May Roundup

On hold: Space Bros, Dusk Maiden of the Amnesia, Fujitits, Shirokuma Cade

Dropped: Zetman, Accel World, Kuroko no Basuke

LAND OF THE TERRIBAD

nada

FAULTY BUT WATCHABLE

12. AKB0048 7.9

This show is stupider than Aquarion EVOL. Oh god the whole songstress thing. The thing is though. . . I like it. It also has the EVOL aura in which everything is taken seriously to the point where you realize that some parts are purposely dumb. Or just unintentional comedy but meh I like it. Oh god this whole paragraph doesn’t make sense. Kinda like AKB0048.

GOOD

11. (14) Saki Achiga-Hen 8.2

Well it’s never gonna be as good as Saki but I’ve made peace with this series. They finally have mah-jong battles and some parts are pretty interesting. Some build-ups are paying off; some are still working on building up even more. Maybe this spinoff is just some commercial for the original series since when the real main characters appear, they’re really glorified especially Saki herself.

10. (5) Tsuritama 8.4

I like the whole fishing part of Tsuritama. The way this series presents fishing is very educational (sometimes slightly technobabbleish) though I am curious if Enoshima really has that much variety of fish. I also learned from this series that you can actually have artificial coral reefs. Anyway the plot of Tsuritama is picking up but I really don’t like some of the character interactions (or I’m still pissed at Natsuki for slapping his sweet sister). Haru’s slightly annoying too at times.

9. (6) Eureka Seven Ao 8.4

Maybe it’s just me but do all mecha series have great BGMs? Ao’s even better than Rinne no Lagrange’s. That aside, I really have to see the original Eureka Seven (or the six other eurekas). I’m really curious about Ao’s mom.

8. (10) Aquarion EVOL 8.4

AHAHAHHA the whole MIXY plot is stupid but I LOVE IT. Evol’s finally revealing some plot points that I’ve been waiting for since the beginning of the series and it’s all coming together. I hope the last stretch really pulls this series together.

SEASON’S MEAT

7. (4) Sankarea 8.6

This month in Sankarea had a lot of cracks, mostly because of content. It’s still great with damn fine execution, particularly in episode 8, but sometimes I do wonder what would happen if Sankarea’s staff got a better source material to work on. Anyways I do wonder how this will close off considering the manga is only up to chapter 26.

6. (7) Jormungand 8.7

It’s still fun, it’s still fresh, it’s still awesome. Anime about BANG BANG BANG is apparently always good. I just watched Black Lagoon recently and while Jormungand’s tone is slightly different, it has that snarky-devlish style that I really like. Also Jormungand’s writing is just flawless.

5. (9) Mouretsu Pirates 8.9

I finally picked this up. The refinement of Mouretsu Pirates is unrivalled. Its concepts and settings are well researched and I just love the way it’s used in this series. Bentenmaru’s tasks aren’t exactly the most pirate-ish (attacking luxury liners, saving princesses, guarding high school competitions) but the way it’s done is just brilliant. There’s also some form of mockery to other space operas with 5-6 episodes about High School girls managing Bentenmaru while eating cake and having parties. Moe in my space opera? Impossiburrruu!

4. (3) Fate/Zero 8.9

Kiritsugu’s backstory is very Kara no Kyoukai-ish. We got a view of the world outside of the Holy Grail War and it was slightly refreshing. It also helped that because of that backstory, the events that happened afterwards really hit hard. Kiritsugu will eat himself up by the end of this series.

3. (9) Hyouka 8.9

I have to admit, this is the series that has me excited watching each week. I don’t know why but it has this aura of perfection. Most KyoAni series have this but not as much as Hyouka does. Maybe this is why KyoAni always aims low. For perfection. Really though, Hyouka’s premise is so simple yet the way it’s executed makes it THAT MUCH BETTER. I mean when you have an episode just about Chitanda asking Houtaro why she got angry and you’re entertained, that’s something.

LEGENDARY

2. (2) Sakamichi no Apollon 9.3

I love how much stuff happens in an episode. It’s compact, concise while not losing the feelings and emotions. The romantic triangles actually go somewhere and the characters (especially Kaoru) go through so much maturity because of it. In any other season this would usually take the top spot but not when I finally found an anime that’s fit for my Top 10.

