Kabitzin on September 25, 2005 · in Progress Sheets

September was definitely a strange month, as far as watching anime goes. Although there were many things I wanted to watch, it seemed like none of them got subbed this month. It was nice to get two episodes of Futakoi Alternative, but I was starved for some Gun X Sword, Full Metal Panic: TSR, and Sousei no Aquarion. I can’t imagine that it will get better, with the Fall season fast approaching. Ah the delights of supply and demand (I’ve never been so tempted by raws).

Top Five This Month:

1. Honey & Clover: The last few episodes have settled down a bit, but the story-telling and the way everything comes together are still top notch. Even the recent focus on boring Takemoto can’t knock H&C from the top spot. Tears for fears at the Mario-Luigi reunion scene, though T__T.
2. Suzuka: The last few episodes righted this sinking ship, and hopefully the animation won’t keep taking nosedives. I’ve really wanted to find some sprinter blocks to try out the “rocket start”, but I’m afraid I’ll hurt myself (or go into the rolling start by accident).
3. Oku-sama wa Mahou Shoujo: Honoka should take a page from Kagura’s book, as he shows how to box out strong for the rebound.
4. Futakoi Alternative: The worst part of living with Kimihiko is the lack of screen time. I wonder if Rentarou ever learned that Futaba ougi? And why do Dirty Harry’s pistols have a stronger recoil than a Desert Eagle?
5. Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children: Call it a proof of concept film, with that concept being that you can create a series of freaking kickass fight scenes with the CG that’s available these days. The lack of dolphins dropped this one a spot, though. Also, as much as the “plot” is criticized, at least it was better than the plot for Karas…

Rising:

• Naruto: I applaud their writers for producing episodes that no longer make me want to puke in my mouth. Is it so hard to make filler episodes that give side characters some screen time (OMG, Anko sighting!) while not pissing all the viewers off?
• Yakitate: We gotta be getting pretty close to the Monica-centric episodes by now.

Falling:

• Gundam Seed Destiny: The sheer doujinshiability/spoofability of this series will always reserve GSD a spot in my heart, but this has to be one of the crappiest, weakest finishes for a well-funded, multiseason series that I’ve ever seen. Who puts this much stock footage and flashback into critical episodes, while not resolving anything? At least we got that strange chibi-broadcast.
• Cat Screentime: Gorou-chan’s been getting his screen time cut, Jibril’s cat got written off the show (maybe…), and only Tama still gets any time in the limelight (which almost doesn’t count because Tama is possessed by Binbougami). Somewhere, Leader is snickering.