Disclaimer: 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. However, if you do have a different opinion about a show, by all means post a comment so that people reading have more than one opinion to go by.

Summer often gets a bad rap as the “filler” season in between the generally much more packed spring and fall anime seasons. This season, however, summer boasts an excellent crop of new shows for fans of all different genres. Although I’m ranking these shows numerically according to my favorites, almost all of them are enjoyable in at least some respects.

Almost all.

17. Element Hunters

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

No seriously. Usually I try to give a series at least 3 or 4 episodes before making a judgment call, but this show had me pulling my hair only minutes into the first episode. I still watched a few episodes so that I can say I’m not making a premature judgment, but man that was torturous.

The plot is something along the lines of:

Earth is in crisis because our precious elements are disappearing! As it turns out, they are being stolen by an evil alternate dimension known as “Nega Earth”! Yes, that’s right. They are coming to earth and stealing our elements. Like, one at a time. An element.

And! And the only way to stop them is to transport teenagers in spandex outfits to Nega Earth to fight and bring back our elements! On account of grown ups can’t go to Nega Earth. No seriously. It’s because of science! Yeah…

So they go to Nega Earth, and there’s lot of emo bullshit and teen angst, and then they fight a monster using strategies that sound like some kind bad science project. And the element is captured in their “Pokedex”. Gotta catch ‘em all.

And everybody lives happily emo after.

16. Fight Ippatsu Juuden-chan

Another typical fanservice fest, and one with an incredibly sketch plot to boot.

Well, maybe I shouldn’t call it “typical”. I understand this series really pushed the envelope in terms of what you can get away with and still be on broadcast television, what with masochism and urination in every episode. Or so I hear anyway. I couldn’t deal with the insipid plot long enough to even find out if that claim is true.

15. Aoi Hana

Yuri. That’s the only term that this show can really be described with, and also its only “redeeming” quality.

If you’re into that you might enjoy it, but beyond that gimmick the plot doesn’t really offer anything interesting or substantive. The characters are incredibly one-dimensional, and not in a good “one-dimensional funny trope character” way. And did I mention that the one dimension is yuri?

Sigh…

14. Kanamemo

This series is so ridiculous and creepy on so many levels, I can’t even begin to describe it. The constant loli yuri fetishism was emphasized to a degree that I found downright disturbing, and the plot alternated between cringe-inducing awful and yawn-inducing boring.

The only bright ray of sunshine were the vocal performances of Kugimiya Rie (Shana, Sanzenin Nagi, Louise), who is practically a requirement these days in any series with a loli tsundere, and Mizuhara Kaoru (Misao from Lucky Star), who really needs to get more roles, because her voice is incredibly awesome.

13. Umineko no Naku Koro ni

Sigh. I really wanted to like this show. I tried very hard.

The show has most annoying cast of characters I’ve seen since Code Geass R2, which is saying a lot. The dialogue comes across as extremely forced, the characters are all wholly uninteresting, and most of the plot and pacing feels as though the scriptwriters just grabbed random text from the game and stitched it together slapdash.

12. Umi Monogatari

I actually like this show quite a bit, surprisingly. It’s fairly typical magical girl fare with a side of fanservice, but it’s delivered with solid animation, an excellent soundtrack, and a rather tongue-in-cheek approach that makes it a bit more memorable than most similar shows.

11. Sora no Manimani

A predictably slow tale of highschool life and budding romance, Sora no Manimani won’t knock anybody’s socks off. It does, however, manage to provide a good amount of random humor, some cool astronomy lessons, and the occasional heartwarming moment.

10. NEEDLESS

This show is trying to be Gurren Lagann so hard it hurts. Not only does their logo look nearly identical, the main characters bear a very suspicious resemblance to Kamina and Simon, albeit in appearance only.

The sad part, as much as I hate NEEDLESS for having a name in all caps and being essentially one huge rip-off, it’s actually a halfway decent series. The production values are above average and the show features a colorful cast of super-powered blowhard badasses beating the crap out of each other. There was supposedly some kind of larger plot involved, but I wasn’t particularly interested in it, and judging from the way the show progresses I kind of get the feeling that the production team wasn’t either.

9. Zan Sayounara Zetsubou Sensei

Season one of Sayounara Zetsubou Sensei was legendary. Season two was lesser, but still hilarious. Season three seems to be lowering the bar even further. While still vintage Shinbou comedy, this season is really missing a lot of the magic that made this show great in the past.

