Okay...

Apparently the time system for this blog is a bit messed up. I'm used to it being off by several hours, but for my last post it listed a time that was over twenty-four hours too early. Maybe it listed the post time as the time I saved the draft or something (I started working on the post on Dec 30, even though I actually posted on the 31st).

Anyone know a way to deal with this issue to avoid future problems, or is this something I'm just going to have to deal with?

Marathon Report/Review: School Rumble

Key cast members from School Rumble,
along with a few secondary characters.

Okay, I'm labelling this one as a review as well as a Marathon report, because in some ways this ended up as being as much a discussion of one of my favorite series as a report on an anime marathon...

Harima Kenji is a notorious deliquent who is in love with his classmate Tsukamoto Tenma, but can't ever seem to get her to notice, no matter what lengths he goes to. Tenma Tsukamoto is a clumsy and ditzy girl with a crush on her classmate Karasuma, but can't ever seem to get him to notice, no matter what lengths she goes to. Karasuma... is more then a little strange, and seems to like curry more then anything else. Throw in a diverse mix of supporting characters, including Tenma's mind-reading younger sister Yakumo and the somewhat snobby Eri Sawachika (who finds herself falling for Harima after several dramatic misunderstanding between them), and let the fun begin, because School Rumble is one of the greatest comedy animes I've ever had the pleasure of seeing, and stood up very well to having it's entire twenty six episode first season screened in a single day.

School Rumble is a high school comedy anime, but its not like most other high school comedy animes, and because of this it manages to rise far above most of the rest of the pack. Combining the fast pacing and outrageous humour needed to make a show a laugh riot with enough characterisation and story to keep it from being just a string of gags, School Rumble manages to remain fresh far longer then most of the competition, and somehow captures the insanity of the adolescent experience in a way that no other show I've seen has ever managed to do. I've heard that many high school comedy animes are actually aimed at middle schoolers, but this one strikes me as one that many people who are in high school or even past it can enjoy. Certainly myself and the other three university students I watched the show with seemed to like it.

The artwork in School Rumble isn't as technically impressive as that of some other series, but it gets the job done and fits the show well, which I think is more important in many ways than whether its can win animation awards or not. There's a reason I like the artwork in this series a lot, but wasn't overly fond of the supposedly superior animation in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimaya.

It's a testament to School Rumble's entertainment value that the show's first season can be watched in its entirety in one day without making the audience seriously want to quit. Despite this, I actually don't think that marathoning is the best way for a newcomer to see this series. While School Rumble is far less repetitive then some other comedies like Love Hina, it does have some repeating gags, and some of the jokes can become a bit predictable if one watches the episodes too close together. For example, there's one gag that shows up twice in the series, once early on and once near the end. People from the anime club my brother first watched the show with (at the rate of about two episodes a week) were fooled by it. However, one of my friends who had never seen SR prior to the marathon (during which she saw the whole first season in one day) saw the joke coming. So while it's not the end of the world if you watch the series for the first time in one go, it may not be the best way to do so. Hold the marathoning for some time when you feel like rewatching the show.

Second Thoughts... (AKA, reconsidering Slayers)

The super-clumsy Amelia. Is there some requirement
that you need to be cute to be a Sorceress in Slayers?

Wow, one episode can really alter your perception of a series, can't it? Yesterday, I thought Slayers was a pretty so-so series. Today... well, I'm not about to say that the series is totally great, since I haven't yet seen the other fifteen episodes, but Episode Eleven gave me hope that the series may be better then my impression of the first ten episodes suggested. Unlike some of its predecessors, Episode Eleven concentrates a lot on the comedy the series does so well and makes virtually no attempt at doing serious action (as a note, this doesn't mean there's no action in this episode -it just means that it's virtually all comedic in nature).

Prince Phil is about to deliver his 'Pacifist Crush.'

Also, it appears that we've been introduced to another one of the characters from the opening credits, in this case a clumsy girl named Amelia who fancies herself a friend of justice. Turn's out she's also the daughter of Prince Phil and a very talented Sorceress in training (which doesn't change the fact that she has a tendency to lose her balance). Her dad makes an appearance in this episode, and he's pretty funny as well. He seems to like to think of himself as a pacifist, but can really lay some smack down when he gets mad. Plus, he's a bit on the rough looking side. I doubt we'll be seeing a lot of him, seeing as how he's not featured in the series' opening credits, but for now he's a pretty nice addition to the show's cast.

