Thread: Fall 2008 anime - spoilt for choice

I'm die hard skip beat! fan. It practically one of the only 3 shojous i've ever read and liked.

other than that Nodame Cantabile Paris Cut and Gundam 00 Second Season.

can't wait

I'm looking forward to: Shikabane Hime, Skip Beat....and Vampire Knight Guilty XD

OMG... I'm dying of good shows. I'm definitely going to have to cut down my viewing schedule, but how can I decide which ones to leave out? They're all good!

Hyakko's first episode didn't impress me that much, but the second episode was pure genius. Now THIS is how you do schoolgirl comedy! I was laughing until my guts hurt... and that was only the first half of the second episode. The rivalry between Torako and Tatsuki has reached legendary proportions. And I also liked how they kept with the running jokes and the parodies. Plus the music and SFX is excellent. If the series continues in the same vein with such a high-energy comedic pace, there's no way I can miss this.

Ga-rei has produced one of the strongest and most shocking opening episodes I've ever seen. The huge twist at the end is little gimmicky, but boy does it work. I've got no idea how this series is going to turn out, but I'm more than a bit curious. Still, considering the other good shows available, this may have to take a back seat.

To Aru Majutsu no Index reminds me a lot of Kaze no Stigma or Fate/Stay Night. Very good animation, battles with supernatural powers, and a main protagonist who actually thinks. Plus the interactions between the lead characters are pretty interesting, especially how his power is both a blessing and a curse. Strong premise. Worth watching further if they manage to develop the characters.

Skip Beat! anime has finally come, and it sticks almost exactly to the manga's storyline, which is great. I kind of wish the animation quality was a little bit better, but I can see why it's difficult to translate Nakamura's art style into anime properly. Voice acting is superb. Kyoko in fairy-tale-mode and evil-mode are both fun to watch. The other characters' voices surprised me a little (Sho is more bratty than expected, Ren's voice is deeper than expected, Moko's voice is stronger than expected), but it's not too hard to adjust. And the interpretations might actually be better, now that I think of it. The Sawara-stalking scenes were amazing. And Lory Takarada's voice was brilliant (though like I said, I would have paid big money to see his entrance fully-animated instead of the moving stills that they did).

Yozakura Quartet is like Bleach. No doubt about it. Same general premise, same "cool" style factor, great soundtrack, similar character dynamics. Currently it's still in the middle of the whole Monster-of-the-Week syndrome, but there are hints of a deeper plot. I'm willing to wait and find out if the plot develops beyond the normal, considering how Bleach only really took off during the Soul Society arc.

Tora Dora's first episode was good as well. Sticks closely to the script, well-animated, standard voice acting between the leads (it's Kugimiya Rie... what do you expect? She's got that kind of voice down pat.) Since I'm already following the manga and light novels, I probably won't continue with this, but the anime is certainly a good introduction to the Tiger and the Dragon.

I'm actually slightly disappointed with Akane Iro Somaru Saka. It's not badly-animated, and the voices are well done (Kugimiya Rie again...). The characters are cute. It's just that it's so... generic. Everything is cliche stock. If you follow romantic comedies a lot, you've seen this one too. Take the most common elements of True Tears/Kanon/Clannad/Maburaho/Shuffle/Kimikiss/Nogizaka Haruka/Seto no Hanayome, minus the things that make each one special, and you've got Akane Iro Somaru Saka. It's roughly on the par of, say... Tsuyokiss. B-grade romantic comedy. Not bad, but simply nothing outstandingly different. Might make a good introduction to the genre, though, for first-time viewers.

Kemeko Deluxe has officially taken the cake in crazy violent romantic comedy, far surpassing Sumomo mo momomo, Hayate no Gotoku, Kamen no Maid Guy, Nagasarete Airantou, Seto no Hanayome, and others of that genre. Hmm... I'm not sure how to describe it except a mahou shoujo girlfriend meets Get Smart. Beautiful girl inside weird robotic suit crashes into one high school guy's life, and it's one insane action after another.

Off to watch some more!
-Dizzy-

Other series just caught up with:

Heh... Kannagi is great, a lot of witty and offbeat humor. Plus great dance sequence for the OP (choreographed by the same person who did Suzumiya Haruhi's and Lucky Star's dances, so...).

Tytania is surprisingly enjoyable. I was hesitant about watching space opera, since that usually isn't my field, but I'm getting quite into this plot. Mainly because the protagonist isn't the usual naive teenager, but a cynical adult drifter, who's actually realistic rather than idealistic. Reminds me a little of Cowboy Bebop mixed with Han Solo from Star Wars.

Earl & Fairy is very enjoyable shoujo. A lot of kyaa~ moments and fanservice that rivals Ouran High, with great chemistry between the leads. Plus it's a fantasy adventure.

Hmm... as for the rest:

Hyakko is a bit erratic. It oscillates from being mediocre entertainment in one episode, to hilariously funny in the next, back to mediocre again, then brilliant, etc.

Skip Beat! is continuously entertaining and fun, so no problems there.

To Aru Majutsu no Index has begun to improve, with a couple of plot twists and a conspiracy/mystery involved now (as of end of episode 5).

Yozakura Quartet is just walking along. Not bad, but still nothing special. If there ever was such a thing as a slice-of-life supernatural action/adventure, this would be it. Well, they hint at a larger picture, but the dramatic arc hasn't really taken off much.

I've given up watching Ga-rei.

Tora Dora's doing fine... starting to depart from the light novels here and there, but still okay so far. The split personality girl has shown up, so more interesting interactions should be happening.

Akane-Iro Somaru Saka has devolved into generic shounen harem show, with a little siscon thrown in. Meh, I'm watching it just out of guilty pleasure.

Kemeko Deluxe is shining brightly. The pace of life is getting crazier and crazier, there's still a huge amount of dirty jokes and fanservice, but it somehow sucks you in. Not to mention introducing new characters and a conspiracy mystery.

...

I don't think I can stand to add any more series to the ones I'm already watching, but if they're all this good...ugh.

-Dizzy-

I had hopes for Ga-Rei, given how much I like the manga.