from over. First, there’s the outbreak of a deadly plague and the emergence of the mystical Hyou family to deal with, but after that, there are even more trials and troubles to overcome. Can Shuurei become an official capable of handling whatever is thrown at her- and can Ryuuki can become a king worthy of the throne of Saiunkoku?

Everyone knows how much I loved SaiMono after its first season, and so it was that I decided to jump straight into season two, despite the lack of subtitles. Thankfully, Impz was on hand to help out with anything I didn’t understand, and so I was able to make it through all 39 episodes of a series that became increasingly complex and riddled with new characters as it went on.

SaiMono had a hardly been a series that was light on characters in its first season, but the second season seemed set to take that to new heights. As the world of Saiunkoku expanded and new threads were woven into the plot, they brought with them new characters, some mere supporting personalities, others of higher importance. Even though the result should have been to make Saiunkoku a more complex place, it also meant that the now immense cast was competing for time, with important season one characters being shoved to the sidelines for long periods of time even as the viewer grappled with the surge of new and often unremarkable faces. Why should we care about all these new officials and doctors when all we wanted was to see Seiran actually do something?

Fortunately, it wasn’t all doom and gloom on the character front; not only did Eigetsu, Shusui and to a lesser extent Shuuei get a chance to shine in their respective arcs, but a couple of the new faces actually proved to be worthy additions to the cast. In particular, we saw the introduction of Shin “Tantan” Suou, a laid back person who becomes Shuurei’s guide from innocence and naïveté to the way the real world works, and Jyuusan-hime, a daughter of the Ran clan whose inner fortitude and streetwise nature make her the perfect contrast to Shuurei.

Amidst all this, there was still enough time to ensure that Shuurei herself continued on her journey of development, although the tone this takes is a little different than it was in season one. Back then, it seemed as if Shuurei’s determination to succeed was all that was required, whilst her male friends were always there to protect her idealism and naïveté from some of the harsher realities of the world. This time around, she is forced to grow more as she is left to take more responsibility for her own actions- she may have friends in high places, but they know the best thing for her is to sort out her problems on her own. It is interesting to wonder what the ultimate result of this will be- obviously Shuurei cannot remain naïve forever if she is to survive in the world of politics, but at the same time, if that idealism and determination to make the world a better place is lost, something very fundamental about her character will be changed forever.

Although he spends much of the early part of the series sitting in his throne room and receiving information about the plot in the form of recap episodes, Ryuuki also gets a chance to grow up a little in the latter part of the series. Although we’ve already seen him go from a ruler who felt too unworthy to even bother with his duties to someone who is trying his best for Shuurei’s sake, there is still some way to go for our young emperor. As long as his actions are motivated purely by his interest in Shuurei, he can never grasp the bigger picture and make the kind of decisions required of him (including taking a wife, of course). Ultimately, though, does he have the strength to become a better ruler, or should he just step down and let someone else take his place?

With all these character concerns, it is no surprise that the story of SaiMono started to become more complex, diverging as it did onto all sorts of threads covering everything from art theft to Shuurei’s future as an official. Unfortunately, unlike last season, these episodes started to suffer from the ever-present danger of catching up to the novels, with the pacing slowing down a little too much in places (the plague arc became an extended ER episode for some weeks) and recap episodes appearing a little too often. And with the novels still ongoing, it was impossible to wrap everything up in this series- all we can hope for is an OVA or two once the next few novels are released, because there are certainly plenty of dangling threads that it would be nice to see resolved eventually.

Visually, SaiMono seems to have earned a slightly bigger budget injection for this season, so whilst the animation still isn’t entirely consistent, the beauty of the character designs shines through even more than it does in the first season. Aside from a new ED, the music is basically the same as it was in season one (even the OP is reused)- a selection of period style themes that fit the tone of the series well but tend to become repetitive when listened to on their own.

Final Thoughts

Thanks to the increasing complexity of the world of Saiunkoku, the second season of SaiMono is slower paced and perhaps a little ‘colder’ than its predecessor, covering so many characters and story threads that it lacks the intimacy of the first season. Nonetheless, if you enjoyed the first thirty-nine episodes, watching this batch is highly recommended- it’s no Twelve Kingdoms, but it still makes for worthy viewing.

Tier: Gold-

For some reason, over the past week or so I have developed a renewed interest in Facebook, and so I must invite you all to come and social network with me, should you so desire. In the meantime, let’s get back to the important business of discussing anime.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 10, SaiMono II 38-9, Shigofumi 10, Shion no Ou 18, Shounen Onmyouji 24, Spice and Wolf 10, Sisters of Wellber 13

..and in manga: Busou Renkin 38, HxH 272

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – Al and Aika, sitting in a well…
2. Spice and Wolf (2) – debt
3. Kaiji (3) – ざわ, ざわ…
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ryuuki <-complete!
5. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (5) – mind-altering drug
6. Shigofumi (6) – Fumi+Mika=Fumika
7. Persona Trinity Soul (7)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
8. Shion no Ou (8) – Hani Meijin’s secret videos
9. Minami-ke Okawari (9)- not quite the same
10. Clannad (10) – drop kick
11. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (11)- Marco
12. Mokke (12)- rainy season

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Tetsuko no Tabi (1)- is this ever going to be subbed?
2. Himawari!! (2) – needs less plot
3. Sisters of Wellber (3) – drinking tea can be dangerous <- complete!
4. Love GetChu! (4)- light entertainment
5. Shounen Onmyouji (5)- end in sight?

Aria the Origination 10: With Alice having become a prima, her workload dramatically increases- and whilst there is no doubt that she is good at what she does, sometimes her nerves do get the better of her. What better way to relax, then, than an evening watching the stars with Aika and Akari- at least until Aika heads out to pick up Al and ends up falling down a well with him. Having heard about this manga chapter, I was wondering when it would appear in the anime, but even though it is another solid instalment in a highly worthy series, I still can’t adjust to the idea of Aika X Al- no matter what his real age is, he still looks and talks like a shota. Still, it was a bold and unexpected move to see him grasp Aika’s hand at the end, and President Maa’s antics were highly amusing.

