This series saved the season for me. Thank you, Madhouse.
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Showing posts with label mid-season round-up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mid-season round-up. Show all posts
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Mid-Season Round-Up: C is for what?
C: The Money of Soul and Possibility of Control (4-6)
Uhhhhh.... I don't understand this show. I thought I was beginning to enjoy it because for a minute there, it seemed like it was going to delve into the psychology of the characters. Psychology with a financial twist!
But eh, I was gravely wrong. Besides, I'm never that into psychological whatchamacallits. That's jute's area, not mine. I like my anime simple but interesting, light-hearted yet story-heavy, action-packed but also dramatic, funny but with serious elements. In short, I don't like heavy doses of anything. It will kill me.
C didn't actually kill me though but if I were to continue exposing myself to all its financial mumbo-jumbo there's a very big possibility -- nay, there is certainty -- that I will just drop dead in front of my monitor.
I'm not saying the show is bad. I'm sure it has its audiences and I can't really fault the production or the execution of the idea for its story. It's just that C strikes me as a very stubbornly niche series and I just can't get on the wagon for it.
Sorry again, noitaminA. Like Hourou Musuko before it, I'm dropping this one, too.
Uhhhhh.... I don't understand this show. I thought I was beginning to enjoy it because for a minute there, it seemed like it was going to delve into the psychology of the characters. Psychology with a financial twist!
But eh, I was gravely wrong. Besides, I'm never that into psychological whatchamacallits. That's jute's area, not mine. I like my anime simple but interesting, light-hearted yet story-heavy, action-packed but also dramatic, funny but with serious elements. In short, I don't like heavy doses of anything. It will kill me.
C didn't actually kill me though but if I were to continue exposing myself to all its financial mumbo-jumbo there's a very big possibility -- nay, there is certainty -- that I will just drop dead in front of my monitor.
I'm not saying the show is bad. I'm sure it has its audiences and I can't really fault the production or the execution of the idea for its story. It's just that C strikes me as a very stubbornly niche series and I just can't get on the wagon for it.
Sorry again, noitaminA. Like Hourou Musuko before it, I'm dropping this one, too.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Mid-Season Round-Up: Flower Power
So it looks like I'll be blogging only two shows for this season: Hana-saku Iroha and AnoHana. Ao no Exorcist is quite interesting and C is riveting in its own way but I don't know if I can find time to blog those two anymore. I'm trying to economize and the thing is, while I may randomly watch other shows throughout this season, the two shows that I'm looking forward to, like for sure, each week are Hana-saku Iroha and AnoHana, so I might as well blog about them.
The show seems to be doing the one-character-per-week approach. In episode 4, for instance, we get introduced to a common classmate of Ohana, Minchi and Nako, who turns out to be the granddaughter of the owner of the Kisui's rival inn. But although she's the new face in the series, the episode isn't really about her but about Minchi. As expected, girl is popular despite (or maybe, because of it) her aloof, unapproachable demeanor.
Ohana once again makes an ass of herself, this time quite by accident, for finding out about Minchi's "weakness" (her crush) and confronting her about it. Minchi is naturally not loving the prying questions, but we get to see Minchi's dere side and it. is. cute.
Episode 5 picks up where episode 4 left off and this time we get to see how Minchi became a staff at Kisui. She'd apparently run away from home because she wanted to be a chef. Ohana's grandmother hadn't taken her seriously but Tohru vouched for her and volunteered to take her under her wing, thus, sparking the girl's eternal gratitude and devotion.
Episode 6 sees the Kisui staff going through some changes. Remember the crass woman in the convertible from oh several episodes ago? Well, she's back and she's of a mind to make her mark. Unfortunately, that means more inappropriate fan service in the series. Err. Good thing Ohana, with the help of Mr. Bean (lol is that his name?), finds some old kimono-maid-thing-whatever costumes that her grandmother made several years ago, which absolutely did the trick. Costumers are satisfied and the grandmother gets a little nostalgic.
