Callandor

Not late at all!

This time ordered by the scientifically proven method “how fast I watch them after they are recorded.”

Watching (keeping up with)

First up: Xam’d Lost Memories

Best show of the season imo. It’s available, legally and subtitled, on the Playstation Network, and the first 13 episodes were even available in the US before they aired in Japan (they have since been synchronized). They’re really trying to attract the US audience here: even the OP and ED are in English. The OP, by the way, is imo the best OP of the season.

It’s from Studio BONES (you can tell by the action lines and the design of the kid), the creators of Eureka Seven etc. It’s available in beautiful HD, and is drawn and animated crisply. Its music is good enough that I want the OST at least once per episode (but is overshadowed by Ga-Rei Zero’s OST, see below).

Storywise: Sentan Island is caught in the conflict between: the Northern Government, which uses monster-like humanforms; the Southern Government which has “ASP Suits” that use some sort of psychic connection, to fight the humanforms; the Tessicans who were ousted by the Northern Government and now wait for when they can retake their land; and Lady Sannova, the leader of the religion of Ruikonism, who sends out suicide bombers to spread seeds called Hiruko that turn people into Xam’ds, and tries to bring them together.

The biggest reason I like this one is because it is mature. It is not afraid to deal with terrorism, divorce, love, fanaticism, friendship, etc. It’s got my favorite type of romance. It’s got good character interaction, leading some to wish it was longer than 26 episodes just so we could see more of it. Haru is made of love, and Nakiami is my favorite. The kid mentioned above is annoying at first, but isn’t a main character. The real main character is stubborn and standoffish at first, but grows up. I really can’t wait to see how it ends.

Ga-Rei Zero

Set as a prequel to the Ga-Rei manga, it has a totally different tone: the anime is much darker (in most places). Also, the producers should win an award for best marketing/trolling of the year. I really can’t say anything past the end of episode one, because that would totally spoil the effect and atmosphere of the first two episodes. I will say that episode one forces you to watch episode two, two forces you to watch three, and three answers the “How will they recover from THAT” question and the tone gets a lot lighter until episode seven or so, when “ohfuck” moments come back in quantity.

The story’s about the Supernatural Disaster Prevention Agency, which — stunningly — takes care of supernatural things when they threaten Tokyo. The titular Ga-Reis are spirital beings (monsters) that the families of exorcists control and use in their job. It’s not really about that though, it’s about the interactions of the two main characters, and boy is it good. Take the question asked every episode seriously. It is violent (even with CENSORING BY DARKNESS in the TV broadcast), and heavy, and the mid-series break only makes the ending have that much more of an impact.

G-RZ gets an F- for the terribad CGI used, but the non-CGI is well animated and artful. It does gets an A++ for the music, which is amazing and used to intensive effect nearly every episode. I can’t recall the last anime that had me going “OST plz” half a dozen times per episode.

Also, moar Natsuki please.

Michiko & Hatchin

Michiko Malandro is a convict in a high-security Italian prison – for part of the first episode. Hatchin is an orphan in an abusive adopted family – for part of the first episode. This series is about Michiko’s quest to find her lover presumed dead, and her relationship with Hatchin. It’s got style, and some are calling it the spiritual successor to Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. Need I say more? (Shinichiro Watanabe is in fact on board on this one, but not as the series director).

Soul Eater

Soul Eater continues to be a shounen (used meaning DBZ, Bleach, etc) for non-shounen fans like me. Still, I’m not watching it very fast.

That’s it for what I’m actually watching this season. Now:

Dropped

Kurozuka

Immortal vampires and a time skip – usually things I like. But add rainbows, drug trips, and I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON, and a low-quality broadcast, and I dropped it after a few episodes.

Casshern SINS

A “reboot” of the Casshern franchise, lots of people are gushing over this one, with some reason: it has style, its art is a throwback to the 80s but has modern animation, it’s got fluid action and nice music, but I felt I had seen everything in the first few episodes before (I have not seen any other Casshern incarnation). Bring something new to the “everyone wants to kill the amnesiac robot that caused the apocalypse” table, will you? Plus, the annoying trite loli robot doesn’t go away, last I heard.

Tytania

Space epics from the creator of Legend of Galactic Heroes are supposed to be epics in space, not “rebel dude loses his wallet and farks around.” Also, bishiefest.

Shikabane Hime: Aka

Gainax misses: good music, but the Corpse Princess does not kick enough ass and her interaction with the main character doesn’t go anywhere fast enough.

Yozakura Quartet

Companies still broadcast in 4:3?? I didn’t really feel this one.

Wrapup

Allison & Lillia

I’m sorry I didn’t drop this at 6 — or 13. There are some cool shots, some nice music, and Allison is A+, but the action is horribad: it is not convincing, and it is even lame. I almost ragedropped this at 13, the transition to Lillia, but they saved themselves at the last minute. Still, Allison > Lillia, and Trieze never grows a goddamn pair of balls. My least favorite type of romance.

Next season (winter 08/09)

I’ll be checking out: Axis Powers Hetalia (personified countries in WWII), Kemono no Souja Erin (Production I.G. + the author of Moribito again), Kurokami (Shana, only the background stuff matters, and is being simultanously broadcast in Japan, Korea, and the US), Viper’s Creed (reminds me of Ghost in the Shell), and Kokaku no Regios (I don’t remember why I put this on my Plan to Watch, but I’m sure I had a reason).

Misc.

Kara no Kyoukai continues to be amazing, though I’m not sold on the out-of-order storytelling. At least the remaining three movies are in chronological order.. too bad the wait for movies 6 and 7 will be long.

I just kinda stopped Code Geass R2 at episode 9. Maybe I’ll finish it someday.

Chiko: Daughter of Twenty Faces: Sure would be nice if I could watch moar Chiko instead of moar Captain Harlock, Trapp Family​ Story​, and Galaxy Express 999, whatever those last two are. Also has some unconvincing action, but I want to finish it.

Moribito wallpapers? Anyone? Anyone?