Review of 2009 Anime Part 4 ~Fall~

Fall is another big group of airing anime and most are still going onto the new year, so most anime are just being judged on half of the shows total episodes for fall but sometimes that's enough. Some sequels were aired from earlier shows in the 2009 year. The only one I didn't get around to was Darker than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini. I just didn't have time in this busy year to catch up watching the season 1 of it. I will be watching it in the new year and looking forward to the OVA coming out around spring 2010 or so. I've heard magnificent things about the show so I hope I will not be disappointed.

Other than DtB the only shows I didn't watch were ones I couldn't get or well Battle Spirits: Shounen Gekiha Da... do you really blame me for not watching that? Gokyoudai Monogatari has no subs that I'm aware of but I don't think I'm missing much there. Shugo Chara Party! is another sequel that I have yet to watch as the other 2 two long magical girl series that come before it have yet to be viewed by me. It'll wait till later. Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzuu is a show about girls that magically turn into animals because they found some strange device in the attic. Sounds cool but it's kinda weird at the same time. With only 3 episodes out though, I have dropped this series and put my energy into all the other shows for the fall season. Maybe someday I'll get back to it if anyone picks it up and finishes subbing it.

Fairy Tail is likely to be the next really long airing series. Being a Weekly Shōnen Magazine manga it's sure to go on for quite some time. It hasn't won me over yet but then again I've only seen 10 episodes out of who knows how many there will be. I do like seeing Plu again. XD wooo Rave Master hahaha. Earlier on in the year I heard that Inuyasha: The Final Act was actually going to air. So I thought what perfect time to finally watch this show that so many fans complained about never ending. It was a long 167 episodes and 4 movies to get to the finale but I'm glad I finally watched this show that is loved by so many fans out there. Lame and annoying at times sure, but there is great action and the plot is rather good.

Best Show of fall for me so far is Aoi Bungaku Series. This series is made up of six classics of Japanese literature: No Longer Human (is getting a movie which makes me happy as this story really messed with my head 5/5 alone for this one), Run, Melos! (which is a updated version as there is another older Run Melos! movie. Very interesting twist), Kokoro (very thought provoking), Hell Screen (very thought provoking as well), The Spider's Thread (strange), In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom (a weird love story) I highly suggest checking this out if you like shows that tell many stories in one. More details on the synopses here.

Worst show of fall for me I know for sure is Kampfer. There's just no way anything else that is still airing will be able to screw up as much as this show did. I seriously should have dropped this show and saved my eyes and brain the headache each week but I just didn't. (stupid goal) At least shows like this are easier to get through when they are current airing. Forget trying to marathon this crap. I'll watch Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo again gladly before I touch Kampfer.

Here’s my big list of Best to Worst shows so far of fall 2009:

1. Aoi Bungaku Series 8/10
2. Nyan Koi! 8/10
3. Natsu no Arashi! 2 8/10
4. Sora no Otoshimono 8/10
5. Fairy Tail (still airing) 8/10
6. Armed Librarians: Book of Bantorra (still airing) 8/10
7. Letter Bee TV (still airing) 8/10
8. Tentai Senshi Sunred 2 (still airing) 8/10
9. Winter Sonata (still airing) 8/10
10. Kimi ni Todoke (still airing) 8/10
11. Miracle Train ~Ooedo-sen e Youkoso~ 7/10
12. Inuyasha: The Final Act (still airing) 6/10
13. To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (still airing) 5/10
14. Shin Koihime Musou 7/10
15. Queen's Blade: Gyokuza wo Tsugumono 4/10
16. Kobato (still airing) 6/10
17. Thriller Restaurant (still airing) 6/10
18. Cheburashka Arere? (still airing) 6/10
19. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza 6/10
20. Kuuchuu Buranko 4/10
21. Sacred Blacksmith 5/10
22. 11eyes 5/10
23. Asura Cryin' 2 4/10
24. Yumeiro Patissiere (still airing) 5/10
25. White Album 2nd Season 4/10
26. Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzuu (still airing) 5/10
27. Sasameki Koto 3/10
28. Kiddy Girl-and (still airing) 2/10
29. Seitokai no Ichizon 2/10
30. Kampfer 1/10