Episode 7 is hilarious. This time we focus on another Kisui staff member, Tomoe. Now our first impression of her is that she's laidback and a generally hands-off supervisor. She also seems to be a big gossip. But here, we find out about her personal circumstances, which is the typical woman-in-her-late-twenties-having-trouble-finding-a-man. Her mother tries to convince her to come home for a marriage meeting and Tomoe gives it a serious thought to the point where she does all she can to get fired, as the manager doesn't want her to quit. But all her plans backfire and in the end Tomoe realizes that she finds fulfillment in her job and that she is happy. Surprisingly, her mother understands and the girls now start calling her "nee-san" which of course gives Tomoe the tickles.
This show is shaping up to be really, really cute. It's definitely light and mostly fluff but it's not so sweet as to trigger my gag reflex and there's character development, understated though it may be. There's a little bit of drama involved but it's all light-hearted fun. For a show that's about growing up, there is strangely and refreshingly no angst involved.
Ah, this show. I think that out of all the series this season AnoHana is my favorite. Even better than Hana-saku Iroha. It's probably because there's more meat to the story in the former than there is in the latter. I also like the fact that AnoHana has romance in it. That's always a good addition to an already perfect equation.
Then there is the question about whether or not Menma is a ghost or a hallucination but strangely, it's not that important. The question is unavoidable, sure, but it's also not something whose answer you'd be compelled to find out. It's just sort of up in the air at the moment and you can get back to it any time, just not soon.
What is important, however, is how these kids are coping with the death of one of their own. So far, we've only seen Jintan's (sad) and Yukiatsu's (disturbing) coping mechanisms, but I find that I am most curious about Poppo. He seems to be the most well-balanced of the five but I guess he has scars, too. We'll find out more in the next coming episodes. God, I can't wait.
Hana-saku Iroha (4-7)
The show seems to be doing the one-character-per-week approach. In episode 4, for instance, we get introduced to a common classmate of Ohana, Minchi and Nako, who turns out to be the granddaughter of the owner of the Kisui's rival inn. But although she's the new face in the series, the episode isn't really about her but about Minchi. As expected, girl is popular despite (or maybe, because of it) her aloof, unapproachable demeanor.
Ohana once again makes an ass of herself, this time quite by accident, for finding out about Minchi's "weakness" (her crush) and confronting her about it. Minchi is naturally not loving the prying questions, but we get to see Minchi's dere side and it. is. cute.
Episode 5 picks up where episode 4 left off and this time we get to see how Minchi became a staff at Kisui. She'd apparently run away from home because she wanted to be a chef. Ohana's grandmother hadn't taken her seriously but Tohru vouched for her and volunteered to take her under her wing, thus, sparking the girl's eternal gratitude and devotion.
Episode 6 sees the Kisui staff going through some changes. Remember the crass woman in the convertible from oh several episodes ago? Well, she's back and she's of a mind to make her mark. Unfortunately, that means more inappropriate fan service in the series. Err. Good thing Ohana, with the help of Mr. Bean (lol is that his name?), finds some old kimono-maid-thing-whatever costumes that her grandmother made several years ago, which absolutely did the trick. Costumers are satisfied and the grandmother gets a little nostalgic.
Episode 7 is hilarious. This time we focus on another Kisui staff member, Tomoe. Now our first impression of her is that she's laidback and a generally hands-off supervisor. She also seems to be a big gossip. But here, we find out about her personal circumstances, which is the typical woman-in-her-late-twenties-having-trouble-finding-a-man. Her mother tries to convince her to come home for a marriage meeting and Tomoe gives it a serious thought to the point where she does all she can to get fired, as the manager doesn't want her to quit. But all her plans backfire and in the end Tomoe realizes that she finds fulfillment in her job and that she is happy. Surprisingly, her mother understands and the girls now start calling her "nee-san" which of course gives Tomoe the tickles.
This show is shaping up to be really, really cute. It's definitely light and mostly fluff but it's not so sweet as to trigger my gag reflex and there's character development, understated though it may be. There's a little bit of drama involved but it's all light-hearted fun. For a show that's about growing up, there is strangely and refreshingly no angst involved.
