JadeMatrix's Blog

Anime Relations: Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Kemono no Souja Erin, Kimi ni Todoke, Sasameki Koto, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, Tegamibachi, Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini, Asura Cryin' 2, Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra

Fall 2009 Anime Season - Expectations


No Fantasy Anime League for me this season, thank you.

Now that I've got that over with, a quick look at what I plan to watch from this coming season. There doesn't appear to be much to offer this time around; I may make that up with watching both DtB seasons. Speaking of catching up though, at the time of writing I'm a full 30 episodes behind — that's over 12 hours. Fuck. Well, on to the shows:

*Disclaimer: these are only the shows I plan to watch. Go somewhere else for a full list.*

What I Plan to Watch:

Asura Cryin' 2
Honestly, though the first season had potential, if fell short of many people's expectations, including mine. I'm going to suck it up, though, and watch the second season. It's supposed to wrap stuff up, and hopefully it'll redeem the series a little.
Anticipation: 2/5


Darker Than Black KnK (1) & Darker Than Black RnG (2)
Okay, now that the second season is airing, I'm making myself finally get around to watching this. I plan to marathon season 1, then catch up in season 2. That will be after I catch up in Summer '09, o/c.
Anticipation: 5/5


Kimi ni Todoke
When I first read about this, I figured it was going to be a sweet little romance story. I always like a good romance.
Anticipation: 5/5


Letter Bee
The big gamble of the season. Really, it might be the Big One of Fall '09, or not. There's not much to go on, as not many people have read the manga. But it's plot seems rather unique, I'll give it that. Random bet: it turns out that demons are involved or summat.
Anticipation: 4/5


Sasameki Koto
Moar yuri.
Anticipation: 3/5


Tatakau Shisho - The Book of Bantorra
A slightly dark fantasy, looks like it has potential. No real summaries to read, and it appears to be an anime original (not sure about novels) (it's based on a manga, which about 5 people on MAL have read), so I'm pretty clueless here. The trailer makes it look like a cross between Kuroshitsuji, Howl's Moving Castle, and who knows what else. (That's just going on atmosphere, BTW.)
Anticipation: 3/5


To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
The first season started out pretty awesome, but devolved into just 'fun.' Everyone's disillusioned about it now, but I think a lot of people (including me) will be watching this just for the 'fun' part. And びりびり.
Anticipation: 2/5


Continuing Series I'm Watching:

Kemono no Souja Erin
Umineko no Naku Koro ni

Anime Relations: Koukaku no Regios, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Guin Saga, Bakemonogatari, Shangri-La, Ookami to Koushinryou II, Asura Cryin', Canaan, Kemono no Souja Erin, Senjou no Valkyria, Higashi no Eden, Basquash!, K-On!, Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, Kanamemo, Needless, Sora no Manimani, Umi Monogatari: Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto, Aoi Hana, Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

This time I'm combining my Final Thoughts post with a new First Impressions.


Spring 2009 Season Final Thoughts




Summer 2009 Season First Impressions

Anime Relations: Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Cobra The Animation, Bakemonogatari, Ookami to Koushinryou II, Canaan, Kanamemo, Needless, Sora no Manimani, Aoi Hana, Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Summer 2009 Anime Season - Expectations


Summer '09 has snuck up on me. Luckily, there's not much to watch this season. OK, that sounded weird. What I meant was, I'm not likely to fall behind. But you have to admit, it's one of the laws of the universe that a low season will always follow a great one.

*Disclaimer: these are only the shows I plan to watch. Go somewhere else for a full list.*

What I Plan to Watch:

Aoi Hana
The only reason only reason — I'm going to watch this is because I saw the word 'yuri.' I don't expect it to be very good, though, so this show has a high potential for dropping.
Anticipation: 1/5


Bakemonogatari
Looks like it has potential, and the character designs are interesting. I see this turning into another Shikabane Hime: a mediocre series I 'adopt' as my season favorite, or along those lines.
Anticipation: 3/5


CANAAN
So, what's this about? I don't care — the character designs are awesome.
Anticipation: 4/5


