Clephas
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Blog Comments posted by Clephas
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On 5/24/2023 at 11:07 AM, kivandopulus said:
Clannad second season is how Hell on Earth looks from man's standpoint as you work on a crappy physical labor job and is the only supporter of the family. And because total misery you basically watch your family suffer and wane with every day as health aggravates. There's no way out from this despair and you're constantly emotionally depressed blaming your weakness. What I see is author deliberately depicting most grisly traits of everyday life in order to invoke emotional empathy. Real artists can invoke the same emotions by relaying totally normal or inventive situations without using forbidden moves and fighting dirty. I'd gladly watch a show about simple moments of happiness in poverty, but in this state it's pursuit for short-term impact and using all methods for that. It gives me nothing as I know how life can look like, and I was never going to marry, anyway, and I'm too bitter to be affected, but it can have a very negative impression on some men.
In case of ef: A Tale of Memories I'm just really tired of cycle structures. Even in the best examples it often starts to feel tiresome. I react to most works with cycle structure in a similar way, and in this particular case Chihiro is one of the most irritating characters I ever encountered. Her personality changes on daily basis, and only the worst traits remain intact as she behaves in obsessive manner and all the time tries to pique and offend while protagonist does not stand out and tolerates all that so that it starts to look like he enjoys it all. This is an example of immature and unhealthy relations. I prefer more seasoned romance, and I know enough examples of such works to compare.
I'll definitely need to rewatch at least Kara no Kyoukai 2 and probably read on the background of these series as I had no prior knowledge what to expect. I usually keep watching at least till I can see the outlines of the story, and where it's going to. I still can't believe these are just supernatural murder stories with twists and different resolutions, but maybe it's just that as mysteries tend to look very bleak when put in chronological order and retold in own words.
The real draw of Kara no Kyoukai is Ryougi Shiki's struggle with her own humanity (or lack of it, as she sees it) and Kokutou's attempts to keep up with her despite being a powerless normal with a higher than average intelligence. The second draw is the way the series digs into the weirdness of the Nasuverse's sorcery system and mystics. Third comes the mysteries (which aren't really mysteries, since - as El-Melloi says - the howdunnit of mysteries are meaningless in a world of sorcery).
There is also the hedge philosophy... but that's wrapped up in the sorcery, so it can't really be separated from it.
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Clannad- First season is your classic 'cram every route into one season and somehow make it turn out all right' story. It has lots of good feels. However, the tone of the second season is excessively depressing due to the protagonist basically being a broken man though most of it. This makes it infuriating to watch for some people. Also Nagisa is my least-favorite heroine.
Kara no Kyoukai 2- The true 1 of the anime movie series, it follows Shiki and Kokutou as their relationship begins (in a very rocky fashion) and it is the only time in the series where both of Shiki's original personas are present. I will say this now, because it needs to be said, but every single conversation in this series, down to the seemingly least-important remarks, has meaning. While I'm not terribly fond of classic mysteries, I do like the way they planted easter eggs that rewarded watching each movie multiple times.
Kara no Kyoukai 1- It is understandable that they use this as an initial jumping-off point because it strikes a better balance between the mystery elements and action that define the series than any of the ones that come after it. Also, it gives you a reason to be intrigued about Shiki's past, which is probably why they chose to release this one first.
Prism Ark- Low-quality fantasy that doesn't go anywhere.
Shion no Ou- I'm going to be straight with you... I don't know the first thing about Shougi (I always forget the rules between one time I play it and another, though not as badly as mahjong). However, this series is fun to watch even if you don't know crap about it. From what some of my friends tell me, it is fairly close to reality when it comes to the situation for professional shougi players, and the actual story is top-notch.
Night Wizard- Really, really low-quality fantasy action story.
Rental Magica- Setting has potential and is complex in a good way, but it fails to go anywhere.
Majin Tantei- Comedy mystery focusing on a demon assistant and his slave/assistant who is an airhead.
Shakugan no Shana 2- More good stuff but the last battle of the season takes up way too many episodes. This is time that could have been used to flesh out the story for what happens in the final season, but sadly that isn't how it worked out.
