Honestly, there are quite a few very good shows this season, so even though these series didn’t make it into my top 5, they’re all still highly enjoyable and come with the 0rion seal of approval.

6. Hayate no Gotoku

• Hinagiku
• Wacky romantic comedy
• Parodies everything under the sun
• Hinagiku

If you’ve never watched any of Hayate no Gotoku, you probably should just stop reading now and go get some of the first season. If you have, then you already know exactly what to expect from this series.

And really, that’s one of the strengths of this series. For over a year now Hayate no Gotoku has been the dependable, consistent weekly comedy that always brings the laughs without fail. Admittedly, it started to drag a bit through the middle of last season, and it does tend to recycle the same gags a lot. Nevertheless, it’s pretty much always worth a watch when you need some good old fashioned silliness with a few hints of romantic developments sprinkled on top.

Oh yeah, it also has lots of Hinagiku, and that’s never a bad thing.

7. Valkyria Chronicles

• Based on the hit PS3 game
• Character exposition fleshes out the game’s story
• Tsundere Alicia
• Amazing art

I was expecting better from Valkyria Chronicles. It’s definitely an interesting show, and I love the animation style that mirrors the game’s look, but so far the part of the show I was looking forward to the most, the battles, has been largely missing.

Pretty much every plot arc has been something along the lines of: “Army shmucks charge in and get annihilated. Welkin comes up with some kind of farfetched plan. They activate godmode on their super tank, and Squad 7 rolls right over the enemy with no discernable casualties. Alicia is tsundere. Hilarity ensues.”

Maybe I’m just bitter because I wanted Final Fantasy Tactics the Animation instead.

That said, having recently started playing through the PS3 game, and after reading  tj_han’s review, my opinion of the series has been improved considerably. Looking at it as sort of a companion for the game makes perfect sense. The anime series provides great character development and interaction to fill in the space between missions in the game, and the game’s awesome tactical missions replace the deus ex machina battles the anime depicts.

I still wish they would’ve give the actual battles a bigger role in the animated series, but in the end it accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is flesh out the characters and the world setting in a very entertaining fashion.

8. Shangri-La

• Character and art designs by Range Murata (Last Exile)
• Fascinating post-apocalyptic world
• Most awesome OP ever

Shangri-La has received a fair amount of criticism from various blogs and other reviews, and quite fairly so. While it started off pretty strong, with a very intriguing and unique world setting and an unusual cast of characters, in recent episodes the quality has really dropped off. The plot development has been cryptic at best, a lot of the dialogue sounds contrived or stilted, and then of course there was LOLBALLOON.

Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see whether the story does start to coalesce into something more substantial, but for the mean time I think the mysterious post apocalyptic world setting is intriguing enough on it’s own to carry my interest.

The world of Shangri-La really is its main strength, and the reason why I have it ranked as high as it is. With its classist political structure and fragile carbon based economic system, it reflects some of the problems in modern day first world countries, but on a much more overt, almost exaggerated level. Seeing the world primarily from the perspective of the younger characters lends a certain innocence and naivete to the exploration of how these social systems affect people’s lives that I find interesting.

Oh yeah, and Range Murata’s character designs absolutely rock. Also, the OP song “Kimi Shinitamou Koto Nakare” by May’n is easily the most awesome OP of the season. I’ve had it stuck in my head for weeks now. =D

Ultimately it’s a very “take it or leave it” kind of show that isn’t going to appeal to everyone. Hopefully Gonzo won’t drive it into the ground over the course of remaining episodes.

9. Ristorante Paradiso

• Delicious Italian cuisine
• Old guys being awesome
• Slice-of-life / iyashikei
• Great music

Ristorante Paradiso is a series that initially slipped under my radar. And after all, it’s not a big budget title with all the might of the Akiba moe moe marketing machine behind, so it’s easy to overlook at first.

