You know, I’m actually pretty surprised. I mean first off, it was a very light series– cute, but not particularly outstanding –and it didn’t even have a particularly open ending either. (Not to mention no one in the show has a nose.)

And yet, here you have it: the official Code-E blog announces that a season 2 is on the way. No word on when; I kind of find myself hoping it’ll be another summer series. Somehow the light and fluffiness of the show seems appropriate for summer.

Okay, the only thing you really need to know about Code-E is that by the end of the series, every character STILL completely fails to have a nose.

As for Heroic Age…I still don’t have the first clue what actually happened. But it looked very pretty! Well, except for that one creature that kept spurting out planet-sized buckets of blood.

Warning: thar be spoilers here. Less for the actual plot than for random side stuff, but still, you have been warned.

Read the rest of this entry »

I just finished the last episode of Potemayo and I bawled like a baby.

…Well, not really. But it was a good ending.

If you haven’t already, I recommend watching the series. It’s short, and although the visual style could be cavity-inducing, the show itself is wacky and self-mocking enough to be really enjoyable. Definitely my second-favorite of the summer season. (I hardly need to tell you what comes first.)

Current Mood:  Creeped Out

Okay, folks, let’s talk a little bit about the summer ‘07 show Potemayo, which I just caught the first episode of.

First off? It’s about babies. Okay? Babies. Granted, they’re remarkably mobile and their thought processes are pretty sophisticated, but Potemayo is a freakin’ baby. At least, I sure HOPE all that poofing out is diapers - although since she apparently wet the bed they can’t be very good diapers. Ghetto diapers, I guess.

That said, it’s actually a pretty funny show. The “main character” (who has approximately five lines in the whole first episode) hardly bats an eye at his refrigerator giving birth to a bizarre baby.

THE ABOVE IS ALL TRUE. I love the green-haired girl’s character design. But then she opened her mouth, and her shrill screeching voice killed any potential affection at the get-go. Fortunately, the boring-looking brunette’s voice is smexy, and she even turns out to be a character of some significance. Groovy.

Now, some Kaze no Stigma.

The female lead does not appear to be being ironic when she says this. She actually goes on to compare her identical outfits. As a viewer, I felt insulted that the creators actually thought I might find it funny.

That said: even Ayano’s dad understands his obligation to try and get the main characters together. So to those of you who actually argued that the show isn’t heading that direction: HA.

I currently have School Days 1 and 2, Moetan 1, and Code-E 1 to watch, but I’m also running up against my deadline for a feature article, so my next Reckoning probably won’t be until sometime next week, FYI.

Current Mood:  Disappointed

Okay, look. I’m as aware as anyone that anime and manga steal borrow character designs from each other, and that sometimes a particular kind of design just gets popular, right?

But still, isn’t this a little much?

That’s Karen from Sky Girls, Mugi from Hitohira, and Michiru from Zombie Loan. All three are shy girl types, with Karen and Mugi both even having problems speaking (though in Karen’s case it’s only talking to guys). And Karen and Michiru have the same bizarrely grey hair color. But of course, the link between all three is those super-skinny pigtails/braids! WTF?…End rant.

Current Mood:  Determined

Okay, time to get down to business: summer 2007 anime, so far. This is all best on ONE ep, since none of them have more than that out, so take it all with a grain of salt, folks.

DoujinWork
Status: …May give it another episode.
I was pretty with-it with this series (especially OMG LESBIAN SUBTEXT!) until “Justice” and the five-year-old doujinshika loli appeared. They could have been funny, but instead they just seemed…creepy. I also just felt kind of embarassed watching the main character decide to do doujinshi to make money. I may watch another ep to see if I can get over it, but I was really underwhelmed with ep one.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai
Status: Gonna try ep 2…
Okay, I already posted on this one, but it bears repeating: MOST BORING FIRST EP EVER. I understand you wanna recap, but christ, find a way to make it interesting.

Kenko Zenrakei Suieibu Umisho
Status: Intrigued
Another one I already talked about, which is not quite as over-the-top wacky-funny as I was expecting (a la Love Hina at least at first), plus the female lead isn’t quite as “cool” as I was expecting (she sounds like she’s six!). But it’s pretty cute, so I’ll keep watching.

 Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei
Status: Addicted
This is definitely my favorite so far. The first one to actually make me laugh, with excellent animation and a soundtrack I’m already dying for? Yes plz. I also love all the goofy jokes on the chalkboards in the background. ♥

Sky Girls
Status: Intrigued
Not as much of a loli-fest as I expected, it looks kinda sweet. I’ll keep watching. But look for my next post about some AWFULLY SIMILAR CHARACTER DESIGNS this year.