SHAFT seem to have their best animation squad committed to Bakemonogatari right now, so the visual caliber of the series has taken a noticeable dive. Beyond that, however, the humor just doesn’t seem quite as fresh as it as was in previous seasons. For better or for worse, the format is exactly the same as it always has been, but the jokes are less original and the scenarios less creative.

That’s not to say it’s bad; by no means. I still watch SZS and laugh at it. Compared to some of the other awesome shows in this season’s line-up, however, I have a hard time justifying giving it a higher spot.

8. GA – Geijutsuka Art Design Class

GA is this season’s obligatory “slice-of-life, day to day adventures of a group of high school girls” anime. I’m pretty sure that Japan is legally required to make sure that at least one show like this is airing at all times.

As a typically slow-paced slice of life show, it features the usual cast of unusual moe characters doing silly things in silly ways. Given the subject matter of the series, the natural inclination is to compare it to Hidamari Sketch, and in that respect I’d say it measures up extremely well. Not only are the production values much better than Hidamari, GA has more consistent humor. It also puts much more of an emphasis on (gasp) the actual art and related artistic endeavors of the cast, so it’s both entertaining and educational.

I’ve enjoyed Geijutsuka Art Design Class so much, in fact, that I went out to the local Kinokuniya and bought up the tankouban collections of the original 4-koma series the anime is based on.

7. Taishou Yakyuu Musume

This is the real sleeper hit of this season.

Set in 1925, during the transitional Taishou period in Japanese history, this show follows the misadventures of a group of school girls as they try to form their own baseball team and compete on even terms with the boys. The story starts off extremely slowly, but quickly develops into an endearing tale of failure, success, perseverance, and personal growth that really epitomizes the Japanese spirit of teamwork.

I’m a huge fan of jidaigeki, or Japanese period dramas, and Taishou Yakyuu Musume has quickly become one of my favorites in this sort of genre because of its slice-of-life approach to storytelling, as well as its interesting progressive perspective on the changing role of women in society during this pivotal period in Japanese history.

For more info, check out 2DT’s great write-up about the series.

6. Princess Lover

I was actually expecting Princess Lover to be terrible, mainly because of the name, as well as the number of overgenerously proportioned females featured in the promo art. I’ve ended up been pleasantly surprised by this series, fortunately.

Make no mistake, this show is completely ridiculous, but that just serves to make it incredibly hilarious. The story of a young man who is taken in by his incredibly rich grandfather when his parents pass away, Princess Lover covers everything from school hijinks at Yuppie Academy to random international intrigue. It doesn’t shy away from the fanservice, but it also manages to do it in a sort of tongue-in-cheek manner that doesn’t turn me off from the series.

I also have to give them mad props for including an awesome Kaiji parody, as well as the many other lulzy moments of the hot springs episode. The director is just having way too much fun making this series.

Also the grandfather is voiced by Wakamoto Norio (Emperor Britannia, Vicious, Narrator from Hayate no Gotoku), so how can you not enjoy this show, really?

5. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya S2

I don’t know which is more surprising to me – that I’m actually ranking a Haruhi season as low as number 5, or that I’m still loyal enough to have it this high on the list considering everything that has happened this season.

Just for reference, by the way, the reason I’m including it in the rankings this season is because last season was almost entirely recap material, and thus I skipped it in my Spring Rankings post.

In any case, I still enjoy the Haruhi franchise, and while the hype has died down considerably and the newer episodes aren’t anything special, the series still manages to deliver consistent, predictable fun. As long as Haruhi dominates all life, Mikuru cowers, and Kyon facepalms and provides his characteristic dry narration, I’ll continue to be well entertained by this show for a long time to come.

For more Haruhiism, nobody does Haruhi posts better than Jason Miao.

4. Bakemonogatari

If you’re a regular reader you know that we’ve already said quite a bit about Bakemonogatari, some of it negative and some positive. Just like Sayounara Zetsubou Sensei, this series is classic SHAFT x SHINBO, with all of the quirks and visual oddity that that combination fosters. As a result, it probably will not appeal to everyone.

That said, if you can get past the odd visuals, even weirder music, and even more bizarre characters, this show is a real gem. The visual style, however, while creative, just serves to set the stage. Dialogue is really the soul of this show.