*COMPLETE* Saiunkoku Monogatari II 38-9: Alas, SaiMono II has finished, and what a packed season it has been- often too packed for my meagre raw viewing skills (thanks again, Impz, your summaries have been invaluable). Anyway, as the series draws to a close, Ryuuki takes the first steps towards becoming the true emperor, realising he has to rule for the people, not just Shuurei- and even taking Jyuusan-hime as a wife. It’s been a period of growth for everyone, and despite the immense volume of new characters and the sheer mind-hurting web of events the series tries to present, I’ve enjoyed myself overall.

Shigofumi 10: Fumika takes a backseat in this episode, which instead focuses on thirty-two year old cancer sufferer Takehiko, a man who has quit his job and alienated his friends and family to the point where all he has left to do is look after a neighbour’s child (also named Fumika). Although it was somewhat bizarre how Takehiko randomly ended up looking after Fumika II all the time, the largely formulaic episode saved itself with a poignant and sad ending. Still, I’m not sure what to make of the series as a whole; it’s really been all over the place in terms of atmosphere and presentation.

Shion no Ou 18: As the Shion versus Satori match heads into its closing stages, the Hani brothers undergo a strange reversal; Satoru is now less a figure of hatred than one of pathos, whilst Hani-meijin is becomier creepier by the minute, stalking around watching videos of Shion’s past whilst keeping Ayumi by his side like a chained lover. Meanwhile, Satoru sees something of his brother in Shion’s shogi, and we know that she learned vital shogi lessons from the murderer- but if the Meijin is the culprit, then what was his motive? All shall be revealed within the final four episodes- at least, one assumes it will.

Shounen Onmyouji 24: The time has come to head out and confront the evil, but meanwhile, Kazane is about to realise that her creepy, cackling master is not quite as benign as she might have thought. It’s another average instalment, but then as I said last week, the goal here is mere completion.

Spice and Wolf 10: Poor Lawrence, everything was going so well- right up until the point where he learned that armour has become massively devalued and that he now has two days to pay back a massive debt- can even Horo the Wise get him out of this, and will she want to after he takes out his frustration on her? Presumably all will come right in the end, but the interesting thing will be seeing how it pans out.

*COMPLETE* Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber 13: Ah, another mediocre series can be crossed off the list, although it does mean that the second season beckons. This episode basically wraps up Gernia’s story and indeed his life, complete with a ridiculous collapsing tower sequence that makes you wonder why you should ever be worried about being trapped in a burning building. Meanwhile, Gernia’s father is still as desperate for war as ever, which is presumably what season two is all about (I’ve been too apathetic to read any plot summaries).

MANGA

Busou Renkin 38: The assault on the school continues as it did in the anime, with Kazuki’s friends banding together to support him as he fights the Futakoi Alternative reject monsters outside. As so often happens, there’s not much more to say that I didn’t say when I was covering the animated version.

Hunter X Hunter 272: With excruciating slowness, the battle between Yupi and Shoot continues, up to the point where Knuckle decides to reveal himself. Do we care anymore? Do we even remember anything other than the names of these minor characters? Bigger fans than I do, perhaps, but I cannot bring myself to care anymore.

Sometimes I just can’t help being evil; telling children about the slaughterhouse whilst they’re playing Harvest Moon, persuading them that complete Iliana rings can just be mined straight out of the earth, arguing that Albel is HARD GAY for Fayt- is there nothing I won’t do? Then again, sometimes interesting things spring from my madness- for example, my sister has taken a liking to the nickname “Pink Supervisor”.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 9, Clannad 19, Kaiji 21-2, Minami-ke Okawari 8-9, Mnemosyne 2, Mokke 16-18, SaiMono II 37, Shigofumi 9, Shounen Onmyouji 23, Spice and Wolf 9

…and in manga: Busou Renkin 1-37, Chokotto Sister 58, Claymore 78, Elfen Lied 83, HxH 271, Moyashimon 2, Tsubasa 184

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – banana peel
2. Spice and Wolf (3) – spice and lamb
3. Kaiji (2) – ざわ, ざわ…
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ran clan
5. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – mind-altering drug
6. Shigofumi (5) – Fumi+Mika=Fumika
7. Persona Trinity Soul (7)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
8. Shion no Ou (8) – die, Satoru!
9. Minami-ke Okawari (9)- not quite the same
10. Clannad (11) – drop kick
11. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (10)- Marco
12. Mokke (12)- rainy season

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Tetsuko no Tabi (1)- is this ever going to be subbed?
2. Himawari!! (2) – needs less plot
3. Sisters of Wellber (3) – predictable but fun
4. Love GetChu! (5)- light entertainment
5. Shounen Onmyouji (4)- end in sight?

Aria the Origination 9: Alice has just graduated from school, and so Athena suggests they go out for the day, but what our young Pair doesn’t know is that she is being tested to see if she is move onto the next level. Although it’s a shame that Alice ultimately moves beyond Akari and Aika in this episode, it nonetheless remains a powerful instalment that sees the birth of the Orange Princess. There’s also plenty of President Maa for cat lovers.

Clannad 19: The theatre club has finally got a part-time share in Koumura-sensei, but whilst Nagisa is keen to put on a play, Tomoya feels his part is done- at least until he moves in with the Furukawa family to get away from his father. Given that most of the theatre club members are just there to make up the numbers, I can’t really care much about their efforts, but Akio and Sanae are always entertaining.

Kaiji 21-2: What awesome MANLY GAR! The time for the final round of E-card is nigh, and Kaiji seems certain he can pull off another win, but will Tonegawa see through his strategy? The odd thing about this episode is that while I spent the majority of it secure in the narrative convention of Kaiji pulling off another victory no matter how much Tonegawa tried to second guess him, the moment the episode ended on a cliff-hanger, the tension skyrocketed and I became uncertain of the outcome.

Fortunately, episode 22 is quick to resolve the outcome of E-card, but when Kaiji demands that Tonegawa kneels down and apologises for all those who died, the chairman decides that the only way to get a sincere apology is to have him kneel on a roasting hot steel plate- not an easy sight to watch. It seems, however, that we will have time for the tissue box raffle arc at the end (or at least the beginning of it, I have no idea how long the arc is in the manga).