That would be a big mistake, however, as Ristorante Paradiso is easily the season’s most unique, enjoyable, and relaxing slice-of-life series. The story centers around a young woman named Nicoletta who initially comes to Rome to confront her estranged mother, who abandoned Nicoletta as a young girl and kept her existence secret from her second husband.

Eventually through various circumstances she gives up her mission and ends up working as an assistant chef in the classy Italian restaurant they operate, and through that experience learns how to forgive, how to love, how to mature into her own person, and how to simply enjoy life and the various circumstances it brings.

It’s a very simple, ordinary kind of story, and admittedly depicted from a rather shoujo angle in some ways, but ultimately it’s a brilliant slice-of-life tale. It also includes plenty of fine wines, fine dining, and lots of awesome older guys being suave and awesome. I can only hope to become so awesome when I reach that age.

Honestly the only reason this show isn’t ranked higher is because I recognize its premise and slow pace will not appeal to a lot of people. In many ways it’s similar to Bartender, although still not nearly as badass as that show. That said, if you don’t mind a more mature, somewhat different storytelling approach in your anime, you probably won’t be disappointed by Ristorante Paradiso.

10. Hatuskoi Limited

• Romance comedy blah blah blah
• Less fail than Ichigo 100%

Anata wa koi wo shita koto…arimasu ka?

I wasn’t expecting much from this series initially, since it’s based on a manga from Kawashita Mizuki, the same lady who did Ichigo 100%. After giving it some time, however, I have to say I’ve come around to appreciate the show. There’s some genuinely good comedy and romantic developments, and a distinct lack of the insipid panty-flash fanservice that made Ichigo 100% so mediocre. The characters are much more believable and likeable, that’s for sure.

Kawashita’s character designs are always good, even if some of them tend to look a bit similar, and there’s so many pairings I imagine everyone will be able to find at least one person to root for. Also, nothing beats seeing Ayumi-chan single-handedly untie herself and rock all those chimpira punks who kidnapped her.

None Found

Incoming Dekkai Huge Post of Long.

Yes, that’s right, I’ve decided to satisfy my penchant for attaching meaningless numbers to things by putting together yet another Anime Season Ranking Post. Haven’t done this for a couple years now, come to think of it. Lazy me.

A couple quick notes:

• I’m ranking them from best to worst this time around. Sure, it takes out some of the “dramatic suspense”, but I figure most  people will get TL;DR Syndrome after about 4 or 5 anyway. Feel free to just read the convenient bullet points and save yourself time if you’re that guy. I’m also splitting this post up into several segments, which you’ll see going up on the site over the course of the next couple days.

• Haruhi Suzumiya won’t be on this list for 2 reasons. First, only one episode so far has been new material, since after episode 8 the series is back to old first season stuff for a while. Second, I’m so biased toward the show it would still be #1 even if it was horrible. Of course, the rest of the rankings are going to be completely biased as well, so that doesn’t really change anything. =P

• All these are based completely on my own judgment, so obviously your preferences may differ. If you feel a certain show doesn’t to deserve to be so high / so low, by all means feel free to make a comment or blog post with your counter perspective.

Your mileage may vary, etc. etc.

“Go step in front of the train, Al. I’ll put you back together afterward, promise!”

1. Fullmetal Alchemist

• Story reset, following the manga plot
• Mostly the same vocal cast
• Amazing blend of dark drama and light comedy
• “Barry Za Choppaaa!”

A faithful reproduction of one of the greatest shounen manga ever. What more could you want?

It should be no surprise that this is at the top of the list. FMA ranks as one of my favorite manga of all time, and I loved the first anime series even despite its flaws and different ending storyline. To get a second run, especially one that intends to follow the manga storyline through to the end, is a dream come true.

While not the best in the world, the animation quality is extremely solid. A few speedlines here and there, and a couple close-up copouts, but for the most part the fight scenes are excellent as well. Most of the original voice cast are reprising their roles here as well, and of the ones that have changed, they all changed for the better in my opinion. Casting Hideyuki Umezu (narrator from Death Note) as the voice of “Barry Za Choppaaa” was a stroke of genius, for example.

