I’ve been flying around a bit for the past few days so I’m an episode behind. I planned on watching Nisemonogatari on the plane… but then I realized that I probably would’ve been arrested at the gates for indecency.

Twilight - the early years

Was I watching Bakemonogatari 2 or an episode of Dance in the Vampire Bund? While it was nice to see the (surprisingly) eloquent Shinobu come out of her shell – apparently a whole season of keeping quiet meant bottling up a lot of things inside her – there was all sorts of unnecessary for this long stretch – ero loli, naked Araragi and most of their conversation – although I did enjoy the little riff between the two about Araragi’s potential vampire-infused Methuselah-esque lifespan.

Making good use of Araragi's palacial bed

On the other hand, I really like the new Hanekawa. Both in terms of design as well as personality. It’s a nice bit of growth from the prior reserved, know-it-all megane version of Hanekawa. I wasn’t a big fan of her character last season – but this version of Hanekawa seems more self-assured, more mature – and just more interesting all around. Of course, like most of the Bakemonogatari girls, Hanekawa ends up on Araragi’s bed – didn’t he just nearly get murdered for that? Guys never learn when it comes to cute girls.

My new favorite yangire

I do, but I don't think you do...

First off, let me apologize on being incredibly late with this post. A lot of complications have arisen in the past week or so, but I suppose it should be over by now.

Anyways, in my attempt to avoid the “tl;dr” message, I’m going to get really concise with this post.

Regardless, continuing on from the title:

1. …when your sister ignores the fact that a well-endowed red-head was hugging you while you were naked and totally just forgets all of it and assumes the red-head is an orphan
2. …when you have wild, sexual dreams about a red-head who you just met a few hours ago
3. …your sister automatically assumes the red-head can cook and do laundry (perhaps even more)
4. …a red-head meganneko wakes you up in a very, very see-through negligee
5. …when you come home with a red-head hottie and find out your friends have broken into your house
6. …the same friend who broke into your house has spiked a drink and aptly named it “Dynamite”
7. …when a “Simon Says” game starts with you getting slapped and then forced to have sex with the girl of your (recent) dreams
8. …when you’re about to more or less confess to that red-head and she stops you, even after a kiss on your forehead (though she does it in an ultra-kawaii way)

I've never wanted to exist in an anime THIS much.

Amazingly, through a description of awkward events, I have managed to sum up the whole second episode. I’m in no way criticizing Ano Natsu, but it just so happens to be ridiculously easy to follow and has a very forgiving paced plot.

So basically, in the 2nd episode, Ano Natsu places emphasis on Kaito’s sister traveling overseas and Ichika moving in. While some of their friends oppose to Kaito’s new tenant,  Kaito is over-joyed that the hot girl he now has a crush on is coming to live with him. Because most of his friends support the Kanna X Kaito flag, Kaito’s friends break into his house and plan a surprise “meeting” for the “movie” discussion. Obviously, adding to Kaito’s entourage is Lemon-senpai, who is IMHO the coolest loli I’ve seen, and she brings to the meeting a script for the movie, which is hopelessly rejected. After some detail discussions, the gang decides to “chill out” at Kaito’s house and have a party. Being the conniving loli Lemon is, she brought some drinks which are OBVIOUSLY spiked with some sort of alcohol.

Ultra-kawaii, no? I love it when my oneechans do this to me <3

Because alcohol makes everything so much better, the party escalates into some “interesting” events such as Kanna being smexy,  a very awkward “Simon Says” game that ends in total disaster, and a lovely couple moment between Ichika X Kaito.

While the latter was very sweet and cute, it is the premise and “setup” for the majority of the third episode.

Anyways, because of that “uber-cute” and ridiculously confusing ending of the 2nd episode, both Ichika and Kaito seek to make amends  in the third episode.

Kaito, now believe that he has been outwardly rejected (DA FUQ?) by Ichika, he is scared to go to school to go face his friends about his rejection. Ichika, believing that Kaito has found out she’s an alien, is scared to talk to him in case he calls the “MEN IN BLACK”. Seriously people, how can a retardedly cute situation turn into something so messed up? Of course this is an anime and I should be more forgiving of “more-random” plots, but it was very hard for me to comprehend that a cute ending can be an awkward lead-in be so confusing for the characters.

In actuality, he totally is.

So pretty much in episode 3, it’s all about Kaito and Ichika trying to make up, but also avoiding each other as well. Basically, Kaito takes a day off from school, but when Kanna comes to visit him after school, the two go on a “date” to the local shopping district. In a panic mode herself, Ichika tails the two and tries to find Kaito. However, before Ichika can find the couple, Kanna is basically having the time of her life, getting incredibly attention from Kaito. While this goes on, the rest of Kaito’s entourage tail Kaito X Kanna and see what happens. Luckily, before Kanna can propose, Lemon unveils herself and “cock-blocks” Kanna.

