This week: anime-original characters in Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!, memories as a storytelling device in Shin Sekai Yori, the persistent use of humor in Medaka Box Abnormal, and a duplication of colors in K.

Oh right, was supposed to reverse the order of the anime last week but it slipped my mind.  So yeah, the anime listed below are in reverse alphabetical order now as has always been the case once the series passes its halfway mark.

Best episode of the week: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Anime trending up this week: Shin Sekai Yori

Anime trending down this week: Medaka Box Abnormal

Sword Art Online (Episode 21) – Though Sword Art Online has committed numerous destructive errors and critical flaws, perhaps none are more atrocious or grievous than one that has appeared recently. And what makes this blunder even more vexing is that it will likely never be addressed, corrected and apologized for.  I’m talking about the missing tails from the catgirls.  Sure, yeah, that one Cait Sith leader, Rue, had one in the previous episode but a quick scan through the streets of the capital city Arun shows various catgirls with no tails.  Like, seriously, how do you mess up this badly with something so simple?  It’s ridiculous is what it is.  It’s a thousand times worse than the tentacle whatever that went on, too.  It’s like they’re getting lazy, forgetting the best part, and leaving these characters incomplete and lame.  Kinda like this anime, it’s like they’re purposefully removing all the good parts and leaving us with just this incoherent, incestuous disaster.

Shin Sekai Yori (Episode 9) – The use of characters recalling forgotten memories as a storytelling device has always been and always will be a wearisome and worrisome cliché except in the instance that they are forcefully blocked or removed from the character’s mind.  If that is the case for Shin Sekai Yori, as I am expecting provided that the enigmatic society and unsettling setting would allow for such a device, then it might actually serve as a bonus to the anime.  Why?  With the theory that individuals have the power that can repress or disperse certain memories, it serves the anime well for how society weeds out failures and other oddities without causing an internal uproar or revolt.  Given the example with how Saki potentially lost the memories of her former family members, it shows that the leaders of this society do their best to deceive its citizens for their own self-interested purposes.  The parents, however, must understand these details given the commotion Saki’s mother showed in the first episode, which makes the whole process even more intriguing, especially if it is done again and again to the children throughout their childhood and schooling years.  However, if it’s not a part of a grand system nor if the altered memories are explained, then there’ll be some jeers for Shin Sekai Yori on this missed or fumbled opportunity.

Psycho-Pass (Episode 7) – Kougami has a knack for knowing the right things to say at the right time.  Whether he’s clarifying the cryptic mind of a serial killer or encouraging Akane through supportive words, everything he does seems to be just the right thing.  And while this may ultimately be good or fantastic for the characters of Psycho-Pass, it damages his character by making his character bland and devoid of personality.  It’s as if he’s a robot placed in the Public Safety Bureau to answer questions and assist in solving crimes.  Beyond that and the brief snippets of his past, he really doesn’t possess any hint of emotion nor does he express any interests in anything besides solving crimes, smoking cigarettes and punching robots.  And those minimalistic details on his character aren’t enough to piece together a profile or personality for which to understand Kougami.  It doesn’t help that Masaoka is already the old mentor type and that Ginoza is the serious manager with a short-fuse since those kinda render those traits on Kougami nullified due to their defined personas.  If I had to assign an archetype or personality to Kougami, I suppose I’d say he’s the quiet and reserved type but he seems too interested in his job and others for that to stick.  And if I were to say he’s like the knight-in-shining-armor, I’d have trouble convincing myself since he has only flashed that once or twice all season.  Really, profiling Kougami is rather difficult given what we’ve seen thus far.

Medaka Box Abnormal (S2) (Episode 7) – Despite being well underway in a series of decisive battles, the humor in Medaka Box somehow survives.  It doesn’t matter how serious or dangerous the opponent is, the writing in Medaka Box finds a way to wedge in some joke or comedy in order to help retain the charm of our protagonists or to keep the anime from seeming too dark or dramatic, aspects which the anime seems to perform poorly with given its attempts this season.  The humor and amusement, however, is one of the better qualities of Medaka Box, often showing precise timing and intelligence to make a joke work given the situation and circumstances.  It also helps reinforce the lighthearted nature of the anime which has unfortunately taken a backseat to the story in this sequel.  Nevertheless, the humor has found a way to survive and make a difference in these episodes which has been one of the brighter and better moments of Medaka Box Abnormal.

Little Busters! (Episode 8) – In every decision-making scenario, risk is weighed against reward whether conscious or not.  In the event of Kudryavka accepting the stern and unforgiving Kanata as her new roommate, she’s weighing her risks and her rewards.  And though this may seem way too risky for the kindhearted and naïve Kud to live with Kanata, something that seems like the most ill-fated pairing of all the students thus far, it also has the potential for the greatest reward, too.  Although Kud may be bossed around by Kanata more often, she will be able to develop a friendship with the person who is the most opposite of her.  Not only will she gain one new friend in the process but she will open new routes of access to create more friendships with Kanata’s friends.  Furthermore, if Kud can find a friendship in the person more polarizing to her personality, then it shows that Kud can make friends with anyone she wants.  And for Kanata, she is also evaluating her risks and rewards, too, in deciding to live together with Kud.  Without much known about her and her motivations, there isn’t much to say, but it shouldn’t be surprising to see Kanata see more rewards from inviting Kud to her room than whatever new risks develop.  Hopefully we can find out soon what Kanata hopes to gain from living together with Kud.

Kamisama Kiss (Episode 8) – I can’t help but feel bad for the girls who want a little beefcake or ‘manservice’ in their anime.  Sure, there are gorgeous shots of bishounen constantly being shown in Kamisama Kiss but the first examples of semi-nude males in the series are rather crudely drawn and largely unappealing.  Hell, we even had a zoomed-in pantyshot before any dudes were in speedos or skintight clothing so that’s gotta be a sign of how disappointing the fanservice has been for the female audience.  Still, it’s not like the whole point of Kamisama Kiss is to be the female-audience version of whatever ecchi harem anime are out there, not the mention I’m guessing the general female fan enjoys sparkly bishounen over topless, tan guys in swimsuits, but the shots in this beach episode were pretty disappointing.  Guess I should consider myself lucky or fortunate that there isn’t a whole bunch of fanservice in this anime intended for female viewers.

K (Episode 8) – The whole coloring system in K has been pretty simple thus far with reds being reds and blues being blues, but now something appear that might complicate things: we now have two whites.  Although Adolf K. Weismann is considered the Silver King or the first King, his name clearly has the word ‘white’ in it much like our protagonist Yashiro.  With both characters sharing the same colors, not to mention a little bit of history, too, it’ll be exciting to see how things play out, especially with Weismann assuming the color ‘silver’ and Yashiro being without a color for now.  It certainly seems like there is some conflict between the two characters, so there’s something already going on there, but how it unfolds in regards to the colors scheme will be quite interesting.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Episode 8) – JJBA is an anime without any sense of moderation, always going well beyond the bounds of restraint and reaching out into the extraordinary.  And with this episode, it also seems to have no real sense of pacing either, quickly encompassing the final battle of this arc in the entirety of an episode.  Of course, with such a lengthy manga series, the allotted time of the anime must be appropriately budgeted in order to fit the specified stories in but that is no excuse for having the anime feel as rushed as it did in this episode.  The whole scene with Dire fighting Dio lasted only slightly longer than a heartbeat and was over before anyone wanted.  Like, I’m assuming the time in the manga didn’t last much longer than what was shown in the anime but at least the reader could continue at their own pace and allow the death to sink in and make its lasting impact before moving onto JoJo’s turn.  And though I am conflicted with wanting to get as much JJBA in before the anime’s time is up, I feel that it is a misstep by the series to continue at its current pacing.  And though this is only the first real flaw with JoJo’s, it’s kind of a big one.

Girls und Panzer (Episode 6) – Following the victory by Ooarai over the Saunders, Kei apologized to Miho over Arisa’s inappropriate eavesdropping for providing an unfair advantage to their team.  However, didn’t Yukari provide Ooarai with an unfair advantage, too, by slipping into the Saunders school and spy during their meeting?  Was that detail simply forgotten or is Kei simply inconsistent with her stance on cheating?  Yeah, she addressed the issue with Yukari in the fifth episode, ultimately brushing the situation off and inviting her back to their school sometime, so it seems like she’s indifferent about it, but then she goes out of her way to apologize and then punish Arisa for virtually the same infraction.  Maybe she holds her teammates to a higher standard?  Or, as was my impression, the Yukari spying incident was, like many fine details in anime, simply forgotten.

Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! (Episode 8) – It has come to my attention that Touka Takanashi, Rikka’s older sister and current guardian, is an anime original character.  Same with Kumin and Sanae; both are new to the series, only joining the series when it made the jump from light novel to anime.  Considering their impact on the series and how they’ve influences the characters and the story, I have absolutely no idea what the light novel could possibly be like.  Sure, it still probably shares the same core concepts and themes and whatnot, but I couldn’t imagine this anime without Touka, Kumin or Sanae.  Nor do I want to.  The fact that these three characters (and whoever might be new) are in the anime is something that I find positive for the anime and am ultimately happy to have these three characters included.  There might be benefits or advantages for them to not be in the anime like in the original light novel and I have been known to voice complaints about anime adaptations switching or changing too many things around, but the inclusion and participation of these three characters have had a huge impact on my enjoyment of the series and I can say, without a doubt, that their addition is a definite plus for the anime.

Remorse is an effective and influential theme in character development, one that can override preexisting ambitions and stunt aspirations, driving a character to immediately amend whatever wrongs they feel obligated to correct.  For Alibaba, the remorse that he feels when eyeing the fallen kingdom of Balbadd is truly powerful, especially after his brother, Kassim, manipulated it as a means to control Alibaba as leader of the Fog Troupe.

When reviewing the disheartening story of Alibaba and his place in the fall of the former kingdom, it is understandable that he should feel some guilt for the current turmoil and rebellion facing Balbadd presently.  He feels the need to blame himself and his carelessness for the ransacking of the royal castle and the death of his father.  To make matters worse, his departure from Balbadd meant that he could not rectify his ‘mistakes’ as the nation turned to disorder and destruction.  Naturally, Alibaba, as a considerate and noble soul, sought to return to Balbadd after conquering the Amon Dunegon in Qishan with his newfound power as a tool to reconstruct the fallen kingdom and restore it to its former glory.  However, Kassim understood the position of his ‘friend’ and proceeded to direct Alibaba to the Fog Troupe to strengthen the revolution.

Having known Alibaba for years during their impoverished childhood together, Kassim knew how to manipulate Alibaba’s emotions and use it in order for him to join his ranks and lead the Fog Troupe to thievery and a redistribution of the nation’s fleeting wealth.  After explaining of the plague that took their sister and of the government oppression, this in the form of ignoring the dying people and eventually burning and demolishing the slums, Kassim tailored his approach in a way to blind Alibaba to his former ways and force him into joining and leading his band of ruthless thieves.  Rather than allow Alibaba to make a decision for himself, Kassim pressured Alibaba on the spot, at the site of his sister’s grave.  This addition, that of the diseased and charred slums, augmented the his agonizing burden, putting him at the point where it become unbearable.  And his is where Kassim attacked, using this opportunity to impose a duty on Alibaba beyond his original intention of restoring Balbadd and shifting it to restoring Balbadd through a people’s revolution.  Kassim was able to perform this endeavor by showing him the indirect results of his previous errors.  However, to say these faults belong to Alibaba is mistaken and that this added remorse is certainly not genuine.

What Kassim was able to do was show Alibaba the results of his missteps and how it affected the downfall of Balbadd.  Because Alibaba felt responsible for the former king’s death, something that should be attributed to his weakened state and the assault by Kassim, Alibaba believed he was accountable for the current state of the slums.  However, whether or not Alibaba and the king remained alive, the disease would have spread through the slums.  It would’ve happened regardless of Alibaba’s presence or not.  However, Alibaba felt some responsibility in learning of Mariam’s passing.  Furthermore, when Kassim recalled how the government ignored the cries and pleas of the slums and eventually lead to its obliteration, it isn’t like Alibaba had the power within him as a prince to provide aid to the slums.  As it appeared throughout Alibaba’s childhood, the slums never received any aid or care from the government and it is unlikely that it would’ve changed with the disease as its peak.  However, these stories that Kassim fed Alibaba played into his fragile state and were used to convince him to join his side in the revolution.  Although it is possible that Kassim did not have an ulterior motive and was not trying to fabricate more remorse from Alibaba, it did seem that his plan was to capture him from the start with this history and then persuade him to join in his emotional and confused state.  However, it does appear that there was some cunning involved on Kassim in how he roped Alibaba in, and it is worth noting that I am curious how Alibaba would have enacted his compassion without the influence of his brother.

Although I doubt Aladdin will ever mature into a formidable and muscular fighter like Sinbad, I couldn’t help but feel that the team of Sinbad, Jafar, and Masrur is like a grown-up version of Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana.  Of course the personalities and appearances are off, but the roles they share between each other are strikingly similar and this encounter is perhaps a foreshadowing of what to expect further on in Magi.  Of course, knowing how legendary and revered Sinbad is, it seems like it may be a while before Aladdin reaches his level.

Whoops!  Looks like you were last Madoka!

The scene gets me to laugh every time I watch it.  I love cute farewells like this and has inspired me to do the same with friends on a number of occasions.  And when thinking about scenes like this that occurred over the course of the year that were both amusing and touching, this one wins.  No, there isn’t much meaning or inspiration to me from it, but it’s something simple yet surprisingly effective, especially in terms of emotion and comedy.  It’s a lesson a majority of anime should learn in terms of characterization and storytelling.  Fortunately, Rinne no Lagrange nailed it with this scene which is easily one of my favorite and one of the most brilliant and unforgettable of the year.

Considering that I watch over 50 anime each year, ranging roughly between 12 to 26 episodes each, you’d figure it might be difficult for me to choose my favorite episode of the year when there’s nearly a thousand to choose from.  However, from the moment I finished episode 18 of the Sengoku Collection, I knew which one it would be this year.  No episode of any other anime comes even remotely close to the profoundness, merit and brilliance of this episode of Sengoku Collection.  It stands alone at the summit of anime excellence, an episode comprised of a spectacular art style, influential and engrossing characters, the haunting absence of music, and a simple, modest story shown to us through ingenious directing to tie it all together and create an inspiring, illustrious episode that has become one of my favorite episodes of all time.

Although I’d love to relive my thoughts, emotions and mindset immediately following the episode, I was able to capture the moment in my Week 5 Anime Review from this past Summer.  It stated:

Sengoku Collection (Episode 18) – It isn’t often that you can finish an episode, digest the material a bit, let your emotions return to normal, and still declare what you just watched was the best episode of any anime for the entire year.  Yet, here we are, in the aftermath of Sengoku Collection 18, and I’m not afraid to call this the best episode of any anime for the entire 2012 year.  In perhaps the ~400 episodes of anime watched thus far, nothing really comes close to what this episode was able to do.  If you don’t watch or are considering watching the anime, I cannot recommend this anime enough.  It does have some lesser episodes and even a few misses, but to ignore it otherwise would be a crime given how outstanding it is at times with this episode being the pinnacle of success for the series.  If you have watched it, you know just how magnificent this episode was.  It might not be your favorite or even anywhere close, but for me, this is hands-down the best episode of anime I have watched in well over a year of anime.  Thank you, Sengoku Collection.

What stands out to me about this passage is that, even though I unreasonably and hysterically gush all over the episode, it might be an understatement considering the perspective was taken a few days after having watched it.  Perhaps at that time, words failed to convey how I truly felt, how I was truly influenced by this episode, which is why I have nothing immediately following the episode.  What little records remain of my conversation with friends and fans that reside in my memory (and on Twitter) is that the episode drew immediate raves from the fans of the franchise and inspired many others to pick up the series to watch it themselves.  You hardly ever see anything like it for one episode of an anime.  That’s just how powerful this episode was.

Surprisingly, what made the episode so exceptional, so outstanding, and so beloved for me is that it was a simple story told successfully and dazzlingly through its directing.  It was an episode where cinematography mattered, where the initial shots of the scenes established the mood and situation through gorgeously crafted urban environments that were filled with the unharmonious music of the hustle and bustle of the city.  Shots continued to reinforce scenes of isolation and sadness through positioning and focus and, as the episode progressed, evolved to show happiness and hope.  The camera played an valuable in this episode, helping sway emotions through the underused techniques of cinematography in anime.  And of course, the absence of music throughout the episode leaves a memorable impression, often opting for silence to set the mood rather than artificial songs piped in through elsewhere.  The pacing and storytelling were also brilliant.  Not a single scene was wasted with each holding some meaning in narrating the tale of Yoshitsugu.  Every shot played a part in illustrating her story to us.  And the way the episode progressed felt entirely appropriate, never rushing too quickly or hanging around for too long in each stage of the story.  As a result, the story of the episode was communicated to us flawlessly.  And all these aspects share one thing in common; they all can be attributed to the directing in this episode.  So while there may be anime out there with better art and animation, more interesting or intricate characters, or a more heartwarming or tragic story, there are few that are able to take a simple story of friendship and hope, and communicate it to us with such effectiveness in its storytelling ability that it instantly becomes a fan favorite and perhaps one of the best episodes of any anime that I have watched in recent years.

And though the episode aired months ago and the anime ended last season, I continue to recommend this episode and this anime to anyone and everyone.  The fact that so many people rave about it with glowing enthusiasm speaks volumes of what a magnificent episode it is.  And since the anime is largely episodic in nature, one doesn’t need to pass through 17 episodes prior just to arrive at this one.  However, I wouldn’t recommend starting at 18 and going from there.  I’d definitely recommend watching a few of the earlier episodes first, some of the best of the series even before jumping straight into this masterpiece.  In fact, there are a couple of episode guides out there that breakdown each episode in terms of priority and quality, too, in case time is a factor.  If not, then I don’t know what else can be done to convince people to watch this episode, enjoy it, and share in the experience that I did.  Yes, to share in the experience that was my favorite anime out of the entire year and quite possibly my favorite of the past few years, too.  Yes, looking at it like this, this might not be one of the most memorable moments of 2012 but in my entire anime life.  Yeah, this episode is that special.

The year of 2012 saw the debut and broadcasting of well over a hundred television anime and even more in the forms of movies and OVAs.  Over the past dozen months, I’ve spent countless hours watching these anime and documenting my thoughts, opinions and evaluations on each and every show.  Now with the year coming to a close, it’s time to summarize this year of anime with two simple lists: one on the top 12 characters of the year and the other on the top 12 favorite anime of the year.

Just a quick note before beginning: the list is just on the television anime of the year and does not include any movies or OVAs.  Furthermore, it includes any anime that aired over the year regardless of when it began or when it ends, so some of the anime from last year’s review will be appearing again.

Top 12 Characters of 2012:

Honorable Mention: Misawa-chan (Sengoku Collection)

Had she played a larger role or appeared in more than half-an-episode, Misawa-chan would’ve placed somewhere on the list.  Unfortunately for her and for the rest of us, she didn’t, but leaving this malevolent, sandbox-hording toddler off the list would be unfitting for such an exceptional rival.  And anyone who watched the twenty-third episode of Sengoku Collection knows just how awesome of a character she really is.

12. Mayaka Ibara (Hyouka)

Mayaka had a strict, serious personality that kept the Classic Literature club composed but also possessed a refreshing, calming smile that reassured her friends and made her one of the most agreeable characters to watch in Hyouka.  Her willingness to help her friends was insightful of her character, showing how compassionate and resourceful she is.  However, her most remarkable attribute is how she held everyone to an incredibly high standard and was always harsh on herself, even if it was unfair.  Still, we were able to understand what was going on in her mind and why she was so easily conflicted and difficult despite being a wonderful friend.  Watching her think and act in Hyouka was somewhat striking but always enjoyable.

