Lower expectations can be a great thing sometimes, and a lot of the fall shows have kept me reasonably entertained lately. Seems like there was more unrequited love than usual this month, but perhaps that’s a standard element to flesh out around the 33% mark.
Top Five This Month:
- Shakugan no Shana Second: Believe it! This confirms to me that the Shana series does two things very well: self-deprecating humor, and flashbacks. Season two really shows what happens when people just have too much downtime: Marjorie just lays around in a drunken stupor, Shana goes all mopey, Yuuji lets that leech Konoe into his life, and Wilhelmina blows up everybody’s kitchen. Balle Masque was smart to let the good guys stew and self-implode!
- Minami-ke: Although the banchou episode was poorly animated and rather weak, the beach episode was brilliant! I wonder how long Mako-chan plans to keep cross-dressing, but it worked in OtoBoku didn’t it?
- Bamboo Blade: The team’s just about assembled! Bamboo Blade is one of those shows that makes me feel like I am part of the gang, even if I would just be one of the guys sitting on the sidelines cheering on the girls team and beating up freshmen. Whatever it takes to get Tama-chan to hit on you, right? Men!
- Shugo Chara: Ah, little bits of mustard suit plot have creeped into the show, and the egg terms continue to flow. That’s all well and good, but I’d appreciate some more Ikuto x Amu, please.
- Genshiken 2:: So far this season, I’ve really felt that the anime has improved the manga’s flow and mood. I’d be ok without anymore extended BL scenes with weird bishie versions of the club, but it was still very funny and shocking.
Rising:
- Dragonaut: I feel like I have totally lowered my expectations of this show, a la Gundam Seed Destiny. Kazuki is a perfect example of angst gone wrong, but his single-track mind is a source of great unintentional humor. I also found the sewage episode funny and a little ironic.
- Rental Magica: Every episode that Itsuki does not start giving a narrated walkthrough of a boss encounter is a tolerable one. The onsen episode was a nice twist, especially with some neko konyoku.
Falling:
- Blue Drop: I don’t know how I’d take finding out that headmaster Fukumachi was my dad. I’ve been a bit bored so far by this series, and the increased blushing hasn’t helped.
4 Comments
Lion-tan > Tama-chan
:3
Agreed about Blue Drop though, I thought it started strong but it’s getting a little boring nowadays. I’m hanging in for the yuri subtext.
Episode 9 of Shana is the win.
ROFLMAO.
Seriously though, I think this just shows how much the fall season sucks. Though Shana II is getting better with each episode and Shugo Chara! is fun.
Also, I’m amazed that Rental Magica and Dragonaut are actually amounting into something.
Rental Magica is good and getting better. I like how Zexcs develops Honami/Addie’s affections for Itsuki to have a bearing on the overall plot. I actually enjoyed the President executive orders part. Ep 9 shows it’s not really repetitive. Still Itsuki needs to develop his own set of offensive magic.