This loli, I strongly recommend.

So during all that turmoil between Lemon and the now “fail-confess” Kanna, Kaito slips away and accidentally bumps into Ichika. The two decide to go somewhere discreet to have a serious talk about what they thought Kaito was going to “ask” during their cute encounter the previous night. Obviously, to their surprise, it is implied that both Kaito and Ichika find out that whatever they thought the other was going to say, clearly had nothing to do with what they had in mind.

But…being the awesome romance comedy show it is, Kaito and Ichika take the late night subway home…and Ichika decides to inquire who Kaito has a crush on. Ichika starts naming people, with Kaito promptly denying her guesses, until she said her own name…and then…super awkward/cute moment occurs again.

This moment had me chuckling, laughing, and tearing up all at the same time. ME GUSTA

God this show is so cheesy, but IMHO, it’s pretty much what I do IRL anyways.

So anyways, 3 episodes into this show, and I can guarantee that this type of cheesy romance is what otaku and regular people like. It’s hard to find such cheesy romance/comedy enjoyable, so I’m expecting quite a few of you are going to be in love with this show. While I have no complaints about seeing corny anime confessions, I do feel as if a confession in the 3rd episode is quite rushed. Don’t get me wrong, but I just thought that this might shorten the actual number of “relevant” plots in the coming episodes. Who knows, but whatever it is, I can’t wait for the 4th one!

Plot progression in Nisemonogatari is a precious commodity – the show is so character driven that whenever it does move the plot along there’s usually a lot of weight behind it.

Evil always operates in a blood red sky

Loved the tense scene between Araragi and Kaiki, the Oshino-like fraud who was one of the five, who originally conned Senjougahara. The dark trees, heavy shadows and the foreboding redness of the whole scene was just beautiful. I don’t always love Shinbou’s design aesthetic (specifically I can almost always live without real life items being tossed into scenes here and there), but sometimes his work is just jumps off the screen like a magnificent piece of art.

There's something in between your teeth

One of the things I’ve been reconsidering is my Senjougahara-fascination. Blasphemy right? Now, I do love her as a character. She’s strong-willed, sharp-tongued and very charismatic. In a show full of potential haremettes, there’s no question that Senjougahara is Queen Bee and on a completely different level from everyone else. On the other hand, I’ve been thinking about her relationship with Araragi and how incredibly unhealthy it seems to be. Of course, it’s not completely realistic – the switchblade, the stapler and the kidnapping and whatnot. And most of it’s done with Araragi’s best interests in mind (or maybe Araragi had the hand down the throat coming). But it’s still incredibly warped and quite abusive. Araragi seems none worse the wear, and takes it all with good humor (which is probably why he’s the perfect – and maybe only – match for Senjougahara), which makes it “ok” but not really. I can’t help but think that the two might be better off not being a couple.

Shades of Morpheus?

Next week should be interesting – looking forward to seeing Araragi playing hero again for another damsel in distress. But I think more than anything, I’m piqued to see what the whole Senjougahara-Haneka conversation was all about.

I got around to thinking about Araragi’s life and what a sweet deal he has.

That's what she said

Araragi has no male friends now that Oshino is out of the picture (questionable if you’d even consider Oshino a “friend” so much as another male figure on the show). His life consists of meeting his 5 attractive female friends one after another – actual “girlfriend” Senjougahara, has the hots for him Nadeko (whose voice I continue to adore), sporty exhibitionist Kanbaru, Jekyll/Hyde Catgirl Hanekawa and sharp tongued, maybe prime in another 10 years Hachikuji. When Araragi isn’t talking to them on the phone, he’s being invited to their houses – either while their parents are out, or while they’re naked.

You have to take responsibility!

When he visits their houses, it’s one witty conversation after another. When the conversation dries up, there’s physical misunderstandings and altercations that guys with harems would nosebleed for. Speaking of which, did anyone else notice how much forward Nadeko was in this episode than we’ve seen her before? She may as well have left a trail of clothes from her front door to her bed.

Supernatural crimefighters anonymous

Meanwhile, over in the “main” story, although this arc seems to be focused on Araragi’s relationship with Karen, we haven’t really seen any substantial dialogue between the two besides the scene on the bridge, and that was light on details. Of course, don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. Nisemonogatari continues to be fascinating and in Bakemonogatari fashion, I suspect there’ll be a supernatural twist in the next episode which gives the –gatari series that little panache of depth and intrigue that I’ve come to love. I’m just fascinated by the very blatant and at the same time very subtle harem structure of the show.

