Desu ex Machina

Today I just feel like posting something so here are random thoughts about stuff.

kevo at work

Finished Sora no Manimani last night, and I liked it. Koharubi final released the last episode after a few years of waiting. I wanted to review it but I didn’t really feel that I had any opinions on the show that others didn’t already state. If you want to read a review on it, I recommend checking out Kholdstare’s review of the show. It’s well written and basically tells you everything you need to know. Definitely not for everyone, but a good anime none the less.

Somehow I have not been forced to watch Needless when it aired and I blame all of you for it. I started like last night and got up to 4 episodes and I loved it. The first two or three episodes were kinda slow but the show for me is getting good quick. From what I see it’s a great sublime blend of parody with good pacing. I’ll try my best to catch up with the show before it finishes airing.

I’m slow in picking up shows this season, but I might take a look at Yumeiro no Patissiere if I have time because it has cooking and the synopsis of the show contains “spirit of the sweets”. Taiga vs. Yui in Saimoe Japan finals; exactly what I wanted. I’ll be posting again once the winner is decided. But if you don’t want to wait, check out Lunatic Antics or Micchi’s blog for some more info about the match itself.

I’ve started watching Hajime no Ippo again recently. It’s great stuff, well paced despite being like ten million episodes. It’s fun to watch, but it’s such a marathon. I want to get to the 50th episode soon, however. Watched the first episode of GA Art Design Class the other day and it reminds me of Lucky Star x Sketchbook ~full color’S~. I’ll keep watching, but it had better excite me soon.

Bakemonogatari continues to make bank with DVD sales which it deserves. I can’t wait for the series to continue and I’m looking forward to the stream later this month. The show has done nothing but impress me, especially after a near perfect episode 12. God it sucks writing on writers block. These aren’t paragraphs! I better stop now before my blog post hurts someone. In conclusion here is another picture of Sumomo.

As this absolutely miraculous season of anime winds down, I am left rather sad to think that it is all over. So many shows, from Saki to Bakemonogatari are headed for an end. After a weak winter season and an uneventful spring 2009, the summer season could not have come at a better time. In fact, I don’t think I ever remember a season as solid as this season. I was originally planning to preview Fall 2009 but fuck Fall 2009. Does it have epic schoolgirl lightning mahjong? No. Everything looks like shit, but I recommend checking out Kampfer, the “look we have the budget for a loaded voice actor cast” anime of the season. Plus it has traps, so sign me up. Also, Romance of the Three Kingdoms had better not suck. I recommend picking that one up because the source material is the manliest most awesome thing ever. Finally, I will probably watch Seitokai no Ichizon because I hate myself. Oh yeah, Railgun looks cool because it looks like Index without the shit. There, fall preview complete.

Click for full size, but this image is about as hard to find as a rickroll

What makes this season great? Let me count the ways. Regardless of how it ends (I believe there are two episodes left), Saki fucking rules. And the critical thing is that the half that is good aired in the summer! The first half of the season is good two but the actual tournament and truly epic mahjong occurred when the days are long. Besides creative animation, a solid soundtrack (the original score is usually overlooked but it’s very functional), and a well executed albeit simplistic plot, Saki shines because of the great storytelling that endears so many different characters to the audience. I might be writing a full review later (so expect me to do some self plagiarism ) but I just want to take this chance to applaud the fact that GONZO seems to still be capable of making good anime, even if they are no longer 100% in charge of the project. If you have not picked it up this summer, I definite recommend at least giving it a try. It doesn’t matter if you play mahjong or not. In fact, watching Saki inspired me to pick up Japanese mahjong and now it’s my favorite type to play (though countless others have picked up Japanese mahjong from complete scratch, as evidenced by Tenhou’s spike in activity in recent months).

Bakemonogatari is another addition to half insane, complete genius director Akiyuki Shinbou’s portfolio. Bakemonogatari is sharp, well paced, intelligent, and contains enough action to keep the audience paying attention. Shinbou’s crazy abstract art induced animation antics are put into full use bringing Nisio Isin’s novel to life both visually and spiritually. Bakemonogatari hits the ground running, immersing the viewer into its plot right from the beginning of the first episode. Like Saki, Bakemonogatari shines with its characters. Hitagi and Koyomi foil each other and their relationship is beautifully construed, serving as the crux of much of the story. I find the phase the anime is in currently I’m on episode 10) an interesting departure from my personal vision of how the show was going to progress, but I’ll obviously ride this out and see how it ends. Very, very good show.

