『舞-HiME戦（EXA）』 >read more information here (Japanese)
Released: January, 27th 2010
published by: ascii media works
Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh magazine
EXA that pronounced “ikusa” which means “battle” (from the word “ikusahime” in the series)
■ Staff ■
Original Story: Hajime Yatate
(He is the collective pseudonym for the entire Sunrise animation staff.)
Animation: Dragon Emperor
Screenplay: Ryo Suzuka
Don’t miss!
2009 will be over in just under an hour. We’re in the midst of New Years celebration here in New Zealand (I can hear the fireworks already!) and the rest of the world following suit. So firstly, Happy New Year everyone! Anime this year has been interesting and fun to watch for the most part. There have been endless summers, incomplete productions and lots of moe in the many different shows that aired.
Anime has easily become one of my main interests within the past two years and even amidst juggling my senior school year work, I still managed to squeeze in enough time to watch some anime this year. I had initially planned to write this earlier, but watching movies for many of the past few nights has made me reluctant to go online. But better late than never and so here are Ayano Katagiri’s picks of 2009!
Best character: Misaka Mikoto (To Aru Kagaku no Railgun)
Biribiri is easily my favourite and the best character this year. Starring in both To Aru Majutsu no Index and To Aru Kagaku no Railgun, the Tokiwadai Railgun is the combination of tsundere, moe and kickass electrical power. Last week’s ending sequence in the obligatory swimsuit episode was automatic win. <3
Most annoying character: Daichi Kakeru (Akikan!)
I honestly could not stand Kakeru and Akikan. This mainly was the result of an annoying main character that is a complete pervert and full of himself. The initial idea to the story was interesting, but the execution and character personality certainly put me off. I’ll say no more.
Best OVA: Code Geass R2 – Zero Requiem
Code Geass is definitely one of the greatest anime of all time in my books and Lelouch’s feats as Zero were badass. This Zero Requiem OVA was a summary of R2 done in two hours and although there was no new material, it cut out all the filler and random attempts at slice-of-life in Ashford Academy. The focus on Lelouch’s quest for Zero Requiem was an amazing masterpiece and the reason why Code Geass is one of my favourite anime.
Most messed up/wtf anime: Umineko no Naku Koro ni/Asura Cryin’
This is a bit of a tie between Umineko no Naku Koro ni and Asura Cryin’, both series lacked explanations and really just didn’t make a whole lot of sense on their own. Asura Cryin’ was mysterious, a fantasy mecha anime that didn’t give a lot of explanations to what was going on (until season 2 I believe?). I’ve said before that watching Umineko as a stand alone was a complete
mindfuck and I still maintain that. I doubt I would have made the effort to watch the anime through to the end if I hadn’t been filling the gaps by reading the posts and spoilers posted by VN readers. The series of events that seemed to make absolutely no sense at all have now prompted me to get the VN, play through the entire the VN and catch up to Chiru. Yui Horie’s kihihihihi for Maria were awesome, I can’t get enough of the creepy occult girl’s cackle.
Anime I wished I had made the effort to watch this year: Darker than Black
There are countless anime which aired this year that I would have loved to have been able to watch, and this would have gone to Bakemonogatari or Saki if I hadn’t already started to watch them this month. Bakemonogatari is a great an unique anime and considering how it’s been touted by some as the “best anime of ‘09′”, I look forward to finishing it. The latter, Saki, combines just about every single genre and as underMebius put it “appeals to all fetishes”. Saki has mahjong, plenty of yuri and references to Nodoka’s oppai. Other than these two, I’ve heard DtB is a great anime and so will be something I’ll try to get to watch within the next month before vacation ends. I only just realised that this year’s one was a sequel to the 2007 S1, most likely the reason I passed it by when it aired.
Worst Anime: Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu S2/Kampfer/Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou
Kampfer really lost the plot early on. So much for the “Kampfers must fight each other” idea and this show degraded into only ecchi and fanservice. The anime just got worse and worse, becoming almost unbearable to watch. And what was up with that last episode? I wish I had dropped this series much earlier. Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou wasn’t much better. The only mahou that I can remember being used is the “剣と風、わがコード!” (Turn to swords, my Code!). So much for it being a show about understand modern magic.