Surprise enjoyments: Nyan Koi! Put cat's in anything and I'm sure to like it. It helps that the characters were good too. For a harem/comedy being unique is a good thing. White Album 2nd Season. I hated season 1 of this anime A LOT but it really upped it's game more in season 2. It still isn't the best thing ever but for having such a shitty first season it was a surprise that it got me interested enough to care what happened at the end. (still pretty lame though)

Surprise fails: Sacred Blacksmith. The first episode was alright enough but after that it really just was a sword chick with big boobs with her other sword buddies doing some boring stuff. Kiddy Girl-and. I can't really say how much I'm disappointed with this show. I know it isn't suppose to follow the other series at all but I at least expected some awesome aspects from it. So far all we've gotten is ridiculous fan-service... It's kind of how I feel about To Aru Kagaku no Railgun but at least that show still entertains me.

Guilty pleasures: Sora no Otoshimono. Flying pantsu!!! The parody's were very hilarious, I laughed at every episode. Miracle Train. Bishies on a train that try to help women in trouble. Yeah it's silly but I watched every episode with a smile on my face. I kinda hope they make more. XD

Honorable mentions: Armed Librarians: Book of Bantorra. I went in not knowing a thing about it and expected a boring tale about books. I got something way more awesome than that. I can't wait to see what comes next. Winter Sonata. Is a hidden treasure hiding behind the oh so popular Kimi ni Todoke. It is Korean made but a romance/drama that has my interest even if it's a little slow. I wish more episodes would come out.

Review of 2009 Anime Part 3 ~Spring~

Spring held quite a big batch of anime that started up and I didn't get around to watching the majority of them till fall because I was quite busy with well... life. There were only three direct sequels to other anime and I was lucky to have watched two out of three. Sorry Hayate the Combat Butler!! you'll be watched at a later date.

There are 7 shows that started that I didn't watch. All within my rules but Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen perhaps. I have no excuse for not picking this up other than I simply forgot about it. But to be fair it probably would be better if I watched the Mazinger Z series before this one but I could totally be wrong about that and it wouldn't matter at all. Dragon Ball Kai (still airing) I didn't have the heart to start up as frankly I don't want to really intrude on the memories I had while watching the original as a kid. It probably would be better marathoned anyway so I'll wait till it's completed to decide if I want to pick it up or not.

Two shows I just plain couldn't watch because no one picked them up. Gokujou!! Mecha Mote Iinchou (still airing) some episodes are floating around out there but not enough for me to really bother with. Souten Kouro is one I REALLY wish someone would finish. There are 12 episodes out there but I really don't want to start them as I feel I'm going to love this show and having only 12 of the episodes will drive me crazy. There are too many other anime out there that I had started but ended up being dropped and no one picked it up ever again or the episodes come out at a really slow pace. I'd really rather just wait and get it as it comes out and watch it all in one swoop.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (still airing) is the big one that everyone is talking about from Spring. (Aside from the moe blob K-On!) It was the only anime I picked up and followed since it started airing from spring. I'm still not sure how I feel about it because it took me 19 episodes before I really started to get into it. I've been trying to leave behind the fondness of the first series alone and look at this new one with fresh eyes but it has been quite difficult to do so. I have been enjoying it quite a lot though despite my confusion. I'll save judgment till it finishes.

Other ones that are still airing are, Higepiyo, the cute random adventures about a boy and his... bearded chick. lol Quite hilarious at times and very entertaining at 5 minute episodes. Hanasakeru Seishounen is about a girl whose father made a game out of which man she will marry, sounded ok at first but suddenly it takes a very VERY political stand and almost ignores this first plot. And then there's Cross Game... It's about baseball... enough said, bleh.

