MAS-o-ween

So last night, my college anime club put our usual showing schedule on hold in favor of our annual Halloween party (our club is called Manga Anime Society, or MAS, hence, MAS-o-ween). It's something I generally enjoy because I get to preview some different series (usually horror or supernatural themed to fit in with the occasion), and it's also pretty much the best food event of the year. There was candy of course, and sushi, and pizza. Lots and lots of pizza.

I guess I wasn't terribly impressed with the showing this year, some anime about this ghost kid named Kitaro who fights demons, but that could be because our main showings are so strong this year. Also, Kakurenbo was on the schedule, which some of you may remember from a Halloween [as] showing a few years back, but for some reason they didn't actually show that. Other events I was actually around for were AMVs, and of course, the costume contest. Some of the costumes were anime related and some weren't, but it's still fun to see what people come up with every year. All in all, it was a good distraction from the weekly norm, but I think I'm ready to get back to Zetsubo Sensei and Princess Tutu.

updated

So here's what I'm sticking with for the present: Kannagi and Mouryo no Hako for sure. The latter is shaping up to be pretty good. Kurozuka is holding my interest for the moment, and Toradora kind of is too. It has a catchy OP at least... sometimes even something as little as that helps me stick with a series. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, I'll admit. Michiko to Hatchin does not seem to be keeping all that regular a schedule, but I think the second episode has aired in Japan. I liked the first episode enough to at least keep going with the second one.

Add these (potential) five to Bleach, Naruto and Soul Eater, and I am left to ask myself - what have I done? I sort of surf through Bleach and Naruto since I know what's going to happen, so that helps with the time commitment.

Hola y'all

Finally got around to joining the blog, heh. Y'all know who I am, I hope (same name here as the boards, after all), so I won't really do much of an introduction. Maenos, robot, helper, etc.

I think I'll start things off here with my list of favorite anime. Now, I don't really like putting favorite things into a numbered list too much. But at the same time, I do have some rankings for the top of the top. So, if you're interested, or just want some anime to watch that you may not have seen, read on:

(edit: Bah, seems some minor formatting problems. Can't seem to fix 'em. I'll figure out how to blog as I go, I suppose)

7) REC

REC is a cute, rather short anime that I came across a few years back. One of the first things I noticed about it was that each episode is quite short (about 12 minutes, if memory serves). It circles around Fumihiko Matsumaru, who works at a company that makes snacks, and Aka Onda, an aspiring seiyuu (Japanese voice actress). Due to events, Aka and Matsumaru have to live together, and it follows them.

Now, yeah, I'll readily admit this sounds like any number of harem anime out there. And Matsumaru does fit the bill pretty easily. So why is it #7 for me? Because its cute. Its a fun, little story about two possible lovers. I'm a hopeless romantic at times, and this helps that part of me.

The anime (10 episodes in all) only covers the story from the first manga volume, and, as with other shows, the manga continues on. However, a warning should you go looking into the manga (available in scans-only at the moment): It does have some adult scenes. Nothing too graphic, but nudity and sexual innuendo. So if that turns you off, best stay away.

6) Clannad

Speaking of harem anime, Clannad kind of fits the bill. The anime is an adaptation of the visual novel of the same name by the company Key, who put out two other visual novels (both of which, I believe, are soft H [adult] games, for those curious. Clannad isn't. Its just a dating sim), named Kanon and Air, so if the style looks similar, you've probably watched one of those. Or The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, as that was animated by Kyoto Animation, who also animated the three I mentioned above.

Anyway...yeah, Clannad is kind of a Harem anime. Main male lead has a number of girls after him. While that can be annoying, Clannad handles it well. The anime breaks into several arcs, each of which represents one of the story routes in the game, though it avoids the culmination where the lead, Okazaki Tomoya, ends up with the girl.

