My Top 10: Favourite OPs and EDs of 2009

by psgels, posted in Top 10 Anime, Yearly Summaries

I really have too many summary-posts planned for the end of the year. So, here’s a little taste in advanced: my favourite OPs and EDs of the year. Any series or OVA is eligible, as long as they had an episode that first aired in 2009. My list might differ a bit from most people’s lists, but that’s just because I don’t like J-Pop (but of course, there are exceptions in everything. ;))

#10: Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen OP 1

Really: isn’t this the best way to enter a hot-blooded and GAR Mecha-show as Mazinger? This opening always got me pumped with adrenaline for this show, it just screams epic all over. The lyrics are a bit cheesy, but hey: what else did you expect? 😛

#9: Bounen no Xamdou OP 1
It’s of course very hard to write a toplist of this year’s OPs and EDs of this year, and don’t have the OP for Bonen no Xamdou included. What I especially love about this OP is how well the music and animation are tuned to each other: they complement each other in nearly every scene. The song is also very nicely composed with fitting vocals.

#8: Birdy the Mighty Decode 2 OP

I usually hate J-Pop, but it’s for songs as this that I’m willing to make an exception. This song really has a wonderful arrangement and a rocking refrain. The visuals also give a small taste of the amazing animation in the rest of the series, and overall it was a great way to enter this series each week.

#7: Zan Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei OP 2

You can say a lot against Shinbo, but the guy at least knows how to create good OPs. While I really didn’t like the series, at least I could enjoy a minute and a half every week of this excellent rock piece with an excellent direction throughout.

#6: Bakemonogatari OP 1

Oh, what an incredible TEASE this one turned out to be. I really was pumped when I started up the first episode of Bakemonogatari, and it came with this visual masterpiece. Even though what the series eventually turned into became a huge disappointment, I still have to admit: this is one heck of an OP that really gets you interested in the rest of the series.

#5: Kuchuu Buranko OP

Denki Groove already composed an OP once before: the very funky one for Hakaba Kitarou. Kuchuu Buranko once again brings nothing but funkiness with its OP, combined with the trademark weird visuals of this show. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an amimated version of this online since Youtube keeps deleting them.

#4: Phantom OP 1

Overall, this is just a very varied song with great dreamy vocals. Phantom was an anime with a huge focus on music, and this piece did a great job of introducing us to the whole series. I really think that it’s among Bee-Train’s best opening songs due to its grace which looks exotic and down to earth at the same time.

#3: Eden of the East OP

For this opening, the creators managed to get Oasis to perform, and it really shows. Noitamina has always been a timeslot of great OPs and EDs, and Eden of the East shows this yet again with not just a well composed song, but it also makes very good use of its sound, and combined with the well detailed and very imaginative animation, I was completely sold when I watched this for the first time.

#2: Shikabane Hime Kuro OP

Definitely and without a doubt Angela’s best work. This song really allows her to get the best out of her voice, and it shows that she has a really wide range and is able to control this really well. Combine this with Gainax-esque smooth animation and a great choice of instruments, and this really is my favourite OP of the year; I can really listen to this over and over without getting bored of it.

#1: Guin Saga ED

Okay, so while the rest of this top 10 has probably shown that I like more upbeat songs, my favourite in the end does remain a ballad. Why? That voice! It’s apparently sung by Kanon, who really has an amazing set of vocals. The full version allows her voice to come out even better, and it really screams epic in a subtle way. It always was a great way to end this series with.

Letter Bee – 12

by psgels, posted in Letter Bee



Oh gawd, an actual Christmas episode. For the majority of the first half, I was really laughing at how silly Lag looks with that fake beard and moustache of his. And yet, despite this silly premise this was a heart-warming episode, and the creators really should do more episodes like this. It’s ironic, but this filler was exactly what this series needed.

At least, I assume it’s a filler, because otherwise the timing would have been a bit too perfect. I’m not exactly sure whether I understand this premise of the Christmas of this series correctly, does everyone go around and help little orphan kids or something? In any case, it again showed the rather cruel nature of the world this is set in, in which most kids and orphans are just left to their fate, to take care of themselves. Often shunned. I’m not exactly sure where they get their money from, though.