I always loved Barry’s character in the manga (“I kill, therefore I am!”) as an unexpected source of comic relief as well as having his own interesting character developments, and Hideyuki really captures both the creepy and funny sides of his character well. Inoue Kikuko as Lust was another great choice. Although I wouldn’t have expected her to do well in that kind of role, so far her performance has been awesome – creepy evil but with a little bit of sexy too.

Pretty long coat for such a short guy

One thing I do miss is that awesome “equivalent exchange” intro sequence the old anime series had that played at the beginning of every episode; the new one is nowhere near as cool. Also the new OP is kind of lackluster as well, in my opinion.

I’m also disappointed that it seems they decided to skip over the “train hijack” episode, since that was always one of my favorites and served to help introduce a lot of important characters and series concepts. Ahh, and while I’m nitpicking, the eyecatch “Fullmetal Alchemist!!!” Engrish is a bit over the top. Reminds of the eyecatch they used for Initial D back in the day. That guy was just so excited to say the name of the show he couldn’t stand himself.

Overall though, these are minor complaints. The story is awesome enough that I would watch it even if the animation was all kinds of terrible and QUALITY. With solid animation and a brilliant vocal cast, though, it serves to bring to life one of the most excellent manga there is.

2. Higashi no Eden

• Brilliant animation quality
• Intriguing, very different sort of plot
• Johnny snipping
• NEET-tastic

Coming in at number 2, Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East) is a brilliant and well animated series that deals with many of humankind’s age-old questions.

How can mankind make the world a better place? How can we best address the ills of society? How can one live a fulfilled or meaningful life? What would it be like to live in your very own shopping mall? Should useless men have their Johnnies snipped? Why shouldn’t we ship all our useless NEETs to Dubai? And how come dogs don’t have wings by default anyway?

Higashi no Eden tackles all of these questions and more. And really, I think that is the secret of its genius. The series gives the viewer the opportunity to consider some pretty big questions, but does it from a very down to earth, bite sized entertainment perspective. Like Darker than Black and other similar series, it packages some serious philosophical material in a candy wrapper of action, drama, and comedy.

Guff and I wrote a lot about this kind of storytelling in our posts on Darker than Black and Kaiji, and as I’ve mentioned before, I think it’s a great mechanism for making deep concepts approachable and understandable. It also makes for good entertainment because it can be as deep or as shallow as you want, depending on how much you engage with it.

Add in the amazing animation quality and great soundtrack that Higashi no Eden brings to the table, along with lots of facepalm inducing randomness and a bit of romance on the side, and this series is really is a complete package that has something to appeal to everyone. Or almost anyone, at least – for some reason that I can’t fathom, this series has been met with a fair amount of criticism and meh from people I would’ve expected to enjoy it.

I’ll spare you from the rant for the time being, but Guff and I do have a few random rant-ish comments and things we hope to clarify about the series and why it’s awesome. Keep an eye out for our full review of this series, coming soon to a blog post near you.

3. Phantom – Requiem for the Phantom

• Gripping psychological drama
• Brings a knife AND a gun to a gunfight
• GARawesome

Another year, another BEETRAINwreck girls n’ guns extravaganza… is what I thought when I saw the promo material for Phantom. Surprisingly though, it’s turned out to actually be a rather compelling psychological drama with plenty of gunplay mixed in. As a big fan of Noir, I was always disappointed that the following series Madlax and El Cazador were somewhat lackluster in both departments, with too little action and too little plot movement to keep my interest.

Phantom, on the other hand, doesn’t skimp on either. The building existential crisis and moral conflict of Ein and Zwei, the two members of the assassination team that make up Phantom, gives the whole series a ticking time bomb sort of feel as they slowly begin to crack under the pressure of the lifestyle they’ve been forced into.

