I think that this is the first time that this ever happened ever since I started including ratings in these summaries: none of the shows I’m watching has a rating of 9/10 or above. But that’s logical since the only awesome show that continued from the past month was Hajime no Ippo, and that one had a lesser month this time. In any case, this is really typical of this season: there are no instant classics yet, but there sure are a hell of a lot with the potential to become one.
Oh, and another thing: I ended up experimenting with the rankings again. The result is that some shows with higher ratings may be ranked lower than you’d expect and vice versa. This time, I basically tried to generate the rankings for each show, compared to the others that are currently airing. Say, for example that Show A has a really good setting, and there are only a few other shows with a better setting, it’s going to rank higher than if there are many shows with excellent settings, and vice versa. Please don’t ask me in what kind of mindset I was when I thought of this system.
#41 (new) – Gokujou!! Mecha Motte Iinchou – (2/10) – The honour of ‘worst show of the season’ goes to this… thing. Congrats. I never imagined that something would end up beating Queen’s Blade in this category. Dropped.
#40 (new) – Queen’s Blade – (3,25/10) – One thing I don’t get about these series: why aren’t they just turned into a hentai-series? I mean, you get a lot more nudity that way and the show doesn’t have to pretend to have a plot or anything. In any case, this one’s obviously dropped.
#39 (new) – Cookin’ Idol Ai! Mai! Main! – (3,75/10) – In this series, the impossible happened: Hiroshi Watanabe surpassed himself. The cabbage song combined with the utterly bad acting were already bizarre, but when I looked at the staff list, everything suddenly made sense. When I thought that he couldn’t sink any lower than Shining Tears X Wind, this guy proves me wrong once again. Dropped.
#38 (new) – Metal Fight Beyblade – (6,5/10) – Stupid shounen stuff of which I don’t even remember what it was about. Dropped obviously.
#37 (new) – Hanasakeru Seishonen – (6,75/10) – The best way to describe this show is a teenaged soap gone anime. Seriously, the incredible stupidity of the bits that I saw before dropping this show are nearly unbelievable. Characters have really dull and overemotional personalities. Dropped.
#36 (new) – Jewel Pets – (7/10) – Ever since Otogi Juushi Akazukin and Power Puff Z I’ve been looking for those really charming and childish kiddie shows. The only problem is that the good ones are really hard to find! I was hoping that Jewel Pets would finally return some spark to a genre that virtually burnt out now, but alas; it showed its true colours soon enough: all of the characters lose their personality completely after their introduction episodes and become mere paper bags. Dropped.
#35 (new) – Tayutama ~Kiss on my Deity~ – (7/10) – That first episode had its enjoyable moments, but there is no way that I’m going to continue with this series. It just feels too much like your standard average harem. Dropped.
#34 (new) – Slap Up Party ~Arad Senki~ – (7/10) – While I appreciate the idea of an international production between Japan and Korea, there’s no denial that the writing in this show sucks. While usually Gonzo’s game adaptations have some surprise in them, Slap Up Party only consists out of a bunch of clichés struck together, and the humour really quickly gets dull. Dropped.
#33 (new) – Dragonball Kai – (7,5/10) – I sat through 270 episodes one time already, and I don’t want to do the same, even though everything’s shortened. This really is the series for those who are new to the franchise. Dropped.
#32 (new) – Hatsukoi Limited – (7,5/10) – In the end, I figured that the lead girls seemed a little too much like copy-pasted moeblobs and I don’t feel like sitting through this series to find out whether I was wrong when there are many other better comedies this season.
#31 (new) – Higepiyo – (7,5/10) – Ooh, this isn’t looking good. While it had the nice premise and the first two episodes were hilarious, it’s quickly getting dull because the creators keep overusing the food jokes. Bring in some novelty, please!
#30 (new) – Charady no Joke na Mainichi – (7,5/10) – I tried to follow this for a while, but in the end it’s just not worth the trouble of having to sit through the episode, not knowing when a joke falls flat or becomes hilarious. Out of the first fourteen episodes I watched, only two really made me laugh, and there are much better comedies this season. Dropped
#29 (30) – Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica – (7,5/10) – I pretty much agree with the general consensus of this remake: it’s definitely better than the original, but still not really worth it to watch all the way through the end. Dropped.
