Sea Slugs! Anime Blog

The Fall season hasn’t wowed me, but quite a few of the shows are decent overall. The way things are, I’m not actually sure if I’ll pick up another show to blog, but I don’t want to be left carrying only 1 show (Shana) into the Winter season, since Winter shows have not thrilled me in the past. This is assuming that Shugo Chara does not go a full 26 episodes.

Top Five This Month:

1. Minami-ke: The teardrop mouths take a bit of getting used to, but the art in this show is fantastic. There are some really interesting camera angles, and everything is way smoother than you would expect in a SOL comedy. Kana is definitely the most important source of laughs, and I get a definite Ichigo Mashimaro feel from this series.
2. Shugo Chara: I initially thought this would be some mindless moe show, but it’s actually some well-done shoujo (which I have been in the mood for). I really like this show a lot, and clearly I underestimated the power of Peach Pit + COOL AND SPICY.
3. Bamboo Blade: I’m glad there is not much romance in this show, and I like the way they’ve been handling the characters and the comedy. The one part that sucks about this show is how kendo armor has that fugly mask, and you always have to have the semi-transparent face mask effect during matches.
4. Shakugan no Shana Second: These HeCLONEte episodes are ok, since I’ve come to know the characters after a full season, but I am reminded of how boring the first season of Shakugan no Shana was at the beginning. I’m pretty sure the slow burn will continue until the about halfway through the season, and then we will get some sweet flashbacks followed by intense, but crammed plot development.
5. Gundam 00: While this season has yet to break any really new ground, it’s still cool watching the Gundam units in action (especially fattie Virtue and his Mikuru beamu). Also, this show takes itself so seriously that there are plenty of moments to snicker at.

Rising:

• Genshiken 2:: I hope they didn’t blow the whole budget on the Gundam parody OP, because the art has looked decent this season. Hopefully this season can remain a lot better looking than season 1.

Falling:

• Prism Ark: I was really looking forward to this series as a slick but mindless piece. However, the confusing pacing of the first episode, and the subsequent descent into tremendously sucky art/animation (ugh, limbs that are too skinny and short) have really cooled my interest.
• Rental Magica: Only in anime and RTS games is micromanaging considered an elite skill worthy of a demon. Itsuki is totally not my type, and kinda ruins this series for me. I like Honami, but I worry about her ability to contribute to the team, in light of rising gas prices.
• Dragonaut: Is this supposed to be some kind of parody of all the things that people hate about Gonzo? Dragonaut does earn points, however, for having some fanservice for the ladies.