The 2007 fall season of anime is something that has been discussed and, naturally, will continue to be discussed for quite a while. In fact, that's exactly the rather broad topic for another post rush by the Anime Blogging Collective (every word is a separate link, so please click and enjoy accordingly); the autumn 2007 season.Now having already debated to the end of a story arc and back what shows merit attention this season (undoubtedly the answer, if you ask the right person, is all of them), it's time to look behind the scenes as always in classic meta-fashion.Being relatively new to the anime scene (having laid low until about March or April of this year), being on the cutting edge of anime is something that I'm experiencing for the first time.While in the past I could survive solely on old shows of great merit (and sometimes of great length), or on shows of the season past, having finally caught up with most of the shows of the past I depend to a large degree now on the latest releases from the fall season, with only two or three 'retro' or 'rewatch' shows completing the list.It's certainly a different ballgame to be watching anime 'live' per se, rather that catching up with seasons past. In a sort of meta way, the experience one derives from both is rather different.Variety is probably one of the leading reasons that staying on the bleeding edge is different. When watching shows from long (or just a few months) ago one can specialize to a large degree in one show. A few days of downloading and whole series can be at your fingertips.As such, I spent at least one month almost solely watching Da Capo, a harem series that spans 52 episodes over two seasons (and continues to add to the total). With a viewing schedule that averages one to two episodes a night, if something grabs my attention I begin to almost live and breathe a single series for weeks on end.And for apologetics, since 'seeing if it gets better' is as valid a reason as 'it's a good show' to watch things, that's not uncommon.Conversely, if you watch shows week-by-week, it's virtually impossible to marathon it. Maybe if you get into a season late you can speedrun the first quarter or half to get up to date but eventually you reach a point where there simply is nothing left to watch.This does a number of things, first the forementioned increasing of diversity of anime watching. If you're structured like me and watch at least one episode every night, that's 7 different shows to balance, maybe more, instead of seven episodes of one show.As such I am 'forced' in a sense to find new shows to replace the ones that I drop or put on hold; I say it in quotes because it's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm a very horrible bandwagoner and when someone else says something good about a show it usually jumps to the download list within days, even if it happens to be something I consider in less-than-great taste or aimed at girls half my age.Having nearly ten shows (a number many people will scoff at) to watch comes with other predictable pros and cons. If there happens to be a show that doesn't click, it can quickly be forgotten the next day with a new show, or, in extreme cases, replaced altogether. There's enough Different Stuff to keep one awake from day-to-day.On the flip side, having a different show every day hurts. I don't claim to have the brightest memory and so juggling shows, especially those with less-than-rapid release, can lead to a few dropped balls here and there. Japanese names don't mesh as easily with a white mind, and the frequent amount of plot twists that get thrown in need to be kept track of as well.Usually this confusion only lasts for a few episodes while I try link names with the character roles / stereotypes; one can reason that this is why many anime color-code their character's hair if only because when they start naming them after flowers with huge, even stranger names (cough) it gets even messier.This isn't a completely detrimental factor, since as said it can be overcome with time, but it has caused a few casualties this season, like ef, a great show with a little too much SHAFT and ren'ai plot for me to hang on to along with 9 other shows.Undoubtedly trying to keep up with so many shows allows for a little more competition between them as they fight for attention. One can be more critical of a show if there is something waiting in line to replace it, just like working in real life.For people like me who are very bad at saying bad things about shows this isn't always the case, but for those with more shows and less time it's a great microcosm of natural selection. The most I ever do, at least, is put off a dissapointing show until the downtime of a later season (winter does seem rather barren...), but this has advantages in itself.Staying with the current times of anime certainly seems to expose one to a lot more shows than is normally possible, as as much as (that's a messy phrase if I've ever seen one) any one blogger can extoll the virtue of shows from years past there is much more attention given to the new shows in pretty much every case.Too many older shows are victim to the passage of time - both in fading into obscurity and being a bit too fondly recollected - and so the best way to find new shows to watch, is to watch new shows.One of the other major changes that watching shows weekly does to you is tension. Simply put, there's a lot of waiting involved.A lot of waiting.7 days never seemed so long, and when subbing groups stall it's even harder on you at times. And even when most fansub groups get into a decent schedule where you know what day to expect the release, you've still got that gap in-between raw release and sub release to plug your ears and sing while avoiding all the spoilers from Japanese-literate bloggers.For people like me who fervently try to