September Summary

Why did so little anime change their OP or ED after their first half ended? For as far as I know, only xxxHolic showed us a new ED after episode 14. I like it when a series does this. It symbolizes change. Anyway, now that that random comment is out of the way, here’s once again the summary of the past month. I still can’t seem to come up with good names for these things.

+ Top 11 Series With Just One Episode Released +
This month, there were quite a few great series without any episodes at all. Eureka7 and Tsubasa Chronicle, for example. But many others met this same fate, unfortunately. It’s such a darn shame. I’m hoping for fansub groups to pick them up again. They’re too good to be ignored.

11: Naikaku Kenryoku Hanzai Kyousei Toshimarikan Zaizen Jotaro

I’m surprised that they even let this show air. ^^;

10: Sky Girls

So, it appeared that there’s only one episode of this OVA. If that’s the case, why is it listed to air in 2007 according to Moonphase? In any case, the show remains garbage. Stay away from this one.

9: Kamisama Kazoku

The subs are coming in kindof slow. This month’s episode had some good moments, though I’ve got two problems with it. The dating scenes were just horribly annoying and we all know that Tenko will end up staying. I mean, isn’t it obvious?

8: Black Blood Brothers

The quick first impression of this series will arrive soon. As soon as another new series gets released. ^^; Let’s just say that this anime has a lot of flaws which made me drop this show.

7: Utawarerumono

Hakuoro’s monster design really works anticlimactic. Even though there is a good reason behind his actions, things don’t fit right in my opinion. Also, Eruru screaming on Aruru didn’t really work as a dramatic moment. More as a comedic moment. I’m still stuck at episode 22 with this show. Simply because I don’t really trust Your Mom anymore. I’m going to wait for Yesy.

6: Witchblade

This month’s episode was rather boring. Still, I can’t deny that this horribly bad show has one or two good points.

5: Flag

Better than the previous episodes, though there still isn’t much happening.

4: Kemononozume

Like FLAG, episode 3 was better than episode two. But I still feel that this series is missing something. Ah well, perhaps the ten remaining episodes can fix this. I’m still having strong hopes for this series.

3: Hanoka

Cute as ever, and surprisingly touching. I also love the fact that the creators aren’t afraid to just show 3-minute episodes. It’s just another way to tell a story, and in some cases, like here, it works great.

2: Gintama

Whoa, I never thought that I’d see this one back again. Thankfully, Baka Neko released another sub, and I’m getting more and more impressed with this series. I like the way it combines comedy with action and drama, and the countless references and word games also were a very nice touch.

1: Mushishi

Mushishi continues to dominate the Top 10 of Series with Just One Episode Released. But what do you expect, with such a great series? One more episode to go and it’s over, unfortunately. It’s kindof sad to see it go.

+ Top 23 Series With More Than One Episode Released +
The overall quality of the episodes has been exceptionally high this month. Most of the bad shows suddenly showed some interesting good points, and the good shows only turned even better than they already were. I’m very glad with this, after all, I had a great time watching them. ^_^

23: Bleach

Still, Bleach contains as much garbage as ever. Exactly how long is this horrible filler-arc going to continue?

22: Naruto

The last filler arc ended in a decent way. Nothing good, but nothing bad. Still, I should NOT have watched the recap episode.

21: Binbou Shimai Monogatari

Episode 10 was the best of Binbou Shimai Monogatari. It was quite touching. Overall, it’s been a nice series, but certainly nothing memorable happened.

20: Blood+

In my opinion, the last two episodes really ruined this anime. The fact that Saya was weak and she couldn’t regenerate as fast as she used to was extremely emphasized in the preceding episodes. What happens when Saya and Diva finally battle against each other? You see nothing of this back. Saya is even stronger than she ever was. (Remember her previous fight with Diva? Same with Haji. How did he suddenly get strong enough to beat someone like Amshel?) Also, why did Diva die, and Saya live? Both swords were drenched in blood.

19: Angel’s Feather

No idea what to think about this anime. I quite like the huge drama, though at times, the characters go a bit too far in their passions. ^^;

18: Himawari

Yes, I’ve decided to pick up this show again. Why? Because of the ultra-cool-badass promo of its second season. Seriously, what are the creators planning to do with this? In any case, the series indeed isn’t that bad. It actually has some very interesting points. It just has a horrible first episode. I’ve seen up till episode 5 now, and they were fairly amusing, and I laughed at quite a few moments. I actually somewhat enjoyed them. As there doesn’t seem to be any progress in the subs, I think I’m going to end up watching the rest of this series raw.

17: Ouran High School Host Club

This has been the best month for Ouran. Episode 23 became my favourite episode of this show. The fangirling was just hilarious to see. Still, the way it ended couldn’t have been more predictable. I liked Kyouya’s ending, but Haruhi’s jealousy SO had it coming.

