I believe that most of those who have been following my blog for at least a while have seen this coming. K-ON!! has indubitably been my favorite series of this year, which I've been missing ever since it ended. K-ON!! has just grown onto me. Some people might wonder how it is possible to consider a series without any real story as the best anime of this year. Precisely because it has no story in particular is an answer that only those who love K-ON as I do could understand. Therefore I'll try to give you a bit more specific answer, not as vague as the previous one.
The splendor of K-ON lies in the characters and the bonds that are connecting them. They would never hurt each other. They would never betray each other. They are always there for each other. They care for each other. They would do anything for each other. They are the best friends and you can feel all of that friendliness emanating from them. The anime depicts their everyday life in which they enjoy every second they spend together. By observing their mundane activities, such as eating cakes, chin-waging together, pulling pranks on each other, you can get as close to them as it is possible to get to someone whom you cannot interact with. That way, you can start caring for the characters too and bonds between you and the characters are created.
Thanks to the fact that the second season of K-ON was a full-fledged, 2-season-long series, the creators were able to show us a lot of various bonds between particular characters. In one episode, we could see Mugi with Ritsu hanging out together, which let us observe the relationship between these two in detail. In another episode, we could see the bonds between Azusa, Jun, and Ui. And so on.
Another thing I noticed was that each episode revolved around a specific theme. For example, episode 17 was about learning the importance of something that you take for granted. The Light Music Club learned how valuable the clubroom is for them only when they couldn't use it, and Yui realized how important her younger sister is for her when Ui fell ill.
A few words about music might be called for. I love Houkago Tea Time's songs. It might not be any spectacular music, but it's catchy and pleasant to my auditory system. Of course there are songs I like more and songs I like less, but on the whole I can openly say that I'm very fond of their music. If I don't count the opening and ending songs, my favorite songs by HTT are Fuwa Fuwa Time, Gohan wa Okazu, Tenshi ni Fureta yo, and Watashi no Koi wa Hocchikisu, I think.
When somebody asks me who is my favorite character from K-ON, I can't give them any answer. That's because I love them all and even if just one was absent, K-ON would stop being K-ON. Got it? ^^ Yet, I think that the most essential character for the atmosphere of K-ON is Yui. She's the one who radiates positive energy to all directions no matter what she does or what she says. Since she's played by Toyosaki Aki, her voice couldn't be more amiable. So you couldn't find any better voice for her.
The warmth that was present in each episode of K-ON would always draw smile on my face and make me forget any unpleasant things. If you wanted to describe K-ON in one word, you could say kindness, tenderness, love, affection. There are no vile elements; it's all about friendship. Yet, how can so many people hate a series that glorifies friendship? I'll never know.
Raison d'etre
So much for K-ON!!, I believe I've expressed my opinion sufficiently. Now, here is my top 10 I've presented over past 10 days.
1. K-ON!! 2. Angel Beats! 3. Nodame Cantabile Finale 4. Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai 5. Seitokai Yakuindomo 6. Amagami SS 7. MM! 8. Shinryaku! Ika Musume 9. Shiki 10. Working!
It was very hard for me to choose my top 10 since I had about 5 anime on mind that could fill two remaining empty slots. That's why I've decided to do a round of Honorable Mentions, picking one anime from each season which hasn't made it to my top 10 despite me enjoying it a lot.
Winter: Durarara!! Spring: Kiss x Sis Summer: Mitsudomoe Fall: Yosuga no Sora
By the way, as concerns movies and OVAs, I needn't think twice to come to the conclusion that my favorite was Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu. One word is enough to describe it: brilliant.
Angel Beats! was an anime I had high expectations of, being written by Maeda Jun, the great scriptwriter of Key's games Clannad, Air, Kanon, Tomoyo After, and Little Busters!. When I learned the story is set in a school in a world after death, I got even more excited and believed that Maeda would serve us a great, deeply emotional, yet funny anime. My expectations were met.
I'm not going to talk about the plot at all since I don't want to spoil those who haven't watched it yet. The only thing I'll say is that despite many people claiming the story is shallow, I found it rather touching and well developed within 12 episodes. It's those that criticize it who are shallow-minded (浅はかなりｗｗｗ). The last episode brought me to tears and that's something very rare. If memory serves me right, two anime this year made me cry, Angel Beats and K-ON, and one brought me near tears, Nodame Finale.
The character design by Na-Ga is wonderful, as well as their personalities and voices. Particularly Kanade, Hinata and Otonashi, voiced by Hanazawa Kana, Kimura Ryouhei and Kamiya Hiroshi respectively, have very fitting voices. Of course I can't forget TK whose very presence was absolutely epic.
The opening song by Lia was marvelous, as expected of someone who sung such lovely songs like Tori no Uta and Toki wo Kizamu Uta. The music in Angel Beats was 10/10 as not only the BGM was great but also the insert songs by Girls Dead Monster were excellent. My favorite GiDeMo song would probably be Highest Life, due to its very moody lyrics and melody.