The incredibly clever banter between Araragi and the various supporting characters is witty and sarcastic, at times innuendo laden, and always off the wall. It really makes it fun to watch, and paired with all the kooky audiovisual trappings serves as a textbook case of surreal, wacky humor.

Add in the unique wit and charm of Bakemonogatari’s leading lady, Senjougahara Hitagi, and it’s no wonder that this “Senjougahara Fascination” craze has started to dominate the otaku mindshare.

To supplement your Bakemonogatari crazy, I recommend checking out Kurogane’s posts on the subject, as well as our summary.

3. CANAAN

After a ton of initial hype surrounding this Type-Moon produced series, it seems like many people felt somewhat let down by CANAAN. I think most of the disappointment stems largely from the fact that the anime tries to cultivate a very “serious business” vibe in the beginning, but then quickly shows its true colors as a somewhat goofy, if beautifully animated, action series.

That said, I think CANAAN is brilliant at what it does. If you’re looking for a show with a moody, gritty realism to it, CANAAN is probably not your show. If you just want to see awesome gunfights and have no interest in character exposition, CANAAN is probably not your show. If all you’re interested in is yuri-goggle fodder… well ok, CANAAN might still be your show.

Ultimately, however, CANAAN’s appeal doesn’t rest on it’s action scenes or any potential yuri-bait that may or may not exist. It’s about the characters and the way they somehow come together to create a hilarious, quirky, and entertaining story that is greater than the sum of its parts.

For more on this series, Kabitzin has the best episode summaries. We’ve got several CANAAN related posts here at Epic Win, as well.

2. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

I simply have no words to adequately describe this series. It’s gone beyond all my expectations, pulled relentlessly at my heartstrings, and spun a fascinating tale about courage, cowardice, hope, and despair.

Most disaster films really try to play up the spectacle of a disaster for entertainment value. Many of them try to play up some kind of romance subplot. And unsurprisingly, they’re mostly pretty terrible.

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 strays away from the traditional disaster flick style of presentation for something much more down to earth (so to speak). Focused on the story of two children caught in the quake far from home, and the woman who helps guide them back, this series is about a surprisingly simple and personal story that portrays the very human reactions that we all exhibit when the world we know breaks apart. It’s a story about hope through the most despairing of circumstances, and persevering through difficulty with the promise of a brighter future.

I really just can’t properly convey how awesome this show is. So instead let me refer you to someone much more qualified to do that, who has written extensively about this series and its many ups and downs.

1. Spice & Wolf II

Spice & Wolf is a rare kind of story. It’s one in which there are no grand large scale plots, no clear beginnings or endings. It can’t even properly be called a romance story. And yet, it is exactly that lack of many normal or stereotypical elements that makes Spice & Wolf a very unique and enjoyable tale.

I’ve been a fan of the novels and the manga that inspired this anime for a long time. The first season of the anime, although lacking in a few areas, was brilliant and captured most of what I liked about the series. This second is now following in its footsteps, except now under the direction of a new studio and with a larger budget it’s become better in every aspect.

Horo and Lawrence’s hilarious yet heartwarming hot-and-cold relationship is endlessly entertaining, and the rich dialogue the show features reveals an incredible depth and uniqueness in its multi-faceted protagonists that is rarely matched.

For more on Spice & Wolf, check out DarkMirage’s review, or Martin’s excellent write-up.

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Porororon poro roro roporon ron!

“This episode is full of kanji and makes me tired.”

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Cha chiri chiririn, docchudocchurin!

“Yes, I agree heartily, good sir.”

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Miri kiriri rururin mirurun mirakuru mikurunrun!

“It also contained many obscure puns that most English speaking viewers won’t understand at all!”

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Sumomomo momomo!

“Not to mention incoherent rambling from every character for the first 12 minutes of the episode!”

“Hi guys, don’t mind me. I’m just looking for some balsamic vinegar.”

The greater the madness on this show, the more I seem to enjoy it. Just looking at the RAWs for this episode had me quite giddy. After watching the episode, fully aware of the fact that most of the puns would be lost on my noobish gaijin mind, I must confess that I still found it quite hilarious.

The whole Commodore Perry sequence had me in stitches. It’s just so inanely random. There was nothing in the series that would anticipate the arrival of a creepy old naval officer. But he shows up and starts opening things and you just run with it.

“He opened all the books!”