In any case, the girl was heart-warming in the way that she still kept living her life, despite having lost her parents. A very nice episode overall and while Zazie’s little bit of development may have been a bit cheesy, it still was pretty nice in the end.
Rating: * (Good)

Kuchuu Buranko – 10

by psgels, posted in Kuchuu Buranko



Now THIS really is this series at its best: a great sense of humour, a very fine selection of references to past episodes, it continues fleshing out this series’ themes in a rather clever way, and it actually has a really good story with a great main character this time. It’s really here where this show makes use of its formula that it’s built up over the past few episodes, and gives it a very interesting and creative twist.

It’s interesting how in this episode, the lead character didn’t turn into an animal. Or to be more specific: he didn’t need to be turned into an animal because he already had taken on a strange form: that of his 30-year-old self. Throughout the entire episode, we just see this version of him. There are quite a few points at which things don’t really make much sense this way: how can such a young person be president of a country, why does he have flashbacks of the construction of Tokyo Tower and why is Irabu suggesting retirement to him at that kind of age…?

It was definitely a nice twist, and out of all the Kuchuu Buranko lead characters, the personality of this guy ranges among the most colourful. With him, you can really see his development in a way that isn’t superficial, cheesy or rushed, but it’s really genuine.

And I’m actually pretty curious to see what the creators have planned for that final episode. Especially with this kind of a series, you can really put anything there. Considering that it airs at Christmas Eve in Japan, not to mention that the creators have been dropping countless of Christmas hints for the past few episodes, I really can see them doing a Christmas-themed ending. Pretty heart-warming for the holidays, if this turns out to be true.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Kemono no Souja Erin – 49

by psgels, posted in Kemono no Souja Erin



So this is it: the moment where this series doesn’t just need to show off the build-up of the previous episodes paying off, but the creators also need to show that even when shifting the focus to the war between countries, instead of raising beasts, it can deliver. And you know what, it actually did.

The big question-mark here of course was Damya: would such a stereotypically evil person really be able to pull off a good villain during this show’s climax? Well, he didn’t really get much depth in this episode either, but his betrayal to the queen, his plans to use the Touda army to crush the duke’s army even after Seimiya’s surrender and his constant evil presence did great preparations to the real point of this episode: the decision that Erin had to make: resent war in every way possible and never use Lilan to fight, or take up the role that was given to her, and making use of the power that she controls, even though the potential for a complete disaster is oh so great.

And that’s really what made this episode work and tied this arc in with the rest of the series. I must say, that the build-up during the past episodes has been really great, and seeing it actually pay off makes it even better. I suppose that it would have been even better if the villain was fleshed out a bit more, but ah well. This is a series about Erin. Not the country. The politics in this series were interesting, but they were always inferior to Erin and her struggles into better understanding beasts like Lilan. For a series that’s purely about politics, there’s always Tytania anyway.

Now: that final episode. I can sort-of guess what’s going to happen, so it’s all going to come down to execution. I really hope that the creators are going to be able to use this episode to create a great ending.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Full Metal Alchemist – Brotherhood – 37

by psgels, posted in Full Metal Alchemist - Brotherhood



Whoa! Shadow! Spoilers ahead! Do not read if you didn’t watch this episode yet!

I was already told that Pride’s identity would be the biggest spoiler of the series, that we’ve already seen his human form. Because of that, I occasionally imagined who the hell he could be, but who it eventually turned out to be… I never considered that option. I really thought that it was going to be some sort of obscure adult.

There still are a lot of questions remained about why the son of Bradley of all people turned out to be Pride. Out of all the disguises, that has to be one of hardest to keep up. The people around him (maids, et cetera) should all be aware that something is wrong with a kid after a few years. I especially wonder how long Pride has been playing for Bradley’s son anyway: if he doesn’t age, then there are bound to be people who find it strange what’s happening to this kid, and why he refuses to grow up.