Best show for spring for me, (not counting still airing) would be Ristorante Paradiso. Slice of life with a food theme. It is a very adult feeling anime with the tones of the drama and even the animation. I loved all the characters and enjoyed seeing the interactions. Some of the situations that occurred were quite nail biting and made me watch every single episode in a row even though I knew I should have went to bed. (thank goodness it was only 11 eps.) There really isn't enough good things I can say about this anime.

Worst show for spring for me, would be Slap Up Party: Arad Senki. I don't even know where to start with this one. Firstly I suppose I don't blame the only sub group that was doing it just kinda stopped. Oddly enough some other group picked it up recently and I'm STILL watching this show even though I hate it so much... Gluten for punishment.. or perhaps just want to see this goal of mine through. You can decide. Just don't watch this anime.

Here’s my big list of Best to Worst shows of spring 2009:

1. Ristorante Paradiso 10/10
2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (still airing) 9/10
3. Shangri-La 9/10
4. Eden of the East 9/10
5. Guin Saga 9/10
6. Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ 8/10
7. Sengoku Basara 8/10
8. Pandora Hearts 8/10
9. Queen's Blade: Rurou no Senshi 4/10
10. Natsu no Arashi! 8/10
11. Higepiyo (still airing) 7/10
12. Hatsukoi Limited 7/10
13. 07-Ghost7/10
14. Basquash! 6/10
15. Valkyria Chronicles 6/10
16. Saki 6/10
17. Tears to Tiara 5/10
18. Asura Cryin' 4/10
19. Hanasakeru Seishounen (still airing) 5/10
20. K-On! 4/10
21. Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S 4/10
22. Cross Game (still airing) 5/10
23. Tayutama -Kiss on my Deity- 2/10
24. Slap Up Party: Arad Senki 1/10

Surprise enjoyment: Natsu no Arashi! I went into this show thinking it would be just like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. In a way it kinda is but without all the "despair" and much more hilarious IMO. How can you go wrong with time travel!

Surprise fail: Saki. I for some reason was expecting a lot more than what I got. I suppose Hikaru no Go set the bar too high. And since I'm not a moe chaser, it held no interest for me. Sure there were intense scenes where the pieces were put down in an exciting dramatic way, but there was too much down time and the all girl cast didn't appeal to me at all even though I tried really hard to like them.

Guilty pleasure: Queen's Blade: Rurou no Senshi. Boobies. A lot of em. Fighting each other and they loose their clothing.... Hilarious and entertaining. Just don't watch it expecting an awesome plot... because in all honesty, it's just boobs you'll get.

Honorable mentions: Guin Saga. I'm not sure why people don't like this anime more. It's pretty epic and has a dude with a leopard head! What's not to like! Think 12 Kingdoms epic! My only beef with it is that it should be longer. I hope more gets made. Shangri-La. Everyone seems to have a hate on for this anime because of how confusing it was. I didn't think it was confusing at all to be honest. Sure it was a little jumbled at times and did some wacky things, but overall it was a very very good watch. Basquash!. Still not sure what to make of this one. The ecchi mixed with the weirdness of the characters and mecha basketball... I think someone was like "HEY guys! Lets add as many genres in one anime as we can and see what happens, k?" From music, to space, to romance. This anime had it all.

Review of 2009 Anime Part 2 ~Summer~

Summer had the shortest list I'd seen for current airing anime in quite some time. It had what most people would consider the best anime of 2009 come out, (Bakemonogatari) which is the only anime I didn't watch from summer. It's not that I don't want to watch it. It just frustrates me that they are still needing 2 episodes to be released before it is complete. I'm sure I could watch the other episodes and be happy with that but I want to experience it in the full.

Summer had all original shows. All but two anyway, Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Spice and Wolf II were the only sequels. Technically I suppose you could put Umineko no Naku Koro ni into that category but Umineko can very easily be watched on it's own without having watched any Higurashi imo.