Man that used to infuriate me; I’m not an extreme Read or Die caliber bibliophile or anything, but I can’t stand it when people leave books lying open. It’s not just the fact that it ruins the spine, it’s the fact that people only do this after assuring themselves that they’ll “be right back.” But that never happens…and who suffers?

The poor book, that’s who. Such injustice.

Well, it was inevitable. No one so obsessed with opening could resist the temptation of the fabled hikikomori. But how could he so wantonly defile such a dutiful zashiki warashi? Clearly, this man must be stopped.

“I open the pool!”

Why you loathsome, devious son of a bitch; how dare you! Nobody opens the pool…EVER! Has this man lost his senses? None shall open the pool! Why, it’s beyond distasteful – it’s downright sacrilegious! I think we’re all aware of the fact that the pool is, has been, and shall forever be closed.

Thankfully, Itoshiki-sensei comes to rescue; none can open his isolated gloom-ridden heart! That’s right Commodore Perry, you will no longer plague the land with your…opening. Lemony Snickett has nothing on Itoshiki-’s world of despair and misfortune.

Food goes where?

Ugh…I cannot tell how many times I have been deceived by some lavishly presented garnishing at a restaurant. Oh sure, it looks like a bountiful feast as the waiter brings it over, but then it arrives at your table and you see that’s actually a mere microscopic bit of food just quaking under the might of the ostentatious decorations. It’s just wrong, I tell you.

However, Kafuka’s unassailable peppiness comes to the rescue again and redefines shameless gaudiness as the pinnacle of fashion!

“I made an avatar for sensei!”

Man, I cracked up at this part. Looking at the attire of most non-epic-gear WoW characters will easily prove the accuracy of this scene beyond any doubt.

This was the best moment of the episode, in my opinion. The teacher takes off his shirt to reveal yakuza tattoos all over his back, which Kafuka innocently declares it to be “ostentatious decoration”. The suddenly sinister expression on his face coupled with Itoshiki’s freak out reaction was just hilarious.

I loved this whole bit. I missed most of the kyuu puns but the whole idea of celebrating old-new holidays was just hilarious. I kept thinking of the un-birthdays from the “mad tea party” in Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Puns and other grammar dependent jokes are far less humorous when they don’t come instantaneously; thankfully the good people at SHAFT seem to have this covered. For the convenience of the illiterate, this section also included soldiers, tanks, and bombers in the background. After all, pointless mayhem is always funny. Always.

And that is what Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is all about.

Kyuu = ichi nichi

One of the better jokes of the episode, and the punchline which the whole latter section of the episode built up to, this is actually fairly easy to understand. For those who aren’t familiar with kanji, that above character is the primary one that was being discussed in the episode, the character for “old” (kyuu　旧). It happens to be composed of two radicals, one on the left and one on the right. The right-hand side radical by itself is the character for “day” (nichi 日), thus interpreting the radical on the left as a 1 changes it from “old” to “1 day”, thus the pun.

There were a number of other odd kanji or pronunciation jokes, but many of them flew over even my head. And honestly, if you have to explain a punchline you’ve pretty much failed already, so I’m afraid a lot of the humor in this episode just doesn’t translate very well.

To make up for it, I’ll leave you with a fun bilingual pun. Those of you who know some Japanese, see if you get it:

蜘蛛のスパイ だ。 (Kumo no SPY da.)

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How I’ve missed Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei! The winter anime season doesn’t look like it’s going to be very strong on comedy shows, and Hayate no Gotoku has been kind of going downhill recently, so I’m extremely pleased that I’ll once again have the ever despairing Itoshiki-sensei and his twisted harem to tickle my funnybone.

And the show delivers right off the bat! The image of Itoshiki-sensei as a fast talking pyramid scheme seminar salesman was just too hilarious. And the way his eye bulged as he said “don don” was just icing on the cake.

Twenty seconds into the episode and I’m already rolling. Man, it’s been too long.

I absolutely love how zany and random this series is! When the episode began with Itoshiki as a salaryman fleeing from women and followers of a bizarre religion, I never questioned it for a minute. Things are just so crazy-go-nuts that I think any attempt to form a cohesive picture of the narrative would only be an exercise in futility. You just have to sit back and drink in the crazy.

Yet even as a hideously malformed molecricket man, Itoshiki still manages to retain the affections of his harem, the lucky bastard. I loved the whole farcical back story, though I must admit, “Pink Supervisor” has a much nicer ring to it than “Left-Wing Guerrilla-sensei”.