Midpoint Impression: Slayers (First Season)

Okay, it may be a little early on to be saying that I'm doing a midpoint impression of the first season of Slayers, given that I've only seen ten of the twenty six episodes, but episode ten more or less wraps up the series' first story arc, so I figured it would be a good point to do my impression at.

The plot of Slayers is pretty simplistic. It's basically a fantasy parody. The main characters seem to be Lina Inverse, an adventuring sorceress with a childish figure and an incredible amount of power, and Gourry, a dumb as a rock swordsman who 'rescues' her from some bandits -and then starts making comments about how he wished she'd been a real babe and not some kid. Several other characters are shown in the opening credits for the show, but so far we haven't met very many of them. Of the ones we have, the stone skinned Zelgadis is amongst the most prominent, and fulfils the 'dark brooding character' role that neither Lina nor Gourry is very well suited for.

Gourry: more brawn then brains.

Lina can be so cute when she's about to torch someone...

As you can imagine, a show like this has quite a bit of comedic potential, and there are certainly some very humorous moments (like the aforementioned first meeting between Lina and Gourry). Unfortunately, the show also has quite a bit of semi-serious stuff that can kind of drag it down a bit (it's not really good enough with the action for its fight scenes to be all that exciting), so while it's not really all that bad, it's not really all that great either. I'm going to wait and see how the rest of the series goes (after all, I just finished the first story arc), but at this point it's not much of a challenge to my current favourites. It's amusing enough to keep watching, but so far it hasn't had me raving very much.

Just one further note on Slayers: if it seems like it's not all that well animated, that's probably due in part to the fact that it was released back around 1995. I'm not sure its artwork was considered all that good even back then, but the fact that so many of the newer animes out there look so slick can't really help things.

Tabby's Top Picks

Most anime fans have a few favourite series. I'm no exception. I've only really been much of an anime fan for a little over a year now, but in that time I've watched a pretty significant number of shows, and had time to develop some a list of favourites. Running the gamut from the comedic shows like All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku to the serious Starship Operators, these are some of my top anime picks.

The Top Five (In Alphabetical Order)

These are shows that I have a particular liking for. Of course, my taste is highly subjective, so these shows aren't necessarily a lot better then some of the ones that didn't make the list, but I still think that all of them have merit.

All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku (Original OVA)

Ever imagined what would happen if you had a child custody battle (in the most literal sense of the term) between a loopy scientist and a megalomaniac CEO? Ever wondered what would happen if the scientist took off with a prototype android he was working on? Ever wondered what would happen if he decided to save the life of a cat that got caught in the crossfire by transplanting it's brain into the android’s frame?

Probably not. But those questions should give you some idea what to expect from the plot of All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, at least for the first half of the series. I probably give this six episode OVA more credit then it deserves, (being one of my early favourites, it’s kind of special to me) but nevertheless this show is very funny, and can be quite touching despite it's subject matter. The show's artwork isn't the most spectacular thing ever, but it suits the series pretty well. Just make sure you get the right version of this show -it has two spin-offs, Nuku Nuku TV and Nuku Nuku Dash!, both of which are very, very different from their progenitor and neither of which can match up to it (especially Nuku Nuku TV, which is one of the worst animes I've ever had the displeasure of watching).

Blood+

This series tells the story of Saya, a girl who can't remember anything from more then a year ago. She lives quietly with her new foster family on Okinawa, but the tranquillity of her relatively ordinary existence is shattered when her past comes back to haunt her. It seems that Saya is the only person in the world whose blood can kill a Chiropteran, a type of monster that feeds on humans, and thus she is the trump card of Red Shield, a secretive organisation that intends to wipe out the Chiroptera and which has been watching over Saya for a long time. But things are more complicated then they initially appear, and Saya soon finds that she herself may be quite closely linked to the monsters she's fighting...

Blood+ isn't the longest series I've ever watched in terms of episode count (Monster is longer), but at fifty episodes long, it's pretty darn close. Thankfully, it makes good use of its length. The show has a bit of a fall shortly after it's midpoint, but thankfully by that point it's reached such heights that it can afford a bit of a drop. Featuring great writing and excellent production values (I wouldn't be surprised if this show's budget was big enough to have made several lesser shows out of) this show is definitely not your average anime series. Just be warned that while it is generally pretty leisurely paced, when it does get into action sequences it has a bit of a tendency to live up to its title.

