Length - 13 episode TV series

Studio - P. A. Works

US Distributor - Sentai Filmworks

Genre - Action, supernatural, mystery

Main character Otonashi wakes up in a strange place with no memory.  A strange girl who introduces herself as Yuri tells him that he is dead and asks if he wants to join her Front.  She is about to shoot a petit, white-haired girl in the head with what looks like a .50 caliber sniper rifle.  Yuri calls this girl Tenshi/Angel.  When Otonashi goes to talk to Tenshi, he gets a reaction he did not expect.  So begins Angel Beats!  This is one of those series where things are revealed as the series progresses.  It's difficult to describe it much without giving too much of it away.  Nothing is quite what it seems.  Elements are revealed slowly as Otonashi learns things about his new surroundings and comes to terms with it.  We get to know a diverse and fun cast of characters.  There are some good action sequences and some funny scenes and a lot of craziness.

The animation is beautifully done.  The music is outstanding.  There are several Girls Dead Monster songs sprinkled throughout the show providing much of the soundtrack.  I have included a live music video from the actual Girls Dead Monster to give you an idea of what the music is like.  It gives a whole additional dimension to the series beyond the main story.  The story is very interesting but the pacing is somewhat rushed towards the end.  The series is good but would have been better at 24-26 episodes.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Girls Dead Monster

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Length - 13 episode TV series

Studio - Radix

US Distributor - Funimation Entertainment

Genre - Sitcom, drama, mystery, supernatural

Based on the original doujin Ōrudo-hōmu no Haibane-tachi/The Charcoal Feathers of Old Home, this series is not like anything else I have ever seen.  It starts out with Rakka falling or perhaps dreaming of falling.  She is embracing a crow who tries and fails to stop her fall.  Then it switches to Reki finding the cocoon as a new Haibane in an isolated room in Old Home where the Hainbane/charcoal feathers live.  From here the world is introduced slowly as Rakka finds out about it.  Some things are explained and some things are only hinted at.  The viewer is left to figure out some elements for him or her self.  The main story centers around Rakka's experience of her new world and her evolving relationships with the rest of the cast especially Kuu and Reki.

This show uses a very soft, almost pastel color palette with backgrounds that are almost like watercolor paintings.  The setting is unique and full of mysteries many of which are never explicitly explained for the viewer.  There are always mysteries.  The characters, especially Raka and rekki, are very well done and have depths that are not immediately apparent.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Just curious, is than an "Evil Plan" smirk or a "Let's Watch Everything Blow Up" smirk?

Okay, first of all, how long did those first two fights go on, exactly? I find it hard to believe that they could hold out for over an hour AFTER releasing their true forms, especially with Mana using her Instant Loss Bullets the entire time. Hell, Tsukuyomi even says there were 37 minutes and 57 seconds left, which sounds like they're openly challenging the readers to figure out how silly it was.

Just wanted to get that off my chest.

That aside, this chapter highlights two of my favourite things about the series: the villains aren't pure evil, and the heroes aren't idiots. And, hell, the villains aren't idiots, either. It really feels like Negi and Fate have good reasons for their actions. Negi has a better way to fix the magical world (though it'd be nice if he clued the rest of us in) and it took Fate a few punches to the face, but he's finally stopped seeing Team Negi as hopeless idiots.

What really threw me, though, was Negi saying that his plan to save the magic world would take "10 years". I've been reading a lot of manga, so I'm really used to any plans made by protagonists taking at most a day to complete, and even that's when their plan goes beyond "Punch out everyone and hope for the best." This is the kind of planning ahead you never see from other protagonists, and certainly not ones who are ten years old. Until now, I was honestly prepared for his plan to be something fairly stupid as well. I still have no idea what sort of plan requires 10 years and involves the class representative, but I'm hoping it'll live up to the hype.

And hey, maybe the Lifemaker will have some logical reasons for his actions too. At least I certainly hope so.

Length - 12 episode TV series

Studio - Diomedea

US Distributor - Media Blasters (announed but not yet released as of now)

Genre - Sitcom

Can the Japanese make anything moe?  The answer is yes.

Ika Musume is tired of humans polluting the ocean!  She is going to subjugate the surface world starting with this open air beachside restaurant!  She is going to use her various vaguely squidlike abilities to conquer the world.  Of course it's not that simple.  Complications and comic hijinks ensue.  This is a comic hijinks show.  Each episode is split up into three largely self-contained segments like a few anime and many American shows.  There is a wacky cast of characters centering around Squid Girl herself and the family that owns the restaurant.  Various other characters are introduced as the show goes on like infatuated Sanae and scientist Cindy.  The central cast, especially the title character, is cute and funny.  Their personalities are all over the top as they always are in these things.  It's a fun, light and entertaining show.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The OP which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the characters.

Texas School Book Depository!

Reading Billy Bat has always been a little strange, since it spends so much time focusing on historical events. I'm not sure how the Japanese feel about this sort of thing, since they weren't as close to events like the assassination of JFK as Americans were. Then again, I was born after it happened and I'm Canadian, yet I'm still weirded out by a lot of this.

