Did you catch that? I didn't use the word 'lineup' this time. Once again, I'm trying something different and I'd like your input on it. So please check out the thread in the Anime sub-forum for Spring 2010 Anime Lineup, but first, I need to move along with the Winter 2009/10 Anime Review. Since the Winter season has been rolling along and some of the shows are half way through or coming to a close, I thought I'd write up short reviews on the shows I've seen. Some shows are winners, some shows aren't. I think that sort of information might be more useful than just introductory info and a link. Don't worry though I still have some of that as well. So let's dive into it...

Shows I've watched and liked.

Ladies Vs Butlers!

How can I gather together the finest of english words in order to describe this show. There is an art in trying to add polish by using words to describe what is...an extremely ecchi show. I LOVE YOU, LADIES VS BUTLERS! I'm not sure what it was that drew me in. Oh, of course I do. The [ahem] tits and ass. There is plenty of it here and that's where the commentary should end right? Wrong. The show took what is typically a somewhat boring harem setup and made it great. The lead character, Hino Akiharu, isn't a complete wuss. He's a level headed guy who is trying to make the grade in this high-class society, plus butlers and maids training school. Remember Kanokon, that great ecchi show with the main character as weak as water? This is NOT that show. It's far better. I can't wait to see the last episode and I've gotten great laughs throughout the show. Pay attention Japan! This is how you do it right.

Durarara!!

Looking for the show that's sure to be remembered this season? This is it. For those who liked Baccano!, this show is written by the same author. It started out jumbled because the show flitted between characters in order to provide some of their backstory. When we had seen enough to know our main characters, the pieces and plot began to fall into place. This is a seinen drama. The characters are interconnected in their own small ways, and not all of them have had the spotlight yet. I'm liking what I've seen so far, and I await the last half of the series.

Katanagatari

This show releases generally on a monthly schedule, so for a 12 episode show, you'll be left waiting in between installments. Thankfully, they've decided to give us hour long episodes (50min) to make up for that. The animation is sharp and the story shows promise. The main character is contacted by this cute girl holding rank in the shogunate to journey with her and reclaim 12 swords made by a legendary swordmaker. Why won't he keep the swords from himself? His family was exiled to an island by the previous shogun because of their family's superpowered martial art of the 'No Sword School'. Since he has no use for swords, he won't want them. Why follow her...because he going to fall in love with her. Simple and cute setup.

Aki Sora OVA

This is your real rated 'R' material. I've seen the first OVA and I'm hungry for more. If you combine this with the fact that KissxSis will be breaking out of OVA status into it's own show... my ecchi eyes are like kids waiting for Christmas. Plenty of adult themes, wincest and sex, so this is the 'late night softcore on premium channels' kind of show.

Dante's Inferno (IMDb link)

While this is an animated epic, is not an anime. Wha..? Like the difference between champagne and sparkling wine, AniDB and ANN will not dirty their databases with an entry for this show. It was created alongside the release of a video game of the same name in the US. We covered the show in our podcast, and the general opinion between FJ and myself was that this was a decent movie. The good animation makes up for the times when the movie feels rushed. This could've been two OVAs or a longer movie.

Shows I watched and...well your mileage may vary.

Ookamikakushi

Hassaku! Hassaku! Jouga no Hassaku!~~ That's all I'm probably going to remember from this show. It didn't end badly or anything, but it failed to deliver more. It started off with several episodes of dry silence on behalf of the characters and I was willing to drop it. Then, almost as if on cue with our disappointment, the show dropped the silence. By this time though, there wasn't much plot or time left. They cooked up a semi-plausible idea where the bad guy makes his move, explains his motivations, but the forces of good prevail. Again, it's not a bad show; it's just weak. If you came to this show expecting some new Higurashi no naku koro ni, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Chu-Bra!!

Hayama Nayu is a junior high school girl who is all about women's underwear. I've seen 11 episodes so far and this show is bland. It had the possibility to be an ecchi show, and it fell short. It could've went cute and had a romance story, and while the last episode has the chance to make something happen... it's too little, too late. The beginning episodes lingered too long in that nowhere plot space. When they figured that out, they rushed in more ecchi and sprinkled in some romance. This show won't end bad, but like Ookamikakushi, it could've been a lot better.

Halo Legends

Halo... quite possibly the best selling FPS that Microsoft has ever had has now ventured into the realm of animation with 8 animated episodes. We also discussed this title in the podcast and, sorry Microsoft, the majority of these episodes could've used some work. I'll take a moment to reiterate that the last three episodes were decent. The last one in particular could be a winner if it was expanded into its own show. The diehard Halo fans probably won't want to miss this just to be up on the canon.

The rest.

Cobra: Rokunin no Yuushi

I saw this pop up on Crunchyroll and I'm sure part of it is a retelling, but some of it appears new. Why I haven't caught up with this show yet, I don't know. I am putting it first for a reason. I will be watching this.

Sora no Woto

This was one of those shows where after watching the first episode I felt it wasn't for me. For those that like a bit of military mixed up with their K-On! then perhaps this show is for you. Don't hold your breath though...

