Screen shots may contain spoilers.
Bold text within spoiler tags are links.
Slayers Next ep19-20
Here we have the beginning of the end of the series. We got some big plot revelations with even more coming up soon, as well as some pretty awesome fight scenes. This is also where the story got really interesting for me, since it starts giving more details about the mazoku, dragons, the Lord of Nightmares, and the War of the Monster's Fall. I've always been intrigued by the Slayers universe so getting more information about it is always good.
Eventually I will get around to hunting down some of the translated Slayers light novels...
Slap Up Party -Arad Senki- ep1 (dropped)
I wasn't expecting anything great from this series and I was still disappointed. The character designs and fantasy/comedy combination make it look like Gurren Lagann meets The Tower of Druaga... Except that it's not at all epic like Gurren Lagann and not nearly as funny as Druaga. Its stupid humor comes off as trying far too hard and the action scenes were boring. The only good part in the entire episode was this fabulous moment that made me laugh. There's far too many better fantasy series this season for me to bother with this show, so I won't be continuing it.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood ep2
They did a totally awesome job with Ed and Al's backstory in this episode., especially the part with the gate. From what I remember of the original series, it didn't really explain much about what actually happened there, just that Ed could use alchemy without a transmutation circle after seeing it. In this episode, though, we got a lot more details.
Though I enjoyed it, I was never a huge fan of FMA. But now I'm getting hyped up for this new series.
Natsu no Arashi! ep1
This looks like an odd little series that could be good, but the first episode wasn't that interesting. Frivolous time traveling has the potential for much lulz so hopefully the humor will pick up.
Slayers Next ep21-26
I can't decide who's the biggest douche, Rezo, Copy Rezo, or Phibrizzo. They're all huge douches, just in somewhat different ways. But I think Phibrizzo is probably the one that inspires the most hatred. The way he literally toys with people's lives is just hard to beat in that respect.
The Lord of Nightmares is frickin' badass. Which, I guess, is to be expected of the creator of the universe, but whatever. The scene where she inhabits Lina's body after the Giga Slave goes out of control has got to be the coolest in the entire series. Watching her slap Phibrizzo around before ripping him apart is so very satisfying. Next's ending is definitely the best of the first three series (can't say for Revolution/Evolution-R yet, one episode to go~) and one more reason why it's my favorite of the Slayers anime.
07-Ghost ep1
This anime intrigues me. Series involving a church in a fantasy world usually do, and the military and long-lost heir to the throne themes also look like they'll add some flavor to the mix. So far the characters look kind of generic, but we hardly know anything about them yet so I'll hold off judgment on that for a bit. At least there was nothing to make me actively dislike them. I'm looking forward to finding out more about the story and setting.
Hatsukoi Limited ep1
After realizing I had not picked up a single romance series this season, I decided that had to be fixed. And then m.3.3.w conveniently released Hatsukoi Limited ep1. I wasn't expecting much coming into it so I was pleasantly surprised by how funny it ended up being. It looks like the group of middle school girls will be plenty amusing on their own, but the events surrounding Misao's love confession to Ayumi were downright hilarious. I think my favorite part was the little kindergarteners crying in terror as Misao followed Ayumi around while waiting for an answer from her.
The show does have some fan service, like it or not. Though the majority in this episode was actually worked in as an important part of the plot, which made me laugh since that's always the best way to insert fan service. But there were also some rather gratuitous shots as well. I doubt it will be near enough for me to care, since I have a pretty high tolerance, but we'll see how it goes.
Saki ep2
Yep, it's my shameless loli pleasure of the season. The ending, in all its chibilicious glory, is ridiculously cute. I don't think it'd let me drop it even if I tried.
Eden of the East ep1
So guess what just jumped to the top of my spring season list. Yeah, I am loving everything about this show. The story's got me hooked from the first, the characters are funny and likeable (even if I can't stop thinking of them as Shinobu and Ayumi from Honey and Clover), the visuals are gorgeous, and I am going to have to look up more music from Oasis because of the OP. I was pretty sure I would like this series after reading up on it, but damn, I am blown away.