As if Shinbou wasn’t done, Zan Sayonora Zetsubou Sensei, the third season of the world’s most depressed teacher (and personally my favorite comedy franchise ever) is having a great season; perhaps the best of the three. the art style has been slightly tweaked, with lighting effects more apparent and less usage of patterned textures. The gags are as sharp as ever, and each episode is basically a by the book adaptation of the manga, though there is really not much wrong with that, as they are picking good chapters to animate. The Zetsubou Sensei anime differentiates itself from the other medium by delivering perfectly fitted animation, nice art, and crisp voice acting led by a strong cast including Kamiya Hiroshi, Nonaka Ai, and Inoue Marina (like always).

Is that all, kevo? No way, I’m just getting started. The new season of the Hayate no Gotoku franchise, Hayate no Gotoku!! is another addition to this season’s roster. Like Saki, even though the show began in the spring the good episodes are in the summer. Hina, as much as I love her, has a terrible arc and her dialogue throughout the entire show I found really really cheesy. I guess turning Hayate no Gotoku into Love Hina was one of the changes J.C. Staff wanted to try with the second season. Another thing J.C. Staff tried out was changing the art; and while there was nothing wrong with the art in season 1, I find everyone even more fun to look at with seasons 2’s sharper, more brightly colored color palette. Nagi’s crisp, jade green eyes contrast beautifully with her bright golden hair. I’ll stop now before I start sounding more creepy. Despite what I said about Hina in the storyline (she’s still uber moe, however), overall I like the approach of giving this anime kind of a backstory to connect the episodes. The writing also feels more disciplined and the jokes and gags flow much better. And as I stated before, the second half of the show (right after Hina’s arc) is absolutely hilarious.

But kevo, all you’ve listed so far are comedy shows! True. This season is definitely very heavy leaning towards comedy (Bakemonogatari isn’t really a comedy but oh well) but for someone who watched comedy anime like me I guess this season would seem like a goldmine. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing. The heavy hitters of summer is backed up by very good, solid shows of all genres. CANAAN isn’t a genre-defining, ground breaking show that will forever be etched into our memory, but it’s a very solid show with nice fast paced action. It’s unfairly overshadowed this season, but it’s still good regardless. The plot is rather complex, and the pacing isn’t very good, causing the story to get rather convoluted. CANAAN can get rather confusing or completely incomprehensible at times, but overall it functions on a basic level and delivers entertainment. Type-Moon did a great job with character design, art, and animation. great voice work by Tanaka Rie.

Considering how good it is, Sora no Manimani is the most overlooked show of the season. I think like 4 blogs in the internet have ever mentioned it. I even admit I’m like 3 episodes behind. Sora no Manimani is about a fledgling high school astronomy club, a rather reclusive boy and his long lost, super outgoing childhood girlfriend, and the binding relationship that surrounds friends. It’s a beautifully construed tale of the coming of age and the feelings that surrounds us all, set before a deep night sky filled with spectacular stars. Oh god I’m saving that sentence for a review in the future. Ok, maybe I’m making the show sounds like the best thing since sliced bread but it is actually very enjoyable. Mihoshi is a great character: lively, helpful, smart, and cheerful to a fault. Most importantly, there is great depth to her character, enriching the plot by a great extent. She’s also really cute. Saimoe 2010 yeah!

Besides that, all of these shows are backed up by a plethora of solid series (of which I plan to pick up later in the future as a batch). Taishou Yakyuu Musume is pretty good, from what I’ve watched and heard about. I’ll finish it later when I have time. Basquash!, Spice and Wolf II, and Aoi Hana round out the season. Hell, I’ve even seen people defending Fight Ippatsu Juuden-chan, saying it’s at least worth a watch. I’ll bite and watch it later but hey, it’s at least generating good interest and discussion. I’ve probably overlooked some stuff that I can’t remember for now but oh well, you get the point. (Oh right, Full Metal Alchemist, yeah I hate FMA bye) So the main question? Best season of anime ever? Dare I say it? Dare I stand up to the people who are going to flame me, bringing up spring 2007, winter 2005, or even better, summer 1992 (if the 90’s was your favorite era of anime you are too hardcore for me)?

Yes. Yes I am. Bring it on. Comments section is right down the page. You don’t even have to type that word out to assure you’re not a bot. I’m sure if free cialis likes fall 2008 that much he will comment accordingly. I’ll even give you a handicap: your favorite season didn’t have Endless Eight.

Image Credits:

http://www.pixiv.net/index.php?mode=medium&illust_id=6132142
http://www.pixiv.net/index.php?mode=medium&illust_id=5428180
http://www.pixiv.net/index.php?mode=medium&illust_id=6027344