This happens with all the girls but one (which should be pretty bloody clear as you watch, heh). Still, it is a fun, cute, emotional ride. The animation is quite nice, and if nothing else the supporting male Sunohara Youhei, is good for laughs (especially when he sets his eyes on Sakagami Tomoyo [try not to get them confused. I love the show and I still mix up their names]).

Anyway, Clannad is fun. Starry and I marathoned it back this Spring, and we just kept going and going. I believe ADV has licensed it recently, so it should be making its way here. In the meantime, try watching Kanon or Air (I watched three episodes of Air, which did seem kinda nice). If you like either, you'll probably like this.

5) Code Geass

Code Geass. I'm pretty sure most of you (if not all of y'all) are watching this on the Fix. So I won't delve into spoilers. Episode 25, Zero, is up now, go watch it. This is the finale of the first season, and I have to say y'all are VERY lucky that R2 (second season) is only a week away. It was such a long wait for the rest of us.

Er...anyway...Code Geass is firmly in #5 for me. Why does it deserve a spot? It isn't particularly ground-breaking. It can be silly, over the top. So...why?

Because its fun. Because its unpredictible (able? whatever). Seriously, every week one of my friends and I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning (4 am EST) just to get spoiler reports from Japan about the R2's latest episode. Now that its over, I find it odd not having to stay up that late.

Code Geass doesn't come from a manga (rather, the manga comes from it. And there are several of 'em. There's one named after the series, which is slightly different but overall the same. There's Suzaku of the Counterattack, which is from Suzaku's perspective and...I believe doesn't have Knightmare Frames. And there is Nightmare of Nunnally, where Nunnally gets a Geass), so I had no idea what was coming up. Sure, I could guess (and a number of my guesses were right), but there were twists I never saw coming (like with Euphie).

There is one other thing, too, something that I feel a lot of mecha shows don't do much anymore: The mechs are just bloody mechs. There is no sentience. There is no flesh beneath. They are not clones of an Angel that spawned humanity. They don't grow in a cave like some sort of metallic fungi. They are just mechs. Mechs mechs mechs.

And thank god for that.

4) Berserk

I went quite a while without seeing Berserk. Starry saw to it that I watched the first few episodes when she visited me once. We ended up marathoning it and ending it at around 3:30 in the morning.

Big mistake, that. But at the same time, my god, one of the best decisions.

Berserk revolves around one man, Guts, as he struggles against Fate and Life. Born from a dead body, he has had a very hard life. And it just keeps getting harder.

I won't go any further because you need to watch it for yourself to really do it justice. The animation is old, and the VAs are kinda old too (you will recognize some such as Rachael Lillis [Misty from Pokemon] and Sean Schemmel [Goku from DBZ]). But it holds up well, I think.

A major, MAJOR warning, though: Berserk is violent. Very violent. The anime is toned down from the manga, so it doesn't reach...say, Elfen Lied violence, but it is bloody. And there is sex (including rape). The anime, and ESPECIALLY the manga, is not for the faint of heart. Even I can't plow through it without wincing or even looking away at times.

3) Fruits Basket

Again, Starry introduced me to this. I forget exactly how (think she was really enjoying it and then sent it to me). I fell in love with it quickly, though. It is a really sweet and interesting story, and quite engaging. But to me, there is one real reason why I love this series and manga: It saved my life.

Seriously, it did.

I have a serious problem with anxiety. It runs in my family. My grandfather could work himself up so badly he wouldn't be able to do a thing. My father could worry himself so badly that he could power through sleeping medication that would've killed me. My brother breaks down. Me, I become like a gerbil stuck in its wheel, running endlessly. During my senior year of high school, I was worrying myself sick (literally). I hadn't been accepted into a college yet (and really, I had only applied to three). I was looking to the future and freaking out. One night, I was reading (as I often did, helps keep my mind off things) a volume of FB. I got to a part where the character Shigure tells the character Tohru (main female lead) how to deal with her worrying by using an example of her stuck in a room with tons of laundry. While she worries about how she could do all of it, more piles up. Instead, he tells her, she needs to take things one step at a time. Eventually she'll be done.

