Looking over my scores this week; I realized something, we’re already halfway through the winter season. It won’t be long before spring is upon us, both in anime and in weather. In my neck of the woods, spring is getting ready to start: a few of our crocuses have already broken dormancy, I killed two spiders in the basement today, and my mom spotted a returning robin a couple of days ago.

The scores:

Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, episode 7 – 12+/12

Hetalia Axis Powers, episode 4 – 10/12 A

Michiko to Hatchin, episode 16 – 12/12
Michiko to Hatchin, episode 17 – 12+/12
Michiko to Hatchin, episode 18 – 12+/12

Rideback, episode 6 – 12+/12

Minami-Ke: Okaeri, episode 7 – 11/12 A+

Sora o Kakeru Shoujo, episode 7 – 9/12 A-

Toradora!, episode 20 – 12+/12

Clannad S.2, episode 19 – 12++/12

Munto TV, episode 5 – 10/12 A

Maria+Holic, episode 7 – 9/12 A-

Asu no Yoichi, episode 7 – 9/12 A-

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 20 – 12/12

Chrome Shelled Regios, episode 6 – 10/12 A

Shikabane Hime: Kuro, episode 4 – 11/12 A+
Shikabane Hime: Kuro, episode 5 – 10/12 A

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Michiko to Hatchin – The plot’s heating up now that we’re reaching the final episodes

Down – none

Thoughts and Highlights

I love how Michiko is constantly wearing different outfits.

There’s been many reasons to like Michiko to Hatchin so far but watching this batch of episodes made me realize that character development is yet another reason. It’s been slow and somewhat hidden by the action of the series but it’s been there and it’s felt natural. For example, when Hatchin goes to great lengths to cheer up Michiko in episode 18, it feels like something she’d do at this point for Michiko but as little as 5 or 6 episodes ago, I don’t think she’d do it. There’s still a bunch of things that still need to be revealed about the show included exactly why the guy keeps running away from Michiko and Hatchin and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

Best episode of the week was episode 19 of Clannad. Once again there were many tear inducing scenes, though most of these were happy scenes this time, as well as happy scenes as Ushio and Tomoya settle into their new life together. I thought the baseball scene, at the beginning, was Akki’s way to symbolically hand over the responsibility of raising Ushio back to Tomoya. Also, thinking back to the last time we saw them play baseball together, I took the ease in which Tomoya hit Akki’s pitch as a statement of how mature Tomoya has gotten.

Speaking of Akki, he often is shown acting immature but the scene where he tells Sanae that it’s finally okay to cry over Nagisa showed that can he’s a good husband. I was of the opinion that Tomoya was a bad father for making Sanae and Akki raise Ushio for 5 years but thinking about it now, maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea. Tomoya lost his wife but Sanae and Akki lost their daughter and raising Ushio did help them get through the worst of the pain. I’m really anxious to see how the rest of the series will play out; I’m pretty sure that Tomoya gets a wish from the glowing orb and I wonder if Kyou’s return in the next episode will play into the wish.

What is it about reformed villains that I love so much? The last time I watched a show that had a villain become good was Gurren Lagann and the character Viral became my favorite of the show. This short arc in To Aru Majutsu no Index featured a villain from just a few episodes ago that became the hero and this was, by far and away, the best arc of the series so far. I hope he can come back soon. Looking at the preview and how it appears several new characters will be introduced seems to point to a second season in the future and thus no sort of plot resolution for this season.

Another good episode of Rideback. I was partially right with my guess several weeks ago that Rin’s rowdy brother will be the reason that gets her involved with the terrorists; he wasn’t the first reason but his actions will be the confirming reason that will get her involved. This episode is a good display of why it’s important to follow current events. The GGP run government needed some pretext to bring in Ridebacks for the purposes of security and a rampage by a group of Ridebacks would be the perfect thing. The idiot that was the leader should have realized no one would just give him 4 Ridebacks without a reason and the consequences of his group’s actions will be just what the GGP wanted him to do. I thought for a moment that Rin might be able to defy the military again and get her and her brother to safety but the GGP simply had too much at their disposal. I’m assuming some sort of prison break will happen next episode because I can’t imagine the government allowing either Rin or her brother to go free again.

And now a few short thoughts:

• Shikabane Hime: Kuro has toned down the fan service but it feels like too much time is being spent on getting Oori and Makina ready to fight.
• Once again Maria+Holic shows why Mariya needs to be onscreen often – the show isn’t nearly as good when he’s not.
• I’m still waiting for Hetalia to get offensive. I did have a very good laugh when Japan made models of the U-boat and created 12 different color versions to sell – very stereotypical of what you see in Japan.
• I enjoyed the two part episode from Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou partially because it showed how much Nyanko-sensei and Natsume have changed so far. Nyanko actually had the Book of Friends in his possession and still endeavored to save Natsume and when Natsume temporarily lost his ability to see spirits, he was visibly depressed by this.

I’m sorry for the relatively short weekly review, I’m not really feeling up to writing right now. I’m not about to quit my blog or anything like that, I had a death in the family. Since my weekly anime review is weekly, I still wanted to write it but this will probably be the only thing I write for a few days.

The scores:

Birdy the Mighty Decode 2, episode 4 – 12+/12

Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, episode 5 – 12+/12
Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, episode 6 – 12+/12

Hetalia Axis Powers, episode 3 – 10/12 A

Michiko to Hatchin, episode 15 – 12/12

Rideback, episode 4 – 12++/12
Rideback, episode 5 – 12/12

Minami-Ke: Okaeri, episode 6 – 10/12 A

Sora o Kakeru Shoujo, episode 6 – 10/12 A

Toradora!, episode 19 – 12+++/12

Clannad S.2, episode 18 – 12+++/12

Munto TV, episode 4 – 10/12 A

Maria+Holic, episode 6 – 12/12

Asu no Yoichi, episode 6 – 10/12 A

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 19 – 11/12 A+

Kemono no Soja Erin, episode 2 – 8/12 B+

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Rideback – Hello!! This show just got very interesting.

Down – Minami-Ke: Okaeri – I’ve noticed a slow downward spiral after the first couple of episodes, nothing major yet but it’s starting to get troublesome.

Thoughts and Highlights

I’ve been thinking about Rideback a bunch since watching episodes 4 and 5. Up to the start of episode 4, it felt like it could be a somewhat conventional sports anime. We would see the former ballerina learn through Rideback racing how to recapture what she lost from the injury that made her quit. Sure it took place in a world where a shadowy organization runs the world but that fact didn’t seem to really intrude much on normal society. What happens in episode 4 is sudden, jarring, and shatters what the show is and when we put the pieces back together – it’s a totally different show now. I think this was done on purpose by the creators; they wanted to show how a single event can change the entire direction of a person’s life. I’m really excited to see where the rest of the series goes now.

Once again, when I’m trying to decide what was the best episode of the week, I have to make a tough choice between Toradora and Clannad. Both where absolutely marvelous and the more I think about it, the harder it is to pick one so I’m going to call it a tie. With Toradora, I knew to expect disappointments for Ryuuji and Taiga because the teacher kept saying that they will be rewarded for all their effort in making the Christmas party a success and I was mostly right. Ryuuji obviously didn’t get the ending he was hoping for with Minorin but Taiga definitely got a better Christmas then she was hoping for. I wonder if Taiga is now going to pursue Ryuuji or will she realize her friendship with Minorin is the reason for Minorin’s rejection and feel guilty. On the flip side, the episode of Clannad was a much more positive one – though just as emotional. We learned that Tomoya’s hate for his Dad lead him to forget all the good things his father did for Tomoya while growing up and that Tomoya’s been a worse dad then his father. This realization by Tomoya, along with Ushio’s innate cuteness, allowed Tomoya’s heart to be mended and has given him the strength to forgive his father, act as Ushio’s father and allowed him to remember his relationship with Nagisa in a good way. The scene at the end where he’s talking to Ushio about Nagisa was so incredibly touching and heartfelt.

