September Hiatus

Ugh, school is not giving me enough time to put towards the blog, especially since it's senior year. Between the hours of AP homework, looking at colleges, work, and keeping touch with my friends I barely have enough to watch anime, let alone write about it. I'm sure once this first annoying month is over and I'm used to the workload I'll have more time to put towards the blog, but priorities. Yeah.

If I have time over the weekends I'll probably do some weekly summary posts, that sounds like it could work for now. (=

Mawaru Penguindrum 08: Delusions

They probably deserved it.

No .... nononono. I will not accept what happened this episode. Fyi, this post is spoilerific, so read at your own discretion.

I finally got around to starting Steins;Gate ...

And after watching episode 12 I am at a complete lose for words about what happened. I can say though that so far this is one of the most amazing series I've ever watched. Very few anime make me so curious that I search things like "John Titor" and "Time Travel", so shocked that I spend at least an hour after watching thinking about everything that happened, so fearful of the building atmosphere that I even had to minimize my window in episode 11 ... just in case, and so interested in every single character, even one who says "nyan". All the while also occasionally making me laugh, when just moments before things felt so intense.

Maybe I'm exaggerating, I tend to do that a lot, but it's just so amazing and I can't wait to continue on with the rest of the series ... but it's 1 AM and I'm really tired heh.

But first a question for you, have any anime series (or manga, or any form of media I suppose) impressed you so much that it lingered with you for hours, or even days, after? I guess for me the biggest example would be Grave of the Fireflies, which really struck me the first time I watched it, and even today I always think back to the initial feelings I had afterwards.

And I fully support the endorsement of Dr. Pepper, the greatest drink that ever was.

NO.6 09: Manhunt

Well, that was unexpected.

Something about this episode felt rushed, but if it wasn't I don't think it would have had the same effect on me. After last week's episode being a bit disappointing, I'm glad they decided to let actions speak for themselves. I was in shock at what happened and how quickly and out-of-nowhere it was, but at least now the brutality and cruelness of No.6 is more obvious to Shion. This post will probably have a lot of spoilers.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée The Animation 09: Beauty and the Blacksmith

The picture says a lot about Camille and her situation.

The "lady and the tramp" type scenarios are pretty common in movies and shows, and to be honest I kind of get tired of them, but at least Ikoku Meiro didn't have the usual romantic cliches that make them (sometimes) unbearable. I suppose Claude isn't exactly a "tramp", but he is pretty far down the ladder as opposed to Camille, if the "stray cat" references didn't make that obvious. The show did a nice job of wrapping up this chapter of the story without becoming redundant (another episode solely on the two would have been pushing it I think), and now I'm about ready to move on and see what else Ikoku Meiro has to offer.

The iDOLM@STER 08: Wandering Azusa

Just Azusa. No unwitty caption for you.

Well that was different. If I was to describe this episode in three words I'd say exaggerated, pointless, and yet lots of fun. Okay, the last one's more of a statement, but you get my point. Though the entire thing was over-the-top (like the midair fight sequence and the raging crowd of people), it was pretty enjoyable. It's not like I'm watching anime for "realistic" anyway. I would say though that I wish there was more interaction between the characters rather then 23 minutes of Azusa, and pretty much every other character, running aloof. It felt like one big wild-goose chase that in the end only really concerned a couple throwaway characters we'll probably never see again.

NO.6 08: Deception

Dream team.

This post is going to be stupidly short, the VMAs are about to start and I'm honestly pretty excited to watch. (Adele, woo!) Anyway, I'm sort of iffy on this episode. It wasn't the most enjoyable episode, but it did squeeze in 20 minutes worth of solid story developments to move the plot along into it's final quarter. I'm not sure what to think of the direction the show is now going in, but I'm sure all this Elyurias business will sink in later. I'm not a big fan of "plot dump" episodes, but I guess this was the best way for the show to fill in the audience.

Mawaru Penguindrum 07: Eggchanting!