remain unspoiled this results in a lot of careful tiptoeing around blogposts, something that's really tough when you really want to read the latest entry by a blogger, but realize you'd have to wait 5 days before it would be safe.Granted, the same problem exists with old shows but in a different way; while you may not be as actively at risk for spoilers as with the recent crop, more often old show spoilers show up when you least expect it, where bloggers reference interesting happenings of shows past as a sort of in-joke. Anyone who's used the words 'Nice Boat' in the last few months or so - and let me tell you, that's everybody - knows what I mean. Although that reference is a bit less blatant as other ones such as Aeris Dying. (The only one I could reference that everybody already knows.)But on topic, with week-by-week shows there is a lot more drama build-up involved, personally; perhaps that is the fault of my first 'live' show being School Days of all things, but having to wait a whole week for The Exciting Conclusion really does something.One would think that the show would fade a bit when idling for seven days but rather if an anime can pull off a good cliffhanger, or at least leave some open storylines, it makes it even stronger. This is due to the largely speculative nature of a lot of bloggers, or people in general, who like to make predictions and pretend that they are right for at least a week.Myself;Yourself is a good example of this, as despite being a show that largely choreographs its actions, it keeps me interested every week by telling me just enough to give me an idea of where it's going, but not enough to actually connect the dots. For example, Sana's ever-present watch seems obvious enough with the impending plot revelations it would have, but just exactly how it ties into the plot and how it'll affect things really fuels the show, and gives people a lot of things to say about it.Not to mention, the fact that sometimes, things don't always turn out as expected, something that's infamous from the "Oh, I'm just a normal high school student (that can see lines of death/that's actually in a coma/that can read people's minds/that can emit EM waves/etc)" genre of visual novel adaptations.To choose watching shows entire series at a time or episode-by-episode with a bunch of other shows would be a tough choice, and arguably one that doesn't necessarily need making.Being one that argues the middle line seemingly every time, it should be no shock that I alternate frequently between marathoning shows and picking from a smorgasboard. While frequently it's a mix of romance and harem stuff, sometimes I'll take some time on the slow side of the fansub week to catch up on my latest manly fix of Kaiji and Wangan Midnight. And when things pick up it's back to, as it appears, the revolving door of tsunderes (Nanaka, Kyou, Shana, Ami, you count 'em).But I would reccomend to anyone who's not familiar with the cutting edge of week-by-week anime releases - which, among the highly active anime blogging network, should be very few of you - to give looking into some new shows a shot. It really does wonders for expanding diversity.-CCY(diversity pictured)
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

A day early but tommorow's off-schedule so the Thanksgiving post is today; it's a bit of a break from the normal Shiori fanboying metaposts in order to give profuse thanks and a bit of recognition to everyone who makes being an anime fan possible.And that's a lot of people.I suppose I should start with the fansub groups, the most critical to 'illiterates' like me who can't speak nor write Japanese. Without them we'd have to settle for using the tried-and-true "Mystery Science Theater" method combined with the raws. And as funny as it may be (try it with a Chinese drama sometime) it's not much for actual understanding.And so, hats off to you, translators.To a.f.k., the popular group that, despite living up to their name scarily often now, continues to bring us high-quality translations of high-quality anime. I know that their brand name, so to speak, has drawn me to such entertaining slice-of-lives as Lucky Star and Zetsubou Sensei.To m.3.3.w fansubs, for subbing an equally interesting variety of harem anime with lightning speed and top-notch quality for speedsubs.To (the) Triad, for subbing all the manly shows that people claim to be 'too pointy' for them. No moe != no fun.To HG-F, for picking up the slack in subbing Wangan Midnight, and allowing us car-show fanatics to get our vroom on.To SS-Eclipse, for being just as high-quality as any of the groups out there and twice as willing to sub shows in 4:3 definition (aka yay Clannad fix) and shows that get horribly melon-panned, deserved or not.To C1, for staying dedicated and subbing Tokimeki Memorial all the way to the end. They go to show that just because subs are slow doesn't mean that they are dead.To all the anonymous subbers out there for swooping in in the dead of the night and finishing translation for lesser-known or dead series that otherwise might fade into the mist.A shout-out to nyoro~n fansubs as well; as much criticism as they've taken (valid or not), they deserve a hand for shaping up and continuing on subbing instead of folding under fire like a house of cards.And of course all the other groups that I can't mention because they sub a different genre of show.No English Type-Moon fan could go without noting the great efforts put forth by mirror moon and Revolve Translations as well. Collectively these two have translated already nearly everything there is to see in the official Tsukihime universe (from Tsukihime to Kagetsu Tohya to even the Plus-Disc), and I think work is being done on Fate/Stay Night and Melty Blood as we speak. Where would we be today in a world that does not know sad Sacchin or moe