Sora o Miageru Shoujo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai

Thoughts: Something new and interesting.
Blogging?: Yes
Kyoto Animation surprised me by breaking their chain of high school romance series. I read that this was a remake, and I’ve never seen the original series of Munto. However, I was very impressed with what I saw with this episode. The music and character designs were decent at least. By the looks of what the characters have done, I’d say the potential is there for something new at least. It’s interesting to me, since I haven’t seen any type of action in a Kyo Ani series yet. So, it’ll be fun to see what happens and how the plot develops.

Ride Back

Thoughts: Seemed rather bland
Blogging?: No
This series really didn’t stand out or have anything special that would make me want to continue watching it. I loved the character designs, but the plot was a wreck I’d say.  The whole Iron Horse mech thing was pretty dumb. If they want to make a robot anime, then put in better robots. Also, the girl walked into the right place at the right time to receive a free custom Iron Horse. That made it much less interesting. The main character is also rather boring.

Slayers Evolution-R

Thoughts: The faces are pretty funny
Blogging?: No
I never got into the Slayers series much. They were funny at times, but I couldn’t stand the character designs. The action wasn’t that great either. This episode basically had the same elements as its predecessors. Slayers fans will most likely enjoy this. If you’re just looking for an action series then look elsewhere.

Tetsuwan Birdy Decode 2

Thoughts: Birdy runs into a childhood friend.
Blogging?: Yes
I’m quite happy to see this series continue. Tsutomu is still inside Birdy’s body and continues to help her when needed. I’m worried about the introduction of the new childhood friend. This could hurt Tsutomu’s parternship with Birdy. He might actually have feelings towards Birdy, since Nakasugi is no longer around. We all know how childhood friend material can turn into a potential relationship. Anyways, this episode was pretty solid and kept me interested in what was happening. The OP wasn’t that bad, and the ED was pretty cute. I can tell this will be a very fun watch.

Asu no Yoichi

Thoughts: Running up an escalator is fun!
Blogging?: No
This episode turned out to be rather enjoyable. However, it disappointed me with all the fan-service. I was hoping this would be more like Nagasarete Airantou’s romance. The OP makes me think that this series may have a decent plot starting soon. I have faith it might pick up if they focus less on the boobs. It’s funny to see a guy who knows nothing of the outside world just walk right into it. I can’t believe Yoichi used that steel cable trying to protect the loli girl. Even if I don’t end up blogging this, it’ll be fun to watch regardless.

Kemono no Souja Erin

Thoughts: Great character designs!
Blogging?: No
The major flaw I find in this series is that the little girl is basically asking to be killed by a monster. Sure, they killed it, but it was in an awkward way to do it. I wasn’t satisfied with how slow the pace was either. However, these character desings are really nice and probably some of the best this whole season. Overall, the episode wasn’t lacking that much, but I found I couldn’t get absorbed into the story and fully enjoy it.

Major 5th Season

Thoughts: This is baseball right? Then why do I see no one playing baseball?
Blogging?: No
I never got the chance to watch the other seasons, but I never felt so bored watching an episode. Akikan was better than this. I expected to see at least some people playing baseball, but there was nothing. I thought I’d give this one a try since I enjoyed One Outs, but I was sadly mistaken. Anyways, there’s a chance it could get better, but I’m not going to suffer by continuing this series.

Koukaku no Regios

Thoughts: Don’t you love bonding with your superior? I feel quite bad for him.
Blogging?: Yes
It was really difficult to decide if I should blog this series. The lack of decent shows this season is astounding. However, if it starts to get boring, I’ll probably drop this really fast. The episode came off as just your standard monster killing shounen series. However, it was a little funny, and I think it’ll get more interesting as we learn more about the other characters. I just hope that some huge love triangle doesn’t develop, or this show is doomed. The OP song was really nice as well, but the random techno music in the battles were annoying.

The Tower of Druaga ~Sword of Uruk~

Thoughts: Quite odd when there are no monsters at Druaga.
Blogging?: No
I wish I would have watched the first season of this or I’d love to blog it. The episode really made me interested in what happend in the first season to the brother. I’ll have to give the first season another try, since I stopped after the first episode confused me. Anyways, the OP was hilarious in its own way. I liked how the characters were seperated and went their own ways after defeating the evil lord in the first season. The character designs were very solid and I like how they remind me of Seirei no Moribito. A good start for a second season I’d say.

Viper’s Creed

Thoughts: Very weak first episode
Blogging?: No
This whole episode was about destroying a few enemy robots. I don’t know how they managed to drag the fight out so much to the point it made me uninterested in what happened next. I’d rather sit through watching Naruto fillers for a whole day. The character designs weren’t that great either. I really saw no plot at all besides risking your life for protecting a city. I’d stay clear from this series if I were you. The blonde haired robot pilot was the only interesting character in the whole episode. Quite disappointing.