Zero no Tsukaima
Status: Watching
I liked season one. I’m enjoying season two. This is not exactly a deep, thoughtful anime…it’s sort of the anime equivalent of a summer popcorn movie, it’s just enjoyable.

Zombie-Loan
Status: Watching
The first one I watched this season and discussed here. I’m curious to see where this goes, especially since it’s so crazy different from Rozen Maiden (and/or Shugo Chara! for that matter).

So, that’s 7 out of 21. I have the first eps of Moetan and School Days left to watch, and a lot hasn’t aired yet. For the rest: where are my fucking subs?! (Especially for Mushi-uta, damnit?!)

Current Mood:  Determined

Alright, I watched the first ep of Higurashi Kai, but it was boring as all get-out. At first I was glad for a recap since I didn’t watch season one, but christ was it dull. So I won’t bother going into that. Here’s hoping ep two is worth a damn!

I also watched the first episode of Kenko Zenrakei Suieibu Umisho, henceforth to be referred to as “Umisho,” or “Mary Sue Goes Skinny-Dipping.” It looks cute. I was expecting it to be more over-the-top hilarious, but I’ll give it a few episodes to see where it goes, if only for the fanservice’s sake. (Also, I really like the way they do eyes in this show. Go fig.)

Oh, and Kaze no Stigma 12 is out, and Ren’s arc is done. Good, now he can focus his energies on getting Kazuma and Ayano together. And anyone who tells me that the series isn’t gearing up to get them together can watch the episode 13 preview and suck it.

Current Mood:  Confused

No, seriously. The girl tames MOOSE in her free time. And don’t get me started on all the flowers that flock around her. WTF!

…Oh well. At least the next ep will be onsen goodness. ♥

Speaking of onsen eps, I forgot to say yesterday that I love how Darker than Black set up to have an onsen ep and then had it be EMO!YIN and no onsen at all. Joke’s on you, fanboys!

I’ve just been skimming D.Gray-Man eps lately because of all the filler. Why can’t anime filler ever be like Oreo filling? All yummy and stuff. Bah. But it looks like next ep will at least return to Allen and Lenalee, so I’m not dropping it just yet. Mm, Lenalee.

I’m being really slow on starting up summer series. Mostly because they’re being very slow to get subbed, but also because I’m still watching a SHIT TON OF STUFF. I can’t wait for the next ep of Gurren Lagann though. ♥

Romeo x Juliet is NOT going to be 14 eps, thank god. And next episode involves MANUAL LABOR!ROMEO! Which amuses me. He’s actually developing a backbone very nicely - not some lame insta-GAR, but he’s not just remaining a complete pansy either. Keep it up, Gonzo!

Let’s see…in other news, it looks like I’m gonna have to work in a trip to Arizona next year, assuming that the con develops into something more than “Yaoi-Press-Fest,” as Jordan put it. Um…anyone live there and have some crash space? ♥♥

Current Mood:  FAITO!

Ahh, the first episode of Zombie-Loan. I won’t say that it’s brilliant TV, but it’s not bad so far. The art style is a bit weird for me compared to Rozen Maiden (chins and noses are so…damn…POINTY!), but I can live with that. As long as Michiru grows some balls, anyway.

And that’s my first summer show so far (got a few raws to check out though, plus the BSS Higurashi release - so quit trying to tell me about the damn show, people!). Now, on to the usual suspects:

Bokurano - Where are my fucking subs?!
Claymore - I kind of miss Raki, actually. Can it be timejump tiem nao plzz?
Darker than Black - See Bokurano
El Cazador - see Bokurano
Emma season 2 - see Bokurano
Gurren Lagann - Kinda dull right now, honestly. Waiting on another timejump here…
Hayate no Gotoku - The most consistently funny series from spring, definitely.
Heroic Age - Why do I keep watching this? And why has no one killed Deianeira’s retarded brothers loooong before now?
Kamichama Karin - Why do I keep watching this? And why has no one put me out of my retarded misery looooong before now?
Kaze no Stigma - Why do I keep watching this? And will Ayano and Kazuma stop being complete douches to each other?
Lovely Complex - Holy shit, a romantic comedy that doesn’t suck!
Lucky*Star - Dale and I kept doing “bye-bee” symbols at each other at AX. That’s all you really need to know about that.
Romeo x Juliet - Where are my fucking hormones? (No, really?)
Sisters of Wellber - Just started picking this up, and it’s not as bad as I expected. But, protip, subbers: CYRANO DE BERGERAC. Not Bulgerock. Not Voljirakku. THEY’RE TRYING TO SAY BERGERAC. Read maor!
Sumomomo Momomo - …see Bokurano, damnit.

And now, a fanfiction manifesto. Read the rest of this entry »