11. Nanami Momozono (Kamisama Kiss)

Whenever Nanami smiles, my heart slowly melts away because her smiles are always so genuine, honest, sincere and encouraging.  It’s rare to ever see a smile like that in an anime, but you see it every time with Nanami.  Her considerate and optimistic personality keep her afloat amid the chaos and mayhem that dictates her life as she is now an emotional teenager yearning for a fulfilling romance while also serving as the Earth deity at a neglected shrine.  It’s amazing how she tackles her hardships with such energy and enthusiasm and smiles, yes that smile again, even through thick and thin.  Now if only more anime characters were cheerful like her.

10. Nanami Takatsuki (Dog Days’)

Although most of the personalities and characters in Dog Days’ share similar attributes, a cast of energetic, enthusiastic and sociable friends who are all connected, Nanami shows some admirable depth as she is portrayed as an antagonist by being Shinku’s superior rival.  Even though she’s still friendly and supportive of everyone in the series, she is able to take on any challenge and do her best, even if it’s against her friends or when she knows she’s likely to lose a battle.  She also seems to adore the world more than any other character and immerses herself in the culture, too, always smiling and enjoying activities with her friends.  Not only that, but she’s immune to the rather shallow romance around Shinku and is hinted at being the only female pervert in the series.  Whenever Nanami is around, Dog Days becomes much, much better.

9. Kukuru Anrakutei (Joshiraku)

Kukuru was always the odd-one-out in Joshiraku given her incredibly bizarre and often depressing personality.  However, it was because of this and her role in the comedy anime that made her an absolute wonder.  Kukuru was often portrayed as the craziest one in Joshiraku and was able to benefit greatly from her zany, unique act.  Her quiet, well-mannered but disheartening personality contrasted greatly with the general theme of the anime and often caused all the characters to rally around her or away from her in skits.  When she was secondary in the skits, she often would provide insightful information or provide complimentary humor.  However, her role always produced smiles or laughs and she quickly became the most memorable character in this delightful comedy.

8. Kona “Frau” Furugoori (Robotics;Notes)

Frau is fascinating character well beyond the surface of her eccentric, unconventional, and uncanny personality.  Although she’s always joking around with her new friends, making references to otaku or internet humor mid-conversation or mid-sentence, this is only the exterior of her character.  Within this shell is an emotionally-fragile, confused, and isolated teenage girl who has never experienced a true family, instead being raised by the computers, and is searching for her missing mother.  Her quest and frail personality, one that lacks much in the way of social skills, shows what Frau really is and her humorous, wild outer self is how she hides her delicate side so she no longer exposes herself to weakness, pain, or embarrassment.  This duality, of what she is and how she presents herself to others, is genuinely remarkable, and it highlights the depth and complexity of her character.  Not only that, but she’s easily the funniest and cutest character in Robotic;Notes, too, which is quite an accomplishment itself.

7. Lucius Modestus (Thermae Romae)

Unlike a vast majority of anime which assume that you show a brainy character but pulling out random trivia or reciting poems or ideas, Thermae Romae shows to us that Lucius is genuinely an intelligent and resourceful man. Every episode showed him attempting to learn and understand modern bathing technologies and then trying to attempt recreating them in ancient Rome.  It shows us how he learns, how he thinks and how he finds success through his inspiration.  Not only that, but it demonstrations his dedication and innovation for something he feels passionate about, too.  Often times, characters feel flat or lifeless when describing what they feel obsessive about, leading them to feel one-dimensional, but Lucius is so well developed that we can understand his love and enthusiasm of bathing based on how he approaches it.  It’s like Lucius is the antithesis, the complete opposite of one-dimensional, poorly written anime characters given how we came to understand and appreciate his character.  If only every anime could develop characters like Thermae Romae did for Lucius.

6. Houtarou Oreki (Hyouka)

What makes Houtarou such an astonishing character is not only because he’s a lethargic, indifferent but genius cynic who enjoys conserving his energy and emotions (that’d be enough to make this list), but because of how he breaks his personal philosophy to assist his friends.  Even though he remains committed to his ways throughout Hyouka, and often times he cites his reason for helping as the path of spending the least amount of energy, Houtarou shows his concerns for others though his actions and satisfying their curiosities.  Sure, he only does it after he can no longer tolerate their constant harassment, but he continues to spend time with his friends even though it requires him to spend his time and energy in ways against his personal belief.  Not only that, but Houtarou’s straightforward and sarcastic nature made him a delight around all these happy, sociable and sincere characters.

5. Deishu Kaiki (Nisemonogatari)

Sophisticated and suave, clever and perceptive, influential and manipulating, Kaiki is an ideal character and everything you want from a villain. His personality is refined and civil, placing a rather enjoyable and deceiving layer over his malevolent interior.  He uses himself to con the money out of everyone he sees; like a successful businessman, he takes what he has (knowledge and experience with the oddities) and turns it into a profit.  But what really makes his character fascinating is how significant he revealed himself to be throughout the series while always remaining in the shadows.  In fact, he’s connected to Senjougahara, Karen and Tsukihi, Kanbaru, Nadeko, Oshino, Yozuru, and many more.  Not only that, but he’s seemingly caused everyone around him harm due to his principles and philosophy without any regrets.  The fact is he’s steadfast in his ways and exists only to make a profit without feeling any hints remorse, distress or a need to change for his actions.  If only more villains could be like Kaiki.

4. Yoshitsugu Ootani (Sengoku Collection)

The story of Yoshitsugu’s life is a heartbreaking one, of adversity and despair, but the story of her character is of strength, perseverance and hope.  Unsatisfied with her hollow and isolated life, Yoshitsugu began to search for external sources of luck in order to improve her life, though time and time again, they slowly morphed into misfortune that returned her to her original, depressed state.  It wasn’t until the final tragedy that she found how her life was an inspiration to others, how they found strength in her.  It was through this reflection that she began to find confidence, determination, and a purpose in herself and realized that what she was missing was within her this entire time.  Unfortunately, we were only able to see Yoshitsugu for one episode, but what we saw from her and her story goes well beyond what we see from most characters in an entire series.

3. Dio Brando (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Dio Brando is exactly what a villain should be: a perfect mirror for which to use to contrast the hero against.  Dio is the antithesis of Jonathan, a selfish, cruel, and menacing murderer striving for his own personal gain at the expense of everyone around him.  But what completes Dio is how we learn about his motives and his purpose in life, a history usually only reserved for protagonists.  By documenting the challenges and destitution of his life, we’re able to witness his transformation as a merciless ruffian into a truly wicked and malicious being.  For such a malevolent antagonist to receive such meticulous and complete detail to his character is honestly remarkable, especially since most villains in anime are flat, one-dimensional obstacles with funny costumes or gimmicks.  Instead, Dio is a personality, an ego born through catastrophe and suffering, and does he part to elevate and enrich the story and characters, especially the protagonist, of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

2. Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4 the Animation)

Although Naoto did not emerge until the latter stages of Persona 4, her character was fundamental and impressive in the anime.  Her role in the anime did not appear until there was a sudden shift to resolving the murder mystery, in which she became the dominant female character and the only one besides Yuu making progress in the case.  Her intellect and rationale were essential in moving the plot along and revealed through her astute thoughts and actions.  Beyond that, however, Naoto was a conflicted character, adopting boyish mannerisms and dressing as one believing that to be required as a respectable young detective.  As Persona 4 progressed, we saw her grow out of her troubled self, going from a shy, introverted lass, confused and shamed by her age and sex, to an amiable, confident and outgoing girl who is comfortable and happy with herself and her life.  As she matured, her character significantly improved and become a highlight in the Persona 4 anime.

1. Watashi (Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita)

Watashi is just about the perfect character.  Her delightful smile and pleasant demeanor, along with her charmingly cute appearance, lead her to be popular with humans and fairies alike.  In addition, her intelligence and awareness allowed her to find success as a mediator between the two civilizations.  However, these were nothing more than tools she used to hide her laziness and distrustful nature, one that only wanted to bake sweets at home rather than going on outrageous misadventures.  But within this was another layer, a core of Watashi, that housed a sensitive girl wanting to be friends and happy with those around her.  Throughout Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, we saw fragments of Watashi’s development on specific areas, learning from her mistakes and understanding the world around her.  Not only was the anime both entertaining and informative, but we witnessed the maturity of Watashi through various points in time and how she became such an enjoyable and cynical protagonist.  Her character is exceptionally remarkable and inspiring, both in terms of her amusing personality but also in terms of her phenomenal growth, too.

Favorite OP and ED of 2012:

OP: Sengoku Collection (back into my world):

After finishing half the series, the Opening changes to this stimulating video with an uplifting and rousing song.  Not only that but the first time you see the faces of the next 13 generals is moving and sensational as you know we’ll come to learn who they are and why their stories are meaningful. One final outstanding touch is how is also mixes in all the old generals, too, which really holds all the individual characters and stories of this anime together as an outstanding and incredible anime.

ED: Kill Me Baby (Futari no Kimochi no Honto no Himitsu [The True Secret of Our Feelings]):

Yup, that dance.  That dance… what can I say about that dance?  But more than that dance is the song, too, which, even after looping it constantly for hours on end, becomes more catchy and cute with each passing play-through.  But the captivating and adorable dance animation is what really makes this the most memorable and outstanding Ending of the year.  It is a true masterpiece of what anime Endings should be.

Top 12 Anime of 2012:

Honorable Mention: Rinne no Lagrange S1

Before the second season lowered Rinne no Lagrange’s score below the threshold, this was one of my favorite anime of this year.  The main trio of girls was amusing and engaging, the mecha animation/battles were pleasant to watch, the soundtrack was phenomenal and the series had fun as its top priority.  It was entertaining to watch with a decent story which is why it deserves a mention though it didn’t meet the criteria.

12. Kamisama Kiss

An enchanting tale of a teenage girl becoming a local deity, Kamisama Kiss is a delightful anime that relies on genuine humor and an endearing romance to narrate its story.  Even though it seemed like it would be another monotonous, indistinguishable shoujo romantic comedy, Kamisama Kiss possessed unquestionable charm in is comedy and in its lead character, Nanami Momozono, which promptly made it one of the most entertaining and surprising anime of the year.

11. Tasogare Otome x Amnesia

Tasogare Otome x Amnesia is a standing example of how superb directing and phenomenal visuals play a fundamental role in enhancing and improving an anime.  The use of conflicting colors with varying lighting and the diversity in cinematographic techniques made this anime an aesthetic masterpiece, one in which the illustrations were meaningful and expressive.  The characters were magnetic and enjoyable, too, each playing a significant role in the story’s mystery and not just a part of the humorous comedy.  The setting and mystery were positive aspects, too.  Despite being passionately dissatisfied and disgruntled with the finale, I found it to still be one of my favorites of 2012.

10. Joshiraku

Another example of how comedy and characters will always leave me satisfied, the magnetic cast of Joshiraku and its nonsensical, random humor won me over rather quickly and easily.  A comedy of this caliber is always fulfilling by my standards, so I found Joshiraku to be an amusing experience.  An added bonus were the exploratory segments where the girls wandered around the boroughs of Tokyo and examined, explained and critiqued the various beloved landmarks of this metropolis.  Not only were they somewhat educations, but the contrasting and pleasant nature of these segments felt both rewarding and relaxing, as an ideal break between the skits of heavy and random comedy.

9. Tsuritama

Tsuritama found its success in developing the friendship between four teenage boys, showing their triumph over their own personal challenges, and doing so with its unexpectedly detailed and charming art style.  Many of the establishing shots, shots of the setting at the start of a scene to provide context or meaning, featured gorgeously and thoroughly detailed environments full of vibrant and vivid colors.  Every member of the main quartet started out as either as annoying or a jerk, but each grew into a respectable and likable character before too long.  How they overcame their problems was detailed very well in the anime, showing how they’ve matured and how their friends played essential roles.  It’s rare to ever see that in an anime, let alone four times with four characters.  The plot was a bit crazy, too, but in that fun kind of crazy way that just felt appropriate for what Tsuritama was.

8. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Smashing moderation and rationality square in their boring, old faces, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is remarkable in how exaggerated and theatrical it is but that’s what makes it so satisfying and enjoyable.  The characters, the fights, the comedy, too; everything in JJBA is done to the extreme.  Not only that, but it’s done extremely well, too, with a calculated approach to find that ideal high-point where it’s not doing too much or too little, but is just right.  The characters, especially Jonathan and Dio, have been thoroughly developed and examined throughout and we’re going throught he process again with Joseph for the second half.  The use of erratic and contradictory colors during dramatic scenes has been a phenomenal touch on the visuals of the anime, too.  Just, everything about this anime is done masterfully and it has been outstanding and entertaining to watch.

7. Sakamichi no Apollon

With a setting as passionate and distinctive as the 1960s as a harbor of clashing cultures, Sakamichi no Apollon earned its way onto this list through its dazzling use of friendship and music as constant themes through growing together and growing apart.  Although the story and romances had a few regrettable decisions and melodramatic outcomes, the overall anime was solid with its complex and expressive characters taking charge.  Friendship and music played integrals roles which were performed effectively throughout, especially with such a terrific soundtrack as we had with this anime.  The setting was a bit underused given its potential, wishing to see more about how the time and location affected the story and characters, but it ended up being a favorite for this year.

6. Psycho-Pass

The thrilling story of Psycho-Pass examines the life of a rookie detective in a futuristic, encompassing metropolis setting with applied psychology, synchronization, and social order are topics of discussion.  The themes that the anime explores are somber and heavy, done through a rather grim and painful lens, too, showing the perplexity and suffering of Akane.  But this is a controlled chaos that makes every story meaningful where it shows her closely mature in this world and allow us to understand and experience the setting.  The use of the setting in the anime has been influential, too, and that dirty dystopian metropolis feeling is an absolute favorite.

5. Persona 4 the Animation

Persona 4 was a versatile and complete anime, featuring components of just about every genre from mystery to comedy to drama to action to adventure to even slice-of-life.  Not only that but the characters were ridiculous and vibrant, not to mention unique and fully developed, bringing a certain vitality and delight to the story.  And though the ending was rushed and the animation quality substandard at times, I found this anime to be both excellent as a stimulating, thoughtful anime and as a charming entertainment anime throughout.

4. Hyouka

Hyouka finds its success in its quartet of fascinating and mesmerizing characters.  Each of the central characters faced their own strengths and flaws throughout the anime and gradually changed throughout in order to improve themselves as people and as friends.  The characterization was brilliant, much like the visuals of Hyouka.  The illustrations featured an unparalleled quality, featuring picturesque scenery and backgrounds for which to set the characters and mysteries in, and their motions and energy was expressed through seamless and flawless animation.  Sometimes the mysteries were rather trivial or shallow, but the experience was always precise, reflective and rewarding, both for us and for the characters.  Truly an astonishing experience.

3. Chihayafuru

Blending a sports drama with shoujo romance and adding in heavy doses of legitimate comedy, Chihayafuru is an exceptional anime.  Every member of this magnificent and meaningful cast saw their diverse interests explored and their characters developed to show that they were more than just karuta players and that they were distinctive, expressive, and amiable people.  Matches of karuta were frequently dramatic and intense, creating an enchanting but stressed atmosphere.  The comedy and romance were emphasized at appropriate times, giving the anime a comforting, heartfelt and genuine feeling.  It is a complete anime, performing excellently in every measurable category and is quite possibly my favorite josei anime of all-time.

2. Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita

Jinrui wa Suitai Shimasthita was an enchanting, charming anime that toyed with the subjects of humanity and civilization in a rural, dystopian setting through its exceptional and distinguished protagonist.  It dissected each topic with surgical care, using its characters to explore various themes and matters with critical and humorous results.  Everything that was critiques was either heavy or depressing but masked with a lighthearted approach of using elves and comedy to soften each episode.  There’s been quite a number of analyses on this anime, on its characters, and on its episodes which shows just how meaningful and fascinating this anime was.  Not only that but the art and soundtrack were remarkable, too, creating a delightful palate of sounds and colors for which to display each story.

1. Sengoku Collection

The Sengoku Collection is not a story but a journey.  It is not linear but multidirectional.  Not an anime to watch but an anime to experience.  Yes, the Sengoku Collection is undoubtedly the top anime this year through its remarkable cast of characters, its dedication to innovative and expressive storytelling, and its ability to conjure a diversity of emotions from its audience.  The forgotten art of storytelling was revived in this illustrious anime, demonstrating modest stories effectively with charisma and resolve.  The characters were all an amusing and intriguing bunch, with every episode displaying their incredible personalities and showing how their existence positively impacts the lives of others around them.  And though some episodes were less than stellar, this anime featured numerous episodes that were beyond extraordinary and sensational.  This is easily the best anime of 2012.

It seems as though the spirited and cheerful Airi, the shining, sunny personality we knew and loved, is no longer with us in Robotics;Notes.  And though it seems like a cruel and heartless event to occur in the series, essentially the death of a character with her artificial intelligence being lost to digital nothingness, it does serve an ultimate purpose in the series from this point going forward.  That is to say, her character has fulfilled her duties and her intended purpose and now, is no longer necessary.

Exactly what duty and what purpose Airi served is still rather unclear but her bright, smiling personally allowed her to connect with and integrate socially with Kai and his friends of the Robotics Club, allowed them access to Sister Centipede which had been an central role in the story, and had her own touching backstory of being the projection of a young, feeble girl surviving only through stasis.  With those pieces having been completed and with no other obligations remaining for her character to fulfill, the end of Airi’s story became an electronic tragedy with her amusing personality now lost after the Iru-O system reboot.

Although it does seem a bit unnecessary for her character to be gone now, it does serve a way to reinforce her character and helps make her story somewhat more significant or expressive.  Had she reappeared following the Iru-O reboot and was seen laughing and playing around, her final moments on Christmas Eve with the snow and the kiss would seem less… meaningful.  Not only that but had her character continued to exist in the series, it’s questionable what role she would play or what capacity she would fill.  While one of the most pleasant and enjoyable characters of the series, I have trouble finding additional screentime for Airi from this point onward considering that the story has been escalating lately and that there is a limited time for which to cover the remainder of the story and finish its ongoing storylines.  And for fans of Airi, such as myself, there is hope remaining that we may indeed see her return since it seems as though her storyline is still incomplete.

As you may recall, the story of digital Airi may indeed be a pass-off to the original Airi, the young girl resting peacefully in a stasis tube, waiting until society can develop a cure for her painful chronic illness.  It does seem likely that we will see Airi return to Robotics;Notes but in the form of flesh and blood.  It may not be until the finale or the epilogue do we see the return of this silver-haired lass, but it does seem increasingly likely that Airi will make a return to Robotics;Notes before the final frame has aired.  So while it may indeed be a sad turn-of-events to realize that Airi is gone, it is somewhat reassuring that her story, her final purpose in this anime, was able to introduce to Kai and to us the human Airi, in hopes that the original version of her can be saved and live her life in happiness and sunshine as our digital Airi did.

One dire question I have that will probably never be answered is regarding the electricity in Kimijima’s abandoned home that ran the stasis tube for Airi.  With the building abandoned for roughly four years since the time of his death, Airi has been in a deep sleep in his basement this whole time, consuming what I’d expect to be quite a chunk of electricity with seemingly no one to foot the bill.  It seems rather odd that the electricity, a substantial amount of it too, would continue to this abandoned house without anyone paying for it.  I suppose there could be some other possible explanation for this, such as another payer is funding the survival of Airi (and thus, knows about her in the basement) or that the Kimijima foresaw his demise and paid the electrical company some large sum of money before his death to ensure Airi could continue to live until whenever.  Either way, it seems strange that this abandoned building would be given so much electricity without any flags being raised or any questions being asked.  Oh well, guess it’s not really important or anything.

This week: why I don’t consider Senran Kagura an ecchi anime anymore, wondering about the comedy in Zetsuen no Tempest, the diversity of karuta opponents in Chihayafuru 2 and remembering the forgotten Reiko in Shin Sekai Yori.

