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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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

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Shigofumi is one of those series that has an intriguing and quirky setting that can either become amazingly brilliant or turn into absolute rubbish, depending on the execution of the story. Speaking of which, using the phrase “execution of the story” when talking about J.C. Staff and light novel adaptations conjures an entirely different mental image from what that phrase usually means (Zero no Tsukaima or Shakugan no Shana, anyone?), and will almost certainly bring bad luck to the production, so I’m going to refrain from saying that ever again.

Shigofumi (死後文) basically means a “letter from beyond death”, and refers to a letter which a recently deceased person writes to someone still living. These letters are delivered by Fumika (pictured above), along with her talking staff sidekick, Kanaka. The series seems to be more or less episodic, with the duo delivering a different letter to a different person each time.

Fumika is basically a moeblob from the opposite side of the spectrum, the yin to Mikuru’s yang, so to speak. She’s a quiet, monotone, loli DFC angelic-looking magical girl with school seifuku, a cape, and a hat that looks like a cross between a postman’s cap and something a Nazi would wear. In other words, awesome.

Her sidekick Kanaka, voiced by Mutsuoka Yuki (Tsuruya in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), provides the comic relief with her hyper genki tone and random comments. The ultra-peppy voice kind of gets on my nerves at times, but overall Kirika adds a nice lighthearted side to the show.

And that’s certainly needed, because this definitely does not seem like a cheery happy series. Since each episode involves the tragic death of at least one person, as well as the recipient of the shigofumi coming to grips with all of this, the tone is actually quite dark.

Oh yeah, also there’s random sad lolis n’ stuff.

Notice how the tape has gotten stuck to her. Sorry, I just couldn’t help but mention this. During the phone conversation I was so distracted by the crying loli that I had to go back and watch the scene again to listen to what was being said.

MAJOR SPOILERS below for episode 1.

Click to show… show

I should also mention that the ED animation is strangely mesmerizing. The close up shot of Kirika looking like some kind of strange magical lava lamp had me completely entranced.

Overall, this series seems like it’s off to a very strong start. The animation is solid, and the music is absolutely exceptional. Composed by Nanase Hikaru, it features a wide range of beautiful tracks, from light happy pieces to brooding mysterious ones. If nothing else, I’ll follow this series just for the eye & ear candy.

You’ve got mail!

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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.

.

.

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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It’s the climactic conclusion we’ve been famished for here at Epic Win, and might I say that few words other than “epic” can adequately describe the ending of Darker than Black. With the impending demise of all the contractors will it be Li or the Black Reaper that has the final say?

The final episode was excellent; I felt that the true essence of the story and the question that it asks was brought forth in poetic fashion. That question being, “Is there hope for peace, and do differences only bring about conflict and war, or is it those differences that make us unique, shape our experiences, and define our lives?”

I thought it very fitting that the final climactic scene took place at Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. It was a bit strange, though – the temple area is normally so crowded that it was a bit unnerving to see it completely desolate.

There’s a lot of fascinating symbolism in that choice as the location of the center of the gate region. Asakusa is often referred to as the “spiritual heart of Tokyo”, and Sensoji is the most popular temple in the city, drawing over 30 million visitors every year.

The entrance to the temple area is the Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate, a very appropriate place for Hei to enter the final stage from. It is believed that Sensoji is a place where wishes can be granted, and many people come to pray for the safety of their families and loved ones. The temple itself is dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon, often described as a goddess of mercy.

There are many ways one could interpret it all, but it’s clear that the setting parallels Hei’s inner conflict, as well as the path he eventually decides to follow.

When Amber began speaking to Hei, initially I was struck by the serene calm of the situation, especially considering, you know, the impending doom of the massive particle accelerator firing up. The endless cascade of the falling stars and the final conflict also set up an interesting juxtaposition. It’s the same kind of feeling you get with a film like 2001: A Space Odyssey. You understand the rational motives behind something, but also realize that something greater must be sacrificed for true resolution.

Finally, the mystery behind Hei’s enigmatic nature is revealed…he is not a true Contractor. His sister Pai lives on inside of him, granting him his Contractor abilities; she is the real Contractor.

We see now that the dichotomy between Hei’s human side and his Contractor side really serves as the focal point around which the philosophy of the entire show is built. He illustrates the larger conflict between Contractors and humans, between reason and emotion, and between fate and free will.

As we saw in the flashback to South America, even as a human he was already a completely badass killer, a soldier who could easily discard his emotions in order to focus on his mission. With his Contractor side, he is able to suppress those feelings even further. Yet unlike true Contractors, he is not immune to his emotions, not exercising complete control over them.

