This week's is going to be a monster of a post. I can feel it. (After writing this, I think I'm going to start jotting down thoughts after I watch individual episodes throughout the week, because this took way too long to write.)
Anime discussed: Asu no Yoichi!, Axis Powers Hetalia, Clannad ~After Story~, Code Geass R2, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu, Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Hare+Guu, Kare Kano, Kemono no Souja Erin, Kurokami, Lovely Complex, Maria Holic, Minami-ke Okaeri, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Munto (TV), Rideback, Shugo Chara! Doki, Soul Eater, Tales of the Abyss, To Aru Majutsu no Index, Toradora!, White Album, Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
-- Asu no Yoichi! ep3: Haha, this is totally going to be my guilty pleasure anime this season. A fun, yet predictable, episode -- the loli heir to an ancient fighting style (I can already sense Des saving 1,000 screencaps of her) just wants to be a normal girl and go to school, but she and her partner (a badass voiced by Hitomi Nabatame aka Sena from Chaos;Head (!!!) *cue me saving 1,000 screencaps*) have been hired to totally own Yoichi. There are some fun moments (Washizu is quickly becoming my favorite character in the show), and I hope the newbies stick around.
-- Axis Powers Hetalia ep1: Funny, though I wish it were slightly longer (if only because this first episode is so riddled with crack that it is slightly difficult to keep up with for n00bs like me). Busybody America is amusing, as is pretty boy France, and I wholeheartedly agree with Italy's declaration that pasta is magnificent.
-- Clannad ~After Story~ ep15: Akio and Sanae are among the best parents in all of anime. (By the way, I just about broke down again during Akio's retelling of the emotional story from Clannad's first season where Nagisa nearly died, and he and Sanae changed their lives to support her.) Interestingly enough, the more supernatural elements of the series are slowly coming to light (the "mysterious nature" of Nagisa's sickness and the lights that grant wishes). There are many ways those could come into play, so I am not sure I want to bother guessing right now, haha. Very sweet ending to this episode, with Nagisa and Tomoya agreeing on a name for their child: Ushio Okazaki. Aww. <3
-- Code Geass R2 ep9: What a surprise -- Lelouch's victory lasts like 10 minutes before Britannia tries pulling the rug out from under him. This is more of a slow-moving affair, with Zero and Britannia both being like, "I AIN'T BACKIN' DOWN, FOOL!!!!!" which culminates in a chess match of doom (!!!) between Zero and Schneizel. And then -- hostages!! Starting next week -- I hope -- I will be able to see why people love Jeremiah so. Hooray!
-- Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu ep1: I am going to love this; I can tell. First episode is really funny with Sousuke's extreme reactions to love letters (blow up lockers!!) and bullying (pretend kidnapping and life-threatening situations!!). The student council president is hilarious -- he is what I imagine Sousuke would be if he were a normal student and not a military plant.
-- Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid eps 1-13: Unfortunately, this series disappointed me. I enjoyed the action and how good it looked, as expected, but the overall story never grabbed me. Mainly that is because Gates is an awful villain. There is so much energy spent on making him a freak rather than a formidable antagonist that I never took him seriously at all. (What am I supposed to think after watching him take a call that interrupts him masturbating to kittens on a theater screen?? "I hope Sousuke takes down this perverted kitten lover"???) The only time I thought Gates was a legit villain was when he killed the twins, and by then it was way too late to salvage him. (Speaking of the twins, am I the only one who thinks Kaname taking one of them down is beyond ridiculous? I know she is smart and is taking Sousuke's tactical advice, and that the twin probably underestimated her, but come on.) Probably the only time I believed the series went above and beyond the first season is during the scene where Kaname gives Sousuke a haircut. That is a surprisingly tender, sweet moment that really says a lot about how close they have become. So, yeah, a decent sequel, but also a maddeningly frustrating series.
-- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex eps 16-26: Loved the end to this. Ep21 especially made an impression on me. (It's the one time in the series where we see the Major truly angry. It is fierce and frightening and amazing. My heart pounded like crazy after the episode ended.) The Laughing Man arc came to quite the satisfying close; this series does a great job of presenting storylines that make you think and also get you emotionally invested. I like that just about every character gets his or her chance to shine in the end, including the Tachikomas, who were not left hanging after their exit earlier in the series. Hooray!