Fabulous Max~ had to

Watching Penguindrum in the middle of a hurricane was pretty thrilling, but thank the anime gods my power didn't go out half way through. (And here's to hoping the blogging gods will let me finish this post!) Ahem. Episode 7 was just as, if not more, crazy as the past few and I'm starting to wonder when this Ringo ordeal will end. It's not that I don't like her or the story surrounding the diary, but I'm much, much more interested in Kanba and Masako.

Went to my First Concert

And it was more then I expected it to be. I've gone to plenty of musicals and whatnot, but never a concert. I've always felt "why go to a concert when you can just listen to the music on your iPod". I was totally wrong. It's a completely different experience and something that I want to do again asap. Gavin Degraw opened the show, but it wasn't until Maroon 5 started that I got into it. My friends and I sang along to all the songs we knew, danced like freaks, and just had the best time of the Summer. It rained during the final performances of Train, but we were so excited to just be there that it didn't bother us.

If I did have one complaint it be that the churros sucked.

(Also, NO.6 and Mawaru Penguindrum posts will be out today, maybe IM@S if I have time to watch it!)

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée The Animation 08: Cornered Mouse

Guess which one is the mouse.

I was really looking forward to this episode and it didn't disappoint me at all. Just as I expected, if it wasn't obvious already, Claude and Camille have a history that goes back as far as their childhood when they were close friends. Oscar made it sound like they were also in a relationship at some point and based on Claude's indifference towards her something must have happened. What is was? Well, it seems like we'll have to wait until next episode's continuation to find out.

The iDOLM@STER 07: Pride, and beans.

*tear*

Well that was a very sweet and heartwarming episode, which is exactly what I'd expect from Yayoi. After switching it up the past few weeks with the new group we're back to a "single character focused episode", though I wouldn't even call it that because both Yayoi and Iori were pretty prominent and Iori got lots of development for her character. Besides the insert song and ED, which I didn't really enjoy, this week was great and even had me on the verge of tears for a moment.

On a side note, I clicked on a link on MAL out of boredom and was directed to a youtube video called "Home-Haruka - Love & Joy". I never laughed so hard. Check it out! (The song is actually very good too!)

Mawaru Penguindrum 06: Penguin 4?

Wh-wh-whaaaat!?

I haven't gotten that far into Revolutionary Girl Utena yet (12 episodes so far), but I can already see all the similarities from the directors creative mind. I should say though that when it comes to Penguindrum I'm still slightly lost in the story. There're lots of characters and plenty of strange aspects of the show that don't seem to all fit together yet. Like Masako for instance. Maybe I'm just a little impatient.

This episode was creepy, but not for the reasons some of the past episodes involving Ringo have been. Just the atmosphere in general was disturbing, especially the new story developments about Ringo's family. Like all my posts, possible spoilers are after the jump.

NO.6 07: Lies (and Kisses)

Expecting a screencap of a kiss? No, you get puppies. Lots and lots of puppies.

I'm so glad I chose to watch NO.6, and equally glad of the other shows I picked. The last couple months have been my favorite since starting to watch anime regularly a few years ago. Though the past few seasons have had a few shows here and there that I enjoyed (and even a few that became favorites), I've always ended up with a bunch of shows that became a chore to get through. This season however I'd list every show I'm watching (NO.6, Usagi Drop, Kamisama Dolls, Penguindrum, Ikoku Meiro, Nichijou) among my top 20, excluding iM@S which hasn't been as spectacular, but still very enjoyable. Okay, okay, enough yapping.

I wasn't sure how to start this post. My first draft somehow started with compliments for the animation and ended with a comparison of NO.6 to Togainu no Chi. My second was mostly me talking about the same boring symbolism I find every episode. So, I thought I'd just jump right in on my third attempt and write about whatever comes to mind. Warning: I have no idea where this will go.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée The Animation 07: Kids and Colds

lulz, Alice.

Aw, everything about this episode was so adorable. These types of shows almost always have some sort of "sick/cold" episode, so I wasn't surprised about it, especially since it's been sort of building up over the past few weeks. The show did something special though by making it very realistic. We've seen Yune coughing and slowing down the last couple episodes so it wasn't like it just suddenly hit her, like it seems to do in most similarly themed episodes when a person runs out into the cold for a couple seconds and suddenly gets struck with a life threatening disease.