Hisui?And for the Key fans who can't just be satisfied with KyoAni productions, I'd like to thank the people who translated ONE, the first Key-style novel from some of their members, as well as Non-Directional Translations in advance for presumably releasing Kanon before I die. I'll be watching warmly for that. (Yeah, they did a Touhou game too, not to mention the name reference)Then in the anime blogging universe, there's Maestro for providing a great dedicated, free hosting service - not to mention, an antenna for blogs all over the world - for budding anime bloggers everywhere.Naturally, the original animators themselves (no studio in particular, either), and the local companies in America who officially bring things stateside are deserving of thanks as well, since they make it all possible for people like us.Speaking of, ready to get tacky? Each one of you deserves a bit of kudos for keeping the faith up in some way. Whether it be writing or reading a blog, the fan community is always one of the driving factors behind any passion, and the anime one is always one that's very spirited.Yeah, people don't get along at times, and yeah, sometimes it hurts to read some of the less coherent opinions, but there still are a lot of very interesting bloggers out there, whether it be one who can deliver a strong argumentative essay or one who can write a side-splitting post.Don't ever forget that Your Voice Counts; just because no one comments on your posts, just because you're not mentioned in every blogroll, doesn't mean that your opinion doesn't matter. It'd be wrong to be deluded the other way either, to think that you have the right to strike it big, the right to be heard by everyone, but rather it's a simple fact that, while you may not get out to a wide range of people, someone out there is probably reading your work. And with the 'ripple in a pond' effect that the blogging community often has, all it takes is time and a little dedication.And while I'm riding the wave of Shugo Chara-level "you can"-ism, thanks for all the readers of this blog (at least I hope it's a few and not just one person refreshing 100 times) for amusing yourself with the rants and writing practice of an anime fanboy.So yeah, be thankful for something this weekend; we know you're already thankful for your family, for your job, for your friends, for your great country (political debate about administration notwithstanding) and for everything life has given you; it's the things that seem less 'deserving of thanks' at times that need the most recgonition.And so if there was one slightly biased message I'd convey with this post, aside from the above, it'd be: give your thanks with your wallet too this holiday season. For some, anime isn't just afree passion.Merry Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good dinner. (Wait...)-CCY
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Wangan Midnight is a car racing anime, and as such will probably elicit groans from the 'distinguished' anime-viewing crowd.While seeing things go really fast tend to be something that is appealing to a lot of guys, the inherent ridiculousness of shows like Initial D, where cars are never pointed the same direction as the road and where people cruise around in 1st until they dramatically shift into 6th and blow people off the road (note: probably a dramatization), turns off a lot of people who perhaps would like real racing over some variant of the shonen-variety Underdog Hero Wins Again (except with cars).And as much as I'm setting Wangan Midnight up to be something incredibly and completely different that blows people away, I won't lie in saying that if you don't like car shows, you are not going to like Wangan Midnight.It still features an old 80's vaguely-sporty-car blowing away things with twice the horsepower, it still features ugly animation and awesome CG, and it still contains quite a few Racing Show cliches.But it's a show of a largely different breed than Initial D, taking to the streets rather than the mountain passes, and it's in a way a show that could be considered a little more high-brow than Initial D. In that regard it's been a pleasing diversion from the usual mix of harem, romance and comedy, and I'm proud to report that I can still watch Manly (i.e. sports/action) Shows without having my head implode.Wangan Midnight is something that's gotten next-to-no coverage outside of Moe Moe Rabu and the thread on AnimeSuki, so for the uninitiated, WM is a show about some guy Akio Asakura and his drives with a scrapped Fairlady Z he found in a junkyard. Additional 'rivals' that have been introduced include Tatsuya Shima, the calculating doctor who drives a Porcshe, Reina Akikawa, a model who's smitten with cars and her GT-R, and her photographer who's a classy guy driving, of all things, a Ferrari Testarossa.Other token characters show up such as the Losers Who Lose, Akio's Friend, Akio's Other Friend, Akio's Teacher Who Has A Strange Interest in Him His Car, and a few likely important mechanics such as Jun Kitami, a legendary and infamous "tuner from hell". There are probably more to come, given the numerous amount of rivals in the popular Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune arcade game (like the hilarious Gatchan) as well.What's surprising about these characters and the feel of the show in general, is that while Akio is undoubtedly the male lead of sorts, the show doesn't have that "him (and a few friends) vs. the world" feel to it that Initial D had.Rather, instead of revolving around Akio specifically, the story at this point seems to revolve more around the legend of the "Devil Z" he picked up. Akio happens to be the one that owns and drives it, but we spend as much time following Reina in her quest for knowledge about it, or listening to the backstory of the sister of the previous