16: Sci-Fi Harry

A quick first impression will arrive as soon as another anime gets released (same with Black Blood Brothers). This anime is quite good. Emotions are already rising high and we’ve only seen four episodes. Still, I do get bothered by the facial expressions of both Harry and Catherine, and this also is one of those series in which the side-characters are so more interesting than the main ones.

15: NHK ni Youkoso

Finally. After waiting for so long. At the end of the twelfth episode, I finally saw something I really liked. This series also gets enjoyable when the topic either becomes “conspiracy” or when the characters are in random moods. However, when Satou interacts or thinks about other women, this show really gets annoying.

14: .Hack//Roots

Episodes 23 and 24 have been better than we’ve gotten used to. I do hope that the creators know what they’re doing in the final episodes.

13: Night Head Genesis

Not as good as last month. Still, whenever characters get emotional, this show definitely is worth it. I’m not sure whether the main plot will be a success, though.

12: Chevalier

Chevalier can turn into a very promising series. I like the way that on first look, the character art looks rather low-budget, but when the action scenes start, the graphics look amazing. The plot also looks very promising, after only 3 episodes it managed to do what other series only can do in double the time, but I especially like how much thought has been put in the dialogue and the events.

11: Power Puff Girls Z

This show is surprisingly good. The original series often made the mistake of becoming too serious at times, but these problems were thankfully sorted out. By now, the only really bad point is the huge focus on cakes and sweets, though I’ve been getting less and less annoyed by it. I wonder how the creators were planning to do Him. He was quite evil in the original series.

10: Ayatsuri Sakon

The Byakko-arc was a very nice one. I also liked that this is a series in which you can find out what happened if you use your head.

9: Popolocrois 2003

With episode 14, the second part of this anime began. And if I have to believe the translator (Wyrdward), the next part is going to be SO incredibly good. I so hope he’s right.

8: Muteki Kanban Musume

Muteki Kanban Musume has just been getting better and better. It’s too bad it’s ended, though I feel it would have lost its touch if it continued with too many episodes. It’s definitely a successful comedy-anime. Each episode has me just cracking up on the utter stupidity. Especially the first half of the final episode was hilarious.

7: Ergo Proxy

The overall quality of Ergo Proxy hasn’t been as good as it used to be, though I definitely enjoyed myself while watching this. Especially the smile-episode was great.

6: Simoun

Simoun ended with a unique ending. There wasn’t any tension. It just dealt with one theme: life goes on. This month, the Chor Tempest broke up, and the members went different ways. Even though it’s not what I expected, it was a great way to end this series. Simoun was a great anime. It’s sad that it’s gone now.

5: xxxHolic

Episode 23 was amazing. Overall, xxxHolic has been as strong as, if not stronger than ever. It’s quite a shock that there’s only one episode left of this outstanding series.

4: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

After the horrible fifth arc, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni returns. Especially the second episode was awesome. Regarding the more recent episodes, it’s ironic that the TIPS were the best thing about them. Again, Higurashi fails to portray Rena in a way which makes me feel sorry for her. The parasites just looked way too fake.

3: Otogi Juushi Akazukin

Otogi Juushi Akazukin is one feast for the eyes from beginning to end. Every episode is just excellent and the characters are very interesting to see.

2: Saiunkoku Monogatari

Episodes 17 and 18 have been truly amazing. They really showed Shuurei’s amazing strength as character, they showed some very interesting political affairs and especially episode 17 and 18 were had very funny moments.

1: The Third

The Third is just amazing. It’s made a huge impression on me. The characters are so incredibly fleshed out, that no matter what they do, they end up being awesome.

+ Notable 2007 Anime +
Again, here is my list of ten announced anime, outside of the coming season. This time, I used Moonphase as my major source, which means that some shows are left without title, simply because I couldn’t understand the Kanji their names were written in. ^^;

Ketai Shoujo

Guess what? Another bishoujo. The plot isn’t known or translated yet, but it seems that even after the huge wave of bishoujo-harems that will be coming in the fall-season, there still is the need to release them. Woohoo.

Idol M@ster Xenoglossia

“The storyline is said to be completely different from that in the game. In the original game the player takes on the role of a producer who’s job is to groom a future idol singer. 10 teenage girls can be selected at the beginning and you can customize her appearance and train her in various mini games, which will improve five of her status features.” I seriously hope so that the creators decided to totally change the storyline. But there’s got to change a LOT in order to be able to fix this. If nothing happens, this’ll most definitely be a recipe for failure.

Rocket Girl

“A high school girl Morita Yukari visits Axia of the Solomon Islands in order to look for her father who became lost during his honeymoon trip. There, she meets a man named Nasuda of Solomon Space Agency, and she is hired to work part-time. That job is – an astronaut. She is chosen as one of the crews of the first Japanese manned spaceship only because she is little and light. Where is her future going to?” Another show which makes no sense at all. Are the guys from the space agency so desperate that they pluck any random girl off the streets? I’m suspecting that this will just be a nonsensical anime about getting three cute girls into space.