Thus he is vulnerable to acting rashly or becoming angry, and yet at the same time that gives him a great deal of power. He is able to make decisions which seem illogical to the other Contractors, but which allow him to follow his own moral compass unwaveringly. He throws away the fear and hesitation, but holds firmly to his desire to protect those dear to him.

When the world was enveloped in white, I thought that we were getting a repeat of the gate incident, but somehow I knew it seemed too easy for things to end on such an indecisive note. Deus ex machina endings are definitely beneath the storytelling prowess we’ve seen so far in Darker than Black.

It was awesome to see a sort of spectral reunion among the many fallen comrades throughout the series. Apparently even as a ghost Huang is as cantankerous as ever.

It was nice to see Havoc again, as well. She’s still high on my list of “cool characters that didn’t get nearly enough screen time.”

The reunion between Hei and Pai was so beautiful and bittersweet; the sadness in his heart was well articulated. In times of war, people are often forced to commit horrible violence to protect what they hold dear. Again the theme was very strong here – violence begets violence, but is it “within the stars, or within ourselves?” Yeah, that’s right…a Julius Caesar reference in an anime blog.

When the choice was left up to Hei, at first I thought he was going to sacrifice everything, to give up the contractors in order to prevent all the people in Japan from disappearing, but then I realized that Hei himself was emblematic of what the decision was. Hei was the solution: a human, but attempting to live as a contractor, attempting to strike a balance between the two worlds, giving hope for a future of peace.

It was really touching to see Hei say farewell to Amber, and her self sacrifice for the greater good was also quite poignant. Throughout the series I had a fundamental distrust of her character, but in this final episode her ulterior (good) motives showed through. Again, the characters are so powerful in this series.

Hei! Watashi wo hitori ni shinai de!

Despite having watched this episode four times already, hearing Yin’s final line, “Watashi wo hitori ni shinai de! Don’t leave me alone!” still sends chills down my spine every time. After 25 episodes of her flat, expressionless delivery, it was stunning to hear her voice calling out with such intense passion and desperation.

The subtle relationship between Hei and Yin has been developed little by little throughout the series. As kindred spirits, the two have a somewhat unique bond.

Hei and Yin share the same struggle as supposedly emotionless beings trying to come to grips with their true emotions, trying to reconcile their past experience of loss with their present desire to move forward, and trying to find the correct path for themselves in the future.

I loved how Yin is able to bring Hei back, how she is able to change and feel. The message was so subtly communicated through the characters that the greater theme just exudes from them. The Contractors were a brilliant story device because they portrayed, in an interesting way, the great struggle between fate and free will.

It’s funny, because Kirihara’s boss is so typical of people who justify their genocide in ploy for greater world peace, harmony, order, etc. It was the same with Hitler and Stalin: you believe a certain group or a certain ideology poisons society so you murder in the name of peace. Sadly ironic, really.

It is exactly because of that kind of attitude that the final fight scene of the series was so immensely rewarding.

He goes in for the grab.

“No no dawg, you’re doing it wrong.”

“Here, let me know show you how it works.”

OWNED!

Sorry toolbox, Hei ain’t havin’ none of that! That was so cleansing, to have him save the day one last time. Takin’ care of business, and with the Kuro no Shinigami mask intact even!

“Li to iu otoko wa mo inai.”

At the line, “The man called Li no longer exists,” I couldn’t help but wonder if the smallest bit of doubt remained within Hei. Even when you make the right decision, sometimes it takes time before you realize all the consequences.

The ending was rather bittersweet. The ramen shop lady waits patiently for Mao, not knowing that he’ll never return.

Walking alone, Hei seems a little bit lonely. Having been cut loose from the Syndicate, and having lost almost everyone important to him, it truly seems as though the man called Li Shenshun might as well no longer exist.

I loved how the series gave an honest illustration of the epilogue. The contractors still exist and some still abuse their power. But power is neutral, neither inherently good nor wicked. It is people who manipulate it that causes violence and conflict. In short, the show ended brilliantly – the world still isn’t perfect, but there remains a glimmer of hope that shines like the distant stars.

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I didn’t enjoy it at all.

You know, it’s funny…after all the build up, all the delays, all the bloggers flaming away at Makoto with the heat of a thousand internets, when I finally got to see the long awaited moment – it didn’t make me happy at all.

Watching the cast slowly spiral out of control throughout the series, and then finally crash and burn at the end, was like watching an impending train wreck. You knew it was going to be horrible, but you couldn’t pull your eyes away from it.