Earlier in the series, the events the characters were part of were either occurring in Japan - which means I'm not sure if they were real or just made up. That's the thing about a history-based series released in a foreign country: they tend to use your world-renown moments and their national ones, so it's harder to follow. Hell, I was having trouble getting past the cultural dissonance in the communal bathing scene in Kimi ni Todoke, so something like this feels a bit over my head. But it was after that that the story started to focus a lot more on our events. It took Lee Harvey Oswald, who virtually everyone knows the name of, and made him a primary character and, arguably, a sympathetic figure. I say arguably mainly because of how difficult it is to take him seriously when you know where he comes from and question what Urasawa must have been high on when he came up with this.

In the most recent chapters, the supposed purpose behind the assassination is being discussed, and I'm a little worried that it's becoming more than a little offensive. I know this isn't the first series to discuss the assassination, but it feels like we're getting too close and personal with it. I know that if someone close to me died, I wouldn't want the death discussed like this. Then again, this is the same series that referenced this:

Don't worry, you aren't the only one who cringed.

In spite of my worries, this is still a Naoki Urasawa series, and I still have faith that it knows what it's doing. Sometimes I just wish it didn't have to be so uncomfortable to get through.

Don't worry, he's survived worse.

(Warning: this post contains spoilers. I know that's pretty much a given, but with the anime still ongoing, it was worth reiterating.)

Deadman Wonderland is quickly approaching its inevitable ending. I thought this was fairly obvious even before the chapter titled "The Beginning of the Ending". The last story arc changed so much and had enough death that I was half-convinced the story was going to end right there. After that ended, we finally got to see what many of us thought would be the last moments of the series: everyone leaving Deadman Wonderland. The place was busted wide open and the truth revealed to the courts, so Ganta and many others got their first tastes of freedom.

Then the series asks itself something I never thought it would: where do you go from there? Many of these characters, including Ganta, have nowhere left to return to in society. The constant fighting in the prison was the only thing they had to look forward to (some more literally than others). With the threat of the Wretched Egg still very present, the characters were asked to return to help stop it, and they mainly ended up going because it was all they had left.

This is where I started wondering something. Who, if anyone, is going to survive this last story arc?

The more apparent it became how little most of them have to live for, the more I realized how easy killing these people off would be. After all, if someone was in a dark enough place, letting them die could be considered the merciful thing. Maybe the creators made it clear that they didn't have very good lives to make themselves feel less guilty about having them die. Then again, Azami had a better life and look how THAT turned out.

All things considered, it feels like it's only a matter of time before the blood starts to spill, and once it does it won't stop until one side runs out of guys. I'm fairly sure Makina and her group will die (she seems like the type whose dying words become a major revelation), but other than that I can't say. I don't really want these people to die, but in this kind of story that's not a wish that's easily granted. Let's just hope that when it's over, there will be a happy ending for someone.

Length - 12 episode TV series

Studio - Nomad

US Distributor - Funimation.  Formerly Geneon USA

Genre - supernatural, drama, action, slight sprinkling of romance

The story opens with shut-in and middle school truant Jun Sakurada indulging in his hobby of ordering weird stuff online.  He lives with his older sister Nori and has parents who are mysteriously, perpetually abroad but apparently send money.  He finds one that ask, "wind or don't wind".  It says to put it in a drawer and the artificial spirit Hollier will pick it up.  Thinking it a scam, he circles wind and chucks it in his drawer as instructed.  It's not a scam and he soon finds himself in possession of a singular doll and the plot for the series.  The doll, named Shinku, says that he must swear a contract with her or die at the hands of a creepy clown doll that appears and starts attacking.  She is the fifth of seven Rozen Maidens.  He agrees (or it would be a pretty short show) and off we go.  It's not long before the other dolls begin to appear though not all appear in this series.  Each doll except has a verbal quirk.  Suiseiseki says desu at the end of pretty much everything which is why she has the nickname desu and where the meme comes from.

The story centers around the conflict between tsundere Shinku and her older sister Suigintou who was the first Rozen Maiden.  The reason for this conflict isn't immediately clear but it clear that it's quite personal and has been going on a long time when the show starts.  Suigintou is the villain of the piece and drives the bulk of the serious conflict.  There is also a substantial side story centering on Suiseiseki and Souseiseki but here again Suigintou has her part to play.  Don't be fooled by the dolls and desu meme.  There is serious conflict here and serious themes.  There is comedy as well,  Episode five is a comedy episode and one of the best.  It's not a hijinks show though.  I won't pretend to be anything like objective here.  This is one of my favorite shows of all time.  I love the characters especially Suiseiseki.  It has a great balance of comedy and drama.