Quite the suspicious looking band of silhouettes that have apprehended Itoshiki, to be sure. The only thing missing is the giant smoking lollipop and the picture would be complete.

Eight minutes into the show…and I had assumed they decided to simply forgo the OP in order to establish the new season. Thankfully, they didn’t and despair was narrowly evaded. Though it’s no “Bure Bure”, the new OP is indeed quite rockin’. Of course, it might simply be because I’m amused that the song speaks of dancing the rumba, but has such a punk rock beat.

Although they have a tendency to go overboard at times, I really do love SHAFT’s animation style, and it’s especially fitting for a series like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.

Their use of great fisheye lens shots, in particular, is one thing I really enjoy. Bones is another studio that makes excellent use of fisheye shots quite frequently, but of course they don’t use them nearly as often as SHAFT does.

Wholeheartedly agreed. In any other series, or under any other animation studio for that matter, such ostentatious use of wonky fisheye lens shots and crazy rack focus zooms would be obnoxious. But with SHAFT at the helm, it fits like a glove. A very strange, misshapen glove perhaps, but a fit nevertheless.

Having a Nami centric episode was pretty funny, too, as she tries her best to stand out and get noticed, only to be overshadowed at every turn by Itoshiki and his dysfunctional harem.

Poor Nami, she’s cursed with normalcy. I can’t relate too well with her frustration, of course, simply because my life story is replete with failed attempts at being normal. In the end, mostly out of laziness, I gave up on the whole “normal” thing and stuck with being cynical and irreverent instead.

Oh foolish Nami, are you actually trying to out-suicide attempt the incomparable Zetsubou-sensei himself?? Sorry dear, I’m afraid you’re a bit outclassed on this one.

“Get thee to a hikikomori!”

Fortunately, Itoshiki takes the opportunity to give an object lesson in bizarre stereotypes. Quickly Robin, to the hikikomori!!

I got a good laugh out of Itoshiki’s “Moses pose”, too. SHAFT’s completely over-the-top imagery is just such a great match for the wackiness of this series!

“A meeting that was never meant to happen.”

Usually self parody gets the same sort of courtesy laugh that an awkward pun does, but I found myself chuckling rather heartily at this point. Nami apparently still hasn’t learned her lesson and attempts to out-hikikomori Komori-san. Clearly she is outmatched in this capacity as well.

Really though, no episode is complete without Kafuka’s ridiculous genki optimism. I’m firmly of the opinion that the only reason parts of season one started to drag was due to a lack of Kafuka.

Indeed, what would an episode of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei be without the excruciatingly genki Kafuka-san? I swear, it’s like they channeled the spirit of Samuel Taylor Coleridge to obtain the lyrics for this song, and it was made all the more surreal by watching Kafuka dance merrily as she sang out the inane tune.

I love the fact that she’s still sticking to the belief that Komori-chan is a zashiki warashi who will bring good fortune to the school.

One thing that I think helps make Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei’s comedy work well is that they know how to use running gags effectively, bringing them back just often enough to make them funny, but not so repetitively that they get tiresome (I’m looking at you Hayate).

…

I…er…wow, I’m at a loss for words. I got no tsukkomi to this one, sorry.

Admittedly, if I had such an experience I’d be reluctant to return to school as well. In fact, just chemistry class alone was enough of a deterrent to make a permanent truant out of me.

The new ED was pretty rockin’ and all, but…

WTF?! I never would’ve expected something like that from any show other than Inukami. >_>

Blue Man Group!

And as long as we’re talking about “WTF” moments, I actually would really enjoy seeing more of the Japanese commercials in between the eyecatches. They just tend to be so off-the-wall and wacky, especially the ones that air with anime episodes, that you can’t help but be entertained by them.

Edit: For those watching the subbed version, in Zero-Raws’ raw for this episode, some of the commercials were left in, including this one, which was absolutely hilarious. So you guys are missing out.

I really enjoyed the animation style for the ending as well. In fact, I was so wrapped up in it that it was quite a while before I realize that SHAFT had robbed me of the gleeful lunacy of the previous ED. I think next episode I’ll just shut off the sound and crank up the old ED on my headphones.

Sometimes you have to make your own fun. And if that’s not the spirit of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, I don’t know what is.

