Rank	Anime (no. of first place votes)	Studio	Episode	Change
1	Sakamichi no Apollon (18)	Tezuka Productions	4	–
2	Fate/Zero 2 (8)	ufotable	18	–
3	Tsuritama (4)	A-1 Pictures	4	–
4	Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna (3)	TMS Entertainment	5	–
5	Jormungand (1)	White Fox	4	1

On the cusp: Uchuu Kyoudai (1), Hyouka, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, Eureka Seven AO, Natsuiro Kiseki

Last week’s results, about the Anime Power Rankings

Sakamichi no Apollon has been so consistently great- managing to be fun but, at the same time, devoting plenty of its attention to exploring more serious topics, such as unrequited love and how to deal with racial prejudice in a realistic yet, sympathetic way- I’m almost wishing it’d trip up, just so that it can stop showing all the other shows up week after week!

Ty-chama (Watashi wa bucho!)

While Sakamichi no Apollon continues to be awesome, this week’s Fate/Zero was a little strange to me. I felt like because I dropped Kore wa Zombie Desuka? the anime gods decreed that I must follow 2 zombie anime a season and thus changed this show into a zombie anime. And don’t tell me that they are technically vampires, you get my point. Nevertheless, we get a good dose of Kiritsugu’s backstory, which is nice because while I find his character quite intriguing, I don’t know much about him.

Gone is the constant conflict that is seen in the 4th Holy Grail War, but this week (and at least next week’s also) Fate/Zero dives into the Kiritsugu past to give a better idea of how he is what he is in the War. First we were seen this peaceful isolated town where young Kiritsugu and his dad has moved to for a while, with a local, Shirley, hanging out with them. Knowing that this is Fate Zero and the novel is written by Gen Urobuchi, I know that something wrong will happen soon, and when it actually, it wasn’t all too surprising. All these, ironically, made the peaceful town look fake to me, or maybe even felt forced upon us, so that we can accept that Kiritsugu was once ’normal’. Though I think about it, it might have been written/directed that way, maybe to make us feel of how normal can be…uncommon, to paint how distant that Kiritsugu have become from his ‘normal’ life. O ya, it is good to hear words that are often heard in Tsukihime used in the Fate universe, and to see someone from Kara no Kyoukai appear. If last episode was a connection to Fate/Stay Night, this episode connects Fate/Zero to the rest of the Nasu universe.

FNZNA (FNZNA Side Dish)

Let’s talk about some shows that have been hanging just off the top five this week. First is Natsuiro Kiseki, a show that I’m enjoying a lot. It’s been at 10th place for the last two weeks, and I assume lots of anibloggers are put off by its generic premise. After all, how many “4 girls do random stuff” anime can you name off the top of your head? Still, the superb character design and balanced writing combines into a splendid jewel of a slice-of-life anime. I recommend my colleague Akira’s post on Natsuiro Kiseki for some more elaboration on what makes this show so great.

With the slew of 4-girl high school girl anime out there, I’m impressed that Natsuiro Kiseki has been able to jump so far up my list in the past couple of weeks. I do commend the anime itself on its playful blend of magical realism and lovable characters, though I do think its rise has a good deal to do with some of my previous preferred shows’ mediocre performances–namely Uchuu Kyoudai, Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, and Shirokuma Cafe. While Natsuiro Kiseki has improved with each week, they have plateaued with their predictability and now tired humor.

Marina (Anime B&B)

Hyouka is another show that’s been on people’s radars. 11 people voted for it this week, good enough for finishing tied for 6th. Missing out on the power rankings by a single point, I imagine that Kyoto Animation’s offering this season will inevitably be featured in the near future. The show is unquestionably pretty, as the KyoAni’s crop tend to be, but how does it do in the other departments?

It looks like Hyouka is unpopular among APR voters, which is just how the world spins I suppose. Either way, this second episode continues to fascinate me. The way the show takes something relatively mundane and elevates it to something as entrancing. The animation, visual elements and how they’re matched and timed to the dialogue is simply stunning. If it can consistently fascinate me, it’ll be my favourite of the season, no question.

Numbers and Space

Finally, Marow has an announcement concerning Eureka Seven AO, which finished 9th this week.

Guys, this is about Eureka Seven: New Order, the episode that aired before AO started. If you have finished the original or are watching AO (shame on you if you skipped the original), watch this.

It’s NOT a recap, but a whole new episode with fully new dialogue. The episode use video material from the original series, sure, but it’s done in a very… cool way, it blends in well, can’t say I’ve seen anything like it.

But the most important thing is the dialogue. Not only is it so perfectly executed and becomes one with the series FANTASTIC music that I become totally charmed, but it also gives a whole new perspective on the story of Eureka Seven.

The episode is very fragmentary and choppy, jumping all over the place. But we here learn that something happened after the original series, we get some clues. Or was it after the original? Perhaps this was an alternative version or ending?

I don’t know.

Please watch the episode.

Just do it.

Thank you.

(with only dialogue and music, this episode pulled off the magic to make me teary. Trust me, it’s great)

Marow (Anime Viking)