The iDOLM@STER 06: Determination

Now downloading, Smoky Thrill.

Okay, any doubts I had about this show were completely forgotten after Ryuuguu Komachi’s performance. I mean, the group was just formed last episode and they're already performing an entire dancing/singing sequence that looked amazing. I'm no expert on animation and whatever, but everything about the performance was just eye-catching. The song, the dancing, the flashy colors. I loved every minute of it, and don't worry, we still got another new ED! iDOLM@STER might not be the best at creating intricate characters, but it delivers every week in the one area it should, the music.

NO.6 06: Secrets

Hey look ... a piano ...

Note: Penguindrum 06 is not going to be airing this week, sadly. A week without penguins is a sad, sad week indeed ... but at least I have another five episodes of Nichijou to watch before I'm caught up!

Okay, at this point I'm terrified of what will become of NO.6, and I mean the show in general not the city, though I'm sure their situation will be just as terrifying. There are only 5 episodes left and the direction of the show is still kind of mixed ... I can see a ton of different directions it could take, but they all seem like they'd need at least 10-15 episodes to balance developing the cast, the plot, and everything in-between. To make things worse, 75% of the posts I read on forums from people who are familiar with the novel say that the pacing isn't fast enough to cover everything the series has to offer. Oh the woes of Noitamina. Well, we'll see what happens.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée The Animation 06: Birdcage

The Blanche girls are back!

Though it wasn't one of the better episodes, I felt 06 did an excellent job of setting up a nice plot between Camille and Claude, who we can now assume have some kind of connection or past relationship. Maybe it's because I prefer the interactions between the Claudel's and Yune compared to the Blanche's, but besides some of the more serious moments, I just couldn't get into this episode the way I have in the past. At least the humor kept things interesting.

Personally, I'm now on the side of the fanbase who doesn't like Alice. Though I realize she's a symbol of the wealthier side of France (accurate for the time period, I have no clue), at times she can be annoying in the worst of ways, the loud, screechy, airhead way. Camille on the other hand, is the total opposite.

The iDOLM@STER 05: Summer Heat

Couldn't resist screencaping this, so pretty.

A good beach episode? What is this. Episode 5 managed to be actually pretty enjoyable. It broke away from the usual format of having a focus on one girl and instead let all the characters have a part of the spotlight. It was lighthearted, had it's funny moments, and even managed to add some actual story development. I always say the best part of Idolmaster is seeing the different personalities interact and develop their friendships and once again the whole cast shined. The characters are still pretty one-sided, but as we slowly learn more about each of the girls those initial perceptions are starting to fade.

Mawaru Penguindrum 05: Survival Strategy + Ringo

You're supposed to be a stalker, but why do I feel so bad for you?

If you thought Penguindrum was crazy before now then you won't be surprised to learn that it just got even crazier, in a good way of course. The show finally delivered in the one aspect I thought was lacking since episode 2, character development. I feel as if I now genuinely care for all the characters in a non-superficial way, even Ringo. One thing Penguindrum does better than many of the shows I've seen is it's perfect use of flashbacks. Instead of acting as a way to summarize events, they add lots of depth to the story and to the characters. This week had a whole mess of confusing scenes that I'm sure will make more sense in the future, but at the same time a lot of previously confusing aspects of the show became a little clearer.

NO.6 05: "Get thee to a nunnery!"

The wasps strike again!

I'm amazed at the amount of fantastic shows airing this season (NO.6, Penguindrum, Ikoku Meiro, Usagi Drop, Nichijou, and Kamisama Dolls in particular), but wow, this was another excellent episode. Every week leaves me dying to know what will happen next, and I've even had to mentally convince myself that looking for spoilers in the light novel would ruin the overall impact of the show, so I'm staying away from that for now. This episode wasn't short on despair and distress we've come to expect, but the occasionally blissful scenes were the ones that really brought the 23 minutes to life.