AnoHana (4-5)
Ah, this show. I think that out of all the series this season AnoHana is my favorite. Even better than Hana-saku Iroha. It's probably because there's more meat to the story in the former than there is in the latter. I also like the fact that AnoHana has romance in it. That's always a good addition to an already perfect equation.
Then there is the question about whether or not Menma is a ghost or a hallucination but strangely, it's not that important. The question is unavoidable, sure, but it's also not something whose answer you'd be compelled to find out. It's just sort of up in the air at the moment and you can get back to it any time, just not soon.
What is important, however, is how these kids are coping with the death of one of their own. So far, we've only seen Jintan's (sad) and Yukiatsu's (disturbing) coping mechanisms, but I find that I am most curious about Poppo. He seems to be the most well-balanced of the five but I guess he has scars, too. We'll find out more in the next coming episodes. God, I can't wait.
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Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Mid-Season Round-Up 2: Moe all around
Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season 7-8
Just when you thought this show couldn't get any more frustrating, Sawako and Kazehaya finally tell each other their feelings only to misunderstand each other as to the meaning of "like." Kazehaya thinks that Sawako only likes him as a friend and Sawako thinks the same with him, when in reality both of them feel the other way around. But do they bother to tell each other that? No. They stutter a few words, stare at each other and then somehow believe they know what each other is talking about. That is NOT how you communicate, kids. And it takes another whole episode for Sawako to make complete sense of it all so now hopefully, by episode 9, we'll finally have the long-awaited confession scene.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica 7-9
Wow, this show surprised me. I didn't expect it to be so dark. I thought this was a satire and I was expecting humor and wit, and well, there's still plenty of that here but of a darker variety. In these episodes, Madoka loses two friends but gains an old one as a result, more is revealed about Homura-chan as well as Kyubey, plus SUBPLOT, baby! Things are certainly becoming stranger and stranger.
GOSICK 8-9
The conclusion of the valley of the wolves episode has Victorika solving the puzzle that is her mother's past as well as her relationship with Kujo. There's a little role reversal as Victorika saves Kujo's life this time, instead of the other way around. In the next episode, Victorika faces the one puzzle she cannot solve: how to put on an obi. Meanwhile, Kujo goes shopping on his own and stumbles upon a new mystery involving the "blue rose" as well as creepy-looking mannequins. The plot for GOSICK is pretty weak. Even so, the episodes are entertaining enough and really, no one should try watching this show for the mystery-solving detective work.
Hourou Musuko 6-7
Despite some minor glitches and backstage drama, the play is a success. Mako gains his confidence, with the subtle help of Chiba, and everyone just has a lot of fun. Chiba and Takatsuki are still not friends but Nitori and Anna almost are. Then, all of a sudden, the next episode hits us with the shocking news: Nitori and Anna are dating. Huh?! Was not expecting that. Chiba gets upset, obviously, and stops going to school. Takatsuki who feels responsible for breaking the news to her goes to visit her at her home but Chiba is her usual cheery sociable (sarcastic) self. But the two more or less come to an understanding. Hm. Subtle drama is subtle.
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Monday, February 21, 2011
Mid-Season Round-Up 1: A victory for Victorica
So we're in the middle of the Winter 2011 Anime season and so far, so good. There are shows that haven't really gone past the limits of their genres and for this reason I'm thinking of dropping them entirely from my watchlist. Others found difficulty in trying to find a home in the hearts of fansub groups and, alas, due to the language barrier, must remain in obscurity. But all hope is not lost. For there are quite a handful of shows that have managed to exceed my sometimes abnormally high expectations.