Best catchphrase of 2009: Moe Moe Kyun / Kyon-kun denwa~
K-ON!’s Moe Moe Kyun or Endless Eight’s Kyon-kun denwa speak for themselves.
Best Anime of 2009: Clannad ~After Story~
K-ON! should get a mention here because of Azu-nyan and it’s popularity seems to be endless with the announcement of a second season, but it doesn’t beat the awesome masterpiece that is Clannad ~After Story~. Currently rated the Top Anime Series of All Time on MAL, after watching it I could understand why. I loved Clannad, it’s a heart moving and well constructed anime where nothing really felt out of place. There are plenty of likeable characters, the slice-of-life comedy is executed impeccably. Although I somewhat didn’t like how it reached the “time travelling” ending, it was still a great anime to watch. Funny and down-to-earth, the characters are all likeable and most play some significant role throughout the two seasons. This definitely makes it as my anime of 2009.
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And so ends 2009 and my first full year at blogging. It’s been fun, having a blog to express one’s own opinion is a delight. If anything, watching anime in 2009 has confirmed for me that I do like slice-of-life comedies and supernatural action type anime and am slowly warming to horror anime.
Also, underMebius will be joining me with posting on here from now. Other anime interests vary a bit (he’s watched a lot more than I have) so I’m looking forward to reading his posts. :3
Thanks to everyone reading and again, Happy New Year 2010!
I’ll do one of these every 3-4 pages.
Thank You! Fuck You! A List Has Arrived!
Honorable Mentions
Darker than Black
I’ve already said a lot on this matter here. Darker than Black excels at deliberate obfuscation. The viewer isn’t allowed in on the world’s secrets because the viewer is supposed to feel like someone who lives in the anime’s world. No one knows the secrets behind the gates. No one knows why contractors exist. Not even contractors know why they have to pay renumerations or why they have strange powers. At the same time, very few people seem to be seeking answers to these questions. Even people in the know seem to be more concerned with stopping the threat of contractors and keeping everything in the shadows rather than trying to solve the mystery. This is especially true for the main characters. Hei, Mao, and company don’t care about solving the mystery because it isn’t relevant to their personal goals.
Most anime series play upon some aspect of discovery or revelation. Someone, usually the main character, is seeking to discover some lost fact, trying to find a missing person, find their purpose in life, or otherwise come to some revelation. While Hei is seeking the truth behind his sister’s death/disappearance in the first season, and Suou is seeking her mother in the second season, Darker than Black is not about these quests. The overarching theme of the series is not “discovery.” Darker than Black’s theme falls more along the lines of H. P. Lovecraft’s work, which is to say that Darker than Black is about mankind’s futile attempts to fight against powers beyond their comprehension.
While Steven King’s The Mist doesn’t function within the Lovecraftian/Cthulhu mythos proper, it functions as a perfect mirror for Darker than Black. In both The Mist (the movie version at least) and Darker than Black, “gates” appear on Earth. With the appearances of these gates arrive forces of nature that tower over humanity. In The Mist, various horrific creatures bellow forth and wreak havoc across Maine. In Darker than Black, there’s a far more subtle invader: the contractor. Contractors possess abilities beyond human potential. Many can manipulate energy to violent effects. Some can perform supernatural feats like teleportation or time manipulation. Every contractor is “superior” to a human in terms of their ability to compete, much like how the creatures in The Mist are seemingly far more adapted to the whole “survival of the fittest” battle and readily kill and devour humans in no time flat.