That has become my philosophy ever since. One step at a time. And it worked. I got accepted into my first choice (how, I'll never know. C-average, 1010 on my SAT, no extra curriculars). I kept going. And now you know one reason why I love it, heh.

2) Fullmetal Alchemist

Y'all know of this, I hope. FMA was one of the first anime I really followed in earnest. You should know why its up here, so I won't waste space on it.

1) Robotech

Robotech, aka Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeada, all combined into one, Americanized, and plotted into a coherent story.

Robotech is the exception to my general rule of avoiding Americanized anime (i.e. Pokemon [though I did like the show when I was a kid...and wow, saying that makes me feel oh-so old], anything spewed out by 4Kids, etc). It was also my very first anime, and so holds the #1 spot, utterly uncontested.

I know now why the three arcs seemed a bit disjointed, its due to the combination of the three different series into this one. But I think it is a good job, and could've ended up far worse. One aspect of it that I love best is the music. Though I hate (hate) Lynn Minmei (the singer in the first part, Macross), I love the singing in the third arc, the Invid Invasion arc, by Lancer/Yellow Dancer (singing by Michael Bradley, talking voice by Cam-freaking-Clarke). It is deliciously 80's (I love 80's music, as bad as it can be. Someone help me.), and even listening to it now (I got the soundtrack when I bought the PS2 game, four years back), still brings up images of the battles. And some of the music is just plain awesome.

So there you have it. My top 7, more or less. Now and then they shift around to accomodate something new, but they generally stay the same.

Hey all

Istari informed me of this blog just now. I haven't had a whole lot of time to watch anime lately, but I thought I'd at least use the opportunity to discuss the couple of series I've been able to catch in anime club this semester.

First is Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei, or the English translation, "So Long Mr. Despair". It's not actually licensed in the US yet, but I've heard that they're releasing the manga pretty soon. Admittedly, it's not for everyone, as the show has a pretty warped sense of humor. Think your typical offbeat high school slice of life comedy along the lines of Azumanga Daioh, only much, much darker, with a cast of characters that makes much of the cast of Evangelion look like well adjusted human beings by comparison. It keeps a very tongue and cheek attitude though and never takes itself too seriously, so it still manages to remain fairly light hearted. It's probably the funniest thing I've seen in a while though, so if you the dark, quirky humor and social commentary, it's worth a look.

The other show I've been catching on a regular basis is Princess Tutu. This one is licensed and has been around for a little while. so it's a little better known. I know I had heard the title at least before I started watching it. Anyway, this one's more of a romantic comedy that owes a lot to ballet and classic fairy tales. It's also quirky in its own way, although not nearly as dark as Zetsubo Sensei. I get the feeling Istari and Silent would like it at least. It isn't quite what I'd call in the same vein as Fruits Basket, but I suppose it sort of has the same vibe.

Also, I thought I'd use this opportunity to go a bit off topic and talk about possibly creating my own personal blog. I'm glad this blog is here for all my anime discussing needs, but I was thinking I'd like one of my own mostly to keep online friends posted about stuff. Yeah, I'd talk a little about anime, but also games, sports, my life in general, and really just whatever else strikes me. Admittedly it's a little self indulgent of me since I'm positive not everyone would care about everything I had to say, but that's sort of the point. As long as people are reading and commenting, it's not a total waste of time. Anyway, I'll be around now. Later everyone.

adventures in manga

I think because I prefer books to movies, it's really not a surprise to me that I prefer manga to anime. Of course I love anime, and I've seen a lot more anime than I have read of manga, but when I find a series of manga that I love, I really love it. So, here's what I've been reading over the past year. I have no doubt that you'll be familiar with most of these.

Fruits Basket - A lot of people I associate with think I'm really weird (and I am, but not because I like manga :P ), and they're curious about manga. I've had a few friends interested enough to borrow some of my books. I always recommend Fruits Basket to them. How can you go wrong with such a beautiful story about love and healing? So good. I saw on amazon that the final volume will be out in July! Woo!