Full Metal Panic! (Season One)

Sometimes light heartedly comedic and sometimes deadly serious, this story of a socially inept teenage mercenary who is assigned to go undercover to protect a short tempered school girl (without her permission) was one of the first somewhat serious animes I ever got into. Very well executed, with a great cast of characters, this show is likely to be the subject of my next 'Spotlight On' post.

School Rumble (Season One)

"It's so over the top it borders on being a parody of the entire adolescent experience."

That was about how one of my friends described School Rumble, and it does a good job of explaining why this series is so good. While there are many high school comedy animes out there, School Rumble stands out from the crowd through sheer, hilarious insanity. Simply put, it's a total laugh riot. Also, it features some characters which are quite unique for it's genre, such as male lead Harima Kenji, a notorious delinquent who is head over heels in love with one of his classmates (but can't ever seem to get her to notice) and Eri Sawachika, a wealthy half-Japanese, half-European girl who quickly becomes a lot more then just the requisite 'rich snob' character.

Starship Operators

This shows got some serious flaws, and it's not to all tastes, but because of what it does do well, it's still great (at least in my opinion). There's a reason it was the subject of my first 'Spotlight On' post.

Other Good Shows (Also in Alphabetical Order)

Of course, there's a lot more then five good shows out there, and its not like I'm dead certain of all my choices. Therefore, it makes sense to give credit to some of the other good shows that are out there.

Ah! My Goddess Sorezore No Tsubasa (Season Two)

I already covered with this one in a previous post. A very good show, despite some weak episodes near the end. Unfortunately, it's the sequel to a first season which had some issues (a very slow start comes to mind).

Cowboy Bebop

Okay folks, I have some Good News and some Bad News. The Bad News: despite what others may say, Cowboy Bebop isn't God's Gift to Anime Fans. The Good News: Despite that, this sci-fi story about down on their luck bounty hunters in the year 2071 is still pretty darn good. Drawing on many different genres for inspiration, viewers can expect something different each episode. The downside of this of course is that the show doesn't exactly have a ton of continuity (though there is some).

Love Hina

I’m not generally a big fan of harem shows. This story of a down on his luck university hopeful who is asked to become the manager of his grandmother’s all girl’s dormitory is hilarious though. Sure the humour is repetitive, and the show isn’t exactly very deep (it’s rather episodic in nature), but when it comes to being amusing, it has a good record of delivering the goods, despite a few dud episodes. Just make sure you steer clear of the Love Hina Again OVAs that were made as a sequel –they suck.

Monster

Monster is incredible. Seventy-four episodes long, with a vast cast of characters and a very complex story, this well written thriller certainly left me very impressed. The plot, in simple terms, involves a Japanese neurosurgeon in Germany who saves a young boy and later finds out that the boy is a psychopath. Hunted by the police (who think he's the one responsible for the murders) he sets out to track down the now grown up boy. Add to that a huge number of characters and subplots, as well as a number of plot twists, and you've got quite a ride ahead of you. Just don't watch too many episodes at once, or you may lose interest despite how interesting the show can be. I recommend a pace of about six episodes a week.

School Rumble Nigakki (Season Two)

The sequel to the aforementioned School Rumble. It has some weak spots near the end when it moves into filler material (apparently the people who did the show didn't want to adapt the manga's Kyoto arc quite yet...) but it certainly has it's moments. People who are fans of the first season should definitely check it out.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimaya

Ok, I think this show is massively overrated, but I also have to admit that it’s not completely without merit either (it did, after all, make it onto this list). The basic plot... well, Kyon, a relatively normal guy, goes to school with Haruhi, a super-eccentric girl who is actually God but doesn't know it. He inadvertently gives her the idea of starting her own club, and is soon dragged into it, along with a data alien, an esper, and a time traveller, all of whom were summoned by Haruhi's will and all of which disguise themselves as (somewhat) ordinary humans. And don’t tell Haruhi about their true nature. The big problem with all this: Haruhi must be kept from becoming bored, or she might decide to remake the world. Yeah, it’s a little weird (scratch that, a lot weird) but it’s got a certain charm to it as well.

Spotlight On: Starship Operators

This is the first of my ‘Spotlight On’ posts, in which I will give special attention to series I consider especially good. In this case, the series is the massively under-acclaimed Starship Operators, which is one of my top favourite animes.