#28 (new) – Asura Cryin’ – (7,5/10) – There is potential, but the characters are too annoying for me to want to check whether the show can realize it. Dropped.
#27 (new) – Tears to Tiara – (7,5/10) – I’m not that interested in the next Utawarerumono. There’s much better stuff this season, so I ended up dropping this series.
#26 (36) – Hayate no Gotoku – (7,75/10) – It’s unfortunate that I can’t watch every show that airs. I know that I never really gave this series a proper chance, but at the same time there are too many other shows this season that I also want to watch. Dropped.
#25 (new) – Saki – (7,75/10) – The big problem with Saki is that I’m not yet convinced of Saki’s talent. Take Shion no Ou, for example: even though the rules of Shougi were unclear to many, you could see that Shion was pwn. Saki instead is a character who could perform a Russian Roulette eighteen times and still come out alive. Still: the characters are enjoyable to watch and because of that I haven’t dropped this series yet. But seriously, there need to be less episodes of the kind of episode four. A bit of moe is of course fine, but that was really stretching it.
#24 (new) – Souten Kouro – (7,5/10) – Madhouse’s only new show this season, and quite frankly it’s a disappointment. I’ve never been interested in the whole romance of the three kingdoms setting, and this show again doesn’t seem to convince me otherwise. Dropped
#23 (new) – K-On – (7,75/10) – Obviously, this isn’t my kind of series. I still don’t understand why the heck everyone’s drooling over Mio. For me, the characters were just way too annoying. Dropped.
#22 (23) – Gintama – (7,75/10) – Granted, it still in no way lives up to the first 100 episodes, but the new director at least is competent when he gets to the serious parts, and I have to agree that episode 108 was pretty good.
#21 (new) – Full Metal Alchemist – Brotherhood – (7,75/10) – The new Full Metal Alchemist isn’t perfect. Especially its idea of cropping two chapters in one episode leads to rushed episodes. But on the bright side, Ed and Al are a hell of a lot more likable than in the original series, and that has definitely potential for the future of this series.
#20 (17) – Koukaku no Regios – (8/10) – I can’t really say that Regios is getting better, but neither is it getting worse. It still has nice characters with a competent plot in an interesting setting, but as usual, nothing really stands out.
#19 (18) – Chi’s New Address – (8,25/10) – The first four episodes were a bit too serious for their own good, but after that Chi’s Sweet Home really became just as good as the first season, if not better. Especially the rate of dull episodes seems much smaller now.
#18 (new) – Valkyria Chronicles – (7,75/10) – While this show is nothing special yet, there looks to be potential for its second half. The lighter moments, especially those involving Alicia, are a bit annoying, but once the tank combat starts the show gets much better. Now let’s see whether the creators can pull this show off.
#17 (new) – Shangri-La – (8/10) – The character animation is incredibly inconsistent, yeah. Thankfully the rest of the series has enough potential to make up for it. Shangri-La at the moment is nothing special yet, but I’m intrigued by the setting, the cast is likable and you can see that it’s really using the beginning episodes to build up for something. This show can really go anywhere, but for now I’ll remain positive.
#16 (new) – Shin Mazinger Shougenki! Z-Hen – (8,25/10) – You can really count on the creator of Giant Robo to make a remake of the Mazinger series awesome. And oh, the irony: all of the giant robots of the good guys have proven to be absolutely useless so far, and instead the best action happens between the spectators. A very nice touch if I say so myself. I’m definitely going to enjoy this series.
#15 (7) – Hajime no Ippo – (8,25/10) – Just about my only complaint of Hajime no Ippo is that it suffers from the Dragonball Z syndrome. With that, I don’t mean that it has the ability to stretch five minutes into five days, but rather that once formidable side-characters become absolutely useless as soon as the lead character level up much faster than them. This month was relatively weak for this series: it was still fun (with some hilarious facial expressions), but nowhere up to the level of the first half.