Best episode of the week: Space Brothers

Anime trending up this week: Senran Kagura

Anime trending down this week: Sasami-san@Ganbaranai

Chihayafuru 2 (Episode 4)

Although karuta may seem like a simple game, seeing whoever can slap the correct card away the fastest, Chihayafuru does a remarkable job in making every opponent a distinctive, challenging, and above all, interesting character to watch.  Dating back to the first season, the various competitors show a vast diversity in personalities, appearances, backgrounds, and perhaps most importantly, playing-styles to give each match a fresh, new feeling rather than an exhausting, repetitive one.  As we saw in this episode, Taichi’s opponent offered a unique perspective with her playing style and how it matched up well against Taichi’s weakness.  Showing Taichi overcome this flaw and eventually win helped make the match be more interesting and meaningful to watch, and that can be traced back to the distinguishing opponent that Taichi played against.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Episode 17)

Considering how fundamental the Ripple is to the story and the fighting in JJBA, I’ve always been curious about its physical, material form.  Often depicted visually by electricity or represented through other physical phenomena, the Ripple is never presented in its purest form, so its exact physical composition is still an enigma.  Given the information compiled over the series to date, we do know that it utilizes energy from the sun and is conducted well through various liquids (water) and organic material (vegetable oil, wool fibers, or proteins, like Straight’s beetle hip scarf).  Users who are able to manipulate the Ripple for their own purposes must meet a certain criteria first before being able to train in its discipline and must amplify it through proper breathing techniques.  And… that’s about it.  Although we’ve seen various fighters and teachers, the Ripple, unfortunately, is not fully understood as a physical component of our world.  It seems that people are able to understand how to control it and utilize it for various purposes, but that’s it (then again, that’s all they really need to know). It seems as though its physical composition is still unknown and will be a mystery to us, unless the series decides to be generous and explain this awesome power to us in detail.

Kotoura-san (Episode 4)

It is rather amusing to see how inexperienced and naïve Haruka is at inferring information or understanding the thoughts and feelings of the minds she reads.  As we saw in this episode, Haruka can be easily influenced by others when using their thoughts in intelligent or innovative ways.  Haruka is still rather immature when it comes to social relationships and how people interact, so she was easily mislead and manipulated by people’s thoughts with them knowing that she would read them and respond to them.  It’s like an unspoken form of communication that Haruka cannot help but receive due to her powers.  And since people are aware of this, they are using it as a way to control Haruka or to bias her in some way to their advantage.  Although the tactics may be mischievous or even cruel, it seems to have ultimately positive effects on the characters.  If not, it’s always there for some laughs considering Haruka’s exaggerated reactions in these situations.

Also, I feel bad for the crab at the beginning.  It got buried alive by Haruka and then, after escaping from her tomb of sand, was immediately swept out to sea by a violent wave.  Poor thing.

Little Busters! (Episode 17)

So… the family tradition is to have the daughters of the family take two husbands and to start a family like that?  I fail to see how the family could sustain such success over the course of… however long it’s been around, seeing as that this situation is ripe for conflict, stress, and how it would be emotionally taxing on the members involved.  I’d wager that the situation with Haruka and Kanata is just the latest in a string of marital and familial problems that plagues the family as long as this tradition has lasted.  Not only that, but I fail to understand how the family could retain its prestige throughout this time considering how frequent these internal feuds and fights would be.  Really, it’s probably best not to think about how and why this tradition works.  It’s best to just sit back and accept the fact that this is incredibly stupid and there are much better ways of developing a story about twins than what the current story is.

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha (Episode 5)

While I am fond of the mosaic, watercolor-esque background employed throughout Maoyuu, my appreciation for it immediately disappears whenever it is used in the foreground or anytime it is the focus of a shot.  The aesthetic appeal of this visual style is at its best when used as backgrounds, helping provide a distinguishing feel to the anime with its rather crude style and help establish some of the setting and atmosphere with its colors and blocky textures.  However, when it is the subject of the shot and what our eyes are drawn to, it doesn’t look nearly as complimentary and is sometimes even quite disappointing.  What this art style does is capture an attitude and translate it into the physical setting but without any distinguishable details.  But when that’s all we see, it comes across as messy and incoherent, such as when we saw the zoomed-in cityscape or the various buildings.  Those shots were admittedly an eyesore seeing as that’s what our eyes were able to focus on and analyze.  When the art style is used in other backgrounds, such as for the sky or trees or the interior walls of a building, it comes across as a remarkable and distinctive art style that benefits the series visually.  Hopefully the series will limits its use of establishing shots like the two dismal examples earlier since those were rather unpleasant experiences.

Pscyho-Pass (Episode 15)

There’s just something so unsatisfying about the way Kougami brings up his theories.  Like, there really isn’t any build-up or development that really assists in these segues, more like “hey, look at this, I think we should do this” and that’s it.  What makes it even worse is that he’s always correct in these situations, too.  It’s like he’s grabbing the script from Gen Urobuchi, reading ahead for a few pages, and then tells everyone what they should be doing.  I would go as far as to say he’s cheating the story; it just doesn’t feel right.  What’d make me happy would be for him in the briefing sessions to be wondering about the purpose of these riots, to get a map beforehand to see the geography of the present situation, to mull over his thoughts during the car ride over and then to bring it up as a suggestion for others to confirm and then buy into it.  I don’t know, maybe I’m never happy with stuff like this, but I would appreciate it had there been more time showing Kougami think about these plans rather than going off on some short exposition and cracking Makishima’s plan in the matter of a minute.  It probably is just me but it’s something I’ve come to dislike in Psycho-Pass.

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo (Episode 16)

What is the point of Yuuko’s character besides being annoying and completely pointless?  Like, everything about her character is meaningless in the story and she really doesn’t affect any of the other characters besides making Sorata more annoyed than usual and creating some tension and conflict with Mashiro and Nanami.  Removing her from the anime would change nothing besides probably making it better.  Maybe there’s something else that’s going to happen like she donates her kidney to save the life of one of the characters or something, but even then, I fail to see what purpose she’s had besides making Sakurasou worse as an anime.

Sasami-san@Ganbaranai (Episode 4)

That doujin/otaku store, Uzume-no-Ana (a parody of Toranoana), that Sasami-san featured in this episode brought back a flood of positive memories from my trip to Japan from this last year.  Although I probably only entered 2-3 of these anime/manga/otaku themed stores total (and only really remember my trip to Animate), I found those retailers to be a glorious haven of merchandise that caters specifically to the fanatics in us all.  It’s just the density and atmosphere of these stores and energy inside that resonates with our own, it just feels so wonderful.  There’s just so much in there, that you could spend your whole day (and your whole bank account) in just that one shop.  I can’t wait to go back and walk through those stores and those aisles again.  And for those of you who are wondering, no, I didn’t go into those shops to buy any cast-off figures or hentai or anything (although I did buy Needless which sometimes is close enough).

Senran Kagura (Episode 5)

You know, for being an ecchi anime, Senran Kagura really isn’t that ecchi of an anime.  Rather, the show seems to assign its fanservice to specific times and particular events rather than incorporating it throughout.  For example, you never really see any upskirts or shredded clothing or ridiculous fanservice when the girls are in their normal school uniforms.  Even when given a golden opportunity, like Katsuragi having from the ceiling upside-down in her miniskirt… there’s no pantyshot.  In fact, the skirt defies physics to cover her striped bikini bottoms in order to prevent any fanservice in that scene whatsoever.  That’s not something a normal ecchi anime would do.  Oh, and that’s another thing, no one wears panties in this anime.  Every upskirt and shot of ripped clothes shows a swimsuit underneath rather than underwear.  I suppose that’s a step up in terms of sensibility (the smallest of steps, really), but swimsuits are less ecchi than panties.  And even in then, you only really see them when the girls are in their battle uniforms fighting each other or during their brief transformation sequences.  The only time you’d ever seen fanservice outside these battles are when the boobs would randomly jiggle but even that has stopped in recent episodes (maybe the specialty-ordered super bras they ordered finally arrived?).  In fact, it’s rather surprising at the lack of fanservice in these episodes considering that the fanservice was supposed to be a selling-point for the series.  Well, the fanservice is still there and there’s still quite a bit, but this anime is rather mild compared to the other panty-fighters of the past.  In fact, I don’t even really think of this as an ecchi anime anymore considering that the baseline level of fanservice in Senran Kagura is now considered normal these days for late-night anime.  Yeah, I mean, maybe my standards are just atypical (I admit, they are) because it still is an ecchi anime, but it feels like it should have more fanservice than it currently does and that it’s holding itself back.

Shin Sekai Yori (Episode 18)

You’ve got to feel bad for Reiko.  If you’re like Saki, Satoru or pretty much the general audience of this anime, then you’ve already forgotten who Reiko is.  Well, poor Reiko was ‘removed’ from the village in the first episode after showing signs of weaknesses and inability in controlling her Cantus back when Saki first joined the group.  Anyway, the point being is that whenever Saki or Satoru or anyone brings up their group, they always leave Reiko out.  Always.  Okay, besides one instance back in episode 11 when they tried to recall the sixth member of their group, no one ever seems to think about or remember her.  Instead, it’s always and only Saki, Shun, Satoru, Maria and Mamoru.  Shun didn’t live for too much longer nor did Maria and Mamoru stay in the village long after that.  Really, the group spent only a few years together and the main five only stayed together for 2 short years.  You’d figure Saki might not recall too much about Reiko since she only knew her for about a week or so, but she was together with the other characters for a couple years before that.  In fact, by the time Shun, Maria and Mamoru left, they had all spent more time with Reiko than with Saki.  And yes, I do know that they all had their memory wiped from that event, but it’s still somewhat distressing to see Saki and Satoru struggle over the faceless boy whereas they have no recollection of Reiko at all.  In fact, that’s something I find more disturbing and horrifying than trying to remember Shun seeing as that the memories of Reiko are completely gone from everyone in this anime.  Hopefully after this, it won’t be everyone watching this anime, too…

Space Brothers (Episode 43)

Given the time, speed, distances and positions used throughout these past few episodes, I fail to understand the geography of the Moon and the relation in which all these places and events occurred.  I’ve gone back and tried to compile some of the data provided from the anime in trying to make sense of it all but there are just some things that don’t add up.  Understanding the geography of the Moon would help but trying to make a map out of everything and making sense of this whole situation isn’t quite that easy.  I suppose it really isn’t too big of an issue considering that the main purpose of these past few episodes was to instill some remarkable drama and character development in the series, but it still bothers me that I can’t properly visualize the region in question and play out the events as they occurred in order to better understand and appreciate what just happened in Space Brothers.

Tamako Market (Episode 4)

You know about that urban legend where if you feed rice to birds, they explode?  Well, maybe it can be modified to be feeding mochi to birds since Dera has been expanding wider and wider every episode.  Tamako Market has already offered us a surplus of fat jokes for Dera’s pudgy character, so I wonder if they’ll ever take it to the next level where he eats one bite too much of mochi and explodes.  “Tamako, that wasn’t mochi you feed Dera, that was plastic explosives!”  Okay, I’m not being serious here, but it is what comes to mind whenever I see Dera now.  That and I kinda wanna see him explode, too, get him outta this anime.

Zetsuen no Tempest (Episode 16)

So what’s with all this humor in the second half of Tempest?  Considering that the first half dealt with the constant themes of revenge, death, deception, isolation and mystery, it seems very strange that the current episodes of Tempest show their characters to be somewhat wacky when placed in a calmer, more relaxed environment.  Remember those people turning to iron and dying whenever those giant eyes arose from the sea?  Remember those battles with the supersonic speed and blue defensive barriers?  Yeah, they’re gone now.  It’s like the two halves of Tempest are two completely different anime with one being serious and somber while the other is zany and amusing.  Sure, certain elements have been retained but the silly humor is somewhat of a jarring impression for Tempest that gives these current episodes a completely different and unrelated feel compared to the first half of the series.

This week: why Flamenco Girl is evil in Samurai Flamenco, appreciating how Kyousogiga is reusing its material by expanding on its recaps, why the storytelling outdid the unique visuals in Monogatari Series Second Season, and questioning the schoolgirl uniform attire in Coppelion.

Best episode of the week: Monogatari Series Second Season

Anime trending up this week: Nagi no Asukara

Anime trending down this week: Galilei Donna

BlazBlue: Alter Memory (Episode 4)

Although this was expected, based solely on the cast of characters prior to the start of the anime, I want there to be more villains in BlazBlue.  Everyone is just so nice and friendly to each other, like how Taokaka wants to play with Ragna instead of fighting him, how Rachel is content watching everyone do whatever and now, most recently, with Noel talking her way out of a fight with Litchi Faye-Ling.  Those are at least 3 fights that could’ve happened in this episode alone.  These guys are all too nice and friendly to each other for a fighting anime.  Thank goodness there’s Hazama to create chaos and disorder, forcing the characters to fight each other instead of talking things over… and this gets back to why I want there to be more villains in BlazBlue: for there to be more fights.  Hopefully Relius Clover appears again soon or Jin Kisaragi finds someone because the series is going to be pretty dull unless some decent fights start up.

Coppelion (Episode 5)

Why the schoolgirl uniforms?  Why not something more… appropriate, for being a medical/rescue team?  Well, maybe appropriate isn’t the word I’m looking for since this is an anime and everyone wears school uniforms in anime… but maybe, something more professional or applicable is what I’m looking for.  Why not wear something more recognizable as a rescue worker?  Why do they need to show off some skin in those miniskirts like they are now?  Certainly those clothes aren’t ideal for running around, carrying people and trying to save the lives of those trapped in Tokyo’s nuclear epicenter.  I mean, seriously, are miniskirts the best thing to wear when running, climbing, fighting and whatnot?  And what’s not to say those blazers or skirts might get caught on some twisted metal or debris or something and get damaged?  Or what happens when it rains and their clothes get wet?  You’d figure that for a team as important as the Coppelion team is that they’d be given clothing suitable to aid in their job.  And yeah, sometimes they do switch clothes but they always revert back to the blazer and miniskirt combo.  I guess the only logical explanation is that this is an anime and schoolgirl uniforms are the only form of fanservice they’ll go for.  Still, this show used this as an opportunity to differentiate itself from the rest and try out military uniforms or something for the same level of fanservice but be more appropriate for the setting and be different than all the other “school uniform anime” out there.

Freezing Vibration (Episode 5)

I can’t tell who is worse, Elizabeth for leaking the documents to the Mably Corporation and then remaining close to her enemies or that Chevalier tortured Elizabeth and then nonchalantly placed her back amongst friends thinking this wouldn’t backfire on them.  Like, did either side really plan ahead for what might happen if things took a turn for the worse?  For example, Elizabeth should have anticipated what the backlash would be if she was discovered to have leaked crucial documents, an act of treason.  She probably should’ve left the E-Pandora facilities and returned to Japan or Britain where she’d be in touch with the Mably Corporation and away from Chevalier.  And for Chevalier, why wouldn’t they send Elizabeth back home after torturing her?  Allowing her to go back among peers, even if she was completely traumatized and couldn’t start a rebellion, is that the others around her are going to be pissed off and want to rebel against this cruel organization.  I suppose the right answer is that they both made terrible, terrible decisions but I figure Chevalier has more to lose than Elizabeth, so I’ll pick them as the worse option provided there is a rebellion and the girls fight back at the defense of Elizabeth.

Galilei Donna (Episode 4)

Galilei Donna… I want to like you, but… can you just please stop being so stupid?  Not only does the treasure hunt storyline really suck featuring a host of problems (it doesn’t make sense to search for hidden documents and obscure clues to find a treasure left by a man 500 years prior… what if this were lost or destroyed or deteriorated over time?) but the content of the show is slipping from adequate to subpar.  For example, the daughter of Herman Hans needed a special surgery for an unusual disease but no one know how to do the surgery.  So in order to address this issue, he began to create a robot to do this procedure to save her life.  But… that would mean he’d know what the surgery was in order to save her life, so why not just hire a surgeon to do it for him?  Him building that robot is what cost his daughter her life.  What a negligent parent, choosing a now-useless robot over a human girl.  And then there’s the issue of Hozuki falling, getting injured and then requiring that exact, specific robot to save her life.  That’s just an example of lazy writing.  Then there was Cicinho chasing after the girls and then fighting them and then stopping… why was that even necessary?  That’s an example of stupid writing.  And then having Herman provide the next clue by handing over the document at the end to allow the story to progress?  That’s an example of even lazier and even stupider writing.  I mean, why can’t this anime be better than it is?  I want to like this anime but it keeps lowering my expectations and I’m becoming less impressed with it after every episode.

Kakumeiki Valvrave (S2) (Episode 16)

How does ‘eating’ runes work?  Does the brain tissue revert back to a smoother state, resulting in a loss of wrinkles?  Do the synapses of memories just disappear?  Like, how do these memories, physical material in the brain, just get transferred over to a robotic machine without any appropriate connections?  I mean, in order to lose these memories in the real world, something has to happen at the site of the synapses, such as alcohol, drugs or toxins that damage and destroy the physical material there.  But in the case of Valvrave, they’re just gone? And then what’s this bullshit about how runes are to information like particles are to matter?  How does that shit work when these memories, called runes in Valvrave, are also physical matter, too?  Kind of a double standard now, Valvrave, by denoting that ‘runes’ are also physical matter and not just information.  I know, I know, I shouldn’t be applying logic or science to Valvrave because… well, it’s Valvrave… but at the very least, couldn’t it be consistent with its wacky universe?

KILL la KILL (Episode 5)

So what is the setting like beyond the walls of Honnouji Academy?  Or more appropriately, what’s the rest of Japan like (or the world like for that matter) in this overly-enthusiastic, dystopian future where the center of society is the local high school?  We already know that there’s a class system in place, based on the performance and grades of the students and that Honnouji Academy owns schools in eastern Kantou, the area where Ryuuko attended several schools before transferring to Honnouji Gakuen, and has completed a conquest of Japan except for Kansai.  It really makes me wonder what it’s like when you go far away from Honnouji Academy, such as to Hokkaido who is supposedly under Honnouji’s rule but far away from the centralized power there.  Are they like mini-Honnoujis?  Are their cities structured the same way, too?  And then what’s so special about Kansai, too?  As with any setting, I would love to see more and am happy to get whatever details I can extract, either through dialogue or other knowledge, but this show is a bit more of a tease than others considering how focused it is on Honnouji as its only physical location.  Hopefully the anime will require Ryuuko or someone else to explore beyond the walls of this insane school, but for now, I’m excited to see what I can learn through little hints like these hidden through each episode.

Kyousogiga (TV) (Episode 4)

While it has been established already that I dislike recaps, I do enjoy what Kyousogiga has done with its reinterpretations of its OVAs from last year.  That is, these last few episodes have featured repeat material from previous episodes but these new episodes expand and develop the material beyond what the OVAs previously achieved.  I actually like this.  I do like that the anime is able to take some of its material and improve upon it in a way that highlights the world and its characters better.  Although I would prefer it to be entirely all new material (a similar or parallel story rather than old/new material mixed together), there is something special about seeing old footage again but with different levels of magnification and focus on the subjects presented.  It would be something similar to an anime going back and answering questions or addressing issues that I or others had with the original material.  It’s kinda neat like that.  Too bad that some of this material is still a recap or repeat from the OVAs, but, when that’s the only knock I have on the series, you can tell I like the anime by quite a bit.

Magi: The Kingdom of Magi (S2) (Episode 5)

Although it’s impossible for me to give proper acknowledgement and merit to sakuga sequences given the format and style of this blog, I do want to take a moment to provide recognition for some of the outstanding and magnificent animation demonstrated through Magi as a series.  As compared to other anime, Magi seems to have a more frequent occurrences of gorgeous sakuga sequences and are typically employed during dramatic fighting scenes, especially with Morgiana and her impressive hand-to-hand (or rather, feet-to-face) fighting style.  So while I’m seeing my interest in the series wane, I do find myself still enjoying the art and animation in Magi thanks to sakuga sequences like those displayed in the fifth episode of this second season.  I can only hope that these sequences continue since they’re one of my favorite aspects of Magi moving forward.