Unlike The Mist, and more like the traditional Lovecraftian story, contractors exist just beyond humanity’s sight. The average human, at least in the first season, is unaware of the existence of contractors. The same is the case in a Lovecraftian story; humans are unaware that beings that have existed for eons dwell in the far reaches of time and space and are awaiting the time when “the stars are right” to rise up and vanquish Earth and all life that dwells within. And much like a story from the Cthulhu Mythos, when a normal human is confronted with this reality they are helpless to do anything about it. Misaki and her fellow cops are well aware of the existence of contractors, but they can do little to stop their actions. Try as they might, but their mere guns and training do little to stem the violence perpetrated by contractors who choose to use their abilities for actions we humans deem to be wrong or illegal.
Much like a Lovecraftian ”hero,” Misaki is obsessively pursuing “BK201,” and like most Lovecraftian heroes she will lose herself in the process. While she doesn’t succumb to the madness of those that see “that which man is not meant to know,” she sees almost everything that she believes in destroyed in the process. The further she investigates into the contractor mythos, she finds that her superior is a conspirator in a vile plot, she’s all but forced to leave her life behind to pursue her goal, and she sees many innocent people die at the hands of forces that may as well be writhing masses of tentacles raping your mind and soul.
This sense of hopelessness also leads into the way that Darker than Black mirrors the Cold War. With the advent of contractors, countries seem to be vying for control of their powers and use them to infiltrate other countries to obtain secrets, kill targets, and carry out other deeds which a mere human couldn’t. At the same time these contractors are a constant threat to national security and the safety of the public. The race by the countries of the world to accumulate contractors and use them to achieve their own goals is like the nuclear arms race of the Cold War, and the ever-present threat of annihilation is prevalent in Darker than Black. The incident at Heaven’s Gate that wiped out much of South America is akin to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This let those in the know discover the true power of contractors: they’re the new “weapons of mass destruction.”
And with the Cold War came an oppressive, fatalistic sense of impending doom. When will the nukes come? Will we survive? Is there any hope? These questions are also asked by those that know about the contractors’ potential for destruction. These powerful “weapons” may aid in getting what we want, but they’re also devices that can lead to the deaths of everyone on Earth. So yeah, contractors are a clever allusion to the sort of nuclear fears that are often touched upon in Japanese literature and pop culture. The idea isn’t dealt with using the typical heavy hand of Grave of the Fireflies and other similar stories, but the idea is there.
Darker than Black is about the horrors of a world out of humanity’s control and the fact that humanity willfully allowed the world to come to this point. Humanity read from the Necronomicon and unleash eldritch horrors upon the world and promptly ran to its corner to cower.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Much like Darker than Black, I’ve already said a good deal about Zetsubou in another post. Unlike Darker than Black, there isn’t much left to say.
This being a comedy, there’s only so many ways one can say “that was funny.” One thing I haven’t touched upon is the way Zetsubou thoroughly destroys the concept of the harem anime. Zetsubou isn’t a parody of the genre. Parody implies a certain fondness of the source material, with the humor coming from the way the source’s stereotypes are poked fun of and teased. I see none of the fondness that one sees in a parody in Zetsubou’s treatment of the harem anime.
Each female character is mentally disturbed in some manner. Even Nami is a little touched in the head due to the fact that she’s pathologically, obsessively “normal.” She adheres to every stereotype of a “normal girl” despite said stereotype cannot truly exist unless someone deliberately goes out of their way to adhere to its tropes. Every other girl has her own problem. Chiri is obsessed with order and predictability. Meru refuses to communicate through any means other than text messages and even then she usually communicates in vulgar, insulting ways. Certain girls have fetishes that interfere with their abilities to function properly in society. It isn’t normal to want to pull the tails of animals or to take one’s yaoi fandom to extremes. Kaere outright has a split personality, and both personalities are illogical extremes.
There’s nothing redeeming about any of these girls. They all need serious psychiatric help. And that’s a fundamental criticism of the harem genre. The only way a woman could be driven to the sorts of extremes that are seen by members of an anime’s “harem” is if said woman was mentally ill. More often than not such characters have to endure actions at the hands of the “lead” male that border on sexual harassment and abuse, and despite the fact that they often show displeasure at being subjected to such actions they always run back to the object of their irrational obsession and ask for more. This isn’t a mere abusive relationship that they can’t escape because the male character often has no leverage or ability to pull back the woman. There’s no threat of physical violence. Tenchi doesn’t threaten to stab Ryoko with his space sword thing. At the same time, in order to compete for the affections of the main male these female characters are subjected to experiences that may as well be outright physical violence.
