Azure Flame Reloaded

Some months ago, I reviewed the second season of School Rumble, and the verdict was not a positive one- much as I may have loved the series in its first season, these new episodes just failed to shine. Nonetheless, unwilling to completely give up on the franchise, I convinced myself that my dissatisfaction was due to the filler elements introduced in Nigakki, and vowed that reading the manga would make everything better. Unfortunately, if not unpredictably, this was not to be the case.

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

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

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

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

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With the second season of School Rumble seeing the return of Class 2-C and their accompanying high school hilarity and romantic misunderstandings, fans of the series were certain that this could only mean more of the top quality entertainment they had come to expect. Unfortunately, despite a promising start, Nigakki soon proved itself to be far from perfect, and the bad aftertaste it came to leave would adversely affect the standing of the franchise as a whole. Continue Reading »

Last week, I had a great idea which involved working on Tuesday Rumble over the course of the entire week, writing one article per day in easy to handle chunks. This morning, I woke up with the knowledge that I had not written anything for Tuesday Rumble, and would have to complete it all in the afternoon. No doubt next week will be exactly the same, but for a few hours I will pretend that it will actually be different.

The Future of School Rumble
Greetings, School Rumble fans! At the end of the second season of your favourite series, we, the producers of the anime, promised outright that School Rumble will continue. In the wake of this news, we were accused of not having enough ideas for a third season, and because of this, we have decided to publish our long-term plans for the franchise. I’m sure you will all agree that with this ambitious scheme, we can ensure that School Rumble not only runs for a third season, but can easily become a franchise that is still running long after our grandchildren have passed away from old age. Continue Reading »

If you like something, it seems only natural to want more of it- anime included. After all, if it comes down to a choice between more episodes about your favourite characters and settings, or watching something new and unproven, the former may well sound infinitely preferable. Unfortunately, the saying “too much of a good thing” exists for a reason; not every franchise can weather the demands of supplying additional content, resulting in worn out, recycled scenarios, tiresome, unimaginative filler, or an attempt to be different that destroys the very heart of what made it good in the first place. Continue Reading »

The new season is almost upon us, and yet here I am, having failed to put together any kind of autumn (or, if you prefer, fall) preview whatsoever- and nor am I intending to. Aside from the fact that many people have already done a better job of it than myself, and that I’m simply too lazy to be bothered, past experience has shown that the series I look forward to the most often turn out to be utterly disappointing. After all, in previous seasons, I was foolish enough to expect something of worth from Black Cat, Jigoku Shoujo, Mai-Otome, Fate, xxxHOLiC, Tsubasa, .hack//Roots, Kamisama Kazoku, Binbou…well, the list goes on. Clearly the only way forward is to ignore the most anticipated shows, and only watch the more obscure or unappealing sounding series (does this mean that Bartender will end up being a good choice?).

Reviewed this week: Black Blood Brothers, Chevalier, Higurashi, Keroro, Ouran, ROTK, School Rumble, Tenchi Special, Utawarerumono, NHK, xxxHOLiC

…and in manga: Furuba, Mai-Otome, Melty Blood, Mushishi, Natsu no Arashi, Tsubasa, Uta, xxxHOLiC, Yotsuba, Zero no Tsukaima novel

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Another week, another round-up, another persistent feeling that I really am following more series than the handful I seem to be covering. This week seems to be an oddly unbalanced one, featuring a select handful of gems amongst a desert of tiresome, forgettable dross- some of it from series I highly praised mere months or even weeks ago. Apologies if the words ‘tedious’ and ‘dull’ have been overused.

Reviewed this week: Black Blood Brothers, Chevalier, Hanoka, Higurashi, Keroro, Mai-Otome DVD Special, Ouran, ROTK, SaiMono, School Rumble, Utawarerumono, NHK, xxxHOLiC

…and in manga: Chokotto Sister, Mai-Otome, Mushishi, REC

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I meant to watch the Keroro Gunso movie in time for this round-up, I really did, but unfortunately I have this mental block about watching anything longer than about 35 minutes. Yes, I could easily watch several 25 minute episodes back-to-back, and yes, I could tackle a longer feature in several sittings, but such logic cannot overcome my natural aversion to concentrating on one thing for that long.

Anyway, with that aside, a number of notable titles remain absent from the round up yet again, but the week manages to feel busy nonetheless. It is surely only a matter of time until the full deluge arrives.

Reviewed this week: Black Blood Brothers, Higurashi, H&C II, Keroro, Otogi-jushi Akazukin, Ouran, ROTK, School Rumble, Utawarerumono, NHK

…and in manga: Erementar Gerad, Furuba, Mushishi, Tactics, Tsubasa, xxxHOLiC Continue Reading »

Rena outlines the dangers of becoming an anime fan.

Although I predicted a busy upcoming week in my last round-up, it turned out that I was completely wrong to do so, with this week offering even slimmer pickings than the last. Not that I’m particularly complaining- although I sense that there are series I’m missing, I can’t say I particularly care or remember what they are.

Reviewed this week: Haruka 8, Higurashi, Keroro, Mushishi, Ouran, ROTK, School Rumble, Utawarerumono, NHK, xxxHOLiC

…and in manga: Honey and Clover, Tsubasa, xxxHOLiC, Yotsuba& Continue Reading »

Keroro is not pleased with the state of the summer season.

After the sparseness of last week, everything seems to have returned in full force in readiness for the Round-Up’s one month anniversary. In light of all the drops of previous weeks, I’ve picked up a number of new series on the anime front, although unfortunately there are still many backlogged manga chapters waiting patiently for my attention.

Reviewed this week: FLAG, Ginga Densetsu Weed, Gokinjo Monogatari, Hanoka, Higurashi, H&C II, Kemonozume, Keroro, Mai-Otome DVD Special, Ouran, SaiMono, School Rumble, Tsubasa, Utawarerumono, NHK, xxxHOLiC, Otogi-jushi Akazukin, Love GetChu!

…and in manga: Erementar Gerad, Fate/Stay Night, Fruits Basket, Tsubasa Chronicle, Utawarerumono, xxxHOLiC Continue Reading »