Combine that with some good old fashion yakuza backstabbing and underworld power struggles and it makes for a pretty good all around action drama. Also Zwei becomes more and more GARawesome as the series progresses, so by the time this thing is finished he’ll be practically a Hei caliber badass.

The animation quality and music are also quite good, as one would expect from BEETRAIN. For some reason this show really seems like it’s slipped under the radar. Except for a few faithful fans, I haven’t seen much publicity or blogging about the series.

For what it’s worth, I highly recommend Phantom; if you haven’t checked out it out yet, you probably should rectify that immediately.

4. Gambling Apocalypse Saki

• Crazy loli yuri mahjong
• That is all.

Saki has been a personal favorite of mine ever since I stumbled across the manga while living in Tokyo a few years back, so anything I say about it is liable to be incredibly biased (more so than everything else I write, that is). Regardless, I think Saki is an interesting series that’s worth a try for anyone who’s a fan of the stereotypical lighthearted comedy fanservice show, or anybody who likes mahjong.

I mean, if it made a convert out of usagijen it can’t possibly be bad, right? (Edit: oops, looks like it was actually her co-blogger Seleria! Sorry!)

Belt kitten sees through your strategy.

Also, for those who have complained that there’s not enough actual mahjong in the show – fear not. As the series progresses you’ll get to see a bit more actual strategy and the development of some interesting hands rather than just “aaaaand Saki completely destroyed the competition enough though we don’t get to see it at all”. Of course, it’s never going to be at the level of something like Akagi; it’s first and foremost a comedy after all.

That said, you can read our more detailed discussion on the series in our previous post here, so I’ll save my breath and just let you read that if you’re so inclined.

Squishy.

5. K-On!

• Puni-puni squishy comedy
• Fuwa fuwa music
• Sawako-sensei costume rape

You know, originally I wasn’t too enamored with K-On. I mean, of all the projects Kyoto Animation could have taken on this year, why this? Instead, they could’ve devoted their considerable talents to animating something more worthy… like setting their full team to work on Haruhi, or something like Full Metal Panic season 3, or maybe more Lucky Star.

Oh well, at least it’s not another damn Key game for once.

Once I got over that initial disappointment, though, and actually started watching the show, I have to admit it is pretty funny. It definitely has its weaknesses. The first few episodes didn’t do much for me, for example, and as a guitarist myself I’m still kind of miffed by Yui’s sudden transformation from noob Guitar Hero wannabe to rockin’ out rock star.

But then again, I’m not the only one who started off unimpressed and was gradually enslaved won over.

You know you want to wear it.

I’ve often said that to enjoy a series you have to be able to appreciate it for what it is. In the case of K-On it’s a trope filled moe moe comedy full of caricatured one-dimensional characters. I can enjoy it for that, though. Like Lucky Star, or Potemayo, it’s the kind of series that is best appreciated by overlooking some of the more ridiculous details and just being able to laugh at the funny faces and improbable situations.

Well, also the appearance of a certain tsundere costume-raping teacher might possibly have positively influenced my opinion of the series somewhat as well… oh who am I kidding. Clearly the main reason to watch this show is Sawako-sensei. I mean, obviously.

And maybe Azu-nyan. Maybe.

>> Go to Spring 2009 Anime Rankings – Part 2

None Found

Two Shows with emo woes and mecha in the sky,
Seven pieces of crap that got released too soon,
Six moe series, each with one lucky guy,
One for the Lolicon in his dark room

In the Land of Internets where Shadows lie.
One Blogger to watch them all, One Blogger to find them,
One Blogger to rank them all and on the web deride them
In the Land of Internets where Shadows lie.

…

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that these rankings are purely a reflection of our own opinions and tastes, which are admittedly rather different from your average anime fan. Just because we don’t like a particular show doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it. Your mileage may vary, etc etc.

Disclaimer 2: These reviews are based solely on the episodes which have aired up to this point (October 22). We take no responsibility for shows which unexpectedly become epic or go to crap after this point.