This week’s episode of Maria+holic was the best so far and little surprise – it happened to be the most air time that Maria has gotten so far. The addition of Maria’s sister adds a very interesting dynamic to the show. The main character has been wishing that Maria was an actual girl and now that possibility is a reality. It finally felt like the show was reaching it’s potential; I hope Maria+holic can continue at this leavel.

And finally, some thoughts in short:

• Birdy and Natsume continue to impress
• Index continues to talk to much, flub it’s potential, and remain mildly interesting
• Munto leaves me feeling good but wishing it would explain itself better
• Hetalia has it’s most coherent and best episode so far – I’m still waiting to see something that’s actually offensive.

There goes that New Year’s resolution for The Null Set – no more missing a week and having to do a biweekly anime review. On the plus side, I should have plenty to talk about.

As a total aside, as I’m typing this up I wonder if other people have specific music they listen to when they have to write. For myself, I’m listening to a 44 track playlist of my favorite Weird Al Yankovic songs right now – I found that I write faster and better when I’m listening to him.

The scores:
Munto TV, episode 2 – 10/12 A
Munto TV, episode 3 – 10/12 A

Soul Eater, episode 41 – 12/12
Soul Eater, episode 42 – 10/12 A
Soul Eater, episode 43 – 11/12 A+

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 16 – 12/12
To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 17 – 10/12 A
To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 18 – 11/12 A+

Chrome Shelled Regios, episode 3 – 8/12 B+
Chrome Shelled Regios, episode 4 – 9/12 A-
Chrome Shelled Regios, episode 5 – 9/12 A-

Birdy the Mighty Decode 2, episode 2 – 12+/12
Birdy the Mighty Decode 2, episode 3 – 12+/12

Rideback, episode 3 – 11/12 A+

Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 25 – 11/12 A+
Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 26 – 12+/12 (end)

Minami-Ke: Okaeri, episode 4 – 11/12 A+
Minami-Ke: Okaeri, episode 5 – 11/12 A+

Maria+Holic, episode 4 – 9/12 A-
Maria+Holic, episode 5 – 11/12 A+

Asu no Yoichi, episode 4 – 11/12 A+
Asu no Yoichi, episode 5 – 10/12 A

Sora o Kakeru Shoujo, episode 3 – 10/12 A
Sora o Kakeru Shoujo, episode 4 – 10/12 A
Sora o Kakeru Shoujo, episode 5 – 9/12 A-

Michiko to Hatchin, episode 14 – 12/12

Clannad S.2, episode 16 – 12+++/12
Clannad S.2, episode 17 – 12++/12

Toradora!, episode 17 – 12+/12
Toradora!, episode 18 – 12++/12

Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, episode 4 – 12+/12

Shikabane Hime: Kuro, episode 3 – 10/12 A

(previously reviewed)

Hetalia Axis Powers, episode 1 – 10/12 A
Hetalia Axis Powers, episode 2 – 10/12 A
A Tale of Genji, episode 1 – 10/12 A
Kemono no Soja Erin, episode 1 – 9/12 A-
Kemono no Soja Erin, episode 2 – 9/12 A-

Which shows have momentum this week
Up – Birdy the Mighty Decode 2 – The second season of Birdy received a big level-up
Down – none

Thoughts and Highlights

From episode 2 - Nataru isn't just a nice male nurse

I just mentioned Birdy the Mighty Decode 2 in my winter impressions meta post but I didn’t really go into details because I knew I would talk about the show here as well. I complained in my review of the first season that the ending was a cop out because it allowed a complete reboot for the second season. Turns out I was wrong. The story logically picks up where the first season ends and even the new characters of the second season were impacted by the events of the first season. Also praiseworthy is how the show doesn’t reset the world, all the buildings that where destroyed in the first season are still destroyed. The characters, especially Birdy and Senekawa, come off as more realistic this season and much more likable. And speaking of realistic or maybe a better word is unflinching, the action scenes have been really good and haven’t shied away from showing blood. In episode 4, we watch one character rip the arms off an alien disguised as a human kid who was connected with the group that killed his father. All without any sort of censoring. It wasn’t gratuitous because it fit the circumstances but I can’t imagine seeing a similar scene done on American TV.

The best episode of the biweekly period came from Clannad Season 2, episode 16. The dastardly duo of Key and Kyoto Animation, bent on world domination, strike again with quite possibly the saddest episode of anime I’ve ever seen. I’ve been trying to prepare myself since early in the first season when I accidentally read some spoils but it didn’t help and probably made it worse. The scary thing that I realized as I watched this scene is that Kyoto Animation is still improving it’s ability to turn the viewers into weeping lumps of blubber. Of special note was Yuuichi Nakamura for his vocal work as Tomoya. He really sounded like someone very important to him was dying in front of him. The only consolation I took from this episode is that the show probably won’t get any sadder.

Ami in the fetal position was very sad to see.

Not nearly as sad but still motoring along at it’s own epic pace is Toradora!. At some point this show should stop surprising me but even after 18 episodes, it still amazes me. For example, we had plenty of signs that pointed to an eventual Minorin emotional meltdown beforehand but it’s still unsettling to see Minorin fall apart like she is. Also a surprise was Taiga’s love of Christmas and how positively infectious it is. It gets me in the correct state of mind for my family’s “Christmas in February” celebration coming up. I also like how some of the bit characters are getting some air time finally; it probably only makes sense as Taiga and Ryuuji have become accepted by their classmates as normal people and not as scary monsters.

The way Ushio acted at the supermarket, I wonder if she just found out that Tomoya is her Dad.

Going back to Clannad Season 2, episode 17. Kyoto Animation is really good at details and slipping stuff in the show without us realizing it. It’s pretty obvious that Tomoya hasn’t been feeling up to keeping the apartment clean but the most telling evidence of his long-term mental state is the 3 flower pots on the back porch. They where something that Nagisa added to the apartment when she moved in. In episode 17 I was surprised to see they were still there 5 years later but then I realized all they contained was long dead remnants of some type of flower, probably from the flowers that Nagisa planted. On a lighter note, Ushio is just about the cutest person I’ve seen in anime. I’m positive that she’ll fix Tomoya because he’s still not a bad person like his dad but needs to realize that he disrespects Nagisa and her wishes by thinking that he should never have met her. And the way KyoAni ended this episode revealed to us that we’ve been looking at Ushio at the beginning of the ending this whole time and not Nagisa like everyone thought.

And now for some shorter thoughts:

• When I try to objectively look at Munto TV, I can’t help but pick it apart. For example, to much stuff is being crammed into the show and it’s not making a lot of sense. This is being balanced so far by how the show makes me feel. I hope as the show gets further along, the storytelling aspect improves.
• I realized while watching this group of episodes from To Aru Majutsu no Index that there’s totally going to be a second season. And as the show gets further, I start asking myself even more, why is Index even in this show and why did he have to lose is memory. I don’t see the point one way or the other.
• On second seasons – so far with Rideback, it’s being paced awful slow for just a 13 episode show – I wonder if they’re planning on doing a second season.
• I have to thank Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, episode 4. I watched it right after watching Clannad 16 and it’s combination of a super-cute spirit and happy ending made me feel better.
• The fanservice continues with Shikabane Hime: Kuro but at least the story is improving.
• And finally, I was a bit disappointed with the ending of Xam’D: Lost Memories; it was very good but I couldn’t help but think they could have done better. I hope I won’t be saying the same thing about Soul Eater. I know it’s tough to figure out an ending for a show that continues like Soul Eater without violating the continuity of the source material but it should be possible.

I'm starting to warm to Sora o Kakeru Shoujo

Let's be friendly.

Gee, I wonder if that's supposed to be Bridgestone.

Must post more Ushio.

Posted in anime, weekly anime review

Let me slip in my weekly anime review before getting back to my top anime picks of 2008.

A relatively light week of anime this week, due in part from not watching any last or first episodes. I still plan on getting to a few more of the winter seasons shows like Genji, Kemono no Souja Erin, and Hetalia Axis Powers but that’ll probably be in a few days.

