August Roundup


No episodics for this season, because of the lack on continuity due to the hiatus...



Ao no Exorcist (4/5)
Episodes Watched: 20

I guess this is a pleasant surprise, for how it all turned out. I mean, we still have no idea how this anime original arc would end up, but I like what I'm seeing here; it's isn't painfully boring or cliché like those Bleach and Naruto fillers, and it might actually have an ending that would let this season of AnE conclude nicely. Just don't go Soul Eater or Claymore on me, please.


Carnival Phantasm (3.5/5)
Episodes Watched: 3

This is a short OVA purely meant for Type-Moon fans, as most of the humor are based on inside jokes of the two main Type-Moon series, Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night. Still, even if you're not a fan, with some knowledge of both series, the OVA can be pretty enjoyable. Since the setting of the both stories is pretty dark with plenty of cruel and gruesome elements, the extremely comedic and light-hearted OVA puts the characters in situations you'll never expect normally, which is the main appeal of the series. Gap moé?
DANCING SABER IS SO CUTE


Dantalion no Shoka (2.5/5)
Episodes Watched: 7

I don't find myself enjoying this any longer, because whatever sense of uniqueness is already gone. While I'm just a little bit interested in the girl with white hair within Dalian's library, as well as characters similar to Dalian like the one with the foul mouth in the previous episode, it doesn't feel that we're reaching the point where we will learn more about these "people". There wasn't a single arc where I actually find it exciting, and they all merely span one episode or less. Furthermore, the lack of continuity between the episodes makes it hard for me to look forward the next. I've already lost interest, but I'm just watching for the sake of finishing it up.

And I still can't see why people praised it for its animation quality. I mean, really?


Hanasaku Iroha (4.5/5)
Episodes Watched: 22

The series became quite a drag after the promising start. You already know it. Why? Because EVERYONE's complaining about it, some point during this and the previous season, me included. I've since come to terms with the kind of story intended for Hanasaku Iroha, because for the level of quality and my love for the characters in the show, I really don't want to start getting bored of it. I guess it worked out, and perhaps that's why I've came to enjoy it more than ever. It was a mistake to try to take it for a serious drama, because despite what they were trying to prove, the drama is one of the anime's biggest weakness. We should take it as a blend of drama and comedy, with a dash of romance and a sprinkle of fan-service, finished with a slice-of-life. That's how I enjoyed my HanaIro. My week of anime now starts with it, and it won't feel complete without it.


Ikoku Meiro no Croiseé (4.5/5)
Episodes Watched: 8

Am I mistaken to have have tried to take Croiseé as a slice-of-life series in the first place? Because despite the premises and the introduction episodes, the anime turns out to be more story-orientated than I've thought. I should have guess that it would turn out this way, seeing that only one of the main leads is female. So far I do enjoy Croiseé a lot for the slice-of-life themes and story so far, but I didn't expect to see a real story in the first place and I'm not quite sure that it won't suck in the end. They're working on angle between Claude and Camille that might turn out to be quite interesting, although I still prefer it to stay to it's SoL roots.



Kamisama Dolls (4/5)
Episodes Watched: 9

Ok, for once I'm not going to tell you about Hibino's ridiculously over-sized, disproportional, unrealistic and sell-out rack.

It wasn't until episode 8 that I've began to take the series seriously, and I think goes for a lot of people as well. I mean, aside from Kouhei's past experience as a Seki, the other characters didn't really give us the reason to care about them. The concept of the dolls itself isn't all that unique and the girls are a little more than the sum of their moé traits. But with the backstory of Aki (and some of Kyouhei) revealed, I became really interested to see how he would develop as a character, as well as his relationship with Kyouhei. The estranged relationship between Utao and his twin brother could turn out really interesting as well. Hibino and the Karahari girl?... Not so much, but I wish they would actually earn a better role, and soon.


Kamisama no Memochou (3/5)
Episodes Watched: 8

J.C staff's inability to drive up the tension in the climax is KnM's Achilles' heel. The story and writing is really brilliant; with the right direction, KnM could be something really amazing. The problem is that everyone just seems so... passive... all the time. I haven't read too much into this but I feel it had a lot to do with the seemingly nonchalant personality of the entire cast; is it a design flaw? But seeing the J.C staff's previous works, I feel that their resulting personality had a lot to do with the studio's direction. A lot of the moé is also pretty anticlimactic. In any case, it feels that something in the series that doesn't quite click together, and that one flaw nearly killed the series for me.


Mayo Chiki (2/5)
Episodes Watched: 8 

I can't get enough of Subaru's ('o') face, but I'm gonna have to drop this. This sellout anime does not have enough moé to make me endure characters like Suzutsuki and that gyaru. Mayo Chiki is actually way more interesting than Nekogami, but at least Nekogami doesn't pretend that it has a storyline. Might just force myself to finish this up in the future, but no promises.


Nekogami Yaoyorozu (2/5)
Episodes Watched: 8 

Now I really dunno why I'm forcing myself through this series, because it is just so boring. Even the appeal of the Tomatsu Haruka x Yui Horie duo has died; I simply can't make myself like the way she voice Mayu (same goes for Yuina in HanaIro). Worst of all, I still dunno if I had to drag myself through another season.


Tiger & Bunny (4.5/5)
Episodes Watched: 22

3 episodes left (now 2), and we're really kicking it into high gear now. Much like AnE, I'm glad to see these two two-cour series heading towards a potential spectacular finish. The Kotetsu vs the world part had been the most tense part in the entire season, and I look forward now to the confrontation with Maverick.



Yuru Yuri (3.5/5)
Episodes Watched: 9

Ok, I admit Yuru Yuri had became one of the series I really looked forward to each week for it's... You know, K-ON-ness. And I don't mean any similarity between the characters, but the for the simplicity and the wicked comedic timing. I don't see Yuru Yuri making much noise on the blogosphere, but apparently it's pretty damn hot in Japan. Imagine if Kyoani is the one who animate this... Just think about it.