Fullmetal Alchemist - I really need to reread this series from the beginning. The story is so intricate that I get confused in the details. It doesn't help that the anime is similar but so very different. Speaking of which, what version do you prefer? Do you like the anime better or the manga better? For me, I think I like the manga better. Part of it is because new material is still coming out, but also I think the story's stronger. I'm really excited to see the latest anime adaption in the next couple of years.

Trinity Blood - The manga only follows the Esther timeline instead of trying to merge two timelines that the anime tried to do. And it's stronger for it. The artwork is highly stylized, but I find it so beautiful. I've been hunting down Thores' art (Thores came up with the original designs), and what I've found is amazing. If only the artbook was still available...

Vampire Knight - I think this manga fills the void that furuba left after I finished it. Over the past year, I've read so many different vampire stories from the over-hyped Twilight series to the pinnacle Dracula. I think Vampire Knight is a nice middle ground between those two for me - it's not too sappy but it's not too gory. I was really surprised that Brian liked it. It took me 2 weeks to get him to read the first volume, but then he couldn't put them down. The story is kind of addicting.

Monster - This is a step outside my comfort zone. I'm at volume 3 (of 18), and so far, it's intriguing. Since the story is set in Germany, there are times when the text is in German. Brian is fluent in German, so he likes to point out the translation errors, which I think is always kind of funny. They are never really huge errors, but maybe viz should hire my husband to translate instead of who they have now, hm? :D We'll see where this story takes us. Since we're reading it via inter-library loans, we get about a volume a month, which is just about right for this kind of story.

I'm also trying to keep current with the US release of Bleach and Naruto. I read Death Note last winter and thought that while better than the anime, it was still a little meh (I think my expectations were too high). For a future read, I am thinking about checking out the Mushishi manga since I loved the anime so much.

FMA vol. 17

Has anyone else picked this up yet? I got it last night. It'd been so long since I read Vol. 16 that I had to go back and read it again first. Vol. 17 gets two thumbs up, of course.

Vol. 18 comes out in May 2009. Vol. 17 ends w/ chapter 69, and the "native" releases are up to chapter 88 or so. So if Viz keeps with this current idiotic release schedule, that's like, what, two years before the U.S. releases get to where they are in Japan now? Does anyone know what Viz's planned release schedule is from here on out? I think Arakawa releases one chapter a month, but I'm not sure.

I'm starting to think that I'm going to become impatient one of these days and just go get current like I am with Bleach and Naruto. With those I read one chapter a week and the story stays current in my mind, so one a month would be more convenient to keep up with than having to go back and refresh my memory every six months on FMA.

getting there

I'm down to seven candidates from the new batch of anime for long-term watching... ack! I thought it was less than that. Well, there are two front-runners and the rest are maybes.

Looking good so far:
Kannagi - Dorky not-new premise of earthly incarnation of a deity suddenly appearing and taking up with some hapless student, but after laughing my head off at various scenes I decided I liked it. Hilary watched the first two with me and seemed to enjoy it. I think I'll keep with it unless it gets boring.
Mouryou no Hako - This was one of the few dramatic entries that appealed to me, but I'll have to wait and see what direction it takes and whether it interests me enough. After two episodes, I can't tell yet whether it will just devolve into something stupid, or if it will be really good, maybe akin to Monster. There is a decided mystery element to it.

Will probably drop:
Shikabane Hime: Aka - Some cool action but quickly evolving into repetitive monster-killing. Where have I seen that before... bleah. Boring.
Ga-rei Zero - There were enough twists and turns in the first two episodes of this otherwise fairly lame entry into the futuristic anti-supernatural government agency squad genre, but I seriously doubt it'll get any better.