Gundam 00- Easily the best of the post-1990's Gundam series. The series is basically a reinterpretation of the concept of Gundam Wing, where a small elite force tries to force the world to change out of a sense of idealism and a huge dose of ruthlessness. On the other hand, it manages to come across as more brutal than previous entries if you first watched it when it came out, as it mirrors the conflicts of the time to an extent. This is perhaps because there is almost no focus on Europe or the Americas compared to previous Gundam series, as the writers focused on Asia and the Middle East for this one. Combat-wise the main characters' side of things has a near-absolute advantage at the beginning, but by the end of the first season, the tables are beginning to turn on them.
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Kara no Kyoukai 3- Literally the only one of the first four movies to be in its proper order (it is third both in chronological and release order). This one is focused on a gradual build-up to a conflict between Shiki and Asagami Fujino, and the fight scene at the end has become a classic. That said, this is a Nasuverse story and if you aren't interested in the setting, you shouldn't be watching this in the first place. I generally don't recommend using Kara no Kyoukai as a starting point for people who want to dive into the universe, as the movies assume a degree of pre-existing knowledge, though they dig deeper on a lot of concepts touched upon in both Tsukihime and FSN. Kvan, if you aren't interested in the setting, then you shouldn't have watched the movies. It's that simple.
Hatenkou Yuugi- Low-quality fantasy with a female protag.
Gunslinger Girls 2- More focus on violence than the first scene, much less in the way of touching or sorrowful background stories.
Spice and Wolf- SOL fantasy based during the inquisition. Worth it for the wolf-girl.
Rosario to Vampire- Rom-com ecchi with a vampire main heroine and a hetare protagonist.
They are my Noble Masters- Minato Soft on TV. Generally amusing to those familiar with Minato Soft's style but if you don't like the company, you'll hate the anime.
H20- Fairly crappy VN to anime conversion.
Mnemosyne- Brutal action, excessive sexuality (and SM, as Kvan mentions
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Zero no Tsukaima 2- More serious season of Zero no Tsukaima, still a rom-com isekai though.
Higu 2- It's Higu.
Baccano- Baccano is one of those anime that people either love or love to hate on. Make your own decisions.
Code E- Low-quality modern fantasy anime about a girl with an electric-based super-power she can't control.
Shigurui- Crazy anime about psychotic swordsmen in the Edo period. Good if you like the atmosphere of anime like Basilisk and Ninja Scroll, not so much otherwise.
Zombie Loan- Poorly-designed modern fantasy anime that gets cut short before it manages to reach anything resembling a conclusion.
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Darker than Black- One of the best dark science-fantasy anime series ever.
Lucky Star- Moeblob comedy
Kaze no Stigma- Decent fantasy series that fails to deliver an ending.
Claymore- Blood, gore, and inhuman fighting. Generally a fun watch. Original writer of the manga died, so no chance of a conclusion.
Skull Man- Fun to watch series, prelude to Cyborg 009
El Cazador de la Bruja- Third anime in the Bee Train's Girls with Guns series. Lots of shooting, some magic (sorta), and vaguely psuedo-sciency stuff.
Heroic Age- Science Fantasy where the protagonist turns into a giant monster to fight other giant monsters supported by a controlling and genocidal race that sees humanity as an obstacle to their future. The animation is rather obviously made by the same people as Gundam Seed. However, the style is significantly different. Battle scenes are top quality, story is good.
Hayate no Gotoku- Low comedy anime series. Generally amusing for the sake of being amusing. Doesn't even attempt to tell a real story, but that's why it is good.
Seto no Hanayome- Rom-com with an emphasis on the com about a protagonist who gets saved from drowning by a mermaid who happens to be the daughter of a yakuza boss. This starts him on a life of trying to escape his father-in-law's assassination attempts while dealing with the various messes his new in-laws leave behind on a daily basis.
Terra e- Science-fiction about a dystopian future where AIs took over human society and espers had to flee into space to escape euthanasia.
Kaibutsu Oujo- Fantasy about a zombie protagonist and his demonic mistress who is fighting for the throne of monsters.
Nagasarete Airantou- Comedy harem series about a protagonist washed up on an island of only women, where the inevitable happens (in comedic ways). Generally a fun series to watch.
