http://idlezeal.tumblr.com/post/3957860039/my-anime-watch-list-for-spring-2011-green-boxes

So yeah. Seasonly gibberish as I elaborate on what anime I will watch during the season and why. Because watching anime is serious business.

NOTE: I’M NOT WATCHING GINTAMA BECAUSE THE FIRST SEASON IS FREAKIN’ LONG. I’VE SEEN SOME EPISODES AND THEY ARE UNFUNNY. SO DON’T BRING THIS UP.

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High Priority

• Young Animator Training Project

Well, I’m a sucker for artsy fartsy animated stuff.

• X-Men

I just have this habit to watch these Marvel adaptation (trash) anime from Madhouse. Yes, I’ll be doing this masochistic chore up to Blade anime.

• Nichijou

Watched the OVA; not quite impressed. But maybe the series would be better. I’m sensing more Lucky Star in here.

• Showa Era Monogatari

Interesting, to say the least. Also shows that I might be getting old based on what I want to watch..

• Kaiji S2

YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???!! KAIJI IS FUCKAWESOME SO CAPSLOCK FOR AWESOME

• Steins;Gate

Chaos;Head was damn terrible, but the crazy premise makes me want to pick this up. Plus, Texhonlyze director? Fuck, this is going to be dark.

• C

NoitaminA. So this is a must for me.

• Ano …. Hana …..

NoitaminA. But, I dunno..
 

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Low Priority

• Moshidora

Production I.G. But meh.

• Tiger & Bunny

WTF IS THIS SUNRISE? 

• Toriko

I’m thinking of reading the manga instead.

• 30-sai

Might watch for lulz.

• Hyouge Mono

Interesting, but everything Bee Train scares the fuck out of me. And no, not because they are scary.

• Denpa Onna

SHAFT. Shinbo. The combo of inconsistency. (But I like Madoka.)

• Ao no Exorcist

Reading the manga. I might stick with it. But Manglobe’s cool.

• Deadman Wonderland

Same with Ao no Exorcist

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OVAs (I’m still thinking about the other stuff.)

• Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo

Shinkai Makoto? I’m in, definitely.

• Buddha

Some Tezuka OVA would definitely be a good watch.

• GitS: SAC SSS 3D

Will give it a shot once I’ve plowed through the rest of GitS media.

Hi Tumblr! It’s been a while.

I just have to recommend everyone in here this wonderful piece of animated film called Mai Mai Shinko to Sennen no Mahou (also known as Mai Mai Miracle). Simply pleasant, and highly reminiscent of Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro (and in a sense Satoshi Kon’s Millennium Actress)

Very innocent and totally enjoyable.

Real life’s been a pain in the ass recently. Thus priorities need to be set accordingly, even choosing anime to watch. Because watching anime is serious fucking business.

This season is very weak. Less variety unlike last season (fall 2010) and only a few caught my interest. Basically, this is how I rank these shows based on the first episodes:

Fractale > Level E > Madoka > Hourou Musuko > Wolverine > Gosick > shit »»> Freezing

• Fractale 

It exudes somewhat a Miyazaki feel in it. However, everything feels like it’s been done before. It even resembles Castle in the Sky in so many ways. We’ll see if this can keep up and offer something fresh in the future.

• Level E

Surprisingly, with the help of another production, Pierrot would make this a good adaptation of the manga. It’s quite funny.

• Madoka Magica

Very experimental. Combining quite a dark theme on mahou shoujo could be difficult. Shinbo’s direction can be unpredictably good or bad at times. I dig schizophrenic visuals and Kajiura’s magnificent music though.

•   Hourou Musuko

Good visuals; I dig the color palette used here. But for some reason, I found most of the show to be overly melodramatic, giving off a ‘pretentious’ feel in it.

• Wolverine

Iron Man anime was bad, so I lowered my expectations here. Dull plot, but the action is surprisingly decent.

• Gosick

Characters seems very flat and I don’t think this will turn into something great. But we’ll see

• Freezing

FANSERVICE SHIT. And some decapitations. AND MORE FANSERVICE SHIT.

The only that I might watch is Houkago no Pleiades and Supernatural: the Animation, but I’m not so excited about them. Guess be watching more older shows. 

The next too will be written a few hours from now. I’m gonna watch some anime first. Heh.

