Click to enlarge

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 ~

         So begins another series, this time, it’s Happiness!. Seems to me like it’s a romance comedy with some mahou shoujo thrown into the mix. I’ll admit that when I first started watching the series, I only knew two things about it: the name of the series, and Jun. Yes, that Jun. It’s 4chan’s favourite trap, even outing the infamous Bridget. So knowing nothing and expecting nothing, I watched the first episode and walked away satisfied. Looks like another series will be added to my blogging list.

         The series seems to focus around Kamisaka Haruhi, a relatively normal teenage mage that is neither a god nor a trap. Instead, she is a brilliant mage-in-training that is of the highest rank in first year students at her school. The school she attends is split into a magic section and a regular section due to obvious teaching differenes. She meets a boy, Kohinata Yuuma, who quickly captures her interest. He’s cool, calm, and collected, and he looks like he’s unattached.

         Whoops, change that last part. Things get a little more complicated in the potential relationship between Yuuma and Haruhi when Jun shows up. Jun is Yuuma’s good friend, and quite the character. Despite being a guy, he dresses and looks like a female. And yes, he is the sole reason I started watching this series. In any case, this causes a slight misunderstanding for Haruhi when she sees the two of them together, but in the end, she doesn’t let it get in the way. Instead, she boldly decides to give Yuuma, completely out of the blue, some chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

         After a mysterious explosion at the magic section of the school, classes are cancelled and the magic section is to merge with the regular section until everything is repaired. When classes are resumed, by pure chance, Haruhi ends up in Yuuma’s class. So officially begins the relationship between Yuuma and Haruhi.

         Since I didn’t know anything about this series when I downloaded it, I’m pretty happy about how it turned out. The first episode definitely left a good impression on me, and it wasn’t only Jun’s doing. However, I must say Jun left me laughing at times at how absurd things were. Jun causing misunderstandings with Haruhi… oh my. That’s the beauty of traps, really.

         Haruhi’s your typical smart school idol, not much to say here. Her chasing of Yuuma seems a little… whimsical, but they needed to make the story actually get somewhere. I don’t fully understand it, but I think she has someone else on her mind, not Yuuma. That would explain why she bought chocolate in the first place and who she wanted to give it to. However, judging by the amount of chocolate boxes in her house, I’d guess that she hasn’t been able to give any of those chocolates to the guy she likes for a few years. Now, with the appearance of Yuuma, she finally changes targets, and moves on by removing all the left over chocolate boxes in her room by the end of the episode. Something tells me it won’t be that easy to move on, that whoever it is, he’ll come back with a vengeance. They always do.

         Yuuma’s your typical uncaring guy. He doesn’t seem to display much emotion or any sense of sensitivity. In a way, he reminds me of myself, and I think I’ll find it easy to like him, even if he doesn’t DO anything. I’d certainly expect him to be the boy from Haruhi’s past [whoops, when I typed that, I wrote down that he was the boy from seven years ago, even if there’s nothing suggesting that. I blame Kanon being on the brain.]. Something in his past probably made him into the cold person he is today, with that same event branding a dislike for magic in him. This would explain why he refused to be healed by Haruhi when he was injured, as well as why he’s not in the magic section/not a mage, even if the little boy Haruhi met so long ago was most definitely a mage. It all feels so Shuffle! and (insert the title of any anime series that features a childhood friend separated from the main character for several years here)

         Jun’s your… atypical trap? Actually, this being my first experience with traps, I wouldn’t know. I’m assuming the Archery Twins aren’t traps, which would make Jun the first. Jun’s quite the strange character, and I’d feel rather uncomfortable if I was Yuuma, since Jun likes to cling on his arm and stuff. Strange child. I wonder if the parents approve of his ways. Regardless, he’s an awesome character that I’d love to see with more screentime.

         Animation was alright, no real complains. But then again, unless there’s something completely off, I’ll generally never have a complaint about animation. The only problem here was that the practice battle at the beginning of the episode seemed rather uninspired. All Haruhi did was put up a barrier or something, and that somehow managed to defeat the fire dragon looking monster. Luckily, I don’t think magic will take a large focus in this series but rather relationships, so scenes like those shouldn’t be found too too often. Hopefully.

Nanoha, is that you?

Girls in only their underwear not even 5 minutes in, good stuff

Jun has his own little guy harem. Yikes.

I’d freak out too.

         Overall, I don’t think that Happiness! will bring anything new to the table. Seems like a rather generic story of mages and relationships. However, the laughs coupled with Jun’ll most likely keep me watching. Just because it isn’t new and original doesn’t mean it’s bad.

//Soda