What did you watch last?

[Keropi]

It's where the eyes get all big and watery... shiny-like, so therefore "pika-pika".

Thanks for explaing that to me.

Keeping up with all the anime coming out is not easy.

Utawarerumono 2 (okay/decent - 5.5):
A nice little story. I guess they're going to be going through different character's stories from the game. They have a decent amount of time to do that since this is a longer anime series. Next weeks episode might be interesting.

Makai Senki Disgaea 2 (mediocre - 4.2):
I'm not into this show at all. I'm not into the humor, the situations they get in or what they do. So this will be the last episode I see. Sorry Kymaera.

Saiunkoku Monogatari 1 (okay/fair - 5.1):
http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/sp/200602-04/index.php
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... hp?id=6200
This is of course the josei (young women's) story of the girl who becomes a tutor for a young king. This takes place in a feudal Chinese-looking country. The female lead was a lot more energetic than I figured she would be. The way she reacts (actually overreacts), worries about things and gestures is very manga/anime-like. It feels a little strange considering the setting she's in. She certainly doesn't go "nuts" like Miaka, but I still found the way she acted slightly annoying. She's smart, kind and good looking, but "genki" female characters are usually never the ones I care for the most. The background music is well done. They use ?Chinese period music and it goes along with the anime's settings. There's plenty of bishounen guys for bishie-audiences to like. Unfortunately there really isn't anything there for me though so I probably won't be watching this.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 2 (okay - 5.4):
Holy crap! What a change of pace from the first episode. I didn't like the first episode very much. The first episode was all happy and genki. The second episode is turning the story dark (which I knew would to happen eventually). It was kind of spooky at times. I got those psycho-girl vibes a couple of times (always be on the lookout for cute psycho-girls ). The Opening might have been the highlight of the episode for me. I liked the beat of the song and I thought it went well with the images they used (such as the bloody girl, the scene of the moon in back of the girl in the dark and the girl with the cleaver). Eiko Shimamiya sung the opening. She was with or is now with "I've Sound" which kind of figures. I thought it sounded "I've-like" This anime is listed as a 26 episode series and I hope that's true. I hope someone subs this pretty soon now that the series is finally rolling.

Witchblade 2 (okay - 5.4):
Now I'm forced to make this a regular watch because I want to find out how their situation will all work out. I've become somewhat sympathetic to them. But my long-term bet is that I won't finish watching this. Like Speed Grapher, I think I will drop this at some point.

The Third 1 (okay - 5.3):
http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/fujimi/sp/thethird/
http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,3596 ... __aoi.html
The first episode made me think that this might be a bit of a "wanderer" anime before they go into the main gist of the story (kind of like how GunxSword was at the beginning). This episode showed us some of Honoka's world. She lives in a desert with her self-aware Bolo...I mean tank. She's extremely good with a sword and she kills a bunch of huge spider creatures with it. This anime looks somewhat interesting, but it didn't reveal much of anything yet so I have no idea where it's going. I'll watch at least one more episode of this.

Inukami! 2 (okay/fair - 5.2):
This was kind funny and yet disgusting at the same time. LOL I wasn't expecting that Miyazaki joke! That was great. I still can't make this a regular watch yet, but I'll view at least one more episode. The animation didn't look as good as the first episode.

Jyu Oh Sei 1 (okay/fair - 5.2):
http://jyu-oh-sei.com/
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... hp?id=6177
http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,3626 ... h_sei.html
This is supposed to be an eleven episode series. I had forgotten this was based off a shoujo manga. So when I watched it, I discovered the shoujo-vibes on my own. I could already tell it was shoujo because of how the guys acted toward each other and individually. A little bit here. A tiny bit there. It all adds up. Anyway...twin brothers are forcibly sent to a "savage" planet where there is supposedly only one way to get off of it. Unfortunately this anime doesn't interest me so I won't be watching it.

Solty Rei 24 (fairly good - 6.1):
I liked the final episode. It's the type of anime ending that I enjoy. But the ending is pretty similar to another anime's famous ending. Oh well. If you're thinking of copying from something, make sure you copy from something that's GOOD.

Sasami ~ Mahou Shoujo Club (fair - 5.1):
http://www.sasami-club.net/
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... hp?id=6071
http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,3571 ... aho_s.html
This is like an altered version of Magical Girl Sasami, but with an entirely new voice cast. There's Washu-sensei, Mihoshi-sensei and Ryo-Ohki there. I guess it'll be about a group of magical girl students attending the same school. I thought that Sasami's seiyuu, Mana Ogawa, sounded much more naturally like a young girl compared to most seiyuu. Then I come to find out she's listed at ANN as being TWELVE years old. Holy cow. No wonder. LOL.