The scores:

Toradora!, episode 16 – 12++/12

Soul Eater, episode 40 – 12+/12

Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 24 – 12+/12

Michiko to Hatchin, episode 12 – 12+/12
Michiko to Hatchin, episode 13 – 11/12 A+

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 15 – 12/12

Minami-Ke: Okaeri, episode 3 – 12/12

Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, episode 3 – 12+/12

Asu no Yoichi, episode 3 – 8/12 B+

Rideback, episode 2 – 11/12 A+

Maria+Holic, episode 3 – 11/12 A+

Chrome Shelled Regios, episode 2 – 8/12 B+

Clannad S.2, episode 14 – 12+++/12
Clannad S.2, episode 15 – 12+++/12

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Michiko to Hatchin – We got a real juicy tidbit of info and it looks like the show is ready to get down to business

Down – none

Thoughts and Highlights

Can you spot the movie reference?

We learn in Michiko to Hatchin that the guy Michiko and Hatchin are looking for is really alive and he appears to be some sort of movie star. It’s still unknown if Michiko will remember she saw him in the newspaper after she recovers from a fever that’s been messing with her mind and causing her to hallucinate. Even if she doesn’t though, Michiko’s old friend, the police officer, saw it and will probably make sure Michiko finds out. I think now that the show has finally tipped it’s hand a bit, we should see this show’s plot advance quickly. Or at least I’m hoping because one of the things that hurt Samurai Champloo was that it waited until the very end of the series to reveal most of the real plot of the series.

In case your wondering, Clannad continues the tradition of Key works making me cry. This is the latest scene that got to me.

Clannad Season 2 had not one, but two shows that scored the absolute highest score I give out to single episodes. This current Nagisa / Tomoya arc has been perfectly perfect; the source material by Key has been the best I’ve seen them do and KyoAni is executing the anime above their previous Key adaptation work. A simple summary like: Episodes 14 and 15 are about Nagisa and Tomoya learning to live together as a married couple and how Nagisa’s pregnancy changes people and relationships – doesn’t do the show justice. If you’ve gotten to like the characters at all, these episodes have been riveting like few anime shows are. And it’s the little touches that have really struck me. For example, in episode 14 we are shown a shot of Tomoya’s dinghy, plain apartment before Nagisa goes to live there and later on in the episode we see all the little things she’s done to make the place look homey. Or in episode 15, right before Nagisa says they should come up with a name for the baby, we see a quick shot of Nagisa looking at Tomoya and the love and happiness she is feeling is so abundantly clear by just looking at her eyes that it’s unnecessary and redundant to see them say they love each other or even kiss.

I don’t want to make this so short but none of the other shows really stuck out in my mind so let’s close with a few quick thoughts.

• I’ll chime in on Toradora being awesome this week. The Taiga/Student President fight was really exciting. I thought the change in style helped emphasize the sharp feelings both girls felt.
• I didn’t quite like this week’s episode of Asu no Yoichi, as much as I did the first two. I don’t know if this is the start of a trend or just because they needed to introduce a few more characters. And  Katsuyuki Konishi aka Kamina’s voice actor alert. He’s playing the shadowy unknown bad guy.
• The latest story arc to To Aru Majutsu no Index has me the most interested in the show since the first couple of episodes, which is a positive sign. The first half wasn’t nearly as bad as Shana 2 but maybe we can hope for a second half bounce like Shana 2 had.
• And I’m sorry, I disagree with the Grim Reaper in Soul Eater. I’d’ve killed Medusa and then just assume the worse case scenario which would be the Demon God was working with Arachnophobia and plan for that.
• Even Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou has an onsen episode and this was it. I really liked this episode because it showed for the first time a spirit that shouldn’t have gotten it’s name back. Natsume should be more careful in the future but I hope he doesn’t start to distrust spirits now. I also like this episode because we got a returning character – the guy that works as an exorcist on the side and can see spirits like Natsume.

If last week had been a light week of anime, this week was the opposite – as you can see below. And I didn’t include my marathoning of Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and the first two episodes of OVA over a two day period. I decided it was the last of the 2008 shows that I wanted to get to before getting to my awards for the whole year. In hindsight, watching that much Despair at one time probably wasn’t the best idea since my brain almost turned to mush. Which is actually a complement, it reminded me of watching FLCL in one sitting.

The scores:

Toradora!, episode 15 – 12/12

Soul Eater, episode 38 – 10/12 A
Soul Eater, episode 39 – 12/12

Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 22 – 12/12
Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 23 – 12+/12

Michiko to Hatchin, episode 11 – 12+/12

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 14 – 10/12 A

Somedays Dreamer’s S.2, episode 11 – 12/12
Somedays Dreamer’s S.2, episode 12 – 12+/12 (end)

Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 13 – 11/12 A+ (end)

Minami-Ke: Okaeri, episode 2 – 12++/12

Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, episode 2 – 12/12

Asu no Yoichi, episode 2 – 9/12 A-

Sora o Kakeru Shoujo, episode 2 – 9/12 A-

(previously reviewed)

Asu no Yoichi, episode 1 – 6/12 B-

Akikan, episode 1 – 4/12 C
Akikan, episode 2 – 3/12 D

Sora o Kakeru Shoujo, episode 1 – 8/12 B+

Rideback, episode 1 – 12/12

Maria+Holic, episode 1 – 10/12 A
Maria+Holic, episode 2 – 11/12 A+

Chrome Shelled Regios, episode 1 – 7/12 B

Birdy the Mighty Decode 2, episode 1 – 11/12 A+

Shikabane Hime: Kuro, episode 1 – 7/12 B

Munto TV, episode 1 – 12/12

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Minami-Ke: Okaeri – This episode showed that the first episode wasn’t a fluke

Down – Shikabane Hime: Kuro – For specifics as to why this show belongs here, check my impressions post but I’m already wishing that Gainax was still doing this show

Thoughts and Highlights

Hosaka's looking to be friendly with someone.

I already posted a video from Minami-Ke: Okaeri showing one of the awesome clips from episode 2 but the episode was full of really great parts. As a result it was this week’s best episode that I watched. It’s also this week’s momentum gainer since it’s helping to make me quickly forget about the second season and confirm that I can expect the comedy of this season to be on a similar level to the first. One thing that I thought most interesting about the Curry Fairy part was that Hosaka didn’t set off Chiaki’s stupid-idiot radar. I don’t think Hosaka is an idiot but I’m surprised that Chiaki thinks the same way. I also can’t wait for the eventual second meeting between the two when Chiaki realizes Hosaka is not the Curry Fairy.

Xam’D: Lost Memories has now moved to the final arc and, of course, tons of stuff start happening. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed both episodes, it’s starting to feel like Bones was a little too ambitious with this show. In episode 23, it was like the show suddenly developed ADD and couldn’t stop changing the channel between the numerous different stories. Some scenes, like the Haru scene, didn’t leave a deep impression because before we even had the chance to digest what she was saying we were off somewhere else. And some scenes like the Nakiami one still resonated well because her character has had plenty of development over the course of the show and we understood almost immediately the importance of what was happening. I hope the final few episodes are paced a little better because it’ll be a shame to see such a quality show falter at the end. And since this isn’t actually running on television, I don’t understand why it has to be 26 episodes when it could be a few more episodes longer and have enough time for the ending.

Soul Eater episode 39 finally got back to my favorite character, Crona. I’m inclined to think that Crona is a boy because that would mean that Medusa has been messing with his mind from the beginning. In this episode, Crona finally admits to Maka his role in pushing Stein towards insanity. Of course Maka realizes that Crona would only do something like that under duress but it looks like Crona will be kicked out of Soul Society until someone very unexpected appears at Shibusen.

I’ll discuss the shows that ended this week when I write my series review in the future. I have a few more comments I wanted to make but nothing that deserves a full paragraph so I’ll bulletize them.