One theory is that he can take up multiple forms, and only recently decided to play for Wrath’s son, because Father’s plan is about to come to fruition. In this episode we’re shown that Kimbley wasn’t just set out to catch Scar, but also to instigate the final massacre at Briggs. And finally I’ve gotten my respect for Winry: she finally ends up doing something relevant, and I admire her courage in this episode despite finding out that she’s basically a hostage.

With this, I can see the big lines of the plot that’s currently still left: protect Briggs, go after Father, and in the meantime provide adequate background for all of the important characters. Sounds promising!
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Cross Game – 38

by psgels, posted in Cross Game



This is a question for my Japanese readers, but it’s something I’ve been wondering for ages: is it customary for Japanese High Schools to plant at least one sakura tree near the entrance or something? Or is this just one really big stereotype that you only see in anime? Seriously though, I can hardly recall any high school in anime that doesn’t have those pink petals flying around when spring hits..

Setting that aside though, the past episodes of Cross Game have been nothing but goodness. This episode yet again had a wonderful slice of life feeling to it, as the new school year starts and Kou has finally moved into his final year of high school. Oh, I wish that the upcoming baseball tournament would never come.

This episode was all about Kou dating Akane, and Azuma hanging out with Aoba. It’s quite charming in the way that this series develops its love triangles: it’s done with the same subtlety as ever. And I’m someone who usually hates love triangles with passion. In Cross Game, they’re nowhere near as whiny nor do they have any intention to take over the series and destroy its real focuses. In this series, it’s very refreshing to see that potential couples don’t immediately get incredibly angsty once their loved ones are hanging out with another member of the opposite sex.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

White Album – 25

by psgels, posted in White Album



Okay, so it indeed doesn’t look like this series is going for a School Days ending, but at this point, I honestly don’t care anymore. This episode was so emotionally moving, and the second season of White Album has just gotten better with every passing episode. At this point, I’m even sad that there’s only one episode left. I want more, dammit.

The dialogue in this episode was exceptionally well written. The way it carefully wrapped up, developed and progressed all of the different storylines in this series was really well done. Rina seems to have just lost her voice, but I really liked the subtlety with which she ended up dealing with it. In fact, the frail Yuki overreacted more than she did.

In the meantime, this episode also wrapped up Yayoi’s story, surprisingly. It had it coming, because she has been screwing and kissing Touya surprisingly little lately, and I really applaud the creators for letting it resolve itself very slowly, rather than just devoting an entire arc to her and wrap up everything that is about her in that arc.

I’m also really surprised at how much extra depth Mana and Menou’s mother has gotten through the past few episodes. She really seemed like your average uncaring mother, but the final quarter of this series made her a much more important character. Seriously though, at this pace White Album is well on its way to bombard itself into my top 3 favourite hentai game adaptations, along with Air and True Tears. The first season indeed drove me insane with the way it so annoyingly screwed up its potential, but for some reason the new director (yeah, apparently the first and second season have different directors) really changed the way this series worked, and instead of going for the cheap drama shots that the first season was full off, he continued the story with much more natural plot twists and developments.

Really, I think that if the director of the first season would have handled the second one as well, we indeed would have gotten this School Days ending. Under his guidance, everything probably would have gone to hell by now. I think that that’s also really nicely symbolized by that episode in which Touya buys himself his answering machine: it’s the new director’s way of saying: let’s develop the characters through their interactions, instead of these cheap plot twists.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Armed Librarians – The Book of Bantorra – 12

by psgels, posted in Armed Librarians - The Book of Bantorra



Just when you’d think that this show couldn’t get any better: Hamy’s background. Holy crap, the first time we see her she’s totally not what you’d expect of her.

This really was an episode well spent, as it shows how Hamyuts met Barori, joined the Armed Librarians and quickly grew to become one of their top members. You can really see her gradually become that homicidal maniac that we’ve all come to know in the rest of the series. I think the most interesting part is where the young Hamy says to Barori that if he’s able to kill her, the world will be saved. Also how the current Hamy is constantly looking to be killed, as if she wants to be stopped, it really seems like she is this series’ mega-bomb that can destroy the world. Now the question remains: if she knows this, if she knows this, then why doesn’t she just commit suicide? Does she simply see her destiny as a game or something?