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On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

7 bure bures

6 zawa zawas
5 GIGA DRILLS!
4 metatags
3 rain charms
2 Guchuko’s
And a cruise on a nice boat for free!

Come on, let’s twist again!

Because whatever the guys who make Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei are high on, I want some of that for Christmas. Also I want season 2 of the twisted tales of Pink Supervisor and his motley harem of crazy broken girls.

Unfortunately, for that we’ll have to wait until April. Until then we’ll just be left twisting in the wind.

The lack of subs has left me in despair!

And of course, for the many folks who are dependent on subtitles, I think no other show has been so under-appreciated this year in terms of subbing, with the possible exception of Hidamari Sketch. Fortunately it seems that’s mostly been rectified. If only somebody would just sub that last episode, then it would be a merry Christmas all around.

Bure bure bure bure~

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The twisted tales of SZS spiral onward.

“Bure, Bure, Bure, Bure” has been stuck in my head for days and bashes around like a hyperactive two year old, interfering with normal thinking processes.

We begin by learning that the class will be tested soon. However, despite their ineptitude, Itoshiki-sensei is confident that the foreign exchange student will raise the cumulative average. Personally, I always loathed kids like that in school, not because I faulted them for doing well, but because their motivation was always something ridiculous.

Not the kids who did well in class because they enjoyed it; that’s different. I’m talking about the soulless, overachieving, took the SAT at age 12, “my parents live out their frustrations and failures vicariously through my accomplishments” kind of kids. They sucked. They knew all the answers, they corrected the teacher, they wrecked the curve, they invented pop music, and they killed the radio star.

Just…you know what? They fail. That’s right you sadists, you get an F in existence. Take that one home to your folks and hang it on the fridge, huh?

Where the hell was I? Oh yeah, the episode.

Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~

Now see, this would definitely be distracting to your office environment.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei seems to especially enjoy parodying video games, and I was glad to see that they didn’t miss the opportunity to bring Gyakuten Saiban/Phoenix Wright into the mix. I only wish they had run with the joke a little farther, instead of just using it as a one shot throwaway gag.

Also, I’m awfully surprised that Itoshiki-sensei only has one psyche-lock on him. Given how messed up he is, I was expecting like five or six to come flying in.

Totally agree with Itoshiki-sensei here. Seriously, there is nothing more retarded or infuriating than someone who wins a lawsuit because she is so cosmically daft that she can’t comprehend that hot coffee is HOT. Every conceivable ridiculing comment concerning our justice system is absolutely vindicated when you look at something like this case.

And, multiple personality disorder girl…check! We’re racking up the lunatics in this series, and it’s only the third episode.

Ahaha, DBZ fusion dance?? Wow, I did not see that coming.

One thing I enjoy about SZS is that, while they enjoy using parodies and in jokes, they usually don’t beat you over the head with them or use them in a really forced manner, like Hayate no Gotoku often does.

And, now to counterbalance the rift created by the schizophrenic exchange student we have Maria-chan! Everyone’s favorite little illegal alien!

Man…that kid was brilliant! I wish I would’ve sold my identity to someone back in high school…all those hours I could’ve spent sleeping when instead I was forced to show up for pep-rallies. I salute you, former Sekiutsu-san.

Just…just look at that glee. That is pure glee, how can you not want to protect her?

Um, yeah…

Ya know, illegal immigrant has just never been a good character type. The only show that’s ever managed to pull it off was Excel Saga, and even Pedro’s act got a bit tired after a while.

Plus I’m getting some strong Kaolla Su vibes here, what with her swinging from the overhead lighting and her incessant open mouthed grin. And that’s not a good thing.

A case of domestic violence? Surely you jest. Get out that roll call, we’ve more bizarre characters to add.

The hilarious imagination of Itoshiki-sensei with his constant sense of impending doom was quite amusing.

Also, just a quick cultural note about the shopkeepers throwing salt at him: salt is considered a tool of purification (that’s why they toss it around the ring at sumo matches), so store owners will throw salt on the doorstep of their establishment after a bad customer leaves as a way of preventing ill fortune from falling of the store.

At this point I was finding it difficult to breathe…hilarious. I’m not entirely sure how you could maim someone with a copy of Ichigo 100% to begin with. I mean, as I understand it, the series is pretty much constant fanservice. I’ve never read it myself because I need more than just “Tee-hee, look, undergarments!” as an incentive.