Hanamaru Kindergarten

I don't have much to say about this show as these types of cute shows generally pass under my radar. So, I'll leave it to Kago, who provides a good introduction to the show. "Tsuchida-kun just started working at Hanamaru Kindergarten where not only is he the only male teacher, but he is also the first male teacher they've ever had. Tsuchida is also late on his first day and ends up running into a little girl named Anzu alone in the street. Anzu mistakes Tsuchida's concern for her safety for a pick up line. Later, Tsuchida discovers that Anzu is in his class, and her claims of him hitting on her throw off his attempts to make a pass at his gorgeous coworker, Yamamoto Sensei. Despite his best efforts, Anzu ends up falling for Tsuchida when he saves her from falling out of a tree. To make matters worse, Anzu's mom happens to be a former senpai of Tsuchida's (whom he seemed to have a bit of a crush on) who married her own teacher while in high school, and only encourages things when Anzu declares that she will be Tsuchida's wife when she grows up." Kago's latest note on the series? "If I had to pick out some stuff from this past season, my two stand outs would have to be: Kimi no Todoke for being an adorable high school romantic comedy done right, (I agree) Hanamaru Youchien for being a kindergarten romantic comedy done so cute it hurts. Both shows make me LOL hard. [Kago]

Qwaser of Stigmata or Seikon no Qwaser

On the podcast, we had nothing but vitriol for this show after watching the first episode. Kago and Stewart share their thoughts, "Mihail Academy has an illustrious reputation and a highly religious background, but after the disappearance of it's former dean, a string of mysterious murders takes place. Tomo and Mafuyu are best friends and the daughter and ward (respectively) of the former dean, and due to the former dean's disappearance they've been having a rough time of it. One day, after a rather rough time at school, they come across a young boy in the road on the way home from school. The kid then turns up the next day as an exchange student named Alexander Hel. Turns out he is a Qwaser, which is apparently this series' wierd word for bad ass Alchemist, and he is here to find/protect something called the Theotokos of Tsarytsin that other evil Qwasers want. Okay, so far this is all pretty standard stuff for an ecchi horror/action, but the thing that sets this series apart is that Alexander recharges his Soma (this series' word for power) through drinking breast milk. And I'm not saying he pulls out a bottle of milk that happens to be breast milk and chugs it, I mean he finds a titty, latches on, mid-combat mind you, and gets down to business." [Kago] Stewart put it best on the forum by using the image for "Son, I am disappoint".

Dance in the Vampire Bund

I watched the first episode and also read the first chapter or two of the manga, and I wasn't hooked. Here's Kago with the introduction, "Kaburagi Akira is a young man just trying to live a normal life. However, he is a member of the Earth clan and hails from a long line of servants to the Tepes family, and it just so happens that the current head of the family just arrived in Japan. As it turns out, the Tepes family funded a massive building project off the coast of Japan, a man made island labeled Tokyo Landfill #0, and the Mina Tepes, the last living member of the Tepes dynasty has come to claim it. Her first act upon arriving in Japan is to reveal to the world that she, and all of the residents of the island are in fact Vampires and that she is their Queen. From there on out Akira's life goes form juggling school work to foiling assassination attempts, managing interclan rivalries, and just keeping the Little Loli Queen of the Night in a good mood." [Kago] Loli Queen, indeed. When I saw her bare body in one scene, I was nonplussed. There are those who will be turned on, so for them... happy watching.

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu

"Akihisa Yoshii is a student at Fumizuki Academy, a school with a very unusual way of doing things. While many schools rank their classes by test scores, Fumizuki academy takes it to a whole new level. Based on it's rank, the quality of amenities each class recieves varies widely, with the highest ranked class A featuring reclining chairs, a self services bar, and laptops for each student while the lowest ranked class F is stuck in a tatami floored room with broken windows and equipment that was old when the shoguns were still in power. The other thing that sets Fumizuki academy apart is that, in the presence of a teacher, all the students are capable of summoning a creature to do battle with another students' summoned creature. Each creature's power is determined by the last test grade that student got in whatever subject the over seeing teacher happens to govern. The story is your standard underdogs taking on the world style action show, simply focused on a much smaller scale, with lots of interpersonal and interclass plotting and rivalries going on." [Kago]

Omamori Himari

"Amakawa Yuuto is a normal boy living a normal life, at least until the magic charm his grandmother gave him runs out of power. Turns out Yuuto comes from a long line of demon slayers, and that magic charm was keeping all the pissed of demons that his ancestors missed from homing in on his power and killing him. Luckily for him, one of his smarter ancestors spared a particular demon and made a pact with them, and now that demons descendent, a cat-girl swordswoman named Himari has come to honor that pact and made herself his personal bodyguard, though she wants to do alot more than just "protect" him. Unluckily for him, he's allergic to cats, and his "childhood friend" Rinko takes violent exception to the fact that she's seeming to be replaced by the better endowed, over sexed, over powered, knows-not-the-meaning-of-personal-space Himari. Hilarity and demonic battles ensue." [Kago]

Nodame Cantabile ~Finale~

Fate/Stay Night TV Reproduction OVA

Hidamari Sketch X Hoshimittsu

I owe a big thanks to Kago for using his introductions. You'll find them and more discussion in our anime forum. So check us out! If you haven't done so already, register and join in on the forums.