#14 (new) – 07-Ghost – (8/10) – This one has been quite the solid series so far. So yeah, there are some shounen ai undertones here and there, but it’s nothing that should really distract you from viewing unless you’re a complete and utter homophobe. The characters are quite likable and it’s got lots of potential for the future.
#13 (new) – Sengoku Basara – (8,25/10) – I know I talked down on this series in my first impressions, but it looks like I’m going to have to take back those comments. Sengoku Basara is GAR, manly, exciting and has some amazing action scenes. Once you start to get the back-story a bit, the whole thing suddenly becomes much more interesting.
#12 (new) – Marie & Gali – (8,25/10) – Call me crazy, but I’m enjoying this little show. It’s fun to see especially Marie’s antics, but also all of the weird stuff and cameos that goes on, along with this show’s unique style and episodes of only five minutes proved to be quite entertaining.
#11 (19) – Kurokami the Animation – (8,25/10) – Woo! I’m glad that my prediction with this series was right: during the past month, Kurokami became significantly better when compared to the rather lacklustre first half. Now that the storyline’s evolving there are lots of nice and juicy plot twists that are actually pretty interesting to watch. Now let’s hope that the show can keep this up.
#10 (14) – Hetalia Axis Powers – (8,5/10)
Episode 14 was absolutely brilliant. It’s a really good thing to see that this series is just getting better and better. The inclusion of the rest of the cast has really been good for this show. Although I do have to say that Hetalia is at its best when it makes fun of country stereotypes, and at its worst when it’s overusing gay jokes.
#9 (new) – Konnichiwa Anne – (8,25/10)
I was a bit fearful that this series might end up a bit too dramatic, but so far there turns out to be no reason for those worries. Anne is shaping up to be an awesome character, and she especially shines when she dives off into that own world of her.
#8 (new) – Basquash! – (8,25/10)
Some of the jokes used are… immature to say the least, and yet I still find myself enjoying this series quite a lot. It’s got a great sense of fun and the chemistry of the characters is working out surprisingly well.
#7 (new) – Ristorante Paradiso – (8,25/10)
Rispara has definitely been an interesting series so far, and I especially like the detailed and fleshed out characters that stood apart right from the beginning. David Production made a good debut with this show.
#6 (new) – Natsu no Arashi – (8,5/10)
The most underrated show this season. I may have dropped this show from blogging, but that in no way means that I don’t like it. It’s good to see Shinbo finally handling a series with actually good characters. This show has some wonderful slice of life scenes, and yet at the same time there’s this theme of past versus present that keeps everything together. Also, am I the only one who likes the male lead? Sure, he takes some time getting used to, but I find him quite enjoyable.
#5 (new) – Guin Saga – (8,5/10)
Classic fantasy, and for once it’s done absolutely right. The pacing is really slow, but it’s the type of show that really easily draws you in. Just about everything in this series is big, ranging from the locations, characters, the soundtrack or the setting.
#4 (new) – Phantom – (8,75/10)
It may not be that different from Bee-Train’s usual series, but I’m biased so I don’t care. Besides, with such an excellent source material, this series is promising to be one of the top Bee-Train series. Already after four episodes we can see the awesome characterization that certainly proves lots of great stuff for the future.
#3 (new) – Pandora Hearts – (8,75/10)
I really like this series so far. The whole atmosphere that seems like a modern-day fairy tale gone really dark continuously has something interesting to offer. As a big fan of mystery-series, I really like how it just keeps bringing in new questions after answering a few. The storytelling has been really solid so far, and I actually quite like the very distinct look of the graphics. Definitely something to look out for.
#2 (new) – Cross Game – (8,75/10)
Do not get fooled by the simple character-designs, because this show really stands out as one of the best of the season so far. Already after four episodes, the show has a cast of characters in which nearly all of them (including the tiny side characters) have presence. It’s got a very subtle sense of humour, combined with great slice of life and just the right amount of drama. Definitely one of my top picks of the season.