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Nodame- Funny and cute rom-com following a yurufuwa pianist from a normal family and an overly serious conductor from a family that is focused on the music world. A lot of the best points are the male protagonist trying to keep Nodame from slacking off or going off in random directions. The protagonist himself is an all-rounder who can play numerous instruments (including the piano, which is why he ends up teaching her).
Murder Princess- This one is actually pretty good for the few episodes it has... unfortunately, like many anime, it cuts off at a bad point, leaving you wondering what was going to happen next.
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Death Note- Ah the classic about a drunk-on-his-own-ideals sociopathic teenager who gains the power to kill people using a notebook.
Code Geass- One of my favorite series of all time, with interesting mecha combat, a strategist protagonist with a secret identity, and enough drama for three Gundam anime combined, lol. I love this series.
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu- Interesting Bakumatsu anime that gets cut off before conclusion. Has some excellent action scenes, but that doesn't make up for it being incomplete.
Soukou no Strain- Extremely emotional science fiction story with a ton of combat and a ton of emotional trauma for the protagonist.
009-1: Good series about a cyborg spy during a fictional version of a Cold War.
Pumpkin Scissors- Interesting fantasy series based in a fantasy post-WWI nation similar to Germany that is trying to deal with the negative leftovers of the war, including secret experimental units that specialized in inhumane forms of warfare such as use of poison gases, flamethrowers, and combat drugs (combined with self-hypnosis). The protagonist is a corporal who happens to be one of the survivors of Gerschpenst Yaeger, a unit that used self-hypnosis to allow them to get up to point-blank range with tanks and blast them with armor-piercing pistols (in other words, complete insanity).
Sumomo- Martial Arts rom-com that never really manages to get past its initial premise.
Shounen Onmyouji - Halfway decent fantasy series based in old Japan.
Negima- It's more Negima-sensei... if you like the rest of the series, just watch it.
Black Blood Brothers- Excellent vampire action, never got a sequel *looks sad*
Kenichi- Fun story about a weakling who gets beaten into shape by a bunch of martial arts masters.
D Gray Man- Shounen fantasy in a similar vein to Naruto and Bleach. Good action, solid protagonist, and good supporting characters. Downside is no animated conclusion.
Kanon 2006- Another VN that mashed all its routes into a single anime series.
Kekkaishi- Low rom-com modern fantasy. Moderate quality.
Busou Renkin- Great action fantasy series with some fun-to-watch combat (even if it was a bit retro, even at the time), and a solid cast of characters.
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Zero no Tsukaima- Classic early-era isekai series that defined the harem comedy sub-genre. Surprisingly enjoyable even today (most early-era isekai didn't age well).
Night Head- Esper story with Yaoi-esque vibes.
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Ouran- Very popular series amongst English-speaking anime watchers at the time (moreso than Japan relative to the anime-watching population). Non-doormat otomege style heroine/protagonist cross-dressing as a guy while playing with the hearts of girls as part of club activities.
Gintama- A series that needs no intro... you either love it or you hate it.
Black Lagoon- Blood, guns, explosions, death... fun fun and fun all over for people who love violence.
Glass no Kantai- Middling quality space opera.
The Third Aoi Hitomi no Shoujo- Kami-anime save for the fact that they ran out of budget midway through and several episodes dropped quality. Music is top-quality, story is generally emotional and interesting, setting is post-apocalyptic with a single faction holding all the technological cards. Protagonist is generally a powerful and well-developed character that is made more so by the narration dialogue.
Soul Link- Horror sci-fi, mashes the VN's routes together. Reasonably enjoyable for a single watch.
Simoun- Yuri-esque mech series.
Princess Princess- Surprisingly good anime about a guy forced to cross-dress at a guys' school.
Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni- Does this need an intro? Higurashi's anime is a classic great, even though I only wanted to watch it once (once the mysteries are solved, it is hard to go back to this kind of thing).
xxxHolic- Very very good for someone who wants to dig into the peculiarities of some aspects of Japanese myth, occultism, and fables, as well as for those who want to understand the language better. This series' dialogue - particularly Ms. Witch's - is great for learning to pick up subtleties as opposed to general vocab and grammar.
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu- One of the few tolerable 'psychedelic' anime.
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The Sakura series is typical of Sca-ji, who tends to overuse foreshadowing and unreliable narrators. Personally, Sca-ji's VNs make me want to pull my last few remaining hairs out in frustration, more often than not.