Kanamemo
Okay, based on a 4-koma. Seeing Lucky✩Star's success, I'm thinking this has a chance to be good. Maybe.
Anticipation: 1/5


Needless
This show is going to be just plain awful. But that might be a good thing, I dunno. It could make fun of itself.
Anticipation: 2/5

Sora no Manimani
Hmm. The English title is 'At the Mercy of the Sky.' There's gotta be a taenaron wallpaper for that... here it is.
Anticipation: 2/5


Spice & Wolf II
I enjoyed the first season, and the preview OVA had promise, so I'll watch S2, too.
Anticipation: 5/5


Umineko no Naku Koro ni
Uhhh... Since it's not directly related, I guess I don't have to finish all three Higurashi before watching it.
Anticipation: 3/5


Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Goes without saying.
Anticipation: 9000/5


Bleh, a paltry selection indeed. I would have added Cobra the Animation: Rokunin no Yuushi
except that it got postponed. Xd


Continuing Series I'm Watching:

Basquash!
Guin Saga
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~
Shangri-La (eh, maybe)
Tears to Tiara (again, maybe)
Valkyria Chronicles
Kemono no Souja Erin (tho there's no one subbing it...)

Anime Relations: Michiko to Hatchin, Bounen no Xamdou, Koukaku no Regios, Toradora!, RideBack, Toaru Majutsu no Index, Tales of the Abyss, Kuroshitsuji, Casshern Sins, Maria†Holic, Shikabane Hime: Kuro, Tetsuwan Birdy Decode:02, Kemono no Souja Erin, Sora wo Miageru Shoujo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai

The winter 08-09 season has ended, and so I present *several weeks late*

Winter 2008-2009 Season Final Thoughts

Ok, so It's going to be a little different this time around. I didn't pay as close attention to music as I probably should have (read: it's been so long I don't remember). So I'm going to combine the two sections somewhat. Also, my ratings are now going to be */10 instead of */5.

Heading right in, here are the series I completed last season (or am continuing to watch), in order from least favorite to most. This season, though weak, had a few entertaining shows. I may have rated them higher than they were worth, I may not have.

Tales of the Abyss
Rating: 5/10
Notes: This show started out with a little potential. Seriously. OK, scratch that, maybe it didn't. By the end I was seriously tired of the characters and storyline — I'm surprised I didn't just drop it... maybe I felt guilty.

Kemono no Souja Erin
(continuing)
Rating: 6/10
Notes: I don't have much to say about KnSE. Seeing as it's 50 episodes, I'm in for the long haul, so my 6 is really a preliminary rating based on the very childish first quarter. Current episodes look a little more mature — maybe it's because Erin is growing up?

Maria†Holic
Rating: 7/10
Notes: I predicted this would be the sleeper hit of W0809. Yeeeaaah, that didn't quite work out. The first few episodes were as good as expected. But then it kept up with more of the same. And more and more and more and more... All that fanservice and yuri was allright, but it all seemed to take back seat to a nonexistent story.
Ryuuken FTW.

Michiko to Hatchin
Rating: 7/10
Notes: Admittedly, this is a good series. The characters, setting, story, animation were all top-notch. It just didn't click with me like it should have. Maybe because it wasn't scifi or fantasy. I dunno.

To Aru Majutsu no Index
Rating: 7/10
Notes: Righto, then. TAMnI started out excellently, with good animation, and what appeared to be characters and a story that wasn't filled with typical anime clichés. Then after the first arc it dropped all pretenses of being new and went all "I will now explain in lengthy and excruciating detail why you are wrong or why I am fighting you." Also, nobody *important* died. Ever. What was still good were the flashy effects and the actual fighting. I will definitely be watching season 2 for the entertainment value — also, it will be centered around Biribiri, which cannot be a bad thing.

Toradora!
Rating: 8/10
Notes: This was the best show of W0809. Until the last few episodes, which I guess are what count. I loved the comedy in Toradora, and all the characters were enjoyable. Through the first half I was a solid Minorin fan, seeing as Toradora was doing other fresh stuff, I thought she had a chance. Theeen right about when she started going weird I stopped caring. About anything in this show. At all. I was just not interested anymore.
Ya-chan FTW. Inko-chan was the main character, definitely. KTHXBYE.