#1 (new) – Eden of the East – (8,75/10)
Yeah, this series is really good stuff. The production values are really high and the episodes thus far have been incredibly intriguing. I can’t wait to see the rest of this thing!
Hmmm… I’m totally clueless as to whether you say there’s power leveling in Hajime no Ippo. I mean, total scrubs can tap Ippo with a well placed shot and the guy nearly crumples to the mat. I don’t think it’s as pronounced as it being an actual power leveling.
As for Pandora Hearts, I see its appeal, though I think its plot is a little sloppy. I do like its atmosphere but the plot with the contractors… we’ve seen that before.
For Hayate no Gotoku.. I guess a lot of people don’t really give it a chance. Light moe seems to be in a niche category to get go and personally, I love it. As for Mio like you say in K-ON, I think it’s because she’s the archetype of character who is lightly tsundere and also very easy to tease. I like Tsumugi for being a weird rich girl archetype though. lol
With Hajime no Ippo, I meant the two of Aoki and Kimera, whose last two fights were… pathetic to say the least. It may just be building up for them, but I was actually looking forward to see them fight.
I hope I’m not posting in the wrong area, since using the chatbox didn’t seem really appropriate to me.
This place used to be the blog I’d recommend to my peers in case they wanted to read clever, well-informed, researched and thought-out posts on airing anime.
Ever since a yera or so it’s been quietly turning into another fanboy den. Reviews and impressions that were once informative seem to now be written by a ten-year-old in search of lauds. Outburts that were once occasional and founded, have degenerated into cheap low-blows pulling at whatever seems to be either “too in” or “too out”. It’s a bit like seeing a competent journalist turning into a glamourised paparazzo.
Sorry for the intrusion.
Kikki: I must thank you for that post. It’s always good to hear constructive criticism like this, and I must say that I wasn’t aware of this at all, and to be honest I thought that I was getting less biased.
At the moment, I’m not exactly sure what you exactly meant, but I’ll try to look into it. Can you perhaps give a few examples?
Aoki and Kimura never seemed to really rise above in most matches they were in though. Except for Kimura gunning for Mashiba in the first series.
As for what’s and and what’s out and all that stuff, at least you’re putting in the effort to actually watch and give sports anime a fair shake. It seems barely any anime bloggers ever give sports anime a scratch chance.
Actually I’d say sports anime are one of the genre’s that have been wrongly shrugged off, especially when good quality ones exist such as Ookiku Furikabutte :wub: or as you watch Hajime no Ippo (I’ve only watched the first season and that was years ago will watch the second once it finishes XD). I’d say sports anime has been gaining ground in trying to “fix” its reputation now if only more anime watchers would give em a chance.
pretty much right on with most the selections… Especially in the top 3… I am pretty much all sports anime’d out right now, so i am not watching Cross Game… But Eden of the East is so far above and beyond all others. The characters, plot, and animation is brilliant. I love Pandora Hearts, of course i am not a fan of the music style though. I heard that first chanting with instrumentals and I immediately called, .Hack/sign. Low and behold the person who is doing the music for this is the one who did it for the .Hack series… Which i don’t mind, but i am not sure if it fits, i would rather like a less fantasy style music to bring this show closer to the realm of reality than fantasy because it has such a nice hybrid feel to it. Oh well, lets hope these can keep up the good work..
My favorite new anime right now are Pandora Hearts, K-ON, Cooking Idol Ai Mai Main (don’t hate me), Jewelpet, and Konnichiwa Anne.
Firechick: I’m intrigued. Why Cookin’ Idol Ai Mai Main? I’m of course not going to hate you since everyone’s taste is different, but I do wonder whether turned out to be likable to that series.
psgels: You really need to check out American series like Lost or Fringe or Breaking Bad. I mean, you like serious and mature stories, and while there are many anime that can be categorized that way, you’re missing some really interesting stories. Personally, even though I watch many anime, I find the American series I’m following to be much more intriguing and enjoyable (my favourite being Lost). Even at comedy, something like Big Bang Theory or Married with Children are definitely superior to all the anime comedies I’ve watched.
