The Internet can be an addicting place. Loads of sources full of information. Some good, some bad, some accurate, others… well you know. So how to narrow some of this information down to a more manageable size is a good question. You can setup an iGoogle page with a number of widgets and links as an all in one place. But what if you prefer not to leave your browser open. (more…)
Lone Otaku
Anime, Manga, Figurines and Other Otaku Interests
Categories: Review
My watch list
Seems time has no been on my side lately for keeping up my postings here. Nonetheless I am still actively watching some pretty darn good shows. Somedays I stay up to late watching them. Here are a few I have been enjoying lately:
X’ampd
Tytania
Shigofumi
Bamboo Blade
Tsubasa
Asumanga Daiho
Kimi Kiss
Amagami
There are a number of others that I have been conflicted as to whether to start watching. There are a few others not listed here too whose name spelling slips my mind. (posting from my phone)
I’m curious what shows others are watching. Be it current or even older shows. What are your favorites from past seasons this year? Hard to believe winter season is kicking off and I have yet to finish watching the spring / summer shows. So many shows, so little time.
Some of my viewing – comedic
Since I haven’t been posting with great frequency, I thought I would at least take a moment and share 3 of the shows that have me distracted. Distracted enough that it is wee hours in the morning and I’m to tired to post.. sad, huh… Any way, 3 shows are winning in the crack me up department. They are “Arakawa Under the Bridge”, “Amagami SS” and “Seitokai Yakuindomo”. Ok so Amagami SS may not be that funny but it is a fun to watch.
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- Nino – Arakawa Under the Bridge
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- Morishima – Amagami SS
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- Aria, Suza, and Shino – Seitokai Yakuindomo
Arakawa Under the Bridge – is a series about a group of people who live under a bridge that don’t fit in society for one reason or another. One day the lead character happened to be rescued from drowning by Nino and to repay his debt, agreed to live with them under the bridge. The show follows his day to day interactions. Really pretty funny, especially when something comes at you that you weren’t expecting.
Amagami SS – a series that is a number of short arcs where the main character, Tachibana, becomes involved with a female at his school. It explores from from first meeting, their getting to know each other, and at the end of the arc, what became of them. This, at least to me is a pretty well done series. I found myself hooked on it right off.
Seitokai Yakuindomo – Series about a boy transferring to a high school which until that year had been an all girls school. He becomes “inducted” into the student council by the president. This show does not hold back when it comes to misinterpreting actions as being sexual in nature or playing on words. The student council president will spout something off at any given moment which will catch a person off guard and can make the moment quite funny.
Spice and Wolf English Dub Release
Wise Wolf of Yoitsu
With Funimations release of Spice and Wolf coming in the next few weeks (12/22/2009), I thought I would put in my reservation ahead of time to avoid the rush. While doing so I watched the preview of the Funimation version and I am not so sure what to think. I think the voice acting is a bit dry compared to the Japanese version. Here is the trailer, what do you think?
The voice actors have experience but I am not sure sure about their placement as the characters…
Actors:
- Kraft Lawrence – J. Michael Tatum
- Horo – Brina Palencia
- Chloe – Jamie Marchi
- Nora Arednt – Leah Clark
Listening to the bit of audio included with the trailer, I am picturing Rikichi (Samurai 7) when Lawrence speaks. That does not sound to bad. When Horo speaks, I’m not so sure. Brina also voiced Honoka Sakurai in Suzuka and I thought she came across as a little to shy to play Horo. In the Japanese version, the voice actor is far from shy. I guess I will have to wait and see. I am hoping that I won’t be disappointed, otherwise, I’ll probably be listening to the Japanese audio with English subs.
Fall Anime Season Review So Far
It seems strange that one month has gone by already seemingly so fast in some respects. I was thinking today that it might be good to throw up a post on how I felt about the Fall Anime Season so far. The Winter season will be starting soon enough and looking at that line-up it appears there will be a few good series then as well.
Just before the Fall season kicked off I remember being a little picky about what I was planning to watch. In some cases, my decision to avoid certain shows still stands, with others I have been surprised that I am continuing to watch them. So, without any further rambling, here are the shows I have ended up watching. They are not listed in any particular order.
In my post on zotaku I stated:
Asura Cryin’ 2 – After I watch the 1st season
Darker Than Black: Ryuusei no Gemini – yepper
Fairy Tail – Maybe
Kampfer – will check it out
Kimi ni Todoke – will check out – Hmm, Toradora redux? This time the girl has the scary face?
Kobato – not sure… seems strange
Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza – maybe, only to see what they do for the second season
Sasameki Koto – will try, liked Aoi Hana afterall
Sora no Otoshimono – probably pass after 1 episode… the pic does not make this look hopeful
Tatakau Shisho – The Book of Bantorra – will try, looked appealing the first time I saw the trailer…
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun – didn’t realize there was a 1st season. Will probably watch
Winter Sonata – Will try, like dramas if they are well done
Well so far…
Asura Cryin’ 2 – I have yet to watch either season. I think my to watch list is getting to long 
Asura Cryin'2
Darker Than Black – This one ROCKS! So far the episodes have kept me interested and when the show ends I feel depressed… Why are they only 20 something minutes long..??