Another show that is starting to lose my interest is Kore wa zombie desu ka? The story wasn't much to begin with and I only really watched the show because jute likes zombies and out of respect for the original owner of this blog, I wanted to give this a try. But no. The show is becoming ridiculous. Is this the next Occult Academy? That can't be good. The one thing good that's going for this show is its male character. He is surprisingly tolerable.
these two are so cute and i don't even care if it's all just platonic
Gosick is one show that's entertaining the heck out of me. It's not the story. Plenty of that going around. It's not the mystery either. Rather, it's the characters -- or should I say, just one character. Victorica is most positively the cutest thing I've ever seen on screen since, oh i don't know the Dennou Coil kids. And her personality's like a cross between Chiaki of the Minami-ke series and Taiga from ToraDora!. In anime, I tend to gravitate towards the cute little abusive girls. LOLz And I just found out that the show is actually based off of Sherlock Holmes. No small wonder there. That was positively my first impression of the series. Still, while Gosick might lack the compelling factor in its mystery-solving, it makes up for the developing relationship between its two main characters, which, now that I mention it, is also the side-focus of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Anyhoo, the show, which is slated to air 24 episodes in total, is at that point where we get to learn more about Victorica's mother and the village where she comes from. It's interesting, to say the least, as this is obviously something very personal to Victorica, who until this point has remained detached from all her investigations.
a rival for Shouta? oh noes ~
Speaking of developing relationships, the second season of Kimi ni Todoke is still frustratingly slow. If I recall, this is also jute's main gripe about the series. The characters are so...dense, like I just wanna come over and wring Sawako and Kazehaya's necks or something. God, are high school kids really this stupid about love? Lemme think. Uh, yeah, now I remember. Yep. We're all idiots back then. Still, when I saw hot blond dude on the first episode, I hoped that his addition to the cast would help speed things along for our main couple. But, oh no, Sawako and Kazehaya just have to go and misunderstand everything and so we're back to square one. Fucking A. Can we just have more Pin and Ayano, please? Or maybe some Ryuu and Chizu? Hell, maybe even a little Kento and Kurumi slapping action? Because Sawako and Kazehaya are killing me. Like literally killing me.
magical girl vs. evil witch? who will win? also, i want that chainsaw
Another show that is starting to lose my interest is Kore wa zombie desu ka? The story wasn't much to begin with and I only really watched the show because jute likes zombies and out of respect for the original owner of this blog, I wanted to give this a try. But no. The show is becoming ridiculous. Is this the next Occult Academy? That can't be good. The one thing good that's going for this show is its male character. He is surprisingly tolerable.
wolverine vs. sword boy...or something
Wolverine is a bit of a pain right now. The story isn't that great. It's just Wolverine tearing through a whole bunch enemies to rescue a sad-looking Japanese girl. I mean, this wouldn't have been so bad if we knew more about Mariko other than the generic damsel-in-distress bit she gives with what little screen time she has. I think the only reason I'm even watching this show is because it is Wolverine and in the last scene of episode 5, Cyclops actually shows up. Ooh, is this some kind of precursor to the X-Men series that is Marvel and Madhouse's collab project next season?
this show is sweet but it suffers from Kimi ni Todoke complex in that it's sloooooowwwwwzzzz
For a while, the fansub groups stopped subbing Hourou Musuko. Or maybe that wasn't it at all, because I checked the raws and for like a couple of weeks there were no raws for the show. I don't know what's going on but it would be a damn shame if this show doesn't get subbed. It's cute, despite the overall seriousness.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Mini Updates: SoRaNoWoTo 6-8, Durarara! 4-7
Mini-updates!
SoRaNoWoTo 06-08
I actually dropped this series but a visit to one of my favorite anime blogs made me change my mind. To be sure, SoRaNoWoTo is hard to get into. There's very little appeal in it for someone like me. One, I don't like loli. Two, I don't have a very good track record with slice of life anime. Three, war+children+humor = not a good combination. But...STRANGELY...SoRaNoWoTo manages to exemplify all these and still manage to entertain. The story is definitely starting to shape up. Where the earlier episodes establish a relaxed atmosphere while the characters are slowly being fleshed out, hints are at the same time dropped to give us a glimpse of the darker side to all this. After all, this is a war and like all wars, HORRIBLE STUFF (TM) happen. We get, for instance, Felicia's back story and a first glance at how terrible everything was before this so-called present armistice. For another, Rio might not be who she claims to be. I got my money on Iliya, that blond girl who appears in Kanata's and Rio's (and also Felicia's) flashbacks, being Rio's older sister -- a princess of Helvetia. Which means Rio is royalty and that she probably dyed her hair black. And finally, in episode 8, there is a mention about peace conferences not going so well, which leads me to wonder what this means in the future. Another war perhaps? If so, then Kanata, probably the most naive person in the world, is in for some rough awakening.