This week split the focus between Shion/Nezumi and Safu, who up until now had been studying in No.5, which seems more friendly and accommodating compared to the harsh and competitive No.6. On Shion's side of things we learned a little more about Nezumi and his possible connection with Safu in some way, strangely enough. I might be theorizing too much about their simultaneous visions, but there's no way it was coincidental.

So, I finally started Nichijou ...

For a visual comparison, this was my reaction to, say, Tantei Opera Milky Holmes.

It's hilarious, maybe even as funny as Squid Girl and Ichigo Mashirmaro, which were the funniest shows I've ever seen in my few years of watching anime. I've never seen random done so perfectly. Maybe it's because I'm incredibly easy to make laugh, but almost every minute was spot on, except for maybe that Helvetica Standard skit that I didn't understand. The quirky characters, the fitting and stylish production, the jokes, everything just worked in the strangest of ways.

I'm only one episode in, so I don't want to get ahead of myself ... but oh my god was that funny. I had to close my door to avoid that awkward situation when someone peeks in on your strange, japanese animation and asks what's so funny. They wouldn't understand ... I'm not even sure I do, but I'm definitely sad I didn't pick up the series when it first started.

Also, my new response to anyone who tells me Happy New Year is going to be "Me too." I mean, I already forget that saying "You too." as a response to Happy Birthday makes no sense, might as well embrace my awkwardness.

What do you think of Nichijou? Does it get better, does it get worse?

And my reaction to Nichijou.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée The Animation 05: Trust

I love these two.

Another fantastic episode of Ikoku Meiro has gone by and I'm still amazed at how every episode manages to blend a relaxing, yet enjoyable pace and a detailed, character-driven story without ever becoming "boring". Throughout every episode I'm left smiling at the show's charm and laughing at it's unusual wit. This week had more focus on the setting as Yune experienced first-hand the complete opposite societal ways of the French who. according to Claude, don't greet you with a smile unless you're friends or they have bad intentions.

Since the start I was used to the more friendly depiction of the main characters who had little interaction with anyone besides each other, maybe excluding Alice who was a little bit of a jerk. But we quickly learned that even the Galerie du Roy is not without it's bad sides. For me one of the more depressing parts of this episode was the number of stores boarded up in the background of almost every shot. It's pretty obvious now how big of an impact the department store is having on the smaller, specialized stores.

Mawaru Penguindrum 04: The girl in red heels.

Looks like Ringo is here to stay!

Last week's episode made the whole Ringo situation seem monotonous, but that completely changed, episode four was brilliant! Penguindrum is back with lots of laughs, skunks, and a whole slew of amazing plot developments. I'm so glad this series is running for 24 episodes because it's already outstanding and I'm sure we can expect even more to come. If you haven't picked up Mawaru Penguindrum, you should definitely give it a shot!

Himari, and the entire "Survival Strategy!" sequence took a back seat this week to let Ringo shine as both a hilarious and very peculiar character. I can't help but break out into laughter every time she makes one of her distorted faces, and those opera scenes were even better. I seriously think she may have even been funnier then the penguins this week, who had me laughing just as much. Maybe it's because in life I find almost everything funny for some reason, but this week definitely delivered on the comedy side of things.

NO.6 04: Strangers

Well Nezumi, the general consensus over the interwebz seems to be a yes.

Yet another week of the usual action-packed, dramatic scenes I've come to expect (and enjoy) from NO.6 has gone by and I'm starting to wish these episodes were a half an hour longer. I feel like this month has passed so incredibly fast (maybe it's the stress-free feeling of Summer to blame), but we're almost half way done and I'm already wanting more. The dialogue is exaggerated and addicting, the setting is cynically wonderful, and the plot is more interesting then the majority of new anime I've seen this year.

This week revealed the chaos associated with the "real world" and it wasn't short on prostitution, criminals, and ... dog-blankets. It's funny how close NO.6 and this "real world" are in terms of distance, but how far apart they are when it comes to civilized living. But, which is better, living in a world where people do whatever they want or constantly being under the watch of the government?

The iDOLM@STER 04: Ribbit

Ribbit indeed.

