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HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL! Another week has passed and some fansubs have decided play catch up as GNU fansubs releases 3 eps of OtoBoku and YourMom finishes off YoakeYori, finally ending the suffering.

Kanon 13: 9/10

Pikyuu~! Check here for a more in depth review, but more of the same from Kanon, which is of course a good thing. Screentime all around with lots of Sayuri and Mai, some obligatory Nayuki and Ayu, and disappointingly scarce love for Shiori, no one cares about Kaori.

Animation took a slight hit to recover from the budget eating waltz from last ep, but this is KyoAni we’re talking about.

Death Note 12: 9/10

Another solid episode from Death Note, although my level of excitement for this show has severely declined after the numerous spoilers I’ve been subjected to. Having a rough idea of what happens, who dies and etc is a real killjoy in terms of suspense.

However, as mentioned many times before, it’s the battle of wit between L and Kira that keeps me watching. The introduction of Misa has scared the crap (literally?) out of L and has caused Kira to panic because…well, she’s an idiot (comparatively speaking, Hirano Aya <3). I'm looking forward to how she shifts the balance of power around and whether she will use or be used by Kira and L.

Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru 8, 9, 10: 7/10, 8/10, 8.5/10 (respectively)

OtoBoku was losing much of its appeal lately, but the school festival brought it roaring back to life. Takako has become one of my favourite bishoujo of the year, sorry Mariya but the red head tsunderekko needs moar love. Plus, Mariya must maintain the long standing tradition of osananajimi by getting figuratively screwed and cast aside. Hopefully this series rides the TakakoXMizuho relationship to the end with some Mariya angst to spice things up, I’m still waiting for an osananajimi to out psycho Psycho Kaede.

Yoake Mae Yori Ruri Iro Na 11, 12: 6/10, 8/10 (respectively)

Fina-freaking-ly over, this show had so much potential and by episode 3 it had succeeded in ruining it all, with animation that could only come from giving a 5 year old child a pencil and paper during an epileptic seizure. WTF at the deus ex machina ending, Tatsuya should have stayed dead, that would have made for an angsty yet fitting ending as he gives his life for his beliefs. But noooo, random alien technology, headed by his father no less, saves his life and the live happily ever after. *FFF membership on suspension until I learn japanese and play the ero-game*

So with the year’s end and the fall season coming to a close, I might gather some energy for some wrap up posts. Maybe I’ll hop on the bandwagon and do one of those trendy “best anime of the year” posts that have been going around? In any case, have a safe and happy new year, don’t drink and watch anime or make insane resolutions that you know you can’t keep. ^^

~ Shirukii ~

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May not look like much, but this is the replacement for those lengthy episode summary posts. That’s not to say I’ll stop doing episode summaries and analysis completely, but they will be scarce and random. Instead I’ve decided to employ a ranking system, it’s pretty self explanatory, series in the right column, episodes in the top row and rankings fill the cross sections. I’ve also included running averages and standard deviations, the latter being a measure of how tight the cluster of rankings are. Basically, the larger the number, the more inconsistent the ranking of the series.

[aside] I’ve heard many conflicting opinions on this fall season, some are saying it’s been excellent while others are cursing the mediocrity. Personally, I feel it’s been a decent season. Aside from heavy hitters the likes of Kanon and Death Note there have been a few diamonds in the rough such as Gift ~Eternal Rainbow~ and Asatte no Houkou. However, one thing that leads me to think this season isn’t doing so well is the speed of the fansubs. I have only been watching ongoing series for about a year – a year and a half (previously having just marathoned completed series) so I’m not entirely sure if this is normal. But this is the first season where I’ve noticed that more series that are lagging behind in terms of fansubs. Is this because fansubbers have lives as well and went through exams the same as the rest of us or is it that the popularity of the series and therefore anticipation of the subs is at a low? [/aside]

Hopefully someone has an answer to that, it’s been bugging me for a while. But I digress, onwards!

Kanon

The above image alone is enough to convince the majority of its awesomeness. The Kanon remake is one of the series I find myself anxiously anticipating each week, and having already watched the original that’s quite a feat. With multiple moe modes centered around the overlying theme of sad girls in the snow accompanied by KyoAni animation, how can you lose? On that note, despite living in Toronto, there’s been a serious lack of snow thus far. Plenty of sad girls though, sporting the “I just got wtfpwned by that exam” look.

Death Note

Extreme writing, extreme potato chip eating, extreme cell phone calls, and something about the rise of a God, Death Note has a lot going for it. The amount of intellectual fencing that goes on between Kira and L is what draws me to this show. Both risking their lives as they play a game of wit and tact where the slightest oversight could be fatal, one of the best plots I’ve seen since Monster. Too bad I’ve been spoiled multiple times by readers of the manga…bastards. The introduction of Misa in the latest ep was interesting, it’s sure to change the entire dynamic between Kira and L. She sounds too much like Haruhi though =\

Asatte no Houkou

This show surprised me, I hadn’t started watching until episode seven or so, I decided to dl it on a whim. I was taken aback at how much I liked it. The pacing and style reminds me of Honey and Clover, though the story is quite different, a slice of life drama with a twist of fantasy. The characters are what really draw me in though, while not being overly complex, they each have their own intricacies and interesting pasts. On a related note, this is one of the few series where I’m not rooting for the imouto, Shouko FTW! It may have something to do with the lingering loli image of Karada, I’m usually all for lolis but she had very little moe appeal. Kudos for charging head on into a life without her Hiro-nii though.