Elementhunters started up and is still airing right now. It's said to be 39 episodes so it should be finished soon enough. I have mixed feelings about this show. It's interesting in a weird way but I can't help finding it terribly boring at the same time. It also feels like they are trying to teach kids about science because the ed song is all about the periodic table and tries to make people memorize the elements.

Best show for summer for me,was Canaan. It was fast, full of action, and had awesome characters. It's rare for an anime to have such a big cast and me not hate any of them. Very rare. Sure the plot was a little fuzzy at times and it did have a few slow moments but overall it was great! The action was fun and exciting to me. The animation was nice as well. It wasn't anything special but it didn't burn the eyes either. I can see how people would be disappointed with this show but for me it was a great action romp.

Worst show for summer for me, was Aoi Hana. Talk about a snore fest. Sure there was one scene in there that was hot smooching action but that was it. As far as I can remember anyway. I was too busy trying to stay awake through the show let alone pay attention to it. I mean i knew what i was getting into with it as it's a yuri anime at an all girls school. So i was expecting Maria sama with different characters. I can't believe this show actually made Maria sama look good... Yes while both had whiny, bitchy characters. Aoi Hana turned up the drama and waterworks past the dial limit. It was very annoying to watch a girl crying every episode about whatever crisis was occurring at that very moment when it was really nothing terrible to begin with. For an anime so short it seemed like each episode was over an hour long. Wishing for the anime to end while you are on episode 2 is never a good sign. At least the animation was pretty...

Here’s my big list of Best to Worst shows of summer 2009:

1. Canaan 9/10
2. Kuruneko (still airing) 10/10
3. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 9/10
4. Umineko no Naku Koro ni 9/10
5. Kanamemo 8/10
6. Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-Chan!! 4/10
7. Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 6/10
8. Weiss Survive 6/10
9. Elementhunters (still airing) 5/10
10. Princess Lover! 5/10
11. Taishou Yakyuu Musume 5/10
12. Spice and Wolf II 4/10
13. Umi Monogatari ~Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto~ 4/10
14. Sora no Manimani 3/10
15. GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class 3/10
16. Needless 3/10
17. Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou 2/10
18. Aoi Hana 1/10

Surprise enjoyment: Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-Chan!! lol go read my review here. Aside from that Kanamemo was highly enjoyed by me for being a moe blob anime. ONI!

Surprise fail: Needless... I went in expecting an updated version of scryed and got... LESS... I definitely didn't NEED to watch this show. So much disappointment.

Guilty pleasure: Kuruneko. It's about a lady and her cats, very simple. The episodes are 2 minutes long and make me laugh SO MUCH. One episodes I pretty much almost peed my pants laughing I had to pause the episode and wait till I calmed down before I could continue. Cat humor gets me everytime.

Honorable mentions: Umineko no Naku Koro ni a faithful follower of an awesome horror/mystery. Still a very good anime but didn't live up to my expectations from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and I suppose nothing ever will. Love Lady Bern! Princess Lover! I actually liked this show at first but once they started with that "action" stuff (ep 8?) it started to try being something it wasn't and failed miserably. That actually made me pretty sad cause I was actually liking a harem anime then they went and ruined it >.<

Review of 2009 Anime Part 1 ~Winter~

So I made a goal at the beginning of this year to watch all anime that started airing in 2009. I made a few exceptions of course. I didn't watch series that I hadn't seen the first season to and knew I wouldn't get around to in time (Major, Ippo, Before Green Gables). Overall I think I did pretty good in watching everything I could get my hands on for 2009. Anyway on with winters aired anime reviews.