EDIT:

Actually I think the entire mahou shoujo voice cast is young. Misao's seiyuu is 15, Anri's is 11 and Makoto's is 13. I might have to watch this just to hear how they all sound.

Hime-sama Goyoujin 1 (okay/fair - 5.2):
http://www.himehime.jp/
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclo ... hp?id=6417
http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,3641 ... goyoj.html
This turned out to be a surprise just like Jyu Oh Sei. I thought Hime-sama was a shoujo anime. The artwork looks shoujo, but the jokes are mostly on the shounen/seinen side. I'm still awaiting confirmation on the genre of this anime. In any case, I found it fairly funny and I plan on watching another episode of it. It's about a misplaced crown and the mayhem that results from it.

Fate/stay night 15 (decent - 5.6):
Wow...so many spoilers in the new Opening. A lot of people might be better off skipping the Opening if they want to find out stuff on their own (even though I think they made up some stuff for the Opening like they made up some stuff for Bleach anime Openings). This episode had an interesting way of getting around the BIG gaming plot point, but I thought the animation looked pretty ugly during that sequence. This was a cliffhanger episode for those of you who want to avoid cliffhanger episode endings and wait until two episodes are out at the same time.

Ouran High School Host Club 2 (okay/decent - 5.5):
I'm still enjoying this anime quite a bit. It's quite funny yet sweet at the same time.

Zegapain 2 (okay - 5.3):
Ooh...reality mindgames? That reminds me of something else. I thought this was okay.

Strawberry Panic 2 (okay/fair - 5.2):
Boy, there is no subtlety in this anime at all. My interest in this anime is declining.

Soul Link 2 (fair - 5.1):
Neither the characters nor the story are very interesting yet. Only the character designs stand out. But maybe that's one of the problems I have with this anime. The military school cadet female characters actually look TOO cute to be in this story. Being cute doesn't completely negate their characters, but the problem is that they don't display ANY qualifications or traits in the anime that make them appear to be decent candidates to be in the position they're in. The story and the characters feel pretty shallow to me at this point. If the anime producers are adapting the game's story properly, the game must have been pretty bland.

My current watch list:

1. Utawarerumono 1-2 (okay/decent - 5.5)
2. Ohran High School Host Club 1-2 (okay/decent - 5.5) - Seems like a fun series.
3. .hack//Roots 1 (okay - 5.4) - Looks like it has upside.
4. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 1-2 (okay - 5.4) - Didn't like the 1st episode, but liked the 2nd much better..
5. Witchblade 1-2 (okay - 5.4) - I like it, but I'm not into the genre too much.
6. Himawari 1 (okay - 5.3)
7. Zegapain 1-2 (okay - 5.3) - I like this for reasons unrelated to quality.
8. Black Lagoon 1 (okay - 5.3) - animation quality and action scenes save the day.
9. The Third 1 (okay - 5.3) - I might like this or I might not.
10. Inukami! 1-2 (okay/fair - 5.2) - "Dirty" humor, but still amusing enough for me to watch.
11. Strawberry Panic 1-2 (okay/fair - 5.2) - Not sure how long I'll be watching this.
12. Simoun 1 (okay/fair - 5.2) - Not bad, but I'm still iffy on it.
13. Hime-sama Goyoujin 1 (okay/fair - 5.2) - fairly funny first episode.
14. Soul Link 1-2 (okay/fair - 5.2) - Pretty bland so far, but I'll try to tough it out.
15. Shoujo Changumu no Yume 1 (okay/fair - 5.2)
16. Girl's High School Students 1 (okay/fair- 5.2) - Loads of fanservice. Not much into the humor.
17. School Rumble second term 1 (fair - 5.1) - Just can't get into it. Gomen.
18. Yoshinaga-san chi no Gargoyle 1-2 (fair - 5.1) - 1st ep. kind of fun. Didn't like second ep. as much.
19. Sasami ~ Mahou Shoujo Club (fair - 5.1) - I want to hear how the seiyuu sound.