Gift ~ Eternal Rainbow ~

Ah, here’s my siscon fix for the season. Gift, in my eyes, ranks as the best original harem/love romance of the season. It’s what DCSS should have been, Riko has looks one step down of Kotori and a personality one step down of Nemu, great combo. Kirino can go die though, ffs she’s annoying, perhaps it’s because she has the same seiyuu as Aisia whom I also disliked, but I just can’t stand her. Though she is a catalyst for RikoXHaruhiko, so despite not liking her, I will admit that she is a necessity to the plot. If you aren’t watching this, give it a shot, if anything it’ll bring back happy memories of Da Capo…or incite murderous rage from Kotori fanboys.

Negima!?

Following neither the manga nor the previous Mahou Sensei Negima series, this show is all sorts of crazy. Much like PPD it’s filled with seemingly random, yet hilarious, arcs as well as the ever changing blackboards. Not the best show of the season, but it sure is a looker, the perfect anime if you’re looking to stave off boredom for half an hour. Ep 4-6 arc was made of pure winnage, though lacked SecchanXKonoka love =(

Tokimeki Memorial

Tokimemo started out as a off the wall school comedy reminiscent of School Rumble and while it retains some of that randomness, it becomes more predictable by the minute and in my opinion should have chosen to go full harem or full sukuran clone. What’s left is a decent story about your typical undeserving and indecisive male lead with three bishoujos competing for his love. The energetic sports bishoujo Tsukasa, the shy yet dedicated Mina and the composed ojou-sama/iinchou Sayuri. We seem to be heading for a Sayuri ending, which disappoints me because I’ve fallen into the Tsukasa camp. Tsukasa FTW! Though she seems to have a couple loose screws o.O

Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru

Psst. Mizuho, you’re covering the wrong area. Mizuho does not have a penis, cast those worries aside and fap with pride! I was expecting a Strawberry Panic replacement with OtoBoku, but alas, hopes of yuri have faded to nothing but a dream. That’s alright though, onwards to a Takako ending! That’s not a spoiler, just my hopeful victor.

Yoake Mae Yori Ruri Iro na Crescent Love

How did an inanimate green sphere get nominated for Saigar? Decent story, terrible animation, hyped ending, I’m still puzzled as why I continue watching Yoakena. I’ll attribute it to the “so bad it’s good” Train Wreck effect. There’s plenty of drama and angst, but the poor animation quality overshadows all good aspects and the overall effect is ruined. I have a very difficult time ranking this show, thus it has the highest standard deviation of the bunch.

Happiness

Watarse Jun. That is all.

Dropped:
- Kujibiki Unbalance (terrible characters)
- Lovedol (terrible everything, exempt: “I sing for revenge” lawl)
- Su(mo*6) (couldn’t get into it, possible revisit in the future)

Possible pick ups:
- Code Geass (something about pizza hut?)
- Pumpkin Scissors (despite the name…)
- Hatakari Man
- Souko no Strain
- Haruhi Live Action porn

Recommendations on these would be great. Other than that, I’m absolutely clueless as to what’s coming up in the winter season, anyone willing to fill me in on what looks to be good?

Til next time!
~ Shirukii ~

It’s Strawberry Panic all over again…

…and it’s pure winnage! But seriously, what is with the rediculously long series names this season. I hereby dub this show, OtomeKoi! But I digress, this show is made of 100% pure and untouched win. Although this was only the opener, I’m loving what I see so far, and if the quality is any less inconsistent than YuriPanic then expect more rave reviews.

Note* After reading some other reviews of OtomeKoi, I feel that I should explain my reasoning. Why do I feel this show is great? Management of expectations. I came into this with absolutely zero hype up and so it surprised me with something that actually interested me and was technically decent. Also, I don’t expect a deep and dramatic shoujo-ai plot, not even something comparable to StrawPani. This means that I’m free to appreciate OtomeKoi as a quirky gakuen comedy without thinking too much on plot, pacing and characters. I think that if everyone got over its inherent flaws and turned off their drama-radar, they’d enjoy this anime much more. Then again, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so by all means if you don’t like it, bash away XD

Synopsis

Our main heroine, Miyakoji Mizuho prepares for his first day at a new school. Like any transfer student he’s clearly flustered and just a tad nervous. NOT because he’s anxious to make a good first impression on his peers, nono that would make for too boring an anime, it’s because he is going to be attending an all girl school.