For winter everything was watched that aired but Major...5... and Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger. Kupuu!! Mamegoma! was never picked up by anyone so that wasn't watched either. I do plan on watching both of those sports anime but not quite ready yet to take up getting into a baseball (I hate baseball) or boxing anime quite yet. Kupuu I don't think will ever get picked up so that's off the list as well unless magically someone does do it. And really... who wouldn't be interested in a show about seals.... yeah me either. lol

Hetalia: Axis Powers started up and surprisingly gained a lot of popularity. It is still airing right now and shows no signs of really stopping. Hetalia takes the world's countries and turns them into people. Hilarity ensues with the interactions between the countries as they go to war, problem solve world issues together, and do lots of other funny stuff. The show does require you to know some of your history but also teaches it to you as well. Quirks of countries are portrayed quite well too right down to the stereotypical behaviour you'd expect of someone from that country.

Winter proved to be a very good season for me enjoyment wise. I only have 4 shows that I was disappointed with and 1 of those I already knew before it started that it was going to be bad because of its ova's. (Munto) I hoped it would prove me wrong but sadly it didn't. The winter season had a lot of sequels that aired. 9 to be exact which is almost half of the shows that aired. It also holds the anime that I think was the best show overall of 2009 (Kemono no Souja Erin) and the worst show of 2009 (Girl Who Leapt Through Space).

Best show of winter for me, aside from Kemono no Souja Erin because that is the winner for overall best anime of 2009, would be Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou. This was the second season to Natsume Yuujinchou that aired in 2008. I enjoyed this slow paced tale about a boy who could see spirits and inherited a book from his grandmother called the 'Book of Friends'. His grandmother could also see and talk with spirits so she made this book by putting all the names of the spirits that she defeated in it to kept control over them like that. Natsume's journey continues with his goal to release all of the spirits from the book. I loved all the stories that were told in this anime and I especially liked the cat Nyanko-sensei or Madara. I know for a lot of people that this character ruined the anime for them but I loved the humor he brought to this anime. That and I have a soft spot for cats in anime.

Worst show of winter for me, aside from the winner of worst 2009 anime overall Girl Who Leapt Through Space, would be Akikan!. I knew this anime was going to be bad from the start. Cans that turn into girls... right... And have to fight other can girls to see which model is the best... I hoped it would just be silly fun which I suppose for some people it was, but in general it made my eyes and ears bleed. Daichi the useless male lead pissed me off. None of the can girls were remotely interesting and in general everything about this anime just sucked.

Here's my big list of Best to Worst shows of winter 2009:

1. Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou 10/10
2. Hetalia: Axis Powers (still airing) 10/10
3. Minami-ke Okaeri  10/10
4. Birdy the Mighty Decode 2 9/10
5. Shikabane Hime: Kuro 7/10
6. Asu no Yoichi! 6/10
7. Chrome Shelled Regios 6/10
8. Kurokami The Animation 6/10
9. Ride Back 6/10
10. Genji Monogatari Sennenki 6/10
11. Slayers Evolution-R 6/10
12. Maria Holic 6/10
13. Viper's Creed 6/10
14. Maria-sama ga Miteru 4th 6/10
15. White Album 2/10
16. Munto TV 1/10
17. Akikan! 1/10

Surprise enjoyment: Asu no Yoichi, a harem comedy with some ecchi tossed in there. Why I liked it is beyond me. The only thing that stood out about it was that it had a samurai theme to it that I highly enjoyed.

Surprise fail: Viper's Creed, a Mecha Post-apocalyptic anime. Taking my rating aside it just didn't really do anything for me. I don't remember much about it and it didn't really have anything new to offer. It's a very forgettable series.

Honorable mentions: Maria Holic and Ride Back. Both were enjoyable series but ratings from me aside they both fell short of being super awesome.

The 12 Days of Chistmas

While surfing around looking at all the awesome anime bloggers out there I came across animemiz’s scribblings.. and saw this post. I think this is an adorable idea so I will be following animemiz's example. I shall be doing my own little 12 Days of Christmas by looking at 12 gushy lovey dovey moments in anime that made my heart melt. I too shall start this on December 14, and go till December 25.  Seems like a cute little tradition for the holidays and a nice warm up for getting into writing a post everyday. ^_^"

 

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