Monogatari Series Second Season (Episode 18)

Lovely artwork but even lovelier storytelling.  While it will be the imagery of this episode that makes the headlines for being a stunning array of vibrant, detailed and spectacular visuals, it was the content of this episode that was the real treat.  Rather, I found the history of Shinobu to be extremely fascinating, opening a window into her character which is arguably the most obscure, underdeveloped (haha, boob joke) and neglected character in the Monogatari Series.  Her character has barely been the focus of any story prior, so having an episode devoted to her history was delightful.  Furthermore, how it tied in with the current storyline provided its significance and timing.  And to make things even better, it was how the story evolved with Shinobu’s character and her first servant that really speaks about her personality and her relationship with Araragi.  The episode was nothing short of special with its gorgeous scrolls overlaying Shinobu’s dialogue, but the real treasure here was the story of this episode.  And though we know the animation and art style will likely revert back to ‘normal’ Shaft, we can hope that the storytelling of Monogatari Series will continue to dazzle like it did in this episode.

Nagi no Asukara (Episode 5)

When has telling someone to “forget it” ever worked?  When has it ever resolved a conflict of any sort or made a situation better?  First off, if you’re going to tell someone to forget something, like Chisaki told Manaka after she overheard her talking about her crush on Hikari, it doesn’t mean that they’ll necessarily be able to forget it.  In the case of Manaka, how will she be able to forget that she heard who her best friend loves?  Even if she tries her hardest, you know she won’t be able to forget based on how stories are written.  And what about from Chisaki’s perspective, how will telling Manaka to forget about it make anything better for her?  Why doesn’t she address the situation with Manaka, talk things over and make a plan for how to mitigate the problem so that Manaka doesn’t make things worse.  Or better yet, since Chisaki doesn’t know how Manaka feels, why not ask for her input on this issue as well?  I mean, now that Manaka knows, you might as well take advantage of your own mistake and work to keep her on your side.  But no, she just wants Manaka to forget about it and for the issue to be dropped, though you know it won’t leave Manaka’s mind anytime soon.  And what does this say about Chisaki’s respect for Manaka?  Telling her to forget about something significant like this is pretty disrespectful to Manaka.  Why can’t she learn who her best friend loves?  Why is this a subject that’s a secret to her?  Well, whatever it is, you figure that once another character tells someone to “forget it”, it’ll blow up in their face before too long.  It’s just a matter of time before someone explodes in Nagi no Asukara.

Samurai Flamenco (Episode 4)

Flamenco Girl might be a superhero to the victims she saves and rescues but the girl behind the mask, Mari Maya, is evil.  She is pure evil.  Not like supervillain evil but a different type of evil that shows her abuse of power and how she’s a hero for all the wrong reasons.   And no, this is not from all the nut stomping she does, though you could probably tally that up to something evil too, but it’s her selfish and demanding personality that demonstrates why she’s evil.  First, she blames Hazama for ruining her debut.  She figures that if she starts fighting crime now on the streets with that somewhat sexy get-up that she’ll be labeled as a copy-cat.  And while any superhero wouldn’t mind, Mari can’t have that.  That’s her being selfish.  So her idea is to team-up with Hazama and for her to take center-stage, saving him and taking the spotlight.  That’s her being demanding.  Those aren’t personality traits you’d find on a hero; they’re what you’d find on someone evil.  And to further illustrate this point, she even claims she doesn’t understand the whole “good versus evil” aspect either… which is exactly what someone would say if they’re evil pretending to be a hero.  However, I don’t think Mari is intentionally evil or intends to be an ‘evil’ hero but that these actions are derivative of her personality as a whole.  You figure that her introduction like this as a flawed character will eventually lead to her having an epiphany where she’s able to turn her character completely around and become a hero of justice, like Samurai Flamenco.  However, I don’t expect the kicks to the balls to go away, even if she does become a proper superhero.

Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta (Episode 4)

Underage anime characters drinking alcohol and getting drunk after one or two sips is a stupid, humorless cliché.  Sure, it’s not as bad as the characters drinking juice or soda and then acting drunk, so at least Yozakura Quartet didn’t mess up that badly, but still, having the main cast of teenagers act drunk after ‘mistakenly’ drinking alcohol is a tired anime stereotype that has never been funny.  It’s just a lazy way of having the characters act stupid or silly when the authors can’t be bothered with writing something intelligent.  Why not have them willingly drink sufficient amounts of alcohol to justify getting drunk and then acting crazy?  Or why not have the characters act silly for another reason, like celebrating after a stressful or successful event?  I’m not sure if it’d justify Kotoha licking Ao’s boobs but it could do be a justification for Hime’s overeating.  Or, you could just work around the event and try to produce comedy through some other means.  I mean, virtually anything would be better than this provided Yozakura Quartet didn’t devolve into anime cooking jokes, oblivious male leads, or characters screaming every punchline.  So yeah, I guess Yozakura Quartet is better than 50% of comedy anime, even after something asinine like this.

Sakura-Con, being one of my most cherished and treasured memories of 2012, earns a spot again as the first day of my 12 Days of Anime, the annual tradition among anime bloggers recounting their 12 fondest memories of the calendar year.  Although I attended Sakura-Con in the previous year, the first time I have ever been to an anime convention, my trip this past March proved to be an even greater experience than my first visit.  While I attended fewer panels, spent less money and even spent less time at the convention hall altogether, I certainly earned more from my trip this year, largely in part due to all the people in the anime community I meet.  Thanks to them and thanks to the wonderful anime convention that was Sakura-Con 2013, this special three-day weekend in Seattle earns the opening spot in my 12 Days of Anime.

With this being my second trip to Sakura-Con, I knew what to expect.  I knew where I wanted to go, what I wanted to, what I wanted to see and was able to plan my trip accordingly.  However, most of these specifics weren’t found on any schedules or were tied to any panels or even set up for any predetermined times.  No, a major reason for my visit was to see various members of the anime community in person.  And while I only saw a handful in 2012, I went out of my way to see as many people as possible during Sakura-Con.  By the time Sakura-Con had concluded on that warm Sunday at the end of March, I had visited with no fewer than twenty-two people including fellow personalities like: 8C, Marina, Shinmaru, Inushinde, Morzas, Geassed, ToastCrust, Canon-chan, Angie, Kefit and many more (apologies if I forgot to mention anyone that wanted to be mentioned).  Seeing these people, along with a sizable group of real life friends, made the experience an unforgettable one.  Thanks to them, I was able to enjoy more of the panels I attended, but especially the time I spent outside the panels, either eating dinner or getting drunk after midnight.  Because of these people, and everyone else I spent time with at the convention center, Sakura-Con easily became one of my favorite experiences of 2013.

Beyond that, of course, is the actual anime and material from the convention.  Although it pales in comparison to the social aspects of Sakura-Con, I did find myself attending numerous panels, including ones from the directors of Psycho-Pass (Katsuyuki Motohiro and Naoyoshi Shiotani), a couple hosted by Anime News Network’s Mike Toole (Dubs that Time Forgot and Anime Cult Classics), the Architecture of Anime, a couple of comedy ones and the now-notorious Influence of Early 90’s West Coast Rap on Modern Anime panel.  Each were enjoyable or entertaining or valuable in their own unique ways thanks in part to a wide diversity of topics I found myself interested in and the interesting people leading these panels.  Outside of the panels, there wasn’t much else.  I was fortunate enough to see my favorite anime character naked projected on a huge screen, though (how many of you can say that?), and I purchased some goods that highlight my bizarre taste in anime, from Makoto Shinkai to Last Exile to Senran Kagura.

Overall, the experience is easily one of my favorite from the entire calendar year.  Not only was it an excellent event in augmenting and enhancing my enjoyment of anime, but the wonderful social aspect really emphasized how important the online anime community is to me and how it has had a positive influence on me.  As a result, I’m already looking forward to next year’s convention and am even planning on attending other ones, too.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the best anime of 2013.  And one of the best scenes of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was that one with that squirrel.  If you watched JoJo’s, then you already know what I’m referencing. And you know damn well why it’s one of the most unforgettable anime moments of 2013.

Really, there isn’t much I can add to this scene besides replaying it here.  To replace its brilliance with text would be disrespectful, so here it is:

I mean, what else is there to say?  You can already tell why it’s memorable just from watching it again (and again and again).  I mean, when thinking back to all the remarkable moments in JoJo’s, this one immediately stands out as the most hilarious, unexpected, and unconventional.  What other series could pull off a stunt like this, make it an astounding success and have it be integrated seamless in its storytelling?  I can’t think of a single one.  It’s outstanding, is what it is.  For those who’ve watched JoJo’s, it’s just a reminder of how awesome the series was.  And, whatever reason, if you haven’t watched JoJo’s yet, this is just an ounce of what you’re missing.

On May 19, 2013, the June issue of Ultra Jump debuted as any normal issue of a mangazine would.  However, this particular issue was noticeably different with an announcement following the 113rd chapter of Needless stating that next month’s chapter would be the final one.  Without any preparation or any proper warning, the sudden and abrupt ending was only a month away.  The announcement began to explain the accelerated pace of the last few chapters and the conclusions of many loose ends, but with so much more remaining and the peculiar developments of late, especially some of the absolutely shocking events in 113, you wondered just how the manga could end with an unfortunate amount of unanswered questions.  But one month later, Needless 114 debuted and so ended the serialization of my favorite manga.

But rather than recap Needless 114 (spoilers), my impressions and thoughts moving forward, which are all properly documented in my final post on the manga, I wanted to take a moment to remember just how important and significant the anime and manga were to me.

Needless was really the first anime that really got me into anime.  Prior to Summer 2009, I would only watch a handful of anime each season, maybe 2-3 depending on what my friends would recommend.  Back then, I wouldn’t even really watch PVs, search forums or blogs or even research shows.  And rightfully so, most of the shows I watched were rather lame or mediocre or not all that exciting.  In fact, I even passed over Needless (and Bakemonogatari and Spice and Wolf II) for Summer 2009.  It wasn’t until a few weeks into the season that I was desperately bored and wondering if any other anime were worth picking up.  Turns out that the Needless ED (yes, the incredibly ecchi one) was making quite a commotion online.  After watching it once, I figured that watching a fanservicey anime about three girls wouldn’t be so bad, but I wondered if I picked up the wrong anime when the OP and other preview images were about muscular, shirtless men and the three sexy girls almost nowhere to be seen.  But I tried the anime and was interested in it, only to slowly fall in love with it as the season continued.

It caused me to drastically reevaluate how I research and watch anime.  With the Autumn 2009 approaching, I began to search around for more information on anime and reconsider what shows I should watch and which ones I enjoy.  Although I started the Summer 2009 season with only 4 shows, I began Autumn 2009 with 13 new ones, in addition to the handful that continued over from Summer.  The change was night-and-day for me and I began to enjoy anime at a whole new level.  And since then, I’ve always watched around a dozen or more anime each season, thanks to my newfound appreciation for research and the amount of time I have available to watch anime.  You could say that Needless really sparked an anime revolution for me considering I never really paid too much attention to anime before it.

You could also say that it even caused a revolution in how I understood the anime community, too.  In order to perform this research, it required me to expand my horizons and see what people were saying about the new upcoming anime.  But before that, I began searching around to see what people were saying about my new favorite anime, Needless.  This proved to be difficult considering that the anime was relatively unpopular, especially compared to some of the other choice anime airing these seasons, but I did stumble across two blogs that basically introduced me to anime blogging, chaostangent and The Cart Driver (though Scamp was writing for Bokutachi no Blog at the time).  Although neither blogger had anything positive to say about Needless, the bastards…, I did become interested in their presentation, their style and the ideas they were able to pitch about the anime they watched.  It was wildly different than anything I had seen or read before and I became slowly addicted.  From there, I began to branch out and read other blogs and began to enjoy the anime of reading several anime blogs.  As I continued to expand my taste for anime, I began to discover more and more anime blogs and began to learn more and think more about all the anime I was watching.  In fact, after a year of this continual growth, I decided to form my own anime blog, the one you’re currently reading, about a year after this discovery.  I recently celebrated my 3 Year Anniversary, a testament to how much I love and enjoy the anime I’m watching and how much I appreciate and value blogging and other anime bloggers.

Taking a step back, before watching the Needless anime, when I was barely watching any anime, I was never reading any manga.  Although I had tried a handful of manga prior to Summer 2009, I was never really hooked and always preferred to watch the flashy, colorful anime alternative than the static, black-and-white manga version.  But when watching the Needless anime, I became slowly addicted to the story and the characters and I quickly wanted more.  At the time, I never really considered reading the manga, but while searching for blogs to see what people were saying, I did notice a few scans of the manga from more recent chapters.  Perhaps the most shocking one was seeing Cruz dressed as a female, wearing the Shoujo Butai school uniform.

I was immediately curious about how such a strange development could’ve happened, especially since I just learned that the three girls were antagonists in the anime (this was only 6 or so episodes into the anime).  I began to poke my nose around the manga but my efforts were largely fruitless since only 10 chapters were translated at that time.  I did discover a small but new community of fans of the anime who were trying to access the manga and eventually joined their tiny society when the manga was available.  At that time, there were only 70 chapters out, but I read through each one and spoiled the entire anime for myself.  But by then, I really didn’t care.  I just wanted more Needless.  Unfortunately for me, I didn’t realize that the manga was only monthly, but this was the first manga I truly read and I knew I’d be waiting for it every month until its finale.

And here I am today, or rather, there I was in June, reading the final chapter of my favorite manga.  Needless really sparked a revolution inside me that completely changed who I am today and where I am within the anime community.  Not only is it directly responsible for me watching more anime, reading anime blogs and starting my blog and becoming interested in the medium of manga but it provided me with the most enjoyable experience of any anime/manga that I’ve watched or read.

The story of Needless is far from perfect and is even frustrating at times, but nothing else comes close to it in my opinion.  There’s that charm, that captivation, that thrill of excitement and delight with every moment that makes Needless so wonderfully enjoyable.  But beyond that, and beneath all the ecchi fanservice and brutish fights, is a very cerebral aspect to the manga that is among the best.  You wouldn’t think of a manga with such frequent pantyshots and absurd gags to be very intellectual, but Needless has had the best example of character development I have ever witnessed, the subject reserved for Day 1 of my 12 Days of Anime for 2012.  And while on that subject, just to reiterate how important this manga is to me, it also won Day 1 of 2011 when Setsuna reappeared after a lengthy hiatus.

As so, here we are, at the end of Needless.  After recounting just how much of an impact it has had on me, it’s somewhat sad to see the manga go, especially with such an abrupt ending.  And though it is sad, I do feel blessed to have had such a wonderful and memorable experience, all thanks to one anime/manga.  I realize how fortunate I am to have had this epiphany, something I feel is rather exclusive to me and is rare among other anime fans.  I don’t want to take this lightly, for that fact.  But beyond that, I should feel truly blessed that Needless is not over… the mangaka for Needless, Imai Kami, had always planned a second half to the series, Needless 2, which is connected by the story Needless 1.5 which actually debuted in Ultra Jump back in 2001, two years before the Needless manga was serialized.  However, with Imai Kami taking a break, we aren’t quite sure where or when Needless 2 will start, but we can always hope that it will be sooner rather than later considering that Needless ran for 10 years, from 2003 to 2013.

So with that, I wanted to reserve the end to my favorite manga for Day 1 of my 12 Days of Anime.  Without a doubt, this is the single most-important event of the year for me considering what Needless has done for me in my life.  Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today and I wouldn’t have enjoyed anime or manga as much as I do with it.  Although I don’t expect anyone to love the series as much as I do, or even to enjoy it or tolerate it (it does have a high amount of ecchi fanservice), I do hope you take a moment to respect it for its profound and unquestioned effect on me.  And so with that, this concludes my 12 Days of Anime for 2013 and I hope you all had as wonderful a year as I did.  I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store for me and everyone else… especially if that includes Needless 2.

Here is my final review for the anime that aired in 2013.  Focusing only on the most excellent, most remarkable and most memorable of 2013, this review will document and explain my favorite 13 characters of the year and my favorite 13 anime of the year, too.  It’s been a rather exciting year of anime, especially with the recent publications of my season reviews for 2013, so let’s see how everything comes together with one last look at the anime of 2013.

Just a quick note before beginning: the list is just on the television anime of the year and does not include movies or OVAs.  Furthermore, it includes any anime that aired over the year regardless of when it began or when it ends, so some of the anime and characters from 2012 will be appearing again.

Top 13 Characters of 2013:

Honorable Mention: Yeti (Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san)

Had Yeti been given more screentime, she might actually rank on the list.  Had Yeti been given more screentime, Muromi-san would have definitely been a better anime.  Had Yeti been given more screentime, I’d be happier.  It’s rare to see a character have such an impact, but Yeti’s limited screentime isn’t really enough to warrant keeping her on the list.  A real shame since nothing came close to Yeti in Muromi-san.

13. Aki Mikage (Silver Spoon)

A pure and gentle heart, Aki is always found with a smile on her face and her hand extended, willing to help anyone in trouble.  Not only is she adept and knowledgeable about the agriculture business, she also has initiative and is willing to do what it takes to keep her family business alive or to help her friends.  Her personality is heartwarming and it’s no wonder why everyone around her enjoys her sincere company.

12. Kona “Frau” Furugoori (Robotics;Notes)

The second half of Robotics;Notes demonstrated the depth, complexity and fears of Frau turning her character from a charming comic relief to one of the most interesting in Robotics;Notes.  Still, her personality never faltered and actually grew as a result, keeping her humorous demeanor intact while also playing a vital role in the story and to the other characters.

11. Hakaze Kusaribe (Zetsuen no Tempest)

Hakaze was the mysterious and sexy princess/witch who singlehandedly drove much of the story of Zetsuen no Tempest.  When she was rescued, her role greatly expanded and we saw every bit of her character including her comedy, her intelligence, her passions and her fears.  When she was around the other characters, she really shined as a protagonist, especially with the relaxed, comical atmosphere in the second half of Tempest.  Easily the best character from a rather solid cast in Tempest.

10. Zoë Hange (Shingeki no Kyojin)

The Scouting Legion’s Squad Leader, Zoë was an obsessive and fanatical girl who had a passion for understanding the Titans that preyed on humanity.  Her quest for knowledge and understanding was unlike anyone else in the series and the distinction of her character would influence the story and characters in tremendous ways.  Not only that but she turned out to be the funniest character, too, with frequent jokes based on her and her manias.  She was the only one of her kind in Shingeki no Kyojin and really brightened up the series for me.

9. Tomoko Kuroki (Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!)

You can’t help but feel bad for Tomoko but it’s hard not to laugh when you realize how silly or stupid or narcissistic she is.  And everything that’s miserable or deplorable about her or her actions comes across as cute or humorous.  It’s what makes our lovable loser who she is, and it helps us develop an honest connection to Tomoko, even if you haven’t experienced the same number or same types of failures as her.  And when she has those small, little victories, her smile is sincere and you can tell how elated and cheerful she is.  Her emotions and reactions are what make her and what make Watamote an unforgettable experience.  Now, if only she didn’t care so much and was like that rare, happy Tomoko more often…

8. Yura Yamato (Stella Jogakuin Koutou-ka C3-bu)

The growth and maturity of Yura Yamato is one of the best stories of any anime this year and a huge reason why Yura grew to be one of my favorites of 2013.  She began as nothing more than a cheerful and naïve schoolgirl, hoping to have fun and makes lots of friends at school only to be swept up in fear, regret, selfishness, scorn, obsession, loss and isolation.  And let’s not forget her overactive imagination which was also fascinating to behold.  Fortunately for Yura, her story ends on a happy note thanks to her wonderful cohort of friends, but the journey to how she got there is what makes her one of my favorite for this year.

7. Joseph Joestar (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Joseph was a significant improvement over Jonathan, thanks largely to his hilarious personality and his creativity.  Joseph really dominated the Battle Tendency arc with his eccentric and wild behaviors, often turning serious scenes into jokes without any hesitation.  And his creativity during battles made every fight intriguing and unpredictable.  JJBA really improved during the Battle Tendency arc thanks to its characters and none were more influential than Joseph Joestar.