Dunno yet:
Toradora - If I'm gonna go with a light-hearted student comedy series I'll probably stick with Kannagi. So far Toradora hasn't done much to distinguish itself.
Kurozuka - Meh, I can see how some would find this one engaging, but I'm not exactly in the mood for dark, violent mind-trip stuff right now. However, the story is kind of interesting, so it might give it five episodes or so before I decide whether to drop it.
Michiko to Hatchin - Ok, so this one started off with the orphan-lives-with-abusive-foster-family thing (worse than any Roald Dahl story, I might add) and I was thinking I was done with it but I found some of the characters rather interesting, along with the Spanish-Latino setting they've got going on, so I think I'll keep with it for the moment.

To Aru Majutsu no Index is one I have definitely dropped. I tried three episodes (admittedly the second and third were watched in a truncated fashion) but there's other, better stuff to watch. And then there were a few other series that took only one episode to earn the thumbs-down.

kate's anime for 2008

Ever since Brian and I signed up to netflix, we've been able to enjoy a variety of anime series beyond the usual offerings found on television. Ian already covered Gurren Lagann and Moribito, both of which I've enjoyed so far into their runs. So, for this post, I'll concentrate on a few highlights that we've seen in recent months and my impressions about them.

Samurai X Trust & Betrayal - I have fond memories of watching Toonami when Yu Yu Hakusho came on at 7 pm followed by Rurouni Kenshin at 7:30 pm Monday through Thursday. The first time I watched Rurouni Kenshin, I thought it was annoying. But then Saito showed up on the scene and I was hooked (who doesn't like Saito??). After seeing most of the series (2 out of the 3 arcs), I have long wanted to see the OAVs. Trust & Betrayal is stunningly beautiful and did not disappoint. I highly recommend it. This is one I will buy one day. We also rented Reflection, which was weird, and I didn't feel it was true to the characters.

Next up, Samurai 7. Now, I haven't yet seen Seven Samurai that this anime is based off of, but Brian has. I know that some people don't like the adaptation, but Brian liked it. And while I can't compare it to the original, I liked it, too. Some characters were painfully annoying, but then characters like Kyuzo more than made up for the lack in others. :P

Grave of the Fireflies. If this film does not make you cry, then I don't know what to say. I had a tissue in my hand the entire time. I loved the relationship between the older brother and his little sister as they suffer through the challenges of living during WWII in Japan. Beautiful, poignant, powerful.

Haibane Renmei - This anime has so much symbolism that I bet it would really benefit from group discussion. I enjoyed finding my own interpretation in the different meanings presented in the story.

Currently, we are watching Mushi-Shi. We will buy this series. I absolutely love it. We follow mushi master, Ginko, as he helps people learn to understand and live with mushi. While sometimes this story can be downright disturbing and oftentimes rather sad, I find this anime so calming and relaxing. Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the stunning animation, maybe it's the calm pacing. Whatever it is, I love it and I look forward to watching each new disc as it arrives in the mail.

Also within the last year we've watched the first season of Code Geass (I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this series ever since some crucial moments came into play in a recent episode); Noein; Death Note; Blood+; Fantastic Children; Now and Then, Here and There; Paradise Kiss; GITS: Solid State Society; Read or Die; as well as vaguely kept up with Naruto and Bleach until the fillers became so unbearable that we opted to quit until the stories get back to 'cannon'. I've also rewatched Witch Hunter Robin (which I actually enjoyed more this second time through) and Trinity Blood (I can't help myself...).

On the queue in no particular order: Noir, Ergo Proxy, Gankutsuou, Gunslinger Girl, Last Exile, Hellsing and a few others. I don't know if I want to see yet another adaption of The Count of Monte Cristo. It seems like they all miss the mark, and I get angry and start yelling at the tv. I guess I'm a purist when it comes to classic literature. I don't know much about Hellsing but I remember some people raving about it on the asmb a couple years ago. I've read Dracula. Is it anything like it? I've also heard it's violent. I would love any input in the shows I've got listed to watch in the coming months. Any of the above that I should avoid? Recommendations on what I should see? Input is welcome!!

Up next in a future post - my adventures in manga.