Not officially dropped, but almost:
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yutsu, Saiunkoku Monogatari, Sasami ~ Mahou Shoujo Club

I seen, but I am not into these anime (so they are dropped):
Makai Senki Disgaea, Youkai Ningen Bem, Gintama, Love Ge-CHU (not to be confused with "Saru Get You"), Renkin San Kyu Magical? Pokaan, Spider Riders, Ray, Princess Princess, Nishi No Yoki Majo Astrea Testament, Musashi, Yume Tsukai, Jyu Oh Sei

Not into the type of story so I didn't even start watching:
Gakuen Heaven, Fushigi-boshi no Futago-hime Gyu!, Fighting Beauty Wulong REBIRTH, Kiba, Onegai my Melody ~Kuru Kuru Shuffle!~, ARIA The NATURAL, Bakegyamon, Air Gear, Glass no Kantai, NANA, Yoshimune, Ring ni Kakero 1 - Nichibei Kessen Hen, Kirarin Revolution,

Want to see at least a little, but haven't been able to:
Shibawanko no Wa no Kokoro,

I might watch these later or I might not. (I'm in no rush):
Ah My Goddess! second season, xxxHolic TV series

[redwolf]

Keropi! Thank you so much for writing about Suzumiya Haruhi no Yutsu and Ouran High School Host Club... I am enjoying them quite a bit.

====
As for what I've been watching... I'm disappointed in School Rumble second term so far--it doesn't yet have the charm that the first season did.

However, the first episode of Ah! My Goddess second season was about exactly what I was expecting, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I really like the new opening...beautiful imagery and bagpipes!

Witchblade #1 is nothing special so far, but I enjoyed the characters, especially the little girl. It feels more like an alternate universe than an extension of the original comic (I read it through issue 49 a while ago).

I'm reserving judgement for Simoun, as the first episode was very much introductory, and I don't have a feel for the characters yet. The art designs are very nice, though.

Eyeshield 21 #41,42, the Christmas Bowl is starting; exciting stuff. Natsuhiko is way too cocky for his own good. I hope that octopus taught him a lesson. (yeah right)

[Cloud]

I am sorry to hear that. Perhaps next time I can do better.

[kymaera]

So this will be the last episode I see. Sorry Kymaera.

I did a bunch of test-driving of first episodes today to see what I need to
keep up with for downloads.

Utawarerumono - The character designs are interesting. The story was
so-so. Seems like it's obvious what's going on, but I'll give it another ep
or two to grab me.

Strawberry Panic - I didn't like the show when it called Maria-sama ga
Miteru either.

Nana - The best out of the batch that I watched today. The plot was
nothing special, but I have to say that they make it work.

Xxxholic - I wasn't expecting to like this. I'd seen the movie and it was
quite bad. I especially hated how the lanky character designs contorted
when animated. The TV show seemed to do a lot better, so I'll watch
more of it.

Black Lagoon - Unoriginal plot. I managed to finish one ep, but that's it.

Saru get you - I hated the animation, the character designs and story.

Simoun - Didn't immediately grab me, but it had enough potential that I'll
give it another episode or two.

Kiba - Generic plot and character designs I hated, so not watching any more.

Soul Link - I'm debating on giving it another ep to grab me, but may not.

I also finished up Shinigami no Ballad today which was a good solid series.
Odd to have a six ep series, though.

[klet]

I did a bunch of test-driving of first episodes today to see what I need to keep up with for downloads.

Hey! You forgot the anime you watched on Saturday at the con!


That's about the last thing I watched, besides a few episodes of Haruka Naru Toki no Naka de. It's alright, but it's such a rip-off of FY that I'm not sure how much longer I'll watch it. They focus on the main girl too much, and she really has such a generic anime-girl personality that she comes off as a very boring character. Most of the men, however, have the potential to be very interesting (probably with the exception of the two who came with her, who seem rather generic as well). No, kymaera, I'm not just saying that b/c my roommate is rubbing off on me.

[Keropi]

As for what I've been watching... I'm disappointed in School Rumble second term so far--it doesn't yet have the charm that the first season did.

So how long did it take you to get into School Rumble? My friend said it took him about nine episodes before he started to get into it.

Witchblade #1 is nothing special so far, but I enjoyed the characters, especially the little girl.

Yeah, she's feisty and pretty smart for her age.

Hey Kymaera. What kind of game was Disgaea?

Okay I finished my Federal Tax Return about fifteen minutes ago. I'll work on my California tax return tomorrow before going to work. I've got to watch Himawari 2. I'm too curious to find out how much I like the second episode is to go to sleep yet.

[Caroline]

The last movie... (on tv) that I saw was Totoro. (thank you CN!)