The premise of this episode was ... well, pretty lame and annoying, but thankfully the odd mixture of Chihaya, Haruka, Takane, and Hibiki managed to save it from becoming bad. The first three are my favorite characters in the series and they work extremely well together, especially Haruka and Chihaya. Since this was a Chihaya-focused episode I was hoping they'd at least give her a good premise to develop her character, but instead we got frogs, cooking, and a bunch of perverted cameramen.

This was the first episode to focus solely on a small group of characters which was awesome at first, but the episode slowly turned irritating thanks to the game show-like atmosphere and the annoying hand puppet. Unlike the previous two episodes where the focus character got lots of screen-time, I felt Chihaya was sort of ignored. There were tons of annoying scenes that could have been switched with more time for her, but they weren't.

Eden no Ori 95: Just Another Disaster

One thing that can be said about Eden no Ori is that the pacing never slows down. Every chapter Sengoku and his group are hit with more and more hardships leading to some exciting (yet sometimes depressing) entertainment. This week another tragedy struck, and it was made all the more emotional by the impact on the group. Though it was sad, there's also now a bit of fear because clearly nobody is safe from the fangs and claws of the island. (spoilers after the jump)

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée The Animation 04: Believing in promises.

Oh dear, poor Yune.

I'm not sure which is cuter, Yune's dedicated friendship with the Claudel's or Rin and Daikichi from Usagi Drop. Both shows are so adorable and enjoyable in their own unique ways, but one thing they do share are extremely likable characters. Even Alice Blanche, who last week I was a little mean to, became a lot more likable this episode. Also this week I think we can get a slightly clearer picture of where this show is taking us.

I've noticed the differences between Japanese culture and French culture have become a major theme in every episode. In the beginning I thought it would move on from that after the first or second episode and focus on other things, but I'm glad it has remained an important part of developing Yune and Claude. What I'm most happy about though is that it never becomes boring. We're not listening to long speeches and lessons about trivial things, but instead we get to watch Yune and Claude interact with the differences and get better understandings of each other in the process.

Corpse Party Blood Covered 09: Alternate Dimension

With my episodic anime reviews, "flash fun", and occasional editorials, which I really would like to do more of, I'm covering 2 of the 3 hobbies of my everyday life (anime and gaming) and I haven't been giving enough attention to the third, manga. I won't be covering manga very often, but the ones I truly enjoy I'll talk about when new chapters are released, and who knows, maybe I'll help you find a great new manga to read!

Corpse Party Blood Covered is a manga I stumbled across while searching for a story similar to Battle Royale, which is one of my favorite reads. Though the two are completely different in every way, CPBC has proved to be quite enjoyable. I'm a huge fan of horror/psychological-type anime and manga, so whenever I come across something like this I usually give it a try. It combines elements of both moe and horror to create a gruesome and often time extremely creepy experience, sort of like Higurashi, but a little more bizarre.

Mawaru Penguindrum 03: Curry and Creeps

One big crazy happy family!

This episode was just as flashy and enjoyable as the first two, but it felt like a 23 minute extension of the previous, the Takakura boys are still far from retrieving the "penguindrum", but at least now they have more clues to work with. Though lots of questions are starting to pop up for me while watching, I still feel this is one of the best shows of the year and I can't wait to see more.

The focus was once again on Ringo, the obsessed stalker of Keiju who also has some connection with the "penguindrum", and while you might be thinking that it sounds like a repeat of last week, this episode managed to tie in some actual development for Ringo's character. That's great and all, but I still feel as if something is missing. Maybe it's because I'm beginning to feel like I have no connection to the main cast who, as I mentioned last week, aren't developed beyond their love for their sick sister. Maybe that's not such a bad thing though, because I can understand their wanting to do anything to help, which includes stalking a stalker.

NO.6 03: Collapse

Frie-nemies?

No.6 has worked it's way up to being the show I look forward to most each week, even more than Penguindrum. It might not have the flashy, vibrant animation of Penguindrum or the cuteness factor of Ikoku Meiro, but what makes it stand out to me is the stunning cast of characters and the intricate, character-driven plot. And every week I moan about the length, but I'm starting to feel that BONES might just be able to pull this off.