Minami-ke Okawari 8-9: Just as I thought I was building up tolerance to Okawari, watching two episodes in the same day has broken it right down again- for whilst Fuyuki was blessedly absent here, these instalments seem to typify the problems with this season. If the original series was a stream of clear water, then Okawari is a stagnant pool, running tired old jokes into the ground instead of picking up a thread and building on it. Whilst episode eight is a lacklustre pool episode, episode nine lacks much in the way of appeal, combining such randomness as Kana dreaming of the future and Makoto trying to give up being Mako-chan yet again. I actually began to manifest physical symptoms related to boredom and irritability in this episode, something that hasn’t happened since Bartender episode 2.

Mnemosyne 2: Another instalment of Mnemosyne has finally come our way, and whilst it lacks the sheer awesomeness of the first episode, it is still worth a watch. The OVA seems to be settling into a “cyberpunk for the 21^st century” role, with this episode featuring HARD YURI, the search for a rare stamp and a mysterious yet deadly angel. Meanwhile, we now know that both Rin and her friend gained immortality when time spheres entered their bodies, but this only goes for women- their effect on men is to turn them into violent, short-lived angels who immortal women are irresistibly attracted to.

Mokke 16-18: Three more episodes of Mokke have been cleared, and once again they offer rather mediocre fare. Episode sixteen is the best of the bunch, as Shizuru befriends a transfer student with a habit of skipping classes to hang out in an old music room- an unremarkable story, but one that is at least more upbeat than the usual instalment of Mokke. Meanwhile, seventeen sees Mizuki discover a strange tree whilst looking after a neighbour’s visiting grandson, whilst in eighteen both sisters and their grandfather go to stay with a family who have been plagued with strange noises ever since they picked up a particular rock.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 37: I know I’m a week behind with SaiMono, but the situation will have to persist until next week. This time around, Ryuuki meets up with the spirit of Riou’s sister and must face up to the fact that he is still not considered the best candidate for emperor- should he step down, or can he prove himself worthy? It seems that it is finally time for Ryuuki to grow up, but that may well mean making an important decision between committing to the throne and pursuing Shuurei. Would Jyuusan-hime be a better partner for him after all?

Shigofumi 9: Shigofumi lapses back into the unremarkable with this instalment, which combines the standard holiday episode with some back story for Chika. I suppose I should care about Chika’s life being tragically cut short just as her lover was about to propose to her, but when I saw him in the first scene I thought he was her father, so thinking of him as a lolicon generally spoiled the moment.

Shounen Onmyouji 23: It’s all about getting to the end in an efficient, business-like manner with Shounen Onmyouji right now- the series has dragged on so long and been so unremarkable that I don’t really care about anything other than completion. In this episode, Masahiro must angst for a bit before deciding to accept the power that can kill Guren- who will reincarnate, but without his memories of the series. Is that truly such a bad thing, I wonder- I certainly wouldn’t be too disadvantaged without said memories.

Spice and Wolf 9: I’ve toned down my praise for Spice and Wolf over the last couple of weeks, but with this episode I’m ready to fangirl in full force once more. This week, Lawrence and Horo hire the services of a young shepherd girl to escort them to the next town, but how will Horo react to the ‘new woman’ in Lawrence’s life? Not only does this episode introduce a new character who briefly appears in the ED, but it truly exposes the awesomeness of Horo- any time when she seems to be acting predictably tsundere she’ll suddenly laugh it off and prove that there is much more to her than any stereotypical character.

MANGA

*CATCH-UP* Busou Renkin 1-37: The effort of reading some Busou Renkin manga has finally been made, with the first four of ten volumes now cleared. So far, everything is proceeding as per the anime, with these volumes covering the Papillon arc and taking us well into the LXE arc; what remains to be seen is how the latter volumes differ from the animated version.

Chokotto Sister 50: Volume six concludes with this short chapter, in which Choko goes to play at Yurika’s house for the day (complete with obligatory fanservice and a scene in which Choko finds that all of Yurika’s bras are too small), whilst Chitose passes up the opportunity to romantically pursue Haruma in order to nurse the sick Konatsu instead.

Claymore 78: Deus ex machina has arrived in the form of Clare and her allies, and it seems that their combined abilities might just be enough to combat Agatha. Naturally, the action in this chapter follows the usual “few slashes- opponent is sliced to pieces” pattern, but I’m still enjoying the series more than I once did.

Elfen Lied 83: The forces of evil have forced their way into Kohta’s home, but when they start playing rough with his harem, they risk awakening the beast that slumbers within Nyu. Although I hardly wanted our protagonists to be attacked in their own home (which somehow makes it seem worse than all the extreme violence that has come before), it’s good to see the series moving up a gear and pushing the plot ahead towards its conclusion.

Hunter X Hunter 271: Togashi has been propped up and pumped full of drugs (or whatever the situation is), and so HxH is back for another ten weeks, in which the story should advance infinitesimally. In this chapter, the mysterious narrator gives us an excruciatingly slow blow-by-blow account of the various battles that are occurring, to which one can only respond “who cares anymore”? The only interesting thing to note is the way the artwork can vary from detailed to scribble from one page to the next.

Moyashimon 2: The second chapter of Moyashimon pushes us into episode two of the anime, covering Hasegawa’s attempts to test Sawaki’s abilities to the limit, before he detects the unmistakable evidence of brewing. There’s not much more to say, since we’re just mirroring the anime.

Tsubasa Chronicle 184: Syaoran, Fai and Kurogane have made it back to Clow Country, but everything seems strangely peaceful and uneventful- at least until it becomes plain that the country is trapped in some sort of Groundhog Day-esque phenomenon. I was hoping this arc meant that the end of the series was near, but I should have known- it’s clearly going to be dragged out for as long as possible.