30. Kawaii! Jenny

Good: Absolutely nothing. That would be why it’s in last place.

Bad: Barbie doll sentai warriors?? Creepy beyond belief. o_0

Moe: Lord no, not unless you have some kind of extreme doll fetish.

If you were the guy who always wanted to play with dollies instead of trucks and G.I. Joes as a kid, this might just be your show. Otherwise, keep a generously safe distance.

.

Send it to hell, Marge, send it to hell.

29. Maple Story

Good: Ooh, pretty colors!

Bad: Pretty much everything else. Also the protagonist wears nipple ears.

Moe: That mushroom is amazingly cute. :3

The story is incredibly generic and kiddy. Even if I was 10 years old my intelligence would probably still feel insulted by this show.

.

All right, I have no intentions of following this show, but let me just say that if we gave out plushies of that particular mushroom then violent crimes in America would plummet to record lows. And what if it was distributed in prisons, or hospitals for the criminally insane? Just think of the immense philanthropic potential of such a thing!

28. Prism Ark

Good: Um, it’s got lolis with swords?

Bad: Ugly animation, nonsensical plot.

Moe: If you’re into lolis with swords, I guess…

A boring and ridiculous show full of pointless fanservice. Meh.

27. Suteki Tantei Labyrinth

Good: Decent production quality.

Bad: Extremely boring.

Moe: Hatsumi-chan is the show’s one saving grace.

I think it took me three tries before I made it through the first couple episodes without falling asleep. Uninspired characters and a snoozefest of a plot.

26. Goshuushousama Ninomiya-kun

Good: If you like ecchi, this is your go-to show.

Bad: Terrible art quality. If you’re not into ecchi, there’s no reason to watch this.

Moe: Admittedly though, the character designs are very attractive.

Bad all around. Even if all you’re interested in is panchira and ecchi comedy, you’d be much better off watching something like Mahoromatic or Chobits that actually has good production values and a decent plot.

25. Myself; Yourself

Good: The indecisive lead male gets bitch slapped in the first episode. About time.

Bad: Generic harem show is generic. Also see below.

Moe: Pretty sucky harem, too; they’re all irredeemably obnoxious.

Just go watch Clannad, it’s the same basic idea but executed far better.

24. Kodomo no Jikan

Good: Censorship.

Bad: Censorship.

Moe: Ew. You don’t even want to get us started on this one, srsly.

If you read my previous review of Kojika, you know that I was hoping they would tone down the fanservice for the TV release. Unfortunately, rather than toning it down, they just buried it under a landslide of spinning “no” censor bars.

While I understand that this is just a business decision, enabling them to charge ridiculous prices for the DVDs and still have hordes of filthy-minded otaku line up around the block to buy it, it’s still pretty disappointing.

On the plus side, this series wins my vote for “Most Impressive Hair/Height Ratio” of the season.

Thank you censors, thank you so very much. Yes, Scruples – 1, Foibles & Fetishes – 0. At least the general populous will be able to feign dignity until the DVDs come out and the maddening throngs of loliphile otaku can purchase their unspeakable smut. Sheesh…

23. Shion no Ou

Good: Convoluted plot for murder mystery fans.

Bad: Traptastic!

Moe: See above. Also features mute girl moe mode.

Pretty bland so far, and hardly any actual shogi whatsoever. I keep hoping they’ll settle down and focus on actual shogi games, but it’s all been weird stalker drama and gender-bending trap action up until now. >_<

22. Majin Tantei Nogami Neuro

Good: Neuro is wonderfully creepy. The mysteries are actually pretty interesting.

Bad: Yako seems kind of bland by comparison.

Moe: Ain’t Neuro just so cute?

This show really surprised me. I wasn’t expecting it to be interesting at all, but it has proven somewhat intriguing. Fans of detective / mystery shows will be disappointed, however, as the cases are all pretty contrived and the “deductions” are Sketchy at best.