The Amaterasu: one formidable warship.

Like all my favourite animes, Starship Operators (SSO) is what can be considered a flawed masterpiece. It’s not quite perfect, and in fact some of its flaws are pretty significant (like the super clunky first episode), but somehow it still manages to be great, at least in my eyes.

Before the Storm: Left in the dark by their superiors,
the cadets hold a discussion in the Amaterasu's mess hall...

The plot of Starship Operators is as follows: The 72nd Class of Cadets from Planet Kibi’s Defence University are on a pre-graduation practicum aboard the new, state of the art battleship Amaterasu. Shortly before they’re due to return, they get news that their home planet was attacked by an expansionist power (the Henrietta Alliance of Planetary Nations, derogatorily know as ‘The Kingdom’), and that their government has probably capitulated. While they’re kept largely out of the loop, the cadets deduce from what’s going on around them that the Amaterasu has been ordered to stand down. One of the more hot-blooded cadets is unhappy about this and wants to commandeer the Amaterasu, but is shot down due to the fact that the Amaterasu can’t fight for long without resupply. This doesn’t mean leveller heads have prevailed however. See, when the Kingdom conquers a planet, they cancel all contracts for military hardware, thus the Amaterasu’s ownership will revert back to its manufacturer, AGI. The intent of such a policy is to allow the Kingdom to expand its military by buying hardware at firesale prices, but technically, anyone can buy the Amaterasu –including the cadets. They just need the funds to do so. Thus, in order to buy the Amaterasu and the supplies that will be needed to maintain it, the cadets make a deal with a TV network called the Galaxy Network: they get the funds they need, and in exchange the Galaxy Network gets exclusive rights to the action.

This deadly Stealth Ship is one of the many threats the cadets
must determine how to counter in the course of the series...

At this point I’d like to take a moment to point out the fact that Starship Operators is not, for the most part, a comedy show. It has its occasional humorous moments, but for the most part it’s a very serious show, with a significant amount of politics and a heavy emphasis on tactics. Space battles in SSO are not ‘seat of your pants’ affairs, they involve strategizing and counter-strategizing. Oh, and as a note, the plan to buy the Amaterasu and use it in a rebellion is neither as simplistic nor as spontaneous as it may first appear to be…

This is only part of SSO's massive cast. This shot doesn't
even cover all the girls, never mind any of the guys...

Starship Operators has a very large cast, which is both a strength and a weakness of the show. Most of the characters are likeable, but are somewhat stereotypical, and while the series does a good job at using little things to drop hints about these characters… let’s face it, when you have fifteen plus characters and thirteen tightly focused episodes, some characters are going to be a bit neglected. Thankfully, the neglected group does not include Sinon Kouzuki, SSO’s series lead and one of the best things the show has going for it.

Sinon Kouzuki: Reluctant tactical genius.

Just as Starship Operators is not your typical, seat of your pants type of sci-fi action flick, Sinon isn’t your typical sci-fi heroine. Quietly reserved, but not emotionless (despite what some reviewers might have you believe), this intelligent beauty apparently joined the Defence University more for the opportunities it would provide then out of any desire to serve her planet in a war. Much more level-headed then most of her fellow cadets, she’s sceptical of her comrades’ plan to use the Amaterasu to fight the Kingdom, but gets caught up in the whirl of events and eventually finds her own cause to fight for: namely, keeping as many of her fellow cadets alive as possible, a goal she pursues with a combination of quiet determination and formidable intelligence. While she’s only the ship’s Deputy Captain (a position which seems to be somewhat akin to First Officer), it’s no exaggeration to say that the Amaterasu would have been blown to pieces several times over without her battle strategies.

Sinon's astronomer friend Miyuri. Who says cute and
geeky can't mix?
Thankfully, Cisca seems a little more competent later in
the series then he does in the first two episodes.

Other notable characters in SSO include Miyuri, Sinon’s cute, cheerful, and geeky best friend, Rio, the niece of the former Prime Minister the Amaterasu ends up taking aboard and a key player in the ship’s affairs, and Cisca, the cadet who is appointed as the Amaterasu’s Captain, and whom eventually proves to be a capable commander despite his initial tendency to crack under pressure (something that I feel was a little overdone early in the series). Interestingly enough, despite his higher rank, it actually seems like he’s part of a support network for Sinon rather then the other way around –his taking on the duties of Captain allows her to take on the ‘detached observer’ perspective she needs to properly analyse situations and formulate countermeasures.