Reviewed this week: Aria 7, Clannad 18, Kaiji 19, Mai-Otome 0 S.ifr 1, Minami-ke Okawari 7, SaiMono II 36, Shigofumi 6-7, Shion no Ou 16, Shounen Onmyouji 20, Sketchbook 13, Sisters of Wellber 11, Zoku SZS 4

…and in manga: Doujin Work 1-19, Minami-ke 1-21

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – the Single life
2. Spice and Wolf (2) – wolf in the sewers
3. Kaiji (5) – ざわ, ざわ…
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ran clan
5. Shigofumi (3) – Schrödinger the cat
6. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – mind-altering drug
7. Persona Trinity Soul (8)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
8. Shion no Ou (12) – die, Satoru!
9. Minami-ke Okawari (7)- not quite the same
10. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (10)- Marco
11. Clannad (11) – drop kick
12. Mokke (13)- rainy season

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (1) – lots of cats <- complete!
2. Tetsuko no Tabi (2)- is this ever going to be subbed?
3. Sisters of Wellber (3) – predictable but fun
4. Himawari!! (4) – needs less plot
5. Shounen Onmyouji (5)- mediocre
6. Love GetChu! (6)- light entertainment

Aria the Origination 7: If you’ve ever wondered about the humble beginnings of the mighty President Aria, then this is the episode for you. Before he built up his multi-million pound empire he was just a naked cat looking out to sea- until the fateful day he met with a young Himeya undine known as Akino (known to us as Grandma). Alongside this flashback, we also meet Alicia’s senpai Anna, who worked for Aria Company until she got married and had a child, and just like Akari, I can’t help realising how much there is I still don’t know about Neo Venezia, and how much I just want to stay there forever. In some ways, this is my favourite season of all, and I shall unashamedly bask in fangirlish emotion about it.

Clannad 18: It only just began, but Tomoyo’s arc is wrapped up in this episode, whilst Ryou gets “friends” compatibility with Tomoya and even Kyou bursts into tears. I can’t help feeling it was a bit pointless setting everything up with an air of importance in the last episode just to arbitrarily wrap it all up here, whilst the baseball challenge felt like the biggest plot cop-out ever. How are we supposed to care about these generic, overly fast-paced events?

Kaiji 19: There are four rounds left, and three more millimetres for Kaiji to wager; if he wants to keep his eardrum, he’ll have to win at least once, but how can he beat the ‘invincible’ Tonegawa? Fortunately, all is not as it seems, and even though the explanation behind what’s going on seems a touch farfetched, who can’t love the prospect of Kaiji making a comeback? And even though the preview shows the side of his face bleeding, we can assume that’s deliberate misdirection.

“With it, he could tell the time!”

*NEW* Mai-Otome 0 S.ifr 1: I don’t know why, but I’m feeling benevolent towards Mai-Otome at the moment, and so despite this new OVA’s lack of fat cats or any real story, it somehow didn’t seem as bad as the forgettable Zwei. A prequel to all previous Otome stories, S.ifr focuses on a new set of characters, including the titular Sifr/Sifuru, various Otome, King Bruce of Windbloom and a young Rena. For antagonists, we have the younger John Smith and his Schwarz allies up to their usual tricks, plus a brand new android for our heroines to fight. I can’t say it’s good, but it’s still the best thing the franchise has offered in a while.

Minami-ke Okawari 7: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and so our named characters all decide to get together at the Minami house and make chocolate. Again, this is a rather standard piece in the grand scheme of episodes, making it mildly entertaining in the way of most episodes this season- although the sight of Mako-chan in a maid costume cannot be missed.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 36: Three episodes before the series ends for good, and sadly we are unfortunate enough to be landed with the season’s third recap episode. Worse yet, this is a recap that goes right back to the first season, covering Ryuuki’s experiences of being Emperor ever since we first met him. Yes, there are some cute pandas for him to talk to, but come on, let’s end the series on a bang rather than a whimper.

Shigofumi 6-7: Episode six seemed to promise a return to form for Shigofumi, with a story about bullying and abuse that is actually quite difficult to watch (although that may be because of my feelings on the subject). Unfortunately, whilst episode seven promises further unravelling of Mikawa’s past, it is let down by her over-the-top father, a character obsessed with beauty and perfection. I must admit to feeling for his newly-appointed editor, however, simply because her bosses think she’s useless.

Wait, didn’t we have this game in Kaiji?

Shion no Ou 16: Ayumi’s mother has died, and with her passing there is no further need from him to cross-dress, but will he still keep up the shougi? I’ve been wanting Ayumi to come clean for a while now, and so a change that will let him play honestly is most welcome, even though he looked good as a trap.

Shounen Onmyouji 20: I’ve finally managed to fit in another episode of this series, and it must be said that it was as underwhelming as ever. This time around, we learn that the main villain has an entirely predictable past connection with Seimei, but that skeletons in the old family closet mean that he has, of course, turned mindlessly evil. Now to resolve the confrontation with him in the next six episodes.

*COMPLETE* Sketchbook ~full color’S~ 13: Sketchbook has finally come to an end, with a reflective episode in which Sora spends an afternoon alone in the afternoon, painting her friends whilst they pass through. I know I have accused the series of trying too hard throughout its run, but nonetheless this was a worthy conclusion to the series, with Sora finding the strength to grow a notch or two at the end. I guess I wouldn’t be averse to a second season after all, especially if it has cats.

Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~ 11: Months after my last Wellber experience, we come to this episode, which tells the past story of Galahad and Jamille in what is probably meant to be a touching build-up to their inevitable confrontation in a duel. What a shame, then, that it is all so predictable and on the rails that no one could really care- all I can say is that it’s a good way to waste an episode.

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 4: There seems to have been an element of randomness missing from my week of late, but luckily it’s back for the moment, with another instalment in the crazy life of one Itoshiki Nozomu and his off-kilter class. This time around we meet a couple more new characters (including one who can read anything- even hearts) and learn what happens when you diverge from the main point. There are no laugh out loud moments this time, but there is consistent entertainment, and that will do for me.

MANGA

*CATCH-UP* Doujin Work 1-19: My experience with 4-koma has been a bit hit-and-miss so far, but happily Doujin Work is proving to be one of the better ones of the bunch. Although it takes much the same overall course as the anime, some of the specifics are different, with the overall effect being to replicate the feeling of light entertainment without seeming stale.