I'd been wondering some time about the order of #4 and #3, but in the end I went with the order I had decided before starting mulling over it. Therefore, the bronze medal goes to Nodame Cantabile Finale, which was a series that would make me laugh each episode, yet it contained a well-made story imbued with various human emotions. Furthermore, the characters in Nodame, particularly Nodame and Chiaki as well as Stresemann, were absolutely wonderful and extremely funny.
Nodame Cantabile combines two worlds - the world of romance, and the world of classical music - to create one, very entertaining world, the world of Nodame. You are very likely to get absorbed, unless Nodame herself will jar on your nerves, which is not very likely I believe.
Chiaki is striving to become a professional conductor while Nodame is supposed to do her best to become a spectacular pianist. Chiaki's life in Paris is quite hectic, leaving him with little time for anything except work, which of course leads into mental harm on Nodame who, as a result, lacks "Chiaki power" or whatever she calls it. Thus, love has to overcome hard obstacles to blossom between these two. And Stresemann doesn't help it at all
Nodame Cantabile may be the best romantic comedy I've watched so far. Some people say that Finale wasn't as good as the first season, but I think exactly the opposite. For me, it really was the grand finale of Nodame Cantabile series.
I-I'm not doing this for you, you know! Anyways, what's with that look of yours? So gross! You're fantasizing about your own imouto, aren't you? You freak! Pervert! Don't you dare speak at me again. Ehhhhh? W-What are you grinning for?! Huh? What?! Are you stupid?! ... Hmmph, life counseling. You're going to play this game with me. Right away. Get it, you dimwit? ... Heeeeh?! What arrangements?! ... With that plain girl?! Then cancel it! ... What do you mean you can't?! Is that girl so important to you?! G-Go and marry her then! Arrgh, you're pissing me off! Do what you want, you, you, dumbass! Blockhead!
Alright, this is one factor why I like Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai and it's also the factor why many people hate it. Kirino is a very specific character, mainly due to her fierce personality, and you can either love her or hate her. But those are the only options you have. I think there is no middle option like I don't mind her but I don't particularly like her. If there's anyone like that please say so.
A lot of people complained about casting Taketatsu Ayana as Kirino; however, I think she did her job perfectly. According to a survey from 2ch, most people would rather see Tomatsu Haruka voice Kirino. Sorry but, Tomatsu Haruka? Are you kidding me?! I can't even imagine that! I think those people didn't realize that Kirino isn't Nagi from Kannagi. Other mentioned seiyuu were Kitamura Eri (I could imagine that), Kugimiya Rie (that would be one of the worst miscasts in history imho), and Hirano Aya (well...). As regards Kuroneko, most people answered Tanaka Rie (imaginable), then Sawashiro Miyuki, Tamura Yukari, and Kugimiya Rie (still better than Kugyuu as Kirino). I'm a bit digressing from the point, though. My conclusion regarding seiyuu: If someone was miscast in this anime, it was Satou Satomi as Manami. Shuga (Satou Satomi) can't voice someone worthy of the title Queen of Average. Roles like a high-spirited girl (e.g. Ritsu) or a lady-like character (e.g. Shichijou Aria, Tsuzuki Otome) suit her much better.
OreImo gave me what I expected and even a bit more. Unfortunately, I felt as if it lost some of its momentum in the second half of the series. Mind you, I still loved it but there was that something which was missing for me, yet I'm not able to say what it was. I also might have expected a bit more original, ingenious conclusion of the final episode. Nonetheless, I loved OreImo and I can't wait for the alternative story extra episodes.
Who was my favorite character? Kirino or Kuroneko, it's hard to decide between these two. Spare me this question please or else my head will explode like the volleyball in the final episode of Ika Musume, and believe me I don't wish for such intense sensations.
Seitokai Yakuindomo alias Pervert's Council. SYD was a hilarious show that made me fall from chair several times and I mean it literally. It really hurt once, but the laughter was even more painful I think. It was that kind of laughter when you're rendered unable to control your respiratory system. I suspect my father might have started worrying about my sanity then XD Back to the point, SYD had a simple yet satisfactory concept: girls with wanton minds talking perverted stuff. Really simple, yet effective. The dirty humor coming out of their mouths was actually pleasant to hear and it didn't grow boring with time, as the producers always pulled an ace out their sleeve when it was needed.