The only logical conclusion that can explain why a female would remain in such a terrible “relationship” when there’s other options and when the object of their desires has no way to keep her from running away is mental illness. These characters have to have serious issues that blind them from reality, and Zetsubou confronts this fact head-on. There’s no way in hell that any of these girls would be interested in a suicidal, neurotic, pathetic man like Zetsubou other than the fact that they’re just as sick as Zetsubou. That’s exactly the case.
The series isn’t poking fun at harem anime, it’s exposing the genre for often being the source of exploitive trash. While there are examples of harem anime that don’t fall to these levels, the genre has that potential and often meets and exceeds that potential. Zetsubou is a criticism of the genre and does that criticizing through humor.
Best of the Year
Baccano!
Baccano reaches the top spot for many of the same reasons Haruhi reached the top spot in 2006. Baccano is a masterpiece in terms of narrative storytelling. The series gives us the ending in the first episode, after which it proceeds to jump in time across several years to explain the events that led up to the ending given in the first episode.
Much like Haruhi, by giving us an ending that we don’t quite comprehend, we’re drawn into the story. How can this guy have his finger cut off, only to have them reattach themselves? Why are all these people meeting up and talking like they’ve known each other for a long time? Why is it that seemingly unrelated characters are investigating the events that took place on this train? By giving us the resolution without the events leading up to said resolution, we’re given a series of questions that will be answered throughout the series. It’s sort of like those old “I Spy” games you’d play in the car. You’d have a list of stuff you’re looking for on a Bingo-like grid, and whoever got a “Bingo” first won. That’s Baccano, to a certain extent. The only catch being that everyone hits that “Bingo” at the same time: the last episode.
Baccano is also the best pulp anime series since Cowboy Bebop. It plays upon the trappings of fantasy, ghost stories, gangster flicks and noir, and even throws into the mix a little modern stuff like Highlander. It’s a similar cocktail to Bebop, with the only exception being a lack of truly great music. Despite having a soundtrack that’s merely good, Baccano manages to be just as powerful a fusion of genre archetypes.
Baccano also has one of the coolest anime characters ever: Ladd Russo. He may not be as awesome as Sakiyama from Air Master, but he’s pretty damn close. He has such a gleeful manner to him. He genuinely loves violence. He’s sadism made incarnate. De Sade would be proud of him. He’s also one of the all-time great badasses of anime. He’s a normal human being, but he’s capable of going toe-to-toe with two particular characters who have significant advantages over him in terms of non-human potential. To say anything more would be spoiling things, but he pulls off some impressive moves towards the end of the series. And he does it all not though force of will, like many similar “badass normal” types, but through joy. He enjoys murder and pain and destruction, and it’s this love of mayhem that grants him his power.
Baccano was the most fun I had watching an anime series this decade. Haruhi might edge it out if I were to rank all of these series, but that’s due to Haruhi being slightly more clever in terms of its narrative tricks. But in terms of sheer joy, Baccano is top dog.
Also-Rans
Gurren Lagaan, Moyashimon, Lucky Star
You know, ever since episode two I’ve been meaning to write about Sora no Otoshimono and give the attention it deserves, but I figured I lack levels of pretentiousness to praise admittedly mindless stuff in any sort of meaningful way. The show offers plenty of moments that I can point at and say “now that is funny,” but doing so seems like such a futile exercise for this type of show. It’s also hard to get people interested in it when word on the street suggests that Sora no Otoshimono sucks monkey cock. Seriously? The one genuinely negative critique I’ve come across so far is disapproval of trying its hand at a serious plot. I won’t mince words around aspects which this show has actual merit–for one, surprisingly enjoyable slapstick–I merely suggest you check it out.