A potentially weird love story from student to teacher, a student to alien, and another student to the latter student. Weird, but still a better love story than Twilight.

Since when did this guy know my tricks?

There’s two possible ways to describe this show straight off the bat

1. An ecchi or very fanservice-laden show with a ridiculously great plot

2. A pretty damn good show laced with quite a bit of fanservice.

All in all, the point is, this show is great and it comes with fanservice. While I may find it to be the best combination in the world, some people would refer to the show as being “tainted” with the idea that fanservice is required. However, who cares what you think? This is a post about what I think.

I don't know? Red hair? Meganekko? Ridiculously amazing figure? HNNNGGGG!!

So before I watched AnoNatsu, I watched a bit of Mouretsu. From Mouretsu, I thought I would be getting all of my required daily fanservice, but as it turns out to be, most of it is in AnoNatsu. While there are no panty shots or anything like in Seikon no Qwaser, AnoNatsu does its fanservice by showing sukumizu, oppai as jiggly as jello, and some unconscious motor-boating all in the first episode.

Though I’m not opposed to all that wonderful stuff I’m getting out of AnoNatsu, I would have to say I’m fairly surprised. My initial reaction for AnoNatsu was that it was going to be a nice romantic comedy. The type of stuff you would enjoy once a week. However, as the end of the first episode was drawing near, the whole anime seemed to be somewhat akin to Asobi Ni Iku Yo!.

My face is like that of Kaito's sister. I didn't expect this at all.

Aside from referring to the fanservice from Asobi, what AnoNatsu did the same was introduce a bishoujo who lacks common sense of this world and is very unaware of the power of her oppai. In fact, Ichika and Eris are pretty much the same type of character. While this may not bode well in the eyes of romantic animu buffs, I instead see this as a break from tradition, and that it may just give the anime the boost of adrenaline and spice that warm-blooded shounens like me are looking for.

That reaction when you realize you accidentally said what you wanted to say to her when she's your GF: "I wanna butter you up and make the crazy, wild sex with you all night long"

Aside from the unexpected soft ecchi, what was surprising was AnoNatsu’s style of production. It seemed somewhat reminiscent of Hoshizora, yet a classier version of it, and somehow mixed in together with a touch of Bakemonogatari’s legit narration style. While it’s not like this hasn’t ever occurred before, but I don’t think you get many high-quality anime like this anymore. The way AnoNatsu does it certainly makes me more engaged with the show.

DAT LINE.

While the plot is pretty basic and well understood, I like it how Ichika was designed to make herself seem ridiculously obvious to be the alien that “killed” Kaito. It saves me time guessing and whatnot, though I think they made it a bit TOO obvious. In fact, I would’ve thought that had they saved this for a later episode, it would have more of an interesting impact.

Also, because of how this anime is set in a more rural part of Japan, as opposed to the iron jungle of Tokyo, there is a lot of room for excellent scenery, for example, like Hanasaku Iroha. Though the art is not as fantastic as Hanasaku, it’s great to see an anime with a good emphasis on the background, and not just on drawing bishoujos with shiny shaven legs and gleaming oppai.

Sadistic Loli? Check.

In addition, I thought the voice acting was SUPERB. The girls sounded the way I would picture them and Mio/Ichika sounded extremely moe. I don’t say this often, but I think I’ve fallen for a character thanks to their voice actor. Also, I love the “monotone” we get for Lemon when she talks in “regular mode” and the quick transition to a more deathly tone for her “sadistic mode”. Aside from the moe girls and the sadistic loli, even the male cast were done pretty well. Tetsuro with his boss and playboy vibe, Kaito with his nerdy and scheming feel. It’s a perfect match.

Oh I'll teach you how to act in an AV~! We can practice all night long, baby~!

Oh and before I forget, it’s definitely been awhile since I’ve last heard an OP/ED combo that made me want to DL it straight away. The last anime I watched that gave the same feeling was DURARARA!! and…that’s quite awhile ago. Though there weren’t any solid JROCK with powerful tunes for AnoNatsu, there were soft songs for the OP/ED. A perfect fit for the OP/ED segment and sets the tone for the anime. Damn solid.

Bathing-towel-wrap girl-kiss? Why has this never happened to me yet?

So I guess you pretty much guess the idea of what’s going on and how I feel about this show. It’s  without a doubt that I’m going to follow this show…not for Ichika’s ridiculous oppai, but because this is a type of anime you don’t come across often; a show with a great plot potential laced with slightly-moderate ecchi.