Casshern Sins
Rating: 8/10
Notes: If I had to describe Casshern Sins in one word, it would be 'Artsy.' The animation style was very old-school; it took me a couple episodes to warm up to it. All the colors were oddly soft, but not pastel, and looked more like the "ruined" world they represented than washed-out. (I also liked how the lineart bled into the color... it gives otherwise flat art some incredible depth, as I found out.) The central story was mainly a mystery throughout the entire series, and many issues never got resolved. Overall I enjoyed Casshern Sins, but the remoteness almost of the story calls for only an 8.

Kuroshitsuji
Rating: 8/10
Notes: Ah, Kuroshitsuji, seamlessly blending comedy with surprisingly dark themes. Now this is how I like my anime. Out of all the anime I've ever watched, Kuroshitsuji had one of the best soundtracks. I especially liked the second ED, Lacrimosa. And then the ending... thankfully, there was no cop-out — Ciel got what he had agreed to. (Problem being: it's getting so that I want to watch a series where the antihero totally pwns his enemies and lives on to gloat in the end, unlike Kuroshitsuji, Code Geass, and Deathnote. I anyone reading this knows of any, PLEASE tell me! It doesn't have to be an anime — it can be a manga, too!)

Shikabane Hime: Kuro
Rating: 8/10
Notes: Shikabane Hime is my 'pet' series. I'm one of the few people who watched (and enjoyed) what appears to be a fairly cult show, no pun intended. Like Birdy the Mighty and Munto TV, this is simply entertainment in its most essential form. I am very happy that the fact that all the SH's are nubile ladies (ok, one loli) got brought up, and even given an explanation that made complete sense! I was a little squeamish at the power-of-friendship part near the end, but that can kinda be explained away in a similar way. I also liked how Hokuto actually started forming a personality and attachment to Akasha; I wish she hadn't gotten all jealous-girlfiend on him, though. However, the ending — I don't know if the director was trying to be artsy, if there's going to be a sequel (movie/ova), or if they just ran out of money (unlikely — they'd've just made a poor ending instead of none). But I was really disappointed. Also, a couple of loose ends needed tying up, like WHERE THE HELL DID ASHAKA'S HIME-GONE-BREAKER GO AFTER SHE WAS RELEASED FROM THE FUCKING TOMB!!!!!!11!!1!!!1!oneoneone

Sora wo Miageru Shoujo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai
aka "That Show with the Craptastically Long Name," or Munto TV for short
Rating: 8/10
Notes: Again, pure entertainment. I just loved the fight scenes, which were vewy pwetty. Some people have commented that the fights were kinda one-sided (I assume in the favor of Munto's wizards, the average power level being somewhere over 9000); in my opinion, they were fairly balanced between power and numbers. Obviously, this story is just going to keep on going and going, with another OVA or movie planned; somehow, I doubt they'll stop there. Next will be a 12- or 24-episode anime, the first half of which will be re-released footage, of course. Then will they go for 50? Who knows.

Birdy the Mighty Decode 02
Rating: 8/10
Notes: Three of my top 5 shows for W0809 have all been low-budget but well-made pure entertainment (not counting Xam'd, that ONA disguised as TV). I think I know what to look out for in new seasons now. Anyways, as to the series in question. I think this season was a slight improvement on the first, actually revealing the story bit-by-bit every episode instead of starting up in the middle. Also, here's to Nataru for not getting killed or arrested, as would have seemed inevitable; let's just hope he's not blind or otherwise permanently disabled. Here's betting he returns as a cameo, kinda like Nakasugi did. See ya'll in season 3 (and 4 and 5...)!