• I enjoyed the second episode of Asu no Yoichi why more then I should have. Maybe it’s because they constructed a scenario where the male main character is actually a capable human being and has a plausible reason for his problems around people, especially girls. Let’s hope it continues.
• Sora o Kakeru Shoujo or The Girl who Leapt Through Space continues to be odd but I think I might like this series. The comedy has been funny and offbeat so far; for example, in episode 2, an Iron Maiden was used as the means for the characters to change into their battle suits.
• Great episode of Michiko to Hatchin. What Michiko had to do to get Hatchin to forgive her was epic and touched my heart. It would be easy to think Michiko looked at Hatchin as a means to an end but this episode really showed that Michiko cares for Hatchin’s welfare.
• I was wondering if Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou could top the fox spirit from the first season in terms of cuteness and I got my answer this episode – yes. The little snow bunny (like the ones seen in Kanon) that gets possessed by a spirit is quite possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

A very light week of anime this week for me. I pushed my watching of many of the new winter shows into the current week so I could try to finish a few lingering shows of 2008 I wanted to get too before 2009 started. I was only partially successful, Shigofumi got watched finally but I still want to get to true tears and the second season of Goodbye, Mr. Despair.

The scores:

Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 12 – 12+++/12

Earl and Fairy, episode 12 – 9/12 A- (end)

Toradora!, episode 14 – 12++/12

Clannad S.2, episode 13 – 12++/12

Soul Eater, episode 37 – 10/12 A

(previously reviewed)

Minami-Ke: Okaeri, episode 1 – 12/12

Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou, episode 1 – 12/12

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Toradora and Clannad – It’s almost like the two shows are trying to top each other right now (I’ll see your sensitive Ami and raise you a drunk Nagisa … ).

Down – nothing

Thoughts and Highlights

It might have been a light week of anime but what I watched was very good. Both Toradora and Clannad took a week break because of the new year and they were deeply missed. In my mind the week off acted almost exactly like a reset switch for the two shows and now that they’re back they have to reprove why their the best, especially with the new contenders of the season. I’m not saying that I’ve forgotten how good either show is but Natsume and Minami-Ke both had really good first episodes and have the potential to be the top shows of the season.

It's so easy to shop for her.

I miss the blond hair.

Clannad disappointed me a little because I was really hoping to see a wedding but there was plenty to enjoy from this episode – drunk Nagisa, Nagisa’s graduation ceremony, and seeing Nagisa wearing a wedding band being just three. Nagisa’s dad forcing Tomoya to work so hard before he’d listen to Tomoya’s request for Nagisa’s hand in marriage was epic and touching at the same time. I always thought asking the father before marrying the daughter was silly but seeing how much Nagisa’s parents have had to give up for her, the pain and trials of raising Nagisa, and the amount of love they have Nagisa has really made me understand the importance and the correctness of doing so. And I think I finally figured out why we keep seeing that girl and robot – the girl is connected somehow to Nagisa. I remembered the robot said that the girl goes to sleep in the winter and in this episode Nagisa comments how she always gets sick in the winter. But don’t tell me if I’m correct or wrong since I’m trying to stay spoil-free as possible.

A rumor seems to have swept the school after the last episode of Toradora – if you touch Taiga then you’ll become lucky. Hilarious hijinks ensue but once again the characters themselves are the most memorable part of the show. I loved how everyone tells Ami how she’s so mature, sophisticated, and able to get any guy she wants but when she sees Ryuuji (who she almost assuredly likes) in the supermarket and he remarks how she’s childish because all she eats is fast food. I love this scene not because I think Ami is actually childish but after the spectacular miscalculation about Taiga’s dad, it’s good to see Ryuuji back to his normal perceptive self and understanding Ami better then everyone else around her. Ami even looked happy when Ryuuji called her childish. The other really memorable scene was Minorin’s, when it appears that she realizes that she might have some sort of deeper ‘not just friends’ feelings for Ryuuji. She looked deathly scared like she was standing on a very narrow precipice over a very large abyss instead of a more expected reaction of being shocked or happy. And the thing is, if all three girls fall for Ryuuji, Ryuuji’s such a nice guy that he’ll probably feel really bad about hurting their feelings.

Best episode of the week, though, comes from Shikabane Hime: Aka. I mentioned awhile ago how being able to alter a person’s sense of time is the mark of a really good show because that means the person is so totally sucked into the show that they lose awareness of their surroundings. This episode so thoroughly did this that I was sure that it was twice as long as normal. We finally get to the part that I knew we were working up to but I was still enthralled by the exact circumstances. I really have to applaud Gainax for taking the time to do something that most shounen shows don’t bother – give us a concrete reason why one normal person is called upon to become the hero. I don’t even think I’ll mind if the second season is just Oori and Makina fighting Corpses with little additional character development; though, showing Oori and Makina having to learn to fight together will probably take some time in the next season.

Earl and Fairy ended about how I thought it would and thus I don’t really have anything to say that couldn’t wait for the series review that’ll get written hopefully soon.

Mikuru Beam!!

And lastly, my sister and I got around to watching a new episode Soul Eater this week. Since about episode 20, Soul Eater has been excellent and I really shouldn’t worry about how it ends but now that we’re approaching the end, I’m starting to get antsy. Both Full Metal Alchemist and Eureka 7 came from Bones (like Soul Eater) and while I liked both, I didn’t really care for the endings of either – I remember thinking they got too weird. I’m awfully curious to see where this show goes. One aspect I’m particularly liking right now is how Death the Kid has started to investigate the truth around the Grim Reaper’s connection to Ebon. I’ve never thought of the Grim Reaper and his organization as being innately good (though the students appear to be good) or the witches as being innately bad. Therefore, I wonder if the Grim Reaper has a bunch of skeletons in the closet that will cause a falling out with the students if they get revealed. Also, I’m getting really curious about Maka’s mother. I don’t think she’s dead but why hasn’t Maka gone to see her even when finding out that she has a power that only her mom had. Wouldn’t it make sense to visit the one person that could give answers about a new power and how to work it?

Nagisa getting drunk after one shot of sake.

Our lovable Corpse Princess as a baby.

And just like that, the book closes on the fall season and 2008.

Back at the start of the fall season, early October, the trees where just starting to change colors and it was still possible to walk around outside in shorts. Now at the end of the season, coats are required and the faded landscape speaks of many more months of cold. Hopefully at the end of the winter anime season, the early crocuses will be blooming and we’ll finally know when the second season of Haruhi is airing.

The scores:

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 12 – 9/12 A-
To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 13 – 11/12 A+

Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 9 – 11/12 A+
Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 10 – 12/12
Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 11 – 12+/12

Kannagi, episode 12 – 10/12 A
Kannagi, episode 13 – 12/12 (end)

Chaos;Head, episode 11 – 10/12 A
Chaos;Head, episode 12 – 11/12 A+ (end)

Kurozuka, episode 11 – 12/12
Kurozuka, episode 12 – 12+/12 (end)

Ga-Rei Zero, episode 11 – 12+/12
Ga-Rei Zero, episode 12 – 12+/12 (end)

Earl and Fairy, episode 11 – 11/12 A+

Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 20 – 12/12
Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 21 – 12+/12

Toradora!, episode 13 – 12++/12

Kemeko DX, episode 12 – 10/12 A (end)

Michiko to Hatchin, episode 10 – 12/12

Skip Beat, episode 11 – 11/12 A+
Skip Beat, episode 12 – 12/12

Yozakura Quartet, episode 12 – 10/12 A (end)

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Shikabane Hime: Aka – If I had to graph this show’s momentum, it would look like an exponential growth curve.

Down – Chaos;Head – Technically, since this ended, it shouldn’t be here but this show definitely lost a lot of the momentum that it had built up earlier in the series.

