Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

[ Episode 13: Wolf and New Journey ]

Not surprisingly, everything went rather well over the course of this episode. There was no wolf battle because Horo chose a more mature option (that is, prostrating herself) that diverted away from having to kill a ton of wolves and possibly receive injuries herself. Lawrence managed to escape his bindings and meet up with Horo who then transformed into her wolf form to hurry to Nora’s aid. I really loved the scenes that followed because it was the first time we get to see wolf-Horo in an open environment and witness her speed and agility. Not to mention she laid waste to all of those goons that were working for the Remerio Company. For the remainder of the episode Lawrence manages to strike a deal with Remerio that would have him receive 500 Rumione over a period of 10 years. I hope interest builds up over that time as well!

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Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Episode Total: 24
Producers: CBC, Common Wealth Entertainment, GDH, HBC, Pony Canyon, RKB, TBC, GONZO, Columbia Music Entertainment
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction
Sunabozu
[Review: 70/100]

Have you ever seen a show when you don’t really know if to hate or to root for the lead character? I don’t think I have ever had the misfortune of having such experience prior to Sunabozu, made by our folks from Gonzo who brought us Chrno Crusade, Romeo+Juliet and more recently, Rosario + Vampire. While all those shows rely on likeable main characters, Sunabozu, or how he is known here in the West, Desert Punk, is nothing but likeable. That doesn’t make him a bad character, and he gives a little spice to an overall okay show.

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Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Episode Total: 24
Producers: J.C.STAFF
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Magical Girl, Romance, Supernatural
Maburaho
[Review: 62/100]

As you have probably guessed from my two Da Capo reviews, I don’t like Clichéd Harem shows. Maburaho, although it features fewer girls, compensate that with a lot of comedy and weird situations, and even pushing the supernatural factor even more. While it is different in presentation and style, Maburaho proves it’s nothing more than just another Harem show.

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Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Episode Total: 26
Producers: CIRCUS, Ganges, ZEXCS, Lantis, feel.
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Supernatural
D.C.S.S. ~Da Capo Second Season~
[Review: 60/100]

After finishing the moderately decent first season of Da Capo, I wasn’t expecting much from the second season. Maybe a fresh new coat of animation and a few ongoing storylines that overlap each other will help this one be different than the stereotypical first season. It got the same music and art you know and love from the show, but one main addition, the character Aisia, ruined for this season for many. Ironically, it wasn’t exactly a disaster for me.

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Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Episode Total: 26
Producers: CIRCUS, Ganges, ZEXCS, Lantis, feel.
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Supernatural
D.C. ~Da Capo~
[Review: 59/100]

When you hear about a show that’s based on a Japanese dating sim, you are bound to think it’s all about the pretty girls, or guys, you converse with. Da Capo is one of those anime that are based on such thing. It has the same premise of any other anime of its type; have a moderately normal and somewhat popular guy put in an environment of beautiful girls and just see how things go from there. Although some of the scenarios are less than common, I just can’t help but notice how bland it is.

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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 13: Both those who are immortal and those who are not enjoy life equally ]

What a great way to end an awesome series! Like always a ton of things happened and a few things that, while predictable, were still very well written.

Seeing Ladd and Lua at the beginning shows us just how they ended up in the state that they were in back in the first episode (how they got there and why Ladd had a missing arm). Surprisingly enough though after Rail Tracer was done with those two he proposed to Chane out of no where! I didn’t see that coming but it all adds up now. Things such as how Chane ended up in the river and who the person was in the first episode in the shadows. The shadow guy was Rail Tracer who was looking for Chane!

The Jacuzzi fight was done very well too. I was almost expecting a clean victory but this is Baccano of course and he had to get a few scratches (and gunshots) here and there. The reunion between him and Nice was absolutely adorable though. They have to be one of the cutest couples in Baccano, right up there with Isaac and Miria. Speaking of those two, I’ll get back to them at the end.

The events of 1930 turned out very good. Firo, Luck, the rest of the Gandors, and the mafia itself are all Immortals after having drank the sake that Isaac and Miria were passing around earlier. I loved the way Firo owned that bastard Szilard! Slicing up his right arm and eating him while he was burning alive! It doesn’t get any better than that! I’m glad that Ennis is still alive thanks to Firo now having Szilard’s knowledge to restore her life-force. Those two are obviously going to be a great couple.

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Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Episode Total: 13
Producers: Marvelous Entertainment, MADHOUSE
Genres: Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction
GUNSLINGER GIRL
[Review: 95/100]

There was one prevalent thought that slapped me in the face after I finished watching this last week: “What the hell took me so long?”. I honestly couldn’t answer that question. Gunslinger Girl is an absolutely amazing series that chronicles the lives of five adolescent girls, who possess cybernetic implants, and their handlers. With the first season consisting of 13 episodes it’s an easy must-watch with topnotch production values, superbly written characters, and an intriguing plot.

Gunslinger Girl aired back in 2003 and even today the animation is some of the best I’ve seen. The character designs are great and I particularly love those of the girls as they’re all shaped differently and possess their own unique physical traits. The music is absolutely stunning. I had wondered who came up with such beautiful compositions and to my surprise it was none other than Sahashi Toshihiko, the very same man who did the brilliant score for Simoun. I can listen to this soundtrack anytime of the day and I’d instantly disconnect myself from whatever I’m doing and be submersed into the sweet sounds.

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[ Episode 12: love ]

The end has come and now I must bid farewell to what I believe is one of the best shows of the year. This episode was a marvelous conclusion to Renji and Chihiro’s story arc and to the series overall. For most of the first half I was honestly teary-eyed to see how much pain Renji was suffering and because of Chihiro’s thoughts and feelings in the first ripped page he found. While some may think he’s subsequent dash and search for the remaining pages were all in vain I’d beg to differ. I personally saw that entire collection of scenes as a representation of just how much he loves Chihiro. One of those pages were on the very edge a building that was quite high up and another was in a tree that I can only imagine was not easy to clean up nor left his hands/skin unscratched.

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Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Episode Total: 12
Producers: Kyoto Animation
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Mecha, Military, Science Fiction, Shounen
Kadokawa’s Full Metal Panic! Homepage
[Review: 95/100]

Fumoffu picks up some after the first season. However, there is a huge difference between the two shows. Fumoffu focuses primarily on the high school romance comedy aspect of Sousuke and Kaname’s lives (and it is a side story rather than a second season…but I think most still see it as a second season so I guess it really doesn’t matter). I honestly can’t begin to tell you how many times I laughed throughout Fumoffu when I had finally seen the last few seconds of the final episode. I loved all of the antics and it’s insanely hard to choose just one favorite. Everything with Bunta-kun, the insane policewoman, Sousuke kidnapping women in an attempt to “flirt”, the haunted hospital, and the toxic weapon incident are among the few hilarious moments that sent me into a whirlwind of laughter. If you weren’t already in love with the characters at the end of the first season you’ll have no choice by the time you’re done with Fumoffu.

Kyoto Animation taking the reigns from GONZO was also a big plus as the animation was great and consistent. The music was as good as ever, especially the new tracks. Again, the seiyuu all did a marvelous job and the comedy was insanely hilarious. It goes without saying that this is highly recommended. You can probably watch it without seeing the first season but it would be tons more enjoyable if you have since you’ll be familiar with all the characters and the overall setting.

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