*CATCH-UP* Minami-ke 1-21: Whilst not a 4Koma, Minami-ke does go for the short chapter approach that many comedy series use, and this time it is just like the anime- or at least season one of the anime. So far, then, it is proving to be just as entertaining, but many more chapters will be needed.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 6, Clannad 17, Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino 5, Kaiji 17-18, Koutetsu Sangokushi 23-5, Minami-ke Okawari 6, Mnemosyne 1, Mokke 15, SaiMono II 35, Shigofumi 5, Shion no Ou 15, Sketchbook 12, Spice and Wolf 6

…and in manga: Loveless 9.3-5, Moyashimon 1, Shion no Ou 1-12, Spice and Wolf 5, Twin Spica 6-7

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – the Single life
2. Spice and Wolf (2) – wolf in the sewers
3. Kaiji (5) – ざわ, ざわ…
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ran clan
5. Shigofumi (3) – Schrödinger the cat
6. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – mind-altering drug
7. Persona Trinity Soul (8)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
8. Shion no Ou (12) – die, Satoru!
9. Minami-ke Okawari (7)- not quite the same
10. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (10)- Marco
11. Clannad (11) – drop kick
12. Mokke (13)- rainy season

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (-) – lots of cats
2. Tetsuko no Tabi (1)- is this ever going to be subbed?
3. Sisters of Wellber (2) – predictable but fun
4. Himawari!! (3) – needs less plot
5. Shounen Onmyouji (4)- mediocre
6. Love GetChu! (5)- light entertainment
7. Koutetsu Sangokushi (6) – purely ridiculous <-complete!

Aria the Origination 6: How does the perfect Alicia-san deal with Akari’s mistakes and clumsiness? It’s a question that Alice wants to know the answer to, but will spying on the goddess of perfection give any clues? Whatever the case, the results make for entertaining and President Aria-filled viewing, although things continually going wrong for Akari at the beginning seemed a bit of a back step- over these last few episodes we’ve seen her start to mature and grow up, so to have her being all clumsy and ditzy is a bit disappointing.

“I’ll get you this time, Aria-shachou!”

Clannad 17: It’s a fusion of storylines this week as we switch from Kyou/Ryou to Tomoyo in the space of an episode, whilst Nagisa drops out for a while due to illness. Unfortunately, I’m at the stage where I only want to see Nagisa’s storyline, so this filler-ish episode didn’t really do much for me- it passes the time, but achieves little more.

Gunslinger Girl –Il Teatrino 5: This episode covers a manga chapter I read a while ago, in which Marco’s ex-girlfriend Patricia teams up with a reporter to find the truth behind the Social Welfare Agency. As you’ll have heard me say quite often by now, the manga already did it better, and the need to ‘recap’ Artland’s version of flashback scenes that Madhouse already did better didn’t really help the pacing at all.

Kaiji 17-18: After having to go without it for a bit, Kaiji and E-card are back with a vengeance, and our intrepid hero seems determined to risk his eardrum against the unflappable Tonegawa. Unfortunately, Kaiji can’t seem to gain the edge in this psychological battle, making for a white knuckle ride as that pin moves ever closer to his eardrum. Narrative convention says that Kaiji must ultimately triumph, but right now that seems a distant dream- and all we can do is wait impatiently to see what happens next.

*COMPLETE* Koutetsu Sangokushi 23-5: At last the HARD GAY nightmare has ended, with Lu Xun inevitably defeating both the Liu Bei dragon and the evil meteor that was about to destroy the world (no, I’m not getting my shows mixed up). Of course, by this point, no ridiculousness seemed too much, with the writers indulging their desires to write some sort of sentai/Otome style conclusion. All I can say is that I will enjoy reviewing this.

Minami-ke Okawari 6: It’s a snowy day in the Minami neighbourhood, which means the girls are stuck at home- not too bad a prospect, perhaps, if not for the fact that they have no electricity, no gas and only odds and ends to eat. Again, this episode doesn’t really inspire the love that the first season did, not least because of the focus on dull new character Fuyuki- let’s get back to the personalities that enlivened the first season.

*NEW* Mnemosyne 1: I’d like to post a fangirl alert here, because to my surprise, I totally fell in love with Mnemosyne after just one 45 minute episode. With everything from a fat cat to Alias style action, Mnemosyne would have been strong under any circumstances, but to cap it all off we have Asogi Rin, a lead with looks, attitude and invulnerability- I love her already. The animation is also so slick that you won’t even hear me complaining about fanservice and ‘evil’ nipples- just bring me episode two.

Mokke 15: It’s the rainy season, and Shizuru is feeling depressed because at this time of year she can see even more supernatural phenomena than ever. It’s this kind of miserable attitude that typifies the series as a whole, but at least by the end Shizuru learns to cheer up a little, and maybe we can hope that that’s a good sign for the future

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 35: The series picks up again in this episode, as we delve into Jyuusan-hime’s tragic past, meet another character in the form of the Ran province governor and see Ryuuki get depressed as he wonders if he is worthy enough to be king. With all these threads being woven in, it is rather sad to realise that there are only four episodes left, but without any new novel material until May, this is the way it has to be.

Ryuuren shows off this spring’s new fashions.

Shigofumi 5: In a rather bizarre turn of events, both Fumika and fellow mail carrier Chiaki are assigned to deliver a Shigofumi to a cat in this episode, something even I, as a cat lover, wouldn’t bother to do (like the cat even cares about you when you’re no longer able to feed it). I’m also a little weary of cats being named Schrödinger- trust me, once you’ve studied many-particle quantum mechanics, such jokes lose their sheen.

Anyway, light feline stories aside, the episode does provide more insights into Fumika’s Kanon-esque situation, leading to a solid episode if not one that can recapture that brilliant opening arc (can anything?).

Shion no Ou 15: This sort of shogi-filled episode is exactly why I’m watching Shion no Ou, and so I have no complaints about watching the tense match between Shion and her father. When the series focuses on shogi rather than the murder case, I find myself becoming addicted to it as I once did to Hikaru no Go, ensuring that I continue to crave more- and the icing on the cake this week was that Satoru actually got ‘pwned’ by Shion’s father, which always guarantees satisfaction.

Sketchbook ~full color’S 12: In the penultimate episode of the series Sora and her friends head into the city to buy art supplies, and whilst they all invest in new sketchbooks, Sora can’t help thinking about the dynamics of brother-sister relationships. Again, the series tries a little too hard to achieve what Aria can accomplish without any apparent effort, but this is the kind of inoffensively enjoyable episode that the word ‘nice’ was made for.