Darker than Black
Fairy Tale – I dunno, the name does not attract me to the series. I have not watched any episodes yet.
Fairy Tale
Kampfer – At first I thought this was gonna be on the dumb side… And I was right, BUT it is just strange enough to keep me watching. There is something to be said about a librarian with a vivid “imagination” and is normally quiet and reserved who suddenly transforms and holds a gun to your face.
Kampher
Kimi ni Todoke – I have read some of the Manga this series is based on and I have enjoyed watching it so far. If you like stories about underdogs then this may be the one for you.
Kimi ni Todeke
Koboto – This is a cute series. A lot of fluffy moments. An analogy I heard about the main character I heard seems to fit, “She has cotton candy for brains”. I like a good cute series on occasion and this one fits the bill. I may even have to share this one with the kids…
Koboto
Nogizaka Haruka – Watched the first season, and wondered why I did. Now I’m watching the second season… why. For some reason I want to see what happens to the characters each episode. So far it has been a bit surprising, with a new maid and a cameo by one of my favorite seiyu, Rie Kugimiya. One of her scenes cracked me up when she not so subtley referred to her role as Aisaka Taiga in Toradora.
Nogizaka Haruka
Sasameki Koto – Similar to Aoi Hana in the fact it is a Yuri anime. Aside from that the characters are different in how they interact. I waiting to see what happens when one of the main characters finds out that the “cute girl” she is infatuated with is actually a boy from her class.
Sasameki Koto
Sora no Otoshimono – Yeah, well ok, 2 episodes and I am giving that a pass. I just don’t care how the characters come across.
Sora no Otoshimono
Tataku Shisho (Book of Bantorra) – This is an ok series where individuals lives are recorded as books which are collected once they die. I’ll have to say that I can’t quite get attached to any one character yet because they have not stuck me as interesting. I enjoy just waiting to see what happens next. I may dump this series soon though as it does not pull me in as much as the teaser trailer did before the season started.
Tataku Shisho (Book of Bantorra)
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun – Love it. Feel sorry for Misaka as she has to put up with an extreemly amorous roomate who is not shy about it… This series is like a side line to the original story Toaru Majutsu no Index. Occasionally Misaka challenges Tōma and still is unable to defeat his Imagine Breaker.
Railgun
Winter Sonata – I have only recently began watching this Korean anime. It appears it will turn into a heart touching story where a couple fall in love and are torn apart for one reason or another. (Yeah I know there is a Wikipedia entry for it, I don’t want to spoil the ending for myself) If you like Romances then I would recommend checking this one out along with Kimi no Todeke.
Winter Sonata
11 Eyes – originally not on my list, I started watching it on a whim. It is a supernatural based anime where the heros are sucked into an alternate dimension to face some evil beings. Not sure of the end goal just yet but for action its ok. Does not hold a candle to Darker than Black but then that is a different story line.
11Eyes
Seitokai no Ichizon – Another series not on my original list but I have to say this one has yet to fail in making me laugh. There are lots of jabs at themselves as well as blatent hints about other series throughout each episode. Must see if you are an anime fan with a few dozen shows under your belt. If you have not seen a few of the more recent shows in the past year or so, the jokes may not make sense.
Seitokai vs K-ON
Yumeiro Patissiere – I never thought I would watch this one let alone continue to watch it after the 1st episode. I’ll start by asking why the main character has to come across as dingy. This seems to be a nice story unfolding as she persues her dream of becoming a pastry chef. She is teamed with 3 of the best students in the school, 2 seem to have patience and 1 just is completely aggravated with her. She is driven to do better and that is seen by her late nights in the class room kitchen. This is another I may share with the kids.
Yumeiro Patissiere
Aoi Bungaku – I don’t know where to start in describing this series. My understanding is that it was taken from a novel. If that is the case it seems well done. It follows the life of a young man who has been demeaned most of the time and does not really know how he should act. He says he does not know how to be a human and calls himself a monster. I am enjoying the story telling style of this series as it has drawn me in.
Aoi Bungaku
The Sacred Blacksmith – This is a series did not intend to watch. I got curious one evening and have enjoyed it since. The story it not that deep but entertaining none-the-less. If you liked Tears to Tiara, you may just like this series.
Sacred Blackesmith
There you have it. A quicky run down of my impression thus far of the Fall 2009 Anime season. Have you found a favorite series or 2?
Winter Sonata
Winter Sonata seems to be a nice romantic Anime liken to a series you might see on the Lifetime channel. It is definitely a potential “chick-flick” in the making. That being said, this Korean made Anime is well done. At first it seems to start off slow as the stories ground work is laid. You see how two high-school classmates met up and start to see the beginnings of love between them.