However, I simply have to point out the unexpected advertisement for the show in the final episode of Seitokai no Ichizon. Apparently, that flock of flying pantsu truly left an impression on some people. Sora no Otoshimono, job well done! The following thoughts, however, have settled my deal with the former. While it may be an awesome pile of anime tropes and references, I realized that this particular Student Council anime show is so devoid of genuine character that I can’t imagine it getting referenced in future productions of its kind. I honestly tried to tie my thoughts on it into a general theme and name this post The Bane of Referential Anime, but as much as I despise Kadokawa’s plugs in Lucky☆Star, that show had character and a sense of eternal value (plus it got referenced in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, shoot). Love it or hate it, Sora no Otoshimono managed to pull off a feat, but can you imagine Seitokai no Ichizon doing the same?
This is Sakura
This is Choux
So I wouldn’t expect too many anime posts about the upcoming season from me, because frankly nothing really looks worth my time case in point…
There are a few series that I’m interested in, but the rest all seems like carbon copies of each other…
Baka to Test no Shoukanjuu
Premise: The show centers around Akihisa Yoshii. In the Academy he attends the prodigies are in the A class and the idiots like himself the F class. (I am yawning already)
One of the smart girls Mizuki Himeji, is sick on test day and ends up in the F class along with the idiots and of course you just know Akihisa finds her hawt. Oh yeah they can summon fantasy creatures to battle and Akihisa decides to challenge the higher tiered classes to battle with these creatures to get their perks.
Verdict:
For some reason the only school –> plus kinda stupid guy —> lots of girls –> magic or whatever, kind of show I don’t mind so much is Negima.
I blame Maburaho, I hated that show so much I think it just kind of put me off this genre as a whole. The fanservice in the trailer didn’t endear it to me either. So in case the negative tone didn’t already clue you in, I’ll be passing on this.
… I feel the same… (really, I do. Words can’t describe the hatred I have for maburaho)
Airs – TV Tokyo, Thursdays, Starting January 7th.
Chu Bra!!
Premise: Middle-Schooler Nayu, loves underwear and so starts up a club so that her schoolmates can understand the wonderfulness that is undies.
Verdict:
Um yeah… HELL NO! In fact if anyone knows a spell that can erase my memory so I can forget I even wasted time on the trailer, please let me know.
*Sigh…it’s like they’re not even trying now… I’m not going near this with a ten foot pole…
Airs - AT-X, Mondays, Starting January 4th.
Dance in the Vampire Bund
Premise: Wanting to end the isolation of her race, vampire Mina Tepes pays off the national debt of the Japanese government, to create a special district for Vampires and then plans to announce their existence to the world. However not all vampires or humans are quite comfortable with her plans…
Verdict:
The premise sounded interesting and I like vampires. So it was looking good, until the whole practically naked loli thing.
Yeah, yeah she’s 300 years old, whatever, she still looks pre-pubescent and she’s running around the trailer in nothing but a skimpy pair of panties and a cloak that does nothing to hide her undeveloped chest.
Even if she has a more adult form when unsealed I’m basically too grossed out to even consider watching it. I’m not into lolicon or shouta so this is a big fat pass. Its a pity they couldn’t have made this premise without the whole loli aspect, I’d have totally been keen on checking it out if they had.
Read some of the manga, not interested.
Airs: Chiba TV, TBA January.
Durarara
Premise: The gangstars of the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo are all wary of the urban legend “Dullahan”, a headless rider, riding a black motorbike with no headlights and or engine sounds.
Ryuugamine Mikado likes to seek out the unusual and as he arrives in Ikebukuro a mad scramble for “Dullahan’s” head is breaking out.
Verdict:
Okay so maybe there is ONE show I’ll be at least checking out. I like the supernatural and this has fighting in it, so it has my interest. There is also the added bonus of no loli vamps or magical school girl harem elements, that alone so far makes it win.
Hmm…the animation looks pretty decent…I might watch this…
Airs: MBS, Fridays, starting January 8th.