This week was very dialogue heavy, but it never became boring. Almost the entire episode was inside a single room and yet the tense, nail-biting moments involving Shion's bite (which I stupidly forgot to mention last week, but I'm sure you didn't miss it) and the great chemistry between the two leads left no moments of repose. In a way, it's like an affirmation of the first episode and the glaring differences between Shion and Nezumi.

The iDOLM@STER 03: Facing your fears.

Road trip!!!

While episode three didn't quite live up to the standard set by the first two episodes, I'd say it did an OK job at developing a character that in most cases is the worst of the cast. Two weeks ago I said Yukiho, who has a slight case of androphobia (or fear of men) would probably end up being my least favorite character in the show, and that hasn't really changed much even with this episode focusing on her. Luckily, she didn't ruin the episode.

In this episode 765 Production takes a road trip to perform a concert, but when they arrive they realize it's not as "fancy" as they would have liked. The most important thing I managed to scrape up from this episode was that the cast seems to be split into groups, the younger girls (Iori, Ami, Mami, and Yayoi), the teenage trio (Yukiho, Makoto, and Haruka), the mature girls (Takane, Azusa, Chihaya) and than there's Hibiki, who I rarely see, and Miki, who is always asleep. I love seeing the friendships within the groups grow, but I'd love even more to see more interaction outside of the groups, which there was only a little of this episode. I guess you could say the split groups does help with conserving time for each girl, since there's only 23 minutes and TONS of characters.

Flash Fun: Penguin Overlords (6.5 / 10)

Click Here to Play!

Finally! A game devoted to the long fought battle between ... wait, penguins and turtles? I'm just as confused as you probably are because penguins and turtles have never really had a werewolf and vampire-like rivalry. For me, playing became a little heartbreaking, watching my lovable penguins turn into man turtle eating beasts! But, I guess even they have to do whatever it takes to survive!

As you can see in the title, and as you'll see later in the post, I've changed up my review style for "flash fun". The old style didn't work well because it didn't take into account the important of certain aspects over others and became mostly about personal bias. And though a review is nothing without personal opinion, I think technical aspects are just as important.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée The Animation 03: The sound of Paris.

Claude's idea of Japan isn't exactly accurate ...

Ikoku Meiro is one of those shows where you can turn off the world around you for 23 minutes and enjoy a beautiful setting and captivating characters without the stress of the real world. The story is far from rushed and is so perfectly paced and simple that you can watch without missing important dialogue or having to stop the video to check information. It's the only show that I wait until after viewing once to take screencaps, just because I'm so interested in what's going on, and it uses every second of it's time to properly showcase all the materials it has, like it's outstanding soundtrack and gorgeous visuals, among other things.

Very few slice of life series can pull of slow pacing, either the show lacks interesting characters to stop itself from becoming boring or it falls into a predictable state, but Ikoku Meiro has managed to stay enjoyable since the first seconds of episode one. I have to applaud it for staying that way up until now and hopefully for the rest of the remaining episodes.

My "On-Hold" List - A Real Nightmare (Part 2)

Does this mean you'll finally finish TTGL!?

Last week I forced myself to rethink the series on my looooooong on-hold list and, to my surprise, it actually helped, well sort of. I came to the conclusion that I would probably never get back to watching Beelzebub or Suite Precure, and thanks to reader comments, that Kore wa Zombie Desuka was worth picking back up. So, once again I'll be going through a handful of series to figure out which shows are worth watching in the future, and which are doomed to be dropped. And, who knows, maybe you'll find a series you might want to watch! (Following photos thanks to MyAnimeList!)

Mawaru Penguindrum 02: Fate

These two are terrible stalkers ...