ALL TIME FAVORITE

1. (1) Mysterious Girlfriend X 9.7

This series is just AMAZING STUFF. Each trope in dating is deconstructed and turned into a way in which Tsubaki and Urabe become much more honest with each other. If drool is the way to make relationships work like this, then please every couple out there, exchange drools with your fingers NOW!

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I’d say last month’s stronger but the good crop did get a lot better this month!

Spring 2012 Impressions + Early April Roundup

Lumped it in together because I’m not gonna repeat the same shit again next week.

Hold: Mouretsu Pirates

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LAND OF THE TERRIBAD

nada for now

FAULTY BUT WATCHABLE

18. Zetman 7.7

American stylized anime never works but I thought Zetman could pull it off. It didn’t and to make it worse, it proceeded with a very fast pace leaving you with, “what the hell did I just watch?”. Yeah Zetman’s pretty bad but it’s still slightly watchable.

17. Dusk Maiden of the Amnesia 7.7

I like the directional quirk of the first episode and I saw a little bit of Natsu no Arashi in it which is a good thing. Second episode killed the shit off my brains as it proceeded to terrible character interactions and very been-there-done-that fanservice. No, accidentally groping someone’s breast just doesn’t cut it in 2012 anymore. You need to be more creative than that (and that’s coming from SILVER LINK which is supposed to be creative). I’ll give it a few more episodes but seriously, episode 2 was horrendous.

16. Medaka Box 7.9

I’m leaving this while I still can. I remember the manga becoming way too conflicted and having too many “powers” after a while. Still these episodes I watched were pretty good.

GOOD

15. Accel World 8.0

Imaginative setting combined with too much technobabble and terrible main leads. Index anyone? Accel World does too much telling for its own good and it’s gonna hurt later on. Having a fat shoe as a main character makes it even worse. But hey at least he’s FAT. We’ve always wanted those useless main leads to be fat and ugly, well at least Accel World has a nerve to make him FAT.

14. Saki – Episode of Side A 8.0

The episode side A spin off misses a lot of points that makes Saki work. You do not just breeze through the mahjong part and keep building off. What is Saki without mahjong? Why are you building up so much yet fail to what you build up the episode prior? I’d really like to address more on what makes this spinoff “off putting” so maybe I should make a post about that.

Still building up IS still build up and it’s hard to shrug off the excitement even though you know it’s not going to deliver.

13. Kuroko’s Basketball 8.2

This is incredibly embarrassing to watch. Too much cheesy lines, too many weird techniques, and a sense of realism in the game is totally gone. At the same time though, this is incredibly fun to watch. Characters keep on thinking about techniques and how they’ll shoot and its incredibly stupid and laughable but at the same time incredibly fun. If there’s a plus though, Taiga and Kuroko play off each other very well (if you say no homo then part of this show’s appeal will weirdly be gone).

12. Lupin III: Mine Fujiko Onna 8.3

Truth be told, I’ve put this on hold. Recently I’ve been watching an anime called Hakaba Kitaro. It’s a different take on Gegege Kitarou, a popular Japanese franchise, and it aired on noitaminA a few years back. It sorta reminds me of this Lupin III. A different feel from the original, a different style, very artistic. The thing is, I couldn’t bring myself to marathon Hakaba Kitarou. I can’t chug it down. I want to appreciate the different visual styles it uses (or the different shit filters) and I really can’t just put a date on when I’ll watch it. Same goes for Mine Fujiko. I want to appreciate the different details in its styles much MUCH more slowly. I don’t want to put a date on it.

Besides the unique style though, Mine Fujiko is just your normal detective/thief story. The series is nothing special besides the amazing production values.

11. Shirokuma Cafe 8.3

It’s a hit or miss kind of series but when it hits, it really hits. I also love the laid back style of the jokes. It fits perfectly to Panda’s personality.

SEASON’S MEAT

(2) 10. Aquarion EVOL 8.5

Aquarion has been proceeding in fluctuating quality. There’s really boring, repetitive, scenes then suddenly they follow it up with amazingly weird ones like that Super Dimensional Punch back to the Original Aquarion scene after Zessica shouted “chuuki” in which everyone reacted in really funny ways. I love EVOL but stop fucking boring me from one scene then amazing me on another!

9. Hyouka 8.5

I hold off giving an impression from Spring because I was waiting for this show. I was relatively hyped up for this since I generally like most things KyoAni pop up. Plus I got a real treat last year when they tried something pretty different from what they do with Nichijou and its absurdist ways. Unfortunately Hyouka isn’t really trying much to set itself apart from its genre. It felt like a more subdued, realistic version of Haruhi . . . which isn’t all that bad.