-- Hare+Guu eps 1-20: Been watching this with Shishou and Drift and having a grand time. I think my favorite part of the series is that it bends reality without a care in the world. For example: The series takes place in a jungle, and the villagers (for the most part) dress in a jungle-ish way, go on hunting trips, etc. but then there are also random trappings of the city (the series opens with Hare playing a Dragon Warrior-type video game, for instance), and there is really no attempt to explain why there is electricity and a school in the middle of the jungle. My favorite character so far is Clive. He is wonderfully perverted, but in a way he is also like a grown-up Hare, since he is the go-to miserable adult. The way he shamelessly hits on Hare's mom and tries to bed her is also hilarious. And then, Guu ... well, Guu is in a universe all her own. I am convinced she is some bizarre deity who decided to screw with this random jungle village for no reason at all.
-- Kare Kano eps 4-26: Admittedly, this series is insanely flawed -- the amount of time spent on recaps/synopses alone is astounding -- but, for me at least, the characters and humor keep Kare Kano from falling completely apart, even in the finale. I adored the relationship between Yukino and Arima from start to finish; they're a cute couple, but not in a vomit-inducing way (most of the time), and I enjoyed their growth and the way they worked through their issues to discover who they truly are and what makes each other tick. On the humor side, Asaba killed me just about every time he appeared onscreen. He is probably my favorite Kare Kano character just for the sheer number of times he made me laugh. Going back to the finale ... I can definitely see what people mean when they call it a Gainax Ending. It does leave just about every major plot thread in the series hanging, and it is done in quite a strange style, even compared to the rest of the series (which is quite interesting, visually). However, I would compare it to the ending of 5 Centimeters Per Second, in that, yes, there is no real closure to the plot, but the real closure comes in the emotional resonance of the characters realizing where they stand in terms of the lives and relationships. Arima is coming to terms with his inner self, Yukino is balancing her independence and her desire to depend on Arima, Tonami realizes his love for Sakura, etc. I thought it worked about as well as could be expected for a series that had so many problems behind the scenes.
-- Kemono no Souja Erin ep1: Definitely a pretty series with an interesting visual style, although I am not sure how much I'll get into the story. To be fair, this episode is mainly meant to introduce the world and get to know the characters a bit. The plot should get rolling in the next couple of episodes.
-- Kurokami ep3: Still not certainly exactly where I stand on this series, although it is becoming a bit more interesting. It seems that Keita might have been targeted for a while, since there seem to be people in on the conspiracy all around him (such as the teacher he went to for advice). I like that Kuro and Keita's has a clear limitation right now (Kuro can't be too far from Keita or she will be physically unwell), although I fear it will venture into "zomg overpowered!!1!!1" territory once that is patched up. We'll see.
-- Lovely Complex eps 7-8: Ootani is one of the thickest guys I have seen in anime. Jeez. I kind of feel sorry for Risa -- unfortunately, you can't control who you fall for, haha. I'm looking forward to seeing how she bounces back from this. Hopefully she doesn't enter into a funk for too long because Ootani turned her down (for now).
-- Marimite 4th ep3: Solid enough bounceback episode after the horror of last week's Kanako dominated show. Touko cares about what others think more than she lets on; hopefully that won't stand in the way of her becoming Yumi's petite soeur for too long. And, shock of shocks, Kanako is actually bearable this week!! That is probably the only good that came out of last week's story. The real fun this week, though, is from Yoshino declaring her search for a soeur. With Sei out of the picture for the most part, Yoshino is becoming my favorite character on the show. I enjoy her stubborn attitude and how it often bites her in the ass, haha.
-- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 eps 19-20: lol @ the Trinities. This is where they begin their epic run of wussiness by getting their asses constantly handed to them and then running away. Couldn't think of a better trio to experience this. The team-up of Setsuna and Tieria is where my opinion on Setsuna completely flipped, and this is also an important point for Tieria, because his character changes A LOT following this. Soma experiences an awesome victory for the first time in her life is also quite cool. Moment of silence for Kaji's sister, who is brutally killed by Ali "Total Bastard" Al-Saachez.