6. Hitagi Senjougahara (Monogatari Series: Second Season)

Senjougahara has always been my favorite girl in the Bakemonogatari franchise, but I often felt like her character was underutilized in the various stories.  With this sequel taking the perspectives of various characters, we saw multiple layers to Senjougahara’s character, painting her character much deeper and more complex than ever hinted at.  She also showed how much of a true friend she is when rescuing Tsubasa and how she supported her through her struggles.  Her character shined brightest during Hitagi End and revealed just how troubled she is when paired with the confident Kaiki.  She really is a fascinating character and I’m thrilled we got to learn more about her and see more of her in this sequel.

5. Mako Mankanshoku (KILL la KILL)

Mako is the essence of pure energy.  Not only is she cute and fun to be around but she is always doing whatever she can to help Ryuuko out, even if it means putting her life in danger.  She is the very definition of a ‘best friend’ and supports Ryuuko any way possible.  She’s always smiling and hyper and bouncing around the scenery making her the best source of comedy in KILL la KILL.  She really provides a spark that no one else possesses in KILL la KILL and her role in supporting Ryuuko is irreplaceable.

4. Akane Tsunemori (Psycho-Pass)

Watching Akane develop as a detective and as a person in Pscyho-Pass is nothing short of astonishing.  Her character began as a blank slate and was carefully molded and sculpted into a strong, confident woman who developer her own philosophy of justice and stuck to it.  Although she eventually conflicted against her friends and her society, Akane remained strong.  Additionally, she was still a sweetheart on the inside and worked to make her life and everything around her better.  I can’t wait to see what happens next when Psych-Pass returns in 2014.

3. Mother Kuroki [Tomoko’s mother] (Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!)

If you know me well enough, you know exactly why this minor character is my third favorite for 2013.  Like Tomoko, you can’t help but feel bad for everything that happens to Tomoko’s mother.  Not only does she have to take care of a disconnected family with her father working late and her son busy at school, with sports and having a social life, but she has an ungrateful, lethargic daughter that constantly causes her trouble.  But everything she does for Tomoko, even when she’s smacking some sense into Tomoko, she’s doing it with motherly love.  She’s really the only character who genuinely cares about Tomoko and tries to help her thought Tomoko constantly resent hers, never thanks her and fails to listen to her advice.  Still, she continues to help and support her troubled child whenever she can.  And for that, I can’t help but admire Tomoko’s mom for her compassionate personality, her unyielding resilience and her love for her family.

2. Deishu Kaiki (Monogatari Series: Second Season)

With Kaiki transitioning from antagonist to protagonist, Monogatari Series explored this fascinating character further adding to his complexity and even going as far as to completely reverse the perspective of his role in the series.  Not only do we view Kaiki as a tragic hero now but we begin to understand his personal philosophy and how he justifies or rationalizes his actions and behaviors.  Beyond that, Kaiki is a suave and sophisticated gentleman who incorporates dry humor into his conversations and intelligence into his dialogues.  He’s easily the most mesmerizing and remarkable character in the franchise and I’d love to learn more about him if given the chance.

1. Ryuuko Matoi (KILL la KILL)

Ryuuko was unrivaled as a character this year thanks due to the constant dichotomy of her character.  Her passion and determination for revenge illustrates her character as a hot-headed tomboy though this is an exterior she constructed due to her troubled past and fragile nature.  Her quest for vengeance and bloodlust is really an excuse for her to get to know her father since she regrets never having done that when she had the opportunity.  Ryuuko constantly struggles and fights and projects a tough image despite the fact she just wants to live a happy and comfortable life with family and friends.  She’s really torn between two worlds and doesn’t know how to exist or thrive in either.  Not only that but she’s a perfect match for my favorite archetype and appearance in anime and the constant fanservice is a plus, too.  It’s no wonder that she became my second favorite anime character and I’m excited to see what happens to her when KILL la KILL continues into 2014.

Favorite OP and ED of 2013:

OP: Psycho-Pass OP2 (Out of Control)

If Monogatari Series: Second Season OP4 were done in the retro style throughout without reverting back to the modern style, it would have won.  But instead, my favorite opening of 2013 is one which used a gorgeous retro style throughout with brilliant overlays of color on a pencil sketch world.  The shading, lighting and texture really bring out the visuals in this.  Plus the song is catchy, too, and one of my favorite from this year.

ED: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Roundabout)

I always love it when an ending song begins playing during the finale, climactic moments of the episode and no ending did this transition better than Roundabout from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.  Although this was a carryover from 2012, the visuals were improved by overlaying a flashlight on mysterious ruins rather than blood flowing through a sculpture.  I also like this latter part of the song, so I found what was one of the best EDs of 2012 had become the best of 2013.

Top 13 Anime of 2013:

Honorable Mention: Death Billiards

I was thinking of putting Teekyuu or Garden of Words here but decided on Death Billiards, an OVA from the Anime Mirai 2013.  While Little Witch Academia stole the spotlight from this year’s Anime Mirai, being the most popular thanks to its charm and spirited animation, it was Death Billiards which stood out to me as the best of the four Anime Mirai anime.  Not only did it have a superior story and fascinating characters but the style and focus of the animation caught my attention and made the experience memorable.  Keep an eye out for Yuzuru Tachikawa and Shinichi Kurita.

13. Love Lab

Love Lab was a delightful surprise thanks largely to its charming nature and the chemistry between its cast of characters.  I always expected the series to go stale or to focus too heavily on romance, but the comedy was always fresh, hysterical and always endearing.  I’m often hard on grading comedies, so the score and ranking may seem low, but this was one of my favorite anime of the year and would rank above several anime ahead of this if I were ranking on that scale alone.

12. Uchouten Kazoku

The beautiful story of a struggling tanuki family, Uchouten Kazoku ended up being a favorite through its memorable cast of characters and its detailed, dazzling art style.  The anime was also humorous, captivating and intellectual.  Furthermore, the culmination of events and storylines at the end finished the series with a heartwarming message and left me extremely satisfied.  I’d love to see what happens next but it ended so well, I don’t want to disrupt this content feeling.

11. Kakumeiki Valvrave (Valvrave the Liberator)

What helped make Valvrave memorable were its unexpected twist and turns and shocking developments.  The series was a wild and entertaining ride with frequent mecha fights, an extensive cast of appealing characters and a vibrant and excellent art style that brought everything to life.  The ranking here is a ranking for both the Spring and Autumn seasons together, though if they were separated, they’d be about this ranking with not much separating the two.

10. Kyousogiga (TV)

Kyousogiga is a remarkable anime that features a solid cast, an intriguing, mysterious story and an unforgettable world where everything takes place.  The whole series is entertaining and enjoyable, a delightful adventure that explores the setting and closes with some beautiful characterization while revealing the story itself.  The themes and parallels are robust in this series and the art is imaginative, energetic and fun.  Easily one of the best anime of the year.

9. Suisei no Gargantia

Although I do have some complaints with Gargantia, the anime is still one of my favorites thanks to its outstanding cast of characters, the influential art style and a magnificent setting that proved to be one of my favorite in 2013.  Ledo and Chamber really drove the anime with their constant efforts in exploration and understanding, especially when the two allies would quarrel with each other based on their growth or lack of comprehension.  The setting itself is extraordinary and one that I cherish, especially with its high-level of detail and how it was emphasized in the story.  If it had addressed a few issues with some of the story and some episodes, this could’ve been much, much higher.

8. Chihayafuru 2

Chihayafuru 2 continues its tradition of being one of my favorite anime with a sequel full of fascination, charm and two exciting, new characters.  The second season featured numerous more karuta matches and made them more exciting, thanks largely to the characters themselves getting better and playing against better competition. The sequel also helped develop the cast further, continuing where the first season left off.   I can’t wait for a third season to start since everything about this anime has been fantastic.

7. Shin Sekai Yori

Cerebral and astute, Shin Sekai Yori was an absolutely remarkable anime with a profound and insightful cast of characters, a series of harrowing and gripping stories and an innovative dystopian setting that instilled fear through both its society and its unknown.  This drama/horror was represented by an exceptional and unique art style that helped give the anime a serious, somber style.  And the final story arc was a thrilling and powerful journey that tied everything together.  Shin Sekai Yori is also my second favorite horror anime of all-time.

6. Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)

That sheer rush of adrenaline and excitement, that satisfaction that comes with a downed titan, these are the feelings of Shingeki no Kyojin, an emotional rollercoaster that rushes the audience through terror, panic, rage, and exhilaration.  This powerful series had some of the best fights, both in terms of animation/direction and how they impacted the story and the constant struggle of humanity made every fight a decisive one.  The setting with its steampunk mechanics and horrific (sometimes hilarious) titans also helped make this series memorable.  The adventure, emotion and enjoyment of Shingeki no Kyojin are reasons why I want to continue the anime and I want to continue it now.

5. Psycho-Pass

Psycho-Pass really developed in its latter half, revealing shocking secrets about the setting, turning characters and organizations against each other and creating one of the greatest anime of 2012 and 2013.  I absolutely loved what Psycho-Pass was able to accomplish with Akane and how she struggled against the criminals, the society and even her friends throughout the course of the anime.  Not only did this have my favorite setting of the year but it was used routinely throughout and heavily influenced everything that occurred.  The dialogues were often profound and thoughtful and really painted the characters as dynamic humans instead of lame stereotypes.  There’s also a good chance of seeing this anime reappear next year as one of the best anime of 2014 when the sequel returns to television.

4. Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!

Watamote is an insightful and entertaining comedy with a slice-of-life story of a troubled, young girl who’s struggling over her own unpopularity while failing to address her narcissism.  Often times the series played these out as jokes for laughs but it were the heartwarming triumphs of Tomoko that were the most memorable and produced the biggest smiles.  Shin Oonuma directed this masterpiece and incorporated his unique visual style in this anime with numerous effects, colors, transitions, lighting and perspective to influence the scenes and draw out the raw emotion or to make the joke more hilarious.  This is one of my all-time favorite comedies and I’d love to see this series continue.

3. Monogatari Series: Second Season

Monogatari Series: Second Season is easily the best the Monogatari franchise has had to offer.  Not only was the performance masterful with its characters, its art and its directing but the stories were significantly improved and they continued to build off the foundation left behind from previous Monogataris.  The differing perspectives and alternative storytelling augmented the series and provided the chance to see characters in new ways.  These differences were more than enough to warrant the high grade and ranking and end the franchise at a new, all-time high for me.

2. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the most riveting and spellbinding anime that I have ever seen.  In addition to the extravagant and tremendous fights that caught the attention of the audience, the series had some rather perceptive and remarkable dialogue and storytelling.  There was genuine and original comedy, too, which helped make the series be delightful beyond the frequent unnerving action sequences.  The cast was outstanding and the art style was distinctive and matchless, especially with its liberal use of colors.  JoJo’s never stopped being thrilling or breathtaking and was an experience that showcased how entertainment and storytelling can be and should be intertwined.  I’m looking forward to seeing the series continue in 2014, seeing as this is one of my favorite anime of all-time.

1. KILL la KILL

It’s like KILL la KILL was designed for me.  Everything about KILL la KILL, I love.  From its flamboyant and entertaining battles to its over-the-top and deliberately excessive fanservice to its wonderful characters who achieve excellence in their specified roles to its simple story of revenge to its distinctive and uncommon art style, everything about KILL la KILL is perfect.  You really have to experience the anime in order to understand why it’s so perfect, why it’s so ideal and why I love every second of it.  The series has everything I look for in an anime and it does everyone at excellent or above.    It’s a phenomenal experience that is still only half-way over.  I can’t wait to see how this anime concludes when it finished in 2014 but this is one of the few anime that can reach the upper limits of excellence and quality in anime.

This week: focusing on the main character for its story being the right move for Nobunagun, genuine relationships as a strength for Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta, determining Satone’s role in Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren, and quietly building hype for Natsuna’s character in Wizard Barristers – Benmashi Cecil.

Best episode of the week: KILL la KILL

Anime trending up this week: Noragami

Anime trending down this week: Hamatora

Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren (Episode 3)

With the arrival of Satone to all the chaos and fantasy of Chuunibyou, one has to ask where this newcomer fits into the series.  Without a well-defined role as of yet, unless you count love rival one of the essential roles missing from Chuunibyou S1 (which it isn’t), Satone is stuck in a bit of a limbo.  She’s not filling in for anything that was absent from S1 which featured a respectable and balanced chemistry.  The series didn’t really need anyone to antagonize or encourage Rikka’s chuunibyou since Dekomori fulfilled that role and the switch from a romantic couple to a love triangle probably won’t do too much in terms of improving or augmenting the comedy.  It’s like they’re doubling Dekomori but adding in a love interesting and taking away her exceptional relationship with Nibutani.  And if that’s the case, how does her character impact Dekomori and her screentime?  So while Satone is an essential character to the manga version of Chuunibyou, I have to wonder what role she’ll play here in the anime.  With S1 of the anime being successful without her, you really have to wonder if her inclusion will actually make the series better considering there’s no well-defined role for her to fit in now.

Hamatora (Episode 3)

So what do the rest of the cast members do?  After three episodes of Nice, Murasaki and Art, all I know about this anime is Nice, Murasaki and Art.  The rest of the cast has yet to do anything besides eat food, complain, hit on girls or do anything of relevance.  Do these characters also have super powers?  If so, what do they do?  And how will they help out Art, Murasaki and Nice?  I’m really beginning to wonder what type of role or purpose these other characters have considering they’ve been present but failed to participate in anything of merit.  Hopefully this changes soon because I really don’t like dead weight in anime.

Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha (Episode 2)

Although Inari’s brother has had a minimal amount of screentime, I find his character fascinating.  Not only did he have an intriguing moment at the end of the first episode, staring down Uka-no-mitama-no-kami but his sudden outburst against her in protection of Inari sparked a unique subplot that’s certain to be captivating.  His antagonistic qualities against Uka-no-mitama-no-kami will certainly put Inari in a bind, considering she loves both characters and will be split by their differences.  It’ll be interesting to see why he’s against Uka-no-mitama-no-kami since she seems like a fine and fun character and one that truly cares for Inari.  That and I’m curious to see how Inari will react since this will be a basis of some appealing character growth.

KILL la KILL (Episode 15)

Satsuki doesn’t appear to be that great of a fighter… though that speaks volumes of how excellent of a fighter Ryuuko is.  But the point is still the same, Satsuki hasn’t won a fight in the present of KILL la KILL.  Even though Satsuki is revered and towers above the students of Honnouji Academy, she’s never decisively defeated Ryuuko in battle with this episode showing a pivotal defeat in her part.  In fact, the only other battles we’ve seen her in have been flashbacks and other memories where she’s decimated the competition and had much more impressive victories against Gamagoori, Inumata and Sanageyama than Ryuuko.  But still, from what we’ve seen, Satsuki has been less than remarkable since the moment Ryuuko showed up.  And considering some of the other players in this series, it’ll be interesting to see how she ranks when the series is over, especially if she’s not able to overcome her mother or some of the other unknown fighters in this series.

Nobunagun (Episode 3)

Although Nobunagun promises an extensive cast with ~14 characters featured in its OP, the series has decided to focus solely on its main character, Shio.  And because of this emphasis on developing the main character (before throwing her in the fire), the audience has had a chance to develop an understanding and rapport with our protagonist.  As a result, we’re seeing that this anime is about her and her character rather than about aliens or DOGOO or other secret organizations or everyone else.  Really, I couldn’t care less about that stuff since it’s basically what you get in any other anime.  In fact, if that’s what Nobunagun were about, I’d probably drop this anime.  But since Nobunagun has been about Shio and only Shio for three episodes, I’m enjoying the anime.  Of course, this might change as she powers up and joins the other fighters but, for now, I’m pleased with what we’ve been given.  And as long as Nobunagun is about Shio for the most part, this anime will grade out pretty well.

Noragami (Episode 3)

Who is the main character of Noragami?  Is it Yato or Hiyori?  You could make an argument for either the male lead or the female lead being the main character of this anime, but neither is strong enough to win out and they counter each other with seemingly equal force.  With Yato, you’re dealing with the story about a minor god who dreams of making it big and has his own sidekick in the form of a Shinki named Yukine.  We’ve been with Yato since the start of the series and it’s up to his character where we go, who we see and what happens.  With Hiyori, you follow her character around more than Yato, you’re able to listen to her thoughts and see her alone more often than we’re alone with Yato.  Furthermore, her story could be viewed as the main storyline, too, since it’s about her recovering from her accident and ending these catgirl Astral Projections when her soul leaves her body.  It’s never quite clear with Noragami on who the true main character is since the two leads share the qualities usually reserved for the lone protagonist of an anime and that they’re together more often than not.  So, with that said, who is the main character of Noragami?  With it rather unclear and ambiguous at this point, it’s difficult to say.  That being said, how the series develops might provide us with enough context and material to show a change in the anime and lead us to make a decision on this tricky question.  But for now, there really is no main character… or is there?

Samurai Flamenco (Episode 14)

Although I’m still furious and loathing the decisions and direction of Samurai Flamenco, I… I hate to admit it, but I am curious to see where it’ll go.  I’ve reached the point where I’m finally over all the terrible, terrible offenses that Samurai Flamenco has committed since it decided to be a bad parody of the Sentai genre… that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven the series, but I’ve accepted that this is wants to do and this is where it’s going.  And because of that, I’m curious where it is going.  I’ll admit I’m still intrigued by what this series has to offer since it’s still full of twists and turns that make it entertaining, and I’m wondering what it all will mean when the final episode rolls around.  So while I’m still not happy with Samurai Flamenco, I’ll probably stick with this series to the end.

Silver Spoon S2 (Episode 3)

What would Silver Spoon be like without Aki?  Not only does Aki’s character fulfill the romantic interests of Hachiken, but she’s a driving force that moves the anime forward and leads Hachiken toward new, unknown frontiers.  Or when it’s Hachiken taking the initiative with something new or strange, it’s usually Aki who teaches him or assists him where he’s inexperienced.  Aki’s character acts as a mentor to Hachiken and helps him get from point A to point B.  Without her, there’d be a void in Silver Spoon.  Although the other characters could step up and help Hachiken, there wouldn’t be that one character that he depends on like he does with Aki.  Furthermore, there aren’t any other girls who turn Hachiken on like Aki does.  And while the romance in Silver Spoon has stagnated like an old tractor that’s on the last days of its life, it’s a nice touch to have for Hachiken’s and Aki’s characters moving forward.  I couldn’t imagine Silver Spoon without Aki’s warm personality and, considering her irreplaceable impact to Hachiken, I’m not sure what Silver Spoon would be without her.

Space Dandy (Episode 3)

I love how QT is a robot that expresses human emotions and reactions.  Whether it’s looked distressed after dodging an errant laser beam, expressing anger over Dandy’s and Meow’s antics or just changing its eyes and voice in response to whatever, QT expresses a wide array of diverse emotions much like any human would.  It’s remarkable to see a robotic character perform this well since they usually act robotic or monotone in this form or, if they’re to have human emotions, they actually look like a human.  Instead, QT looks like a classic cute robot but functions like any human sidekick would.  She’s not the best robot or the most capable robot but her pairing with Dandy aboard the Aloha Oe is ideal.

Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta (Episode 3)

Often times, relationships in anime feel artificial or forced.  In The Pilot’s Love Song (or whatever the English title is), the relationships feel genuine, like they’re between two humans rather than two anime characters.  There’s no ‘he’s-my-brother-but-we’re-not-blood-relationed-so-it’s-okay’ incest, oblivious male lead in harem, stupid love triangle or perverted male otakus in this anime.  Instead, the characters feel like people and act like people.  Whether it’s the familial relationship of Kal-el and Ariel, the romantic relationship between Kal-el and Claire or any of the numerous friendships that have developed recently, these bonds feel natural and authentic.  Of course, there are times where they feel a bit anime-ish, but for the most part the relationships and chemistry of this anime mirrors real life.  What makes these relationships feel appropriate is that they’re born through seemingly plausible events, sincere personalities and a feeling of camaraderie born through people working together and living together.  The bonds between the characters have been outstanding thus far in this anime and have helped elevate this anime to the top of the season for me.  Furthermore, I’m interested to see how these relationships will change as the series continues and Kal-el’s identity and Claire’s identities are discovered by each other and everyone else.