Thoughts and Highlights

Shikabane Hime: Aka is the momentum gainer of the week again and came very close to having it’s episode 11 be the best episode of the bi-week. This show and Ga-Rei: Zero actually are very similar shows in that they’ve been season long examinations of a character. Ga-Rei: Zero was to show how a hero despairs, gets corrupted, and falls; whereas, Shikabane Hime: Aka was to show how a normal high school boy is called upon to become the hero. The difference between the two was that Ga-Rei told you by the end of episode 3 what it was doing but Shikabane Hime didn’t make it clear till much later.

Episode 11 of Shikabane Hime: Aka had a really awesome flashback sequence in it – very Millenium Actress-esque. This sequence would have wowed me no-matter-what; but, the fact that Gainax did it, wowed me even more because Gainax isn’t known for it’s subtleness and small moments.

Squeaking past for this bi-week’s best episode is Toradora’s episode 13. As epic as the race was, the moment that really stuck out in my mind was the comment Minorin made at the end when she was talking with Ryuuji. She said something to effect ‘I’m talking normal’. A simple sentence might seem insignificant but oftentimes it’s the small things that speak volumes. We were clued into the possibility that Minorin uses her hyper personality as a way to cope with her fears back in episode 3 and this single sentence seems to confirm this idea. What we also learn is that Kitamura seems to have a thing for the student council president and she doesn’t feel the same way about him. I can’t help but think that, because Taiga’s personality is similar to the student council president’s, Kitamura sees Taiga as a replacement for the president and that makes him a jerk.

The clones are fast becoming my favorite characters of Index.

Akiyuki's parents in the midst of making up.

I’ve already put up my thoughts to 3 of the show’s that have ended and will get to the other three – Kannagi, Kurozuka, and Chaos;Head – soon so I don’t have anything to say about those six shows right now. So, I’ll close with just a few more short thoughts.

• To Aru Majutsu no Index is now at it’s halfway point. It’s been infinitely better then the first half of Shana 2 but it’s suffered from having way to much exposition and the apparently pointless amnesia of the main character. Shana 2 was able to have a near flawless second half and lets hope Index can too.
• Xam’D: Lost Memories is nearly done setting the stage for the show’s finale and I’m pumped and primed to see what happens.

• Have I mentioned how the casting in Skip Beat has helped make the show so enjoyable. Marina Inoue infuses Kyoko’s character with the perfect edge that really makes the character feel real. Then there’s the smooth-as-butter Katsuyuki Konishi as Ren that makes Ren’s ability to make all women swoon over him so believable and makes Kyoko’s interest in him genuine.

And finally, Minorin's 7 - 10 split was pretty cool as well.

I’m got a few hours before I have to worry about Santa showing up so lets try getting my weekly anime review written today. I have the feeling that I won’t be able to find the time to write this tomorrow: Feast (including homemade kolbasz) + Mom’s Christmas cookies + Awesome gifts (already got two interesting books from my sis and brother-in-law) + anime = No desire to do serious blogging, much less moving around.

The scores:

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 11 – 11/12 A+

Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 8 – 12/12

Kannagi, episode 11 – 10/12 A

Chaos;Head, episode 10 – 11/12 A+

Kurozuka, episode 9 – 12/12
Kurozuka, episode 10 – 12+/12

Ga-Rei Zero, episode 9 – 12++/12
Ga-Rei Zero, episode 10 – 12/12

Earl and Fairy, episode 10 – 10/12 A

Mouryou no Hako, episode 6 – 11/12 A+

Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 19 – 12/12

Toradora!, episode 12 – 12++/12

Clannad S.2, episode 12 – 12++/12

Kemeko DX, episode 10 – 11/12 A+
Kemeko DX, episode 11 – 10/12 A

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Shikabane Hime: Aka – It’s been hard to come after Gurren Lagann but it has built itself into something different and still interesting

Down – nothing this week

Thoughts and Highlights

For this weeks upward momentum series, I figured it was about time to recognize Shikabane Hime: Aka. If Gainax’s name hadn’t been attached to it then I think it would been received better then it was. Too many people seemed to want this to be another Gurren Lagann and when it failed to deliver on that level at the beginning, they dropped the show. I think I successful separated the two in my mind because I’ve been okay with the lack of full-on crazy action that’s found in many Gainax series. My problem that hasn’t allowed me to fully enjoy this series has been ‘Why is Oori the main character and not the monk and Makina?’. As I get further into the series, the answer seems to be that Oori is being moved to the point where he gets his own Shikabane Hime. It almost happened in this episode and I think it’s only a matter of time before it happens. If this is the case then there’s a good chance that the series will shift to a more action orientated series. Also if this is the case then I will have to applaud the makers for taking the time to convincingly show why a high school student becomes the hero.

This weeks best episode is episode 9 of Ga-Rei Zero even though Toradora and Clannad came really close. Ga-Rei Zero has walked a very tight string and so far they haven’t fallen off. The ending of the series was essentially given in the first two episodes and all the episodes since have been working to this ending. This type of structure didn’t work for me in the case of the Star Wars prequel movies – I knew Anakin was going to become Darth Vader and the movies did nothing to make me feel sorry for him or even to particularly care. On the other hand, the makers of Ga-Rei Zero have made me care about Yomi and sympathize with her situation so when, in episode 9, Yomi is tempted to become evil – I understand why she did it and still feel bad that she fell to the dark side.

I don’t know why I’ve been connecting Kemeko DX and Kannagi in my head, maybe because there both comedies or they begin with ‘K’ but I have been. Watching both this week, the thought came to mind: Kemeko DX > Kannagi, just like that. In Kannagi’s case, this week’s episode finally seems to be pointing the series in the direction it should have gone many episodes ago. Looking back the series appears more like the director’s second try at making Lucky Star then the story of the local land goddess being incarnated in the form of Nagi. In Kemeko DX’s case, it knows what it is and plays to it’s strengths. Consequently, it’s been more enjoyable to watch – not high class, but fun nonetheless.

And finally, there’s a few brief comments I wanted to make:

• Toradora and Clannad continue to be the best shows of the season. Episode 12 of Toradora shows that Ryuuji appears to have let his own father issues cloud his judgment and set Taiga up to be very disappointed. Episode 12 of Clannad featured Tomoya’s proposal to Nagisa among other things. She said yes, obviously . And I think it’s safe to say that the next episodes of both will be epic.
• The other shows continue to putter on at the levels that they’ve set for themselves.
• Finally, if you’ve been watching Clannad you know that December 24^th is Nagisa’s birthday. It feels a bit odd to wish an anime character Happy Birthday but I’ll do it anyways since she’s one of my favorite characters. As my present I’m going to repost a nicely done pic I found on the animesuki forums below. (click for the big version)

One of the lighter weeks in terms of number of episodes that I watched in a long while but the over quality was still very high. What made it feel even less was that almost half of the new anime I watched this week (Index, Toradora, Soul Eater, Xam’d, Clannad) was watched with my sister. Since we normally watch a bunch of anime together, I set those series aside so when I felt like watching anime by myself this week – I didn’t find much. Not that I’m complaining, it’s really fun to watch anime with someone.

The scores:

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 10 – 11/12 A+

Toradora!, episode 10 – 12++/12
Toradora!, episode 11 – 12+/12

Soul Eater, episode 36 – 12++/12

Michiko to Hatchin, episode 7 – 12/12
Michiko to Hatchin, episode 8 – 11/12 A+
Michiko to Hatchin, episode 9 – 9/12 A-

Kannagi, episode 10 – 11/12 A+

Skip Beat, episode 10 – 11/12 A+

Chaos;Head, episode 9 – 12/12

Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 18 – 11/12 A+

Yozakura Quartet, episode 11 – 11/12 A+

Clannad S.2, episode 11 – 12+/12

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Toradora! : It continues to amaze week after week

Down – nothing this week

Thoughts and Highlights

Housewife and Genki Girl

It almost doesn’t feel right to say that Toradora has been gaining momentum since only episodes 1 and 5 received a score lower then 12/12 but what else do you call this feeling that each episode is building upon the past episode without losing what’s been gained. Compare that to Index, all that time before the main character’s memory loss feels lost and wasted to the viewer – about 6 episodes worth – and it’s only now that the show is starting to feel good again. Or look at Kannagi, doesn’t the land needed purifying? That seemed important to Nagi at the beginning but we haven’t seen any of this in a long while. Then there was the dad that asked Jin to get the spirit of Nagi’s sister out of his daughter’s body. Why show us this if Jin isn’t even going to worry about doing this. Or look at Michiko to Hatchin. Episode 9 of this show totally killed the buzz it had been developing.