And while I wasn’t part of the torch-bearing mob vociferously calling for Makoto’s head, I certainly was not hoping for a Good End to the show either. Now that I’ve been able to witness Makoto receive his just comeuppance, however, it really struck me what a tragedy this show is.

Of course, it’s awfully hard to feel any kind of sympathy for Makoto…or any of the cast, for that matter. But as the series of flashbacks showed the happier days of the past, before this whole messy situation got started, I couldn’t help but think that it was a very deeply unfortunate outcome. Plenty of people make really stupid mistakes when they’re young and lacking in maturity. Even the events of School Days are not that far removed from the reality of some people.

Perhaps the reason why I didn’t like the series that much was exactly because it was a bit too real. Your standard harem romcom tries to keep things somewhat plausible, but it intentionally stretches your suspension of disbelief so that you don’t take it too seriously either. Instead of being my usual dose of blissful evening escapism, School Days reminded me of all the Bad Stuff™ in the real world that I usually don’t like to think about when I’m watching anime.

So in the end, as much as I was looking forward to this episode, I really couldn’t get into it.

With one key exception: the ending was tremendous. Nice Boat lol!

*sigh* I’m gonna go watch a couple episodes of Hidamari Sketch to get my genki back.

I recommend you do the same. Even if you didn’t watch School Days. You know, just on principle.

School Days is depressing, so here’s some Yoshinoya-sensei.

And yes, I do really like to start sentences with conjunctions.

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4-koma by our very own guest artist, Jupeboxgal.

After hearing Motteke! Sailor Fuku over and over and over again, it’s certainly lost some of its charm, but nevertheless I still find it enjoyable. The song’s sugar-crack catchiness is much like the show itself – although I soon became accustomed to it, now that it’s gone I find myself missing that Sunday night Lucky Star fix.

* hands shake *

“C’mon man, just…just one more episode, I just need one more episode, man! I can stop any time I want, I swear! C’mon, just one more time…”

Even while working on this post, when I went through the older episodes to get screenshots, half the time I ended up getting distracted and watching the entire show. I’ve already watched through the series roughly three times, and yet it’s still fun. I think one of the strongest signs of a good anime series, much like a good video game, is in its replay value, and in my book Lucky Star certainly delivers.

Therefore, we are very proud to present our top 48 reasons why Lucky Star is an amazing show that almost anyone can enjoy.

(Warning: LONG POST IS LONG! Not recommended for small children, nursing mothers, and people still running on 9600 baud modems.)

#1. Choco Cornet

Even after all this time, the question still remains – which end of a choco cornet is the head? And does it resemble a shell or a caterpiller? Are you really supposed to break off the thin end and dip it in the chocolate?

Although the whole food discussion from episode 1 is one of the most maligned segments of the entire show, I still found it quite enjoyable. I’ve always felt that Lucky Star is at its strongest when its portraying those slice-of-life moments that make you go, “Hey, I do that too!” or, “Wow, I can totally relate!”

While many of the specific anime parodies won’t age so well, this kind of humor is more or less timeless, ensuring that Lucky Star will still be fun to watch even 10 years down the road.

#2.Konata > Guile

Although some of Lucky Star’s parodies definitely fell flat at times, others of them were pretty funny. This was one of the best and really served to set a good tone for the series.

My money’s on Konata. Now, if she was against Ryu, then it might prove a bit more challenging – shoryuken spamming!

#3. Good job!

Another mark of a good series is how many of those great quotable lines come from it. Although Lucky Star didn’t quite have any “Just as planned!” caliber meme-spawning catchphrases, it still served up a number of memorable one-liners. This happens to be one of our favorites.

Best Konata line EVAR. This series is so phenomenally voice acted, yet another reason why it was so enjoyable to watch.

#4. DFC

With Konata, Nagi from Hayate no Gotoku, Nia from Gurren Lagann, and now more Shana coming soon, it seems we’re entering a golden age of DFC (Delicious Flat Chest). Konata certainly seems to properly understand her position at the forefront of this new wave.

“Flat chest is of immeasurable value!”

Seriously with the way most of the SaiMoe votes go you can’t help but come to the conclusion that this is a very real and prominent demographic.

#5. Stop! Chikoku janai desu~!

Aya’s voice work is almost always top notch, but for some reason this line really stuck in my head and just makes me laugh every time.

#6. Konata in a Yukata

Yukatas = win in large quantities

Waku waku! Waku waku!

#7. Yui-neesan

Filling the role of the green-haired genki girl, Yui-neesan is naturally one of my favorite characters. Her carefree personality contrasts wonderfully with her maniacal road rage driving, and Nishihara Saori’s voice acting is wonderful to listen to.