Wizard Barristers – Benmashi Cecil (Episode 2)

Besides Cecil, the only character building any hype is her rookie counterpart, Natsuna.  The other first-year lawyer seems to always carry a bit of focus away from Cecil when they’re in the office together, largely due to their similarities as novices and that Natsuna holds a grudge against Cecil for already being better than her despite her personality and behaviors.  With this, you can see some pressure or exciting developing for Natsuna’s character despite having done little to nothing yet.  And with this rivalry brewing, you wonder if Natsuna’s antagonistic qualities will drive her away from the Butterfly Law Offices and over toward the prosecution where she can go against Cecil head-to-head.  And while that’s the predictable outcome, I’d rather see Natsuna’s character mature and learn to accept Cecil for who she is and what she does… seeing them work together would be a start, but I’d love to see the two characters become friends before the series is over.  But before that can happen, we’ll need to see what Natsuna’s all about and hopefully we’ll see her in court sometime soon.

This week: the contrast between Aki’s family and Hachiken’s family in Silver Spoon, demonstrating Hiyori’s character growth through subtraction in Noragami, the humanistic personalities of djinn in Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, and the good half and bad half of the story in Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha.

Best episode of the week: KILL la KILL

Anime trending up this week: Magi: The Kingdom of Magic (S2)

Anime trending down this week: Hamatora

Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta (Episode 11)

I wish every anime had the equivalent of a movie’s budget for every episode, guaranteeing gorgeous, vibrant and consistent animation throughout. However, bad art and animation do not make-or-break an anime for me, and I watch plenty of anime with substandard visuals. That being said, the aesthetics of a series do play a significant role in how I enjoy and appreciate the show. And though Pilot’s Love Song is one of my favorite anime of the season, the atrocious quality of the art and animation has negatively impacted the show. At times, the visuals are bad and, at others, distressing. I never thought I’d want to rewatch an anime if it were reanimated, but I’d make an exception for this one. For an anime of such superior quality in all the other areas, it’s shocking to see how poorly animated this anime is with this episode being a perfect example. I’m going to keep an eye out for the BD versions of Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta to see if the art and animation are better through the various redraws. I’ve never really done this before, but I am considering rewatching this anime if they improve upon the art for the BD releases.

Space Dandy (Episode 11)

Whenever an anime experiments with an alternative art style, different directing, or use or colors and textures, I find myself excited. Many of my favorite episodes from some of my favorite anime (Needless, Sengoku Collection, Dantalian no Shoka) have utilized different art styles to their advantage and have turned ordinary stories into unforgettable episodes. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about this one with Space Dandy. While I am thrilled with the prospect of using a monochrome, textured art style for this episode, I found it to be difficult to watch the episode. The episode was relatively dark, obscured and frequently perplexing, especially after the psychedelic, colorful plant planet episode where everything was clearly defined. I do like that the anime tried something different, but I wish that the style was only used for a bit rather than throughout the whole episode. I appreciate that the animators tried something different, but I wonder if it was executed properly or if the episode was intended to be muddled like that. Still, Space Dandy has been one of the best anime this season in terms of its aesthetics, so seeing an episode or two turn out like this is well worth the price of some visually brilliant ones like earlier on in the series.

Silver Spoon S2 (Episode 10)

Although Aki and Hachiken both share a number of similarities in identifying and pursuing their dreams after high school, there is a major disparity in how they’ll begin the next step. No, no, this isn’t related to Aki knowing that she wants to work with horses and Hachiken still deliberating between all his options. Rather, the contrast between Aki’s family and Hachiken’s family and how they support their children will play the most significant role in each teenager realizing their dream. With Aki’s family, all the adults are open and receptive of Aki’s idea and are willing to support her on her endeavors. It might not be the most advantageous or idealistic option to them, but they love their daughter and want to make sure she has a happy and healthy life. Hachiken’s family is quite the opposite, being closed, silent and dominated by the father who lacks heart and emotion. Without his presence dominating the dinner table, I figure the family would be much better off, but nowhere to the level of Aki’s family. Part of that is due to Hachiken’s resentment to his mother and his brother, but they probably will never be at the level of Aki and her family. And with the tenth episode featuring Aki’s family discussing her future, the contrast could not be more apparent with Hachiken’s participation. Seeing him open up in front of other open characters really highlights the difference between the two families. Not only would Hachiken never experience discourse to this degree, but he would likely never speak out for his own well-being nor would he ever argue with his father. So witnessing Hachiken in a similar situation to himself but with another family highlights the remarkable contrast between Aki’s family and his own. I wouldn’t be surprised if the tenth episode of Silver Spoon S2 was my favorite in the entire series for how it revealed the two family and how it affects the two characters, especially how we’ve seen them portrayed lately. I almost wish this happened earlier in the series so we could see the long-term effects this conversation had on both Aki and Hachiken.

Samurai Flamenco (Episode 21)

With all the twists and turns of Samurai Flamenco’s story, ranging from supervillains to alien armies to ghosts and talking to the universe itself, I’m surprised that no one important had died yet. Although you can argue that Gotou’s girlfriend is essentially dead and that Hazama’s parents were part of an unsolved murder (say, whatever happened to that unresolved plot thread?), it’s not the same as having a character die during the series. I would have assumed that someone, somewhere would have perished in a way that would’ve changed Hazama, but no… none of his friends or allies have died or left a mark on him in anyway. In fact, no one around Hazama has really changed him besides Gotou steering him on the right course from time to time. Maybe it plays into the theme of the series where justice is true and everyone is saved, but I would have assumed that, for a story like this, that there would’ve been at least one death.

Noragami (Episode 11)

With Hiyori losing her memories of Yato at the end of the last episode, we return to seeing our heroine in her natural and default personality: a respectful, polite and friendly schoolgirl who loves to smile and make others happy. While we are more accustomed to a playful, outgoing and tsukkomi (straight-man) Hiyori, it’s fascinating to see her like this again despite how distressing it must be to Yato and Yukine. What this does for Noragami, beside introduce a story to end the anime with, is show how much of an influence Yato and Yukine have had on her and how her personality evolved throughout the series. Although the standard Hiyori is calm and smiles, we see that she’s actually rather distant and closed. This contrast is a clear display of she opened herself up to Yato and Yukine throughout the series and how she began to do more than speak politely and smile. I do miss the personality that we’ve seen recently in Noragami, but I do enjoy seeing her revert back to normal for a little bit, just as a reminder of all the character growth we’ve seen of her since she was hit by that fateful semi-truck.

Magi: The Kingdom of Magic (S2) (Episode 23)

Although the djinn are revered and respected in the setting of Magi, they do have casual or humanistic personalities that undermine their grandiose or intimidating nature. No, I’m not just talking about the comedy scenes when Kouen was threatening Aladdin, but that they are informal with each other, even in the presence of a magi. Perhaps the best example of this was when Leraje (Kouha’s djinn) was pleading to Aladdin to keep the history of King Solomon a secret and with Astaroth interjecting. It’s not something you’d expect from the djinn who are almighty and always shown in such magnificence and power. However, by showing these humanistic qualities to them does make these characters more likable and relatable, especially since they still are supreme, colossal spiritual beings. It’s too bad we don’t see the djinn more often since they seem to be more interesting than most of the other characters we’ve seen lately.

KILL la KILL (Episode 23)

Are Ragyou’s hair Life Fibers or has she always had naturally luminescent hair? Like, her bright, rainbow-colored hair does emit light and doesn’t seem to be generated by anything external, so everything that produces this light must be within Ragyou. The only things I can think of are that it’s either due to the Life Fibers that she’s fused with or maybe she’s always had bioluminescent hair. All the flashbacks of Ragyou have been muted with a filtered color, so it’s impossible to tell if her hair was shiny back then. Additionally, you can’t tell if or when she became combined with the Life Fibers either, so it might not be an immediate reaction and the results of years living with the Life Fibers. The one thing we can say for sure is that Ryuuko’s hair does change when she combines with Senketsu, going from a single streak of red in her hair to about fifty-fifty red and black. Perhaps something akin to Ryuuko’s red and black hair is going on with Ragyou, but I assume that this is something that will be unanswered by the time the anime concludes.

Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha (Episode 10 [Finale])

The story of Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha could easily be divided between Inari’s story and Uka’s story. The two halves of the series dealt with very different characters and their very, very different problems. Inari’s story is standard for a school-setting with friendships tested, romances never realized and the occasional issues with superpowers. Uka’s was more along the lines of young adults dealing with issues, like relationships, marriage, status, especially considering how Uka is a relatively high god in her society. However, unlike the story of Inari which revolved around somewhat normal humans, Uka’s stories revolved around rather silly characters and a society that is difficult to relate to. The two halves of the series were radically different from each other thanks to these two settings. I must say that the Inari half was more attractive and intriguing, though that isn’t to say I hated Uka’s half. Still, I wish the series spent more time on Inari and her issues and how she solved them with Uka’s power than dealing with Uka’s problems of laziness and not wanting to find a husband. I’m not sure how much better the anime would’ve been, but I know it would’ve been better with more of a focus on Inari than splitting it even between Inari and Uka.

Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren (Episode 11)

I wish that, when playing around with their coins and rocks and make-believe, that the characters of Chuunibyou actually summoned a real demon that appeared before them and began destroying Japan. I wish the whole series built up to a twist like that where they actually bring a monster to the real world that spreads darkness and evil across the land. Not only would it be hilarious to see something like that completely undermine the entire series, but it’d be fun to see Rikka’s reaction since she’d still be lost in her chuunibyou world and not realize the ramifications for her actions. That and it’d be fun to see Rikka attack some giant demon monster with her umbrella for a few seconds before it gets bored and wanders off to destroy a bridge or knock over some buildings. Man, that would’ve made Chuunibyou awesome. I would love that so much.

This post reviews: Haikyuu!!, Gokukoku no Brynhildr, Isshuukan Friends, and Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to.

Based on how the anime are airing this week, it looks like there will be four posts in total for my First Impressions and that I will start my Weekly Anime posts next weekend.

Watching:

Isshukan Friends

Isshukan Friends is a beautiful anime, both in terms of its visual style and how it utilizes perception and emotion. Together, the enchanting art and charismatic writing combine to make one of the better anime of this young Spring season. Perhaps the most distinctive and recognizable attribute of its art are the incredibly simple and somewhat incomplete backgrounds. That ambient light and white nothingness work perfectly to isolate the two main characters, Kaori and Yuuki, and feature the two of them with no outside noise or distractions to interrupt their intimate dialogues. Link that with the simple, pastel colors and attractive character designs and there’s no wonder why Isshuukan Friends is one of the most visually powerful anime of the season, even beyond how it establishes the mood and atmosphere. And having a visual style like this is significant in how it influences the writing. Already, we’re left wondering how the relationship with Kaori and Yuuki will evolve over time based on the zenith of the first episode. The writing was successfully able to toy with Yuuki’s emotions and with our own perception of Kaori from start to finish. Although the episode could be categorized as slow or relaxed, the content was fascinating and captivating. It is the subtleties and developments which turn this episode from potentially boring into something watchable and something worth continuing. It’ll be intriguing to see in which direction this charming anime will go.

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to

Comedy is my favorite genre of anime, so it shouldn’t be surprising to see someone like me pick up something dumb like Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to. Yes, I know, I realize Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to is nothing more than unimaginative and simple otaku humor revolving around a perverted manga artist and the unfortunate girls who wish they could be anywhere else than working with him. But the whole point of comedy anime is to keep me entertained, to make me laugh and smile, and that’s exactly what happened with the first episode of Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to (I should really shorten this title to just ManAss but that would be a misnomer). Sure, every scene is full of derivative comedy and cheap ecchi fanservice (like the montage of pantyshots during Yuuki’s speech), but some of the jokes were able to make me smile and keep me amused throughout. Furthermore, this is a pure comedy, so there’s no need to worry about a story or something that’ll be boring or shitty. But actually, a story or something might not be bad in this since the writing and delivery were above-average for this level and style of humor. This is a good indicator of success with comedy anime since I don’t imagine the content of the jokes will ever become anything more than anime-related fanservice or anything intelligent or witty (and no, the Panty Wars monologue was nowhere near intelligent or witty). The techniques and styles of delivering comedy are just as important as the content itself, so I do feel strongly that this anime will be able to keep me amused throughout. As for the other aspects of the series, the characters are all likable and the art style is dazzling, especially during the punchlines. ManAss isn’t terribly impressive nor do I expect it to be near the top of the season, but I do expect this to be a serviceable comedy anime and keep me delighted throughout. If it can do exactly that, then this anime will be worth watching this Spring.

Undecided:

Gokukoku no Brynhildr

Gokukoku no Brynhildr is the first anime of the season where I feel largely conflicted. On one hand, the anime did cater to my interests with its pleasant sci-fi setting, the serene yet airheaded magician Neko, and the heavy emphasis on aliens, remorse, and destiny. Furthermore, many of these positives indicate long-term success too, as these are variables that are unlikely to change unless something drastic happens. So in that regard, I want to continue watching Brynhildr to see where this story is going and what will happen to these characters. On the other hand, I found the first episode to be tedious and boring. The writing, especially the lengthy exposition in the latter half of the episode, was a major turn-off, and the pacing slowed to tedium after the midway point. Additionally, there wasn’t really anything exciting in this episode, though I will admit the almost-drowning did catch me off-guard. However, the ending of the episode with the landslide and the boulder came across as ‘meh’, and I don’t have high hopes for future fights between characters with this as a reference to how Brynhildr will handle its action. So in that regard, considering my bored and disinterest with the second half of the episode, I won’t mind dropping it. With the two sides pulling each other, the best course of action is to give it another episode and evaluate which direction it’s heading in or how it addresses its weaknesses. The nice thing about Brynhildr is that there was plenty of material and aspects to evaluate from the first episode alone, which is always preferred over an anime that doesn’t show you enough in its first episode. Hopefully the second episode will show me more of the good than the bad, since that’s what will be needed for me to keep this anime around.

Dropped:

Haikyuu!!

I always figured that if I had enough time, I would watch just about every anime in every season. The reason for these posts are for me to identify which anime are likely to be fit my interests and which ones will be the most worthwhile based on my limited time. With this idea in my head, I always try to think about anime that I would like to watch but aren’t able to based on my circumstances. And that brings me to Haikyuu!! which is an anime that falls into this unfortunate category. The main issue with Haikyuu!! is that I know that I will lose interest in this anime at some point. My draw to Haikyuu!! will be the volleyball matches which, if they’re like the one shown here in the first episode, was brilliantly animated, had exceptional pacing and featured astute writing and directing. But alas, sports anime are more than just competitive games and the anime is sure to devolve into training, practices, conflict, drama and potentially romance or bromance between the players. It’s that where I know I’ll lose my interest in Haikyuu!! and that’s why I still have a positive impression of the anime despite dropping it after one episode. And going back to my original point of willing to watch every anime if I had the time, I’d be willing to suffer through all the training and teenage drama just to watch all the matches in this anime. But no, unfortunately, I’m not that fortunate, and I have to make sacrifices. For the sake of knowing how these sports anime flow and what the content will be, I’m going to drop Haikyuu!! for now. It’ll be best to wait and see how the anime is received by others in order to know whether it’s worth picking up again, but for the time being, I’m done with Haikyuu!!

This week: why conflict is the best thing to happen in Isshuukan Friends, not being distracted to the real story in in Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin, appreciating character developing for a strong, independent female lead in Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii, and some differences between marathoning Mushishi and watching Mushishi Zoku Shou weekly.

Best episode of the week: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

Anime trending up this week: Isshuukan Friends

Anime trending down this week: Akuma no Riddle

Akuma no Riddle (Episode 4)

Will anything important ever happen during school in Akuma no Riddle? For an anime that spends about half its time in the classroom, not much happens. Virtually everything that moves the story along or is remotely exciting happens outside the classroom, whether it be in the dorms or wherever someone wants Haru to be murdered. I can only imagine that the school scenes are used as downtime between these scenes because the anime would be too exciting otherwise. But, I suppose that half this anime is about Haru and she is keen on making friends and graduating from her class, so there’s some meaning there to her character. It’s just everyone else is apathetic or indifferent to school that it makes these scenes so tedious. Then again, there was a bit of backstory on Kouko’s character in the classroom with this episode, so it isn’t a total waste. Still, Akuma no Riddle would be much, much more without these classroom scenes.

Captain Earth (Episode 4)

One of these days I should try eating human flesh because aliens (and monsters) are always saying that humans are the most delightful and succulent source of nutrition in the vastness of space… and I’m wondering if we’re missing out on something here. Then again, the real topic of this post is in regards to how Amara and Moco, the tag-team duo of the KILL-T-GANG, survived for so long without delicious, delicious human flesh? What did they eat before venturing to Earth and how did they survive for so long without earthlings? And to continue off that point, how do they know that humans are the most perfect food in the solar system? Have they even tried Italian food yet? Anyway, the point here is that it’s rather silly to have aliens comment about eating humans when they have little to no experience with humans, especially eating them. I would be more likely to accept this argument as true (and enjoy it much, much more) if the invasion had already occurred and they had devoured half of mankind. Learning about eating people after that would be something that the series could use to strengthen its villains and the story, but for two aliens to claim that humans are filet mignon without even a lick or a bite into anyone undermines the whole purpose of these villains. Then again, this is hardly the most prominent problem with Captain Earth at this point.

Hitsugi no Chaika (Episode 3)

I am struggling to understand the purpose of Akari’s character. Through three episodes, her single accomplishment is that she’s been a third wheel to Chaika’s adventure. But really, what has she done that Chaika or Tooru couldn’t already do on their own? In fact, if you completely removed her character, the anime would be the exact same. Akari has had no impact or influence on Hitsugi no Chaika. Not even a little. She’s just there. She just exists and follows her brother and Chaika around. Really, what is the purpose of her character and why does she exist now? I usually don’t have issues with characters who have minimal impact on an anime or are meaningful for comic relief or fanservice, but Akari has done nothing for three episodes now and is one of the most prominent characters being shown quite frequently. I figure that there’ll be a time where her character is important or significant in some way, but for now, she has no meaning or purpose, besides being the biggest third wheel in anime.

Isshuukan Friends (Episode 3)

I’m thrilled to see conflict in this lighthearted anime since conflict is exactly what this anime needed. Without conflict and without problems that arise, this anime would stagnate, grow stale and grow boring. But with conflict, thanks primarily to Shougo’s character, we’ll see the characters grow from this event and for them to mature as human beings. Instead of the anime being simply nice and boring every episode, Isshuukan Friends is moving along its story and its characters through meaningful interactions. Had Shougo acted the same as Yuuki, then the anime would have done nothing new. Instead, Shougo confronted Yuuki about Kaori and her condition and challenged him to view her through his perspective instead of his own. It pushed the characters in such a way that they had to react to this conflict. And as a result, we saw the characters become something more than when the episode started. I can only hope there continues to be conflict in every episode since that is exactly what this needs to continue to improve. It’s already one of the better anime this season and a simple conflict every episode will continue to help its characters, it story and its overall product, grow.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 4)

Not only was Joseph Joestar the best protagonist in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure but he continues to be the best all-around character thanks to his brazen and flashy personality. He easily has the best presence of anyone so far in this season of JJBA, both in terms of his dynamic with the other characters and how his comedy is portrayed. It’s actually amazing to think but his character has actually improved from the last arc to this one, which is saying something since he was phenomenal as the lead character in Battle Tendency. It’s promising to see him again in Stardust Crusaders since his personality contrasts so sharply with Jotaro’s and the two complement each other by making up for the other’s weaknesses. However, given how much we’ve seen of Joseph already, I’m not sure if he’ll continue to improve as a character or if this is the pinnacle of his success as a character. However, if that’s the case, he’s leveling off at the right place and is certain to make this season of JJBA an unforgettable one.