Shino and Aria, the full-fledged pervert and the perverted natural air-head, were not the only interesting characters of course. They wouldn't be able to drive the momentum of this anime on their own. There always was the so-short-she-doesn't-fit-in-the-screen Suzu whose geniality and sharp tongue always hit the crucial spot, the teacher who craves for young flesh, the male lead's sister as perverted as Shino and who knows if not even more, and last but not least the stealth Newspapers Club member with her camera always at the ready. I couldn't help but feel for Hikasa Youko and Satou Satomi, seiyuu of Shino and Aria, saying all that extremely dirty stuff. But they must have been prepared for the worst when entering the seiyuu industry, right? I mean, they must have made themselves ready to accept any kind of role, including hentai and eroge stuff of course. Anyways, they did their job perfectly, as well as Hata's seiyuu Arai Satomi. Basically, Arai Satomi played another Kuroko because Hata and Kuroko seem to have very similar brain processes XD
Wow, it's really refreshing to write about Seitokai Yakuindomo. It makes me want to watch it again, which makes me remember that an OAD has been announced to be bundled with the next volume of SYD manga due next Spring. I can't wait!
The opening song performed by the three main female seiyuu, Hikasa Youko, Satou Satomi, and Yahagi Sayuri, was quite nice and particularly Hikasa's part were really good. She does know how to sing. Hey, producers and managers and whoever else, have her sing a bit more.
Angela performed the ending song, which was very untypical of angela's usual material that you might have heard for example in Asura Cryin' or Heroic Age or Uchuu no Stellvia. It is a very energetic song, fitting for a show like SYD.
What about some funny scenes?
I loved SYD but it would have been even better if the relationship between Tsuda and Shino had developed a bit more than it did, though there were some subtle hints in the final episodes that Shino started to harbor some serious feelings for him. I want to see more of that, so, second season, I'm waiting for you! ^^
Amagami SS has been a very enjoyable romantic comedy adapted into anime from the original visual novel. The creators' decision to reset the story every four episodes, thus covering the arcs of 6 girls, was the right thing to do I think. Even though I would like to see more of Ayatsuji's dark side's behavior or Morishima-senpai's shenanigans or Junichi's perverted actions, I'm glad the anime has shown quite a lot of scenes from different arcs. Though, I could do without Rihoko's arc ^^' Finally, the last, 25th episode served as a great concluding episode, providing us with the reason why Junichi was stood up two years ago.
My favorite arc was Ayatsuji's. Her personality was pretty messed up but that's something I'm pretty fond of ^^ But Haruka treating Junichi as a dog was quite a spectacle as well. So my arc ranking: Tsukasa > Haruka > Kaoru > Ai > Sae > Rihoko. I don't count in the Risa episode as it was only one episode long. The arc ranking coincides with my character ranking of course. But I would have to squeeze in other characters (Miya in particular would be pretty high) to make it complete. Junichi, I'm so envious of you, having such an adorable little sister, nishishi XD I can't wait for Miya's special episode coming out in April.
The opening theme songs, both performed by azusa, perfectly matched the mood of Amagami.
Each arc had its own ending, sung by the arc's heroine's seiyuu. So those endings were a bit like character songs. My favorite is probably Nanasaki Ai's (Yukana's) ending song.
Amagami SS is based on a PS2 game and it's getting released on PSP next year. So what about a PC version, huh? I want a PC version!! Well, for the time being, I've read Amagami Precious Diary Ayatsuji Arc manga. What a feast it was.
My #7 is exuberant fall anime MM!. Every episode made my lungs quiver in laughter. Many people surely have trouble to understand how you can enjoy a series that revolves around one guy incessantly getting beaten to death with a satisfied smile on his face. Well, I can't really give you the answer how I can enjoy such series... simply, I can. Yes I can! XD
Masochistic male lead voiced by Fukuyama Jun, a sadistic short girl who believes to be a god voiced by Taketatsu Ayana, an androphobic girl who punches every man within one meter voiced by Hayami Saori, male protagonist's best friend who finds pleasure in cross-dressing and acting as a rich, lofty girl, a prodigy loli equipped to capture male lead's heart, a shop owner who's into 2D girls, a school nurse who loves to take photos of girls in cosplay, and incest ending desiring male lead's sister and mother. Each character's personality is corrupt in a way and they all make a great character line-up together.
I loved the opening song, in particular the version that was used from episode 1 through episode 4. It perfectly matched the atmosphere of MM! as it was an up-beat, dynamic, ebullient tune.
Merry Christmas my dear readers! I hope you've had a good time yesterday on Christmas Eve. It's Saturday today, which means it's time for the regular Saturday DFC but since it's Christmas, this installment will also be imbued with Christmas atmosphere. Enjoy the santa costumes!
This series hasn't ended yet, still 2 episodes to go, but I can say that it's been a very thrilling anime with quite a good animation and intriguing characters. The very concept of Shiki is rather clever too, of course. A secluded village whose inhabitants start falling one after another after a new family moves in there. Only few people perceive a possible connection and majority regards it as an epidemic. So does the local doctor at first, but soon he realizes that it must be wrong.