Note: I added a playlist to the sidebar with the opening song for Mushi-Shi. This song is hilarious! I need to see if iTunes has it... If there are any requests for songs to add to the playlist, let me know and I'll see if they are available to add.

2007-08 stuff

Well, I am sort of drowning in new stuff to watch this fall, and before too long I want to narrow my picks down to two or three at the most. Hopefully by the end of next week or so I will have done that. In the meantime, here's a rundown of the more memorable series I watched last year. For the most part they were new in 2007; Kure-nai was new this past April.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
As with a lot of people, this was probably one of my favorites of 2007. I don’t know how many women liked this one… it really was a shounen of the most stereotypical variety, not to mention being chock-full of male archetypal symbolism. I think it liked to laugh at itself on various levels. I’m still not sure who I’d recommend this one to. I think you have to be a pretty devoted anime fan to really get into it. I suggested my brother, who likes some anime, try watching it, but he’s busy with school and stuff. I’m not sure how this one has been received by the dub crowd from its airings on the Sci-Fi channel.

Seirei no Moribito (“Guardian of the Sacred Spirit”)
I quite enjoyed this one. Since it’s still airing on [as] (I think), I won’t say much about the plot except that it appealed to me as being something of a historical epic (well, not really… it’s not really set in Japan or anything though there are various Japanese culture cues). I thought it was an enjoyable story, though as far as plot sustainability goes, it could have gone one of two ways had they decided to extend it. I think it remained true to whatever novel it was based on, however. Anyway, visually, I thought it was pretty stunning. It’s an action-drama and some characters were developed more than others. In the end, while I personally liked it a lot, I don’t think it has a terribly broad appeal.

Ghost Hound
20th anniversary production for Production IG. Appealed to me mostly on the supernatural level, where I think I tend to get freaked out by the same sort of things as Japanese folks. I would call this a borderline seinen drama. There are a few very interesting characters, and I also liked the small-town mystery plot around which the story centers. Full disclosure: I haven’t finished this one yet – I still have maybe 8-10 episodes left. This just happens with me sometimes… I really like an anime but after a while I fall behind and the desire to catch up again wanes. I need to finish this one though… it’s really good.

Moyashimon
Goofy and light-hearted. Interesting premise – a first-year college student who can see microorganisms enrolls at an agricultural university – but that’s secondary to the comedy. All-around fun and definitely not boring. A variety of colorful characters adds interest. There are a few plot threads that should have been fleshed out more to make it seem more relevant (if anything) but it doesn’t detract all that much from the overall enjoyment. Would recommend to anyone who likes quick-witted silliness. Hmm… I think I need to track down the manga because I rather like the story and want to see more of it.

Kure-nai
Well, just read the ANN abstract for the plot… I thought the story was kind of engaging, at least enough to watch to the end. The plot was slightly absurd, and not all that original, but the execution was pretty good. In spite of its action sequences it was relatively subdued and I think that’s what I enjoyed most about it. It wasn’t constant explosion-this and stabbing-that… anyway, I think there’s more to it with the manga, but this is one for me where the visual enjoyment was enough, but the story is not compelling enough for me to keep going with it.

Let’s see… last year I also started but never finished Nodame Cantabile and Darker than BLACK – not for lack of interest or anything, just lack of time. I think there were a few others as well, but the ones I wrote about above are the ones I liked the most. Crap, I also watched Ergo Proxy… I liked that one but a lot of it went over my head. Oh yeah, I watched Death Note too, but I don’t seem to have a desire to devote any brainpower to giving a detailed opinion. It was kinda interesting from a battle-of-wits standpoint, and I personally liked how it ended. That’s about it though. Sheesh... if I sit here long enough I’ll keep thinking of others and then this post will be even more unwieldy than it already is.

P.S. I just read through this again and it's full of horrid grammar and run-on sentences. I wrote most of it in something of a hurry at work when I should have been doing something else...

