Allison & Lillia- Director of Mokke meets writer of Kino no Tabi via Madhouse. War/romance type series with a 30’s feel. Took an episode or two to get going, but this will be one of this season’s hits. – Watching.
Tower of Druaga – One joke series, which they showed in episode 1. Dropped
Special A – Not bad, could be another Ouren HSHC. Hasn’t quite got the funnies Ouren did, but shows promise and hasn’t annoyed me yet. Watching for now.
To-Love-Ru – Every bone in my body says not to watch this, and I’ve finally decided to listen to my bones. Used up whatever passed for humour in the first 2 episodes and now relies on rehashed plots and mindless fanservice. Dropped.
Kurenai – Excellent artwork, engaging characters and an interesting story. My pick of the season so far. Watching.
Golgo 13 – Hmmm… gritty & dark… but worth 50 episodes? Probably not. Dropped
Kyouran Kazoku Nikki – Silly, stupid and annoying. Avoid. Dropped
Amatsuki- Monsters, time travel and Meiji Japan. First episode was interesting and it’s come on in leaps and bounds since then. Another of this season’s very good offerings. Watching.
Kaiba – Experimental, surreal, off the beaten track and very good. No 2 pick of the season. Watching.
Soul Eater – Really like the artwork in this show (very Burton-esque) and quirky characters. Will watch for now, but story needs to improve – currently not sustainable for 51 episodes.
Himatsu – the Revelation – police scan victim’s brain for last images of killer – neat concept and a tight first episode. Watching.
Daughter of 20 Faces – Good story based on ‘Thief of 20 faces’. Given the decent pacing this is going to be a winner this season. Watching.
Real Drive – Sennou Chosashitsu – Production IG & Masamune Shirow. Miss this and you’ll probably miss a classic. Watching.
Crystal Blaze – Other blogs seem to enjoy this, but first episode and half (despite an interesting opening sequence) irritated the hell out of me. Dropped.
Library Wars – I’ll give this one a few more episodes. Strange concept – library armies fight government over free speech type thingy. Watching for now.
Not watching:
Kanokon (*shudder*)
Code Geass (haven’t seen 1st season, so pointless)
Blassreiter (bike & racing fans might enjoy this, but I won’t)
xxxHOLiC: Kei (haven’t seen 1st season, so pointless)
Vampire Knight (bishie vampires at school. Yawn)
Itazura na Kiss (might still have a look at this, if I have time)
Zettai Karen Children (*double shudder*)
Neo Angelique ~Abyss~ (bishoujo meets bishounen. Pass the bucket)
Kamen no Maid Guy (I haven’t finished with the bucket yet)
Junjo Romantica – (Shounen ai (boy lurve). Not my kettle of fish.)
Still to come
Hidamari Sketch x365 (but that’s already on my list to watch, given the brilliance of S1)
August 22, 2008 at 3:55 pm |
Nice list Uncle Psy
December 13, 2008 at 10:52 pm |
How did you end up feeling about Amatsuki? I watched one episode and decided that while it might turn out to be good, it could also turn out to be absolutely horrible. And with RD Sennou running at the same time, and Ghost Hound in recent memory, I decided not to risk it. If you liked it, I will go back and give it a try.
I lasted through the first half of Allison & Lillia and decided that although each individual episode was extremely well executed, the story lines were thin and the personal interactions consisted of endless repetition of the same jokes. Please correct me if you ended up liking that one, too.
I watched all of Kurenai and found it disappointing, ultimately. The rest, with the exception of Kaiba, I gave up on pretty quickly. Kaiba I missed somehow, and I am watching it now.
December 14, 2008 at 3:39 pm |
Hi Tony (you’ve just made me realise I’ve been badly neglecting this little spot – will have to remedy that over the holidays.)
- I confess I enjoyed Amatsuki – not the most original story, but good characters and artwork. It does need a second season to wrap things up tho – I hope there is one coming.
-A&L could have been much better than it was. The artwork and music again are great, but it needs more than that and the overall story just seems to lurch from drama to drama. A bit of a disappointment given the pedigree behind it and seeing as you have dropped it, there isn’t any reason I can give to pick it up again.
- Kurenai was odd. I liked the story and I thought it interesting that Murasaki would choseto stay and try and change things (what chance has a 10-year old got?) . There might be more to come,I’m not sure.
- Kaiba was hands down the best series of the year so far. Everything about it is good (hopefully you’ll agree). Competition coming in from Mourno no hako and strangely Ga-Rei Zero, both of which are doing some interesting story-telling. Daughter of 20 faces is another worth keeping an eye out for.