The zoo was fun. I think all the walking did me well, because I am almost fully recovered now -- there's just a bit of a cough left. Hooray!
Anyway, this is really early to be posting this, but I have many things to do today, so be happy, people!
Anime discussed: Chaos;Head, Clannad ~After Story~, Code Geass R2, Ergo Proxy, Kannagi, Kurozuka, Kyo no Gononi, Library War, Marimite, Marimite ~Haru~, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Shugo Chara! Doki, Spice and Wolf, To Aru Majutsu no Index, Toradora!, Yami no Matsuei
-- Chaos;Head ep10: Biggest revelation, obviously, is that the Takumi we have known the entire time is actually a delusion created by the real Takumi -- Shogun. Very interesting. I didn't stop to think that, in a series defined by delusions, the main character himself could also be a delusion. You win this round, Nitro+/Madhouse. Lots of backstabbing in this episode, too, with the detective's partner shooting the detective, and Takumi's chatting partner, Grim, being revealed as the evil nurse from the hospital. Yua unleashing her Gigalomaniac powers and owning that guy who was pretending to be her sister is a pretty kickass moment. Solid episode all around, although I am expecting the final two to be killer.
-- Clannad ~After Story~ ep11: Nagisa is going to blow up soon. She has to. I mean, she takes disappointment after disappointment in stride and hides her pain with a smile, while Tomoya feels guilty for things that are beyond his control. Still, it's good that Tomoya has become acclimated to his job and is even excelling at it. Nice victory for him to earn the friendship and praise of all his co-workers. Also, Yoshino is a pretty kickass mentor. What a great guy.
-- Code Geass R2 ep6: An OK episode, although it is distinctly less weird than last week's episode. Actually, most of what I remember of the episode involved waiting for the weekly Kallen ass shot ... and it never happened! Code Geass actually held back?! Impossible, I say! Also, lol @ Lelouch for not being able to save Nunnally. Serves you right, you fuck.
-- Ergo Proxy eps 1-23: Good series, although it gives me some weird vibes. Most of the time I could definitely appreciate it as an intelligent story ... but there were times where I felt detached from what was happening onscreen. Sometimes that is what the show goes for, and sometimes it isn't. The parts that made me the most detached were the episodes where the show tries to be a bit too clever -- the quiz show episode, for example, took me by surprise at first, but by the end it didn't really do anything for me aside from being a clever way to dump a crapton of random info on the viewer. What fascinated me the most is everything with the Autoreivs and the Cogito virus. I loved seeing the way each Autoreiv dealt with suddenly having consciousness -- the episode where Iggy "dies" is excellent, and watching Pino evolve her behavior throughout is interesting.
-- Kannagi ep11: Although the beginning is quite amusing, this is actually an anomaly for the series -- a relatively serious episode exploring Jin's relationship with Nagi and Nagi's reason for existing. It is interesting enough, although brooding!Nagi is definitely not as cool as crazy!Nagi.
-- Kurozuka eps 9-10: Thankfully the show has come completely back to showcasing a semi-interesting story and providing boatloads of cool action instead of just offering half of the formula. (The "Kurou carries a bag of shit" bit is really strange, though.) The big chase scene in ep9 is excellent, and the end fight between Kurou and the weird old guy (don't remember his name) is a good payoff; painful way to go out for the old bastard. Kuon's heel turn in ep10 is interesting, although not entirely unexpected, though the part where he shoots up everyone is awesome. Can't wait for more action in the next episode!
-- Kyo no Gononi ep11: Aihara should just be star of the series. She is always the highlight. Everything she does is gold. Make it happen.
-- Library War eps 7-8: The big storyline that will end the season has reared its head, I presume. Tezuka's brother is a real bastard; he'll make a good villain. There is definitely more to his group than he lets on -- more government control seems to be code for "moar control for Satoshi lol."
-- Maria-sama ga Miteru eps 1-13: Good character-driven series that is occasionally great (thinking of Sei's storyline here). I like that a lot of the little touches and quiet moments are the most impactful; you can really feel Yumi's heart flutter every time Sachiko puts a hand on her shoulder or something like that. The series also gets much more free-spirited and less deathly serious after the first couple episodes, which is good because some of these girls have drama over the strangest things, and nobody in his or her right mind would watch that stuff seriously (but not all the drama is random hysterics, mind). My favorite character is Sei -- I love how she plays around with Yumi and tweaks Sachiko, and her storyline has the strongest emotional moment in the series.
-- Maria-sama ga Miteru ~Haru~ ep1: Yep, just the one episode right now, since I keep getting interrupted! Haha. Good start to the show, though -- some lighthearted fun at Sachiko's house is just what the doctor ordered. The evolution of Yumi and Sachiko's relationship really shows here; although she's still a nervous wreck on occasion, Yumi is in general more confident about where she stands with Sachiko, and Sachiko is more willing to be intimate with Yumi. Plus, it is a nice surprise to see Sei in this episode. I hope she doesn't disappear completely, even though she's moving on to college.
-- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 eps 7-8: Although I finished season one, I'll bring up the dub from time to time in case something from it really strikes me, or if I want to comment on individual episodes. This week I just want to say Scott McNeil is doing an excellent job as Ali Al-Saachez. I didn't think anyone could match Keiji Fujiwara, but I was proven wrong. Ali is a horrible, evil son of a bitch, and McNeil's voice is absolutely perfect for him. No complaints at all.
-- Shugo Chara! Doki eps 9-10: Another pair of fun episodes. The fortune telling one is about on the same level as the other "egg of the week" ones -- the main girl, Koyomi, is a cute character, and I liked how she was able to see through to the core of people with her predictions. The next episode introduced an awesome chara, Kiran, who helps people out with SPARKLE POWER~! I hope Kiran comes back in future episodes. More sparkle power is a must.
-- Spice and Wolf eps 7-9: Lawrence and Horo continue their journey to the north and pick up a new companion, Nora, who totally makes Horo jealous. Not really THAT much going on these episodes aside from tons more fun banter between Lawrence and Horo, and really, that is more than enough to carry the episodes. Can't wait to see what kind of story ends the season, though.
-- To Aru Majutsu no Index ep11: Some interesting tidbits (MISAKA = a clone, and there are a lot more of her where the first one came from), but not much else happening storywise. However, some shit appears to be going down concerning Mikoto, so I expect the next episodes to go up in quality.
-- Toradora! ep11: Just keep turning concepts on their heads, Toradora!, and I will remain happy. The guys of the class discuss an alliance to ensure the girls dress in sexy costumes for the cultural festival ... and then the guy who proposed the plan in the first place bungles things, and the class ends up doing a pro wrestling show. Hahaha. Excellent. I loved the cheesy story he cooked up for the event, too, with Ami as the beautiful hero and Taiga and Ryuji as the evil forces waiting to be vanquished. Awesome. The drama with Taiga's dad is good, too. The end seems to hint that Ryuji is letting his bias get in the way of his judgment -- he has not had a father for a long time, so he wants Taiga to have one no matter what. He does not know the whole story; Taiga's dad might have done something unforgivable to her. She always seems to be on the verge of telling Ryuji something important, but it never comes out.
-- Yami no Matsuei eps 10-11: The stretch run of the series begins now, and Muraki has taken over for good as the main draw of the series. Well done, good sir. He's also growing some kind of ... clone ... creature ... thing, and I have no idea what he is doing, but I wish him well in his endeavors -- at least until Tsuzuki must destroy him. Or be molested by him. Whichever comes first.