I still can’t believe she’s a cop…

I loved her character and couldn’t help but chuckle every time she was on screen, especially when she was intoxicated. If only more police officers were this irresponsible, we’d probably see a sharp decline in traffic tickets.

#8. Cha-La Head-Cha-La

Seeing Hirano Aya sing the classic Dragonball Z theme song in her over the top Konata voice was awesome. Seeing her do it live at AX was even better!

Spaaaarking!

#9. Timotei~! Timotei~! Timoteiiiii~!

Konata’s impersonation of the oldschool Timotei commercials was awesome. Seeing Hirano Aya do it live at AX was even better! (Thanks beerman!)

#10. Tsukasa and the Seashell

Tsukasa at her very best.

#11. Marimite Mode Konata

Exhibiting yet another facet of Aya’s amazing seiyuu talents, Konata’s Marimite voice had me rolling on the floor.

#12. Fire-breathing Kagami

The Konata/Kagamin dynamic was one of the best elements of the show. The two of them trading verbal jabs, and almost always provoking Kagami’s tsundere side, never failed to bring a smile to my face.

Plus I crack up every time I look at Konata’s depiction of Kagami.

This picture reminded me of the Calvin & Hobbes comic in which Calvin draws a parody cartoon of his father, quite amusing.

#13. Episode 8

Arguably the best episode in the entire series. This episode had me laughing non-stop, from the opening where Konata’s dad is introduced for the first time, to the awesome Lucky Channel segment at the end.

More Marimite Mode.

Typical tsundere response.

And then she brings down the house! You go girl!

Soujirou + fatty cameras = win

Old school Track and Field reference = win

Tsukasa is serious business.

Oh yeah. That’s right.

This was probably Miyuki’s best scene. Rather than her usual reserved meganekko, dentist-fearing persona, she was able to show her cool side.

And cool it was.

The whole race scene was wonderfully animated, of course, and the cool techno music really got me into it.

And to top it off, she wins by melon pan.

Tsukasa’s recorder antics were pretty win as well.

And her runaway imagination wasn’t bad either.

Seeing how thrilled Konata was about her Newtype fanart submission, which as you may know actually appeared in the June ‘07 issue, was also quite entertaining.

And of course, to top it all off…

NEEEEEEE?!

Best. Lucky Channel. Ever.

The bipolar Akira/terrified Shiraishi dynamic at its very best.

“Don’t touch me!”

Agreed, Akira’s final “NEEE?” had me in absolute stitches. The interplay between her and Shiraishi was just priceless. As the series wore on I began to miss that element of Lucky Channel.

#14. Sushi Personality Test

I love Miyuki’s observation in regard to Konata coming up as “gari” (sliced ginger) – you can’t have sushi without it. I think that’s really fitting for Konata’s role in the story – she complements all the different members of the cast well, and serves as the catalyst for many of the zany antics and random discussions that make the show great.

#15. Konata’s Hat

I love the fact that the Hiiragi sisters didn’t even notice her standing next to them with the hat on. Why didn’t we see more of this thing later in the series? It’s an awesome look for Kona-chan.

#16. Fear of Eyedrops

Miyuki’s “terrified moe mode” didn’t do much for me, but I really empathized with this scene, partly because I have exactly the same problem. It is so hard for me to let an eyedrop in my eye without reflexively closing it, I pretty much have to do the same thing Konata did – hold it open forcibly.

Not quite the same as Mikuru costume raping, but still good for some lulz.

Augh! I hate eye-drops! Yet another moment I could definitely relate to.

#17. Tsukasa + Cellphone

Tsukasa’s cellphone craze was another high point in the series. She’s so excited she just goes nuts with the thing, and then you just feel so terrible for her when she shows up at school dejected and explains that she left the phone in her pocket when it went through the wash. ;_;

And anyway, “balsamic vinegar”? LOL, who’s she texting about that? And why?

Yet another of the great unsolved mysteries of Lucky Star.

Also, Kagami looks great in that last screenshot.

#18. Anime Store Tenchou

“It’s Legendary Girl A!”

I loved these bits in the series, it was such a perfect mockery of how over the top anime cinematography can be at times. Well played.

#19. Soujirou

What can I say? He just wins at life! And he has an awesome camera! And he’s Konata’s dad!

On a different note, Soujirou’s face in this scene really reminds me of Akari from ARIA. And that’s a really scary thought.

“Honestly, I thought my daughter was in this event!”

I love Soujirou’s character; he’s the classic old otaku armed with an arsenal of lenses. I don’t think I ever laughed as hard in the whole series as I did at his, “I win at life,” remark.