Durarara! 04-07
This show is too scatter-brained to recap, which is why I decided to stop blogging it. But also, knowing that this is the mangaka's storytelling style, I never stopped watching it. Now I'm on episode 7 and I think I didn't make a mistake in sticking it out. This is one very entertaining anime series with a very interesting set of cast. Maybe Durarara! may never be as good or as crazy as Baccano! but it comes pretty close.
I actually dropped this series but a visit to one of my favorite anime blogs made me change my mind. To be sure, SoRaNoWoTo is hard to get into. There's very little appeal in it for someone like me. One, I don't like loli. Two, I don't have a very good track record with slice of life anime. Three, war+children+humor = not a good combination. But...STRANGELY...SoRaNoWoTo manages to exemplify all these and still manage to entertain. The story is definitely starting to shape up. Where the earlier episodes establish a relaxed atmosphere while the characters are slowly being fleshed out, hints are at the same time dropped to give us a glimpse of the darker side to all this. After all, this is a war and like all wars, HORRIBLE STUFF (TM) happen. We get, for instance, Felicia's back story and a first glance at how terrible everything was before this so-called present armistice. For another, Rio might not be who she claims to be. I got my money on Iliya, that blond girl who appears in Kanata's and Rio's (and also Felicia's) flashbacks, being Rio's older sister -- a princess of Helvetia. Which means Rio is royalty and that she probably dyed her hair black. And finally, in episode 8, there is a mention about peace conferences not going so well, which leads me to wonder what this means in the future. Another war perhaps? If so, then Kanata, probably the most naive person in the world, is in for some rough awakening.
This show is too scatter-brained to recap, which is why I decided to stop blogging it. But also, knowing that this is the mangaka's storytelling style, I never stopped watching it. Now I'm on episode 7 and I think I didn't make a mistake in sticking it out. This is one very entertaining anime series with a very interesting set of cast. Maybe Durarara! may never be as good or as crazy as Baccano! but it comes pretty close.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Mini Updates and Droppage
Another mini-update!
1. Toradora!
Like I said before, Toradora! is the show I most look forward to every week. More so now that I think the series has moved past the slice-of-life treatment and is actually moving along a semblance of a plot. It's high time as well, considering how most of the characters have had their share of screentime enough to give us a general idea of what kind of persons they are. Of course, there's still the question of: WHAT IS UP WITH MINORI and AMI? I like them but don't understand them. These girls clearly have issues but they're so vague at this point that it's kind of frustrating trying to guess their interests and motives based on their actuations alone. But then putting that aside, I'm enjoying every episode so far. It has everything to do with the romantic development between Taiga and Ryuuji and the complications it's going to cause to the Ryuuji x Minori tandem. And now that Ryuuji knows about Taiga's feelings and Minori has resolved to do something about her own feelings, it's all going to become one delightful mess. The story has certainly branched out and that's what I like about it.
2. Kemono no Souja Erin
Yes, I am still watching this show. I think it's interesting. The world of Kemono no Souja Erin is distinctly Asian but it's like a completely different civilization and culture as well and it's fun learning stuff about the touda, the inter-relations between the people and these creatures, and even the politics, although I don't think it's going to be focused any time soon. Right now, it's all hints. That royal adviser dude looks sneaky as hell so he's probably going to end up playing an important role but before stuff like that starts blowing over, I figure Erin still has some growing up to do. You know what this story reminds me of? Avatar: The Last Airbender, without the magic, of course, and with the war between nations downplayed a whole lot.
