December Summary

If you’re wondering why the rankings for this month are a bit earlier than usual: well, I wanted to have a bit more time to work on my end-of-the-year-list, with the most memorable and un-memorable series of the past year. It’s going to get a bit bigger than last year’s, which to be honest was rather improvised on the last day due to some internet-issues on my side.

The current summary isn’t that big anyways, since I didn’t watch relatively many series to begin with. Overall, the Autumn-season has only had around three memorable series so far, but I’m glad that with just one exception, every series I decided to follow turned out somehow worthwhile in the end. The winter-season also promises to look excellent, so I’ve got no reason to complain. ^^;

#24 (28) – Dragonaut The Resonance – (5,6/10) – Well, it seems that this series is only going to be 13 episodes long. It’s a shame, because it could really have used 13 extra episodes to flesh out the huge plot-holes in the story. Still, I should be glad that the pain will soon be over.
#23 (25) – Suteki Tantei Labyrinth – (7,4/10) – I have no idea what to say, so I’ll wait till judging this really strange series until the second half has shredded some more of its mysteries…
#22 (26) – Kimikiss Pure Rouge – (7,7/10) – Aah, I’m not sure if this series is going into the right direction. Love triangles have always been tricky for me to like, and all they do is distract from what’s really important: the two lovers themselves. Let’s hope that the creators know what they’re doing.
#21 (19) – Clannad – (7,8/10) – The Fuuko arc ended nicely, though it felt a little too much like a Deus ex Machina. Now it’s Kotomi’s turn to get fleshed out, but really, there is no reason for her to have some mysterious sad past with the lead-character. She’s sad enough without the obvious connections to the guy.
#20 (20) – Bamboo Blade – (7,8/10) – Finally, after the series went stale for a bit, the characters are starting to develop. Let’s hope that this series can remain to be fresh for the second half as well.
#19 (24) – Shugo Chara – (7,9/10) – Well, the first 12 episodes are over now. Let’s hope that the series gets a bit more serious. Sure, it’s fun and all, but it really needs to introduce something fresh.
#18 (23) – Kodomo no Jikan – (7,9/10) – One character is ruining this series for me: Rin’s foster-brother (I’m afraid I forgot his name). Even though he got an episode for himself, his development feels incomplete and his actions still don’t make any sense. This is one example of a side-character that’s better off staying on the side-lines, because the struggles between Rin and her teacher have been really interesting.
#17 (22) – Gundam 00 – (7,9/10) – Like expected, the major problem of this series is that the characters contain one miscast after the other. The politics are moving along decently, and the different tactics that are used are interesting enough to keep watching.
#16 (16) – Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji – (8,1/10) – I’m still puzzling at why I’m not amazed by this series anymore. There’s obviously the very slow pacing, but it also feels like this series is a bit too dark for me. Yet, that also doesn’t seem to be it, as I loved Shigurui…
#15 (???) – Power Puff Girls Z – (8,2/10) – And finally, Buttercup too has had her episode, dedicated to her crush. Interestingly enough, GAR and manliness work surprisingly well with this series.
#14 (17) – Blue Drop – (8,2/10) – My major problem with this series has been the alien subplot. The characters themselves are amazing: they all get enough attention and are well-developed, though the aliens and their actions felt rushed, unfortunately.
#13 (12) – Moyashimon – (8,3/10) – So, yeah. The ending was forced with a pointless twist that could have been easily omitted in exchange for more quirky characters. Ignoring that though, then the characters have been better than they ever had in the final third of the series.
#12 (9) – Kekkaishi – (8,3/10) – And a new arc has started, though it’s been basically introductions and aftermaths so far. The series is building up well so far, though, and like introduction of the entire Yagyou (or however you spell it).
#11 (11) – ef – A Tale of Memories – (8,5/10) – I fear that the ending for this series will turn out rushed. Ef has been amazing in terms of character-development, but the last twists for both stories weren’t necessary at all in order to give this series a good conclusion.

#10 (4) – Saiunkoku Monogatari – (8,5/10)

Juusanhime really looks to be an interesting character for this series to work with. Seiga is promising to be a total bastard. Overall, this has been another month of building-up for Saiunkoku Monogatari.

#9 (15) – Sky Girls – (8,7/10)

I sort-of suspected that this series would turn better with its second half, but still the encounter between Kotonoha and Yuuki turned out much better than I ever would have suspected. I love how the past few episodes haven’t felt rushed at all, and how a surprising amount of attention went to fleshing out the setting and storyline. Series like this one show that even a simple storyline can become excellent with the right amount of development.

#8 (8) – Mokke – (8,7/10)

Last month was better, but still Mokke remains among the best of the season. I like how most of the ghosts and spirits have their own personalities and quirks. It really brightens up the series.

#7 (2) – Les Miserables – Shoujo Cosette – (8,8/10)

I really can’t think of any other series that spends more time on its aftermath than Les Miserables. It’s really trying to wrap up every single thread in the story, and I actually think that it’s going to succeed. Because of this, this series is starting to feel more and more complete.

#6 (13) – Perrine Monogatari – (8,8/10)

Really, the entire series has been quite light-hearted so far, so I was beginning to wonder why this is regarded as the darkest of all World Masterpiece Theatre-productions. And then episode thirteen came, and launched Perrine and her mother into the Suiss Alps, and I understood. Suddenly, with just one episode, the entire mood of the series went so much darker.

#5 (3) – Gintama – (8,8/10)

This month: Ninja Parodies! I especially loved “doping no jutsu”. That’s just soo true. ^^;

#4 (6) – Ghost Hound – (8,9/10)

Production IG has done it again. Not only is this a very effective horror-series, but the characters are also getting more and more enjoyable to watch as the series goes on. The pacing has really been flawless so far.

#3 (18) – Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei – (9/10)

The final episodes were more formulaic than usual, and yet I found myself nearly rolling on the floor laughing at everyone of them.

#2 (5) – Shion no Ou – (9,1/10)

Thanks to the excellent cast of characters, Shion no Ou has become my favourite series of the fall-season. Sure, it’s a bit rushed here and there, but both the main- and side-characters more than make up for it.

#1 (7) – Higurashi no Naku Koro ni – (9,3/10)

Ah, and finally the second season has ended. Like Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto, it has been quite straightforward, but it worked. Especially the development for Okonogi and Takano was excellent.