I’m not really a fan of this kind of art style/character design, so I’m going to have to give the series a pass. The concept seems intriguing enough, however.

21. Dragonaut

Good: Great music. Fight scenes are well animated. Has potential to become epic.

Bad: Extremely generic story. Ugly CG dragons. Duckbutt hair.

Moe: Wild Misa-Misa clone appears!

The stereotypical young protagonist struggling to overcome a tragic past must now save the world by joining a team of other young hotshots under the authority of a shady organization who he has strong misgivings about – yeah, only seen that plot like a thousand times.

20. Genshiken 2

Good: If you’re a real life Manabu, you’ll love it.

Bad: Who replaced all my funny with emo otaku drama? Mediocre show gets worse.

Moe: Hmm…I do love Ogiue’s combination ponytail-ahoge, though. =D

Genshiken started off mediocre to begin with, and the anime has been going downhill ever since.

It’s no longer about delving into the world of nerdiness, and has instead settled down into waters previously uncharted by any anime that has come before – making doujinshi! >_>

/sarcsasm

19. Blue Drop

Good: A fairly unique premise. Epic catfights.

Bad: Hard to say; story hasn’t really gotten moving yet.

Moe: Potentially yuri-riffic.

18. Gundam 00

Good: Giant robots.

Bad: …so much potential gone to waste.

Moe: Hmm, seems like a good selec…wait, what? Those are all guys??!

If I were to write about all the problems I have with Gundam 00, this post would double in size. Suffice to say, if you’ve never watched Gundam before, don’t bother with this. Go back and watch the original Mobile Suit Gundam, or Gundam Wing, and spare yourself the trouble.

Just…guh. Damn it. For crying out emo effeminate obnoxious male lead loud! Heero Yui did not look off into the depths of space with some morose self-pitying expression, he just kicked ass and took names.

This is apocryphal as far as I’m concerned. I’m still going to watch as much as I can stomach because “I likes me some Gundam,” but I’m not optimistic.

17. Juushin Enbu

Good: It’s by Arakawa Hiromu, who previously wrote Fullmetal Alchemist.

Bad: Unfortunately, it feels more like another DBZ clone than another FMA.

Moe: Raira might someday be able to reach Winry levels of awesomeness, but for now nothing special in the moe dept.

You can definitely see Arakawa’s influence; the show is visually very similar to Fullmetal Alchemist. The fight scenes have the same fluidity and use the same circling camera work that gave FMA its distinctive battles, as well. Unfortunately the similarities seem to end there.

The hero is a typical hot-headed jock who only wins because he can bankai when his friends are in trouble. Sheesh.

16. Rental Magica

Good: An interesting and varied cast of characters.

Bad: But an uninteresting setting.

Moe: Lots of cute magical girls. And for you ladies a bishie with an eyepatch.

15. You’re Under Arrest Full Throttle

Good: Natsumi and Miyuki’s ridiculous exploits are still funny.

Bad: The music and animation still kind of suck.

Moe: I like a woman who can kick my ass.

14. Shugo Chara

Good: If you’re female, well, it’s full of bishies.

Bad: If you’re not female, sorry, it’s full of bishies.

Moe: Shoujo to the max; whether that’s good or bad depends on your preference.

QUALITY PLAID. Yessir.

13. Da Capo II

Good: Cute and colorful as always. Now with 20% more sakura stormclouds above every outdoor shot!

Bad: Absolutely dripping with moe, to the point of being overkill. The magic still seems kind of silly.

Moe: Da Capo’s character designs are still excellent. Lots to choose from here.

It’s too early to tell whether this is going to follow in the footsteps of the original, or become another DCSS. We can only hope for the best.

12. ef ~ a tale of memories ~

Good: Beautiful music and colors.

Bad: lol Photoshop filters and flying CG skies. Also plot doesn’t make any sense.

Moe: Kegadoru fans, this is your show!