Major complaint goes to characterization of the male lead. Stop repeating that he’s “low energy” we already got it when you first mentioned it! In fact you didn’t even have to mention it in the first place! The scriptwriting concentrates heavily on narrative which gives a few scenes WAY TOO MUCH BABBLE. Still that won’t be a bad thing anymore once they start tacking the mysteries.

The animation though is something you can never diss with KyoAni. This looks fucking amazing. It’s like the disappearance movie animation except its 21 episodes. Realistic fluidity + detailed backgrounds + detailed everything + a slight touch of artistry really equals the best animation this season. You can hate on KyoAni all you want, but I’d gladly defend them when it comes to their animation.

8. Space Bros. 8.6

Space Bros. is very inspiring. They continue showing off Mutta and his battle to finally get back on track in his life and follow what he has always wanted to do which is becoming an astronaut. The sense of realism like sibling love and being the older one is really played well here.

7. Jormungand 8.7

I really haven’t watch that much war dramas but from the little that I did (Phantom), I absolutely loved. Jormungand is completely different from Phantom though, and I love the stylish, sexy and fun way of delivering its plot. Koko is fucking loco. Her personality is indefinable (kinda like Johan from Monster). You just know something weird is gonna happen once she puts on an evil smile.

6. Eureka Seven AO 8.8

I really need to watch Eureka Seven. It’s one of those anime you absolutely need to watch because it’s apparently a definition of what anime is. I kinda got a glimpse of it here on AO and if there’s anything I can say, it would be that I’m really excited for this. If they do it correctly, AO could reach heights that I have not seen in a mecha anime before. Also the animation is glorious. 2D mecha done like this really is the way to go.

5. Tsuritama 8.8

The level of creativity in its animation is amazing in itself. Kenji Nakamura is a genius. Sure [C] was a bit of a fail at times but its premise is really great and its unique take on economics surprised me. Tsuritama is far from what C is though. It’s more close to Kimi to Boku except it isn’t boring. There’s aliens, ducks, mind controlling water guns. Plus there’s great characterization and they actually feel like actual teenage boys (Kimi to Boku’s boys felt like those genderbent characters fans like to make).

4. Sanakarea 8.8

One of the two big surprises this season, Sankarea’s first three episodes were really solid. Nice exposition, clever directing, incredible visuals . . . it’s a complete package for an introduction! Really though, hat’s off to the directing. This wouldn’t be nearly as good if the directing wasn’t top notch.

The only thing detracting it now is some fans.

3. Sakamichi no Apollon 8.9

Really, really solid first two episodes. It delivered on what I expected (and I expected a lot) and even gave a bonus on amazing instrument playing scenes. Seriously, ANIME ISN’T SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!

If I did have a complaint, it would be the OP. This was the anime comeback of YUKI for me and it presented itself too. . . healing. I did read that Yoko Kanno composed it so maybe it’s her fault. I really just wanted to hear that girl who sang on Honey and Clover. Heh.

LEGENDARY

2. Fate/Zero 9.1

Amazing comeback. First they topped Ionian Heratoi with Saber’s Excalibur as the most visually stunning Noble Phantasm yet. Then they proceeded to question Saber’s morals and what chivalry really is. Is a battlefield better than hell or is it hell in itself?

1. Mysterious Girlfriend X 9.4

This is the second big surprise of the season. I really just can’t put to words on why it’s good. Certainly the directing is top notch (reading a fair bit of the manga myself), also the production quality, especially the music. MGX is really best served experienced. You need to watch it, get past the saliva and be amazed on how big of a throwback this is.

ALL TIME FAVORITE

MGX is really really close. . .

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I’d say this season is really good. It could even beat last spring’s bonanza and I already have one series that I LOVE (MGX). It really started off with a bang, with Space Bros. premiering early, then Fate/Zero, Sankarea, Mysterious Grilfriend X, Jormungand . . . noitminA added 2 more then Ao and then last but not the least, Hyouka. And even then, there’s still good series below the really good ones like Shirokuma Cafe, Lupin III and Kuroko’s Basketball. Heck Accel World and the Saki spinoff ain’t so bad.

If last season everyone’s praising how there’s so much good directing that terrible premises ended up to be good shows, much more so this season. We have Watanabe’s comeback, that doraemon movie director blowing everyone’s hats off with Space Bros and MGX, the Sankarea director who has a false name and apparently worked with SHAFT, FMP director, Kenji Nakamura . . .