owner of the Z (who incidentally, has the voice of Matsuri of sola. The sister, not the Z.) or of Kitami, the previous tuner.The largely disconnected world of Wangan street racing where people are mostly on their own in a quest for the Devil Z takes a bit of the focus away from solely Akio and prevents a wholly unrealistic feel of the anime. It's much more interesting learning about the mysterious backstory of a mystical, almost sentient machine rather than finding out just how the clever driver of the 80's Box beat the world this time.Which, to be honest, doesn't happen a lot. Another refreshing thing about Wangan Midnight is the actual races themself.First off is the fact that frequently more than two drivers square off in a race - Tatsuya and Reina are always seeking out the Z, and there are a few no-name hotshots who want a piece of the pie with any of them as well. The challenge of racing with three people are a lot higher, and allows for more exciting action.As thus, the actual dynamics of the races themselves are quite different. While Initial D is largely planned racing on sparsely populated mountain roads, Wangan Midnight has spontaneous races that occur on the highway, a place always fraught with trucks and slow cars.While the racing may seem boring and very straight-line-ish, it's similar to the much-maligned NASCAR in that there's a lot more to it than it seems. Yes, it's a lot of going very fast without a lot of turning, but there's a lot of skill involved here as well.Instead of throwing the car around corners with precision, it's weaving through traffic while staying in control, or pushing the car without breaking it, or maybe just looking for the right time and place to pass. And so while it looks simple to do, there's a lot more thinking going on than just standing on the gas pedal and going fast.This is evidenced in the fact that the drivers in WM aren't half as 'perfect' as they are in ID. Perhaps that latter statement is a stretch, but the fact is that even the most skilled drivers are prone to messing up big at times - not to mention the skill level of the amateurs and the wannabes.As such Wangan Midnight has a good feel of being 'on the edge', as cars wobble a lot at high speeds when changing lanes, and it's not unheard of to see a wreck happen. In fact, pretty much everyone has smashed up or damaged their car in some way so far. Akio's planted the Devil Z in a barrier at least twice, Reina's spun two different cars, the classy photographer broke a belt in his car (which also led to a genius scene where he went up to two lovebirds in a car and asked for the girl's panties, which are apparently a good replacement for belts), and two nobodies in a GT-R got in a heavy wreck and nearly took out Akio and his teacher.And while everyone's been able to walk away so far, the atmosphere of danger where anything can happen certainly seems possible in Wangan Midnight, and gives a level of realism to the characters. Car control is not something they've mastered (given the amount of times someone's broke hard to avoid a truck, swerved, and spun out) and I wouldn't expect them to.Racing elements aside, Wangan Midnight's music lends a good amount to the atmosphere as well. While I was initially dissapointed by the fact that it wasn't the arcade game's excellent trance soundtrack, I found that the non-intrusive music worked just as well as the blasting Eurobeat of Initial D in getting that tense, high-energy mood down.My major beef with Wangan Midnight would probably be that, like a lot of shonen anime out there, it suffers from a lack in animation quality. I'm not sure what it is - maybe it's all the money spent in car CG, but Wangan Midnight has that animation feel like it's a show from the 90s or 80s. The harem / visual novel shows I've watched have tended to at least be decent in quality, but for some reason most of the 'guy' shows I pick up are a bit behind the curve. Kaiji may just be a bizarre art style, but sports shows for some reason just aren't with the times.Makes you wonder what a KyoAni racing show would be like (Lucky Star parody notwithstanding). Yeah, I went there.It is still at its core a racing show, and as such may be a bit simplistic at times, but the mysterious backstory of the Devil Z and the people surrounding it keeps my interest as Wangan Midnight shapes up to be a refreshing rush of adrenaline injected into a diet of moe.-CCY
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

YES! A group has finally decided to pick up Wangan Midnight, so I’m back to my regular scheduled posting of Wangan Midnight. This episode, we finally see Kitami’s role in the series, but we’re also seeing Ishida being more involved now. I had a feeling that Ishida would ask Kitmai to tune his car, despite [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

As the Devil Z and Testarossa continue to battle it out, the red GTR overtakes them, but eventually crashes with the other two speeding on ahead. However Ishida’s car begins to overheat and he is forced to pull over. He finds out that one of his drive belts has broken, but is remedied when he [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

With Reina in the lead, she thinks back to when she started modelling but also begins to question what she is actually looking for. Just as they enter the tunnel, Blackbird and Devil Z take to each side of Reina’s GTR and begin overtaking her, however at the exit of the tunnel, the GTR begins [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Wow, it’s been a while since this came out, in truth, I actually watched this when I saw the raws but just didn’t get around to blogging it. So continuing on from episode 2, Akio is racing Tatsuya with Eriko sitting next to him. She still believes that the Devil Z will betray him but [...]
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