A look at the inside of the Galaxy Network studio.

Of course, no description of Starship Operators would be complete without a discussion of its Reality TV aspect. This aspect of the show is more prominent during the first and last sets of episodes then it is during the middle set, but is present throughout the show, and plays a significant role, especially during Episode Three and the finale arc. This also means that the Galaxy Network characters –Dita Mirkob and Peter Spikes- have an important role to play in the show, and they prove to be more complex characters then their initial roles as ‘ditzy TV show host’ and ‘heartless bastard producer’ initially suggest. The reality TV aspect of the show also provides a significant amount of the show’s limited amount of humour, and is used to justify the rather unbalanced distribution of positions on the ship (most of the operators on the Amaterasu’s three bridges are attractive female cadets), though the fact that most of the characters seem to be competent at their assigned tasks suggests that the cadets did have some input.

The use of CGI for technical readouts leads to some slick visuals.

A fire control readout.

Production values in Starship Operators are somewhat inconsistent, (the animation often seems to be a little raw, and there's a few bits near the middle which look particularly bad) but when the series' visuals are their best, they work pretty well. Especially notable are the CGI technical displays on the Amaterasu’s bridge, which are very slick looking and look quite good when used as a background for the animated characters.

By Starship Operators standards, this is pretty fan-servicey.

Another commendable trait of Starship Operators is that it’s relatively low on fan service. Sure, the uniforms worn by the female cadets are tight fitting and include short skirts, but those tight fitting uniforms are about the only form of fan service the show has. There aren’t even any of the panty shots anime is infamous for, something I find quite noteworthy in a series that has a large number of girls wearing short skirts in low gravity environments (though I’ve got the impression that the SSO girls wear more then just panties under the skirts of their uniforms, a move which makes a heck of a lot of sense given the environment they work in).

The Amaterasu fires her main cannon.

Overall then, Starship Operators is an excellent show for those looking for good tactics and better then average realism (though people with solid scientific backgrounds can still shred this show without mercy if they wish to). It’s complex enough to take an active effort to follow, but can be quite rewarding for those who are willing to put that effort in. The first few episodes are rather weak, but once the show gets good, it get really good, and it’s concise thirteen episode length gives this show a tight focus that many others lack. Sure, it may have problems with things like it’s cast size, (hint: the character profiles on the DVD site aren’t great, but they’re useful until you get a grasp on who’s who) but overall, SSO is still a masterpiece, and deserves much more praise then it’s been given. Just make sure you watch it with subtitles, because the English dub really messes things up.

SSO's excellent finale episode wraps things up in a
manner that is well suited to this unique series.

Ah! My Goddess Season Two

Every so often, there comes a series that really surprises me with how good it is. During recent anime club screenings, it was Yakitate Japan (a show involving, believe it or not, competitive bread making). During viewing on my own time, it's proved to be Ah! My Goddess: Sorezore no Tsubasa/Everyone Has Wings/Season Two, the sequel to the decent but rather flawed first season of the Ah! My Goddess TV show. According to what I've read, some people don't like the Second Season as much because it strays farther from the manga then the relatively faithful First Season, but as someone with limited (re: virtually non-existent) familiarity with the manga, I really enjoyed Sorezore no Tsubasa. Sure it had some weak spots near the end, but it's energetic and amusing, and the excellent production values that grace much of it's run (though unfortunately not all of it) don't hurt.

Since Sorezore no Tsubasa is a continuation of the first season, my plot synopsis is going to concentrate more on the early events in the First Season then those in the Second. After all, it's not like there's one overarching arc that takes the whole part of Season Two.

Belldandy emerges from Keiichi's mirror.

Keichi's reaction is about what you'd expect from someone who
suddenly saw a beautiful woman emerge from his mirror...