Just look at him, he'd be perfect for Ryuuji's mom

Episode 10 of Toradora was also the best episode I watched this week with Soul Eater a very close second but as much as this show is being analyzed and talked about, I don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said. Though I did come up with one speculation about the show after episode 11 – wouldn’t it be funny if Ryuuji’s Mom and Taiga’s Dad hooked up? That would be a hilarious turn of events.

Childish pranks - the spice of life

Episode 11 of Clannad continues to focus on Tomoya’s effort to become a working adult and the problems this causes in his relationship with Nagisa. I have the feeling that how a person takes this episode depended on how old the viewer is. It’s easy for younger bloggers to rake Tomoya over the coals for not going to the Founder’s Festival with Nagisa but I can’t fault Tomoya for his desire to help fix the mistake he made on the job. I’ll fault him for not calling Nagisa to say why he wasn’t going to be there so she wouldn’t be waiting for him the entire time. And if he was really on the ball, he could have called around to see if some of the people he knows would go to the Founder’s Festival with Nagisa so she wouldn’t miss out on the fun. The fact of the matter is that Tomoya needs this job if he’s going to be able to support Nagisa and himself once they get married and his limitation is going to make this tough without the help of his co-workers. Saying all that though, Tomoya better come up with some way to express his regret for making Nagisa sad since she’s too good of a person to not be treated right.

One of Soul Eater’s strengths is that it seems to be aware of the shortcomings of it’s older shounen brethren. We all know that the characters of a shounen will have to level up at least once during the course of the show to be able to defeat the stronger opponents. It’s the same case with Soul Eater but instead of showing the characters “training” or suddenly getting powers, they use a method that’s realistic and fits with the basic premise of the show. In Soul Eater, a master and weapon need to form a link with their souls if they are to work as a team. So, you might ask yourself if one master/weapon team links with another master/weapon team what would happen? The obvious answer this that collectively there’s more power and hence one master/weapon team will be much stronger. In episode 36, we see Maka, Death the Kid, and Black Star – with their weapons – link up and when one of them fought they were stronger then the sum of the three, individually. Maka, for one, was able to power up Soul to a freakish large double headed scythe and use a demon hunting technique that was able to split Mosquito guy in half. Really cool to see and like I said, way more realistic then what most shounen titles do.

Due to the relatively light week and none of the other episodes taking me by surprise, there’s nothing else to say that will take me a paragraph to say. So here’s the rest of my comments, in brief:

Yozakura Quartet had it’s best episode so far but the show still suffers using clichés too much and should be trying to make itself feel more original.

Skip Beat and Xam’D: Lost Memories continue to impress in their respective ways.

I love Nakiami's face in this shot

They're resurrecting Rasputin back to life

Why do bad guys almost always have white hair?

Let’s get this out of the way before I get back to the top picks of the fall season.

This was another good week of anime watching. Two shows I didn’t list below but I did want to mention was that I finished up a re-watch of Library War and the first season of Minami-Ke with my sister. The first thing that struck me was that hearing Marina Inoue featured prominently in both really drove home how much I enjoy listening to her voice and the roles she plays. Also it reinforced my belief that Library War was one of the most entertaining shows of the year and the first season of Minami-Ke is one of the best anime comedies of all-time.

The scores:

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 9 – 10/12 A

Toradora!, episode 9 – 12++/12

Soul Eater, episode 33 – 11/12 A+
Soul Eater, episode 34 – 12/12
Soul Eater, episode 35 – 12/12

Kannagi, episode 9 – 10/12 A

Yozakura Quartet, episode 9 – 11/12 A+
Yozakura Quartet, episode 10 – 10/12 A

Chaos;Head, episode 8 – 11/12 A+

Somedays Dreamer’s S.2, episode 10 – 12+++/12

Skip Beat, episode 8 – 10/12 A
Skip Beat, episode 9 – 12/12

Earl and Fairy, episode 8 – 11/12 A+
Earl and Fairy, episode 9 – 10/12 A

Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 7 – 11/12 A+

Clannad S.2, episode 10 – 12+/12

Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 17 – 12/12

Ga-Rei Zero, episode 8 – 12+/12 A

Kurozuka, episode 8 – 11/12 A+

Kemeko DX, episode 9 – 10/12 A

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Ga-Rei Zero : The second most surprising good show of the season

Down – Kurozuka : Still a great show but it’s been living off it’s style and it’s beginning to let it’s weakly developed story drag it down

Thoughts and Highlights

After the first two episodes of Ga-Rei Zero, I really had no clue where the show was going and a sinking feeling that the animators where too ambitious by opening the show how they did and would be unable to keep the viewers interesting. It appears that I was wrong because I’m liking this show week-in and week-out. One thing that I thought would hurt this show, like the Star Wars prequels, was that I know one of the main characters ends up evil. In the Star Wars case, this prevented me from sympathizing with Anakin because I know he becomes Darth Vader but not so with Ga-Rei Zero. I got to really like Yomi in these flashback episodes and when we get back to the present, I’m going to feel very sad if they can’t save Yomi somehow.

I feel bad about picking Kurozuka for losing momentum this week but I have to at least try to be objective and these last few episodes have felt very underwhelming. I think it’s safe to point to the shows padding of a thin storyline as the culprit. Hopefully, episode 8 will be the last of this padding as we transition to the conclusion.

Love the Art Deco school building

As awesome as episode 9 of Toradora was, the best episode of the week was episode 10 of Somedays Dreamer’s S.2 which earned the absolutely highest rating I can give out for a single episode. There was a big revelation, which I won’t spoil, and it caught me totally off-guard. It really shouldn’t have since there had been a few hints but I really didn’t expect the show to go in the direction it now seems to be going. Nor was the revelation the sole reason for the high score, the way in which the show went about revealing it was perfect and the character’s actions throughout the episode were just right.

Episode 9 of Yozakura Quartet finally did something that made me really interested in this show. The Nana-gou trees that help protect the city were being altered and this caused the Youkai of the city to have a harder time controlling their Youkai powers. So, for example, the pair of vampire children had to start using umbrellas to walk around in the daytime. A little touch but it was the first original thing this show has done so far.

The past two episodes of Clannad have really covered a lot of territory and watching Tomoya trying to succeed post-H.S. is something that I haven’t seen much in anime and a nice change of pace. There was a small scene that encapsulated this so well – he was worrying over finding a cheap apartment and we see a high school girl with her friends worrying about her hair. The huge gulf between the two worlds couldn’t have been articulated any better and the use of shadows and also Tomoya’s loneliness only reinforces this.

And finally, if you dropped Soul Eater before episode 20, you should give the show another chance. The show’s pacing has picked up dramatically around then and it has been going full tilt ever since. I’m really enjoying just about everything about this show right now – we where introduced to a few more characters, the fights are awesome, and they’re intertwining many plot threads right now. Soul Eater is really showing why it’s the best shounen title right now.

Amy's weapon is my favorite new weapon

Before anyone begins to think I can’t add probably, there is a reason why eight days are covered in this weekly anime review - I wanted to shift the start of the week by a day, from Sunday to Monday, and had to add that extra day somewhere. I hope this will improve my ability to write this column.

I also wanted to mention here that I decided to drop Hyakko in the end. I just couldn’t bring myself to get the next episode so I figured that meant it was dropped by default. I know some of the people out there are enjoying this show which makes me half wonder why I’m not. It should have been an easy sale on it’s part to get me to like it but it didn’t happen. Onto what I did watch this week.