Don’t get me wrong, I follow most of your top 10 (except for Basquash! which I won’t give a chance as it looks terribly lame, and Hetalia Axis Powers which I never heard of), but really, as enjoyable and engaging as they all are, I’d drop them all before dropping Lost, or Fringe, or Breaking Bad, or Chuck…
Yup, agreed, go watch House M.D. or Dexter, anime are getting shittier…
That’s funny because I still feel American TV is as awful as ever. Even if they have a great concept they drag it out until it sucks. And I am not sure how anyone can consider Lost quality TV anymore (maybe in its first season). There are a few British series I really like though (Life on Mars was excellent for example).
Of course there are a lot of crappy anime titles out there but I always find a few good ones to watch each year. And honestly I would rather waste my time being disappointed in a short anime series than being disappointed in a long American TV series.
Although if you really want the best that entertainment has to offer I say read a book.
Kim: Maybe you just don’t have the patience, but Lost has only become better and better since its first season in my opinion, and almost all of the episodes in the whole series are enjoyable and shed some light on the overall story and on the characters. I don’t think it dragged at all, and it’s coming to a close next season. Sure, there IS crappy American TV, like Prison Break, which is an example of the series you hate, but Lost is certainly not like it. It’s as astounding a science fiction/drama as they get.
hmm, why waste time saying negative stuff to animes you don’t like? r u being forced to review shows you don’ like? u know why? its annoying.
Your top 10 is my top 10 🙂
prisonbreak is awesome, u get a thrill watching every episode the tensions great, the dramas great and you want to know whats gonna happne. If you’d just give it a chance, and not go into every episode thinking, ‘wow isn’t this lame i mean the name of the show is prisonbreak n theyve broken out so this sucks’.
On the other hand, Lost has no plot, the characters are run to the ground its on their what 5th season? its fucking unrealistic..one of the worst shows I could think of.
And no, chuck and house though good as they are can’t really match anime. House they’ve been using the same damn concept for the past 5 or so years? jesus, everytime its a patient with a seemingly incurable and unknown illness and at the very last second house solves it. chuck is nice but its so unrealistic and lame that it sometimes takes the fun away.
Eden of the East > american tv
I think the biggest issue with american shows is ironically when they get popular. The reason I see this as their biggest downfall is that american shows are so much more sensitive to ratings and based on those ratings they’ll try to milk out every facet that made them so good until well it gets axed, which again is pertains to the issue of ratings. Generally though the first season of american shows do tend to be good, as ratings have not gotten into their heads, but the proceeding seasons are undoubtedly weaker, either due to novelty wearing out or that they tend to inject the sophomore season with just too much of everything that made it popular (they tend to go hog wild).
Some constructive criticism:
1. I don’t get your idea of annoying characters. To me, it is starting to seem like an easy excuse to use when you don’t like a series but can’t come up with an excuse. Next time if you want to say “annoying characters”, provide some details! Who was being annoying? How was he/she being annoying? When was he/she being annoying? Why was it annoying?
2. “everyone’s drooling over Mio” is not a valid excuse to hate a series. If it’s bothering you that much, stop going on forums or where you are hearing it from, but know that’s not the anime’s fault. It is however, a valid reason to hate the K-ON community.
3. “Stupid shounen stuff of which I don’t even remember what it was about.” Terrible argument. What is the “stupid shounen stuff” that you speak of and why is it stupid? Write something less emotional, and more rational, like “the series has the tendency to ______ as shown in ______. I consider that stupid because ______.”
4.”It still has nice characters with a competent plot in an interesting setting, but as usual, nothing really stands out.” Nothing stands out/nothing really stands out. You use it way too much. What do you want to see for it to stand out? Tell us! Something like “In order for this series to stand out though, I think so and so should happen or so and so should be more developed.”
psgels: You really need to check out American series like Lost or Fringe or Breaking Bad. I mean, you like serious and mature stories, and while there are many anime that can be categorized that way, you’re missing some really interesting stories. Personally, even though I watch many anime, I find the American series I’m following to be much more intriguing and enjoyable (my favourite being Lost). Even at comedy, something like Big Bang Theory or Married with Children are definitely superior to all the anime comedies I’ve watched.