Hajime no Ippo

Thoughts: Miyata is the sole reason to watch this series.
Blogging?: No
This season surprised me. I really never got into the first one. However, this episode really got me thinking about strategies instead of just boxing. Ippo was never an interesting character to begin with. However, Miyata turned out to be really interesting on the other hand. He barely is able to make it to the featherweight limit and kept practicing to perfect his technique, but he found out the gap between him and Ippo has gotten even wider. I’m not of a fan of the character designs, but the plot seems to have more depth this season. I think it could be a really fun watch.

Minami-ke Okaeri

Thoughts: Cup Yakisoba Phenomena!
Blogging?: No
If I blogged Minami-ke I’d probably stop enjoying the show. It’s a great show, but I do find it boring at times. This season started off strong, but I do have doubts that it will fall back into being a bit too random. The pen trick was quite funny this episode I’ll admit. The character designs are cute as always and the crazy mouth movements are still there. If the future episodes keep up at this pace it should prove to be quite hilarious for us.

Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo

Thoughts: Imagining Lelouch as an eyeball is pretty amusing.
Blogging?: No
First off, the episode itself wasn’t bad. It’s just, I don’t think I could stand blogging this show for more than 2 episodes. It’s a very unique show, and I don’t mean that in a bad sense. Anyways, the best part is that Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch of Code Geass) was also doing the voice for the robotic eyeball named Leopard. That was the major source of comedy in this episode. Otherwise, the potato robots that were hanging around the humans were pretty lame. The female lead wasn’t that interesting either. The cat-eared character looks like they could have some potential in the next episode. Though, I will keep watching the series since it has Jun Fukuyama and it could get better.

Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou

Thoughts: Nyanko-sensei never gets old.
Blogging?: Yes
The first episode was amazing. The OP and ED scenes dazzled me and I got excited to resume watching this series again. I do like how the OP and ED portray winter, since we’re in the winter season of anime at the moment. The comedy is still fresh and it looks like the side characters will possibly play more important roles now that we’re getting further into the story.  We’ll see even more interesting spirits pop up around Natsume in a few episodes I bet. It’s also nice to see that the character designs seem a bit better too.

White Album

Thoughts: This series has the best music out of the entire winter season.
Blogging?: Yes
The characters were portrayed with a lot of emotion focused on them. I’m glad to say that this doesn’t look like just another romance story. The plot looks like it has an actual direction to go in, rather than some other series that start off randomly at some points. It looks like it could be a bumpy ride from what Touya’s dream has shown about Yuki’s decision to become an idol. Yuki has a lot of potential to grow and become a good character if done correctly, and it’s important to have her become more decisive. Having Nana Mizuki helps this show out a lot I’d say. The OP and vocal song sung by Rina were fantastic. Hopefully we see good results from Yuki.

Shikabane Hime Kuro

Thoughts: We finally see Oori starting his training to become a contracted priest.
Blogging?: Yes
Let me first start out by saying, I was very disappointed by the lack of new OP and ED scenes. Sure the ED song is different, but it doesn’t really fit the scenes very well. Overall, the episode was good and showed how Oori is now working towards supporting Makina. The new Shikabane Hime introduced ruined some of the seriousness this episode had with some fan-service shots. I think they’re showing her off as a foreigner with an accent? Her contracted priest also reminds me a bit of Keisei, since they both obsess over anime girls and figurines. I’m sure the next episode will bring more depth to the story, since this one was more light-hearted.

Akikan

Thoughts: A can that transforms into a girl. What more is there to say?
Blogging?: No
I really thought that this series might work, since it was somewhat creative and could have been very funny. However, I quickly changed my mind after seeing how bland the characters are. This seems like a horrid attempt to make something like To Love-Ru. The male lead practically did nothing besides go to school and drink melon soda. I did find a few scenes to be funny, but it wasn’t enough to change the quality of the show. Which to choose, a melon soda can or a real girl to fall in love with? Seriously… I’ll keep watching to see if it picks up though.

Maria+Holic

Thoughts: A girl who wants to find her destined love at a school? How corny!
Blogging?: Yes
The lead character is a girl who gets hives after coming into contact with a boy. At first, I wasn’t very interested in this show. However, when I learned Maria’s secret near the halfway point, it became much more interesting. The maid was a very nice addition to keep the conversations funny. The dorm mistress’s appearance was a surprise to me. The character designs are not that bad either. Overall, the show has a lot of potential, but it’ll depend on how they develop Maria’s relationship with Kanako in the future. Kanako isn’t that interesting of a character at the moment, and there isn’t anything I particularly like about her. It’ll be interesting to see where all this goes in only 12 episodes.

KissXSis

Thoughts: They went overboard with the whole sister thing.
Blogging?: No
The first few scenes at the beginning ruined all hope for this show to deliver anything but fan-service. Our male lead lives with his two stepsisters who have fallen deeply in love with him. Sharing the same bed right at the start of the episode was odd enough as well. He wasn’t even the slightest bit disturbed. The whole concept doesn’t even sound interesting. The second half of the episode picked up and became more emotional. But, I doubt there will be anything else in this show to keep me interested. Man, where did all the good shows such as True Tears go?