In a quick flashback it is revealed that, for a yet unknown reason, Mizuho’s late oji-san left him with a last request, to attend Seiyou All Girls School. Hilarity ensues as Mizuho’s childhood friend, Maria, busts out a bag of makeup and transforms the, already feminine bishounen, Mizuho into a perfectly proportioned bishoujo.

And so, upon entering Seiyou Gakuen, Mizuho is an instant hit. Not even a day after his introduction rumors and praise spread through the halls, gym, cafeteria, et al.

So begins the already humorous journey of a, crossdressing, school idol in the making. As Mizuho accustoms himself to the behavior and etiquette expected from a girl this looks to be an interesting tale of awkwardness, hilarity, drama and of course, a lot of pseudo-yuri love ;)

Thoughts

While Kanon is pretty much predetermined to be my favourite anime of the season, OtomeKoi is (in my opinion) the best anime that is not a remake or manga base. This places it third in the season, behind #1. Kanon and #2. Death Note.

At first glance OtomeKoi appears to be your generic harem with a little yuri thrown into the mix, falling into danger of being dropped by most anime fans. However! Though OtomeKoi is admittedly generic in its individual aspects, the way the series is thrown together makes it shine over all its stereotypes.

The show borrows many cliche ideas from other series. The idea of throwing a bishounen into the middle of a bishoujo world is nothing new to Kashimashi fans. Alienating men and containing a horde of sexually confused bishoujo in the confines of an all girl school? Been there, done that, Maria-sama ga Miteru and obviously Strawberry Panic. So what makes OtomeKoi a keeper despite its generic roots? Execution. The animation, character designs, character personality, plot and pacing, etc. It all comes together perfectly in a lighthearted gakuen comedy with a pinch of yuri.

The animation, while not exactly ready to rival KyoAni, was excellent. ANN cites “Feel” as the primary animation producers. These guys have been involved in the creation of some of my favourite animes of all time. They had a hand in: Futakoi Alternative, Honey and Clover, Ghost in the Shell, School Rumble Nigakki and even Da Capo! And it shows, the animation is perfectly suited for this genre. Smooth backgrounds compliment the more ambient and dramatic scenes whereas attention is drawn to the character foreground in dialogue centric scenes. And the chibi! Honestly, whoever doesn’t like random chibi has to be locked up with Shion for a couple of days.

The character designs are also a highlight. None stand out as being overly flashy but yet they manage to be unique enough to not look like copy and pasted faces with different hair styles (a la NAVEL). Maria and the mystery girl Mizuho passed on the way to the dorm stand out as being potentially favourite characters based on design and personality, the loli Kana-chan currently sits on the bottom. Personality wise we have a mix of generic archetypes. Any one of them alone would annoy the hell out of me, but when forced to mingle this cast becomes comedic gold! Even the slightly annoying Kana-chan attains the loli-moe mode.

Music was a meh-point, it didn’t strike me as being amazing but it certainly didn’t detract from the overall effect, the ED is even a little catchy.

Voice acting was great! It’s a little weird to hear Yui Horie voice a crossdressing male, but it works out alright. I don’t remember who Yuko Goto is doing, but I haven’t heard any Mikuru semblances yet, so that’s good. I’m still waiting for my Sakura Nogawa appearance, it’s been a while since I’ve heard Nemu’s voice =( Other characters were also pretty fitting voice wise, again, Kana-chan a little on the annoying side >_<

Though, I'm not all glory and praise for OtomeKoi, it's far from a perfect series. Aside from the obvious limits set by following convention and not being creative with animation or character, the plot is showing serious weakness already. The very premise of the show itself is flawed. The reason Mizuho enrolls in Seiyou Gakuen, the rediculous last wish, is hard to believe, what kind of grandfather would put his grandson in that position lol. Also, I find it difficult to believe that the school actually accepted the idea, unless Mizuho's mother was like...the founder or something, totally unbelievable. Finally and most obviously, HOW DO THE GIRLS NOT REALIZE THAT HE'S A GUY!?! Must be pretty realistic padding for girls to rub up against it and not tell the difference. And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Kana-chan dive into him pretty close to the crotch area >.>?

Small flaws aside, I’m pretty excited about this series, it may be because I had no expectations going into this, but it managed to capture my interest instantly and hold it for 22 minutes. I even gave Kanon to Soda so I could blog this, among other reasons stated in a previous post. So here’s hoping this series continues to be pleasantly surprising ^^

IT’S A TRAP! Oh wait…yea, I knew that >_>

Kareha channeling

After losing Nemu to the villanous Juunichi, Miharu’s search for love rages on!

Sachiko…?

Sachiko!

Ureshii nano desu yo~

What I wouldn’t do to get in on one of these T_T

I don’t know what type of stereotypes reach Japan, but apparently all lesbians are Christian

Last but not least: lawl, chibis…very scary chibis

And with that I’m finished all my planned season opener blogs. Expect to see posts that look less like reviews and more like incoherent rambling XD Whether that’s a good or a bad thing remains to be seen >_>

~ Shirukii ~