Tears to Tiara ep2
Of course the demon king isn't actually a monstrous being of pure evil – that would just be stupid. He's actually a bishi who the female lead instantly falls for. This is anime, after all.
Clichés aside, Arawn looks like a fun character. He's got the indifferent air of superiority down nicely and I laughed at the face he made when Riannon started being all clingy with him. And speaking on Riannon, Goto Yuko plays that kind of part so wonderfully. One moment she's all serious and commanding with her brother, Arthur, and the next she's bright and cheery while fawning over Arawn. These three look like they'll provide plenty of amusement, and I'm also looking forward to more of the characters shown in the OP and ED being introduced.
Clannad ~After Story~ ep22
I'm not sure what to think of the ending. Part of me is glad I didn't have to deal with the emotional devastation of both Nagisa and Ushio dying. (Just thinking about the end of ep21 still hurts.) But another part of me feels that the whole thing was a bit of a cop-out. After all the emotional turmoil since Nagisa gave birth, having it all wiped away in an instant just didn't seem real and I couldn't fully enjoy the happiness of the ending.
Getting shots of where the other characters ended up was neat, though. (Grownup!Mei is hot.) And Fuuko was hilarious as usual. Poor Kouko has quite the handful of a sister.
Shugo Chara!! Doki ep78
I could never forget about my little tsundere, Lulu, but I'm glad they're still giving her some attention. Watching her get all flustered over Amu's depression was fun. And the twins she ? egged were cute. I guess they couldn't let the show go too many episodes without a transformation scene.
Minami-ke: Okaeri ep10
Shin commented that this was the funniest episode of the series but I wasn't seeing it at first. Sure, it was as funny as usual, but not particularly amazing. Then I got to the third part of the episode and could not stop laughing. Natsuki is weird and crazy and his smile is hilariously creepy. Also, I was so very jealous of Fujioka while Chiaki was being all cute and clingy with him.
I'm disappointed that Ayako's quality has been going downhill, though. Back when they did Spice and Wolf and the first two Minami-ke series they were really good. But their releases seem to have more and more errors lately. The timing in this episode was pretty bad and I think they missed translating a line. v2 with moar effort, plz.
The Tower of Druaga: The Sword of Uruk ep6-7
More plot twists came trickling out, one of which made Henaro a little more interesting. And, like I figured, Melt finally rejoined Jil's party. More of him and Coopa is always a good thing. This season still seems slower than the first one, though, and I find my interest dwindling when there's too much time between the lulz.
Valkyria Chronicles ep1
Holy crap, this show is beautiful. I love the art style, all the characters are wonderfully animated, the backgrounds are amazingly detailed, and even the CG vehicles blend in seamlessly. I thought Eden and FMA looked good but, wow, Valkyria Chronicles tops even them for my pick of prettiest anime of the season... Spazzing over the visuals aside (and by the way, the music sounded great too), the the story has me interested and it looks like the show will provide some great action with nice little doses of comedy mixed in. The characters all seem interesting and amusing so I'm looking forward to seeing more of them.
Ichigo Mashimaro ep7-8 (Anime Club)
Miu was hilarious as always in these episodes, especially when she involved the other girls in her shenanigans. Just about every single thing she does invokes laughs. There's never much to say about Ichigo Mashimaro, though, given the simplicity of the series. It's always just consistently cute and funny. But that's why I love it.
Kanon (2006) ep7-8 (Anime Club)
We got the big drama bombshell about Makoto dropped on us at the end of ep8. I recommend bringing tissues next week.
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ ep2
This episode did a nice job of showing Zwei slowly losing feeling. But then Claudia came in and blew his mind. Okay, maybe not, but it looks like he's still got some fight in him now. I'm interested in seeing where the show goes with that. Meanwhile, Ein continued to look badass with a sniper rifle.
There'a an amusing Anime Club chat log on the next page.