Xam'd: Lost Memories
Rating: 8/10
Notes: I really wanted to rate this higher, but the slow middle dragged Xam'd down from a 9 (or even a 10). I must say, Bones really does make good anime. The ending was nothing short of epic, though. Bones does like a good transcendent ending, they do (RahXephon, Eureka Seven, most likely their other stuff like Jyu-Oh-Sei). I really wished they could have taken the slow middle and gotten more in-depth with the setting — the whole political/religious/scientific/magical theater was a mystery to most people, me included.

Chrome Shelled Regios
Rating: 9/10
Notes:

RideBack
Rating: 9/10
Notes: Ok, so admittedly the ending was kinda iffy; they didn't explain things, and it wasn't very clear what Rin's character development had been. But the racing was cool, the OP was great until I read the Engrish lyrics, and overall I think it was my favorite of the season.

Anime Relations: Tears to Tiara, Queen's Blade: Rurou no Senshi, Shangri-La, Senjou no Valkyria, 07-Ghost, Pandora Hearts, Natsu no Arashi!, Higashi no Eden, K-On!

Since the internets iz serious business, I'm going to be sharing my FAL choices and why I made them. As I'm an avid Magic: the Gathering deck theorist, I do a lot of this kinda stuff in my head already.


On my main team:

Pandora Hearts is, and probably will stay, the top series this season. I expect many people to be disappointed at first, but about mid-season most of the people who will leave will have left. It should still have roughly 2,000 watchers.

K-ON! is highly anticipated, but will probably fall flat (though still keeping many watchers). It should level out after mid-season.

Shangri-La is a big unknown here. I expect a fairly solid experimental-minded crowd, and some drops, but I'm pretty much clueless.

07-Ghost is likely to be laaaaaaaaame. That won't keep people from watching it, though. I expect a pretty heavy drop-off with this one.

Tears to Tiara, although starting with a high watch number, will most likely completely fail. Along with 07-Ghost, I'm going to use this as an early-season booster for some quick points, then switching it out with something more stable.


My bench includes:

Queen's Blade is going to be very stable. The people who are watching it are going to watch it for the boobs and lulz, and they will stick with it because no one will be taking it seriously. Since it's got lower numbers than the rest, it goes in my sideboard bench, and will probably be switched into my maindeck in later to add stability.

Eden of the East is, like Shangri-La, another unknown. Same applies for it — a solid experimental-minded base, but that's just a guess.


What I didn't add:

I didn't add Valkyria Chronicles because even though it's highly expected because of the game, it's likely that alot of people will be running away early on because of dashed hopes. I used K-ON! instead.

I had to struggle between Natsu no Arashi! and Eden of the East. I finally decided on the latter because while Natsu no Arashi is starting off on higher numbers, it's likely to be restricted to a niche audience midway through. Eden of the East, on the other hand, is an unknown, and may actually stay more popular. Since the numbers are so close though, it's pretty much a gamble.

Anime Relations: School Days, KimiKiss Pure Rouge, Kurogane no Linebarrels, Telepathy Shoujo Ran, Kannagi, Bounen no Xamdou, Toradora!, Ga-Rei: Zero, Kurozuka

I seriously need to fix my rating system. If you look at my 'Completed' list, my average score is 8.0. So, from now on (and I'll fix it retrospectively, too), my ratings will follow this system. I've included recent examples:

10 — I'm absolutely blown away (Ga-Rei ~Zero~)
9 — Awesome, but not enough to blow me away (umm, Kannagi probably Toradora!)
8 — Very good, but some flaws (Xam'd: Lost Memories)
7 — Good series, but nothing too special (Kurozuka, maybe)
6 — Not nearly as good as it could have been (Telepathy Girl Ran)
5 — Some good, but a lot of bad (Kimikiss ~ Pure Rouge)
4 — Not very good (School Days... recent?)
3 — Bad, mostly dropped (Kurogane no Linebarrels, lol)
2 — Bad, dropped
1 — Dropped & killed with fire

Good thing is, I rarely watch shows that I'd rate 5 or below anyways. Those few are ones that seemed promising, but deeply disappointed.

EDIT:
Re-rating is done now. I lowered my average score to 7.7!


Next up after my anime & manga lists... favorites. Those need some reorganizing, too.