Most of the characters are well made both personality-wise and animation-wise. My favorite would be the little girl from the moved-in family, Kirishiki Sunako. Her seiyuu is Yuuki Aoi who is jaw-droppingly great at bringing such characters to life (though I'm not sure if it's appropriate to put it this way in Sunako's case XD).
The perplexed yet determined doctor Ozaki Toshio, played by Ookawa Tooru, is quite a bad-ass doctor. He might as well switch his job and start working as an assassin I think. That cool and frigid he is XD
I could list even more characters but I'm not going to do it. I'll just mention other seiyuu in this. Tomatsu Haruka, Okamoto Nobuhiko, Sasaki Nozomi, Uchiyama Kouki, Kitamura Eri, Okitsu Kazuyuki, and also occasional seiyuu, Gackt-sama.
I absolutely loved the first opening, both the video and the song, played by BUCK-TICK. The name of the song is Kuchizuke (trans.: Kiss).
The second opening is hardly as good as the first one, but it still isn't really bad.
But the second ending song is rather good, again by BUCK-TICK.
I can't wait to see how Shiki will turn out. Even though there are only 2 episodes left, it's hard to guess which side will emerge victorious. However, no matter who wins, I'm sure it will be an exciting ending.
Rank no.9 has been invaded by a squid girl and her subordinates de geso! Shinryaku! Ika Musume, a 12-episode anime aired this fall, managed to invade and conquer many people's minds, including mine. It was a great exhibition of random fun, which was, however, very well structured and each short story gradually escalated into a grand finale. Each episode consisted of three short stories, most of which were purely fun, but some of them, particularly the one with Little Ika-chan, were rather emotional.
Ika Musume was, of course, the funniest character but even the others were interesting. Some more, some less. Those self-proclaimed top MIT graduates' antics were absolutely hilarious, as well as Chizuru's "You're-going-overboard moments". Am I the only one who thought that one of the scientists looked like Obama?
Another meme have been born thanks to Ika Musume and they've even invaded some ranking of most popular Japanese words on Twitter. Great accomplishment janaIKA? It is de geso.
The opening song was a catchy tune that just stuck in your mind, invaded it. Yeah, you get the general picture, don't you? This whole series' purpose was to invade your mind and make you buy as much goods as possible. They might even be co-operating with Apple as they have released an Ika Musume iPhone application, which might have a positive effect on the sales of iPhones XD
I will definitely miss this anime because it never failed to provide me with a huge helping of laughter.
Starting today, I'm going to count the remaining days of this year by posting my top 10 anime of 2010, one title a day. It was Chison's idea, so have a look at his top 10 too. Another soul that has joined the countdown event is Rukishou, so it'd be nice of you to check out his top 10 as well. If you want to join, feel free to do so, and tell us so that we get to know your top 10 too.
Now, let's start finally. It's been an arduous task to choose #10 because I had 2 free slots left and 4 or 5 anime to choose from. It was cruel and sad, but I couldn't do nothing but cross out 3 titles so that I would complete the 10. I'm trying to figure out a way to make it up to the anime I left under the line, but for now, let me start by presenting my number 10: Working!!. btw. I tried to consider even other aspects while choosing the top 10, not only the level of enjoyment.
Working!! is a great 12-episode comedy centered around a family restaurant in Hokkaido called Wagnaria, where the protagonists work, either part-time or full-time. The restaurant teems with highly amusing characters - some of which are quite scary ^^ - that drive the whole series.
First, the male lead, Takanashi Souta. He starts working in the restaurant only to find himself in a bunch of strange personnel. He's the most normal character in the series and often serves the role of the straight man; yet, even he isn't without a fault. He's a self-described minicon, what an appealing word. He likes small, cute things such as kittens, hamsters, and also little girls. Takanashi's potential as a character is virtually wholly exploited thanks to great job by Fukuyama Jun.
Taneshima Poplar is a very short girl, so she immediately becomes the target of Takanashi's interest. Despite her looks and her clumsy side, she's one year older than him. Played by Asumi Kana.
Inami Mahiru has this small predisposition called androphobia. That is, she'd always be sure to punch the lights out of any male that approaches her. She wants overcome this condition and Takanashi does his best to help her to get rid of it, often to find himself dead beaten on the floor, as Inami's punches are extremely powerful. There lies a specific reason behind both her strength and her androphobia, but I won't mention it since it would spoil some fun if you haven't watched Working!! and plan to do so. Inami is played by Fujita Saki, who bestowed her voice upon Hatsune Miku.
Todoroki Yachiyo, a graceful, attractive waitress with not that attractive sword by her flank, which often freaks out the customers. Played by Kitamura Eri.
Souma Hiroomi, a friendly-looking cook who knows secrets of others and doesn't think twice to use it as a means of extortion. Played by Kamiya Hiroshi, he's a great fit for this character.
And that's not all. There are more amazing characters with great seiyuus, including Ono Daisuke, Hirohashi Ryou, Itou Shizuka, Hikasa Youko, etc.