It’s a good time to be a anime fan. Everyone should soak this up now while they can since Summer’s looking sorta bleak.

side note: I lost at the first round of the Aniblog Tourney. Oh well Trzr23 is a great blog (and weirdly people have been saying our blogs are identical) and since it beat me, it should proceed to win the entire thing (or else I’ll be shamed!). I actually thought I’d lose badly and people would criticize my blog heavily, but I didn’t (even lead the match for a few hours) and apparently PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIKE MY BLOG.

March Roundup

Dropped: Symphogear, Area no Kishi, Guilty Crown

Hold: InuXBoku SS, Mouretsu Pirates, Mirai Nikki

I’ll just do a fast swing at this since I’ve explained a lot in my reviews

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LAND OF THE TERRIBAD:

none

FAULTY BUT WATCHABLE:

none

————————————————————————

GOOD:

Rinne no Lagrange: 8.0

I felt a bit iffy with the whole Madoka angst but overall, Rinne’s last month felt like a build up to the next season. Everyone’s separated ways after the whole “pretty flowers falling into the sky” act. I never really got the significance of that but whatever. ONWARDS TO SEASON 2 THIS SUMMER!

Nichibros. : 8.3

The comedy started to go slightly dry but the anime insults haven’t. In particular the whole last scene in the last episode where everything was played straight feels like a facepalm now seeing how stupid these clichés actually are. I salute you for this Nichibros., I really do.

GREAT:

Another: 8.6

The last two episodes were sort of downers, especially since the rest of the series spent time building up the mystery. The BIG REVEAL is mindfuck amazing though, but overall, this isn’t Another’s best month.

Ano Natsu de Matteru: 8.6

 

Mixed bag for this month. Episodes 9 and 10 were pretty amazing, Top tier quality romance. Episodes 11 and 12 is shit. Seriously, the Sci-fi element cheapens the whole thing! Though Lemon-senpai turning out to be MBI was pretty damn cool.

LEGENDARY:

Nisemonogatari: 9.0

Step down from Bake, as I’ve mentioned already. Still, that toothbrush scene will always be etched in my mind forever.

Aquarion EVOL: 9.0

I’m including Episode 14 in this because that’s the reason why EVOL is rated so high this month. The level of surrealism in that episode just raised the weirdness bar on this series, which was pretty high already.

Fudo ordered the students to bury themselves on the graveyard to feel death. Mikono was opposed to this so she didn’t follow orders and after a few minutes, the original Aquarion OP starts playing and Mikono’s power was revealed (something about connecting green lines or whatever). Then everyone popped up of the ground and Mikono shouts “Happy Birthday!” to all of them.

Weird but awesome.

Chihayafuru: 9.4

I WANT A SEQUEL NOW!

ALL TIME FAVORITE:

nada

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Average month I guess. . . not much to say that I haven’t already. I don’t wanna be repetitive. Toodles!

January Roundup

Hah! I finally got around to do a monthly roundup!

The new season has a lot of good offerings. Nothing Madoka Magica-level of awesome is offered besides Nisemonogatari but everything WENT BETTER THAN EXPECTED. As of the carry-overs from last season, they are still looking good. Even Guilty Crown isn’t so terrible anymore now that I’ve accepted that it will never be good.

The noticeable trend though is “GOING BACK TO ANIME’S ROOTS”. Stuff like Lagrange or Ano Natsu could actually have aired years ago and you wouldn’t notice anything (especially Ano Natsu). Bodacious Pirates has plenty of homages and the fact that this was in production for such a long time, you can really see its classiness. Aquarion gets a sequel/reboot and nostalgia must be coming in. Another is an adaptation of a 20th century novel while Area no Kishi is an adaptation of a 27-volume ongoing manga. Heck, Dansei no Nichijou is mocking every single anime trope we’ve came to know and. . . get annoyed?

It does look like this won’t stop for this season. Next season has tons of award-winning mangas adapted, long-awaited franchises, digging in novels of a decade old. . . etc.

For some news: Bebop director and Yoko Kano are collaborating for a manga adaptation of a Jazz Band in Noitamina, animated at Tezuka Productions. Hold of your “Too much anticipation will turn it into a Guilty Crown” though. Seriously, hold it off. Though I doubt this will be terrible.

So HERE WE GO!