#20. Hairstyle Switch

Tsukasa looks surprisingly good in twintails. So does Konata with her ponytail. I approve of this. >:3

#21. Lost at Comiket

After going to the Sanja Matsuri in Tokyo I know how crowds can eat you…again, I sympathize. Never underestimate the power of Japanese senior citizens in large groups. Do not be fooled by their tiny size, in significant numbers they will crush you.

#22. Kagami + Doujinshi

Her face says it all.

#23. Mochi Goes Whee!

BEST TSUKASA LINE EVER.

#24. Shiraishi Minoru

Although his ED antics got a bit stale after a while, the first few Shiraishi songs were absolutely hilarious.

In addition, I really admire Shiraishi and KyoAni for trying out something really radical and different for the ED. It was wacky and off-the-cuff, and it didn’t always work – but it was always unique.

I think if ever meet Shiraishi in real life I’ll already feel like I know him somewhat. His personality really comes through, and he demonstrates a laidback and fun loving attitude that’s a pleasure to watch.

In my experience living in southern California, I’ve found that by and large voice actors are much more friendly and down-to-earth than their “appearing-on-the-big-screen” film counterparts. It’s a very different scene.

Every voice actor I’ve met here has been a very genuinely nice person, and usually very in touch with their fan base. I get the same kind of vibe from the Japanese seiyuu that I’ve met as well, and Shiraishi & crew really do a good job of that, showing that they’re not above getting in front of a camera and goofing off to please their fans.

#25. Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou

I thought Aya’s cameo in the show was just great, especially since I had just recently seen her in concert myself.

Lots of good memories.

#26. Da Capo OP Parody

One of the best parodies of the whole show. Plus, I’m always down for seeing more Konata cosplay.

#27. Akiba

Appearing pretty much exactly as it does in real life, the Akiba visit was nostalgic and entertaining.

If you’ve been to that Gamers store, you just have to relish how accurately the show depicted it, I mean right down to the posters on the wall…awesome.

#28. Haruhi Cosplay Cafe

While I thought the later Haruhi soda commercial was over the top, this whole segment was absolutely brilliant. Plus Patty-chan as Mikuru was just great.

#29. 24 Parody

Not limited to KyoAni in house references, the show also managed a great 24 parody. Scholars continue to debate to this day as to whether there’s any hidden significance to the flags Yutaka is holding up.

#30. Tsukasa and the Case of the Mystery Tupperware

Tsukasa just had so many of the greatest laugh out loud moments.

#31. Pissed Kagamin

The whole segment with the Hiiragi family and their little fight was kind of touching. I liked how Tsukasa stood by Kagami all the way. She definitely fits Konata’s description of her as a dog.

Which leads me to…

Kon! Kon!

#32. Usagi Kagamin!

(and to a lesser degree foxy Konata)

#33. Jiiiiiiiii!

Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~!

Did she seriously do that all in one breath, or did the sound engineers splice it together? o_0

#34. What’s Yaoi?

The mother of all awkward moments.

“Yaoi is a horrible monster that eats people’s spleens for sustenance, Yutaka, and if you mention his name more than once he will come devour you, so never speak of this again.”

That’s how I would’ve handled the situation, anyway.

#35. Mosquito Killing

“You are already dead.”

“You are already bitten!”

#36. Nanja Korya?!

2nd best Tsukasa line ever.

#37. Hiyorin

Fear the fangirls. Her character was so amusing, especially with her internal struggle over using her friends as “subject matter”.

#38. Lucky Channel Pwned

Shiraishi dominates all life. 2nd best Lucky Channel ever.

#39. Kyoto Field Trip

Since many people have been to Kyoto as tourists, it’s easy to recognize the landmark locations and reminisce along with the Lucky Star cast.

#40. Kanata

Touching while still humorous. Emotional but not sappy.

Episode 22, with its more serious tone, was one of the highlights of the series.

It made me laugh and it brought a tear to my eye.

This was such an excellent episode, so sincere and yet not overbearing, just all around touching. If anything speaks to the quality of the series, it is this episode.

#41. Minami & Yutaka

So awkward and yet so hilarious. Hiyori’s constant yuri fantasizing was rather entertaining, a guilty pleasure if you will.

#42. Gotouza-sama

What more fitting place could there be for Yuko Goto than at number 42?

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Gotouza-sama is serious business.

#43. Patricia Martin

Out to convert the world to otaku-ism, it’s Patty-chan! Her voice acting work was without a doubt one of the best in the entire show, which is saying quite a lot considering the long list of heavyweights involved with this project.