Don’t get me wrong, I follow most of your top 10 (except for Basquash! which I won’t give a chance as it looks terribly lame, and Hetalia Axis Powers which I never heard of), but really, as enjoyable and engaging as they all are, I’d drop them all before dropping Lost, or Fringe, or Breaking Bad, or Chuck…
Agreed. but that’s not the point of this blog. Even if I am seriously one of the biggest House and Bones fans out there… 😀 I’m sure you’d like those. Anytime you need an American TV show to look at, just call me. XD
As for your top ten, they are valid ten, so don’t worry about your “mindset”. I agree that really none of the animes out right now were as splendid as the Winter season, but maybe that’s just due to slow pacing. A lot of them are solid and good but don’t go beyond my expectations. The only exception is Pandora Hearts and maybe Phantom. I’m gonna have to look into Guin Saga though- many people have told me it’s quite creative, and I could do with some of that right now.
On a second note….I’m watching Noein psgels! AND IT’S AMAZING!! 😀
Heh… your top 4 are exactly the same as my top 4, though not in the same order. I’m going to have to give Natsu no Arashi a chance, as I have to admit I was turned off by the character designs at first glance.
I don’t think you should write long, in-depth explanations of why you don’t like some animes. If you say the anime is bad and give a single example of annoying, it is enough for me (I have 80% same taste in Anime).
As for my critisism, I think you are too hard on clichés and coincidences. If sometimes characters didn’t meet by chance or something unlikely didn’t happened there wouldn’t be a good story. And something like overused “transfer student” plot isn’t bad by itself, if it fits the situation well.
Honestly, psgels writes blogs more anime than most GROUP blogs out there. I’d never expect him to give in-depth details on all the bad shows out there (theres a LOT when it comes to anime). It’s good enough that he blogs in great detail the 12 or so he does each season.
Don’t you guys think it’s asking a bit much to explain every nuance with the anime he DOESNT like?
4.”It still has nice characters with a competent plot in an interesting setting, but as usual, nothing really stands out.” Nothing stands out/nothing really stands out. You use it way too much. What do you want to see for it to stand out? Tell us! Something like “In order for this series to stand out though, I think so and so should happen or so and so should be more developed.”
I hope you don’t mind me answering this since I just had a discussion with a friend regarding what I mean a statement like this, though I am not sure if this is how psgels feels but I think it may be close ^^
I think for this one its not much of a mystery to understand this statement in that the show/episode doesn’t have anything in particular that would represent a climax or a new pinnacle in its story telling. Take Eden of the East for example many people, including myself, would rave that its an awesome show but when you get down to dissecting the episode in your mind scene by scene and try to pick out what stood out the most or what you could call a climax you don’t particularly find it. By “find it” I mean either as I’ve said the climax or perhaps the hinge that bolts open the change of pace or revelation to something and so that scene becomes “it” as being the best/greatest scene in the episode that easily comes to mind when recollecting what you’ve just watched. I think one great example of this would be in Dennou Coil (I hope you’ve watched this series!) episode 23 when Yasako and Isako are talking through wireless communication as Isako walks down the stairs talking about how different and deep her problem is that Yasako would be better off not understanding (what made the scene stand out so well was the use of background with a painting of a vast valley of canons that really makes apparent the great detailing and creativity the show had as well as summarizing what the entire episode was about. To think all that in just one scene!) That’s what I think makes a great episode/series stand out from a solid one, which would be a series/episode with no flaws but no particular peaks either.
Adding to that post I don’t think anyone can really give a strong/definitive comment on “In order for this series to stand out though, I think so and so should happen or so and so should be more developed.” Since the fact is you’re not the script writer and part of the joy of watching shows is being taken aback at how some people can direct/write a scene far better than you would’ve imagined/predicted. The best one can really do is to just point out what was the flaw that may have marred the episode/series but I think writing how YOU would’ve done the show to make it better is somewhat too arrogant, since whose to say whether really editing a scene, adding music, creating this sorta plot twist, etc would REALLY improve the series. Yes there can be wishful thinking on some parts with regards to commenting, though in general I think those comments are more relegated to regret at either not delivering what was built upon or on a certain flaw that really stands out badly, but I think its going too far if you glean too much on how you would’ve done the show.