[redwolf]

So how long did it take you to get into School Rumble? My friend said it took him about nine episodes before he started to get into it.

I'd have to say the ridiculous humor got me right away. The scene in episode three where Tenma "traps" herself in the bathroom always puts a smile on my face. The humor can be a hit or a miss, and the scenarios often require a great suspension of disbelief. It's nice to just sit back and see what crazy things the cast can put themselves up to, often in the name of love. Sometimes it makes me laugh a lot, other times it makes me raise my eyebrow and shake my head.

Second season, I liked the first episode, but the second episode was a miss for me. I'll take it in stride and and keep watching, because the characters have endeared themselves to me.

[kymaera]

Hey Kymaera. What kind of game was Disgaea?

It's a turn-based strategy RPG. If you've played Final Fantasy Tactics, it's
similar to that in many ways...but much better. I highly recommend it.

[vapalla]

Well, I have now watched 2 eps each of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Ouran High School Host Club and they are rapidly becoming my favorites. I guess I am in a comedy mood. Why they both have such long names, however....


Keropi, you should try Suzumiya for one more episode. While not inventively crazy like the first ep. it is now clearing up any confusion as to what all that stuff was. I think what holds it all together for me is the narration. Ouran HS could so easilly have been bad, but has a light touch and I love the look of the series.

Utawarerumono is shaping up to be pretty conventional. Pretty looking, though.

Nana is pretty good, but I liked the animated version of Paradise Kiss more. Ep2 had too many of those blue-lines-under-the-eyes look. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing Nana2's story.

Saw first ep. xxxHolic. Most noticable change, they are not tying it in with Tsubasa. Black Makona is not brought out with white Makona and is produced to provide a drinking buddy for Yuko. Visuallly, I liked it, but I worry the story won't be able to go anywhere since too few manga have been released.

Kiba looks like it is going the way I expected. Since my daughter is enjoying it, we will probably continue it, though it is not my fave. I am waiting for a new ep of Zegapain as that one looked more fun. I like the main character, . As was pointed out earlier (by Keropi I think), he is neither angsty nor wimpy, and I love the glowing mechs. I want one!

Downloaded Ray and it is an Mp4 and won't play on my Mac.

Where are you people finding Witchblade? I still can't find Gintama either.

[Cloud]

I am in Anime-Beta, how about you. It goes without saying. What would make you stop can not find Gintama? You might find that I am Gintama.

[redwolf]

Cloud is Gintama?

Keropi, you should try Suzumiya for one more episode. While not inventively crazy like the first ep...

I dunno...I liked the alien countermeasure. I agree with what you said... now that I've seen the second episode, the first episode feels more like a prologue and the second episode feels like the "real" first episode...we get to meet the actual characters for the first time and start to see what makes them tick.

Downloaded Ray and it is an Mp4 and won't play on my Mac.

Edit: this guide mentions Mac specifically.
I use the VLC player. There may be also something in this thread that will help.

Where are you people finding Witchblade?

I got impatient and watched the raw. I need subs for a few parts, but it was not hard to follow.

[Cloud]

I think [quote]Downloaded Ray and it is much more than that.

[Keropi]

It's a turn-based strategy RPG. If you've played Final Fantasy Tactics, it's similar to that in many ways...but much better. I highly recommend it.

You're definitely more into comedies than I am. I've been wondering for 11 days now if you're going to like "Rekin San-kyuu Magical? Pokaan" or not.

Keropi, you should try Suzumiya for one more episode.

I haven't dropped it yet. I know I have to watch at least 1-2 episodes of it. I'm just not sure when that'll be. There's too much anime coming out right now. I'm slowly cutting out the shows I'm not interested in watching, but I don't like dropping shows. I always wonder if someday I'm going to change my mind and wish I had watched the show earlier so I have could collected from it earlier when the artwork was still available. That's always on the back of my mind.

Where are you people finding Witchblade? I still can't find Gintama either.

I've been watching the raws. I was surprised that Redwolf mentioned it because not many people like viewing raws. So that means there's little talk about them unless you are able to hit one of the huge anime message boards or read an anime blog.

Alright, time to eat breakfast and finish doing my taxes. I don't want to be rushing at the last minute.

EDIT:

I forgot to mention this. Check out this Higurashi no Naku Koro ni cleaver on Yahoo Japan:
http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h35394180

Higurashi has a famous cleaver wielded by a female character just like School Days.

[Cloud]

Alright, Keropi. Cloud recommends: Gruel. Then don't be.