Hanamaru Youchien (Hanamaru Kindergarten)
Premise: Anzu, Koume and Hiiragi are three pre-schoolers trying to attract the attention of their carer Tschuida. However he seems more interested in Yamamoto who teaches in the classroom next door.
Verdict:
Thank god for that, because if Mina the loli vamp hadn’t already left me with the need to bring up my lunch this would have. Except that going by the trailer it seems like they are going more for cute then ecchi and the guy seems to prefer chicks his own age.
Still don’t think I’m going to waste time on it though. Even if Seiji Mizushima (the director of Gundam 00) is going to be at the helm.
…(getting some really creepy Kodomo no Jikan vibes from this)…runs away…
Airs: TV Tokyo, Mondays, starting January 11th.
Harukanaru Toki ni Naka de 3 ~Owari Naki Unmei
Premise: There is no trailer for this yet. If you haven’t seen the previous two, girl finds herself in magical land, gets drawn into various events in which only she can help and is surrounded by hawt guys, blah, blah, blah.
Verdict:
I did actually get through the first installment of this series, but just couldn’t bring myself to watch the second and doubt I’ll go anywhere near the third. In a nutshell… YAWN!
I have never really liked the whole idea of male harems, and this…well…it’s kind of like a reverse eroge, isn’t it (note that I said reverse, not anti)? Anyway, the main complaint that I have with these kinds of series is that the guys are all ugly. I can stand mindless crap if the guys are pretty, but this is just plain awful.
Airs: AT-X, Mondays, starting January 4th.
Hidamari Sketch
Premise: Group of girls living in an apartment and attending the same school.
Verdict:
Unless I hear exceptional things about it, not going to bother. I think I’ll have more fun playing my new video games or building my VF-27.
Not into slice of lifes.
Airs: TBS, Fridays, starting January 8th.
Katanagatari
Premise: The seventh head of the Kyotou school of Japanese sword martial arts, Yasuri Shichika, heads out to collect the twelve treasured swords created by a legendary swordsmith Shikizaki Kiki.
Verdict:
Okay, based on light novels authored by Nishio, Ishin who also authored Bakemonogatari, so I’m already interested. Plus the art style kind of has me drawn in.
We found another winner, well okay not winner but I’ll will be checking this one out.
It’s NISIO ISIN! It’s TAKE! It’s a MUST WATCH!
Airs: MBS, TBA January.
Ladies versus Butlers
Verdict: So the beginning of the trailer bored me to tears, then it got worse… in other words fanservice. So this is a no for me. If I’m going to watch something with a butler in it, that would be Kuroshitsuji.
Premise:
Oh you wanted to know what the plot is about? Does it even really matter, one guy, a school full of girls, panty shots, nakedness, groping and inexplicably a girl whose hair looks like a pair of croissants… That probably about covers it.
Hmm? What do you mean this is a new series? I don’t see anything, nope, nothing at all, it’s not like I’m blocking out all fanservicy harem series from my brain or anything like that~
Airs: AT-X, Tuesdays, January 5th.
Nodame Cantabile Final
Premise: If you like me haven’t seen this from the beginning, it basically centers around Shinichi Chiaki who is a top class pianist. Sadly he cannot pursue his dream of a career amongst the elites in Europe since he is afraid of flying.
Grounded in Japan he meets Noda Megumi (Nodame). She’s unkempt, has no direction, ends up moving next door to him and to his dismay falls in love with him. But something about the way she plays piano draws him in and the anime/manga follows their relationship as they learn from one another.
Verdict:
Okay so make that 3 shows worth checking out. Though I wont be watching this just yet til I’m caught up since I haven’t even gotten around to watching the beginning. But I have enjoyed the few chapters I’ve read of the manga so its on my list of anime/manga to get to.
A friend of mine has been raving about this series for forever, so maybe when it’s finished I’ll pick it up?
Airs: Fuji TV, Fridays at 12:45am, date TBA.
Omamori Himari
Premise: Guy, something, something demons, something, something ends up being protected by catgirl with sword.