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LAND OF THE TERRIBAD

13. Nymphogear

Lol this shit is terrible! Who the hell wrote the script for this thing! Well at least it’s so bad it’s funny! The animation though is honky-ponky terribad.

Rating: 7.0

 

FAULTY BUT WATCHABLE

12. Guilty Crown

At this point, I’m just accepting this come and go. Pull plot twists out of nowhere- sure whatever! Start a cultural festival with all the characters you like back in school even though the whole town is in chaos and the supplies are slowly disappearing – sure whatever! Might as well turn Shoe into a badass (as the new OP suggested) since we need this shit to run a bit longer – SURE WAHTEVS! You could say I’m somewhat immune already to the shit this series pull off and I really just want to enjoy it since it has really nice visuals. Plus it’s not nearly as bad as the likes of Blood-C and Fractal for anime originals.

Rating: 7.6

 

GOOD

11. Knight in the Area

Well I didn’t get as teary-eyed as I probably would have (yes I get emotional with these onion animu), but rest assured Knight in the Area has something big in store of us. With Kakeru getting Suguru’s heart, things will definitely spic up as we will probably see glimpses of dark Suguru in our weak-willed MC.

Rating: 8.1

10. Inu X Boku SS

There’s a wild premise of youkai living in one place and you know where they focus on? Everyday life in living in that apartment of course! Much like Mouretsu Pirates, Marley and Me Supernatural Series focuses on “What is it like to be in this setting” rather than “We have an awesome setting; let’s make a great plot alongside it”. While something tells me that the latter would turn my interest in this series a bit higher, enjoying the everyday life of such setting isn’t so bad either. It also helps when your characters are really interesting. Especially the butler. THAT GODDAMN BUTLER! He probably even beats Hayate in his own game.

Rating: 8.2

9. Bodacious Pirates

Turn her into a pirate already! In all honesty Bodacious Pirates has the most solid execution this season. It’s not hurrying up to the plot (it has 26 episodes of leeway) and its universe is being slowly explored. I’m sure all this buildup will pay off heavily once the plot actually starts.

Rating: 8.3

 

SEASON’S MEAT

8. Mirai Nikki

The question was always, why doesn’t just Yuki give up and actually like Yuno for a change. She’s just a stalker and she probably wouldn’t hurt- OH SHIT. Yuno is mentally unstable and will delete memories in a flick. Yuno really is the anchor of this series. Heck they couldn’t even prolong her absence (a grand total of half an episode) since they probably realized that every character in this series is terrible except Yuki. And Yuki,  as character, doesn’t work without Yuno.

Rating: 8.5

 

7. Everyday Life of High School Boys

Being really funny is one thing but consistently mocking every single thing about anime tropes is another thing. Dansei no Nichijou is heavy on mocking. Deep words scriptwriter pulls out of there asses – MOCKED. I have a peaceful everyday life and I will run outside with a toasted bread in my mouth – MOCKED. I will go to the beach, sing Karaoke, go to an Onsen, play in the cemetery in summer while having a cheesy song running through making the viewer feel nostalgic of what have you –MOCKED. I think the best one was in episode 3 near the end where the girls where mocking the everyday skit of Dansei no Nichijou. One of the girls spouted “We are funny in whatever we’re gonna do because we’re girls”. HAHAHAHA shit the comedy in this series is GOLD.

I’d give it a few more episodes and if I find a skit that will make me laugh more than Nichijou’s wrestling scene, then I really might consider this as the best comedy Anime has ever seen. For now though-

Rating: 8.6

 

6. Rinne no Lagrange

Admittedly I wasn’t sold with the first episode since it felt a bit sloppy but the next two episodes changed that completely. We got a full-three episode continuity making me feel like this production is BIG. It’s fun, thrilling and exciting. The details of the battle are very spot on too. The series realizes that there’s actually people in town not like some other series (hi thar Aquarion) and it’s a nice little detail that Madoka actually worries where she will land. The things that got destroyed the episode before where still there and the human weapons have actually some use (to stall time) unlike some other series (hi thar Nymphogear). I also helps that your Yuri Goggles is at max limit. Also the Soundtrack is awesome.

Rating: 8.7

 

5. Aquarion EVOL

Not exactly the most consistent, but it definitely is the most exciting. Coming from someone who has never watched Sousei no Aquarion, I must say this is the very definition of what an anime is. It has a plot which can never be pulled off in other media, its characters have personalities and designs that again can never be pulled off in another media, and its glowing “Gattai Scenes” (the most unadulterated version of an orgasm) is also something that can never be pulled off in another media. Even with all the clichés it pulls, it never felt, “been there done that”.