It’s also interesting to see Volken back again, but this time as a little kid. His shadow really lurks over this series ever since he left. And if Hamy is really this series’ antagonist, you could actually consider him to be the protagonist. Just a protagonist who has very, very, very little airtime when compared to other protagonists.

I’m also glad that the romance in this show is for once mature, instead of those silly teenaged romances that never really seem to get anywhere.Yet another thing about this series that’s refreshing.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Darker than Black – Ryuusei no Gemini – 11

by psgels, posted in Darker than Black - Ryuusei no Gemini



An excellent build-up for that final episode. My big worry right now is the pacing, because there is A LOT that still needs to be revealed. On top of that, the story needs to reach its conclusion, the themes have to be wrapped up, as well as the ton of side-plots that were going on. Oh, I really hope that the creators are going to be able to pull this off. I won’t mind a few questions left open, but I will mind it if the creators end up rushing though the ending.

And yeah, I was wrong: Suou is the only copy alive at this point: the original doctor survived and instead had a clone of his killed. In the meantime, the real doctor dies in this episode. From a shot in his leg. Seriously, I think that this is the first time in anime in which a character dies from such a minor injury, although it does make sense: he was treated poorly and ended up bleeding to death. Though it gets a bit hard to believe amongst anime where characters survive multiple gunshots without being treated for days in some cases. 😛

There’s just one thing… how did the golem guy survive? His fight against Suou doesn’t really make any sense: he was shot in the eye before and he was just fine, and then he gets shot in his forehead, where the impact is apparently strong enough to cause a flesh-wound and knock him unconscious, but nothing more…

I also finally remembered to keep watching after the ED, and those were some major scenes this time: Mao is the blond woman’s former lover? Heh.
Rating: ** (Excellent)

Glass no Usagi Review – 72,5/100

by psgels, posted in Anime Reviews



Despite being produced only four years ago, the Glass Rabbit is a movie that completely flew past the radar for some reason. Now that I finally managed to find it and check it out (in raw, I didn’t manage to find a subbed version) then yeah, I have to say that it’s pretty mediocre for a WWII-movie. If you’re interested in the themes of the Second World War portrayed, go for the ones that were produced in the eighties and nineties.

And sure, the movie is solidly told. I’d have no problem with it if it wasn’t such a complete rip-off of Ushiro no Shoumen Daare. Events and characters are rearranged a bit, and I guess that the protagonist is a bit older, but apart from that, it’s the exact same formula, but without the personality, charms, animation or themes other than “war is bad”. Any part in this movie that doesn’t come from Ushiro no Shoumen Daare has been taken from another movie, like Barefoot Gen or Chocchan’s Story. It never really shows something of its own. The only really original parts that I managed to find was the ending, at which all of the characters come together and spoon-feed the movie’s cheesy morals about how war is bad, like those cheap saturday-morning cartoons. There’s a reason why all the other WWII-movies didn’t do that!

Of course, I’m not blaming the person who this series is based on I’m sure that she went through hell, and I have a lot of respect for her for that. However, my criticism go to the creators of the anime: what was the point they wanted to make by creating this movie, more than ten years after Ushiro no Shoumen Daare was created? It couldn’t be to give this classic story a coat of modern graphics, because it actually looks much worse. The budget is clearly limited, and for some reason the animators tried to recreate the character-designs and art styles of the early nineties.

Of course, if you haven’t seen Ushiro no Shoumen Daare, this is a very serviceable movie that will keep you interested. However, it simply is inferior to the movie that it tries to rip off: the lead character is a bit too one-sided: she’s constantly made out as a strong girl and there’s just too little variety in her character, not to mention the incredibly stereotypical way in which the Americans are portrayed here. Some of the slice of life moments are nicely done, though.

Storytelling: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Production-Values: 7/10
Setting: 7/10