Though I can’t really say why (as in, lack of words/descriptions) I already love this anime, I can tell you this: from this episode onwards, it’s going to separate the lovers and the haters. People who are like me who solely expected a decent anime, may be aghast at the ecchi and turned off by it, or there are people who are even more like me, and continue to watch because they realize that this show COULD be different.

Why the hell did I learn CPR-C when all I have to do is get some oppai and help resuscitate people that way?

SOPA is not going to like this anime.

She takes the meaning of space pirating a tad bit far.

So…uh…is it just me or does this show give off a “Star Driver” vibe?

Whatever.

When I was first going over this show with RP during our Season Preview conversation, I pretty much gave it a thumbs down. At first, the idea of “Space Pirates” was beyond stupid for me. However, being the slightly-perverted-high-school-student that RP makes me out to be, I couldn’t resist his line of “short skirts” and “bishoujos”, thus I pretty much had to do a first impressions of this show.

At the start of the show, I thought it was going to be very “Gundam-like” with all its intense cinematics and dark/gloomy history about wars and whatnot. However, as the first few moments of the episode went by, my impression changed from expecting a retarded/baseless/lack-of-plot anime to an anime that I could potentially watch.

How does this tie in with Space Pirates? Who cares? Everyone loves meidos.

It wasn’t the maid cafe. It wasn’t Marika’s sexy hair nor Chiaki’s orgasmic parfait-eating-segment, but rather that something resembling a reasonable plot can be seen. Though it wasn’t giving too much hope for a bright future for the show, it went from being regarded as something lackluster to a reasonably okay show with a decent plot.

Though I do applaud Mouretsu for defying my initial low expectations, what Mouretsu had in the show still didn’t feel as if it had enough “meat” to it. As a show about “Space Pirates”, I can pretty much picture the show being filled with mini-arcs and random tales. That’s how it’s going to be. There’s no questioning it. It’s not a romantic anime, after all.

While I may be quite ambivalent on Mouretsu’s plot, I’m actually quite impressed how the show is carried out. As I said before, my original incentive for watching Mouretsu was thanks to RP’s comments about how there were going to be bishoujos  and whatnot, thus I expected a bit of ecchi and a bit of fanservice. To be honest, I don’t think I remembered seeing a single panty shot the whole episode. Not that I’m disappointed or anything, but I thought this was great. A show with moe bishoujos and no excessive fanservice. Perfect.

Orgasmic eating 101.

Or wait…would Chiaki’s decadent reaction to eating the chocolate parfait be some sort of fanservice/ecchi? You never know kids these days, anything can be a fetish.

While the first episode certainly clears up quite a bit about the whole background story, I did notice there was some parts that seemed utterly unacceptable. For example, could Marika never have questioned who her dad was? Where he is? In addition, Ririka (Marika’s mother) said she was waiting for the right time to tell Marika that her father was a captain of a space pirate ship. Does her definition of a right time mean “After your father dies and I’m drunk with some curvaceous woman who so happens to be my BFF that I’ve never told you about”? I don’t think so.

Correct reaction indeed.

Thus to me, that whole segment was a complete blunder. I don’t know if it’s because they couldn’t find a better way to explain the whole deal in 24 minutes and still have room for plot development, but the poor execution really gave me a bad impression. However, being the anime optimist that I am, I do see a couple of things done correctly though. For example, Marika’s reaction was textbook and befitting of her situation. It’s just that how Ririka and her friend are portrayed seems kind of…iffy.

Aside from that little fumble there, I do have another complaint about this show. In fact, it’s such a pet peeve that even if the show was ridiculously good, I’d still kind of hate it. Anyways, the point is, what kind of person would wear a pirate outfit in the era they’re in? I know they’re trying to emphasize the whole “pirate thing”, but that’s taking it too far. To be honest, I thought it was completely redundant and annoying. Though, since Marika is pretty moe, I don’t think I’ll mind it THAT much if she dons the outfit…

That derp feeling when you find out your mother is a former playmate.

So a wrap for this first impressions would be pretty much that, Mouretsu has potential to be a great show. While it may be a bit random at times and if you can get past the whole “space pirates” thing, Mouretsu could turn out to be a good underdog of the season. Though there are parts of the episode that made me feel as if the show was pretty weak, there were quite a few redeeming moments. For example, that “airport security” guy was a huge twist and the introduction of Chiaki was perfect for being cliffhangers. Anyways, I shall bid adieu for now.

Check back soon~! I may decide to follow this show

In a lot of ways Bakemonogatari Nisemonogatari reminds me of Seinfeld – lots of entertaining, witty dialogue overshadowing the fact that not much actually happens in many of the episodes.