Big props to Sasaki Nozomi, a relative newcomer on the seiyuu scene. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for her future projects.

I loved Patty’s character because not only was her voice quite memorable but her antics as the typical gaijin otaku were highly appreciated.

#44. Misao!

FANG POWER!!

What can I really say? The pictures speak for themselves.

If you don’t already understand the awesomeness that is Misao by now, you probably never will.

Obey the fang! Quake in its presence!

#45. That…Cat…Thing…

After 24 episodes I’m still not entirely sure what that thing is…but somehow it’s also highly awesome. One wonders what its primary method of locomotion is, though. Perhaps it just kind of rolls?

I think the cat is actually related to the amorphous cat-blob from FLCL. Perhaps its younger sister or something.

#46. Motteke! Sailor Fuku

The full dance sequence was tremendous, in typical KyoAni fashion. It will no doubt spawn a whole new wave of Youtube dances, including Gundam and Megaman parodies, I’m sure.

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I could never understand what on earth was being said, and still I relished in that song.

“Let’s get cherry pie!” I mean, c’mon, it’s cherry pie…you know you want some. I want some right now just talking about it.

#47. Everything

The whole cast was just great.

One thing I really enjoyed about Lucky Star was that, while all of the characters more or less fit into some stereotype, that wasn’t the extent of the character. The stereotype served as a hook, something to help you immediately understand and relate to the character.

Each character went beyond that stereotype, however, showing us their own personality and unique traits. Although there wasn’t very much character development over the course of the series, we definitely do come away feeling like we know the characters.

Watching the first few episodes again, after having already seen everyone go through so many different adventures, is a lot of fun and offers some interesting insights that I didn’t catch the first time around.

#48. Slice-of-Lifeness

Subtle, yet amazing, I’m sad to see it go. I really do hope they continue this series in some fashion, it’s just so enjoyable and so refreshing to watch.

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As I said at the beginning – Lucky Star is at its best when its portraying those everyday humorous moments that we can all relate to. Despite coming from a different culture and context, the show really managed to hit the mark in that regard.

It’s quite a testimony to the universality of the show’s humor when people from all different cultures can appreciate and sympathize with the trials and travails of a group of random high school girls in Japan.

Lucky Star is nothing grand or epic. It’s simply a collection of ordinary stories that somehow manages to transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries with something that everyone can appreciate. And that is epic win, indeed…if I do say so myself.

Whew! If you actually made it all the way to the end of this post, congratulations! Give yourself a cookie.

And then go watch some Lucky Star. It’s fun.

Bye-bee~!!

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In a little under a month, the Fall Anime Season will kick off and a whole slew of new and interesting shows will start up.

The fall season is, in my opinion, generally the strongest season of the year. Four years ago, during the fall of 2003, a number of excellent new shows aired, most notably Fullmetal Alchemist, Read or Die TV, and Gunslinger Girl.

Fall ‘04 saw the beginning of many popular (infamously so, in my book) series, including Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Rozen Maiden, and Bleach, all of which have proven to be tenacious as cockroaches, continuing to air all the way up to the present.

Fall of ‘05 brought us such classics as Akagi, Aria the Animation, Shakugan no Shana, and of course Mushishi, all four of which still reside on my Top Ten list.

Fall 2006, while a comparatively weak year, nevertheless had a few diamonds in the rough – Code Geass, D. Gray-man, OtoBoku, and the Kanon remake, among others.

This fall also shows excellent potential for new anime, with a number of strong sequels premiering, as well as several intriguing new series. More after the jump…

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DO WANT

Shows that we’ll definitely be watching, and quite possibly blogging.

Shakugan no Shana II
“Loli Flame Haze dominates all life and melon pan.”

Trailer

This is without a doubt the series I’m looking forward to the most. I absolutely loved the original, and even got hooked enough to read a few of the light novels and play through the Shana DS game. I still list this series in my Top Ten all time favorites.

There’s just so many things to love about it. Shana herself is obviously the highlight of the show, but the rest of the cast includes a number of unique and interesting characters, and all of the voice acting is top notch (assuming we can all pretend that the atrocious English dub just never happened).

The melon pan, the cat fights between Shana and Kazumi, the wonderfully questionable physics of the fuzetsu, the diversity of the various Flame Haze, and of course the awesomeness of Yuuji’s mom – any one alone would be reason enough to watch the show. However, much like Bruticus, when combined it becomes much more than the sum of its parts, and certainly more than meets the eye.

Basically, all that to say, when this show airs I’ll be all over it like Shana-tan on melon pan.