The scores:

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 8 – 9/12 A-

Kannagi, episode 8 – 11/12 A+

Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 6 – 11/12 A+

Kemeko DX, episode 8 – 10/12 A

Earl and Fairy, episode 6 – 10/12 A
Earl and Fairy, episode 7 – 10/12 A

Ga-Rei Zero, episode 7 – 10/12 A

Kurozuka, episode 7 – 11/12 A+

Chaos;Head, episode 7 – 12/12

Toradora!, episode 8 – 12+/12

Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 16 – 12/12

Clannad S.2, episode 9 – 12+/12

Michiko to Hatchin, episode 5 – 12/12
Michiko to Hatchin, episode 6 – 12+/12

Yozakura Quartet, episode 8 – 9/12 A-

Mouryou no Hako, episode 5 – 10/12 A

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Michiko to Hatchin : Even in this strong season, this show has managed to make itself feel unique

Down – nothing this week

Thoughts and Highlights

The first thing about Michiko to Hatchin that left the impression that this show could be something special and unique was it’s lush animation and it’s setting outside of Japan. The next thing I noticed was that the show seems focused on showing how the two main characters have lived difficult lives and how they where surrounded by other people living difficult lives. A look at the other shows I’m watching right now yields nothing that is similar. I don’t want to make it sound like I enjoy watching people suffer but I have noticed that I am more drawn into this show than I was for Samurai Champloo. I want to find out more about Michiko and Hatchin’s past, how they are related, what their tattoos mean, and will they end up having a happy ending.

Squeaking past episode 6 of Michiko and Clannad as this week’s best episode was episode 8 of Toradora. I think I’ve already said that Toradora is much better then it should be. It’s traveling down a road that’s been worn into a fairly wide boulevard so it shouldn’t feel different or new – yet it does. I think one way that makes it feel so different is that the characters display genuine intelligence at times and this episode has a great example of that. Taiga realized she didn’t have a real shot at winning the swimming contest but an opportunity presented itself. Her opponent, Ami, decided to wear a skimpy two-piece swimsuit – probably to show the superiority of her body against Taiga’s. So when the race started, Taiga tackles Ami underwater, takes Ami’s top and throws it as far away as she could. This allows Taiga to get a huge lead over Ami. My sister and I had a good laugh at this and it wasn’t until later that I started thinking how doing that would be a good idea in real life – if I happen to be in a similar situation – and marveled at Taiga’s flash of brilliance. I realize that I can’t expect anime characters to always act intelligent but it’s a nice change of pace.

Speaking of Clannad, I thought that even though we’re transitioning to the main story now, which will probably include lots of sad parts, the first episode after Yukine’s story would be safe from anything that would illicit tears. But I was wrong, we get smacked for a loop almost immediately. One event, however, made me angry. When Nagisa becomes ill again and misses the last half of her senior year, why couldn’t the school figure out some way to let her graduate instead of forcing her to redo her senior year again? It’s this general lack of caring for the individual student by the school administration that helps ensure that many students will not end up healthy, happy, and productive adults.

And finally, there’s a few brief comments I wanted to make:

• Earl and Fairy seems to have found it’s groove after the horrible end to the sword arc and while it won’t compete against the top shows of the season, it’s been enjoyable.
• I think it’s now safe to say that Kannagi is a good effort but isn’t the homerun it could have been.
• Chaos;Head continues to make the story compelling enough that I’m willing to forgive it for it’s harem elements.
• Xam’d continues to chug on it’s near perfect track. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how good of a show this has been.
• I have been enjoying Index even when I’m complaining about it but I positively hate when I’m watching something and a character does something really, really dumb. In this case, any half intelligent person would know, especially if that person was weak and their only defense was destroyed in episode 1, not to go into that building but Index does and gets captured.

I couldn’t pass up posting this from Earl and Fairy - one of the funniest things I saw this week.

I was hoping to get this out on Monday but I ended up putting up the Christmas tree instead, which can see pics of over at my personal blog.

As we’re nearing the midpoint of the season, it’s getting to be that time when I get to look ahead at the next anime season and reflect on the current season. Due to the high number of quality shows, I think it’s prudent to wait a few more episodes before posting my reflections but I hope to write my winter preview this week. Right now it’s time to look at the scores.

The scores:

Soul Eater, episode 31 – 12/12
Soul Eater, episode 32 – 12/12

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 6 – 10/12 A
To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 7 – 9/12 A-

Kannagi, episode 6 – 11/12 A+
Kannagi, episode 7 – 10/12 A

Skip Beat, episode 5 – 10/12 A
Skip Beat, episode 6 – 12/12
Skip Beat, episode 7 – 12/12

Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 4 – 11/12 A+
Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 5 – 11/12 A+

Kemeko DX, episode 5 – 11/12 A+
Kemeko DX, episode 6 – 10/12 A
Kemeko DX, episode 7 – 11/12 A+

Earl and Fairy, episode 5 – 8/12 B+

Ga-Rei Zero, episode 6 – 12/12

Kurozuka, episode 5 – 11/12 A+
Kurozuka, episode 6 – 12/12

Chaos;Head, episode 5 – 12/12
Chaos;Head, episode 6 – 12+/12

Toradora!, episode 7 – 12+/12

Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 14 – 12/12
Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 15 – 11/12 A+

Clannad S.2, episode 7 – 12/12
Clannad S.2, episode 8 – 12++/12

Hyakko, episode 5 – 8/12 B+

Michiko to Hatchin, episode 4 – 11/12 A+

Yozakura Quartet, episode 7 – 9/12 A-

Somedays Dreamer’s S.2, episode 9 – 12++/12

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Kannagi, Kemeko DX : Both shows seem to have gotten their acts together.

Down – To Aru Majutsu no Index : It lost any momentum that it had when it decided to reset the show at the end of the sixth episode.

Thoughts and Highlights

I guess I shouldn’t be shocked that To Aru Majutsu no Index continued it’s downwards momentum. I’ve totally given up on my initial thought that the Shana-group of J.C. Staff had finally learned how to adapt a light novel properly. It’s still an enjoyable series and as long as Yoshida’s clone doesn’t show up – it still might end up a better series then Shana. On the other hand Kemeko DX and Kannagi have been gaining momentum by making the story more compelling , fleshing out it’s characters, and making the viewer laugh more.

The best episode of this bi-week period comes from Somedays Dreamer’s Season 2 though Clannad gave it a good run. One reason for it’s placement above Clannad this week is, whereas Key’s story twists aren’t as surprising as they once were (not that I’m complaining), Somedays Dreamer’s actually shocked me with it’s twist towards the end of the episode. Too many people, it seems to me, judged this show early based on it’s art style and not on it’s content. With each episode my estimation of the show increases and I’m getting to the point that deciding between Natsume and Somedays Dreamer’s is becoming difficult.

Hyakko - Nonsensical English is always funny

A look at the other end of scale displays the potential difference between two shows, Hyakko and Earl and Fairy, that scored the same. In Hyakko’s case, I was positive that after the fifth episode, I could safely drop it and know that I wasn’t missing anything; instead, the episode was much better then I hoped and gained the show a week reprieve from being cut. On the other hand, after the horrible fourth episode of Earl and Fairy, I’m not sure that I can get back to enjoying this show as much as I initially was. The fifth episode was better but I currently don’t have much interest in watching the sixth but probably will, only to give the show one last chance before dropping it.

One of the things that I hoped to show when I did my ten most influential animes was to show that I end up having many different types of shows that I enjoy. I point this out because it feels kinda wrong to give both episode 32 of Soul Eater, an Excalibur episode, and say episode 6 of Kurozuka the same score but both excelled at the type of show they are.