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Mushi-shi- Weird series that is nonetheless reasonably enjoyable. Most episodes in the series are standalones, so there is no real sense of a unified story.
Shakugan no Shana- Top-class fantasy anime with a strong setting and first-class presentation.
Jigoku Shoujo- Proxy Revenge using a damned (literally) loli and her demonic companions.
Angel Heart- Action drama series. Reasonably high-quality. Reliant on you knowing City Hunter to get everything.
Solty Rei- Second-rate sci-fi action series. A decent watch to kill time with, but not something to go out of your way to watch.
Lamune- VN turned SOL anime. Shares the same problems most VNs turned anime from this era had.
Black Cat- Series following an assassin (who becomes a former assassin) as he tries to escape his past after a girl changes him (pretty tropey, but meh). Eve (Golden Darkness) from To Love Ru (an alternate world version, possibly) is present in this story as a main character, for those who like easter eggs.
Rozen Maiden 2- Continuation, not much to be said if you saw the original.
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This review is a bit spoiler-y for my tastes, but this is one of my favorite VNs for a reason. Shumon Yuu is perhaps the single best all-around writer that has ever graced the VN scene. I don't say this because he produces VNs that fit my tastes - quite the reverse, most of his VNs are not a good fit for my obsessions or tastes - but rather because it is a simple fact that no other VN scenario writer I've encountered has ever managed to put half as much meaning as he puts into every VN he writes. Some have edged farther ahead (Sakura, Moyu comes to mind) in seeking to match Shumon Yuu, but most don't even manage to do that, even amongst plotge from the 'golden era of VNs' (2004-2011).
To be clear, he isn't a setting-builder. Shumon Yuu builds stories and uses settings as a tool, rather than making settings the object (Light's Masada and second team both tend to do the latter, as a contrast from a company that fits my tastes). If any VN writer that has ever lived can be considered a true artist, it is him.
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Shuffle- Like most VNs turned anime in the early days, this one had all the paths mashed together. However, Shuffle is one of the rare exceptions to the 'early VN anime suck) rule. I say this because, for some reason, the resulting story is actually coherent in its own way, separate from the VN. In fact, some aspects are actually better than the original text (particularly Kaede's yandere-ism). It also has a few peculiarities, like the original story writer appearing as a character cameo briefly at certain parts of the story (apparently, Asa was his favorite heroine). One thing you have to keep in mind, though, is that Shuffle is a harem story, not a boy meets girl one-on-one romance, lol.
FMP3- Full Metal Panic never does manage to go anywhere, but it has some great combat scenes.
DC2-Da Capo 2 suffers from a more severe version of the problems that plague VNs turned anime, in that it was truly incoherent.
xxxHolic Movie- Definitely worth watching if you like Clamp series or xxxHolic's style.
Seikai no Senki III- The last of the Crest/Banner of stars anime. This one focuses on the inevitable differences between conventional humans and the Abh civilization and the protagonist's inevitable permanent alienation from the rest of humanity. Tbh, I wish they'd continued putting out more after this one, as this is only a third of the way through the story as a whole, but that's anime for you.
Guyver- Classic-style transformation hero anime with a strong darkside. Quality is moderate.
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Shin Koihime- started this, immediately asked for a return on the website I bought it from. If you wanted more Cao Cao and friends, it will probably satisfy, but it isn't really interesting for people who want more than just a fandisc, at least from what little I played.
Koi ni Amae wa Hitsuyou desu- It is Hook soft, so predictably it will be a saccharine romance with a truly mundane premise.
Kemonomichi 2- The first game was boring, I seriously doubt this will make anything better. Whirlpool should return to its old style of making plotge masquerading as rom-coms.
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Tsubasa Chronicles- Have to disagree that this was crap. For fans of xxxHolic and CCS it is a good anime. I loved it as a multiverse journey, myself....
Basilisk- High-quality animation, powerful combat scenes, ridiculous story.
Trinity Blood- Excellent setting, sub-par protagonist, good action.
Elementar Gerad- Shounen, middle-of-the-line quality, decent but no better than decent.
Futaokoi Alternative- Weird series, somewhat humorous, thought the person who made the original material had to be high on crack.