The opening and ending song are both really catchy and perfectly match the anime.
Working!! was an anime that would make me laugh hard every episode without fail. It also made you want to join the characters and start working at the place too because it seemed to be a great fun. Well, working in that kind of environment would certainly be quite entertaining and definitely not monotonous.
Last words: "Extendable hands are essential while approaching the other sex."
The Moe Coalition was born a few months ago as a kind of a call from the people who like moe and know that it is nothing to be ashamed of. The basic principle of the Coalition is that the members who run a blog add the Moe Coalition banner - manifestation of their membership - and links other members's blogs into their blogroll. Recently, the Coalition has gotten quite a few new members, one of whom is me, and has started to expand. Our primary objective is to show that there are people in the world who appreciate the whole concept hidden behind the word moe and they have had enough of listening to other people's bashing on it. We want our voice to be heard. But basically, the Moe Coalition is a group of people who like moe and are not ashamed to confess to it. And of course, anyone is welcomed to join.
The blog of the Moe Coalition has been officially launched. It will be a collaborative project so everyone can partake if he or she has something related to moe on his or her mind and would like to share it with others. The information on how to join will soon appear on the blog.
We are also on IRC so you can drop by for some chitchat if you'd like. #MoeCoalition@irc.rizon.net
Nendoroid Kuroneko aka Gokou Ruri from anime/light novel Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai is now available for preorders. A few days ago, Mikatan posted some preview photos on her blog.
Kuroneko retails for 3,334 yen, excluding tax, but you can get her on Hobby Search with 21% off. Alternatively, you can get her for example on CDJapan.
You will laugh at Ayahi's clumsiness and incapability of even properly holding the kitchen knife. It seems as if this had been her first try at cooking and who knows, maybe it really was. Yes, she looked that awkward. If you think you suck at cutting onions or leek, know that it could always be worse. Have a good laugh!
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night. Pick whichever appropriate for your location. In order to make your morning, afternoon, evening, or night more enjoyable I'm going to serve you some pictures that would surely "please" that bleeder Ishihara, the politician most responsible for the passage of Bill 156. If you don't know what Bill 156 is about, try Google.
Yui and Mio jumpers will be available for customers at Comiket 79, which starts on December 29. Another way to obtain them is to place a reservation at Animate online shop, linked above. Later on, they will come to stores on February 17, though in very limited numbers. Everyone who's interested in buying one, or two, or three, or more, has to be ready that one will cost him (or her, though less likely ^^') an arm and 39,800 yen, including tax.
The illustrations are embroidered on the jumpers, guaranteeing long durability. Furthermore, the jumpers have a reversible, less flashy inner side, so you can put it on inside out when in public.
In the latest Ore no Imouto ga Radio Demo Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, a radio show with Taketatsu Ayana and Hanazawa Kana as the personalities, Ayacchi read out a funny message that came to the studio. It was from a girl that has only recently turned into an otaku.
From "Girl Who Likes Bajeena"-san. Thank you very much. "Taketatsu-san, Hanazawa-san, hello." "I had been a diligent person who had only studied and participated in club activites until this April. I was far from being an otaku. However, one day, a friend from my club told me: "This is a good song. Give it a listen." It was a character song sung by Taketatsu-san. Before I knew it, I had listened to it many times and in the end I decided to watch the anime. I was surprised and praised it a lot. After that, I started to watch various anime and buy the merchandise, CDs, light novels, and the like. I've turned into an otaku. To tell the truth, at my school's cultural festival, I won the match for the title of number one otaku and became the biggest otaku at school. Now, I'm being told everyday by my parents and friends that I didn't use to be like this." Kana: "Taketatsu-san, it's your fault." Ayana: "My?" Kana: "It's your fault." Ayana: "I'm sorry. But it makes me happy." Kana: "It does, doesn't it?" Ayana: "Thank you very much. I really wonder what character song it was." Kana: "What could it have been?" Ayana: "I wonder what anime it was from." Kana, Ayana: "What could it have been?" Ayana: "I've been able to sing in many anime recently, so I have no way of telling what it was. If you don't mind, please, send us another message saying what song from what anime it was."
Ayacchi turns innocent maidens into "freaks". Bad girl. She would deserve some kind of punishment XD As for the song and anime that beckoned the girl to the dark side, I have a hunch what it could have been and I bet I'm not the only one. Given its dominance even in Oricon chart, K-ON music is the most likely from Ayacchi's roles to be listened to by a non-otaku girl. And since it happened in April, the probability of getting it correct is 1/3 as only 3 Azunyan character songs had been released by April. So, my guess is "Watashi wa Watashi no Michi wo Yuku" because it's my favorite ^^
A survey asking about the signs that a guy is approaching you with ulterior motives has been conducted among Japanese women. The results are not very surprising, but it might serve as a lead for what actions to avoid if you don't want to give off a suspicious impression.