And finally, there’s a few brief comments I wanted to make:

• Michiko to Hatchin seems to be shaping up to be a more serious show then what I was expecting. One thing that has struck me so far has been it’s very realistic portrayal of pain and hardship in the characters. My gut is telling me this series could end up being one of the top shows of 2008.
• Yozakura Quartet continues to be enjoyable but at the same time it feels like a lightweight when compared to the other shows.
• Chaos;Head is starting to prove that it has more to offer then just being a poor mixture of suspense and harem elements
• Skip Beat seems to not be impressing many that know and love the manga but for a first-timer like myself, I’m really enjoying it. For some reason, I’m already wondering how they plan to end the anime series. On one hand, we all want to see her get her revenge but on the other, once she does – is there any reason to continue the series? If I know anime, they’ll probably create some sort of small milestone that she has to accomplish in the episode count that’s been allotted.

Diet warriors attack!!

The big news in anime this week, at least to me, is that it appears KyoAni’s next series will be a Munto series that expands and retells the OVA. I haven’t seen Munto but I have an excellent AMV downloaded called “Sunlight” by Premonition Studios that uses Munto and makes the show look potentially interesting. It seems that it’s set to run Spring 2009. I can’t help but laugh when I think that I missed this possibility when I ran that poll question a couple months ago asking what KyoAni should do next.

The scores:

Soul Eater, episode 30 – 12/12

Kannagi, episode 5 – 11/12 A+

Kemeko DX, episode 4 – 10/12 A

Ga-Rei Zero, episode 5 – 12/12

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 5 – 11/12 A+

Kurozuka, episode 4 – 12/12

Earl and Fairy, episode 4 – 5/12 C+

Michiko to Hatchin, episode 2 – 10/12 A
Michiko to Hatchin, episode 3 – 11/12 A+

Somedays Dreamer’s S.2, episode 8 – 12/12

Chaos;Head, episode 4 – 11/12 A+

Yozakura Quartet, episode 6 – 9/12 A-

Toradora!, episode 6 – 12+/12

Xam’D: Lost Memories, episode 13 – 11/12 A+

Clannad S.2, episode 6 – 12+/12

Which shows have momentum this week

Up – Michiko to Hatchin: what’s up with that tattoo

Down – To Aru Majutsu no Index: please stop with the exposition already

Thoughts and Highlights

As you can see, I added a new feature; I wanted some way to call out shows that seem to be getting stronger or weaker over the multi-week period. For this week the two episodes of Michiko to Hatchin have really made me excited about the series. It seems like this series might become one of my favorites of the season. On the other hand, Index has shown a worrisome emphasis on excessive exposition for the past couple of episodes. The new developments dealing with the character Index at the end helped ensure a good score but we will need more fighting soon and less talking for it maintain this level.

The top episode of this week goes to episode 6 of Toradora, narrowly beating out Clannad. Taiga is quickly becoming my favorite Rie Kugimiya role yet. Even though Taiga shares much of the same personality quirks of Shana, Louise, and Nagi, I think the fact that she has a female friend in Minorin and that she’s not romantically interested in the main male character (yet) makes her a more likeable character. And it’s not just Taiga, all 5 main characters refuse to fall into stock character types and, instead, are refreshing different. I’m really excited to see where this series goes.

The most disappointing episode was episode 4 of Earl and Fairy. It starts off on the wrong foot by showing an important fight scene while the opening credits roll and the happy and light opening song plays. It felt very bizarre and frankly, it was incomprehensionable how the people making the show decided this was a good idea. At the very least they could have forgone the opening song, and let us hear the fight and I’d only grumble a little bit about credits rolling while a fight was going on. Sadly, that wasn’t the only problem with this episode. It was very apparent that they tried to cram at least 2-3 episode’s worth of plot into the last 10 minutes of this episode. The result wasn’t pretty, or comprendable. It was obvious that the animators did want to spend anymore episodes on the quest for the super-special sword but if they weren’t going to do it right then they should have streamlined the episode to make it stink less.

My second favorite bit character of the season

Watching Chaos;Head makes me want to move into a shipping container that’s bolted to the roof of a skyscraper, become an 2-D obsessed otaku and then lose my grip on reality. If this anime is to be believed, this would lead to many attractive girls practically throwing themselves at me. Of course, we all know that’s doesn’t happen in real life and it may not occur in this anime either because our unreliable narrator makes it impossible to know how much of this episode actually happened. Right now, the mystery is this show’s strong point and hopefully it won’t disappoint as the show continues.

The librarian of Soul Eater

And finally, in short:

• End of Clannad’s Sanae arc was fairly predictable but still very enjoyable
• Yeah for more Xam’d and it looks like a very interesting fight next time
• This episode of Soul Eater infers that the Grim Reaper is keeping stuff from Death the Kid and the librarian that we see this episode is my favorite bit character now – I hope we get to see him again

I think one of the great things about watching anime is that each season offers different types of shows. I am, personally, surprised by many of the shows that are my favorites of the season. Which just strengthens my conviction that it’s important to keep an open mind when trying to pick anime to watch.

The scores:

Earl and Fairy, episode 3 – 10/12 A

Kannagi, episode 4 – 10/12 A

Somedays Dreamer’s S.2, episode 7– 12/12

Clannad S.2, episode 4 – 12++/12
Clannad S.2, episode 5 – 12+/12

Shikabane Hime: Aka, episode 3 – 12/12

To Aru Majutsu no Index, episode 4 – 10/12 A

Kurozuka, episode 3 – 12+/12

Mouryou no Hako, episode 3 – 11/12
Mouryou no Hako, episode 4 – 12/12

Ga-Rei Zero, episode 3 – 11/12 A+

Ga-Rei Zero, episode 4 – 11/12 A+

Skip Beat, episode 4 – 12/12

Hyakko, episode 4 – 7/12 B

Toradora!, episode 5 – 11/12 A+

Chaos;Head, episode 2 – 12/12
Chaos;Head, episode 3 – 12/12

Yozakura Quartet, episode 5 – 10/12 A

Thoughts and Highlights

The first thing that jumps into my mind when reviewing the scores above is that a pair of shows – Mouryou no Hako, and Ga-Rei Zero – are doing better overall then their episodic scores would indicate. Both have shown very tantalizing hints of being awesome shows but at the same time they both are very ambitious in what they want to accomplish. How this will play out, will they ultimately succeed or come up short, is unknown at this time.

The best episode of the week was episode 4 of Clannad which was the conclusion to the Sunohara/Mei arc. The addition of a second male character and all that he adds to the show is one way that Clannad is superior to the past Key shows. Just look at the fight between Sunohara and Tomoya in this episode. It was emotionally real and different from what we’re used to see in shows like these and my sister and I couldn’t help but be glued to the screen. I will admit that, once the fight started, I wanted to see a Tomoya beating of Sunohara because as an older brother to four sisters, Sunohara’s actions made me very angry – you always protect your family.

On the flipside, Hyakko got put on probation this week, which means that if I don’t think the next episode is good enough and points to the series being good, then I’m going to drop it. I realized while watching this episode that my big problem with this show is that I actively dislike 2 of the 4 main characters and don’t have a good opinion of the other two. I want to compare this show to Manabi Straight since the set-up seems fairly similar and the character types match up almost perfectly and when I do the differences are stark. Just look at Mei from Manabi Straight and the aloof-girl on Hyakko. Mei is likeable and it’s apparent that she does have a nice side whereas the aloof-girl on Hyakko has not be anything but mean and aloof and frankly I wish the other three would just leave her alone.

Toradora has finally introduced the fifth main character and she’s a doozy. She has a real annoying helpless-blond personality around people she likes but a real curt and unfriendly personality around people she dislikes. I’m not sure how these five characters fit together but so far their relationships have been interesting and different and a bit Honey and Clover-esque.

And finally, one show that I’m starting to become slightly optimistic that it will turn out to be a good show is Yozakura Quartet. They’ve been developing the characters through these episodes which is always a plus and the world that this anime inhabits is also starting to intrigue me. I wonder if this will turn out like Wagaya no Oinari-sama where the animation isn’t that great but the story and characters are enough to make the show a success.

One more from Kurozuka. In both pics, he's in a special mode that makes killing easy.

Posted in anime, weekly anime review