Things have taken a turn for the ... creepy. After last weeks bizarreness I was expecting a more lighthearted second episode to develop the characters, but instead we got another episode dedicated to the plot surrounding the "Penguindrum". The show is two cour so I didn't think the story would move along at such a fast pace; the majority of the OP characters are now introduced, and the mission to retrieve the Penguindrum is already in motion. If Mawaru Peguindrum keeps hitting us with these great episodes, takes some time to develop the characters before it's too late, and doesn't bore us with fillers, it might become a classic like Utena.

Getting back to the creepy, episode two once again brought up the concept of fate and destiny, but handled it in a completely different way. Stalking, obsessions, and pervy penguins were abound, and while our flightless friends once again handled the humor, Ringo (who you might remember from episode one) took creeping to a new level.

Flash Fun: Dude and Zombies (6.8 / 10)

Click Here to Play!

I love zombies, just as much as I love penguins, so whenever a new zombie-themed flash game is released I give it a try. Though Dude and Zombies is a nice entry into the shooter genre, it fails to set itself apart from the enormous amount of similarly styled games. Even the gameplay is an almost exact replica of Balloon in a Wasteland, which set itself apart with it's amazing graphical style and concept.

You play as an unnamed character whose truck breaks down in the middle of a zombie infested forest, (sounds like a trashy horror movie, right?) but these zombies are not exactly what you would expect. Though there are the usual human-like zombies, there are also other variations like zombie rabbits and birds. It's a fun idea and adds some variety, even though they're hard as hell to hit with a pistol. (I love animals, btw. I'm a vegetarian, but who can pass up shooting some zombie rabbits?)

NO.6 02: The real world.

Things ... they just got serious.

One week, that's all the time No.6 needed to properly introduce it's characters and now we're already diving into an incredibly interesting plot. With No.6's sudden time-skip we're thrown into a whole new reality for Shion, who is now living in Lost Town after being banished from Chronos for helping a VC (Nezumi) to escape, however even that doesn't last too long.

No.6 is moving at a speedy pace, and with only 9 episode to go I'm excited to see the direction it will take us. It has all the makings for a great series: dynamic and likable characters, a steady plot, and an amazingly complex dystopian setting. I might be getting my hopes up too high, but I get the feeling No.6 will not end up being just another Fractale.

The iDOLM@STER 02: Individuality

Producer, don't you have a job to be doing!

This week on iDOLM@STER the focus was clearly on the younger members of 765 Production Ami, Mami, Yayoi, and more specifically, Iori. With the challenge of a photo-shoot up ahead, the four girls struggled to find what it is that makes one pop star different from the rest, and came to the conclusion that it is individuality. Though their grasp on the concept was ... well, amiss.

The episode improved on the previous by having a clearer focus and developing the characters a little more, but the presence of the Producer (who is no longer behind a camera) made things slightly awkward. He's far from an interesting character and gets in the way of the character interactions that make the show funny.

Ikoku Meiro no Croisée The Animation 01 + 02: The girl behind the glass.

If these three don't make you smile, then I don't know what will.

Well, I caved. I was extremely reluctant to blog another series, but after watching the first two episodes of Ikoku Meiro no Croisée I couldn't help myself. Besides, I also realized all three series I'm blogging air on Thursday (and subs usually take until the next day), so covering a series on Sunday will keep things more lively during the week. At first Ikoku Meiro no Croisée may seem like just another moe, but what we have here is the most soothing and tranquil series of the season, and maybe of the year.

The setup is simple, a Japanese girl voluntarily thrown into the bustling world of a French gallery working as an assistant in a metal working shop. That may sound completely uninteresting to you, and at first I felt similarly, and the general reaction seems to be mixed (from what I've read online), but don't let that take you away from at least giving it a chance. What Ikoku Meiro lacks in exhilarating story, it makes up for with a stellar cast of down-to-earth characters, humor, and an unavoidable ability to make you smile. And if you're still not interested after that, then obviously this isn't the type of series for you.

NO.6 01: The flower and the rat.

This is the feeling I'm trying to avoid by only blogging 3
series during my first season.