1. He immediately touches your body 2. He pretends not to care that it's almost the time for the last train 3. When he sees you home, he asks to use your restroom 4. He asks you to cook him a meal 5. He wants to meet you alone on your birthday or on Christmas 6. He keeps saying he is lonely 7. He asks you not to tell anyone that you are meeting with him 8. He arranges a meeting with you late at night 9. He keeps praising your looks 10. He invites you to go on a drive by the coast 11. He is dissatisfied if you say, "Let's go together with everyone!” 12. He is strangely kind 13. He says he will see you home in a taxi 14. He tells you to drink more alcohol 15. He offers to pay for something 16. When he books a restaurant, he picks a dim-lit private room 17. When you go shopping, he buys something that you called cute 18. He keeps talking about romantic things 19. He has made a perfect plan for the day 20. He choose to meet on Friday
Nana-chan talking about the hard times she had to go through before becoming a successful artist. She talks about how important it is not to give up but do your best in order to attain your goal. Those who can't understand it can at least see cute Nana-chan.
I finally got round to do this quarterly line-up of upcoming winter series. As usual, it's divided into three categories, but this time around I'll mention even a few other series. What's new is that I'll try to write down what I consider strong and weak points of each anime.
Anime I'm definitely going to watch
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (魔法少女まどか★マギカ)
Basically, a series revolving around a magical girl. But this isn't supposed to be your typical mediocre mahou shoujo anime, as it is produced by masters of their respective professions. Animation: SHAFT Director: Shinbou Akiyuki (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Maria Holic, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha) Writer: Urobuchi Gen (Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, Blassreiter) Seiyuu: Yuuki Aoi, Kitamura Eri, Satou Chiwa, Katou Emiri, Mizuhashi Kaori Music: Kajiura Yuki, Kalafina, ClariS
+ : animation, music, staff - : -
Trailers:
Hourou Musuko (放浪息子)
An introvert boy meets a tomboyish girl and they decide to become whom they want to be. Thus, they both start crossdressing as opposite sexes. Animation: AIC Director: Aoki Ei (Ga-Rei Zero) Writer: Okada Mari (Toradora, Kodomo no Jikan, true tears, Otome Youkai Zakuro, Kuroshitsuji) Seiyuu: Hatekayama Kyousuke, Seto Asami, Iguchi Yuuichi, Nanri Yuuka, Mizuki Nana, Toyosaki Aki, Chiba Saeko, Nanjou Yoshino, Horie Yui Music: Kousaku Satoru
+ : great screenwriter, interesting concept, strong supporting cast - : lead protagonists' seiyuu without any previous experience
Trailer:
Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? (これはゾンビですか?)
Based on a light novel written by Kimura Shinichi. The story revolves around a lazy high school boy named Aikawa Ayumu who gets killed during a spate of mysterious serial killings. However, he is resurrected as a zombie by a necromantic girl named Yuu, whom Ayumu had met before dying.
Zombies, necromancers, vampires, This series promises a lot of scenes on verge of being banned from airing. Check out the trailer to see it with your own eyes, unless you'd rather avoid seeing someone getting cut in two with a chainsaw or getting stabbed in his torso with a sword. Animation: Studio DEEN Director: Kanasaki Takaomi (School Rumble Ni Gakki) Writer: Uezu Makoto (Utawarerumono, School Days, Tayutama, Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka, Qwaser) Seiyuu: Majima Junji, Nomizu Iori, Hikasa Youko, Kanemoto Hisako, Tamura Yukari, Yamaguchi Rie
+ : very popular light novel, three seiyuu (namely Tamura Yukari, Hikasa Youko, Kanemoto Hisako) - : scriptwriter's latest works are nothing but crap (except Katanagatari)
Trailer:
IS: Infinite Stratos ( IS＜インフィニット・ストラトス＞)
The story revolves around the IS Academy and its students who are training to become pilots for the IS (Infinite Stratos) weapon system. It so happens that this system can only be operated by females. However there was one young man named Orimura Ichika who was able to use the IS. He then finds himself attending the busy academy dominated by girls. (from anidb.net)
Harem setting in a mecha anime is quite an interesting concept. The director has worked on Macross F so he's well versed in mecha anime, while the scriptwriter's record is marked with Clannad, Kanon, and AIR, so he's on the other hand the scriptwriter who is partly responsible for tears of many anime fans. I expect some mecha with broken hearts and terminal illnesses XD Animation: 8-bit Director: Kikuchi Yasuhito (Macross F) Writer: Shimo Fumihiko (AIR, Kanon, Clannad, Full Metal Panic) Seiyuu: Uchiyama Kouki, Shimoda Asami, Hikasa Youko, Hanazawa Kana, Inoue Marina, Yukana, Tamura Yukari, Toyoguchi Megumi Music: Nanase Hikaru (Phantom), OP: Kuribayashi Minami (Chrno Crusade, Kampfre, School Days)
+ : strong female seiyuu cast, scriptwriter, mecha and harem - : absence of an epic male seiyuu (though Uchiyama Kouki did a great job as Natsuno in Shiki)
Trailer:
Starry Sky (Starry☆Sky)
Reverse harem setting. The main heroine Tsukiko enrolls to a school which has only recently become co-ed. Thitherto, it was an all-boys school and Tsukiko is the first and only girl there, which puts her in a position where she's surrounded by a throng of ikemen.