Mushishi Zoku Shou (Episode 4)

Unlike every other anime airing this season, I find it odd to watch Mushishi only once a week since I marathoned the series prior to the second season beginning earlier this month. During that golden week, I would watch numerous episode of Mushishi together and the end of one would mean the beginning of the next. Now, each episode stands alone for a seven-day period and I dare not wait for these shows to pile up since every episode is an individual masterpiece. So with this new season of Mushishi, I found that I am watching the series different than I did before and I have much more time to digest the episodes each week than after six or seven or eight at a time. I’ve found new aspects and details to appreciate with the series and can enjoy it for a longer duration of time, yet the downside is that I know each viewing is limited to half-an-hour instead of several hours at a time. There’s now that sense of hunger at the end of each Mushishi episode, wanting to skip ahead to next week’s episode and watch it right after. Then again, I doubt that’s any different with any other anime that’s as remarkable as this one. Probably not, but it’s interesting to see how stark of a difference there is between marathoning an anime and watching it week-to-week, especially of an anime with such extraordinary quality as this one.

No Game No Life (Episode 3)

Watching Sora and Shiro play real world games in No Game No Life would be interesting but not as interesting as playing games with magic, made-up rules and chaos. Here, we’re able to see the characters go beyond strategy and employ emotion, personality and humor into these events to turn these common games into something more. And while I wasn’t expecting anything to the degree of this new game of chess (I was expecting cheating to various degrees), I found something new to look forward to with each new game in each new episode. So instead of watching people play checkers or slot or something normal, we can now expect Sora and Shiro to play crazy checkers or silly slots. It certainly livens up the setting and scenarios in No Game No Life, which is quickly becoming a pleasant surprise this season.

Ping Pong the Animation (Episode 3)

I often don’t comment on the music in anime, so the few choice times where I do mention it, you can tell it left a favorable impression on me. There were actually three noteworthy songs that stood out to me in the third episode of Ping Pong; the first being the melody that used ping pong balls as a rhythm, the second being a techno song during Kong’s first match and Tsukimoto’s humming at the end. Each had their own brilliance to it, with the ping pong ball song being beautiful, the techno song augmenting the visuals and the humming song carrying importance and implication. Each song displayed its own unique value to the episode and helped improved many different aspects of the episode as a result. It often takes quite a bit for a song to impress me in an anime, so for Ping Pong to do it three times in one episode, is nothing short of astonishing. Even though we’re still in the first month of the season, I think I’ve found my favorite sounding anime of the season with Ping Pong.

Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin (Episode 3)

What I’m enjoying the most about Nanana isn’t so much the adventures, the puzzles and the treasures but how the series presented Nanana’s death, the role of her character and how the series is trying to move our attention away from her and toward these fun, little scenarios. To me, the series would not have presented the importance of Nanana’s character and her murder if it weren’t the central storyline of this anime, yet everything since then has been a diversion or distraction to take our mind off Nanana’s character and her death and LOOK, SHINY TREASURES AND CGI ANIMATION. You aren’t fooling me, anime, and you aren’t fooling anyone who’s curious about how this all points back to Nanana and her death. And considering the magnitude and imagination employed in Nanana, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nanana’s ghost be a hoax or the phantasm of a magical treasure device. I mean, after all, who’s putting these treasures all throughout Nanae Island? Really, there’s a mystery presented in this anime that goes beyond searching for treasure. While the episodes present entertaining or amusing puzzles for the characters to play around with, the real puzzle is presented to the audience to understand what’s going on with Nanana’s character, the treasures and everything in Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin.

Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii (Episode 4)

Strong female lead characters always bode well for an anime, and Princess Nike is one of the best at what she does. Rather than being a cute, innocent moe girl who goes to school, enjoys time with friends and fights monsters/aliens/whatever with magic or superpowers, Nike is an active, energetic, passionate and outgoing young lady who isn’t afraid to defy those around her, challenge authority and be a strong, independent woman. And because of that, it’s amazing to see her in the role she’s in and how she’s changing as a person. Whereas before, as princess of the Principality of Rain, where she was free to do what she wanted, now she’s the fiancé of the Sun King and is adapting to a life where her role will no longer be the tomboy that she currently is and into something more regal and royal and regulated. So while the anime continues to focus directly on how Livius I is changing as a king, it’s also an examination of how Nike is changing, too. However, Nike still possesses that strong, independent personality and won’t be remodeled overnight. Unlike many characters who have a weak will or multiple flaws, Nike has a defined and refined personality that is able to resist simple or straightforward character development. Her stubbornness and tomboyish nature aren’t going to fade away quickly, if at all, so it’ll be interesting to see what other traits of her personality evolve as she continues to live in the Sun Kingdom. And even as she changes, she’ll still continue to be the tough, reliable protagonist that will lead this anime to new heights. You can think of it more as adding details or touching-up a project that is in its final stages. Or at least, that’s how I view how the series is trying to improve and distinguish Nike’s character. A strong female lead is always appreciated in anime, but one that matures and grows as a character too, is something truly special.

This week: an analysis on whether the failed assassins live or die in Akuma no Riddle, the balance of fighters and Stands in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, a question of time or limited opportunities in Isshuukan Friends, and the perception of beauty and how it differs between people in Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii.

Best episode of the week: Ping Pong the Animation

Anime trending up this week: Escha & Logy no Atelier: Tasogare no Sora no Renkinjutsushi

Anime trending down this week: Soul Eater NOT!

Akuma no Riddle (Episode 5)

Do the failed assassins of Akuma no Riddle die or simply just disappear? With three assassins now mysteriously vanishing from the Kurogumi class, and all in a rather ambiguous, off-screen way, the question continues to repeat itself at the end of every episode. Based on my limited research of the manga, it appears as though the anime follows in its foot-steps without being direct in either direction but providing subtle hints that could favor either argument. For example, the flowers left on the desks of the ‘expelled’ students are more accustomed for funerals and not necessarily appropriate for a student transferring. Furthermore, the anime portrays itself as dark and violent, so the theme of murdering the failed assassins at the end of every episode fits the profile of this anime. On the other hand, not every ‘death game’ anime kills its enemies, especially its female cast members. A central theme to the anime has been the topic of forgiveness, especially with Tokaku’s character changing from her time alone with Haru. Moreover, the anime is ecchi, from innocent yuri relationships to girls showering/bathing to Haru running around in her bra and panties for several minutes. You typically don’t see murder in an anime with considerable fanservice… but that’s not to say it isn’t out of the realm of possibility. And one final point, and the reason why I’m bringing this up now, is that we saw Haruki survive in this episode after failing to kill herself after the botched mission. You don’t really see an anime put that much emphasis into saving a character’s life just to kill them off-screen in the next scene with no resolution to their character.

At this point, the argument could be made either way and either could be correct. I believe the anime is depicting these exits in such a way to not reveal to the audience whether the girls are dead or alive at the end of every episode. After weighing the available evidence, from my perspective, I would argue that the girls remain alive after failing to assassinate Haru. Considering the themes of forgiveness, the fanservice and the emphasis we’ve seen on the girls singing their own ending songs, I would argue that the girls are all still alive and will reconvene at the end. And while this may not be true for the manga, which probably will continue long after the anime ends, I feel that such an ending would be more positive in attracting readers and expanding its fandom. So while this might end up being untrue in the end and the three assassins-of-the-week are dead, I’m willing to bet that they’re all still alive until the anime says, or shows, otherwise.

Hitsugi no Chaika (Episode 4)

Coffins are heavy. Like, really, really heavy. You always see images of four-to-six people transporting a coffin out of a funeral service, so why does Chaika carry one all by herself? The coffin is taller than she is and made of solid wood. Even if the coffin were empty (and not carrying her metal gun) it’d still outweigh Chaika by five-times her body weight. And I haven’t even mentioned that Chaika doesn’t drag the coffin around on the ground either; she supports the weight entirely on her shoulders and walks around unimpaired without putting any of the weight on her back or needing to leaning forward. The fact that Chaika can carry this massive coffin around without any assistance or support obviously means she’s the strongest character in this anime. Why she doesn’t overpower her opponents in close quarters combat is beyond me. But still, you can add her name to the growing list of young anime girls who possess the superhuman strength. Watching her carry that coffin around every day without a thought makes me wish I had spent more time at the gym (or possessed magical powers).

Isshuukan Friends (Episode 4)

With Kaori’s memory of her friends resetting every week on Monday, one has to wonder whether there is a race against time given the limited number of weeks in a school-year. Japanese schools, for the sake of this post, are roughly about 40 weeks long. That means that Yuuki has, at a maximum, 40 chances to introduce himself to Kaori before they finish this grade. However, we need to assume that several weeks passed at the beginning of the year before Yuuki summoned the courage to befriend her the first time and that several weeks have occurred since, through these four episodes. Although things are fine and dandy now and there is plenty of material left, one can’t help but wonder whether time will be an issue later on for Kaori, especially if she’s going to move/transfer schools at the end of the series (it’s what I’m expecting as the big finale for this anime). It might not be a pressing issue right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see time become a problem as the series progresses.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 5)

The balance of fighters and fighting in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is an unquestioned strength and bodes well for the evolution of Stand fighters as this anime continues. With an amazing selection of styles, personalities, abilities and techniques, the fighting in JJBA has been phenomenal and will continue to be captivating and fascinating each and every time, never leaving a dull moment for the viewers. This is particularly encouraging since there is no single character who is significantly stronger than the rest nor are there fighters with inherent strengths and weaknesses against each other (such as one type being super effective against another). Instead, the field is level and the outcomes of battles aren’t as predictable as in other fighting anime. Of course, as the series continues and stronger fighters/Stands appear, there will be some variability (Dio) and creativity (D’Arby) that will deviate from this small sample size and shift the balance of power to the most important characters. However, at that point, the sheer thrill and excitement that occurs simultaneously with intense and sensational battles should begin to outweigh the advantages of balanced fighting. That’s not to say the fights aren’t exciting now, but that this balance of fighters will begin to fade as Jotaro as his companions inch closer to Dio and his cohorts.

Mushishi Zoku Shou (Episode 5)

Considering all the strange and haphazard inflictions or diseases we’ve seen people succumb to in Mushishi, I often wonder why humanity hasn’t died out yet. Perhaps that statement is a little too blunt, but how different would humanity be without the help of Ginko or the other mushishi? The frequency in which we see people contract these ailments from various indigenous mushi suggests that there is a need for wandering mushishi to save peoples’ lives. Without them, the rate of death (or disappearances or disability) would be significantly higher and in people of young ages, too. And given that these people live alone or in small hamlets, the morbidity and mortality of these young people would spell disaster for population growth or even sustainability (depending on their skills). So really, how does mankind persist in a world such as this?

No Game No Life (Episode 4)

I’ve always obsessed over the use of color and lighting in anime, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that I am fascinated with and adore the imaginative and inspired use of colors and lighting in No Game No Life. The anime illustrates its world through a kaleidoscope of vibrant gradients and the end result is backgrounds and environments that are both curious to look at and spectacular when looked at. The use of lighting is also remarkable, helping cater to the lighthearted quality of the show and helping augment the fantasy-setting with differing colors. The series even uses the absence of light to its advantage, too, such as when Tet abducted Sora and Shiro at the end of the episode. In terms of its visuals and how it presents itself using colors and lighting, No Game No Life is one of the most impressive anime that I have seen lately, perhaps the most since Watamote last year. So while No Game No Life may be mediocre with its character designs or mundane with its animation, the visual style, with bizarre colors and dazzling lighting, moves it from being another ordinary anime into one of the most gorgeous shows of the season.

Ping Pong the Animation (Episode 4)

Everything thus far in Ping Pong has revolved around singles table tennis. The games have been sensational and enthusiastic, gushing with emotion and purpose. There is no question that the story will continue with a focus on singles matches but is there also the opportunity for doubles matches? We’re constantly reminded of the emphasis on teams and schools and nationalities in Ping Pong and the protagonists are a pair of boys with contrasting personalities that would make for an interesting duo. Additionally, the advent of doubles Ping Pong would provide a differing style on how to examine Smile and Peco as characters. It could also potentially introduce a new conflict given their styles of play and how invested they are in their games, helping provide a new avenue for character growth that would otherwise be impossible through singles matches alone. However, since this anime follows the story of a completed manga, I suppose I could spoil myself the mystery and read ahead to find out whether doubles will ever be a thing in Ping Pong or not. Nonetheless, I still would be interested in seeing a doubles match in Ping Pong because it would add another dimension to the already thrilling matches of this incredible anime.

Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin (Episode 4)

Why aren’t more people or corporations or organizations after the treasures in Nanana’s Buried Treasure? You’d think, given the unbelievable nature and ability of these treasures, that there’d be people tearing up the island over these world-changing devices… but no, it’s just a handful of high schoolers who are after these priceless artifacts. And given their proximity to high-traffic areas and the age of social media, you’d figure there’d be more interest in these items than what’s currently shown. I would imagine that there’d be this level of interest if these treasures were hidden in a mountain temple or in some lush, dense jungle, but these treasures are housed in schools and tourist destinations in a metropolis. Like… wouldn’t somebody have stumbled upon these things sooner and realized their potential? Maybe the story needs to progress more before we can answer these questions, especially behind who hide these treasures and designed their trials, but it’s pretty absurd that no one else is searching for these things besides a small party of teenagers.

Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii (Episode 5)

Beauty is relative. This quality is distinctive to whoever is judging whether something is beautiful or not, so beauty to one person might be unbeautiful to another. So for someone like me who finds beauty in bright, sunny days, I find it interesting to see that almost everyone in the Sun Kingdom finds beauty in overcast skies and downpours. To me, I find the Sun Kingdom to be beautiful on its own, with clear skies, warm weather and gardens around the palace. Rain, however, doesn’t necessarily hold that same level of beauty to me, especially in an arid, sunbaked desert. Rain goes well when there are snowcapped mountains or emerald forests to go with it, not with dry flatlands with minimal vegetation. So to me, it’s odd to see the anime put such an emphasis on the beauty associated with rain when I’d much prefer sunny days. However, as mentioned before, beauty is relative, and so to people who have never seen rain or experience it infrequently, it must hold some special value to them that I would otherwise ignore. Furthermore, Nike’s manipulation of clouds and rain have their own special beauty to them, too, such as putting a halo (or ring) around the sun for her ceremony. I do find those scenes beautiful, but probably to a different degree than what everyone else sees or feels. Regardless of my perception or that of the characters of this anime, The World is Still Beautiful uses and emphasizes beauty in truly interesting and meaningful ways, and it will be interesting to see what else the anime depicts as beautiful and Nike tries to reveal her world to Livius.

A long, long, long time ago, whenever these episodes aired: explaining why Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin doesn’t need a villain, why the lives of Sora and Shiro are worse now than before in No Game No Life, thoughts on why the relationship between Tokaku and Haru isn’t a romance in Akuma no Riddle, and using variations in cinematography to keep the reaction shots interesting in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.

Best episode of the week: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

Anime trending up this week: Isshuukan Friends

Anime trending down this week: Hitsugi no Chaika

Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii (Episode 8)

One aspect of the romance in Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii that appeals greatly to me are the fights between Nike and Livi. To me, genuine character growth is born through conflict, so seeing these two lovers quarrel yet remain together is a huge positive for this anime. Many times, romances in anime are simple and tame stories, often beginning with love-at-first-sight, progressing to countless misunderstandings and then ending the anime before anything exciting happens. The romance in Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii circumnavigates this tired formula by forcing Nike and Livi together through an arranged marriage. The two are unnatural for each other and have been forced to work through their differences in order for the marriage to work. Nothing about their relationship has been easy. Nike and Livi have had to work to create the relationship that they have now. And as a result of this effort and sacrifice, the two have an honest romance that has been more than entertaining to watch. Because of the fights between these two, Nike and Livi have become better people and have developed a true romance between each other. It’s because of all this hard work that has made the romance in Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii one of the best attributes of this anime.

Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin (Episode 8)

Ryuugajou Nanananananananana no Maizoukin doesn’t need a villain. From the beginning of the series up until this episode, Nanana described the story of a generic high school boy laboring to live a life on his own and attempting to help his new ghostly friend move on by solving her mysterious murder. The anime concerned itself with Juugo’s internal conflicts with his father and his gang, Matsuri, as he explored ruins, collected treasures and made friends with the wacky residents of Nanae Island. But now, with the arrival of a generic high school boy villain, the perspective of the series has shifted and gone from one centered around Juugo’s growth as a person to stopping this evil dude from finding random treasures. The focus is now completely different than the beginning of the series with only a handful of episodes left to go. And while the series will be clever and tie this back to Juugo and Nanana’s death, it isn’t necessarily the path the anime should go this late into the series. There are still plenty of potential left for Juugo and the other cast members, not to mention a handful of other ruins that we’ll never explore or material we’re now missing. It’s rather odd that they suddenly thrust a character like Ikusaba into the series when he doesn’t really add any value. It might just be my opinion, but I think adding Ikusaba in at this stage of the anime is a costly mistake.

Ping Pong the Animation (Episode 8)

Ping Pong the Animation has some of the most striking and outstanding visuals of the season. The tournament matches are gorgeous in terms of their animation, their cinematography and the overall directing. However, the topic of this review is the visual style and how Ping Pong utilizes techniques that are rarely seen in anime. Among the most obvious are the pencil lines used to denote contours, depth and shadows. It’s a style not exclusive to Ping Pong but one that Ping Pong uses remarkably well, especially with how it complements motion during scenes of extensive animation. It’s minimal but it’s highly effective. One style that is exclusive to Ping Pong, at least to me, is the heavy pencil shading shows in the lower-left screenshot. It’s an outstanding effect; a simple, yet bold shadow that enhances the moment we witness Hoshino’s trickery and aggressive return. It’s profound in how it supplements that shot and it is distinctive to Ping Pong’s unique style of art and animation. The cinematography is exceptional too, utilizing split screens more than any other anime I have ever seen. Likely a tribute to the manga and its panels, the split-screens are able to illustrate all the essential movements of a table-tennis match while simultaneously communicating the thoughts and emotions of the players and the spectators. The visuals of Ping Pong are brilliant and are truly innovative when compared to the standard anime these days. It’s thanks to this visual style that helps Ping Pong stand out from the rest… or rather, stand above the rest.

No Game No Life (Episode 8)

Although No Game No Life is one of the more entertaining anime of the season, the lives of Sora and Shiro aren’t particularly fun. While it’s true they don’t have to worry about food or shelter or interesting games to play, most of their time is devoted to learning about their world, studying the unusual races, and trying to identify all the different ways to win the various games they’ll play. It’s not like their old lives, where they resided in a small, cramped room all day and played various games merely for fun. Here, it’s actual work. Everything that Sora and Shiro are doing are related to these games and winning in general, but they’re putting a lot more effort into these games than ever before, especially with so much more at stake. Because of that, I can’t help but think that the lives of Sora and Shiro are actually worse off than they were before. Sure, it’s more exciting and thrilling and a nice change of pace, but considering the extra amount of work and stress that’s now a significant part of their lives, I’d have to say that their lives are worse now after being transported to this world.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 9)

If there’s one thing you can predict from JoJo’s, it’s that it is unpredictable. And because the anime is unpredictable, with all its various twists and turns, you can expect there will be a number of reactions shots in every episode. And while reactions shots are an integral and essential aspect of JoJo’s, the frequency of these shots and the lack of significant changes in emotion or context mean they’re more likely to grow stale or boring or mundane than anything else. That’s where the creative expertise is most necessary and quite apparent in JoJo’s. By utilizing differing camera angles, a massive variety of colors and some unique effects, JoJo’s is able to diversify these similar shots to make each distinctive and unique. In actuality, all these are all shots of character’s face looking surprised. But in reality, these are all idiosyncratic and all unique. Each one of these shots looks and feels different from the rest. And as a result of this artistic merit, the numerous and often overabundant reaction shots in JoJo’s never feel tiring or overused. It’s a wonderful method of diversifying shots through simple techniques that manages to have a powerful effect on the anime in the long run.