Deciding on a third series to blog regularly this season was difficult for me. I'm a relatively new blogger and I don't want to scare myself away from the joy of blogging by putting too much on my plate at once. Blogging Mawaru Penguindrum was a choice I made long before it aired, and blogging Idolmaster was a choice I made because normally I don't have much to say about the genre (until now, that is). From the very large list of options this Summer I finally came to the conclusion that I would blog NO.6, because among all the shows airing this season I have the most to say about this Noitamina gem.

Initially I was turned off by the idea of another 11 episode fantasy-adventure series after the flop that was Fractale, but the first episode of NO.6 showed an important aspect of all great short series, and that's a setting that leaves the viewer questioning and a dynamic cast of characters. (and let's not forget the amazing VAs either) If NO.6 can manage to pull off what Fractale didn't, that being anything enjoyable, then it may prove to be the best series of the Summer.

Mawaru Penguindrum 01: Penguins do make everything better.

... and this is just the start of it.

Yesterday I said Idolmaster was one of the craziest first episodes I'd ever seen with it's unique point-of-view and large, all-over-the-place cast of characters, well, that was just completely topped by Mawaru Penguindrum. These first 23 minutes were packed with story and character developments, bolstered by the amazing animation and vibrant colors, which I'll talk about more later. Though I was expecting a light-hearted comedy, what I got was something far beyond that.

A major theme that carried the first episode, and kept me attentive, was family unity. Clearly the Takakura family has been through a lot, with two absent parents, a dying sibling, and pretty shabby (yet surprisingly colorful) home. But, if you were to only watch the interactions between Kanba, Shouma, and Himari and the way their optimistic personalities play off each other, you'd never guess that things are so bad. I'm a sucker for dynamic characters, so even with only one episode under my belt, it's safe to say we can expect a lot more from the Takakura siblings.

The iDOLM@STER 01: "Unity is Strength"

Meet the girls of 765 Production.

Coming into the Summer Season the last show I thought I'd ever watch, let alone blog about, was iDOLM@STER. Even now, I'm thinking that I must be a fool to even consider blogging a video game adaptation with more characters then I can count with my fingers. Not only was iDOLM@STER's first episode extremely fast paced and a little cliched, but it was also slightly annoying in some aspects, but something about the direction won't let me go, and by writing this post I'm hoping to figure out what that is.

"They are what girls aspire to be. However, only a handful are able to stand at the top ... Into that world, 13 girls set foot." There I was, seconds away from joining a Monster Hunter lobby when the quote flashed across the screen, soft piano notes playing in the background. My eyes were stuck to the screen from that moment, I set my controller aside, and focused on what might be the craziest ride a first episode has ever taken me on. The quote grabbed my attention so immediately because I could relate to it. Before I go any further, no, I don't want to be a pop idol, but I can understand the intimidation of difficult aspirations conveyed through the message. Writing is something I love to do, but can I ever be sure that I'll ever make it farther then a post on a blog the majority of the world will never see? But, as Ritsuko says below, as long as I continue my life not giving up does it really matter if I never make it big?

My "On-Hold" List - A Real Nightmare (Part 1)

Almost two years have passed, why are you still on episode 4!?

An "on-hold" list is the equivalent of a backlog for a gamer, a nightmare. Sometime between catching up on seasonal shows, watching classics to pass time, or re-watching my favorite episodes for a good laugh (or a good cry), I've come to realize I've started a lot of series I had no hope for enjoying or lost interest in part-way through, and because of that my on-hold list has grown an enormous deal, even for my standards. 55 shows! (damn.) Some of you might be nodding your head indifferent, but I'm sure I'm not the only one with this problem.

So why not drop the shows, Robb?

Easier said than done, my cyberspace friend, because at heart I'm a "completionist" and the on-hold list is my last defense against causing harm to my ego. Until now that is. A list is only a list, it can be changed with the click of a button and easily adjusted to please my growing obsession with this "completionist" attitude. A dropped show can always be picked back up in the future, a long, long, long time in the future. So now I will use this opportunity as a blogger to slowly go through my on-hold list, carefully deciding which shows are truly "on-hold" and which are only there for childish reasons (to be promptly dropped). Hopefully in the process I'll find a new willingness to finish some of these shows and also give you the opportunity to find a new interest.