Here’s a great example of how closely they’re sticking to the original manga (at least so far). A great many of the shots in the anime are lifted directly from the original work, and although they’ve changed the order of the stories somewhat, most of them are pretty true to the source.

Oh, so it wasn’t domestic violence at all! It was an just obsessive shippo-fetish girl…wait a minute…

Where’s that list? And, check.

Odd that they’d put all these kids one classroom. And again, where is the counselor in all of this? You’d think she’d have a steady stream of patients.

Welcome to 4chan, my friend.

Apparently Meru-chan hasn’t been keeping up with the news online, despite having that cellphone practically grafted into her palm. From what I hear, the kegadoru (injured girl) look is all the rage these days down in Akiba.

Obsessive doujinshi artist fangirl…check. Man, we’re going to run out of anime stereotypes at this rate!

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And don’t forget that Kimura-san counts for triple, since she fills the “multiple personality disorder” role, as well as being both the yamato nadeshiko and obnoxious gaijin character, alternately. Great way to get more mileage out of your cast without the added cost of more character models to deal with. /sarcasm

Otonashi-san is the first character whose oddities I’ve found more obnoxious than amusing. OK, so she appears to be nice on the surface but sends abusive e-mails. Look, she’s not nice, get it? She says unpleasant things to people via text-messages…yup, that’s it.

I dunno, the execution just doesn’t seem to be that amusing.

I agree; abusive moe mode fails.

Concurred. I motion to sage.

I second the motion.

Motion seconded.

Objections?

None.

Motion carried. Grab your pitchforks.

And the torches. But be sure to form an orderly line. If we’re going to riot, let’s at least be professional about it. Well anyway, nonetheless, abusive internet bully-type, check.

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w00t! Kafuka-san comes through again! That was just cleansing.

Really, my only complaint with the series so far is that there’s just not enough Kafuka-san. Her back and forth interactions with Itoshiki-sensei are what drive the show and give it its unique brand of humor.

The other characters are great and all, but without Kafuka to throw a monkey wrench into the mix, things can get stale pretty fast.

She’s like the cowbell of the series. I need more Kafuka. It’s a great show, really, I just gotta have more Kafuka. Trust me, you’re gonna want that Kafuka in there.

And yes, Pink Supervisor is the Anti-Kenny. Instead of dying every episode, he amazingly manages to not die, despite his best efforts to the contrary. No matter what method he uses, and even with Kafuka-san’s ill-conceived “rescue” attempts, he survives time after time, and even manages to collect a rather impressive, if dysfunctional harem along the way.

The sheer ironic genius of it all is enough to make me giggle like a lunatic. Can’t wait for more.

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A series with enough morose and deliciously dark comedy to make any cynic shout for joy…or at least snicker quietly. The rollickingly pleasant juxtaposition of the ever despairing Itoshiki-sensei and the perpetually genki Fuura-san is just priceless.

The sad part is how frequently I completely agree with Itoshiki. People seem to be consumed with accumulating wealth. I’m wondering at what point they’ll start charging for air, or fun. When you exit a park or leave a restaurant there’ll be a small machine which examines your posture, demeanor, and facial expression. Your relative mood is then configured into the “happiness tax” on the bill. People would have to fake dissatisfaction to avoid paying more.

AHH, ZETSUBOU SHITA!!

Surprisingly, this name numerology stuff is actually pretty serious for many people in Japan. A lot of couples make sure to pick a name for their baby that not only sounds good, but that has a sufficiently lucky number of strokes that they won’t be cursed for the rest of their life.

Some women even resort to changing their first name when they get married if their first and new last names happen to form an unlucky combination. Tim Werx has a great story about this exact situation on his site. Just goes to show how seriously the Japanese take their superstition.

Somewhat unrelated but…concerning socks:

While I was in Harajuku strolling down Takeshita street (which is utterly packed with people more or less constantly) I saw a shop called “Store My Ducks”.

It featured a huge sign which read “We Have All Kinds of Socks”, along with a ridiculous collection of socks in all varieties and colors. I’ve just never understood how such a thing could develop. I mean…they’re socks.

What you forget is that this is Japan, where you frequently take off your shoes indoors. Thus the quality of your socks is actually quite important. There’s nothing more embarrassing than going around for a whole day and then discovering that one of your socks had a big hole in the heel. The worst part is that you know that everyone noticed; they were just too polite to say anything to you.