So, the plot of Ah! My Goddess is as follows (I know some of you may already know the plot, but bear with me, okay?): Keiichi Morisato is a dorm-dwelling student at the Nekomi Institute of Technology. He's a really, really nice guy, but he has really, really bad luck. Because his worthiness and his luck are out of balance, some higher power decides to give him a break, and when he tries to make a phone call he ends up connecting to the Goddess Assistance Agency, which dispatches a Goddess named Belldandy to grant him one wish (and one wish only). Of course, he suspects the appearance of a beautiful goddess in his room (she comes out of his mirror!) may be a joke being played on him by his Sempais (older students, for those of you who aren't familiar with the term) and, without fully thinking things through, wishes for a Goddess like her to be with him forever. Well, his wish is granted, the 'Ultimate Force' is put into effect enforcing it, and Keiichi is quickly kicked out of the males-only dorm he resides in. Thankfully Keiichi and Belldandy manage to find alternative accommodations and seem to get along quite well, though the development of the relationship that is kindled between them progresses rather slowly.

Belldandy's ultra-possessive little sister, Skuld.

At that point, the series could have turned rather stagnant had some wild cards not been introduced in a (somewhat) timely fashion. Foremost among these are Belldandy's sisters: her sexy elder half-sister Urd, who fancies herself a Goddess of Love and tries to meddle in Belldandy and Keiichi's relationship (generally by trying to get the shy Keiichi to approach Belldandy more aggressively) and her bratty younger sister Skuld, a genius inventor who is adamant that she's not going to let Keiichi steal her beloved 'onee-sama' (older sister) Belldandy from her. Naturally this puts her at odds with Urd, and it's rather amusing how they both threaten Keiichi in one particular Season One episode (damned if he does, damned if he doesn't).

Belldandy attempts to be bad...

...with somewhat lacklustre results.

Anyway, Season Two is just a continuation of Season One, but somehow it seems to work a fair bit better then its predecessor did. Notable moments in the new Season include Belldandy getting drunk on coke and granting wishes to everything in sight, Urd needing to seek the help of her mother Hild (the current ruler of Hell and the source of the demonic part of Urd’s half-divine, half-demonic heritage), and Belldandy –having been tricked into getting a Demon’s license- trying to protect Keiichi from harm by being bad (her idea of bad includes crossing the street against the light and reading a book at the bookstore without paying for it).

Urd, Belldandy's half-goddess, half-demon elder half sister and self styled
Goddess of Love. Am I the only one who's wondered how that outfit stays on?

One thing that hasn't changed from Season One however is the fact that Urd is still my favourite character. While in depth analysis can actually makes a good case that Belldandy is actually a reasonably complex character as well, you have to really think about it to see it in her case. Urd, by contrast, quite clearly has some depth to her, largely as a result of her half-divine, half-demonic parentage (puts a whole new perspective on the term 'dealing with your inner demon' doesn’t it?). On a more superficial level she's also more amusing then Belldandy due to the fact that she's easily bored and has a tendency towards being meddlesome. Her arrival in Season One gave the show a nice boost in energy.

Who knew Goddesses played bagpipes?

One other aspect of the series that deserves comment is the Opening Theme. Bagpipes and divinity are not generally associated with each other, but the OP for Season Two is a really beautiful piece of music, and its also got a nice set of images accompanying it. The only big issue I have with the new opening sequence is that it doesn’t feature enough Urd –we get a nice shot of her mother, Hild, but not much of Urd herself, which is kind of odd given that she’s one of the main characters.

Like mother, like daughter. Urd and her loving mother Hild. Don't let her
doting over her daughter fool you -Hild can be super scary when she wants to be.

Bottom line: Ah! My Goddess Season Two is not without its flaws, and if you’re familiar with the manga (and a stickler for literal adaptations) you might not be big on it. But if you’re like me and are not very familiar with the source material (or don't care very much if an adaptation takes some liberties), you might really like it. Too bad the First Season that proceeds it wasn’t a little better, huh?

Midpoint Impression: Shuffle!

Okay, since this is my second post on this blog, as well as the second post in which I'm going to mildly shaft a series, I'd just like to take a moment to say that I intend to say positive things on this blog as well (I do not intend for this to become a 'whine about things I don't like' blog). It's just that the first couple things I wanted to post about happened to have a bit of a negative bent.

That being out of the way, I am now going to give my impression of Shuffle!, which is based on the first ten or so episodes of the series

It's probably somewhat unfair of me to judge a series so early on like this, especially since at least one of my favorite series had a very weak start and my brother tells me that that Shuffle! is supposed to get a lot better later on. Nevertheless, what I've seen of the series so far doesn't leave me very impressed.