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Air- Like most VN-based anime that came out in this period, it basically smashed all the paths together into a single story. However, it needs to be said that the last arc is godly in quality, with perfect dialogue and presentation.
Aa Megami Sama- Actually one of my favorite series. A good fantasy rom-com.
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Elfen Lied- It's Elfen Lied... this series is pretty controversial, but it is a highly emotional horror series with a tragic backstory and ending. Also, awesome music.
Demonbane- Like most of the early VNs turned anime, it combines all the routes into a single story, resulting in a somewhat incoherent story as a whole. However, it does have decent action and some interesting moments.
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Monster- Monster... is unique. It is a story following a doctor who was framed for murder as he follows the chameleon-like sociopath who framed him in the first place. It is pretty close to the Fugitive (the old US TV series) in concept, but it is based in Europe.
Tenjou Tenge- High-quality animation, horrible-quality story. This was made to appeal to fans of Ikki Tousen who wanted a story that was more serious from the beginning. Unfortunately, the makers failed miserably to make it coherent, and as a result, it never got a second season.
Kyou Kara Maou- Pretty famous fantasy series. It has a decent story and a good set of characters. The downside is that the protagonist is a bit too fuzzy most of the time,.
Boukyaku no Senritsu- A rather incoherent series based in a world where 'monsters' have won the war and young humans are offered up as sacrifices so the rest can live.
Madlax- Madlax is the second in the 'girls with guns' series started by Noir. If you liked Noir, you'll like this one. However, if you didn't like it, you probably won't.
Aishiteiruze Baby- This series is unique, which is rare for a love-comedy. It follows an airheaded playboy teenager as he takes care of his much younger cousin after she is abandoned by her mother. His interactions with Yuzu eventually result in the formation of a more serious relationship between him and another girl. It is a pretty good story, given how the characters evolve.
Kono Miniku- A weird apocalyptic series that probably sparked the idea for Rewrite's setting.
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Paranoia Agent- I hate this anime. It is an abomination that should never have existed. Please destroy this. It is the reason I can't enjoy half of Nitroplus's VN lineup.
Phantom- Phantom's OVA is a prequel to the VN focusing on the events that lead up to Zwei being captured and used by Dr Scythe.
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Chrono Crusade- A melancholy series that focuses on a girl and her servant demon as they try to counter the activities of free demons on Earth.
Gunslinger Girls- A 'girls with guns' series focused on cyborg girls who have undergone brainwashing levels of conditioning. These girls were generally abused/crippled/terminally ill when they were taken in. Their memories from before were erased. The first season jumps around in time, focusing on different girls and their handlers. The only one that gets a long-term focus in this one is Henrietta. The girls are all a bit yandere due to the way the conditioning causes them to rely emotionally on their handlers. The whole point of this inhumane program is to counter terrorist organizations in a fictional future Italy where separatists have gone militant.
Fullmetal Alchemist- C'mon Kvan, for all the flaws with this series, it is still better than Cromartie....
Avenger- Dystopian sci-fi at its mediocre, lol. In a childless world, androids have taken the place of children. The protagonist is a girl who wants revenge against the rulers of Mars for an event several years prior to the story. The action in this story is worth watching, and the music is first-class. However, the story is more than a little incoherent.
Ai Yori Aoshi: Enishi- It's basically a continuation of the previous season, focused solely on everyday episodes instead of trying to draw out tears. You'd think this wouldn't work since he chose a heroine at the end of the first season, but somehow it does.
Peacemaker Kurogane- Follows a page boy that technically existed as a servant of the Shinsengumi's core members and was one of the few survivors. Most of the story is everyday interactions with the Shinsengumi members as they mostly try to distance him from the bloodier stuff.
Tsukihime- It has long been a joke that 'there is no Tsukihime anime' because of how badly it was handled. If you have never played the VN, it actually doesn't bother you as much, but if you have, it drives you nuts. They basically mashed three of the five paths into a single story (Ciel and Kohaku excluded) that, while coherent, has little to do with the original content. Since the events of Hisui and Akiha's path were fused with the events of Arcueid's path, it is a wonder that it somehow came out semi-coherent. Taken on its own, entirely separate from the VN, it is a better than average anime, but taken with the original material in mind, it is an abomination. Especially since they wasted a lot of the best scenes shared between the paths and in Arcueid's path.