On the brink of a new season, here is a look at the new shows, concentrating on staff and cast. The shows I'm looking forward to? As usual, it's hard to tell which shows will work for me, but I'm looking at Code E, Doujin Work, Kenko Zenrakei Suieibu Umisho, Moetan, Mononoke, Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei, Tetsuko no Tabi, and Zombie Loan, for various reasons.Zetsubo Sensei is by Shinbou Akiyuki, who directed PaniPoni Dash and Negima!? The director of Kenko Zenrakei, Soutome Kouichirou, was involved in directing Bokura ga Ita and did episodes of Mushishi. I hope Nishimori Akira, who directed Hitohira and PetoPeto-san, will infuse the rather different Zombie Loan with his trademark emotional delicacy. Code E has the participation of some staff people from Simoun.Titles of shows of special interest to me are in red. Click pictures to enlarge.Baccano! バッ カーノ！ A large cast of alchemists, Mafia, lunatics, immortals and terrorists seeks a long-lost elixir of immortality in 1930s America. Based on a popular light novel. By the director of Jigoku Shoujo (Omori Takahiko) and the writer of Koi Kaze (Takagi Noboru). Starring Yoshino Hiroyuki (Zed in Kiba), Aoki Sayaka (Sia in Shuffle), with Kobayashi Sanae, Kobayashi Yuu, Gotou Saori, Itou Miki and 0thers. Preview. Brains Base. Starts jul26, thu 24:30.Code E. A transfer student has an uncontrolled ability to disrupt electrical equipment. A boy in her class wants to study her, and a relationship develops. But outside forces are also interested... Director Toshiyuki Kato did Full Moon wo Sagashite and some episodes of Simoun. The director of Simoun, Nishimura Junji, directs some eps of this. The Simoun connections definitely get my attention. I'll be watching episode one.This appears to be the first named role for the star, Hashimoto Mai. She has a blog, with pictures. Nazuka Kaori (Yun in Simoun) and Halko Momoi are also in the cast. Studio DEEN. 12 episodes. Starts jul03, tue 26:43.Devil May Cry. Based on a PS2 game, with a cool lead and lots of fighting. Not my thing. With Morikawa Toshiyuki (Takumi in NANA, Chan in Black Lagoon), Tanaka Atsuko (Kusanagi Motoko in GITS), Orikasa Fumiko, Fukuen Misato (Eve in Black Cat), Ohtsuka Akio (Black Jack). Directed by Itagaki Shin (Black Cat). The first ep was quite bloody. Madhouse. 12 episodes. Started jun14, thu 23:00.Doujin Work ドージンワーク. Based on a 4-koma comic by the well-known doujin mangaka Hiroyuki. The story follows a girl who is a newcomer to the doujin (independent comic) scene.Director Yatani Kenichi did the funny and workmanlike Renkin 3-kyuu Magical? Pokahn. Stars Asano Masumi (Manatsu in Uta~Kata, Mariya in Otome wa Boku ni Koi Shiteru) and Saitou Momoko (Choco in Chokotto Sister, Solty in Solty Rei). I'll be giving this one a shot. Animation by REMIC (Renkin 3-kyuu Magical? Pokahn). Starts jul03, tue 25:30.Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai ひぐらしのなく頃に解. Second series of the mysterious, bloody, and well produced anime. More stories from the dangerous world of Oyashiro-sama. Houshi Souichirou, Nakahara Mai, Tamura Yukari, Horie Yui, Kanai Mika (Misato in NANA). Directed by Kon Chiaki, with the same staff as Higurashi 1. Studio Deen. Starts jul06, fri 26:30.Kenko Zenrakei Suieibu Umisho ケンコー全裸系水泳部 ウミショー. Okimura Kaname joins his school's swimming club in order to learn how to swim. The club is filled with weirdos, but a sunny, happy-go-lucky girl named Ninagawa Amuro , a transfer-student from Okinawa, joins up. Her extraordinary underwater speed and unorthodox swimming style -- and the fact that she likes to swim nude -- rocks the club. She reminds Okimura of a mermaid-like creature he saw once in his early childhood... Based on a shounen manga by Hattori Mitsuru.Directed by Soutome Kouichirou, who was the general director of Bokura ga Ita and directed some eps of Mushishi. This one intrigues me. Add the facts that the lead writer, Ikeda Mamiko, wrote Emma2, and that animation is by Artland and the animator of Now and Then, Here and There, and this could be a sleeper. Starts jul03, tue 26:00.Moetan もえたん. Who would ever have expected the Moetan books -- bizarre Engrish-language textbooks using loli-moe characters -- ever to be animated? But add the director of Hayate and Getsumen to Heiki Mina, and seiyuu Tamura Yukari, Kaori Nazuka and Ueda Yuuji (Morita in Honey & Clover) and this could be interesting. Animation by Actus. Starts jul08, sun 25:30.Mononoke モノノ怪. Noitamina show for the summer, a sequel to the Bakaneko chapters of Japanese traditional horror animation Ayakashi Ayashi.The staff -- including director Nakamura Kenji and animator Hashimoto Takashi -- is a carry-over from the beautifully animated Bakaneko, which tells of a medicine seller who kills monsters after first discovering the tragedies that gave rise to them. Scriptwriter Chiaki J. Konaka is also involved. He was the lead writer on Lain, Air Gear, and Texhnolyze, and did several episodes each of Rahxephon and Princess Tutu. The only cast member so far announced is Sakurai Takahiro (Suzaku in Code Geass). Toei. 12 episodes. Starts jul12, thu 24:45.Mushiuta ムシウタ. These mushi are insect-like creatures that eat people's dreams, sometimes giving their host great powers, but eventually killing the host when all his or her dreams are consumed. Our protagonists are mushi hosts, mushi investigators, or just people who love someone who is host of a mushi.With Hanazawa Kana (Ryouko in Zegapain), Nabatame Hitomi (Arcueid in Tsukihime), Asanuma Shintarou (Kyo in Zegapain), Takagi Reiko (Hino in Corda d'Oro). Written by Yoshida Reiko (Marimite, KGnE, RomeoxJuliet, etc.). Music by Fujita Junpei of Elements Garden. Previews. Beat Frog. 12 episodes. Starts jul05, thu 24:00.Nanatsuiro Drops ななついろ★ドロップス. Super-cute show about Haru, a shy and clumsy boy who