Verdict:
Yawn and if that wasn’t enough the trailer with fanservice really didn’t endear me either. If they were going to go the whole omamori route I’d have preferred they made something out of Omamori no Kamisama. Better yet make an anime out of Kamisama Hajimemashita, that I WOULD FOR SURE ENJOY!
I can’t see anything…I can’t see anything…well, I did see some QUALITY, but, no…I can’t see anything…
Airs: UHF, TBA January.
Ookami Kakushi
Premise: Brought to you by those behind the Higurashi franchise it revolves around 16 year old Hiroshi Kuzumi. He’s just moved to Jogamachi a place big on carrying on their old traditional ways. Everyone seems to warm to him at school except for his class president, Nemuru Kushinada who warns him to stay away from the old part of town…
Verdict:
I like mystery, but the trailer didn’t seem all the interesting and besides I have a feeling Choux might be giving this one a looksee so I’ll defer to her
First off, we have a BEAUTIFUL song by Kalafina; then, we have the peach pit designs; on top of that we have RYUKISHI07! Well, unfortunately, studio DEEN is there too, but nevertheless, I’ll be REALLY looking forward to this series~
Airs: TBS, TBA January.
Seikon no Qwaser
Premise: Oribe Mafuyu is attending St. Mikhailov Academy, she meets a Qwaser called Alexander, who draws his power from… ‘breast milk’
Verdict:
So if the premise hadn’t already lost me, the panty shots and jiggling breasts further cemented my decision not to bother with this.
Usually, I’d stay away from a series like this, but then I read the manga on a whim (hey, the guy wrote Mai Otome Arashi, and that was chock full of awsome). I couldn’t believe it, but it’s actually really good (once you get past the nudity and the religious references). I’ll be watching this, mostly for Sasha (he’s so adorable~)
Airs: TBA.
So Ra Wo To No
Premise: War has brought a gradual decline to the world. People have disappeared from the town of Seize and fishes have ceased to exist in the sea. In this quiet town five girls guard a tower.
Verdict:
I think I’ll check out the first episode, though I’m not all that sure I’ll be sticking with it. Maybe it will be more lively than the trailer is showing it to be.
Yawning at the story and sobbing at how the art was changed. I’m not going near this thing.
Airs: TV Tokyo, Tuesdays, January 5th.
Weiss Survive R
Premise: All I know about this is something to do with card battles.
Verdict:
Bored now.
SERIOUSLY, WHY THE HELL DOES THE STUDIOS KEEP CHURNING OUT THIS CRAP?!?
Airs: TBS, Saturdays, December 5th.
The OST of the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya has appeared on the Fansite of Haruhi Suzumiya.
I have to stop using those play on words -_-
Track listing, cover and another image is after the jump…
01: The story begins with the usual scenes
02: SOS-party delegation Christmas
03: Time Burlesque
04: those that lie beyond the everyday
05: woman named Ryouko Asakura
06: from anxiety to fear
07: betrayed expectations
08: Spread of the world alone
09: pros and cons of environmental changes
10: evidence of Haruhi Suzumiya
11: Feet’s impatience with no prior
12: memory led
13: SOS team again
14: READY?
15: chasing the memory of that day
16: female lead speaks
17: Footprints of the Future
18: The No. 2 Gymnopédie
19: What in the hearts of Yuki Nagato
20: Review of self-consciousness
21: turning point in history
22: The members who re 出逢Eta
23: The story ends with the usual scenes
Ensemble: Symphony Orchestra Eminence, Eminence Symphony Chorus, etc.
01: The No. 1 Gymnopédie
02: The No. 2 Gymnopédie
03: The No. 3 Gymnopédie
04: First Gnossienne No. 1
05: First Gnossienne No. 2
06: First Gnossienne No. 3
07: Je te veux
Performer: Honda Kiyoshi Yoshitsugu
Sounds like an epic OST if I say so myself. Looks like it’ll be in order as well, if you know the story, you’d understand. The second CD has the music from the trailer on it, that additive music…
Oh, on another note, this picture is being added to the Gallery. Or you can view it below;
With Christmas less only a day away, what better way to get into the christmas spirit than watching some christmas episodes. Here’s a list of christmas themed anime episodes.