You could probably count the number of reverse harem anime on your hand so it's only good whenever another one sees the light of day. What's great about this title is that it stars the pinnacle of the male seiyuu field. Only Wakamoto Norio is missing to complete a divine male cast ^^
btw. this anime will be streamed free on animate.tv website
+ : epic male seiyuu cast, epic male seiyuu cast, epic male seiyuu cast - : maybe the director
Anime I will check out
Gosick (GOSICK -ゴシック-)
Based on a light novel. Set in 1924 in a small fictional European country of Sauville. The story centers on Kazuya Kujo, the third son of a Japanese Imperial soldier, who transfer into St.Marguerite Academy, a school full of mysteries. There, he meets Victorique, a graceful, clever girl, savvy in supernatural occurrences. She spends her days in the library reading countless books and she solves the baffling mysteries that imbue the school.
The concept is quite promising and the female lead seems to be a lovable dark loli, such as Evangeline from Negima. BONES are in charge of the animation, so that shouldn't go wrong either. Animation: BONES Director: Nanba Hitoshi (Heroman, Grappler Baki) Writer: Okada Mari (Toradora, Kodomo no Jikan, true tears, Otome Youkai Zakuro, Kuroshitsuji) Seiyuu: Eguchi Takuya, Ookawa Tooru, Kano Yui, Sawashiro Miyuki, Kiuchi Hidenobu, the female lead is yet to be announced Music: Nakagawa Koutarou (Code Geass, Hayate no Gotoku)
+ : dark loli, BGM, animation - : maybe male lead
Trailer:
Onii-chan no Koto Nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!! (お兄ちゃんのことなんかぜんぜん好きじゃないんだからねっ!!)
Based on Kusano Kouichi's online manga serialised in the web comic magazine Web Comic High!. Takanashi Shuusuke has a predilection for collecting pornographic books, DVDs and pictures. Nao is Shuusuke's younger sister. Rather than a cool older brother, she prefers the lewd older brother who desperately attempts to get a glimpse of her panties. One day, Shuusuke's childhood friend Tsuchiura Iroha, whom he had not seen for 10 years, appears before the two and immediately throws herself at Shuusuke. Thus, Shuusuke finds himself in a love triangle with Nao and Iroha. (from anidb.net)
Unfortunately, the story of the manga is said to be boring, so this anime will probably fail as a kind of a successor of OreImo. Animation: ZEXCSDirector: Motonaga Keitarou (School Days, Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka, Tayutama) Writer: Ooba Sayuri (Sweet Valerian) Seiyuu: Kitamura Eri, Toyonaga Toshiyuki, Inoue Marina, Aranami Kazusa, Shiraishi Ryouko, Oohara Sayaka Music: Kikuya Tomoki (Potemayo, Asobi ni Iku yo, Asu no Yoichi, Ika Musume)
+ : brother x sister relationship - : animation, director
Fractale (フラクタル)
The story takes place on an island, where a Fractale System is beginning to collapse. One day, Clain finds an injured girl called Phryne under a cliff. She disappears leaving a pendant. Clain sets out for a journey with the girl-shaped avatar Nessa to look for Phryne and discovers the secret of the Fractale System. (from MAL)
It's an original anime project, written by a cultural critic and expert, professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Azuma Hiroki Ph.D.. It's directed by Yamamoto Yutaka aka Yamakan who is putting his profession on stake, declaring to retire should Fractale not be successful.
Although, I've put in this second category, I'm pretty sure I'll watch this one. Animation: A-1 Pictures, Ordet Director: Yamamoto Yutaka (Lucky Star ep 1-4, Kannagi, BRS) Writer: Azuma Hiroki, Composition: Okada Mari (Toradora, Kodomo no Jikan, true tears, Otome Youkai Zakuro, Kuroshitsuji) Seiyuu: Kobayashi Yuu, Iguchi Yuka, Hanazawa Kana, Tsuda Minami, Asanuma Shintarou
+ : written by a culture expert, directed by Yamakan, atypical animation, good cast - : I wonder what
Trailer:
Dragon Crisis (ドラゴンクライシス!)