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#7

Giant Killing (Studio DEEN, 26 eps. Spring 2010)

One of Japan’s football team, East Tokyo United, has been struggling to get in the top teams on the country for years. Tatsumi Takeshi, a former football star who abandoned ETU, has been hired to take the role of football coach for the team. But getting through the top against other teams would be difficult, because ETU is a dysfunctional team of players with issues to begin with. And Tatsumi is not your ordinary coach either..

This is the closest to an actual football game that you’d see in anime. And no, you don’t need to enjoy football to enjoy this.

The Good:

A good football series, with nice action and some good ‘slice-of-life’ moments. No random powerups, no power of friendship and courage to conquer enemies, and no homolust between characters (usually abounds sports anime). In short, no pandering. Distinct art; and the main character and some other players on the team are interesting.

The Bad:

Can be a tad predictable at times. Some parts have pacing that is so sluggish that it weakens an otherwise exciting match, but that’s very rare. Some of the characters are quite forgettable, too. I think they could have done a bit better to fleshes out some of the characters.

The Ugly:

For some reason, I don’t have anything ugly to say for this anime. I don’t know, maybe Gino’s incredibly fabulous aura? But that’s a good thing..

Story: 8/10

Animation: 7/10

Sound: 7/10

Characters: 8/10

Recommended shows: One Outs, Eyeshield 21, Hungry Heart Wild Striker

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#8: Arakawa Under the Bridge

#9: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu

#10: Sora no Woto

Runner-ups

Here’s the continuation of the previous blog. Hopefully, I can finish everything up to tonight.

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#8

Arakawa Under the Bridge (SHAFT, 13 eps. each, Spring 2010/Fall 2010)

Ichinomiya Kou is a successful executive, but one day he encountered a strange girl who lives under the bridge. With unforeseen circumstances, he was forced to live there together with Nino and a bunch of weird inhabitants of the said under-bridge. And hilarity ensues..

I cheated a bit to include both seasons in a single spot, but they are basically the same and the short interval between seasons make them seem like a single series. This is some real funny stuff. (Don’t blame my accursed sense of humor if you don’t find the series comical.)

The Good:

Assorted, quirky characters. And some of them are just retardedly funny. The show is totally hilarious most of the time, and the gradual introduction of side characters helps gets accustomed to them quite easily. The art is easy on the eyes and the voice-acting and background music are quite good.

The Bad:

Jokes can get repetitive at times. Manzai-esque gags are overused. The narrator sometimes kills the jokes, for the narrative doesn’t fit some situations. Also, camera work (direction courtesy of the famous Akiyuki Shinbou) can get head-inducing if you are not used to this schizophrenic panning and quick shot changes. 

The Ugly:

Maria’s ego-destroying words are ugly.. in a good way. Also, those kid’s overgrown muscles in one episode of the second season. Like, wtf?! (And guaranteed, there are tons more of WTF moments throughout both seasons.)

Story: 6/10

Animation: 7/10

Sound: 7/10

Characters: 8/10

Recommend shows: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei; Detroit Metal City; Cromartie High School

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#9: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu

#10: Sora no Woto

Runner-ups

As I write this, my uncle and aunt is having a heated, almost physical argument next door. Definitely a good background noise while writing a ‘review’.

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#9

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu (Silver Link, 13 eps., Winter 2010)

Baka means stupid. And yes, this show is about a stupid guy, with some of his stupid friends. They fight their way to get proper school furnitures for their class, for their ilk belongs to Class F, a class composed of students that failed on several tests. To battle through rest of the higher class, they used ‘summoned beasts’ that reflects their personalities and strength based on their test scores.

Wait, what? It’s hard to explain what is happening in a few words, because everything in here is just crazy. Dumb yourself a bit and take the characters on face value, you can certainly enjoy this show even though it doesn’t have any substance.

The Good:

Clever jokes on most points of the series. Yes, it’s all about the simpletons. And as for a good comedy, the voice acting helps a lot. The graphics is quite good and gets the job done, but nothing really breath-taking. 

The Bad:

Generic character design can get can turn-off those wanting something fresh. And the setting is not innovative either. (A school comedy certainly is very new!) People who aren’t into LOLRANDOMXD comedy should avoid this.

The Ugly:

That big-boobied, pink-haired girl looks ugly. No, she ain’t cute. At all.

Story: 5/10

Animation: 7/10

Sound: 7/10

Characters: 6/10

Recommended shows: School Rumble, (insert another random school comedy show here)

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#10: Sora no Woto

Runner-ups