Of note is that I finally finished up Seirei no Moribito, which was completely awesome. Also finished Portal in one sitting, and came away extremely impressed. In fact, it’s hard to overstate my satisfaction.
Top Picks:
- Kimikiss Pure Rouge: It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a solid romance series that was non-harem. Not since…maybe Boys Be, or even Kare Kano. The promo materials initially led me to believe it was going to be a lame fanservice-fest, but surprisingly enough it turned out to be more of a slice of life show. Kabitzin has expressed his displeasure at the wideset eyes, but personally I really like the character designs. Next thing you know, he’s going to be complaining about the triangular mouths in Minami-ke….oh wait, never mind.
- Minami-ke: This super quirky comedy series is not necessarily a laugh-out-loud affair, but it always manages to keep me grinning like a fool through the entire show. The ‘Ninomiya-kun and Sensei’ parodies almost made me choke on my drink. Not sure how much more I can take of that cross-dressing kid though.
- Gundam 00: Quite campy as usual, but feels noticeably different than the over-the-top spectacle that was Seed/Seed Destiny. The animation is top-notch, and the OP is my favorite of this season, hands down. For some reason, I feel that L’Arc en Ciel’s piece captures the quintessential Gundam mood better than TM Revolution’s catchy-but-shallow techno OPs.
- Bamboo Blade: It’s cute and great for casual viewing. The characters are extremely likeable, and have got a nice team vibe going. I still can’t decide whether Kirino or Sayako is my favorite ranger though; I can totally relate to Sayako’s random hobby fads, but Kirino’s mischevous grin and industrious nature (creating and faxing personalized schedules to team members late at night….lol) give Sayako a stiff challenge. Toraji sensei’s resemblance to Tate/Sergey from Mai Hime/Otome disturbs me greatly, though.
Rising:
- EF- a tale of memories: You really have to be in the right mood to enjoy this series, I think. Trying to watch it after a long day at work is insufferable, but watching it on a rainy Sunday gives it a totally different spin. Overall, EF’s a bit maudlin, but still worth checking out.
- Mokke: Snail-paced, but nice on a lazy weekend. Definitely a niche piece.
Falling:
- Shugo Chara: It’s definitely adorable and well-presented, but I don’t see myself watching much more of this series. I was never one for mahou-shoujo battles to begin with, and I really, really hate plaid >_< . The super-catchy OP and cutesy character designs definitely snagged my attention for a while, though.
This post was written by...
Ender – who has written 219 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the original founders, and the first to attempt a coups d'état.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Who’s Ender?Woo, romance anime rocks!! Is Boys Be really that good? I put it off after the first episode the last time I tried to start it…and I watch a lot of lame love love anime.
The only problem I have with G00 is that whenever I watch it, it feels like they got all the popular male seiyu and just stuck them on random roles. Eh, still waiting for the upgrades and more awesome mecha pewpew.
No Moyashimon makes me a sad
pandareader.So that’s where I’ve seen him before! I’m just grateful that he isn’t getting the romantic attentions of any of the girls!!
like, oh em gee! Am I the only one who likes Mako-chan (the cross dressing boy)? I will admit that his very loud and high pitched voice gets somewhat annoying, but his adventures as the scandalous Mako-chan is pure KAWAIIII~ (and funny in my opinion)! :3 The three-liter sweat guy is my favorite though!
I’m really enjoying Ef also…. *looks in dictionary for maudlin*
So you think Ef is only for drunken bastards?! *sad*
….and also, SENTIMENTAL GENERATION!!!… what? I liked School Rumble Season 2!
@ Zyl – Lol, it took me some time to figure out where I’d seen his design before. He looked soooo familiar. And yes, thank goodness for no Toraji harem action, because that would have completely ruined the series.
@ hiero – I’ve only seen a couple eps of Moyasimon so far, and I need to see more to tell whether I like it or not.
@ Totali – Stop visiting blogs and pay attention in class!
Personally I really liked Boys Be, even though it’s not particularly amazing in terms of production quality or story depth. It had a nice slice of life feel to it, and involved multiple guys and girls looking for romance instead of one mojotastic wimp surrounded by hawt chicks. KimiKiss does likewise, and scores extra points for portraying the viewpoints of both female and male characters. The art could really use some level-ups though; sometimes the faces are drawn really sloppily.
@Jesus159: Hmm..I wasn’t thinking of that particular connotation when I used the word, but I do hear that alcohol does make EF 10 times more enjoyable!