accidentally drinks a potion that turns him into a little stuffed sheep at night. A moe magical girl comes to his aid as he seeks the magic potion that will keep him human. With character designs by Noizi Itou (Shana, Haruhi), written by the writer of Emily of New Moon, Shimada Michiru, and directed by the director of Final Approach, Yamamoto Takashi.Starring the young seiyuu who played Jun in Happiness, Yuimoto Michiru, and Nojima Hirofumi, who is Shuga in Seirei no Moribito. The incredible cuteness of it all may or may not be enough. Studio Barcelona. Starts jul02, mon 25:40.Potemayo ぽてまよ. The magical little creature Potemayo, with her black nekomimi (cat ears) appears from protagonist Moriyama Sunao's refrigerator one day. She becomes a favorite of all the kids at school. Then her rival creature Guchuko emerges from the fridge... Interesting cast, including Hanamura Kana (Ryouko in Zegapain), Tsuji Ayumi (Rose in Red Garden), Kitamura Eri (Makoto in Touka Gettan), Kawasumi Ayako, Kugimiya Rie, and Inoue Kikuko. But the director, Ikehata Takashi did Daphne in the Brilliant Blue and Tsuyokiss, so I'm worried. JC Staff. Starts jul06, fri 25:30.Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei さよなら絶望先生. It appears that prime-time anime Negima!? -- which was an artistic success but a commercial disaster -- has not blighted Shinbou Akiyuki's career. Here he is again with a late-night anime about a teacher.Hiroshi Kamiya (Takemoto in Honey & Clover) stars as a multi-level marketer who gets into some kind of danger and flees to southern Japan, where he is mistaken for a teacher in a girls' school. The plot involves his class of weird girls foiling his repeated attempts at suicide.I think Shinbou (who also did Tsukuyomi Moon Phase and PaniPoni Dash and oversaw Hidamari Sketch) is a great director, especially visually, so I'll be watching. Outstanding cast includes Kobayashi Yuu (Setsuna in Negima), Sawashiro Miyuki, Gotou Yuuko, Shintani Ryouko, Matsuki Miyu (the last three all from Hidamari Sketch), and Sanada Asami (Di Gi Charat). Animation by SHAFT. Starts jul07, sat 24:30.School Days スクールデイズ. Based on an animated game that is infamous for its violence. A girl (Sekai) helps a boy (Makoto) get closer to her beautiful friend (Kotonoha). When Makoto finally gets a date with Kotonoha, the compensation Sekai demands is…a kiss.An interesting love-triangle-with-violence premise, but the director and writer did the horrible Amenaideyo and Lovedol, so I'm not hopeful. Animation by TNK. 13 episodes. Starts jul03, fri 26:15.Shigurui シグルイ. Based on a seinen manga by Yamaguchi Takayuki. "An exceptional manga artist decides to tackle the forbidden work by the last giant figure in samurai literature, only to give birth to a colossal period drama filled with unspeakable tragedy and cruelty!" (anidb.info)The director of Texhnolyze (Hamasaki Hirotsugu) and the writer of Asatte no Houkou and co-writer of Paprika (Minakami Seishi) do the anime adaptation, working with Madhouse. This could be good, if you can stand the gore. With Namikawa Daisuke (Rock in Black Lagoon), Kuwashima Houko, Sasahara Emi (Sailor Jupiter, Karin's mother in Karin), Sasaki Nozomu (Yuusuke in Yu Yu Hakusho). Preview episode jul01. Madhouse. 12 episodes. Starts jul19, thu 23:30.Sky Girls スカイガール. Moe young girls in skin-tight suits are integrated with their own individual mecha frames to defend the Earth. The one-episode OVA went nowhere, and now we have 26 episodes? Very moe, but I have my doubts.It has a good director (Iwasaki Yoshiaki: Love Hina, Gokujou Seitokai) and writer (Yoshioka Takao: DearS, Elfen Lied), however, and an outstanding cast: Kawasumi Ayako, Gotou Saori (a strong up-and-coming talent), Itou Shizuka, Tsuji Ayumi (Rose in Red Garden), Fujiwara Keiji, Horie Yui, Shiraishi Ryouko, Taniyama Kishou. And music by Mitsumune Shinkichi, who did Asatte no Houkou and Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora. So there is hope. Preview. JCStaff. 26 episodes. Starts jul05, thu 25:28.Tetsuko no Tabi 鉄子の旅. Non-fiction account of editor, mangaka and train otaku travelling Japanese train lines in he 1980s. 4-koma comic is bizarre, low-key, and amusing. Old-school director Nagaoka Akinori did eps of Rose of Versailles and Record of Lodoss War.Cast includes Tomosaka Akira (Kate in Red Garden) and Hiyama Nobuyuki (Madarame in Genshiken). OPED and some music by SUPER BELL ''Z, which specializes in using samples of rail station sounds. Preview. Group TAC (Hantsuki, Futatsu no Spica). 13 episodes. Starts jun24, sun 10:00.Tokyo Majin Gakuen 2 東京魔人學園剣風帖 龍龍 第弐幕. If you liked the first series, you'll probably like the second: shounen supernatural horror, with good animation, good voice actors, lots of fighting and a school setting in a dark world. I tried the first series, but couldn’t get into it. BeStack/AIC. Starts jul27, fri 23:00.Wangan Midnight 湾岸MIDNIGHT. Animation of a popular manga about street racing, which has now reached 36 volumes. The protagonist buys a Nissan S30 Fairlady Z which is about to be scrapped and discovers it is the legendary "Devil Z," a car that was the fastest ever, but ended up killing its owner, because it was so hard to control. This is the story of the protagonist's struggles to restore and tame the Devil Z.Directed by Tominaga Tsuneo (Wind: a Breath of Heart) and adapted by Kishima Nobuaki (Eyeshield 21, Katekyo Hitman Reborn). With film actor Oguri Shun, Miki Shinichirou (Kurz Weber in FMP) and Suhou Reiko (Kousaka Yuri in NANA). Not my thing, but fans are enjoying the early episodes, although the animation by ACGT is reportedly a bit sub-par. Started jun09, sat 21:00.Zero no Tsukaima: Futatsuki no Kishi ゼロの使い魔 ～双月の騎士～. New director and chief writer for this second season of Zero no Tsuakima, so it's hard to know what to expect -- except for more of the same from the mistress of tsundere, Kugimiya Rie. Director Kou Yuu and writer Kawahara Yuji did Loveless, so there may be more subtlety involved this time. We can only hope.Also with Satoshi Hino, Horie Yui, Kawasumi Ayako, Takahashi Mikako, Inokuchi Yuka, Sakurai Takahiro, Inoue Kikuko, et al. Music by Mitsumune Shinkichi, who did Utena, Rozen Maiden, Asatte no Houkou, etc., and is also doing a second show in the new season: Sky Girls. JCStaff. 