True Tears

You know, something’s telling me that this anime will try to be very, very, very, very sad. Too bad it looks way too much like any other one of those bishoujo-harems. Still, in the slight chance that this anime might actually become good, things can become quite interesting.

Winter Garden

Okay, here’s the deal. Remember that overly cute comedy called Digi Charat? I managed to see its first two episodes. Well, it’s supposed to get another season, but now all the cute characters have made way for serious characters, and it’s about to be turned into a serious drama. You’d wonder which part of all of this still makes it Digi Charat.

*somethingsomething* QTS

I don’t know exactly what it is, but it seems to be based on a fantasy-game. It’s full of bishoujo, but I can’t tell whether there’s an annoying male lead or not. In any case, we don’t see anything of him on the website, which could mean a good thing. Based on the characters, this could become an entertaining, light-hearted fantasy-anime.

Venus Versus Virus

Luchia is an exterminator of Virus, the demon that eats men’s souls. When the needle of Luchia’s brooch happens to stick a psychic girl Sumire, she obtains strange power to see demons. Since then, demons begin to attack Sumire as if they were attracted by her power. The art looks very appealing, even if it is doomed to be a shounen-series. But at least this series has a female as main character, which is always a good thing. Let’s hope this one won’t mess up, like so many others of its kind.

Bushilord

“In A.D. 2026, the “Berne/Verne” asteroid broke into countless pieces as it approached Earth’s orbit, causing a meteor shower the likes of which Earth had never before seen. The skies burned, the seas split, and half of the human population was burned to death in cities engulfed in flame. Dust and sand arose, covering the Earth along with the meteorites, robbing the Earth of the blessing of sunlight, which brought about a new Ice Age. Under these hopeless circumstances, those who narrowly escaped extinction continued fighting for the few inhabitable areas that remained, but there was no futures for mankind. Those were days of loveless, hopeless, and endless struggling. Today, it is not different from yesterday. Tomorrow, it is the same with today. — The same days will continue forever. The world had forgotten changes. Here, it grew tiring to see these grim battles every day. They buried themselves in days of continual unending love, hope, and even ambitions. However, in a corner of this new land called Kai Riku, born of the dried-up oceans in an area once called the continental shelf, I would meet HIM at a time when the frozen days were rekindling into a burning age. Still slumbering world, Neppu Kairiku Bushiload, here the roar of those who have awakened!!” This anime is going for the post-apocalyptic world. While I doubt that it’ll be too scientifically accurate, at least it seems that a lot of thought went into the character designs. The website didn’t show any quality pictures (that’s why I’m stuck with such a small image as heading, it was the largest I could find), the ones they did show looked pretty creative.

Les Miserables

Jean Valjean is released after 19 years in a quarry for stealing bread. He is hardened till he met a Bishop to stay for a night. Valjean changed and became the mayor after 9 years. Inspector Javert (Geoffrey Rush) recognises him and tries to reveal who he is. Fantine a factory worker is fired because she has a bastard child. As a result, Fantine became a prostitue and became sick. Valjean realised what happened to her and takes care of her. Inspect Javert finally manage to reveal Valjean for who he was. Fantine dies and give Valjean the authority to take care of her child, Cosette. Valjean escapes and finds the child and lived in a church for 10 years. Cosette (Claire Danes) now grown up goes to Paris with Valjean during a revolution. Cosette met a man, Marius and falls in love. Inspector Javert finally realises that Valjean was in Paris and tries to find him again.” Never realized how hard it was to find just a plain, one-paragraph summary about this book. I know it’s a crappy one, but all others I ran into go on for pages and pages. In any case, I’m looking forward to this one. I haven’t read the book, but if this turns out to be a success, it’ll be a good reason to turn other classics into anime, which can only be a good thing.

*somethingsomething* Coil

I’m actually pretty enthusiastic about this one. The website shows a very interesting concept, I think it’ll be about schoolgirls and some post-apocalyptic realm in which cities have been flooded and strange sea-monsters swim around. Apart from that, I know nothing about this anime. Even its title remains a mystery.

+ Top 5 Episodes +
5: Simoun – 24
Like I said in my entry, this was a very deep episode. It was awesome to see how each character said goodbye to their previous lives in a different way.

4: Saiunkoku Monogatari – 18
A brilliant episode, combining comedy with very strong dialogue. More anime should take Saiunkoku as an example. Definitely.

3: xxxHolic – 23
Such a sad episode. Especially when you realize that Watanuki did all on his own choice. He knew what was going to happen, and he still came. Definitely worth the watch.

2: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni – 23
The incredibly mature way in which Keiichi, Mion and the others accepted Rena, and the things she did was astonishing. This is another one of Higurashi’s highlights.

1: The Third
This is what happens when creators start playing with the characters you love. Seriously, even though it had predictable elements, this episode was just so incredibly awesome.