Another week, another batch of anime! Also, I won't be around much tonight -- going to my best friend's birthday party later this evening. Hopefully I will not be pounded into the ground during the Smash Bros. Brawl tournament. If I win, I will dedicate my next post to Master Desbreko.
Anime discussed: Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka, Chaos;Head, Clannad ~After Story~, Hyakko, Kannagi, Kurozuka, Kyo no Gononi, Michiko to Hatchin, Mouryou no Hako, Shugo Chara! Doki, To Aru Majutsu no Index, Toradora!, X
-- Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka ep7: I hate this show because it has turned me into a liar. Yes, I am breaking my flimsy pact from last week. This week's episode started slow, got kind of funny in the middle and was hilarious at the end. If I were to recommend a course of action, I would say ogle the dress up scenes in the middle and then skip to the last few minutes. So, yes, against all odds, I am continuing with this series, and I hate myself for it.
-- Chaos;Head eps 5 and 6: The story is kicking into gear now. I enjoyed Ayase and Sena coming to the forefront more (I especially enjoyed Sena's big action scene), and Yua is also quite welcome again. I am REALLY curious about who she is talking to at the end of ep6, and also about who is the little sister she mentions. Also, big WTF at the shockwave business. I had flashbacks to Lost during that scene. And, of course, Disapproving Seira Disapproves.
-- Clannad ~After Story~ ep7: Yukine is getting her own story, woo! Always been curious about her ever since she showed up in the first season. The best part of the episode, though, is Sunohara's antics. He is hilarious, puffing himself up in front of the little kid, and then becoming a mentor of sorts to him. The kid dressed like Sunohara is just too adorable. The real drama is forthcoming, so I am looking forward to that.
-- Hyakko ep5: Cute episode. The karaoke battle between Tarako and Ushio is pretty funny, and I enjoyed seeing Ushio go gaga over the cat. The beginning is amusing, too, with the bait and switch involving the guy seemingly crushing on Ayumi but actually having a crush on Tarako. lolz
-- Kannagi ep7: Definitely a budget light episode, but it works. Again, Akiba and Takako show up for a few minutes and just about steal the show. "It's ... a Sony!" That had me cracking up. I also greatly enjoyed that this episode is basically the Three's Company of this season, with the whole "Jin did something while Nagi was in the bath" thing, and then Zange's advances on Jin while Tsugumi listened to them outside the room.
-- Kurozuka eps 6 and 7: The action is still amazing, but I am not as hooked into the story as I once was, although the things revealed about Kuromitsu make her a hell of a lot more intriguing (and I liked her a lot already). Mainly I am glad the show seems to be getting away from the relatively boring post apocalyptic stuff and is going headlong into the juicier parts of the story. I liked the samurai setting and was disappointed after the time skip, since the new setting is not all that exciting. But, again, the show seems to be moving in the right direction now.
-- Kyo no Gononi ep7: This is the best episode of the series thus far. The first skit, with Ryouta challenging Natsumi to a bajillion contests and losing repeatedly is funny, and it has a great ending. The second skit is even better -- the montage with the girls preparing for battle had me dying with laughter. The third skit is short, cute and sweet; I enjoyed it. Fourth skit is an enjoyable retread of one that was done in the OVA.
-- Michiko to Hatchin ep3: Pretty good, although not as good as the previous one. The Chinese chef is hilarious, though. I am kind of sad that we -- presumably -- won't see any more of him. "My kung fu send you to hell!"
-- Shugo Chara! Doki ep6: Best episode so far, without a doubt, and perhaps the funniest of the season. Everything with the boys crossdressing is comedy gold, from Nagihiko forcing Tadase and Kukai into skirts to Nagihiko, Kukai and Tadase being transformed into a bunny girl, a cheerleader and a maid, respectively. Amu and Miki's reaction to Tadase and Kiseki's transformation is also quite funny. Between this and last week's Clannad, I think I have successfully passed the "enjoys crossdressing" rite of passage for anime fans.
-- To Aru Majutsu no Index ep7: I pretty much say the same thing about this series every week, although the new wrinkle of Touma pretending he has not lost his memory is interesting.
-- Toradora! ep8: I don't think I will ever get tired of this series surprising me. This week we get a pseudo confession from Taiga to Ryuji, although she of course brushes it off later. Still, it's a big thing for her to make that connection between herself and Ryuji in front of so many people. Aside from that, I cracked up during the race between Taiga and Ami. Taiga throwing all that crap at Ami is funny, and Taiga distracting Ami with the "hair" she saw in her swimsuit put it over the top. I also liked the cute scene between Ryuji and Minorin, in which she encourages him to support Taiga.
-- X eps 1-19: I am liking the series so far. The one real criticism I have of it is that there are just too many characters. Most of them have received at least some character development, but some of those who have been developed do not feel completely fleshed out, so as a result I do not care about them much (I'm looking at you, Karen and Seiichiro). Also, I am not really feeling Kamui as a hero, and am feeling Fuma even less as a villain. Those two just do not work well for me, although I did like Fuma when he was, you know, not a villain. However, some of the characters are so inherently awesome that the spread out character development has not affected them much (Seishirou (RIP :(), Subaru, Yuto). There are still five episodes left, so I hope Arashi gets a good episode, and that Sorata does not continue getting the shaft (seriously, he is a fun character in the beginning, and now it is as if he's been shunted off to the side). Can't really complain about the action, though, and the overall story is fairly exciting. Also, every character is, like, really, really pretty.
EDIT: Relevant question here! Has anyone here seen Tokyo Babylon, and if you have, is it any good? I am curious to get more of the backstory between Seishirou and Subaru.