Kurokami The Animation

Thoughts: Finally a decent looking action series.
Blogging?: Yes
This show was much better than I expected. The ED music was a pretty nice touch too. The plot seems interesting with something much bigger going on. There are some mysterious deaths and people who have doppelganers walking around. The show somewhat reminds me of Shakugan no Shana, and I really enjoyed that. The character designs and graphics were also nicely done. My only fear is that the main character may end up doing nothing while Kuro does everything for him. I’m hoping the next episode might reveal more about what’s going on behind the strange deaths.

We’re finally at 2009! The new series that will air look very promising with shows such as Shikabane Hime Kuro and Birdy the Mighty Decode 02. Shikabane has already aired and is still in the process of subbing, so I’ll wait for that to start off the new season. I’ll have a more detailed list when better previews or episodes come out.

Looking forward to:
Shikabane Hime Kuro: The first season was brilliant and I can’t wait to see how Oori develops.
White Album: It looks promising with the nice artwork. Hopefully the plot is interesting enough.
Maria†Holic: This show starts off with a not-so obvious trap. Could be interesting.
Zoku Natsume Yuujin-chou: Season 1 was amazing. The plot really captured me. I have no doubt season 2 will do the same.
Kurokami: I love the music. I just hope that the main character isn’t a jerk like in the manga!
Birdy the Mighty Decode 02: I don’t know what the creators plan to do now that season 1 is over.
Chrome Shelled Regios: The graphics look fantastic and I am hoping for a good plot.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei: Not too sure what this one is about but I’m looking forward to it.
Kodomo no Jikan Second Term: This could be a major failure or actually turn out to be entertaining.

Not Looking Forward to but will watch:
Akikan: I still can’t get over a can turning into a woman.
The Tower of Daruga ~The Sword of Uruk~: I never really got into the first season and the plot seemed all over the place.
Hajime no Ippo: Not really my cup of tea. Never really liked sports anime besides One Outs.
Asu no Yoichi: I just hope it doesn’t turn into another harem anime with 4 sisters. I’ll give it a chance though.

Here’s the anime schedule for Winter 2009 if you want it to keep a look out for the new airings.

Image Source

Well I think I’ll start to blog a few of the new seasons. I had a busy summer and am back in college. Hopefully some of you remember me from awhile back.

As I didn’t really keep up with everything last year, I’ll try to only blog what I can. I’ll always make sure to put a first and final impression of the overall series. This should help keep things a little more organized.

Now, I’d like to know which of these series you wish me to blog? Thanks for any input.

Gundam 00 Season 2
Soul Eater
Shugo Chara Doki
Bounen no Xamdou
Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae
HYAKKO
Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka
Kannagi
Tales of the Abyss
Kurogane no Linebarrels
Yozakura Quartet
Clannad After Story
Kuroshitsuji
Rosario to Vampire Capu2
Shikabane Hime Aka
Hakushaku to Yousei
Toradora
To Aru Majutsu no Index
Ga-Rei Zero
Vampire Knight Guilty
Skip Beat

I’ll get around to the updates as best I can. Give me until this Tuesday to write something since University has been eating up time. Code Geass R2 is my top priority.

In other news, Mana Khemia 2 for the PS2 looks great. The character designs really are nice! Old characters will also make appearances which is interesting.

Expect some first impressions from:

Amatsuki
Vampire Knight
Soul Eater
Junjou Romantica
Toshokan Sensou
RD Senou Chousaashitsu
Allison to Lillia
KurenaixxxHolic Kei
To Love-Ru

True Tears has been one emotional ride. Dealing with Shin’ichiro’s feelings and understanding the others around him is something this series definitely focuses well one. This series promotes change within the family and acceptance as well.  I haven’t once despised True Tears. It’s one of those series that will definitely having you guessing and your jaw gaping for more. The sad truth of it being only 13 episodes saddened me. It could have had much more potential if it was 26 episode. The graphics were a definite plus. It really did have a beautiful OP and a fun ED.

The creators did decide to be creative near the end. Boy were they creative. Also, the inclusion of Noe’s brother did hurt the finale I felt. The series would have ended just find without him being selfish and untruthful. He did spice it up though at the beginning which was basically his main purpose.

I did feel that the character development could have been better. We were able to see the past events of Hiromi, Shin, and Noe. However, it would have been nice to see the rest of the character’s included. The past of Shin’s parents intrigued me. I really wanted more explained about them. Though, it’s understandable with only 13 episodes. More development on Ai would have been nice as well.

True Tears is definitely a great watch. I highly recommend it if you like romance and don’t mind using a few tissues in the process. The plot of the picture book that Shin draws made it even more enjoyable. So give True Tears and try and I doubt you’ll regret it!

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone who reads the blog! I hope you all get a bunch of yummy chocolates and such! Anyways, I’ll be sure to make a real update later after classes are done today.