3. Michiko to Hatchin
Finally caught up to this show. I must admit, I started watching Michiko to Hatchin well on its halfway point because I'm not too interested in travel series. I didn't know the series is by Manglobe and I didn't know that Watanabe Shinichiro is among the staff. Admittedly, he only directs the opening clip, but this is Watanabe-sensei we're talking about here and he.is.a.god. So what do I think about this show? It's hella entertaining, like most Bones shows, and the art/animation is superb. But, of course. My only problem about it is the usual problem I have with many Manglobe series. Think: Cowboy Bebop (actually by Sunrise but directed by Watanabe-sensei) and Samurai Champloo. Those two shows have one thing in common: the very palpable disconnect between the characters. Michiko to Hatchin is all about the titular Michiko, a self-proclaimed diva and escaped convict, and Hatchin, a 12-year old poster-child of parental abuse and abadonment. The two get into all sorts of adventure together as they travel through the clogged up streets of Brazil in search of the elusive Hiroshi, Michiko's one-time love and Hatchin's alleged father. Hiroshi is the only thing they have in common and they don't even like each other that much and yet somehow, for some strange reason that is never explained (just as it was never explained in Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo), they are stuck together. Disconnect. The entire series pretty much revolves around that theme. It works though, which is why I still enjoy the show.
4. Rideback
Rideback. Heh. I am in a state of suspended disbelief about this show. I said before that what draws me to this series is its weirdness. I mean, I don't even like mecha. But the combination of Madhouse (one of my favorite animation studios) and the infinitely odd juxtaposition of hand-drawn art against CGI got me. Add to that a very interesting main character who is as attractive and improbable as the premise of Rideback and I find myself unable to resist watching this show every time an episode is released. After Episode 07, the plot is beginning to shape up as important points finally start to connect and characters begin to get into their roles but it's still too early to call this series as anything more than eye-candy.
5. Samurai Champloo
I must admit that I kind of stopped watching this show for the moment, the reason being that for the past two months I've been swamped with school stuff. Samurai Champloo is one of those shows that retains its entertainment factor without being too absorbing. In other words, it's easy to put down. Like, if I had other stuff to do, I'd simply put the series on hold and I wouldn't feel like I missed anything because continuity isn't really a factor. Each episode can pretty much stand on its own. I think I can see this quality of the series as its main weakness. I use the word loosely, of course, because I know that there are some people who would consider it a strength. I'm actually at Episode 20 now and I still don't see any visible change in the characters' regard for each other. Maybe that's the whole point of the show: sometimes, for no reason at all, people will touch each other lives, without even meaning to. It's even more disconnected than, say, Michiko to Hatchin, where at least we get to see Hatchin begin to care a little for Michiko. Anyhoo, I'm planning to give myself a 3-day break from academic stuff so I'll try to finish the series within that time.
6. Maria+Holic
Ah, my favorite lesbian. XD Sadly though I just don't have the time to watch this show anymore. The show is still very funny. God, sometimes, I can't believe how honest Kanako is, for a closet lesbian that is and how she can pretty much get away with offhand comments that would otherwise cause warning signs to erupt all over the place. But maybe when I'm finished with Maria-sama ga Miteru 4th, I might backtrack to this show and try to discover again what made the first episode so awesome. But until then, the show is dropped or otherwise indefinitely on hold.