Though I haven’t read any of the light novels or manga, I was thoroughly impressed and entertained with the first season of the anime. Solid story, compelling character structure, and excellent fuzetsu combat sequences made this show one of my favorites of last year. I’m definitely looking forward to round two.

Gambler Kaiji
“Man takes on a friend’s debt and becomes a professional gambler.”

I read some of the manga that this anime is based on, and it’s definitely a story with a lot of entertainment potential.

Akagi was awesome, of course, and I absolutely love Fukumoto Nobuyuki’s art style, so I’ll definitely be following this one.

It’s a definite must, just for the nosestab factor, if nothing else.

Now if we can just convince The Triad to sub this instead of Kodomo no Jikan…

Akagi currently holds a place in my top ten favorite anime; I was so completely engrossed with the dark gambling underworld and the “genius that descended into the darkness” that I’m willing to watch anything Nobuyuki touches. Hard nosed (pun intended) gambler becomes entrenched in a world of chance and skill – oh yes, I will definitely be watching this one.

CLANNAD
“Key bishoujo game turned anime.”

Trailer

I couldn’t stand Air; it bored me to tears. And yes, I watched it all the way through.

Kanon was fun to watch once, but I probably wouldn’t go back and watch it again.

Hopefully CLANNAD, the third installment of the Key/KyoAni partnership, will continue the bullish trend and prove itself to be an entertaining series with some real value. Based on the trailers I’ve seen, it certainly shows strong potential. Worst case scenario, it’ll prove to be a delicious trainwreck of a show, which is still good enough reason to watch it in my book, so I’ll be keeping up with it either way.

After watching Haruhi and Lucky Star I’m convinced that KyoAni indeed is capable of incredible work; as such, I’ll be giving this series a glance. I don’t have any preconceived notions about the series because of the fact that I’m completely glib as to the story or the characters involved. Hopefully, the show will turn out well, and if not, well…Haruhi’s due for next year.

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MAYBE WANT

Shows that we’ll check out to see if they’re any good.

GHOST HOUND
“Shirow Masamune mindfuck series.”

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

Now, in all fairness I haven’t seen the trailer or gotten any real notion of the story, but it’s SHIROW MASAMUNE. Is it really possible to go wrong? Ghost in the Shell is one of my all time favorite anime series. Masamune’s stuff has been nothing less than stunningly brilliant as far as I’m concerned. I’m utterly enthralled at this point; hopefully the series will deliver.

I watched the trailers for this and wasn’t too impressed, but it’s by Shirow Masamune and Production I.G., and with that pedigree it would be just irresponsible of us to not check it out.

Moyashimon
“Guys talks to chibi bacteria and brews alcohol.”

A student in Tokyo Agricultural University has the unique ability to see bacteria with the naked eye. He interacts with them through his many argicultural endeavors, which apparently includes lots of alcohol brewing.

That description alone would be enough to get me to watch any series. On top of that, however, people who have read the manga are recommending this series for Mushishi fans, and with an endorsement like that I can’t not check it out.

Sounds like it could be a cross between Mushishi and Bartender, and that certainly doesn’t sound like a bad thing. Also, that bacteria on the left somehow makes me think of the principal from Hidamari Sketch.

It deals with the brewing of sake, which is an admittedly interesting concept for an anime. Kind of like the Dr. Doolittle of bacteria. The personification of animals has been done to death, but personification of bacteria is another ballgame entirely. That, combined with the that fact that it seems to be getting the Mushishi vote, and this definitely seems worth a shot.

Gundam 00
“Yet more Gundam…”

Seriously, what else is there to say about it?

I’m not really a Gundam fan, nor a fan of giant robot shows, so I don’t really have much desire to watch the latest installment of the series.

Unlike my esteemed colleague; I’m personally a fan of the Gundam series. The original Mobile Suit Gundam ranks among my top 10 favorite anime. It was just so groundbreaking and original for its time. Yes, I feel that Gundam Seed and Seed Destiny were apocryphal and should not even share the same title as the original masterpiece.

However, in the hopes that this could possibly be another Gundam Wing, or Gundam: 08^th MS Team, I’ll at least check the series out. Cross your fingers and hope for the best Gundam fans.

OK, one of the characters is named “Lockon Stratos”, and another is “Allelujah Haptism”.

HAPTISM.

And they’re both totally gay looking. Is it really possible to take this show seriously?

Minami-ke
“Three girls, slice-of-life, you know the drill.”

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

Slice-of-life…mmm, my favorite. I also really like the character designs for this show.

Not many details available yet, but what I have seen seems most intriguing.

Mokke
“Two sisters – one who can see monsters, another who attracts them.”