Maburaho- Nakige-style ecchi rom-com. It is actually a pretty good watch, but it is from an era with many similar anime, so it is often overlooked.
Kimi ga Nozomu Eien- I honestly hate NTR stories, so this is one of my least favorite anime of all time. Based in the same universe as the Muv-luv series.
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In a lot of ways, Onslaught Syndrome is an echo of the sudden personality changes seen in characters in Tsukihime. I say this because being influenced by the 'original existence' is very much the same as the way demonic descendants suddenly develop atavism in Tsukihime and the Fate setting in general. The key thing to keep in mind when thinking about HMIs is that the 'originals' are really similar to Cthulhu Mythos deities in nature, malevolent and alien. When this mixes with humans, you get a monster who has motivations that are incompatible with human society.
There is mention of HMI abilities evolving, to be specific, Eru. Eru was not originally a top-class HMI, and it was only with extensive training that she reached those heights.
In Shinri's case, his power 'evolution' is just turning his ability to mess with people's brains on himself and intensifying it. It's pretty similar to the random powerups you see in other chuunige, where the protagonist's abilities evolve for emotional or situational reasons.
Also, random 'hero survives something impossibly because he is the hero' events are standard to all Japanese fantasy and action series, so there is no point in analyzing it. It's like asking the forbidden question about why they made the last Code Geass movie when the vast majority of fans liked the original ending of the TV series... lol
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I should note that there is very, very little description/narration in this story. It is almost completely dialogue based, so in that sense it falls behind most other VNs. However, since the entire point of the VN is making you laugh, it doesn't matter as much as it would in a different VN (even a charage). I remember that this VN made me smile on numerous occasions, so I'm not going to go any further in saying anything negative about it.
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Da Capo- It's Da Capo... early era SOL VN turned anime, and like most of those early era ones it combines all the routes into a single story. This makes it a bit incoherent at times, though it does have its high points.
Onegai Twins- Onegai Sensei's side-story focusing on another local boy who is a programmer. Two girls end up living with him, both with the possibility of being his twin sister. There is a ton of sexual tension and emotional dependence in this story, but it is generally enjoyable to read.
Fumoffu- A comedic second season for FMP. Unlike the former and latter seasons, there is very little action, instead focusing on the silliness and slapstick humor the series is infamous for.
Ikkitousen- Martial arts action in a modern era lightly flavored with Three Kingdoms names on mostly half-naked (by the end of the battle) teenage girls. If it weren't for the constant partial nudity, there would be some good action scenes here, but it is too obvious what they are going for.
Green Green- Crappy rom-com
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Anime of the Year 2008-II Spring - Druaga no Tou: The Aegis of Uruk
in Anime of the Season
A blog by kivandopulus in General
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Code Geass 2- Generally a good second half for the series, higher quality animation than the first season, great ending.
Soul Eater- Medium-quality shounen fantasy.
To Love Ru- Ecchi romance with weak-willed protagonist and lots of crazy stuff.
Druaga no Tou- Low-quality high fantasy. Not really worth watching.
Kara no Kyoukai 4- Connects Shiki's past to the present Shiki in the story. Generally the weakest entry in the series, but it is still good.
Special A- Comedy SOL series... I remember doing the TLC for a fansub of this. Generally good quality and worth watching.
Kanokon- Trashy ecchi series that still hits the spot with a certain portion of the community.
Kyouran Kazoku- Good comedy.
Nijuu Mensou- Pretty high-quality series based in a fantasy version of the post-WWII era.
Kurenai- Fantasy series with a lot of focus on distasteful aspects of a high-society family in Japan.
Nabari no Ou- Ninja anime that has good moments but is mostly incoherent.
Kamen no Maid Guy- Pretty amusing comedy.
Golgo 13- cold-hearted assassin kills people for a living. No central story, episodic progression.
Zettai Karen Children- Science-fantasy series about three pyschic girls and their handler in an alternate future where the Japanese Empire was never defeated and open conflict between the empowered and normies is a real possibility. Has a great gaiden series with a more violent focus, but this is mostly light-hearted.
xxxHolic Kei- More of the good stuff if you liked the first season, otherwise not so much.