Ah My Goddess (OVA Episode 4-5; Season 2 Episode 2-3)
Love Hina (Christmas Special; OVA)
K-On! (Episode 7)
Toradora! (Episodes 17-19)
Lucky Star (Episode 11)
Tokyo Godfathers
Candy Boy (Episode 2)
Kampfer (Episode 12)
Unfortunately due to work and finals I wasn’t able to get this up earlier (or as complete as I had hoped) but you can’t go wrong with any of these episodes, Love Hina is probably the most memorable one for me. Hopefully one day I can update this post for the following christmas. If you know any more feel free to leave them in the comments. I also wanted to wish all a Merry Christmas, or Happy Hanukkah, or a happy Kwanzaa, or whatever it is you do or don’t celebrate.
A famous tourist spot was recently utilized on a TV series I’m currently watching. I recognized them since not long ago I took pictures of it while at Tokyo.
All attacks by both Mikoto and the Anti-skills are rendered useless against the fetus. In fact, they only serve to speed up the fetus’s growth and strengthen it. Meanwhile, all the unconscious Level Upper users are tossing around violently in bed as if having a horrifying nightmare while the doctors and nurses try to handle the situation. Seeing the network go out of control, Kiyama gives up hope, but Uiharu has faith in her, unknowingly mirroring one of Kiyama’s students, giving her hope once again. Kiyama theorize that the fetus is a result of AIM Burst, a product from of the 10,000 AIM dispersion field coming together as one. Uiharu realises that her Level Upper un-installer program is key to destroying the network and broadcasts the song to everyone in the Academy City, with the help of Mikoto and the protection of the Anti-Skills.
Mikoto, who has been caught by the fetus, discovers that its regenerative powers are no longer active, and electrocutes it. However, it is still not destroyed, and Kiyama advises Mikoto to look for its core. Mikoto hears the despair that the users, including Saten, carry when they used the Level Upper, and tells Kiyama to retreat before blasting the creature with her full powers. After the battle, Mikoto, who is arrested by the Anti-Skills, indirectly rejects Mikoto’s previous offer of help by declaring that she would resort to all means, lawful or not, to save the kids. Kuroko arrives at the scene as well and shows her concern for her Onee-sama in her usual ways, but not before assuring Uiharu that everyone at the hospital have woken up. At the hospital, Saten apologises and recognises that she has almost lost something much more important than any abilities upon seeing Uiharu’s wounds, and concludes the event with her usual skirt-flipping. Nearby, Kuroko also reassures Mikoto that she need not feel personally guilty for not understanding the Level Upper users’ feelings earlier.
Have I ever mentioned how awesome and cool Mikoto is when she’s fighting with a serious look on her face? If not, I’m telling you that she’s TOTALLY awesome and cool. If yes, then it’s worth mentioning how TOTALLY awesome and cool she is again.
The final battle is the most epic that I have seen this year, even more than Roy’s fight against Lust. Mikoto’s words to the feelings of Level Upper users like Saten reflects how much she has matured through the arc, adding several points to the epic level, and playing a re-arranged version of “Only my Railgun” during the fight is a rather skillful touch too, especially considering the lyrics of the song.
Trust Kuroko to use the opportunity to thoroughly molest Mikoto when she is drained of energy from the boss fight. The ending completely summaries the relationship between the characters as well. Kuroko may be holding perverted thoughts about Mikoto, but she is also the one who knows her the best, and always manages to boost her spirits when Mikoto feels bad about being too kind or naive. A loyal understanding friend like Uiharu is also a major controlling factor on Saten’s inferior complex, thus preserving her positive attitude.
Thankfully, ep 12 is not the final episode of the series, though it might seem like it. Bikini season (during winter in real life?) next week!
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