A great example is Episode 5. The Berlin Wall of the school which separates boys and girls has finally been broken only for the rule of “Love is Forbidden” to be initiated. Then the heads of the school decided that these teenagers should go on dates in Kowloon and give them these armbands which electrocute you if you’re too in love. Except for Amata Sora of course, because we have to see him fly when sexually driven! And just when the heads start panicking that there’s no stopping Amata and Mikono’s relationship (complete with a “I think we are destined for each other” line), lo and behold. The villain comes in, sweeps of Mikono, tells her “You stink deliciously. Mikono then gets electrocuted, Zessica is now replaced by the Villain in the triangle, and some sort of new power is formed.

No, a plot like this can never be pulled off in any other media (even manga).

Rating: 8.7

 

4. Another

Horror, like comedy, is something that’s hard to pull off. Everyone has a different taste on what triggers their emotions so the best way for a Horror/Suspense/Mystery series to work is play all its cards for it to work. Another does this really well. From the very start, I was already shit-in-my-pants scared on what’s gonna happen. There’s so much intrigue, so much questions, so much mystery. If I do have a problem, it would be that the characters aren’t the most interesting out there. I guess concentrating on fear will really take out character development and most horror series are like this but there is ONE series that avoided this and that would be Higurashi. That would also be the reason why Higurashi is my number one Horror Anime ever. Another is still really good though and definitely one of the contenders for the best this season.

*Remember that crapalicious anime called BLOOD C? You can say both this and that have the same intrigue but WHY is it that this works so well and BLOOD C worked so terribly? I guess that’s the most mysterious thing about BLOOD C. IT had everything going for it, yet it didn’t work.

Rating: 8.7

 

3. Ano Natsu de Matteru

It surprisingly became the best new offering this season, for me. I’ve explained lengthily why Onegai Sempai is so good so I’m not gonna bother explaining again. I am quite excited in where this Love Polygon is gonna take us. Maybe another reason why I’m really loving Ano Natsu is because we barely had any romance anime last season.

Rating: 8.8

 

LEGENDARY

2. Chihayafuru

Omi Jingu Arc was surprisingly fast but as Chiahyafuru always is, it’s solid. I love how Chihaya didn’t beat the odds and loss to Queen but more importantly, Taichi’s really becoming a character to be recognized. His match in the end really encompasses his flaws as a character.  “I guess second place is good enough”. Yup, definitely the Jack-of-all-Trades and Master-of-None.

Rating: 9.1

 

ALL TIME FAVORITE

1. Nisemonogatari

Oh my god this shit is still awesome after a two year break. I guess SHAFT made sure that this sequel won’t suck for a change. Episode 3 was particularly good with the introduction of a new character, the plot finally progressing and Senjougahara Fascination in 140% mode. Also, bath scenes with the new Shinobu (Mina Tepes finally found a show that doesn’t suck to jump on) isn’t bad either.

Rating: 9.6

September Roundup

My roundup’s get screwed up because I haven’t catched up to everything. But I do have a solid TOP 5 this season so here it is:

5. Usagi Drop – 42/50

It ended on a very reflective note, something that really reflects the series. Just please no sequel!

4. Nichijou – 44/50

It somehow also ended in a reflective mode, but still had its jokes intact. I really do think that Random comedy is the best type of comedy for me.

3. Hanasaku Iroha – 45/50

Unlike Ao no Exorcist, Hanairo really redeems itself in its last stretch. Everyone was busy in Bonbori and grandma really became one of the top characters of the series.

2. Mawaru Penguindrum – 47/50

This series was glorious this month. The library episode was fantastic. The plot started cutting through. The mysteries started pounding. There’s even relevance to reality. PingDuramu will really end up one of the best anime this year if this keeps up.

1. Steins;Gate – 50/50

It ended very sweet but very deserving. After all those hardship Okarin went through, I think he deserves a happy ending. Ending aside, this month was a perfect Steins;Gate month. It ended earlier than others, but it left one of the biggest impact to me. Bravo S;G, Bravo!

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Well there you have it. A short, not concise, not satisfying Roundup. Hahahahahahaha!

AUGUST ROUNDUP

Magazine cover thanks to ahelo- oh wait that’s me.