What I'm Watching and Reading Right Now

By and large the stuff I'm into right now is a lot of catch-up. I'm catching up (albeit slowly) with One Piece and Bleach, though only on DVDs, since you guys probably already know my thoughts on downloading when I can avoid it. I had been watching the new series on [as], but when the schedule went downhill I said screw it. I still don't know how Code Geass ended, or what I'd really think of Morbito. One more argument for mom to get us DVR. Anyway, I'm also curious to continue Baccano, which I started after being influenced by Pie-chan. Enjoying it, but haven't really gotten too far yet. After initial reluctance due to the crudeness, I got really into Shin-Chan, and would like to pick up part 2 of season 1 at some point in the near future.

As for manga, I'm dying to find out how Fruits Basket ends with only three volumes left, I'm finally catching up on the American release of Bleach, and I've got the new volume of FMA on my desk. I want to start Monster, and have the first two volumes of it, just haven't gotten to it yet. Read Death Note, though I can't say it's my favorite. Also want to start One Piece, though I really wish my library carried manga so I wouldn't have to buy it, since reading online gives me a massive headache.

Things I would like to see and discuss in here, if you guys are game for something like this, like watching a series somehow together and discussing, include Samurai 7, a rewatching of Bebop just for enjoyment, since I never did get much discussion in it even though I've seen it, and perhaps Mushishi, which I've heard a lot about but never seen. Let me know what you think of my proposal and how we might go about such a thing. Of course, it will all depend on who's seen what and what kind of access we all have.

to begin...

OK, so first I thought of diving right into some thoughts on my selections from the fall anime crop of offerings, but I think I still want to watch a couple more of them before I do a write-up. Then I thought... I will run down briefly what I am currently watching (and reading).

My anchors of Naruto and Bleach, of course. The Bleach anime is just coming off a filler arc that I refused to watch, being current with the scanlations. I don't even know how they managed to break into the filler story line from what was going on... because it was kind of right in the middle of some action. But the manga has remained quite interesting, as will the upcoming anime episodes that track it. Same goes for Naruto. The story line in the manga is and has been awesome, and whenever the anime sticks to the story, I think it outshines the manga in various ways.

Soul Eater: BONES has hits and misses and I wasn't sure about this one, but I stuck with it and now, at episode 27 (out of 51) I am pretty glad I did. It's mostly just a goofy fun time but the story is interesting enough and has just enough intense moments to make it a pretty good watch. At first I thought it was another shinigami entry, and I guess you could still sort of say it is, but not in the way one might expect. Thinking back now I have to say that it's pretty unique, at least compared to other anime I've seen. In brief, the story so far has to do with students at a school in the fictional Death City run by Shinigami (yes, the God of Death). These students wield weapons, which have a human form, and both train together to become strong enough to eventually be used, I suppose, in the trade of reaping souls... at any rate, that purpose is not all that central to the plot, which deals primarily with some of the students and their teachers as a series of events that will have an impact on the future of Death City unfold. Halfway through the series I can't really say that it carries any emotional weight - it's just a well-done shounen. Honestly, though, I could see it having potential to go beyond 51 episodes, but I think it will do just fine as a self-contained story. It's BONES' 10th anniversary project, so I guess you would expect it to be something decent. The characters are all rather interesting and amusing and, with some exceptions, aren't just taken from the standard rack of expired spices.

So, I'd recommend this one to both the guys and the gals. There is a pretty strong female presence in it - it doesn't just focus on the male characters. The manga has been licensed for U.S. distribution, I believe, but I'm not sure about the anime.

To follow in another entry - what I've watched over the past year.

introduction

This blog is created not only as an outlet for the consuming addiction for anime and manga that I have, but also as a place for critique, suggestion, and discussion with friends also interested in these formats of art and story-telling. There are numerous discussion boards available for these same objectives, but it doesn't necessarily follow that there is always quality. This smaller platform not only allows for more control over the content; it is ideal for a smaller discussion group among friends. Together we can share our favorite stories and give and receive recommendations on new stories to try. I'm looking forward to the dialogue.