Isshuukan Friends (Episode 8)

Watching Kaori’s memory slowly recover and her life steadily improve makes Isshuukan Friends one of the more heartwarming and encouraging anime of the year. However, what if Kaori’s memory never developed and the series was stuck with her forgetting everyone at the beginning of every week, like in the first few episodes. What’s nice is that we’re able to see Kaori improve as the series progresses, but how would things be different if her memories remained the same as they did at the beginning of the series. How would it affect Yuuki? And how would it affect Shougo and Saki, too? It would be a different direction to take the story and the anime in, and it’s something worth thinking about since that’s how the story began. However, it’s probably best to see Kaori’s character mature and develop in the series in a way to move the series forward. With only a limited number of episodes and a story to tell, it’s for the best to see the series move in the way we are seeing. Nevertheless, I’d still like to see what’d happen in a story where Kaori’s memory never improved.

Hitsugi no Chaika (Episode 8)

What are the limitations of magic in this world? From what we’ve seen so far, magic is able to be utilized for a number of pertinent activities, from driving a vehicle to operating a gun (casting spells) to even mundane tasks, like cooking or communication. But what else can magic be used for? We know that magic fuel is readily bought and sold in common marketplaces, despite it being a precious material derived from the memories of living beings (but hey, let’s use it for fireworks!) We’ve also seen it able to control weapons that can fly through the air and also used to cause explosions that would destroy military defenses. We’ve also seen it used for a number of other odd things, too, like with the valley of fog. So really, what are the drawbacks of magic in this world if it can be seemingly used for everything and is able to be bought and sold without the memories problem that happened to Chaika?

Akuma no Riddle (Episode 9)

For two characters who spend every moment with each other, he relationship between Tokaku and Haru hasn’t been very romantic. The two are essentially a couple, but Tokaku and Haru don’t display any genuine or honest affection toward each other. There doesn’t seem to be any love or romance or sexual attraction between the two either. Hell, it’s almost hard to call them friends given Tokaku’s cold personality and hindered social skills, but Haru makes up for more than that with her bright, outgoing personality. Still, the two don’t even hold hands or look passionately into each other’s eyes. It’s more like the two are business associates than anything else. However, there’s still quite a bit of content left in the series and things can change quickly, especially since the two have been together for the entire series. It will be interesting to see what happens to the relationship now with the series approaching its finale, especially with the mystery of Haru’s character still in the dark.

Back whenever these episodes of anime aired: how detailing the background characters in Isshuukan Friends represents Kaori’s growth as a character, wondering if Adashino-sensei is Ginko’s only friend in Mushishi Zoku Shou, being frustrated with the expositions in No Game No Life, and why I’m going to miss Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin when it’s over.

Best episode of the week: Mushishi Zoku Shou

Anime trending up this week: Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii

Anime trending down this week: No Game No Life

Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii (Episode 9)

The anime may be named The World is Still Beautiful, but the anime has hardly focused on the world or anything beautiful in recent episodes. Remember back to when Nike first met Livi, that she claimed she couldn’t love him without him realizing the beauty of the world around him. Well, so much for that. The anime has apparently forgotten about that major detail and seen the turbulent and disorderly relationship of Nike and Livi develop without that essential prerequisite. Instead, we’ve been treated to empty conflicts from beautiful uncles and pushy princesses instead of learning about the world that Nike wants Livius to appreciate. And to make things worse, we’ve been forced to stay inside the Sun Kingdom’s gigantic castle without escape or a breath of fresh air. So with this most recent episode taking us to the Principality of Rain, we’re able to go back to that fundamental point of the series and see the land that Princess Nike so dearly loves. And the results have been phenomenal. Not only has this been the best episode of the series since its premiere episode but the anime was able to return to its roots in fleshing out Nike’s character and exposing her beautiful world to Livius. Furthermore, the episode was actually fun with Nike’s family providing genuine humor and showing the quirky, laid-back nature of her family and her country in contrast to the formal and steadfast style of Livi’s. The two nations do an outstanding job of revealing the stark differences between Nike and Livius and helped reinforce why Nike wants Livi to appreciate the world around him. I can only hope the result of this story arc is that Livius begins to understand and appreciate the world around him and why it means so much to Nike. Hopefully Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii can salvage this message before it’s too late.

Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin (Episode 9)

Although Nanana’s Buried Treasure is in the lower half of anime for me this season, it’s a show I don’t necessarily want to see end this month. Even though I have had issues with the flimsy and often forgotten story and the lack of significant character development, the series has been surprisingly charming and entertaining. The anime has the right combination ingredients, from its setting, its adventures and especially its characters, for it to be fun, stupid and silly and all in a good way. And because of that, I’m sad to see it ending despite it being mediocre overall. Furthermore, we know the series still has plenty of content that will remain untold since the award-winning light novels is at 7 volumes and still ongoing. Even though I might be a little harsh on my grading for this series in the end, it’s one that I hope returns to television sometime soon since it is an anime that I enjoy. I don’t often say that about anime that I rank lowly, but I’ll be keeping my eye out for more Nanana in the future.

Ping Pong the Animation (Episode 9)

I don’t have much to say on the flashbacks in Ping Pong, but I am very happy with how they were used to support character development and thrilled with their impact on the story. The flashbacks were some of my favorite scenes in the anime, especially as the series progressed and we began to piece these scenes together and understand the complex friendship between Smile and Peco. The flashbacks were an essential aspect of the series and integral to the character development and the progression of the story. Each time a flashback happened, it helped connect a point from the present with a point in the past and helped link the whole anime together. In terms of storytelling, the flashbacks were utilized flawlessly.

No Game No Life (Episode 9)

If there’s one major knock on No Game No Life, it’s that the expositions have been poorly adapted. The No Game No Life anime is an adaption of a light novel series, so the original story is in an all-text medium that’s broken up by the occasional pages with cute girls on them. In literature, expositions like the ones we’ve seen in No Game No Life are fine, if not expected, since the ideal way to explain something in a novel is through a sensible monologue or discussion that provides clarification. Anime, however, is a visual-medium which depends heavily on pictures and voices to communicate its story. Because of these extra dimensions, anime can be more creative and inspired when presenting expositions. For example, Hyouka does an exceptional job when explaining its mysteries by utilizing dramatizations and illustrations to enhance the exposition and deliver a product that’s exciting to watch. With No Game No Life, many of the expositions are presented as characters talking without much else. Yes, there are accompanying visuals that help reinforce the exposition that’s occurring concurrently, but the scenes are largely lackluster with the adaption being a bit too strict and rigid. In literature, there really is no other way to present these expositions than to just lay it out in blocks of text. But that doesn’t mean that anime, a medium that is multi-dimensional, should adapt it in the exact same way, unless it wants to make these scenes boring and monotonous. Since anime are able to present graphics and illustrations, not to mention voices and music, why not try to add some innovation or inspiration to these expositions to make them more interesting like the comedy and action of the series? The anime has done remarkable work in regards to these other elements, so why not provide the same treatment for the expositions? Instead, it seems as though No Game No Life is fine with focusing on the monologues and adapting these scenes as just monologues. However, the series could do much, much more with these scenes, especially with how frequently these monologues occur. But really, if that’s the biggest complaint I have about this series, then the anime must be doing quite a bit else correctly. Still, these expositions are by far my least favorite aspect of the anime, so it’s not surprising that I’d be so harsh on something like this.

Mushishi Zoku Shou (Episode 8)

Is Adashino-sensei really Ginko’s only friend? With Ginko’s nomadic lifestyle and with so few recurring characters in Mushishi, the seaside village doctor makes a considerable impression despite the fact that he’s appeared in only a handful of episodes between the two seasons. Tanyuu, the scribe that’s been featured in the two seasons, is the only other notable recurring character in this anime, and her relationship with Ginko is a bit more formal and complex than that between Ginko and Adashino. The doctor’s fascination with the paranormal and occult allows him to have a different type of relationship with Ginko than everyone else. We see a different side of Ginko every time we see him paired with Adashino. So in that sense, Ginko is friends with Adashino or, at the very least, Ginko is more personal with him than anyone else. But is there no one else out there who has a similar relationship with Ginko? We’ve seen him communicate with other mushishi or partake in festivities, but his personality is always the same, distant and relaxed while still being kindhearted and compassionate. Really, the only time we see Ginko’s personality change for the positive – that is when he’s not getting angry at the foolish people he’s helping – it’s with Adashino-sensei. So based on what we’ve observed so far with Ginko, it seems as though Adashino is his only friend. Then again, for someone like Ginko whose purpose is to wander the round Earth and help those who need help, maybe it’s not so bad he only has one friend. After all, given his occupation and lifestyle, it must be difficult to maintain relationships like that seeing as he’s never in one area for too long.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 10)

Stands in JJBA are the embodiment and visual personification of a person’s control over ripple (hamon). Essentially, they are powerful representations spiritual energy and ability that are dependent on the people who can summon them. So considering the relationship between person and stand, you’d figure each would be similar to their master. However, a majority of the stands are different from their masters and many stands are not organic in appearance with many featuring metallic components or being chimeras. Just a few examples thus far: Hanged Man has a metallic shell over its brain; Magician’s Red has the head of a bird of prey; Hierophant Green is certainly interesting, considering it looks more machine than man; let’s not forget about Strength, the stand controlled by the orangutan Forever… it was a giant freighter. For these to be extensions of their users is simply remarkable considering how often these stands are non-human or non-organic. Just what about these people and their control over ripple causes their stands to take such forms? I’d love to find out but I’m not sure anyone knows how or why these Stands take these forms. At least not yet, anyway.

Isshuukan Friends (Episode 9)

The background characters in One Week Friends were never really well defined. The reason for this could be two-fold. For one reason, it could be an artistic representation of how Kaori is isolated due to her repeatedly losing memories of her friends and the fact that she can’t reach out to others as a means of forming new friendships. Another reason could be that the series wanted to separate Yuuki and Kaori from everyone else and to solely focus on those two together. For whatever reason, it was interesting to see the classroom very featureless and vague. However, I noticed that the background characters are more defined and distinctive now. These characters that were simply ambiguous before now have discriminating features. And if there’s meaning behind it, it could relate to the points before. By having these background characters appear more human could be a visual illustration of how Kaori’s social skills are improving and that everyone around her seems more approachable or sociable. It could also mean that, as Kaori gains more friends, that the world is opening up around her and that it’s not just Yuuki and Kaori anymore. Whatever the reason, the fact that the background characters are more noticeable and recognizable is certainly significant as the series has progressed. It might not really amount to anything significant or noteworthy in the end, but there’s an interesting correlation there between the two. I’d like to think that having more distinguished background characters is a sign that Kaori is opening up and that she’s able to interact with people better, so I’ll imagine that this was intended for that very reason and that it is exactly as I described it.

Akuma no Riddle (Episode 10)

How interesting. After debating with myself earlier this season on whether the failed assassins live or die in Akuma no Riddle my theory was confirmed in this episode with Otoya making a surprise appearance. Even more surprising was to see where she was at the start of this episode and considering her objective. What was most interesting about her appearance was that she was in prison, possibly for having been caught after an assassination. She was able to escape and returned to the academy to murder Haru, despite having failed her mission and being expelled from the Black Class. So what does this mean for all the other girls who have exited the classroom? It appears as those Nio and the others organizing this game aren’t keeping a watchful eye on them and that they’re free to do whatever they want. Does that mean that the other girls will make an appearance before the finale? I can only hope that we see the entire cast again, one last time, when the whole plot of this anime is revealed and we learn what was truly going on between Haru and the others.

Back sometime, whenever week 11 was: questioning whether Ginko is happy or not in Mushishi Zoku Shou, why the infamous grins in Akuma no Riddle were perfect, examining the contrast between the different Kaoris in Isshuukan Friends, and a candidate for the best episode of anime of the year from Ping Pong the Animation.

Best episode of the week (and maybe the year): Ping Pong the Animation

Anime trending up this week: Mushishi Zoku Shou

Anime trending down this week: Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii

Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin (Episode 10)

Although it’s been established at the beginning that Nanana was murdered, there’s reason to speculate that there may be more to this story than what we’re being told. As of right now, there has been little information on the cause of death (what killed Nanana) or possible culprits or even motives for murdering this bright and delightful teenager. Additionally, with all the fantasy and magic occurring as a result of Nanana’s treasure, what’s not to say that Nanana’s ghostly form is a side effect of one of those very treasures? Or maybe Nanana saw the bleakness in her endeavors, that no one went to her island for fun and adventure like she had hoped and that everyone was competing against each other for greed and selfishness, and took her own life (oh, how I’d love this anime if it were to become dark like this at the end). But really, we don’t know anything about Nanana’s death but we do know a lot about the magic attributed to the artifacts that are present on Nanae Island. And given Nanana’s connection to the island, the treasures and the fact that she’s the only ghost we’ve seen, there’s probably something going on that is more than a simple murder mystery. Unfortunately, with only one episode left, I doubt we’ll ever learn what happened without having to pick up the light novels.

Ping Pong the Animation (Episode 10)

The table tennis matches in Ping Pong have been the greatest thing of any anime this entire season, with this episode being the pinnacle, the unquestioned best. Not only was this episode free of flaws, but the indisputable passion, the mesmerizing kinetics and the exceptional imagery were all conveyed in the captivating animation and extraordinary art work that made this episode unforgettable. It was truly a remarkable experience, and I am confident we have a strong candidate for the best episode of the year, too, with Ping Pong episode ten.

No Game No Life (Episode 10)

It seems as though all the nations and federations in No Game No Life are that of the same people. Whenever we hear of another country, it’s not that it’s a nation that has different cultures or economies or technologies or geographic location… but instead, it’s that of a homogeneous race. When talking about the nation of elves or the nation of werebeasts, Sora and Shiro and everyone else are pretty much just saying ‘elves’ and ‘werebeasts’ instead. That leads to the question of whether there are any nations where different races live and cooperate together. You figure with each race having certain specific attributes that some intelligent nation would identify their weaknesses and cover it by inviting different races together to build a stronger empire. Or what about someone establishing their own country and inviting neglected or unhappy members of different races together in the name of freedom and equality? Or not even that, what about collaborations between the current countries as they are now? For example, suppose one of the other nations coveted the technology of the werebeasts and wanted to provide capital or labor or something in exchange. It’s rather odd to see how isolated each of these races/countries are and how there is little to no cooperation between each other. To date, the only nation that really accomplishes this is Imanity and they only have an elf and a Flügel. It’s no surprise that Sora and Shiro are able to capitalize on this diversity as they’ve utilized their special abilities to their advantage.

Mushishi Zoku Shou (Episode 9)

Is Ginko happy? Mushishi is a series that focuses primarily on Ginko’s influence on the people around him with only a handful of episodes focusing on him as the main character. Even then, the episodes are chiefly on the subject of how Ginko is affected by various mushi rather than his history, what he’s thinking or how he plans his adventures. And given how well he hides his emotions, if he has any beyond that blank gaze, it’s hard to say if Ginko is happy with his life and is satisfied with his work. That’s not to say he isn’t giddy or relieved when he cures a stranger of their ailments or resolves an issue between man and nature, but the satisfaction he feels is fleeting and he immediately shifts back into straight-faced Ginko as soon as he turns his back and wanders away. So is Ginko happy in the traditional sense? He’s certainly content and calm, two words I would use to describe Ginko before even thinking of the word happy. But, if Ginko weren’t happy with his life and his work, wouldn’t you figure he’d do something different with his time? Given his interest in mushi, he could devote his life to studying them alongside Tanyuu in the Karibusa family archives. He could also become a mentor to novice mushishi and transfer his knowledge to a new generation of healers. Ginko could also raise awareness of the dangers of mushi to the communities, in a role similar to modern public health. The point here being, there are plenty of other things Ginko could be doing with his life, with many related to mushi and utilizing his knowledge and professional skills. Still, the fact that he continues to wander from area to area and heal those who need his skills shows that he finds fulfillment and value in his work. It may not translate into happiness for Ginko and he may not display his emotions as such, but it points to an indication that Ginko is happy with his life. So returning to the question posed at the beginning of this review, yes, I would argue that Ginko is happy, though you wouldn’t guess it from looking at his face.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 11)

One aspect of JJBA that makes it one of my favorite anime is that it manages to be both dramatic and silly simultaneously. It’s a quality that’s difficult to execute and largely depends on the cast of characters, the humor and the context of the scenes or the story. However, JJBA rises to the challenge and accomplishes this demanding task rather effortlessly. Perhaps the most integral aspect of achieving this feat is that JJBA knows that it is silly and that it embraces this characteristic. With its knowledge of the shounen/fighting genre, JJBA is able to exploit the quirky personalities of its cast and the diversity of the stands (and fighters) to create a genuine and amusing parody of the genre. And rather than shy away from this aspect or have it take backseat to the story, JJBA portrays this as a foremost aspect of the series, which provides both charm and entertainment. However, JJBA knows its boundaries and doesn’t go overboard with its silliness either. Instead, it balances itself nicely between the two spectrums of being silly and being serious and with a tip to one side usually means a tip back in the other sometime shortly thereafter. That is, when it gets either too silly or too serious, it often will correct itself with some humor or something meaningful before too long. As a result, JJBA has quickly become a personal favorite due to this outstanding feature of the franchise.

Isshuukan Friends (Episode 10)

The contrast between Kaoris is quite amazing. With normal Kaori, you have a sweet, thoughtful girl who’s bright, cheerful and engaging, which is astonishing considering she’s gone years without strong social interactions and was probably the target of bullying because of it. That’s right, you have the Kaori of the past, the suspicious Kaori who cannot recall memories of her friends or others around her. This default nature is the complete opposite of normal Kaori, where she’s cautious, apprehensive and distrustful. And all because of her memories. And only because of her memories. To see the contrasting personalities of Kaori, especially in an episode like this so late in the series, is nothing short of remarkable. These default personalities are so unlike, yet they belong to the same person and are both natural for her. It’s amazing what something simple like information can do to a person and how that can translate into how others react or interact with them. And after experiencing normal Kaori for so long, to go back and see the progress that she and Yuuki have made is truly heartwarming and inspiring. There’s no doubt that watching Kaori grow as a person is my favorite aspect of this anime and witnessing scenes like this is a reminder to how much she’s grown and matured over the course of this Isshuukan Friends.

Captain Earth (Episode 11)

So what’s up with these squirrels from outer space? From what we’ve seen of Pitz and Lappa, the two brightly-colored, this-can’t-be-good-for-camouflage squirrels, they’re able to accurately predict future events of immense Orgone energy disruption and communicate with humanoid aliens by squeaking like a children’s plush toy. So besides their usefulness to the plot and making Hana and Setsuna seem cuter by companionship, what’s the real deal with these creatures? I’m really curious if there are more of these things in outer space and if we’ll get a color-coordinated sentai team of them before too long. But the main question I have regarding these fluffy, little things are in regards to how they predict Orgone energy and why they’re able to communicate with Hana. What is it about them that allows them to be used as reliable instruments to predict future events? Did they obtain this trait through evolution or were they toyed with like so many other characters in the series? The follow-up to that is then how Pitz is able to communicate to Hana… or maybe I should be asking how Hana is able to understand Pitz. There’s clearly something going on with these squirrels and these girls now that we’ve seen two pairs now. And since we’re not even at the halfway point in the series, I’m really curious to see if there are any secrets or surprises regarding these seemingly innocent space squirrels.

Akuma no Riddle (Episode 11)

Without a doubt, the most memorable aspect of this anime will be all the times the girls made their amusing ‘evil grins’, complete with the jagged shark teeth and special lighting effects. A part of me wishes these grins weren’t so over-the-top, that they were more subtle or cunning, especially since most of the faces made didn’t fit the characters, their personalities, or how they were supposed to be super assassins. No, those evil grin faces were hilarious and easily became a talking point for the series, especially early on. Although they served no real purpose for the anime besides making the characters look slightly more villainous, these enjoyable smiles are probably what I’ll remember most from this anime whenever I think back to it. That’s not to say this anime was without its strong points or that I didn’t like it – quite the opposite, really, with it being among my top anime for the season at this point – but that the evil grins with shark teeth were so out-there that it created an unforgettable quality for this series. Had these faces only happened once or twice, it wouldn’t have had the same impact, but Akuma no Riddle employed this technique in virtually every episode and often multiple times. It was this constant emphasis on these ‘evil grin’ faces that helped create this fond memory of the series. I’m still not quite sure why they were used in Akuma no Riddle, but I am thankful they used them.