I’m glad you didn’t take my criticism as just an improptu of fury, first of all ^^.
I think most of my disappointment has been generated by your new stance on reviewing, by which I mean the “I want to be surprised by anime, so I’ll stop getting pre-available informations, such as staff-cast lists, promo images, plot premises and so on” ( I hope I haven’t misunderstood this). While I can see where this look comes from, especially from someone who’s actually able to follow an unholy amount of series and write reviews for specific episodes of many of them, I feel like you’re following a lot of series just for the heck of it, without really contextualising them (i.e., while I personally wouldn’t watch an entire series of Beyblade to save my life, it’s pretty clearly aimed at a very young public and has no artistic pretense whatsoever (unless selling toys is) , so I *think* it shouldn’t be judged on the same ground as say, Higashi no Eden or even Shangri-La . That’s just an example mind you :)).
Maybe what I’m saying ultimately boils down to “keep blogging only what you really feel interested in, contextualise things, don’t blog (I’m not saying don’t watch , of course ^^) something just because you feel you should because, say, you’ve never seen that kind of anime or have never been into it, and so on .
Sorry for the rant, I’m stepping down my soapbox now ^^’
You say you don’t want to sit through another Utawarerumono, yet you still watch Guin Saga?
Come on… a masked man with lost memories and more significance that initially appears?
Not that I’m planning to stop watching it.
Though Machi has some good points, I do agree that that blurb on Regios was pretty vague. Saying “yeah show x is nothing special” doesn’t really say anything.
Kikki: well, my original purpose of not looking at any of the promo-material was becasue I was getting tired of getting my hopes up too high for one series, only to be disappointed in the end when it doesn’t deliver.
But i can see your point now. During the past year, I did pick up a lot of shows in an attept to remove my bias for a particular genre (mostly moe and fanservice shows), but most of the times that just never really got anywhere. Thanks for that insightful comment.
bdgr: I obviously meant that in terms of execution and not in terms of plot. Heck, if you want to look at it that way, then there are many more series that resemble it if you look at it in a certain way. 😉
Keith: if you realize, I was just telling him how instead one vague sentence, he can instead write a little bit more detailed sentence. Yes, I know that space is a problem, especially in something like this where there is only few lines of space available. But even so, that makes it even more important to write detailed sentences instead of vague ones, other wise you pretty much wasting space. You have to use the little space available to put in as much detail as possible.
Machi: I think you misunderstood me. Nothing he isn’t already doing, stuff like “I would like to see more character development for so and so character” or “less recycling of jokes” and all the other great points he already made so far are all valid points as how the series can stand out from his point of view. No, it doesn’t have to be long, he can just add it after “nothing stands out”. It will just be one more sentence.
I think an example would be best in putting your point across, like Kikki did in her response. Now lets say the series in question is Chrome Shelled, my contention with regards to suggesting what could improve the series still stands as whose to say what minor tweaking will really add to well to the series when its pretty much formulaic (by formulaic I mean it goes by the standard fanfare of beach episodes to party gathering and duels here and there just think Gun X Sword or Chrome Shelled). That because it follows the formulaic scheme without trying to particularly break the mould, lets use Dennou Coil again as an example this time with regards to its so called “filler” episodes which brings into question the concept itself in that sure they didn’t add to the main plot itself but it did investigate and show the extent to which the concept of “Illegals” could go (and it became a reference point to future episodes), that in the end it feels like the same story again so to speak. And so it feels precisely that “nothing stands out” and down the line nothing is memorable. Perhaps that is one complaint with regards to the one liner blurbs in that when compared to all the other shows the fact that its not particularly memorable is why it won’t lend itself well to being commented on. Maybe it would be best to bunch together the lower tier series of the month together, ones that have the same score and generally have the same comments, and just write them altogether into one paragraph rather than trying to squeeze or nitpick a show that really just doesn’t have much interest to lend itself well to a discussion. Because I do see based on the April Summary a lot of the same lines were repeated, namely it was dropped XD, so since the comments were generally the same for lower tier shows (save really terrible ones) just bunch em together with their quirks to note.