At it's heart, Shuffle! is a harem show, making it part of a genre that I have mixed feelings about. I don't have a very high impression of harem shows as a whole, but being a big Love Hina fan, I have to admit that there's the occasional one that can be pretty good. Unfortunately, there's a lot of mediocre and even downright bad harem shows out there (being a Love Hina fan, I'm going to point out the awful Love Hina Again OVAs as an example of how bad the genre can be). So far, Shuffle seems to fall firmly into the mediocre category.

The basic premise of Shuffle is thus: ten years ago, portals opened between Earth and two other worlds -the World of the Gods and the World of the Demons (just as a note, the terms 'god' and 'demon' should be used somewhat loosely with regards to this show, since the gods aren't really very divine and the demons aren't really very evil). This has led to an Earth that is shared between all three species. It also resulted in the Lords of both the gods and the demons making trips to Earth and somehow losing track of their daughters, who met up with a kind human boy. Now, years later, the two girls want to meet that boy again, and their fathers seem quite approving -not only do they let their daughters attend his school, but they expect him to choose one of the two and marry her (and in the process, become either a god or a demon himself). And of course, this being a harem show, there have to be a few other girls who have an interest in the boy as well. Among them his doting childhood friend, whom he's lived with since his parents were killed in an accident several years before.

The Lord of the Demons (Left) and the Lord of the Gods (Right).
They're definetly buddies and they don't behave the way you might expect.

Their daughters, Nerine and Sia. They're kind of cute, but that cuteness
alone isn't going to get them onto my list of favorite anime girls...

What all this results in, is a somewhat amusing, but not really all that great comedy show. Sure, there are some good laughs (the Lords of the gods and the demons are apparently friends, and their antics are not exactly what you'd expect from beings with their titles) but it failed to really hook me in. I can enjoy a romantic element in a series (I'm a big fan of the Sousuke/Kaname pairing in Full Metal Panic!, and the Eri/Harima pairing in School Rumble), but I'm not that into the complex mess of relationships in this anime, and I also feel that the series has too much in the way of cheap laughs and cheap fan service. It's not as bad as some shows are (at least judging by what I've seen of this one so far) but it's really not that great. Frankly, the first ten episodes may suffice if you're bored, low on stuff to watch, or a fan of harem shows. Otherwise, you don't need to get into a frenzy over this one.

Another guy voiced by the voice actor who played Kyon...

Also, does anyone think the guy who voiced Kyon (and voices the main character in this series) is starting to get a bit typecast?

Uggh... (AKA why Kanon 10 sucks)

Okay, I just watched Episode 10 of the Kanon remake last night, and I have to say it was rather painful.

For those of you who don't know much about the new Kanon, it's a difficult show to describe. It doesn't seem to have much desire to go anywhere, yet it is somehow strongly atmospheric. It has one guy meeting a bunch of seriously strange girls, but thus far it doesn't seem like much of a harem show. It is also, by my standards, very, very moe (sometimes painfully so), but that factor usually hasn't been overwhelmingly, and as such I've generally found the show to be enjoyable, though not earth-shatteringly so.

Up until now, that is.

For those of you who aren't following the show, the recent arc on the new Kanon (I've never seen the old one) focused heavily on Makoto, a weird girl who seemed to have memory problms and was actually a fox turned human. Due to the nature of the 'miracle' that allowed her to be human, however, she was fated to eventually disappear, and to lose human behavioural characteristics even before that. So Episode 10 basically follows the downwards spiral towards her inevitable disappearance. You might think the sadness of the story was what made it painful, but unfortunately it wasn't. The reason Episode 10 was painful wasn't because of its sad story. It was because of Makoto having for the most part lost her ability to speak like a human. Her tendency to say 'Auu~' was okay earlier in the series when she did it on occasion, but when it got to the point where that was virtually all she said, it was enough to make me groan. Repeatedly.

As with many other bad episodes of a series I've had some level of liking for, I did watch Kanon 10 in all it's groan inducing entirety. But I didn't enjoy it much (despite some excellent voice acting on the part of Yuuichi/Kyon rip-off's voice actor -he really sounded like he was choking up during the ending narration). Hopefully it's not a sign of what's to come for the series, because while I don't consider the new Kanon to be all that great, it hasn't been all that bad either, and it would be a shame if it became too cringe-worthy.

Oh, and welcome to my blog. It's just a free time project, not a really serious one, but I hope you enjoy it. I certainly intend to.