1. Toradora!
Like I said before, Toradora! is the show I most look forward to every week. More so now that I think the series has moved past the slice-of-life treatment and is actually moving along a semblance of a plot. It's high time as well, considering how most of the characters have had their share of screentime enough to give us a general idea of what kind of persons they are. Of course, there's still the question of: WHAT IS UP WITH MINORI and AMI? I like them but don't understand them. These girls clearly have issues but they're so vague at this point that it's kind of frustrating trying to guess their interests and motives based on their actuations alone. But then putting that aside, I'm enjoying every episode so far. It has everything to do with the romantic development between Taiga and Ryuuji and the complications it's going to cause to the Ryuuji x Minori tandem. And now that Ryuuji knows about Taiga's feelings and Minori has resolved to do something about her own feelings, it's all going to become one delightful mess. The story has certainly branched out and that's what I like about it.2. Kemono no Souja Erin
Yes, I am still watching this show. I think it's interesting. The world of Kemono no Souja Erin is distinctly Asian but it's like a completely different civilization and culture as well and it's fun learning stuff about the touda, the inter-relations between the people and these creatures, and even the politics, although I don't think it's going to be focused any time soon. Right now, it's all hints. That royal adviser dude looks sneaky as hell so he's probably going to end up playing an important role but before stuff like that starts blowing over, I figure Erin still has some growing up to do. You know what this story reminds me of? Avatar: The Last Airbender, without the magic, of course, and with the war between nations downplayed a whole lot.3. Michiko to Hatchin
Finally caught up to this show. I must admit, I started watching Michiko to Hatchin well on its halfway point because I'm not too interested in travel series. I didn't know the series is by Manglobe and I didn't know that Watanabe Shinichiro is among the staff. Admittedly, he only directs the opening clip, but this is Watanabe-sensei we're talking about here and he.is.a.god. So what do I think about this show? It's hella entertaining, like most Bones shows, and the art/animation is superb. But, of course. My only problem about it is the usual problem I have with many Manglobe series. Think: Cowboy Bebop (actually by Sunrise but directed by Watanabe-sensei) and Samurai Champloo. Those two shows have one thing in common: the very palpable disconnect between the characters. Michiko to Hatchin is all about the titular Michiko, a self-proclaimed diva and escaped convict, and Hatchin, a 12-year old poster-child of parental abuse and abadonment. The two get into all sorts of adventure together as they travel through the clogged up streets of Brazil in search of the elusive Hiroshi, Michiko's one-time love and Hatchin's alleged father. Hiroshi is the only thing they have in common and they don't even like each other that much and yet somehow, for some strange reason that is never explained (just as it was never explained in Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo), they are stuck together. Disconnect. The entire series pretty much revolves around that theme. It works though, which is why I still enjoy the show.4. Rideback
Rideback. Heh. I am in a state of suspended disbelief about this show. I said before that what draws me to this series is its weirdness. I mean, I don't even like mecha. But the combination of Madhouse (one of my favorite animation studios) and the infinitely odd juxtaposition of hand-drawn art against CGI got me. Add to that a very interesting main character who is as attractive and improbable as the premise of Rideback and I find myself unable to resist watching this show every time an episode is released. After Episode 07, the plot is beginning to shape up as important points finally start to connect and characters begin to get into their roles but it's still too early to call this series as anything more than eye-candy.5. Samurai Champloo
I must admit that I kind of stopped watching this show for the moment, the reason being that for the past two months I've been swamped with school stuff. Samurai Champloo is one of those shows that retains its entertainment factor without being too absorbing. In other words, it's easy to put down. Like, if I had other stuff to do, I'd simply put the series on hold and I wouldn't feel like I missed anything because continuity isn't really a factor. Each episode can pretty much stand on its own. I think I can see this quality of the series as its main weakness. I use the word loosely, of course, because I know that there are some people who would consider it a strength. I'm actually at Episode 20 now and I still don't see any visible change in the characters' regard for each other. Maybe that's the whole point of the show: sometimes, for no reason at all, people will touch each other lives, without even meaning to. It's even more disconnected than, say, Michiko to Hatchin, where at least we get to see Hatchin begin to care a little for Michiko. Anyhoo, I'm planning to give myself a 3-day break from academic stuff so I'll try to finish the series within that time.6. Maria+Holic
Ah, my favorite lesbian. XD Sadly though I just don't have the time to watch this show anymore. The show is still very funny. God, sometimes, I can't believe how honest Kanako is, for a closet lesbian that is and how she can pretty much get away with offhand comments that would otherwise cause warning signs to erupt all over the place. But maybe when I'm finished with Maria-sama ga Miteru 4th, I might backtrack to this show and try to discover again what made the first episode so awesome. But until then, the show is dropped or otherwise indefinitely on hold.
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