Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Genres: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural
OP: [Tabi no Tochū (旅の途中)] by Natsumi Kiyoura
ED: [Ringo Hiyori (リンゴ日和)] by Rocky Chack
狼と香辛料 Official web site

The start of Spice and Wolf (I wonder why they reversed the title from Wolf and Spice…) was pretty damn good and one of the best I’ve seen so far from the Winter line-up. If this episode is any indication I think that this show will definitely end up being among the jewels of the Winter 2008 season.

Time for some economics!

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[ Episode 58: Asian Headquarters ]

This is probably the most uplifting episode in the series yet. Seeing Allen trying so hard to restore his Innocence makes me personally cheer out loud for him. I think I did something similar when I first saw it in the manga as well. I really loved how that scene was done. Additionally, I really like the Asian Headquarters. It doesn’t seem to be as big as the main Headquarters but it still feels like a nice place. Not to mention it has quite a few interesting people like Fou, Lou, and Bak who all are rather hilarious on their own. This part of the arc is one of my favorites since it shows Allen trying his hardest to regain his Innocence and in addition become stronger than he was before. Seeing the rest animated will be a real treat.

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[ Episode 57: Disappearance and Reunion ]

When I first saw this part of the story it was all pretty sad at first because of the state it left Lenalee in. Thankfully though that was all temporary since she was basically reassured that Allen wasn’t dead by Bookman. Laughs were also aplenty mainly because of Miranda. I really loved how they executed her scenes, especially the last one where she tells the crew so happily that she can go without sleep for at least ten days and already didn’t sleep for three days. Seriously, Miranda is one messed up yet awesome woman. Though I have to wonder what keeps her going.

Oh, and as if we needed confirmation, we get to see Allen alive and well with a sleeping beauty at the side of his bed. Things are getting more and more awesome.

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Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen, Supernatural
OP: [Katayoku no Icarus (片翼のイカロス)] by Yui Sakakibara
ED: [Kazahane (カザハネ)] by Haruka Shimotsuki
H2O ～FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND～

I once was blind but now I see…

So yeah, I was going to open with a smack on the “ROCK YOUR SOUL” bit but that’s probably been done a few too many times already. So, I’ll get right to the point here. Takuma is a blind guy that attends a normal school and is already getting popular among the girls. A girl, Kohinata Hayami, getting the hell beat out of her by some worthless scum. Another girl, Yui, who commands said worthless scum. Definitely doesn’t sound your like normal romance/harem series, yeah?

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Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen, Supernatural
OP: [COSMIC LOVE] by Nana Mizuki
ED: [Dancing in the velvet moon] by Nana Mizuki
ロザリオとバンパイア

Ah~. Rosario + Vampire has arrived and what can I say?

Well, I can say that Rosario + Vampire’s presentation turned out rather differently from what I expected it to be when compared to the manga. I mean sure, there is some fanservice in the manga here and there but the entire first episode is chocked full panty-shots and breast-zooms. Highschool Girls first came to mind after seeing so many of them. There is such a thing as ‘too much fanservice’. “But GONZO was in charge so you should have known better”, some might say.

Should I have? Maybe, but not because of GONZO. Though, let’s just say I certainly didn’t think the ecchi would be bumped up so many notches.

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[ Episode 12: What an Incredible Bother! ]

Firstly, I have to say I love how they brought back the first OP for the final episode. For some reason it just further excited me for the rest of the entire episode. And, like I said in the episode 11 entry, I knew that we were going to get something totally different from the cliffhanger.

There was a great number of things that had me laughing all over the place. I didn’t see the Starbucks joke coming at all. Seeing Matoi in the coffin with Nozomu was absolutely hilarious. She REALLY is ready to die with him at any time! Don’t get me started on the “stick in a dog” thing either. That had me going “WTF” more than just once and I loved it.

This final episode also introduced us to two more characters: Kaga Ai and Mitama Mayo. Kaga Ai is someone I’m sure most of us have seen or known at some point. I’m sure some of us even had some paranoid thoughts similar to her about bothering other people. I particularly laughed at movie one! Mitama Mayo is a pretty evil girl. But, because she looks so obviously evil, not one thinks that she is! It got really ridiculous after she started attacking Nozomu and his nephew though but even that was showing us that some people just refuse to see the obvious when it’s bashing them right over the head.

Now it’s time for my final impression! ^^;

[ Final Thoughts ]

There are so many things I can say about Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei that I could go on and on for hours with a discussion on the characters, themes, and entire episodes. This show is absolutely one of the best that aired in 2007 and I’m so glad that I picked it up after discovering the manga. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei introduced a style of humor only it can execute flawlessly. Most of it is dark and presented in such a way that you just have no other choice but to laugh even if you were at the tail end of one of the many problems introduced either as a theme or character trait.

Speaking of the characters, they were all excellently done and I’m sure that most viewers can identify with at least one of them and their problem. From Nozomu’s pessemistic views of the world and Kafuka’s blind positive outlook on life to Matoi’s obsession with Nozomu and Chiri’s “do it proper” attitude; every character in this show was likable in some way though of course some more than others. My personal favorites are Nozomu, Chiri, Kaere, Matoi, and Kafuka. I can talk almost forever about each of them and the others as well but that is something that’ll probably exceed the word limit of this entry.