-- Munto (TV) ep2: I liked this more than the first episode, though I am still not completely into it. Admittedly, I am interested in how the storyline with Kazuya and Suzume will fit with Yumemi eventually traveling to Munto's world and helping him kick some ass. There is some potential there.
-- Ride Back ep3: The visuals are still very nice, although I expected a bit more racing in this episode. I still find myself very resistant to the oppressive government storyline that will eventually come into play; I actually want the show to concentrate more on Rin becoming a racer. Hopefully the show will prove my fears to be silly and find a way to smoothly integrate Rin's newfound love of racing with the "evil government must be taken down!!11!!!!11!" thing.
-- Shugo Chara! Doki ep15: lol, Choco-tan. Fun episode, and I must thank the ever-wonderful Desbreko for combining a competent script with a good raw. You keep pumping out the releases, and I'll keep watching them, buddy!
-- Soul Eater eps 1-5: I suddenly had the desire to watch this series, and I am enjoying it so far. Death the Kid is my favorite character so far -- his intense OCD is hilarious, and I enjoy his interactions with Patty and Elizabeth. Soul is a close second. I like that his relationship with Maka is occasionally rocky, but that when they enter battle, it's easy to see why they're partners. From the one episode I have seen him in so far, I think I will enjoy Dr. Stein, too, haha. lol @ him and Shinigami-sama fooling everyone.
-- Tales of the Abyss ep17: Solid episode that ended with Van pulling the rug out from under everyone, which should have surprised absolutely nobody. (I can be surprisingly thick when watching shows, and even I saw it coming.) Luke is an amusing source of comedy in this episode; avalanche'd!Luke is funny. Also, I demand more Dist. Make it happen!!
-- To Aru Majutsu no Index ep16: As expected, Touma's dad is the culprit behind the shenanigans. I'm still not completely convinced that this guy is actually Touma's dad, though -- at least, I don't know how easily I'd be able to accept Touma's dad being evil for a really long time. I am thinking this guy is some sort of impostor. Aside from that, this is also the best Kanzaki episode. The bit about her looking like Stiyl to everyone else is hilarious, and the blatant fanservice the show mines from that situation is also amusing.
-- Toradora! ep17: Here comes Minorin's big storyline! It's obvious now that Ryuuji is the source of the "guilt" Ami referred to last week. Minorin has been trying to push down her developing feelings for Ryuuji, because she believes Taiga likes him, and she doesn't want to get in the way of her friend. (Speaking of Taiga, she is too adorable in this episode. My gosh.) However, everyone and their mother now knows Taiga has eyes for Kitamura, and now Minorin feels conflicted. If what she said back during summer break is true, then love is an emotion she really does not know how to deal with, which would explain her, er, unique reaction to her feelings. Then there is Ryuuji, who is suddenly thinking, "Yeah, I like Minorin, but ... why am I suddenly jealous of the attention Taiga is getting??" Can't wait to see how this situation resolves itself. On the comedy front, I find it beyond hilarious that Kitamura is a radio host of sorts at the school, and I wholeheartedly welcome Haruta and Noto into the main group.
-- White Album ep4: I enjoyed the main story of this episode, with Yuki and Touya symbolically running in different directions and barely missing each other in an effort to meet up for a date. We see them have a few more intimate moments when they finally find each other, but there are still a few more problems between them, especially on Touya's end (his mind keeps wandering to Rina, and he keeps mixing memories of Yuki with not so great memories of his life). But now, Yuki wants to take a bold step in their relationship by inviting Touya to her room (if you know what I mean). Touya seems quite conflicted about this in the final shot of the episode. Hm.
-- Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei eps 8-9: Zetsubou Fight is definitely one of the stranger things I have seen on this show. I don't even want to know where the idea for that came from. I'm also enjoying the partnership between Chiri and Maria -- Chiri has taken a quantum leap in creepiness (her making 50/50 splits of everything is beyond disturbing, along with her frightening attempts at ditziness), and Maria is always funny, especially when people go along with her weirdness.