Sorry for interrupting the concrit – I just want to say I’m glad you didn’t give up on Sengoku Basara. 🙂 It’s a fun show that doesn’t really take itself seriously, and if you view it that way it’s actually pretty good. (In fact, it’s the only show I decided to follow this spring – I have time for only one and Basara is just perfect for this.)
I’m with kuromitsu in being glad that you gave Sengoku Basara a chance 😀 But I have to say that depending on which character’s ending the anime will follow,the ending may become a very different ending than most endings or it will just be the usual good guys triumph over the bad guys ending.So psgels,keep your hopes high(or not :P)
American shows are hit or miss. Lots of things to love and hate.
But Breaking Bad seriously is awesome. Lots of intricate drama and lots of tension and even comedy intermixed. It’s not a wannabe-crime drama that most crime dramas are. Breaking Bad is a DEFINITE recommendation to anyone who doesn’t believe in American television.
I think the best currently running anime is probably Kemono no Souja. I haven’t really watched more than 2 episodes of most of the above though.
Not watching many TV shows but the BEST TV show is from Canada: Trailer Park Boys, hands down, is the real shit.
Khan :
yes ,probably it is -_- (as the others being Hayate,Natsu no Arashi,Eden,and Kurokami)
too bad you doesn’t blog this ,psgels
This is seriously going to become the hybrid between WMT X Xam’d,if you could thought this as a cross of that two series,you coul possibly enjoy it…
after all,it’s a rare chance to me for enjoy a series that actually have WMT feeling to be subbed….
after episode 5, i would suggest you to give another chance natsu another chance to blog it. i’m the “eden” type, attracted by mistery and weirdness (i mean: i enjoyed donnie darko and pi and requiem from a dream, you got the picture) and conspiration and accurate, subtle writing, good characterization, and i think that eden might be one of the best series of these years, and i’m usually bored by comedy. but nna has finally won me over; ep 5 is downright hilarious (i mean: it’s some of the best comedy i’ve seen in years, not limited to anime), with extremely good rythm and tasty direction, the previous episodes had shown a good mix of comedy and nice touches of writing.
i don’t believe myself saying it, but i think… it’s better than eden. it feels and it sound as an instant classic, too bad it’s so much overlooked. a real pity.
O_O
PH’s on the third? I guess you’re the first non-PH-manga fan who would actually put it in the TOP 3. Well, I do love the manga (the only thing I want to complain about PH is the fact it only comes out each month and only chinese scans are available for it) The anime turns out pretty good considering its production company :p. I’ll just need to pray to god that they won’t change the manga plot. I do admit that XEBEC’s really good in making fillers (they proved it with Shaman King XD) but no, not PH. I demand second season which follows the manga’s plot!
And yeah, totally agree with Eden of the East 😀
It has a really unique storyline, realistic, a new style in making mangaesque reactions, interesting characters and such an imaginative technologies (I want the Noblesse oblige mobile phone!!!) Within 7 episodes, Eden has showed LOTS of mysteries and awesomeness
Haven’t tried Cross Game; not too interested with sport genres but will give it a try when the dvds are out here. Same goes with Phantom, Natsu no Arashi, Guin Saga, Shangri-La, Ristorante Paradiso and Hetallia Axis Power.
I’ve tried Basquash and 07-GHOST. Basquash is pretty good but somehow I don’t feel really pumped ’bout it… But I’ll still wait for the dvds. For 07-GHOST, I’ve tried the manga; beginning was awesome but it gets pretty boring later on and finally dead later, I think i’ll hunt for it when i really absolutely had nothing, NOTHING to do.
Queen’s Blade, Hayate, etc which are not mentioned in the previous paragraphs have -1000% chance to be watched…