Artistically very nice, although I feel that it goes too far in an attempt to look artsy and cool. Typical SHAFT, in other words.

11. Kimikiss

Good: Male lead doesn’t seem like a complete spineless noodle of a man, for once.

Bad: Based on a renai game, so don’t expect more than beauty skin deep.

Moe: As one would expect of renai adaptations, this one is bursting at the seams with cuties.

10. Mokke

Good: Gives off Mushishi vibes. Gorgeous art.

Bad: Moves very slowly; if you’re ADHD this show will drive you nuts.

Moe: Minimal moe action here, but that’s probably one of the show’s good points.

Although cute, the sisters aren’t overplayed moe caricatures, which helps keep the story focused on the interactions with the mythology and various spirits they come in contact with. Seems like a show with a lot of potential; hopefully it’ll realize that potential in coming episodes.

The art looks utterly amazing, so that is reason enough for me to give the series a shot. I don’t mind a plot unfolding slowly provided I am mouth agape at “pretty colors” and the like.

Additionally, I’m quite a fan of mythological story-telling and folklore, so this series could be very compelling. Let’s hope it works out.

9. Clannad

Good: KyoAni makes everything look gooood. Also dangos.

Bad: Story is kinda meh so far.

Moe: This is your one stop shop for all the moe co-dependent high school girls you could ever want. Fred Gallagher start taking notes.

Basically the story of this show is KyoAni = win, Key = meh. If I wasn’t a KyoAni fanboy before, this show has definitely finished converting me in that respected. That said, it’s not a bad show. It all hinges on what ending they decide to go for, really.

After watching the first few episodes I’m relatively underwhelmed; now granted it’s KyoAni, and as a result the series is gorgeous, the animation amazingly fluid, the cinematography topnotch, etc etc. But in all sincerity, it doesn’t look to be quite the juggernaut of awesome that Haruhi or Lucky Star was.

8. Sketchbook

Good: Beautiful music, love the art style. Main girl reminds me of Tenma from School Rumble.

Bad: Nothing really to complain about, but it’s very much the slow-paced slice-of-life type, so if that’s not your thing, you probably won’t like this show.

Moe: Very cute character designs; main char girl an interesting blend of moe traits. Also cute kitties.

The decidedly different artistic style, the pastel tones, and the genki music really give the show a nice unique flavor.

.

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Hidamari Sketch minus the sugar and crack, or at least it seems to be that way. Also, amorphous yawning cat is always a plus in my book; considering the precedent set by anime such as FLCL and Lucky Star this seems to be an indicator of excellence.

I probably won’t be following this one, but if you’re into slice-of-life, it should be right up your alley.

7. Night Wizard

Good: Generic RPG the Animation. Art and character designs are great. Akari & huge spell insignia gun is win.

Bad: Battles are kinda meh.

Moe: All the female leads are great. They each have distinct personalities, yet manage to avoid fitting too squarely into a cliche character type.

Also there’s melon pan.

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So RPG, it’s almost embarrassing, but in this case that’s actually a good thing. If you watched the incomprehensibly slow .hack series or any of its subsidiaries, you’ll be relieved to know that this show doesn’t take itself quite so seriously. This one looks like it could be very fun and as such is definitely worth checking out.

6. Ghost Hound

Good: Brilliant directing and animation, rich music and sound, a trippy setting, and Shirow Masamune. What more could you want?

Bad: Still too early to tell whether the show wil really live up to its pedigree.

Moe: Not so much, unless you like cute bug-ghost-demons.

Ghost Hound looks to be another incredibly mind bending awesome Masamune Shirow series, with enough philosophical quandary and cyberpunk action to make your head doubt whether it’s spinning or not.

5. Minami-ke

Good: It’s like Ichigo Mashimaro reloaded.

Bad: Cream stew is nasty.

Moe: Apparently teardrop shaped mouths are the second stage evolution from nekoguchi.