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usually just Magical Pokaan for obvious reasons

Length - 12 episode TV series plus 3 OVA episodes

Studio - Genco

Genre - supernatural, sitcom,ecchi

This show follows the misadventures of four princesses from the Netherworld: Liru, Akio, Pachira and Uma. They are, respectively, a cyborg, a werewolf and a witch. There is also the invisible Keimie who is only part of the story now and then.  They all live in the human world in a treehouse in a city in Japan...somewhere.  I would talk about the plot but there really isn't one.  Each episode is split into two smaller segments and each one stands pretty much alone.  Previous events are sometimes referred to there isn't much continuity.  There is something like a recurring comic relief villain in Super Doctor K-Ko but that's about all.  Easy-going Liru, domestic Akio, tsundere Pachira and cute Uma  have various misadventures in search of love, happiness and perhaps a bigger bust though that's mostly pachira.  There is also quite a bit of fanservice of various sorts.

This is a pretty much pure hijinks show.  It stands mostly on the strength of the four main characters.  They are cute and fun.  Their misadventures are fun to watch.  This is a great show for when you are in the mood for a laugh and a some light entertainment.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The OP makes the show look much more serious and grim than it is.

Length - 26 episode TV series

Studio - Studio Deen

US Distributor - Anime Works

Genre - sci-fi, war story, shoujo-ai/girls love

This series is  a quirky combination of Sci-fi war story and shoujo-ai/girls love soap opera.  It is set on the planet of Dairuuku (Heaven's Shore or something like that) in the far future...or maybe it's the distant past..  It's not quite clear.  On this planet, everyone is born female.   The story is set in the oddly named  country of  Simulacrum which is in sole possession of the ancient flying machines called Simoun and the helical motors which power them. In Simulacrum, everyone goes to a special springs when they turn 17 to choose their adult gender.  If they chose to be make, the transition takes some time and even men who have fully switched have quite feminine facial features and women's voices.  In other countries, they have more crude methods.  Only girls who have not yet gone to the spring can pilot the Simoun.  These girls are called Simoun Sibyllae.  Surrounding countries, shown as industrial wastelands, covet the helical motor technology and the clean  energy it can provide.  Attempts to invade Simulacrum in the past have been foiled by the powerful flying machines called Simoun which fly through the air leaving glowing contrails that blow up all kinds of stuff when laid down in the right patterns called Ri Majoon.  This is one of those sci-fi series set on an imaginary world so there is a lot of weird terminology.

As the series opens, the most advanced of the other countries, oddly named Argentum, is attempting yet another invasion.  Chor Tempest, which will be the center of the series, sets out confidently to defeat this new invasion with their invincible Simoun.  One the way they run across the last survivor of the aptly but unfortunately named Chor Caput.  The Simoun are no longer invincible.  As they make this grim realization, the last survivor of Chor Caput plunges to her death in the damaged Simoun.  A desperate battle ensues in which Chor Tempest triumphs but at great cost setting up most of the story for the rest of the show.  Most of the story centers around Ice Queen Neviril, the energetic yet rather dumb Aaeru and the responsible but rather too tightly wound Paraietta.  The names in this show are as odd as the terminology.

The main story is about Chor Tempest as a group and what happens after the demoralizing events of the first episode.  This story is told against the backdrop of the ongoing war story.  There is a constant conflict between the Sibyllae's original role as priestesses offering prayers in the form of Ri Majoon (they don't all blow stuff up) to their god Tempus Spatium and their current role as their country's main line of defense against invasion.  I won't even try to get into the group relationships.  The love dodecahedron in this show is kind of complicated and even trying to explain it would involve several spoilers.  Suffice to say that it's a soap opera with an (almost) all girl cast.

The animation in this show is beautiful especially the beauty shots of the tech sprinkled throughout.  The music is beautiful as well.  The character designs take a bit of getting used to but I like them.  The story is well done though it can get pretty melodramatic at times with all of the girl's various antics.  The pacing is uneven.  The pace is somewhat relaxed early on and rushed late in the series.  It's a unique series with an interesting look and feel.  The OP will give you a good idea of what the series looks and sounds like

Simoun OP

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Tiger & Bunny - Episode 06

Finally! They've been dragging this out for some time but at last we have a main villain... I think. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's start off with an introduction to the episode.

Tiger and Bunny are once again on the move, this time they need to help out Fire Emblem and prove him innocent to the act of homicide inside a jail where the victim was burnt alive. But they're not both on the case from the start... our dear Barnaby obviously has to deal with a photo-shoot. This episode sure points out the consequences an advertised and business type of hero have to live with, some may like it and others may not. But thanks to this episode I finally have some hope for the main story or some kind of relevant hero plot. Because in this episode we're introduced to a new villain, and it seems to be a relatively strong one at that. I'll just point out what's obvious, he's the fiery type (harr, harr).

The animation in this episode varies a lot, at times there is a lot going on at the same time and the quality is top-notch but other times I feel like I'm watching still pictures with mouths moving along to dialogue... which could very well be exactly what I was doing. Either way the episode as a whole shows promise for the future of this series, I hope to see a lot more revealments about the main villain in the next episode and perhaps even get some further details about Barnaby's past.

This is Prox, signing out.