Then, of course, there’s the fact that this is Harajuku. All those gothloli chicks have to get their pink and black striped thigh-highs somewhere, after all.

That sock glue stuff I’ve seen as well, by the way; apparently it actually works.

Anyway, where was I, oh yeah…

I would do stuff like this every damn day if I was a teacher. Kids are always so idealistic; they need a good dosage of reality every once in a while. When I was in school, whenever we were asked to write down our dreams I would literally write down a dream I had.

“…so then after defeating the evil Tonydanza-saurus, I sailed down the marshmallow mountain in my bobsled made of wood chips and pigeon feathers to greet the cheering throngs below…at that point my alarm went off and I came here to work on this dumb assignment.”

Needless to say, teachers never really appreciated that kind of stuff.

The counselor appears to be really rather bored with her job. With the number of maladjusted kids in that school you’d think she’d be much busier.

Off to an interesting, if not a bit macabre, start. On to episode 2!

So the ever fretting Itoshiki-sensei attempts suicide again fearing for identity theft. His scheme seems pretty elaborate. After the theatrics we learn that there’s a girl who hasn’t shown up for class in quite a while.

Itoshiki unexpectedly meets up with Fuura-san, who decides to assist with the extraction of the hikikomori. Ever astute, she comes to the much more pleasant but totally illogical conclusion…it’s not a hikikomori at all, but a zashiki warashi! Kind of the Martha Stewart of the demonic realm evidently.

In addition to Fuura-san’s explanation, Wikipedia does a pretty good job of detailing exactly what a zashiki warashi is. Essentially, it’s a mischevious, child-like spirit that likes to inhabit stately old homes. It supposedly plays minor pranks on the owners, but also brings fortune to the household it resides in – thus Fuura-san’s conclusion that they need to keep it from leaving at all costs.

A Yunocchi poster and Hidamari Sketch cosplay? I approve.

Of course, it’s hardly surprising, since SHAFT also animated Hidamari Sketch.

It’s weird to think of “household demons”; you’d think they have something better to do than to play practical jokes and loaf about. I mean, that’s just lazy, shouldn’t they be out…demoning in the forest or something? Whatever.

Anyways, through physical and spiritual barriers they manage to get Komori Kiri to stop, uh…hikikomori-ing. The girl is gloriously liberated…and then promptly proceeds to shut herself in at the school instead. I personally found the thought that she would just pop out of random cupboards rather hysterical.

Kind of like Where’s Waldo. Except cute.

I about cried with laughter at this part. I’ve never known anyone, regardless of how emo, to carry around a suicide partners list. I’m probably on a few people’s “homicide list”, though.

And here’s my nominee for Most Disturbing Scene Transition Award. I put soap in my eyes but was unable to wash the image from my mind…

Now, after dealing with people who can’t leave their homes, Itoshiki-sensei is off to deal with people who can’t leave other people alone. I thought it was interesting that they had a girl represent a stalker-type. I guess I usually just associated that with desperate guys and not obsessive females.

I cannot fathom why people obsess about cake slices being even. Cake is one of those things that’s best when consumed with reckless abandon, like Cookie Monster with cookies – just wantonly cramming pieces whole into one’s mouth with frenzied vigor.

Ewwwww…they blended up the cake into a…a strawberry cake milkshake? *shudder* Although I agree that Chiri-chan was going off the deep end, I hardly think this is a solution to the problem. >_>

Strawberry Cake Milkshakes? GENIUS. My opinion of Kitsu-san rose exponentially during this sequence.

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…

We are no longer friends.

Awkward moments of this caliber could never occur in real life. By the way, how could she unintentionally roll that far over? There was like a foot-and-a-half gap between the beds!

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Don’t forget that the reason she’s in the infirmary in the first place is because she drank that damn milkshake! Sheesh.

The anime adaptation seems to be remaining pretty true to the manga, which is excellent. SHAFT has a tendency to go overboard and overpower the humor of the story with their funky animation style, but they seem to have met their match with Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. The inherently trippy nature of the series serves as the perfect foil to SHAFT’s visual wackiness. It worked for Mushishi and Read or Die, let’s hope they can pull it off with SZS as well.

Hikikomori, stalker, optimist, pessimist, OCD girl, and hawt school counselor. Yes sir, we have a series.

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