10. Ao no Exorcist: 32/50 (4)

Ao no Exorcist has taken quite a dip this month. I guess I just don’t like the way it handles original material since characters like Konnekomaru get ruined. The easy-going pace it has that I actually quite liked disappeared with the twists and turns too. But I still like it, and by the looks of where its headed, we might get a good finale.

9. Hanasaku Iroha: 36/50 (6)

It managed to save a little more face than AnE, but it surged down a lot too. Why is Minko annoying again? Why does Tohru keep showing up and making love triangles everywhere when I clearly don’t like him? Who the hell cares about Enishing and Takako? The only thing is has going for it is Grandma which is getting a lot of great lines.

8. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Nii: 38/50 (14)

It may not be as funny as the first season, but its doing a lot of things right. The “trying to find who was taking the pictures” arc went a tad bit too long, but it had its moments. The main gist of my praise though is the Minami-centric episode which was perfect in every way.

7. No. 6: 39/50 (8)

Well I don’t get the hell what’s going on most of the time, but hey I’m having a lot of fun with it. I love the overly metaphorical dialogue everyone has, the getting-gayer-by-the-second relationship of the main characters, and the overall story they are telling. It never changes feel and its firm with its grip on its story.

6. Kamisama Dolls: 40/50 (7)

I really like Kamisama Dolls, if you haven’t noticed. Its storytelling is very solid, and completely flaunts it off in the flashback episode. Man, that episode with the teacher was awesome, albeit a bit creepy (the teacher’s actions). It also sets a more darker edge to the series (well not really, haha episode 8) but. . . OH WHATEVER I JUST LIKE IT.

5. Dantalian no Shoka: 42/50 (10)

Unlike Memochou which never got out of the “I think there’s something missing” and is slowly getting worse, Gainax’s Dantalian no Shoka just gets better and better in my eyes. Of course the beautiful animation helps, but the story it presents, the little mysteries, have quite a soothing feeling to them. Some have relevance to today’s otaku society (too much sometimes) like the fujoshi who keeps killing the writer because he’s not writing the end the fujoshi wants, or the followers of that Frankenstein Girl. Also they’re putting a lot of Gainax trademark, like the lovers who turned into a new being (fujoshi episode), some fight scenes that utilizes that black color, and more.

4. Mawaru Penguindrum: 45/50 (5)

It just gets more awesome doesn’t it. From Penguin Queen trash-talking Ringo, to Kanba’s moment of manliness, to Ringo making a frog lay eggs on Shouma’s back on hot temperature to her trying rape, and Fabulous Max,. . . god I love this anime. I am getting worried that I like way too much anime this season.

3. Usagi Drop: 46/50 (3)

Usagi Drop is DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. This is why I don’t blog it.

2. Nichijou: 46/50 (1)

There was no moment that reached Mio’s wrestling episode, but there are a lot of skits that came close. Did I mention that I also LOVE THIS ANIME.

1. Steins;Gate: 49/50 (2)

I think its appropriate to put this on first. It started slow with the Rukako episode, but quickly picked up pace with Moeka’s and to Mr. Braun’s. It got really dark and creepy, death toll went up, and finally we see Kurisu leave. Well not after a kiss and confession. Also after she leaves, Suzuha reveals that World War III will happen in the future. I don’t know about you, but that’s plot talkin’.

JULY ROUNDUP

So it’s July and it’s time for a roundup! I decided to screw the Mid-month impressions since I realized it was a bad idea so I just tried to stick with the traditional monthly impressions. The total score per month would be 50 and by the end of the season, I’ll add everything up and do a seasonal ranking. I love rankings btw.

16(new) BLOOD C – (15/50)

The fourth episode was very interesting, a step up from the disappointment of the first three. It’s still a disappointment though, these four episodes, and CLAMP needs to give better execution for me to rate this any higher.

15(new) Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi – (18/50)

I think I’m gonna hold this for a while. While it has an interesting story, it doesn’t execute it well. The characters are bland, there’s the bad type of fanservice, and it has a problem of telling and not showing. For now, I’d consider this dropped.

14(new) Baka to Test To Shoukanjuu Ni! – (22/50)

I love the first season a lot. I guess this one is much of the same but those first two episodes were very lukewarm and boring in terms of making me laugh. I just hope it doesn’t go to the same pile as Maria Holic.

13(new) Sacred Seven – (23/50)

It has an interesting premise but not executed well. I’m very engrossed to the series but it has a lot of glaring faults. There’s still a lot more episodes to fix that though.

