... Or maybe a bit later than midseason! Been meaning to do this for a while now, but I am behind on a couple of shows, so I kept putting it off. But if I put the post off any more, it wouldn't be anywhere near midseason. xD
I'm watching 10 shows this season. Choosing an order right now is really tough for a couple of reasons: There is no clear cut No. 1, for me, and the quality at the top is uniformly high. This is a pretty good season! (Not gonna lie -- I'll be surprised if the fall season is this good ...)
Anyway, here it is!
1. Bakemonogatari (7/15)
2. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 (7/11)
3. Aoi Hana (5/11)
4. Canaan (8/13)
5. Spice and Wolf II (7/12)
6. Umineko no Naku Koro ni (8/?)
7. Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (6/13)
8. Sora no Manimani (6/12)
9. Kanamemo (6/13)
10. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 2 (11/?)
Bakemonogatari is definitely the best looking series of the season (being a SHAFT+Shinbo production will do that for ya), and while the stories aren't particularly complex, what makes the show worth watching is the inventiveness of the conversations and how they develop character. Senjougahara and Araragi are quickly turning into SHAFT's Lawrence and Horo, haha. Tokyo Magnitude is pretty much the opposite of Bakemonogatari -- it's low-key and not especially flashy. But it has a hell of a lot of heart in its depiction of the growth and struggle for survival of two kids, Mirai and Yuuki Onozawa, and their adult protector, Mari Kusakabe. Its fifth episode might be the best, most quietly moving of the season so far. Aoi Hana is just really, really good -- it was actually my early favorite, but I have fallen behind as my preferred subbing groups have also fallen behind. Watching every episode of this series is a treat; in its own way, it is nearly as good looking as Bakemonogatari. I'm head over heels in love with its style.
Canaan is a fun, crazy action show. The plot is kind of wtf at the moment, but I am enjoying the characters, so whatever. My favorite is Liang Qi because Rie Tanaka is freaking epic as her. GET SOME, GET SOME. Spice and Wolf II more Spice and Wolf awesomeness: Lawrence and Horo being wonderfully enjoyable flirts, and Lawrence falling into silly get rich quick schemes. I approve heartily. Umineko seems to be getting to the point where it will get really good, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it shoot up this list by season's end. I love the mind games between Battler and Beatrice. Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is another solid addition to the series. Some characters are treading dangerously close to Flanderization (Chiri, most notably, though I still love her), but it's still really funny, so I am not complaining much.
Sora no Manimani is a recent pick-up for me. It's not much more than a good, funny romantic comedy, though my inner astronomy geek leaps with joy whenever the series whips out beautifully rendered shots of starry night skies. And it does this quite often! Kanamemo annoyed me at the beginning, but I am slowly warming up to it. There isn't much to it, but every so often it will do something legitimately clever and awesome (the musical episode is great). The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 2 is going to stay down here because of "Endless Eight". I know "The Sighs of Haruhi Suzumiya" is not good enough to make up for that garbage.