Spice and Wolf 6: When Horo and Lawrence reach a dead end in the sewers, there’s only one thing for our heroine to do- switch to her immense wolf form. Just as Horo craves apples, so do I crave more and more from this series, and whilst this wasn’t my favourite episode thus far, I still greatly enjoyed it. We can’t be halfway through already- I refuse to believe it.

MANGA

Loveless vol 9 chapters 3-5: After a couple of chapters of downtime in which Soubi and Ritsuka kick back and visit a shrine for the New Year, the latest chapter gets the main story back on track, revealing the names of the Septimal Moon members (not that it means much), and preparing the story to move ahead. Ritsuka wants to forgive Seimei and bring him home, but can everything his brother’s done really be erased that easily?

*NEW* Moyashimon 1: The time has come to pick up Moyashimon, although as I suspected, the first chapter of the manga is basically the same as what we saw in the first episode of the anime- albeit with rougher artwork (the hairstyles in particular seem oddly amateur). Even so, the temptation with this manga, as with so many others, is to eventually move past what we saw in this anime and breach original territory.

*CATCH-UP* Shion no Ou 1-12: As with Moyashimon above, the Shion no Ou manga has proven to be largely the same as the anime, with these first two volumes taking us up to Satoru’s introduction to the story. Nonetheless, whilst I am in the grip of my odd addiction to this series, having the manga to read will help with the cravings.

Spice and Wolf 5: The manga continues to follow the same course as the anime in this chapter, which covers the sale of the marten/ermine furs and the beginning of the silver coin investigation. Of course, with the beautiful artwork and some additional summary pages talking about the original novels, I have no intention of complaining about covering the same material again.

Twin Spica 6-7: Volume two continues apace as Asumi settles down in space school, only to attract the attention of the evil teacher ‘Beruze’- quite possibly my least favourite aspect of the series. We’re still deep within anime territory, but as it’s been a while since I watched it, that’s no big problem.

I’m not being lazy by posting this late; I just haven’t been able to get on the internet all weekend.

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 5, Clannad 15-16, Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino 4, Koutetsu Sangokushi 21-2, Minami-ke Okawari 5, Mokke 14, Persona 5, SaiMono II 34, Shigofumi 4, Shion no Ou 14, Spice and Wolf 5

…and in manga: Claymore 77, REC 37, Spiral 67-8, Tsubasa 182

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – the Single life
2. Spice and Wolf (2) – wolf in the sewers
3. Shigofumi (3) – man-hater
4. SaiMono II (4) – Ran clan
5. Kaiji (5) – zawa, zawa
6. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6) – mind-altering drug
7. Minami-ke Okawari (7)- not quite the same
8. Persona Trinity Soul (8)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
9. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (9) – lots of cats
10. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (10)- Pinocchio
11. Clannad (11) – the world is made of invisible harps
12. Shion no Ou (12) – die, Satoru!
13. Mokke (13)- magical staff

SLOW RANKINGS

1. Tetsuko no Tabi (1)- is this ever going to be subbed?
2. Sisters of Wellber (2) – predictable but fun
3. Himawari!! (3) – needs less plot
4. Shounen Onmyouji (5)- mediocre
5. Love GetChu! (6)- light entertainment
6. Koutetsu Sangokushi (4) – purely ridiculous

Aria the Origination 5: I can’t help the fangirling, I really can’t, for I love Aria so much. In this episode, Aika becomes depressed after seeing Athena and Alicia’s godly skills in action- if that’s what it takes to be a Prima, will she ever make it? Only a Flashback Mode story from Akira (looking rather snazzy with a new hairstyle and an injection of animation budget) can allay her fears, but it also gives us viewers something to think about. There’s almost inevitably a point in your life when it becomes difficult to graduate from one thing and go onto another, so who can’t sympathise with Aika (and in the past, Akira)? Aria, I will love and worship you forever if you will just let me live and work in Neo Venezia.

Clannad 15-16: I’m not sure why I forgot to write about Clannad last week; perhaps it’s some sort of side effect of trying to forget about Fuuko despite the creators’ insistence that she be shoehorned in at every opportunity (way to take away any meaning her story might have had). In the meantime, Kyou is busy ruining any potentially romantic moments between Tomoya and Nagisa, whilst the named characters use the power of destiny to challenge the basketball team to a three-on-three match- if they win, the Theatre Club can get an advisor. Somehow I can’t bring myself to care too much.

Gunslinger Girl –Il Teatrino 4: Angelica is back in action this episode, but with an uncertain recovery and an addiction to pills, can she really help out in the latest mission? I have to admit that this was a better episode than the last few, but the all-new Marco seems a little too boorish and one-dimensional compared to his previous incarnation- can this really be the same Marco who created “The Prince of the Land of Pasta”?

Koutetsu Sangokushi 21-2: Guan Yu the horse monster has been vanquished, but this isn’t the end- first Zhang Fei goes on a HARD GAY rampage to avenge his brother, before Liu Bei takes the ridiculousness to still higher levels by somehow transforming into a giant ice dragon. Angry at not being selected for Yu-Gi-Oh, the dragon freezes a Wei stronghold before assaulting Wu and effectively taking out most of the named characters- what can Lu Xun do against this God Mode boss?

Minami-ke Okawari 5: Kana and Chiaki find themselves in trouble when they break a glass rabbit pendant belonging to Haruka- can they fix it or find a replacement before she comes home and discovers what they’ve done? All in all, this was a very predictable episode that basically repeated a pattern we’ve seen many times before, rendering it fairly entertaining but still not up to the level of the first season.

Mokke 14: It’s another average tale of the supernatural in this episode as Mizuki finds a staff that she believes will give her magical power- but what are the consequences of relying on such an artefact? As ever, it’s a pretty predictable and on-the-rails piece- more something you watch to pass the time than something you must prioritise.

Wait, didn’t we already have Mushishi and Mushi-Uta?

Persona Trinity Soul 5: Things are starting to make a bit more sense as Persona moves into its fifth episode, with more named characters gaining Personas and the action content taking off. The winter setting is making all the school scenes somehow reminiscent of Kanon, but this comparison aside, the series remains watchable if not outstanding.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 34: The series is picking up again as the Ran arc gets properly underway- Shuuei is back home with the bittersweet attention from his brother’s wife, whilst Ensei is about to step up for some more screen time, even indicating that he too might have feelings for Shuurei (I see them more as a love born from admiration and respect than outright romantic feelings). It’s sad that there are only five episodes left, but better that than reams of filler.