12 episodes. Starts jul08, sun 24:30.Zombie-Loan ゾンビローン. "When a human is marked to die, a faint gray line that is invisible to most appears around their neck. As time passes, that ring becomes darker and darker, until it is eventually black, and that person dies. Kita Michiru has an unusual gift, she possesses 'Shinigami eyes,' which allow her to see these rings. When Michiru notices that two of the boys in her Class, Akatsuki Chika and Tachibana Shito not only have rings, but that they're jet black, they reveal to her that the were supposed to die in a tragic accident six months ago. With the help of the Zombie Loan loan office, they were given a second chance at life, should they be able to pay for their debt by doing the work of Shinigami and killing malicious zombies. They petition Michiru to assist them in their efforts, and she finds her everyday life changing dramatically." (ANN)Directed by the director of PetoPeto-san and Hitohira, Nishimori Akira, and adapted by the writer of Pumpkin Scissors and Trinity Blood, Tomioka Atsuhiro. With an excellent cast: Kuwashima Houko, Sakurai Takahiro, Suzumura Kenichi, Morikawa Toshiyuki, Saitou Chiwa, Suwabe Junichi, Ueda Kana, Gotou Saori. This is one of my picks to click, based on staff and cast alone, even though it isn’t in a genre I normally like. Based on the manga by PEACH-PIT. Animation by Xebec M2. Starts jul03, tue 26:40.One of the season's more anticipated shows, the loli classic Kodomo no Jikan, has no firm air dates yet, and the main Japanese source, Moon Phase, just has it slated for some time in 2007. The website of the animation studio, Studio Barcelona, makes no mention of it, but emphasizes the new series of Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan, which is due to start 24 August.There are some other interesting OVAs due out this summer: Ghibli's Iblard Jikan on 4 July; the fantasy slice-of-life Miyori no Mori, directed by the art director of Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies and Fantastic Children, who also did background art for Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, Spirited Away, and Castle in the Sky (24 August); and an ARIA OVA called Arietta (starts 21 Sept.) And the second season of Moonlight Mile starts in September.There are a number of animated films coming out: Buzzer Beater, Studio 4°C's Genius Party, Gonzo's Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi, Madhouse's Piano no Mori (all July); Naruto Shippuden (August); Rebuild of Evangelion, Kiddy Grade: Truth Dawn, and the Clannad movie (all September).Read more about individual shows in the forums on AnimeSuki, especially the Unaired forum.
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

Luckily, before the downtime I was able to stock up a nice pile of anime to watch, a lot of them old and some of them new. Among the ancient we have Honey & Clover, Da Capo, To Heart 2, and ONE. Among the newer we've got Wangan Midnight and sola in the queue along with Lucky CHANNELUUUUUUUUUUUUU Star.Although, I must say, with every series I'm getting more and more piled up in a jumble of names, hair colors, and relationships.In this post I'll cover briefly in text form Kanon Kazahana, the special OVA-ish thing that came after the TV run of Kanon 2002, as well as the first episode of sola, a series from 2007. Whoa.Technically, I should warn for Kanon spoilers, as Kazahana comes after the canon Kanon (OK, I just like to say that word) storyline, not to mention me discussing the ending of Kanon for no reason than other to scare off people. Hit the jump.Kanon 2002 is a hit-or-miss anime, in that it really sort of depends on whether you've seen the remake, Kanon 2006 or not. Despite its flaws, 2002 was a decent series, but the biggest problem with it is that the 2006 version completely destroys it. 2006 is longer, and thus has more time for better pace and storytelling. The Makoto arc takes forever in both versions to me, but forever in 2002 is twice the forever of 2006, since there are only 12 compared to 24 episodes.2002 is animated in a different fashion than 2006 as well, in that 2002 is what could be called quite 'ugly', due to it being outdated. 2002, also tends to have more of an 'anime' feel to it, with the characters going into SD mode and having extreme facial distortions more often, which will be a hit or miss.And in 2002, personally, Yuuichi comes across as much more of a jerk than a sarcastic guy who's really nice on the inside. I'm not sure if this is the casting or the Kyon voice (although, I saw Kanon before Haruhi), but in any case it's definitely a bit of a drag on 2002.But, of course, 2002 has its high points as well, as has been discussed down on the Kanon board in GameFAQs (see, the boards are good for something!). The main merit for 2002 is for the Nayuki fanboys, who get as close to a NAYUKI ENDING DAMNIT as they're going to get (although, the Mai and Shiori fan in me wonders how the end would have gone if it was tilted that way). There are other minor pluspoints as well, like a bit of 'fanservice' (although there's not much either way, rare for an eroge adaptation), some characters being handled better, and so on.Kanon Kazahana, however, is one of the greatest things 2002 has to offer. Kazahana is a 'after-the-end' special, which I don't believe was per se covered in the original version, so Toei's probably taking some liberal adaptations here. But it