Coyote Ragtime Show ep 1 - 3
A few years ago I watched the first episode of this series on ADV's In Demand anime channel. I've been interested in seeing the rest of the series since then, and now I've got my chance.
CRS is set in the future. Humanity has colonized other worlds and established the Federation. Unfortunately the government is corrupt and under the control of the Criminal Guild. On the planet Sandvil, Federation investigator Angelica Burns comes looking for Mister, a legendary 'coyote' (outlaw) that she's been tracking for years. But there are others looking for Mister as well; the 12 Sisters, android assassins of Lady Marciano, attack the prison. Mister escapes with the help of his old crew and reunites with Franca, the daughter of Bruce, the 'Pirate King' and an old friend of Mister. While evading both Marciano's forces and Angelica, the gang has to make it to the planet Graceland, where Bruce hid his treasure, before it's blown up.
The first episode left a definite impression on me back when I first saw it. The show comes at you full force with lots of explosions, guns blazing, and people biting the dust. Everything about this show is over the top, and it shamelessly flaunts it. This is epitomized by the 12 Sisters, all dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion. The action never lets up for long, with Mister and his crew almost constantly on the run from the Sisters.
To me, the shows feels a bit like a combination of Cowboy Bebop and Outlaw Star, so if you like either of those you might consider giving this a try.
Kanon ep 16 - 18
And now the focus is on Shiori. In a way, her story is the odd one out of the rest since it doesn't have any of the mystical elements that were essential to Makoto's and Mai's storylines. She's simply a girl dying of an incurable disease. You could probably make an entire series out of her story, with the development of a relationship between her and Yuichi and both of them having to face the fact that she doesn't have long to live. I could easily empathize with Yuchi's frustration at Kaori. Did she really think ignoring Shiori to avoid the pain made any sense? Would it make it any easier once Shiori was gone? Wouldn't it be better to spend whatever time was left together?
Then there's Yuichi and Kitagawa's cracktastic dancing at the birthday party. Oh how I laughed...
ep 19 - 24
The series ends with what is probably the most important story of all, Ayu's. Yuichi finally remembers the tragedy that caused him to lock away all of his memories from seven year ago. And if the mystery surrounding Ayu wasn't enough, Akiko is involved in a traffic accident (holy crud that looked nasy).
The final episode was a bit confusing at first, and I sat there going, "Wait, so how did everyone miraculously recover?" But it was heavily suggested that Ayu did this as a gift to Yuichi to make him happy. I do like how a few loose ends were tied up, particularly meeting the real Makoto. Earlier in the series I couldn't really see Ayu as being the one Yuichi would end up with, but after her story was fully told and Yuichi did his best to help take care of her in the hospital, I got used to the idea. It was also nice having the show end with her finally waking up. Once in a while, a genuine Happily Ever After is a good thing.
Nodame Cantabile ep 1 - 4
Shinichi Chiaki is the top student at Momogaoka College of Music, a perfectionist and very self-centered, with a desire to one day become a conductor. By accident, he meets Megumi "Nodame" Noda, a student at the same school with a a great talent for the piano.
This show reminds me of Toradora! and Honey & Clover. You have Chiaki cleaning up after and cooking for Nodame, which is very much like the relationship between Ryuji and Taiga, although Nodame's spastic personality is closer to Minori. And then you have the setting, and while it's a music school rather than an art school, it and the various relationships are a lot like Honey & Clover.
I think meeting all these strange people that he can't get rid of is good for someone like Chiaki, because he really is a bit too up tight. He needs to get knocked down a peg or two, broaden his horizons and learn how to interact with others. Masumi, the gay timpani player, is definitely the Morita of this series, being about as much of a spaz as Nodame. It'll also be interesting to see how Chiaki deals with Strasseman, the famous conductor that's supposedly come to form a special orchestra at the school but seems more interested in hitting on the females and blocking Chiaki's dreams of becoming a conductor. That's definitely one thing Honey & Clover didn't have: an antagonist.
This series looks like it'll be a lot of fun, and I'm already eager to watch more of it.
Silent Mobius ep 14 - 17
Rally finally gives Katsumi more information on her parents and Project Gaia, the attempt to balance both Earth and Nemesis (home of the Lucifer Hawk). What we get is a nice flashback episode which fills in some of the blanks as well as revealing why Rally recruited certain people into the AMP.
The most significant development is the introduction of a new character, Lum Cheng. Right now the girl is an annoying brat, and winds up hating Katsumi due to her relationship with Roy, whom Lum Cheng has also fallen for (though really, they've barely met, so it's more like infatuation). Hopefully she'll mature over time, but for now she seems like more of a liability to the team than someone who'll play by the rules.
One thing that kind of annoys me is how the episodes can get a bit melodramatic. I think it's partly due to the dub acting, which is pretty average. Yuki's little accidental time travel episode was some nice character building for her, but then the following episode centered on Kiddy got a bit painful to watch (painful as in "This is not being acted well at all").
Tokyo Babylon ep 1 - 2
One of my favorite anime is X, and Tokyo Babylon centers around two of the central characters of the later series, Subaru Sumeragi and Seishiro Sakurazuka. The story is set several years before the events of X, when Subaru is a teenager. His family have been spiritual protectors of Japan for many centuries, and Subaru works as a medium. For now, Seishiro works as a vet and is one of Subaru's closest friends.
The OVA is pretty decent. The first episode climaxes with a very well executed supernatural battle, and the second is a dark, intense murder mystery. It's interesting to see Subaru so young, open and friendly to people, already knowing that later in X he is closed off and haunted by events that have yet to take place here. It's also interesting seeing Seishiro portrayed as a kind man concerned for Subaru's well being, knowing that later he will revert to the supernatural assassin that he really is, hints of which are scattered through these episodes.
You're Under Arrest! ep 18 - 24
The first three episodes here all seem to follow a romantic theme, with Yoriko meeting a prince, Ken's father marrying his girlfriend, and Aoi attracting the affections of a film star. I wasn't quite sold on the concept of this actor being Bokuto's "Chief for a Day" at first, but with an autograph session and a parade, it became apparent that it was just a publicity thing.
After that Strike Man returns once again. I have a feeling this guy is just going to pop up every few episodes whether I like it or not. This time he ends up as a patsy for two thieves and he's too stupid to realize it. I hope Natsumi and Miyuki finally do manage to arrest him one day.
The fun continues with the gang going undercover to catch a perp who likes to slash red dresses, Natsumi takes her driver's test (and amazingly passes, eventually... The woman may be great on a bike but she's insane behind the wheel of a car), and they nab an impostor stealing from senior citizens.