12(new) Mayo Chiki – (27/30)

It would’ve made it to the passing mark but the third episode sucked. I think this is my guilty pleasure series this season though so I’m tentatively positive about this one.

11(new) It’s the NEET thing to do – (34/50)

The dialogue and the mystery is the main hook for me. It’s well done and it’s just so witty. There’s still something lacking though and I can’t point my finger at it but it’s a nice start for this series.

10(new) Dantalian no Shoka – (34/50)

The GOSICK this season, Dantalian doesn’t disappoint at all. Animation-wise it;s the best this season, and the plot is also pretty good. The main characters have great chemistry (the fact that they’re both smart is already a win factor) and its building up to something interesting. Again though like the other mystery-solving series before it, there’s something lacking that I can’t point my finger at.

9(new) Moe in Paris – (35/50)

It has a solid start for a heartwarming, educational, and cultural story. It is very laidback, the soothingness creeps to you slowly making you go AWWWW and Dawwwww. I realized though “WHY THE HELL AM I BLOGGING THIS?!!?”. It didn’t cross my mind until now that it gives me the same feeling as Usagi Drop and would be hard to blog. AHAHA I’m dumb.

8(new) No.6 – (36/50)

This is the BL Dystopia fantasy anime of the season. One moment everyone’s serious and then the next moment everyone’s hinting BL undertones on each other. Not that it’s a bad thing since it’s so LOL and they are chugging in an awesome plot. . . I’m very excited for this!

7(new) Kamisama Dolls – (38/50)

This series is completely appealing to all my Anime tastebuds. Interesting story: Check!, Interesting Characters: Check!, You know it will explode sometime soon: Check!, There’s the intrigue you really like in anime: Check!. This is how awesomely Kamisama Dolls rolls.

6(4) Hanasaku Iroha – (38/50)

I think I went overboard in praising this. Episode 16 I was all like, “It reminds me of Toradora! This is the shit!”. Then episode 17 came in to ruin he day. Damn episode 17, Hanairo was getting really consistent! I do hope they start tackling the main characters again now. It seems that the series is at its best when they put Kou-chan (though I personally lost interest in him when he dissed Ohana). Besides it was gonna be hard topping last month’s awesomeness.

TOP 5

5(new) Mawaru Penguindrum – (40/50)

There’s actually two new series I’m in love with this season. This is the one of them. Now that I’ve watched Revolutionary Girl Utena, I totally get why people are so excited about this. It’s very layered with symbolisms (not as bombarding as Utena) and there’s a good story to be told. It seems that the series is concentrating on beliefs; Fate or no fate. It’s not technically bltantly pointed out, but it’s something to realize. Also, those penguins are awesome.

4(5) Ao no Exorcist – (42/50)

It had an awesome mid-season climax; not to mention how it’s getting more and more exciting with the plot starting to finally roll. Big-boobs is a great addition to the cast. The awesome thing about this series that differentiate this from other Shounen action is the focus. It’s very character-oriented. Friends are a dominant team as also is teamwork. Also one must note that this series is really coll. Saying it’s not cool means your blind or something.

 3(new) Usagi Drop – (42/50)

When I watch this series, the thing that keeps coming out of my mouth is the word “DAWWWW”. Damnit the parenthood being shown in this series is so realistic and down to earth. It can really attack anyone who’s watching this. Rin is the most adorable thing ever and I’m glad 2ch isn’t into boning her because if they did, Imma kill all of them. Nice to know that sometimes, people like the idea of parenthood. Afer a long meditation, I realized I liked this quite a bit more than Penguindrum, thus the high score.

2(3) Steins;Gate – (49/50)

The series is completely chugging the plot. . . it’s getting more and more interesting as the episodes progress. I love the idea that Okarin and co. is trying to reverse engineer everything to the point that Mayuri wasn’t endangered at all. But yeah “No hope goiys” so far. . . SUZUHA!!!!!!!!! L

1(1)Nichijou (50/50)

So it manages to be funnier than it already is. . . WHATTUP! I think Mio’s wrestling spree propelled this into a perfect 50.

Addendum:

It seems that the gap between second and third place is getting bigger. Steins;Gate and Nichijou just keep on getting better and better! The new series are sure to challenge that though, especially Ping Duramu and Usagi Drop. So far no disappointments besides BLOOD CLAMPYCLAMPCLAMP.