Based on Kizaki Kaya’s fantasy comedy light novel series Dragon Crisis! The series is the story of Ryuuji, a teen boy who rescues a girl from black-market dealers. The girl turns out to be a dragon who becomes devoted to Ryuuji, living with him and following him everywhere. (from anidb.net)
Kugimiya Rie as the female lead and Shimono Hiro as the male lead is a promising combination. Animation: Studio DEEN Director: Tachibana Hideki (H2O: Footprints in the Sand) Writer: Kurata Hideyuki (Kannagi, Bamboo Blade, Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai, OreImo) Seiyuu: Kugimiya Rie, Shimono Hiro, Horie Yui, Inokochi Yuka, Yukana, Nigo Mayako
+ : good cast, promising characters, good scriptwriter - : the story might be weak and the whole thing might turn out as a mediocre fantasy comedy
Trailer:
Moshidora (もしドラ)
Based on a novel by Iwasaki Natsumi titled Moshi Koukou Yakyuu no Joshi Manager ga Drucker no Management o Yondara, shortened Moshidora. Peter Drucker was an important management expert of the second half of the twentieth century.
The show will have 10 episodes. Starting on March 14, it will air on NHK general channel every business day, so it will end on March 25. Animation: Production IG Director: Hamana Takayuki (The Prince of Tennis, Library War) Writer: Fujisaki Junichi (Blood+, Kemono no Souja Erin) Seiyuu: Hikasa Youko, Hanazawa Kana, Kakihara Tetsuya, Hosoya Yoshimasa, Suyama Akio
+ : interesting concept, strong female lead seiyuu (Hikasa and Hanazawa), Production IG - : it'll be over in 2 weeks ^^
Trailer:
Anime I might check out
Mitsudomoe Zouryouchuu! (みつどもえ 増量中！)
Sequel of a popular gag anime about precocious sisters with a bit eccentric personalities. Full of sexual and toilet humor, so it's not suited for everyone.
I may watch it, but I have to watch the first season first ^^' Animation: Bridge Director: Oota Masahiko (Minami-ke, Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro na, Mitsudomoe) Writer: Aoshima Takashi (Minami-ke, Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro na, Koharu Biyori, Mitsudomoe) Seiyuu: Takagaki Ayahi, Tomatsu Haruka, Akesaka Satomi, Shimono Hiro, Iguchi Yuka, Yamamoto Kazutomi, Uchida Aya, Saitou Momoko, Chihara Minori, Sanpei Yuuko, Saitou Chiwa, Toyosaki Aki, Inoue Kikuko
+ : strong cast, director, scriptwriter - : humor not suited for everyone, character design not suited for everyone, animation
Freezing (フリージング)
Set in a slightly futuristic world where Earth has been invaded and is at war with aliens from another dimension called the Nova, the story follows the adventures of a Japanese boy named Kazuya Aoi who enrolls for training at a special school for genetically modified girls called Pandoras who battle the aliens, and their male partners, called Limiters, who use a special power called "freezing" to limit their opponent's mobility. The protagonist makes the acquaintance of an unusual older girl named Bridgette L. Satellizer who appears to be the most powerful Pandora in her class, but has not yet chosen a male partner to be her Limiter, and in spite of the warnings of all his friends, he decides to be her Limiter. (from anidb.net) Animation: ACGT Director: Watanabe Takashi (Shakugan no Shana, Daimaou, Slayers) Writer: Akahoshi Masanao (Index) Seiyuu: Noto Mamiko, Asakawa Yuu, Ueda Kana, Okamoto Nobuhiko, Kitta Izumi, Kitamura Eri, Koshimizu Ami, Hanazawa Kana, Inoue Marina Music: Yokoyama Masaru (Arakawa Under the Bridge, Queen's Blade)
+ : good cast, lots of fanservice provided you are fond of it - : probably cliched, story isn't likely to be the driving factor
Trailer:
Mai no Mahou to Katei no Hi (マイの魔法と家庭の日)
The main character Tatsumi Mai is a girl who uses magic to understand the feelings of people. (from MAL) Animation: P.A.Works Seiyuu: Shimamoto Sumi, Koyama Mami
+ : - :
Kimi ni Todoke 2 (君に届け 2ND SEASON)
I'm sure I want to watch the second season of Kimi ni Todoke, but I haven't watched the first yet and I'm not sure I'll have watched it by the start of the second. That's why I put it here. I may start watching it in January; it all depends on when I'll have finished the first season. Animation: Production IG Director: Kaburaki Hiro (Kimi ni Todoke, Zenryoku Usagi) Writer: Konparu Tomoko (Nodame Cantabile, Chi's Sweet Home, Kimi ni Todoke) Seiyuu: Noto Mamiko, Namikawa Daisuke, Ono Yuuki, Nakamura Yuuichi, Sanpei Yuuko, Sawashiro Miyuki Music: SENS Project (xxxHOLiC, Kimi ni Todoke)
Sankaku Complex
