aloe, dream

Gundam 00

With 3 episodes down, solid HD subs, and a slew of episodes to come, this is my top viewing priority. This doesn’t imply it is my favorite of the Fall, but the series is bound to be fast-paced action, requiring minimal depth or reflection on my part. In other words, the mood or atmosphere I’m in will not matter; zero preparation. This doesn’t hold true for the next tier.

Ghost Hound

The psychological weight of this series is already upon the viewer after one episode. On top of the content of Ghost Hound, we also have the mastermind who spiraled the psychological experience in Lain. I’m one to really reflect on a piece of media when it strikes me. With Lain, I didn’t finish it in 2 days and walk away without a thought; some consciousness of that situation lingered for weeks. I’m hoping Ghost Hound’s impact is quite similar, therefore I may not be in the mood to watch it “any ole time”; possibly optimizing my time for the right moments… (yea I’m a freak) v.v

note: The 720p quality is awesome!

Sketchbook full color’s

Remember watching the Aria(s)? What was that sensation, resolve? peace? Who knows, but Sketchbook has a vibe that slows the world around the viewer. Dull things sparkle, the uncute becomes cute, the unfunny becomes funny, it is the essence of the mighty slice of life. While Sketchbook doesn’t require thought, I feel the experience necessitates a softer surrounding. I can’t find myself sitting down and enjoying this series thoroughly after a grueling, testosterone-full, cycling down the Indian River 40k. I’m more in the mood to watch football after something like that, “knockin’ peoples’ heads’ off”, and that isn’t what Sketchbook is about.

I try to find the slower parts of life, and Sketchbook fits in those periods. I think there is quality in this series after 3 episodes, and I’ll give it my quality time to see if that’s true. Bravo!

Clannad

In a previous impression, I stated that Sunrise’s Gundam 00 animation was “very good”. KyoAni’s Clannad has the upper hand (and possibly Ghost Hound as well) on Gundam, but when dealing with Clannad, we’re dealing with Key; H-game conversion MASTA! I won’t give Clannad the top spot, where Kanon held it last Fall, I just won’t.

My feeling is that Clannad may possibly have a more refined, “fairytale”, type story, rather than the tear-dramas before it. Not that there isn’t any drama or tears, but do we see any dark foreshadowing like AIR and Kanon? It’s possible, but perhaps Clannad will touch the heart in less of a sad way.

Even though Clannad is not on top, there won’t be much to hold back my watching. I’m ready, I’m anxious, but frankly, I’d rather have the aspect of the above anime, rather than the delicious kicks and moe’ness of Clannad. “Candy doesn’t last forever….”

Shion no Ou

It is questionable where this series will head, but the artwork, design, and characters are solid. This isn’t one to brush off, but I can see myself stocking a few episodes and watching 60-100 minutes of it. The mystery aspect is nice, but it is slightly creepy; Speed Grapher was similarly creepy.

Shakugan no Shana II

At the same level as Shion no Oh, will be the second season of Shana, the darling tsundereloli. Its entertaining, thats for sure, and the little love harem Yuji has going is too cute. Although Hecate is a good addition to the drama, its still awesome and freaky that she basically raped Yuji mentally, physically, spiritually… magically, etc? Magical rapeage = Hecate. She’s probably the big question, right? Will Hecate be an active staring role this time around? A lot can happen in 24 episodes, and I was a bit surprised to see Bal Masque and Hecate getting in on the action so early in the game. Yet, I’ll be surprised if the focus remains on Hecate and co, but also interested to see how it “happens”.

Minami-ke

A show like Minami-ke in the 5th level of my priorities. Personally, this is evidence of a good season at hand, because if Minami-ke was aired during the recent Summer, I believe it would have been in the first or second slot. This slice-of-life is different than the Sketchbook type, because it seems to progress even though there are no complications involved. I have no idea how this is accomplished, but it works. Minami-ke isn’t ecchi, or overly cute, or moe, but its fun to watch and I find the topics a good source of comedy. The laughs appear effortlessly and the flow feels really natural (not in the tree-hugger sense of the word).

Bamboo Blade

Wow, this has good potential for a couple reasons. The anidb shows it is scheduled for 26 episodes, that’s kinda spooky because the nature of this series makes me believe it will resolve in 12-13 episodes. Also, episode 3, the dual-MiyaMiya was fantastic. Bamboo Blade hasn’t been super funny, but I don’t think that is what it’s about. I see shounen for the fact that it is progressive-inspiring, stimulates strive, etc. I may hold higher priorities for this after midway, who knows?

Dragonaut - The Resonance

Resonance eh? Yeah, I get it now. Half of the overly-endowed female figures are actually dragons, but I don’t understand that. I’m being generous with this priority because Dragonaut could become droppage, but so far it does interest. The downfalls must be the CG and the supper-endowed females, except for the military juggernaut, Garnet McLane (hypothesis: she probably fights just as well with a whip).

ef - a tale of memories

Memory alright… I remember that movie about the 1 day memory, 50 First Dates. A similar situation makes up about 40% of ef, and the other sections are extremely character driven, cute, but damn SHAFT. SHAFT makes this confusing, not in the sense that I have no handle on the story, but which random shots are relevant? That’s my only quib material. Shoot, I can take 1000+ random service shots from Zetsubo(FRASH!) and Negima, but when drawing out characters in a more serious sense those shots distract. For me at least. Oh, I won’t give up on it even if I get lost, I’ll just stick around and see if I can imagine a story from the random cinematography. ^^

Shugo Chara!

Mahou-Shoujo! Again. Nothing not to like about cute things, but this sort of thing isn’t for the faint of heart. Guardians fighting evil eggs! The centerpiece character is more complex than the rest of the story, so that could be bland even though its cute. Oh well.

Myself; Yourself

I was considering dropping this, but I’ll lightly track. From this level downward are series where I’ll probably watch, but may not be inclined to finish. Some may drop, and others may diverge as the limit of t approaches infinity.

Anyway, Myself; Yourself. It’s decent, could shine if the characters develop in a good way. Hmmm. That’s all.

Hero Tales

I don’t have much to say, this will probably be bumped up a few levels if the story is striking, but with only one generic episode I can’t dig much.

Rental Magic

I like the side information one of the subgroups provides, it is kind of cool. I wish I could place this higher, but I really hope this is only 12-13 episodes long. I haven’t the slightest idea if there will be a major plot, but the characters are serviceable. I can’t do another Kaze no Stigma, which was enjoyable at times, but afterwards I felt like an idiot for being so inclined to watch it. Oh well, I’m still an idiot when it comes to amusement.

Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun

OMG I cannot not watch this, but I can’t say this is a top priority either. I have this feeling: if every single other series this season fails, Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun will somehow make the season memorable (chances of this outcome are less than 1%). The premise, the older siblings, the succubus, LOL, its funny, and Mayu is moe deluxe edition.