Kana is like Miu grown up a few years, but still completely nuts. Surprisingly, the camera work is great, especially in the first episode’s chase scene. Has great potential to become absolutely crazy yuri loli.

Also, I like when they cut to a close-up of the eyes and the art style suddenly becomes more serious. Kind of reminds me of Damekko Doubutsu.

For a series with a fairly innocuous setting and a seemingly sedentary plot-line, the cinematography in the show is amazing. The aforementioned chase scene is reason enough to give this show a shot.

Additionally, crazy sibling rivalry makes for many possibilities with the story, including, but not limited to spontaneous bouts of frenetic cooking.

4. Bamboo Blade

Good: Great art, fun premise, awesome voice acting.

Bad: Sports anime tend to start strong and then go downhill.

Nice bokken!

Moe: Genki crazy Kirino :3, strong silent Rei clone, and psycho yandere?! How can you possibly go wrong?

All the voice acting is top class, especially Katsuyuki Konishi, who also played Kamina from Gurren Lagann, as Ishida-sensei. Overall it offers a nice mix of everything, somce action, some comedy, some moe, and some just plain old fashioned fun.

I’m not certain if I’m going to follow this series personally, but I must admit the concept is fun and the animation is solid. Additionally, for a kendo themed anime it’s fairly light and amusing which is plus in my opinion. It looks to have great potential as a series so I’m hoping it will develop into something interesting.

3. Shakugan no Shana II

Good: Shana, awesome OP, Shana, great music, Shana, Marchosias and Margery Daw, Shana, and also Shana.

Bad: Non-canon material, slow start.

Moe: Shana. Hot. Oh God. Etc.

If you were a fan of the series previously, the second season probably won’t disappoint, either. That’s assuming they ever get to the really awesome part of the story, that is. Really, the only failing of the show right now is that it can’t make up its mind what direction to take the plot.

If they had just stuck to the “canon” plotline from the novels I would have nothing to complain about.

It’s more of the same cavalcade of action, humor, and sword wielding Flame Haze combat, but with new characters and stories. I’m not as familiar with the light novels as my erstwhile partner, so I’m just waiting for the story to develop and have high expectations as the previous season was most excellent.

Oh, and Marchocias’ insane laughter and “Margery Daw!” catchphrase are incentive enough to watch the show, if nothing else.

2. Moyashimon

Good: Completely unique, a funny and refreshing new concept.

Bad: Lots of scientific terminology will probably turn off the academically challenged.

Moe: Bacteria are super cute! And not just regular cute, I mean we’re talking like, dango cute.

Bacteria is the new moe! You can throw Haruka femdom into the moe mix, too, if you’re into that sort of thing.

In a season overflowing with sequels and tired cliches, this show is a breath of fresh air. Well, smelly bacteria laden fresh air, anyway.

All right, if the opening theme of this series did not immediately indicate the colossal amounts of win that are in store for us viewers, then the ending skit with frolicking Oryzae-tans will.

The show has such a great concept and such whimsical panache that if you were watching it while listening to the LocoRoco OST and playing Katamari Damacy your head would actually explode from the sheer jubilant happiness of it all. You have been warned.

1. Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji

Good: Awesome in every way. Too much GAR for the internet to handle.

Bad: Big noses; art style not for everyone.

Moe: None, zero, negative-moe.

But that’s part of what makes the series great. In a season overflowing with sugar-coated, brightly colored, sakura-spewing moe shows, this is a breath of fresh air. Well, stinky cigarette smoke laden fresh air, anyway.

Fukumoto’s long-running gambling pariah epic, need we say more? Kaiji is really poised to take center stage for me personally this season. It’s so well crafted, so intriguing, and so intense that it’s virtually impossible to not get enthused about.

The captivating art, the struggling anti-hero, and enough nose stabs to skewer the Jabberwocky, it’s all win. If you’re curious about what to check out this season, it’s nearly impossible to go wrong with Kaiji.

Check check it out.

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