If you are into Romantic dramas I recommend giving this series a try.
Darker Than Black
Of the series that are airing this Fall in Anime, Darker than Black is fast becoming a favorite. The characters are not flat, the voice acting is great and the action is definitely there. I find the series one that keeps me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire episode. Bravo to Bones for another fine piece of animation!
Kimi Ni Todoke
Kime Ni Todoke, based on the Manga of the same name, this series follows the High School life of a girl. Sawaka has been misunderstood most of her life, mainly because of her appearance. She was usually avoided by students and rumors would spread..
This all began to change when she met one of the most popular boys in her class / school and he took an interest in her. She began to open up and soon had several new friends.
The first episode follows the Manga fairly closely though it does seem to “speedboat” its way through some of the conversations that exist in the Manga. I though the artwork was pretty good although like the Manga, I’m still not quite used to how the character expressions are drawn.
I plan to watch more episodes to see how that let other character interactions play out.
Other Fall Season goodies
Watching some of the other series out this season, I can say I’m impressed so far… As a starter… “To Aru Kagaku no Railgun“. Story and action were well balanced in the first episode… One of the main characters is a human railgun…
Another series that seems pretty good (jury is still out) is “The Sacred Blacksmith” also known as “Seiken no Blacksmith“. I read that it may be liken to Tears to Tiara. I’m not sure. I have not watched enough of Tears to make that determination. What I have seen in this 1st episode is just enough to get me to watch the next. How ever, the main character Cecily Campbell, kind of annoys me.
I sure hope she changes attitudes soon, a little cutesy for a Knight…. Luke, the blacksmith in this series, needs to chill although he does have some unique abilities when it comes to forging.
His elf companion, Lisa, whats up with the eye thing needed for forging. Creepy… any who, this is a wait and see…
Another series “Nyan Koi” where by accidental fate, a boy is cursed to hear all things that cats are saying. He must complete 100 good deeds for cats or he to will become a cat. The tough / funny part is he is allergic to them. The initial episode was OK so I will try the next. I fear that this may become a bit mindless in the end.
Lastly, “Seitokai no Ichizon” (The Records of the Hekiyō Academy Student Council’s Activities), wasn’t on my list originally to be watched but turned out to be absolutely Hilarius. It is fast paced, rapid fire jokes with subtle references to other anime scattered though out. This anime is about the day to day happening of a high-school student council. I would recommend this as an ideal show if you want some light comedic relief.
There are a few other titles I am anticipating this season. I’ll post more as the season progresses.
Fall 2009 Anime – Kampher, Initial Review
I managed to watch the first episode of Kampher last night and I will admit that I was pleasently surprised. The initial information that I saw as far as the Fall 2009 lineup did not quite tell me much.
The themes for this anime: gender switch, harem, ecchi
Plot Summary From ANN:
Senou Natsuru is your normal, everyday high school student. However he´s been chosen to be a Kampfer, who´s objective consists on fighting other Kampfer with either guns, swords or magic, however, there´s catch; first you can´t chose if you´re a Kampfer or not, and second, you must have the body of a girl to use your powers.
The series opens up with 2 girls, one chasing the other. The second is shooting at the first for some unknown reason. The chase ends with the first girl falling off of a building… At this point I was not sure what to think. The action was not super exciting, like how many other anime have started like this. I decided to keep watching, despite the fact it was 2am.
As the episode progressed we find that the first girl (Senou Natsuru) is actually a boy who had been transformed. Throughout the show we get bits and peices of why this is the case. I think if I were in that situation I may be a little freaked.
It isn’t only the boys that transform but the girls too. We come to find that the girl (Mishima Akane) shooting after Natsuru is another student at his school, who when not transformed is a VERY shy and reserved librarian aide. When transformed, Akane becomes the firey redhead with red-eyes whos personality is complete opposite.
Akane tells Natsuru of the battle in progress and how they are on the same team. Shortly afterward, a third person (yet unseen) starts attacking the pair. Akane transforms quickly as does Natsuru, a skill which he is still mastering. The episode closes with the library essentially being destroyed by some unknown assailant.
I plan to watch this series further as it looks like it may have some promise. There is a little ecchi and I can see where the harem is starting to form. I’ve already picked at least one favorite character, Akane, because of her sudden personality changes.
Looking forward to the next episode…. Better watch it or Akane may hunt you down!
- Kadokawa Purchases Manga Publisher Media Factory October 12, 2011
- Manga Creator Kei Aoyama Passes Away at 32 October 12, 2011
- Shueisha to Launch Monthly Grand Jump Premium Magazine October 12, 2011
- Which Mirai Oppai Mousepad Design? October 11, 2011
- Free tickets to Japan from the Japanese government October 10, 2011
- How I started to build my career in Japan October 6, 2011
- A Week in Tokyo 69 October 3, 2011
- Anime Schedule October 3, 2011
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