Trailer

More slice-of-life, with a touch of supernatural drama, and fabulous looking art. Mmm, my favorite.

Sketchbook ~full colors~
“Art school, happy days.”

Trailer

Three new slice-of-life series in one season?! Much ado about nothing, and I love it!

This looks like it could be the next Hidamari Sketch. We can only hope, anyway. Mmm, definitely my favorite.

Rental Magica
“Magicians for hire.”

I know next to nothing about the show, but I’m sold just based on the promo art and the name.

We’ve got a Gin clone on the left, and a girl who looks a little like Tsuruya on the right, and then this kid with the eye-patch right in front, whose name is Astral. Apparently he inherited some kind of rental magician business from his father, and he has some sort of awesome Geass-style gigan under his eyepatch.

BAMBOO BLADE
“All-girl kendo club.”

A high school teacher who’s in bad financial shape bets that he can train up an all girl kendo team that’s capable of defeating his colleague’s kendo club.

Although not a kendoka, I am a practitioner of naginata, so while I’m generally not a fan of sports anime, I’ll certainly give this one a whirl. Took a look at the manga and it seemed kind of meh, but hopefully the anime will be better.

Shion no Ou
“Shogi action + murder mystery + reverse trap.”

Yasuoka Shion lost her parents, and her voice, when she was young…in a murder.

She was found amidst a blood-soaked room, and the only hint for the suspect was a Shougi board and one piece: the King. Now, Shion steps into the world of female professional Shougi players. As her popularity and fame slowly rises, so do the questions about her past, particularly the murder case that was never solved.

Source: mangaupdates.com

As a semi-serious go player, I appreciated Hikaru no Go, although I wished it had been more about the game of go and less about coming-of-age drama. I also enjoy playing mahjong socially, having been introduced to the intricacies of the game by Akagi. Although I know the rules of shogi, and have some limited experience with the game, I could count on my two hands the number of games I’ve played in my life.

Even though Shion no Ou seems like it’ll be more along the lines of another Hikaru no Go, I’ll probably watch it anyway. It could prove to be a good way to learn more about the game of shogi.

BLUE DROP
“Aliens come to Earth, potential yuri ensues.”

Trailer

The protagonist is a girl named Mari, the lone survivor from Kamikakushi Island, where all the inhabitants except her mysteriously disappeared. She transfers to a new school and there she meets another girl named Hagino, who is actually an alien conducting surveillance on Earth in preparation for an invastion, and who was involved in the disappearances at Kamikakushi. The two apparently form some kind of love/hate relationship, and as Hagino interacts with humans she starts to have second thoughts about invading Earth.

Somehow whenever I hear the name Hagino, I can’t help but think of the loli chick from Canvas 2. Reading the summaries for this show, I kept picturing her as an alien and chuckling at the mental image.

Da Capo II
“Magical sakura tree + lolicon + siscon action.”

Much like the musical term, seems to repeat itself over and over.

I watched the original Da Capo and enjoyed it, but D.C.S.S. kind of killed my enthusiasm for this series. I’ll reserve judgment on this one until I’ve had a chance to get a few episodes in.

ef -a tale of memories-
“Fred Gallagher-tastic.”

Trailer

Yet another visual novel anime adaptation. Looks like it has a strong musical theme to it. Ho-hum.

I’ll give it a try, nevertheless, in hopes that the soundtrack will be as awesome as the music in the trailer and on the official site.

Maple Story
“Level grinding on horny mushrooms.”

Wow, that sounds so wrong, somehow.

Anyway, this show might not be particularly interesting on its own, but it could be lots of fun to read people’s reactions to it. Hopefully some intrepid bloggers will take up the torch and produce funny write-ups mocking it. I’ll watch it for the lulz.

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DO NOT WANT

Shows that people are talking about, but that we have little to no interest in. If you’re a fan, convince us that it’s worth watching.

Dragonaut ~ The Resonance
“Typical shonen fighting action.”

There’s a lot of big name seiyuu behind this project, but it looks to me like nothing more than another fantasy themed shonenfest with big swords and bonds of friendship. I also, wasn’t particularly impressed with the art style or character designs.

Prism Ark
“Lolis with sharp objects!”

Trailer

Looks like typical magical girl fare, with swords, brightly colored costumes, and nekkid transformation sequences.

Kodomo no Jikan
“PEDOTASTIC~ HAPPIEST TOME IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD~ THE END~”

‘Nuff said. Cookie for you if you get the reference.

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Is that pedo-bear on the horizon? Why indeed it is.

Just…no. There is a line, and the creators of this monstrosity crossed it somewhere back in Paleolithic era.

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