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.


1. Suite Precure (02/06/2011 - N/A)

Yeah, I think they look terrible too.

Episodes Seen: 5/-
Reason to Start: I started Suite Precure because I had seen some episodes of Heartcatch Precure, which is also on-hold mind you, and it was OK so I thought I'd give it a go. Turns out I made a terrible decision.
Reason to Stop: Lost interest.
What I Expected: A mediocre mahou shoujo following in the footsteps of the previous series.
What I Got: One overly annoying mascot, two main characters who do nothing but argue over the most trivial things, and three creepy pedophiles who sing instead of talking like normal people.
The Good: Ami Koshimizu, and those singing jewels.
The Bad: Everything else. No really. Everything.
Finish, Hold, or Drop?: Drop.

2. Kore wa Zombie Desuka? (01/11/2011 - 03/30/2011)

You would never guess how strange this show is
from the promotional art ... would you?

Episodes Seen: 8/12
Reason to Start: Let's be honest, it was the presence of "zombie" in the title.
Reason to Stop: I started way too many shows during the winter anime season and got overwhelmed trying to keep up with them all, so this ended up being one of the shows I put aside and never got back to.
What I Expected: A generic harem/comedy with fanservice and an annoying male lead.
What I Got: A necromancer, a "masou" shoujo, vampire ninjas, and an annoying male lead, who is also a zombie.
The Good: Hilarious at times from the pure randomness, smooth animation, beautiful fight scenes, and a quirky cast of characters.
The Bad: Yuki ruined it for me. Her introduction, and appearance in general, seemed pointless and the "comedic" moments she was in were not funny.
Finish, Hold, or Drop?: Hold. For now. With only four episodes left I could finish it in one sitting.

3. Bakemonogatari (07/03/2009 - 09/25/2009)

... and each one was stranger than the last.

Episodes Seen: 7/15
Reason to Start: ... Shaft.
Reason to Stop: A month passed without logging any episodes, so I put it aside.
What I Expected: The usual Shaft style.
What I Got: The usual Shaft style.
The Good: Some really interesting dialogue, but ...
The Bad: Mostly uninteresting dialogue.
Finish, Hold, or Drop?: Hold, because I really want to finish and see if it lives up to the high regards many people have towards it. However, I do have other shows I would rather finish first.


4. Beelzebub (01/09/2011 - N/A)

You can't tell from the promotional art, but that
baby is naked EVERY FREAKING EPISODE. What happened to diapers?

Episodes Seen: 6/-
Reason to Start: Good question ...
Reason to Stop: Almost every episode felt exactly the same.
What I Expected: Something better then the usual shonen comedies.
What I Got: The exact opposite.
The Good: Hildegard was an interesting character.
The Bad: Pretty much everything else. Terrible fillers, repeated jokes that weren't funny, and a naked baby. Seriously, the naked baby did nothing to better the show in any way.
Finish, Hold, or Drop?: Drop.

5. Kimi ni Todoke (10/07/2009 - 03/31/2010)

It takes about 30 chapters before they get any closer than this.

Episodes Seen: 3/25
Reason to Start: I'm a huge fan of the manga, though I've fallen behind recently. I had also just seen Nana before this and was looking for another somewhat mature romance anime.
Reason to Stop: I ended up liking the manga a lot more then the anime and put this aside.
What I Expected: A cute high school romance.
What I Got: SADAKO ...
The Good: Every character is likeable, even the ones who are meant to be antagonists towards Sawako's goals.
The Bad: Slow, slow, slow ... but probably worth the wait.
Finish, Hold, or Drop?: Finish (FINALLY!), as soon as I finish last season's anime that I stupidly started. *cough* Denpa Onna *cough*

That's all for Part 1 of My "On-Hold" List - A True Nightmare, and I hope you will also reconsider some of your decisions if your list is like mine. With 50 shows still to think about on my list I'm sure there will be plenty more of these posts in the future, that is unless I finish all 50 shows before then. (hah) What do you think of any of these five shows? If you believe I should hold on to Suite Precure or Beelzebub for longer, I'd love to hear your reasoning!