So I've been watching the new spring anime when I can and I must say, I'm impressed. So much so, I've actually started this up again. ;p
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Episode 1: The Fullmetal Alchemist First of all, amazing OP is amazing. I've liked YUI since she did LIFE for the ED of Bleach, but this just recemented her awesome in my mind. Good on her.
As for the episode itself, I haven't read the manga, but I watched the entire first series of FMA and this is already far and away from that first episode in terms of tone, animation, art style and a whole lot of other things. One of the main things that I noticed, though, was that Romi Paku has come along a bit since her first time playing Ed. She sounds a bit older and has given Ed a slightly more hard-sounding voice about him. Like I said, very slight, but it's there.
A lot of people that are familiar with both the manga and the previous anime were surprised that The Ice Alchemist, Kimbley and King Bradley showed up in the first episode. I was personally surprised for the second one, since I know he actually plays a bigger part in the manga than his brief stint is the first series. As far as the third one goes, I'm not surprised that he showed up first thing, but the way he PWNZED MacDougall literally made me say "Damn." ._.
Also, adorable ED is adorable. <3
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Episode 2: The Day It Began So this episode goes into much deeper detail about Ed and Al's past than the first series did. Sensei also made a cameo, which was also a nice surprise.
What really made me happy about this episode, though, was that they showed EVERYTHING that happened when Ed and Al tried to revive their mother. Actually showing Ed talking to "God", being dragged through The Gate Between Worlds and even his actual show of greed for knowledge was just epic to me. It's already a good jump ahead of the first season. X3
And King Bradley once again proves that he is made of LOLBETTERTHANYOU. God, I love him.
Maria†Holic Episode 12: A Swim Meet Full of Pretty Girls, and There Will Be... Finally, I get around to watching the last episode of Maria†Holic after putting it off for weeks. It was definitely worth it. It was slightly annoying how it was broken down into so many "separate" parts, but the fact that Kanako was constantly kept from her precious bathing suits almost all episode was hilarious (I love the bit with God the most). And the cap to the day with Shizu was just epic. There's no other way to describe it.
I'm glad they alluded to another season. <3
Higashi no Eden Episode 1: I've Found Myself a Prince! This was definitely not something I expected to like, but it turns out I really enjoyed the first episode. The heavy use of CG and real-life photography threw me a little at first, but once I got into the show, it didn't matter that much.
As far as the plot itself, it's really intriguing. I'm wanting to know what's going on with the whole Careless Monday thing. I shall have to keep up with this, indeed.
As a side note, having Akira show up naked and the subsequent incidents that happened after that has to be one of the most amusing character intros I have ever watched. And I love the fact that they actually got English-speaking people to voice the Americans as opposed to having that whole episode filled with barely comprehensible Engrish. I applaud the dubbing company for that.
I'm wondering how they'll explain everything in 11 episodes. :/
And I'm currently watching 07-Ghost, which also seems interesting. Spring '09 is looking good so far. ^^
