I’ve taken a break from posting, but I’ve still been watching. August has been a fairly interesting month overall, with a nice mix of new anime and strong oldies.
Current Crop:
1. Kaleido Star 2nd season: Now that a new fansub group has started releasing the episodes quickly, KS has been totally owning me. With the return of Layla and now Yuri, things are really heating up between Sora, May, and that mofo Leon!
2. Full Metal Alchemist: I’m still amazed at how consistently good this series is. Kudos to Square-Enix for keeping the plot fresh and the animation kickin’.
3. 2×2=Shinobuden- The Nonsense Kunoichi Fiction : Nonsense certainly describes this series well, as it reminds me of Excel Saga in a good way. Madcap spoofs and hilarity, uber cute characters, and the voice of Chiyo-chichi(Azumanga)/Johnny(Guilty Gear X/XX) as Onsokumaru make this series pure gold. The fanservice is a little over the top, but is mostly played for laughs 
4. Sokyuu no Fafner: I seriously wasn’t expecting much from this series, but it’s been getting a bit better, though kind of angsty. I also wasn’t expecting the bodies to start piling up this early in the series either. Not recommended for the easily-depressed.
5. Samurai Champloo: This much-vaunted series is finally proving its worth. I’m starting to connect with the characters more, and they’re finally establishing some rapport with each other. With half of the series remaining, the creators could definitely turn this into a classic if they play their hands right.
Missing in Action (aka the ones I haven’t been keeping up with, but really want to)
1. Otogizoushi: Saw a bit of the first episode, and was blown away by how cool it looked. The style seems more Korean than Japanese, lending itself to a more serious and dramatic tone. Almost seems like it could have been a live-action wu xia series.
2. Kurau-Phantom Memory: I liked the first 3 episodes! I just need to scrounge up the time to watch the other ones too…
3. Samurai 7, Monster, Maria-sama ga Miteru 2nd season: Yeesh I really have some catching up to do.
Falling
Madlax: The lone contender in this category, Madlax’s impressive run of cool episodes has recently come to a screeching halt. All of the cryptic intonations and angsty monologues are really starting to bug me…I’m getting Avenger-vibes, which is not a good thing. Even Naruto makes better progress per episode than this. Plus the fact that Margaret STILL hasn’t shown any signs of busting out… please don’t tell me she doesn’t become uber until the very very end!
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Ender – who has written 219 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Ho ho ho! I sense another “2×2=Shinobuden” fan!
But seriously, is Kaleido Star really *that* good? I haven’t checked out this title yet, but if it’s worthy of claiming the number one spot (!!!) on the list, I’ll have to get my act together (^_^)
Kaleido Star is definitely numba wan for the “feel-good” crowd. I’m currently in one of those moods, so it took the cake over the uber-dramatic FMA ^_^
Maybe I’m too biased but Otogi is seriously worth watching. It’s based on a Japanese folklore with some Mulan-ish twist. And as always, Production I.G. did an amazing job on the animation.
Yeah, I watched the first 7 episodes of Otogizoushi yesterday… it was pretty damn cool! I’m going to have to start blogging on it
I find it funny you decided to stop watching Madlax just as it starts to get good(which includes when Margaret finally starts killing people like you wanted),and half the important characters die,but oh well,that’s life.