Here are my thoughts on the remaining shows for this season. Slayers and Seiyou Kottou Yougashiten: Antique were not considered, the former because, as I said, I’ve never liked Slayers, and the latter because I’ve never liked shounen-ai. I also didn’t consider internet-only shows (e.g., Chocolate Underground), although not for any good reason I can think of. By now most shows this season are airing their third or fourth episode, so the shows below may have gotten a fairer shake than the first set. Oh well.
Watch
» Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo. As the title indicates, this is ostensibly a detective drama, but that’s similar to calling Lucky Star a “high school comedy”. The excellence of this show lies primarily in the strength of its characters – in particular, Ryoko herself. Just as her subordinate states, Ryoko is as close to perfect as anime characters ever get, and in ways that have nothing to do with physical strength – although she clearly has plenty of that as well. Better yet, most of the other characters we’ve seen so far are both likable and respectable; I love shows where everyone has their shit together. There’s also a surprising amount of comedy sprinkled throughout what should be deathly serious subject matter, which only improves the presentation. The art is quite good, but the animation, not so much. This is a show that could get away without much sex or violence, but frankly, I’m hoping for generous amounts of both.
Who am I kidding? I'm definitely watching this.
» Hidamari Sketch x365. Do I really have to say anything about this show? Studio SHAFT is behind this, which should tell you just about everything you need to know; if not, remember that SHAFT is responsible for Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, and if that still doesn’t tell you anything, you might as well hang yourself. The characters here are SD, which I usually loathe, but the style is implemented in a somewhat sarcastic fashion and the rest of the art is absolutely top-notch. SHAFT’s trademark use of unusual camera angles, frenetic scene-shifting, and weird imagery is in full force here, as is their liberal use of TOTALLY CRAZY RANDOM SHIT in general. Definitely a show to watch, but avoid the OP if you value your sanity.
Just in case the colors weren't obvious enough.
Skim
» Telepathy Shoujo Ran. This show aired a bit earlier than the rest, so there are more episodes upon which to base judgment – fortunate, because I might have dropped this show otherwise. The first three episodes are slow and formulaic, but having finished the requisite, “I’m a total bitch and the world is nothing but suffering, but really I’m just pathetic and lonely” angst-fest, the show seems to be settling into a comfortable groove. I do find, however, that the paranormal elements tend to hurt the show, because they’re often contrived to the point of breaking suspension-of-disbelief. The presentation is also stylistically tired; you’d think after decades of blue/red auras and nonsensical glowing lights that the industry could have come up with something even slightly less moronic, but that apparently remains beyond their abilities. Ultimately, it’s the chemistry between the main trio that will make or break the show, and while the characters and plot aren’t, for now, particularly unique in anime, I suspect Ran will improve on both fronts. Oh, and the OP animation is like, totally ftw.
I kind of wish the rest of the show was like this.
» Scarecrowman. I’m tempted to call this the anime version of Pinocchio, but Scarecrowman hardly has a point, nevermind a moral; luckily, it doesn’t need either a point or a moral to be a fun show. The show follows the life of the eponymous scarecrow in a Western-style backwater town. Not much of anything really happens, but it’s relaxing and charming entertainment that will leave you grinning unless you happen to be a complete asshole. There’s little background music, and a lot of the speaking is narrative, but both the music and voice acting are quite fitting. In fact, this show’s only real failing is pervasive and wholly embarassing CG; I’m forced to recall Reboot and late-generation Playstation games, with little fondness. My main worry at this point is whether this kind of show can actually hold up for the full thirteen episodes.
lolpwned
Skip
» Neo Angelique Abyss: Second Age. Continuing the theme from the first season, this show isn’t much more than a prettyboy gallery. Further, the art isn’t even very good for a shoujo romance anime; don’t get me started on the combat. I really couldn’t care less about the characters or the plot, as both are shallow. If you really need a bishounen fix, stick to manga for the time being, or hold out for Vampire Knight’s second season, coming in October.
Gender tends to be arbitrary around here.
» Zero no Tsukaima: Princess no Rondo. This is sort of like Negima?! – only not awesome. Or funny. It does, however, have magic and embarassingly overused pseudo-sexual contracts between underaged morons. It also has bad art, irritating voice acting, and all of the standard clichéd plot elements and character archetypes, and thus manages to be like every other show in this genre that failed before it. Combat see-saws between shockingly bad and predictably bad. Some of the ancillary characters are decent, but that’s common in this type of show. Now, if all of the main characters would obediently march off and get killed together, this show might actually go somewhere. Well, probably not.
Seriously, don't waste my time.
» Mission-E. Superpower schoolgirls; I’m not even going to try to stifle my yawn. To be fair, this isn’t a terrible show, but it’s nothing any anime fan hasn’t already seen. The art isn’t particularly good, the premise is unoriginal, and the two heroines being a meganeko and a strong, silent type are big strikes against the show. Having blatantly overpowered good guys is pretty damn boring, too. On the other hand, the combat animation is actually fairly good – a rarity, at this production tier. I suppose this falls into the “watch it if you can stand it” category; I can’t, so I won’t.
Serious fight or spectator sport?
Having finally gotten through everything for the season, I’m forced to admit that things appear to be shaping up better than I had originally expected. I’m partial to Yakushiji being the strongest offering this season, but honestly, Mahou Tsukai and Hidamari Sketch are both great shows that could easily take the top spot depending on style and genre preference. On the other hand, I think that most of the shows in the mid-tier or below are likely to get worse rather than better; notable exceptions would be Ran and Mugen. I’ll revist the mid-tier-and-above at the end of the season to see how those picks did.
For a full season listing, see AniDB’s calendar.