Shigofumi 4: It seems as if nothing can top Shigofumi’s opening arc, but nonetheless this is another strong and welcome entry into the series’ logbook, revealing a little more about Fumika’s past, introducing a second mail carrier and fitting in a whole new one-off storyline about a girl who receives a Shigofumi from her estranged mother. The “my mother ran off with another man so I must turn HARD YURI” angle has perhaps been a little overdone in recent times, but I’m still enjoying the series; on an unrelated note, the soundtrack is worthy of note too.

Shion no Ou 14: I hate Satoru so much- he’s just the kind of annoyingly smug and manipulative little bastard you want to punch in the kidneys. When he’s not trying to expose traps or shed his blood all over a kifu, he’s busy mocking everyone and bullying poor Shion, and for what? Is he angry because his character design is so generic? Does he want a bigger role, maybe a bigger Liang? Either way, I hope his comeuppance is just around the corner, because the last thing I need is to punch through the screen of my laptop in an attempt to land a blow on his face.

Spice and Wolf 5: With Horo captured, Lawrence and his allies have to undertake a mission to rescue her- all the while trying to keep the upper hand with regards to their position and financial dealings. Much as I love this series, I have to admit that this instalment did suffer a little from ‘episode five syndrome’, but again there were some touching character moments as we again saw that even Horo the Wise isn’t invulnerable. Based on the preview, however, we might get to see her wolf form properly next week, which should be interesting.

MANGA

Claymore 77: With Galatea impaled and Miata deep in her own mental instability, only Clarice is still able to fight, but what sort of chance is the weakest Claymore going to have against an Awakened One? Under these conditions, the conclusion of this chapter is pretty predictable, but it’s a solid enough entry in the story nonetheless.

REC 37: As was inevitable since the beginning of her arc, Ao finally patches things up with Aka and cancels her claim on Matsumaru in this chapter, marking a predictable end to a predictable story. It’s times like this when I wonder what the true worth of reading this manga actually is- every arc follows exactly the same pattern, and no doubt it will long continue to do so.

Spiral 67-8: Volume fourteen of Spiral gets underway with these two chapters, in which the identical DNA of Kiyotaka&Ayumu and Yaiba&Hizumi is explored further whilst the endgame draws ever closer. I’ve already read what happens in this section of the story, but despite some disappointment at this whole story arc, I must continue with the series until the end.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 182: Kurogane gets a whole chapter in which to bid farewell to Tomoyo and pick up his father’s sword this time around, before everyone changes back into their initial costumes in order to visit Fei Wong in his sealed off timespace. In fact, that’s pretty much all that happens here, a sure sign that CLAMP will be dragging out every aspect of this series’ development for a long, long, long time to come. Then again, what did we expect?

Reviewed this week: Aria the Origination 4, Gunslinger Girl- Il Teatrino 3, Kaiji 16, Koutetsu 19-20, Minami-ke Okawari 2-4, Mokke 11-13, Persona 4, RxJ 24, SaiMono II 33, Shigofumi 3, Shion no Ou 12-13, Sketchbook 11, Spice and Wolf 4, Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 3

…and in manga: Nodame 100-106, Sketchbook 1-5, Three 1, Tsubasa 181

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

1. Aria the Origination (1) – the Single life
2. Spice and Wolf (2) –wolf at the door
3. Shigofumi (3) – felt like jumping
4. SaiMono II (4) – too many characters
5. Kaiji (5) – zawa, zawa
6. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (7) – mind-altering drug
7. Minami-ke Okawari (9)- not quite the same
8. Persona Trinity Soul (10)- Mushi-Uta’s successor
9. Sketchbook ~full color’S~ (8) – lots of cats
10. Gunslinger Girl- Il teatrino (11)- Pinocchio
11. Clannad (12) – the world is made of invisible harps
12. Shion no Ou (13) – tournament time
13. Mokke (14)- magical cat

SLOW RANKINGS

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

Aria the Origination 4: I think we’ve already established that I love Aria, but once again this episode affirms that love. Since Alice and Aika are busy, Akari has a day off from her usual schedule, and so Alicia suggests that she try her skills at the Traghetto, an event where Singles can pair up and take people out. To that end, Akari meets three one-shot Singles who show us just how hard it is to make it all the way to Prima, although it seems as if our lead might just have the skills to do it. I love Aria even when it goes nowhere, but to see Akari slowly growing up is an especial treat- much as I never want this to end, it will be great to see her come into her own and presumably become a great Prima at the end.

Gunslinger Girl- Il Teatrino 3: As the Pinocchio arc continues, I’m left with mixed feelings- there are times when I can see through to the original brilliance of the manga, but then the anime goes and throws it away with its poor production values and inexpert presentation. I feel that this is the point where I must accept that it will never live up to either the manga or the first anime season and just try to watch it as if it was a separate entity of bronze level.

Kaiji 16: E-card starts to get underway in this episode, as Tonegawa explains the rules and plays his first couple of hands against Kaiji. The game is simple enough but with an element of psychological strategy that should make the arc as gripping as ever- especially when Kaiji must bet his eye or ear if he wants to rake in the big money. I’m sure this game will be a big hit with the kids.

Koutetsu Sangokushi 19-20: I really didn’t think this series could get any more ridiculous, but I had to quickly revise my position after the events of these two episodes, in which an excess of HARD GAY power turns Guan Yu into a giant mechanical horse monster which then goes on a rampage after our heroes. I think we can safely say that all pretence of a plot has long since gone out of the window- in its plce, we can laugh at the new heights of ridiculousness this series is prepared to go to.