Like I said before, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei easily smashed into my all-time favorites list. It is well within the league of ef - a tale of memories, CODE GEASS, Baccano!, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Kai), Dennou Coil, Toward the Terra and a few others that I fell in love with. As such, the score this receives is well deserved for such achieving masterpiece status in my eyes. SHAFT did it with ef - a tale of memories as well so it comes as little surprise that they were able to do it with Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Now, the question stands: Would I recommend this show to others? Hell yes I would! Some may say it takes a specific audience to appreciate this show and while they are technically right, there is more than enough characters and themes present that should reach out to whomever views this series. Whether they choose to laugh at how it makes a fool out of modern society and its taboos or call it nonsense is really all up to them. As for me, I’m so glad that I finished this just in time for the start of the second season!

[Overall series review: 98/100]

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[ Episode 11: That's Impossible Isn't There an Original ]

I’ll get straight to the point with the theme of this episode. The overall theme revolved around running away from responsibility. A good part of this had to deal with the use of using the excuse of following “originals”. I found this part particularly hilarious since there is usually complaints about anime deviating from its original source whether it be manga, game, or otherwise. From there it went into using the excuse for other things such as cooking and using religion or God to escape from responsibility.

As usual the hilarity was painted all over the episode. I was really loving Chiri’s role throughout the episode, especially when she was practically acting as his wife! I also couldn’t recover over how they almost went into “permanent hibernation” by sealing off the windows in Nozomu’s house and burning charcoal. Carbon-monoxide poisoning LOL!

The cliffhanger is seriously a huge one where Nozomu is struck dead on from a streetcar. Ouch. There’s no telling what the next episode will bring considering that this is Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and SHAFT we’re talking about here. No matter how it turns out though, this show will definitely be in my all-time favorites list along with others such s ef - a tale of memories, CODE GEASS, and Baccano!. Just to name a few. ^__^

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[ Episode 9: Miss Michiko From the Other Side ]

Damn this episode was sizzling! I didn’t know what to expect from this duel but I was blown away. Firstly, the ghost stories about Michiko were awesome. Haraken’s in particular was especially good and those wraith faces were freaky as well (I watched this 3AM in the morning). I laughed at how Daichi and Fumie were scared out of their minds at Haraken’s story. Those two couldn’t recover at all after that.

Yasako was pretty cool in this episode using her abilities to shield herself and destroy traps. I’m glad to finally see her using the techniques we’ve seen up till now. One of the most hilarious moments has to be when Tamako sneaked inside the school with Satchii and it wondered off a bit and zapped two of Daichi’s goons. I’m pretty sure that they didn’t know what hit them when they saw Satchii turn the corner to come after them!

The meat of the plot though involves Isako chasing around what seems to be a kirabug in the form of a small girl (lol fairy?). Haraken also sees this kirabug and enters a room where this a phone in front of him. He dials the number he got from Denpa who had translated the message within the metabug he found in the last episode (4-4-2-3). Amazingly, Kanna’s voice is heard on the other side and she tells him some directions and he proceeds to faint. Then, Isako enters and captures the kirabug and then she absorbs it into her body! The thing that got me the most was how she just stopped a blast from Satchii right at the very end of the episode by simply looking in his direction. What does this mean? Has she undergone some changes after absorbing the kirabug?

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[ Episode 7: Sushi and Fried Katsu ]

Tamaki’s fight with Kenzaburo was pretty intense. That guy was pretty damn excited to be fighting someone so strong that he went all out right from the very start. I could only smile when he said that if he didn’t do that he would have been destroyed in an instant. Still though, the match was pretty exciting especially near the end when he went into the Ascension stance. Apparently, Tamaki’s mother once used that stance in the past and as a result she totally blanked out and the match was stopped by Kenzaburo saying that she was tired from fighting three matches. I’m quite interested in seeing her past now more than ever especially with her mother.

Everything after the matches was a treat as well. Toraji and Kenzaburo had sushi at a place different from the original bet because the store was no longer his father’s thus causing the two to argue back and forth. Tamaki tried to insert a VHD into her DVD player…while still in the case! We got a glimpse of Miyako at home too with her older sister. Miyako’s horror at her sister saying she’d cook obviously tells us that she cooks up poisonous stuff. Sayako meanwhile was napping while her little brother bothered her about dinner. I had to laugh at how her firm behind cracked his DS though. I wouldn’t want that to happen to mine regardless of whose behind it is. Then there’s Kirino who made up training menus into seemingly unholy hours of the night. Kirino is such a mature and responsible person!

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[ Episode 6: Kawazoe Tamaki and the Belated Bureiba ]

Did Tamaki say bankai during this episode or was I hearing things? It’s probably the latter but regardless this episode was entertaining. Even though these matches were just for practice I was really into them, especially Miya Miya and Tamaki’s matches. Tamaki won her first match easily against Konatsu. Miya Miya, while strong, didn’t know how to score so she lost her match. Sayako’s match ended in a draw. Kirino won her match despite Yuri’s freaky natto gaze of doom. Seriously, what the hell was that? It made me laugh so unexpectedly though!

Tamaki’s final match was yet an easy win which I wasn’t really expecting since Yoko seemed to be pretty skilled. Even though she lost I’d really like to see what she can do given the chance to move. Though it was scary knowing that Tamaki hasn’t even been training with her friends at half-strength. o_o That said I’m looking forward to see the next episode as she is taking on Kenzaburo.

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