works, at least only because it's interesting to see where everyone ended up...whenever this is. Probably a year after episode 12 or 13 (considering, at least in 2006, a year was covered between the hospital incident and the hairband incident).Mai and Sayuri have moved abroad to Generic Sunny Nation, and we get to see an adorable Mai in Not-School-Outfit and with her hair down, and an exposition of her...relationship...with Sayuri. (move along now...) She's still the same lovable character as always, with her quiet demeanor hiding a hidden level of kindness.Mishio still spends forever on Monomi Hill. She seems to be talking to the air, but suddenly Makoto materializes out of nowhere, one of the bigger shocks of the episode. Perhaps Mishio and Makoto meet every day or every so often now at the hill. It's nice to see Makoto gone...and it's nice to see her not forgotten too. Hehehe.Shiori and Boy Haircut Ayu spend some time together having drinks (unfortunately not of that kind) in the shopping district, in which Shiori is typically humble in complimenting Ayu on her haircut and saying how looks don't matter anyway. A bit of a slip, at any case, at her pleasure from having gained another position in the cute race. (all of a sudden with their talk about looks I'm tempted to ask how many of them are eligible for the Flat Chested Alliance...)Nayuki, as always, is running, and she gets a large piece of exposition in this episode as she's running a strong second place to Ayu in the Yuuichi competition, having confessed her feelings and gotten in a kiss - very impressive in any case. One leftover piece is how Yuuichi is going to handle her, and perhaps vice versa, afterwards. Nayuki claims she is OK to Kaori (who, of all people, actually IS going out with Very Feminine Jun, at least for today!), but as usual I doubt that's true, as she still seems a bit down.Nayuki and Yuuichi share a retake of the Nerine-on-the-swing-bench scene from...an entirely different anime in which they discuss things that may or may not make Nayuki feel all better. In the end they separate paths and walk from each other in a very symbolic manner, probably symbolizing them moving on. It's too bad there isn't another guy in the series to ship with, since Jun doesn't count at all.And Akiko...cleans the house. No jamu today, even. Well, she's the hidden backbone of the anime anyway, at any rate.With just that summary it's a bit hard to show why Kazahana's worth your time, but it has its interesting moments, its amusing moments, and its heartful moments, so give it a try if you've watched 2002 or even just 2006. It's a good episode, even if the art is a bit lacking....as for sola, hmm, that's going to be a trickier thing to explain as because it is a new anime it is mandated that I do not get it at all. That's usually the draw of a lot of these anime, of course, the promise of having things Make Sense. There's not a lot to say about the sola characters whose names I do not remember, but nearly all of them probably have quite the interesting story, whether it be Feminine Cameraman Protagonist guy, Tomato Soup girl In The Church, Quiet Hospitalized girl, Vaguely Tsundere Possibly Childhood Friend girl, Spoiled Loli-In-A-Box girl (in a maid outfit or something!?), and Probably Evil guy With Glasses. That's about all I've caught out of it, and all I remember without screenshots. I'll recap it perhaps later, and when I've seen more episodes as well.-CCY
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)

The internet situation is getting dicey over here, so if the posts suddenly stop coming, that why. Don't panic, everything's ok, 42, etc etc.After the jump, have some pretty pictures to make everything better. They're good wallpapers, too.And I suppose for a bit of extra content, I'll mention what I'm planning to do in blog posts over the summer. Aside from the usual episode posts on both the old (Kanon and Shuffle! need to get finished) and the new (summer series, Wangan Midnight, Lucky Star), I was thinking about doing some special features. The first one that came to mind was one of them famous Power Rankings (notTM), where I rank characters/series with extreme prejudice all sorts of pretty numbers and stats that show just why Mai is better than Ayu, or why I don't like Asa as much, or why most KyoAni things > your soul. Heh, I'm such a fanboy.You can already guess what I'm leaning towards for topics, either a Shuffle! or Kanon harem power rankings, although Tsukihime might work as well. If you've got any other suggestions feel free to speak up.See you all soon.-CCYAnd now for pictures! Let's play the field today:A very sharp Lucky Star vector of, I think, that one shot that shows up for half a second during the OP sequence at the end.An Osaka wallpaper with a bunch of random stuff. Still have to figure out what that one kanji says, that's everywhere.Beautifully done Hisui wallpaper, and while there's a taste of fanservice, you can't see anything, so it's work safe. And utterly adorable. Wai for Hi...gah, I need a new catchphrase.It's Yuki, in a bit of a different artstyle than usual. It's a bit more dark and serious as a result but it's still very nicely done, as I like this style as well. Plus, it's meganekko Yuki, a dying breed.Not, a wallpaper, but, Makotofox. Cute, but it'd probably erase itself after a few hours anyway. And also, as a reprise of the famous conversation, it'd end up like this."Makotofox, take me to a ero website.""An ero website? What's that?""It's something that gets you all excited.""Ooh! OK!" ... "YUUICHI! What are you doing looking at this kind of stuff!?!?""Well, I decided looking at you naked wasn't enough, Makotofox.""AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU~""Yuuichi......why are you talking to your computer...nyuu~"-CCY
(Read the rest of this entry) (Entry meta)