Minami-ke Okawari 2-4: Although the changes in tone still feel a little jarring, I’m settling into the second season of Minami-ke a little more- underneath the cosmetic changes and breast enhancements for Haruka, the same quality of amusement is there. In these three episodes, we see the Minami sisters and their friends visit a bathhouse, enjoy a ‘pyjama festival’ and unwillingly participate

Mokke 11-13: With three more episodes under my belt, I can now clearly see my problem with Mokke- it just makes the supernatural so unappealing. Instead of being able to enjoy these phenomena, they’re wreathed in doom and gloom, whilst Grandpa is basically a miserable old bastard 95% of the time. Anyway, within those restrictions, this trio of episodes bring us more one-off stories- first Mizuki and Shizuru encounter a one-eyed demon of bad luck, then Mizuki is inconvenienced by a possessed bridge, before finally one of Shizuru’s classmates takes a romantic interest in her and ends up gaining the assistance of a perverted little man-creature. It’s all very standard, and whilst not especially poor, it is the weakest of the non-slow series I’m following right now.

Persona Trinity Soul 4: Ah, Persona, I’m drawn to you despite not knowing what’s going on, although my suspicions about Jun being possessed by the spirit of his dead twin seem to be correct. Compared to previous episodes, this one slows down the pace a lot, preferring to focus on mystery and character introspection than action and Shadow-stripping, but it’s all good.

*COMPLETE* Romeo X Juliet 24: I’ve finally bothered to watch the final episode of RxJ, and it was as disappointing as expected- after some overtures towards the customary final boss battle, Romeo is killed and Juliet turns into WOOD, whilst all the supporting characters live happily ever after. Consider me unimpressed.

Saiunkoku Monogatari II 33: With Shuurei’s help, Shuuei manages to make it out of the city, but now all the supporting characters are getting worried about screen time, resulting in discussions, hints to conspiracies and Ryuuki’s inevitable attempts to avoid discussing marriage. Such a dialogue heavy episode can’t really be enjoyed raw by someone of my level (especially when I’m impatient to see more of the Ran family), but there are still some entertaining moments when Ryuuki, Seiran and Ensei get a look in (am I the only one struggling with all these new faces?).

“You cannot treat the main character in this way!”

Shigofumi 3: Although the last minute editing led to a rather jarring hostage situation in which the perpetrator spent all his time apparently unarmed and indeed lacking any body below the neck, I still enjoyed this episode of Shigofumi. Whilst the main story concerns a father desperate to find out why his son suddenly committed suicide, the ending also seems to probe into Fumika’s past, indicating that she may not have always been a mail-carrier. Bring on the next episode.

Shion no Ou 12-13: Even though it hasn’t particularly improved, I’m becoming oddly addicted to Shion no Ou- possibly in the same way that unappetising sweets can become more-ish if you eat enough of them. In this pair of episodes, the tournament continues with all three girls getting soundly defeated, only to get a convenient second chance in a later match against some generics. Whilst Satoru appears to be showing his colours as a creepy sadist with a penchant for stirring up trouble, episode thirteen ends on a cliff-hanger that might just see Ayumi’s trap status blown for good. Well, on balance it probably won’t be, but at least it provides an impetus to say “yay, episode fourteen! Now!”

No, not as yet.

Sketchbook ~full color’S~ 11: Another episode of Sketchbook is here, and happily it is as cat-filled as promised, as our feline heroes try to think of a way to convince Sora (who is sick at home with a cold) that cats really don’t want to eat expired food. A simple enough premise, perhaps, but with cats as cute and fluffy as these ones, one I’m willing to sit and watch.

Spice and Wolf 4: Be it action or character moments, Spice and Wolf keeps me deftly in the palm of its hand, and with the silver coin conspiracy heating up, there’s plenty of both in this episode- which ends with Horo on the verge of getting captured by a rival company and apparently recognising a familiar face. The highlight of the episode must surely be Horo’s speech on loneliness- a sure reminder that no matter how old and wise you are, it’s never pleasant to go it alone. Even I wanted to hug her at that point.

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 3: The pattern for this new season appears to be that the first eight minutes are where SHAFT has free rein to delve into their hallucinogenic stores and deliver utter craziness that only those with a particular mindset can enjoy, before settling back into more season one-like levels for the rest of the episode. After the aforementioned craziness, the episode moves into ‘duties that aren’t really duties’ (such as updating one’s blog with a weekly round-up every Friday) and the need to counter casual revelations of big events with momentous revelations of trivial ones. Enjoyable stuff indeed- if you take your magic mushrooms first.

MANGA

Nodame Cantabile 100-106: Another volume down the line, and Nodame and Chiaki are being drawn apart by their respective work schedules, so much so that Chiaki decides to move out and rent a new place. Will they inevitably be drawn back together, or is it best for each of them to follow their own paths? In between the continuing development of our two leads, some time is also devoted to piano genius Rui, who must herself decide on her future- even if it isn’t what her mother wants for her.

*NEW* Sketchbook 1-5: As part of the ‘start new manga in 2008’ drive, Sketchbook has become one of the first titles to be delved into- the original manga, of course, from which the full color’S anime is adapted. In true 4-koma style this manga is a bit hit-and-miss- sometimes a joke or observation will hit its mark, but at other times either the timing is poor or something gets lost in translation and it falls a little flat. I think I prefer the anime overall, but I will continue to read the manga anyway.

*NEW* Three 1: I wasn’t actually intending to start this, but since the first chapter came zipped with Tennai 31, it seemed a waste not to read it. My second Fuyumi Soryo title (the first being Eternal Sabbath), Three introduces a young girl striving to become an idol, her brooding rock star cousin and a boy with the indefinable ‘magic’ needed to become a true star. So far, so cliché, but it should make for a solid read if not a particularly outstanding one.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 181: A bit more exposition avoids the need for anything to really happen in this chapter, which reveals that Fei Wong is in Clow Country after all, whilst not really doing much else except show off CLAMP’s drawing skills. Apparently, however, the price for journeying further onwards has already been paid when someone gave up his memories- am I right in thinking this might be Watanuki? Perhaps I should get back to reading xxxHOLiC, if I can recall where I left off.

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

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

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

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

SLOW RANKINGS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Help, my eyes are melting! Melting!”

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

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

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

“This is why I keep my eyes closed.”

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

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

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

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

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

MANGA

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

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

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

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

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

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

ANIME

CURRENT SERIES RANKINGS

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

SLOW RANKINGS

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

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

Remember, don’t eat too fast.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SaiMono goes all Dynasty Warriors.

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

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

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

MANGA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!