Has Senjougahara been spending her time off checking out lolcats?

 But that’s sort of the draw of Nisemonogatari, no? You tune in to enjoy the banter between everyone and maybe you get a little seed of a story that’s planted. The –gatari series just brilliantly sucks you into a labyrinth of dialogue – which oftentimes doesn’t connect to the point of the episode at all (in this case, Ararararagi’s evolving relationship with his sisters). In a weaker series, in a series that wasn’t unabashedly weird, in a series with cookie-cutter characters, it would be infuriating. But in –gatari, that’s the draw.

If you could just angle your head a little closer to the floor...

But it’s not just about the dialogue. One thing I reakky like about Shinbou’s style is that he constantly barrages your senses. If you’re not compelled by Senjougahara’s weird ideas of white knighthood, or by the wordplay between Hachikuji and Sharararagi Nisemonogatari then your eyes are being assaulted by bizarre scenery, or maybe upshots of Tsukihi’s yukata, or Hachikuji pulling up her skirt. But again, that’s the appeal of Shinbou, and the appeal of the –gatari series.

In my own long-winded way, I think what I’m trying to say is in the same weird way that Senjougahara and Araragi are perfect for each other, –gatari is the perfect project for Shinbou and why it’s so fun to watch.

Every “season preview” is an experiment for me. Experiment in styles and formats. For a long time, I tried to highlight key bits of information. For this season I’ve decided to take a complete 180, go barebones and focus on entertainment – or what I hope is entertainment. This is basically just an edited conversation with me and Sabishii. We’re light on info and any sort of details, but with all the other previews, hopefully you should have a pretty good idea of what the shows are about. Let’s see how this format flies.

In case you’re not yet familiar with the shows, you should check out other previews you may find more helpful for informational content: THAT, The Cart Driver, Caraniel, Random C, and Sekijitsu (no Sea Slugs preview this season?)

What I'll mostly be doing this season

RP: i’m pretty psyched for Natsume 4

Sabishii: So since I don’t know anything about that series…I’ll leave that to you lol ~

RP: lol ok. I thought the 3rd season was a bit more varying in quality compared to the first two seasons, but if there’s one thing I learned from reading the Natsume mangas, it’s that there’s still plenty of good stories for them to animate.

Sabishii: onto the next show… PoT?

RP: New Prince of Tennis? I dont even know anything about the old prince of tennis

Sabishii: Not that I have anything against PoT, but hasn’t this show around since I was a kid? Like seriously, shouldn’t that Prince of Tennis be in his mid-twenties? It’s like trying to bump a ridiculously old and dusty forum post

RP: Yeah, I don’t have much interest in it. Sports anime in general are sort of meh for me. Doubly so when I don’t really have any connection with the “original” show

Sabishii: Indeed, that’s the same with me. However, Slam Dunk is an exception. That anime was beyond awesome.

RP: lol, I never saw it.

Sabishii: oh dear. Anyways…any feelings for Milky Holmes?

RP: Didn’t watch the first, no interest in the second. They sort of started the whole loli detective trend, huh?

Sabishii: Yeah. It’s a good way to explore more interesting story lines, but the art is just a major turn off. I simply can’t stand that moe loli overload. It’s too much. Sorry dannychoo.

RP: Ok then, Recorder to Randoseru

Sabishii: Cutesy-ish art, looks fairly reasonable. In fact, the plot seems quite original. Not sure how it’ll work out, but it’ll definitely be interesting to watch. However, one main problem I would have with shows like this is that, what would be the purpose? Is there an “ending”?

RP: It’s a 4-koma adaptation… they generally have no purpose. I dunno, the premise seems ridiculous to me

Sabishii: Well ridiculous it is, that’s what makes it all the better. You can’t be repeatedly watching the same old generic anime

RP: Not really ridiculous in a good way. The girl just seems blatant lolicon-bait

Sabishii: i guess so…lol. Good point. Well I’m not too much into moe lolis as you know

RP: And the grown up 11-year old can play to daddy fantasies.

Sabishii: So could this be like an usagi drop?

RP: Yeah… no, I don’t think so I’m passing on this. Thumbs down

Sabishii: Guess I’ll agree with you on this one Highschool DXD next? [RP’s note – Japan continues to spell “high school” wrong]

RP: High School DxD… this seems like your kinda show – raunchy and suspect in quality

Sabishii: Indeed It’s funny how D X D is probably meant to be devil x devil but, i’m pretty sure in shows like this it’s just the heroine’s bust size DD . I’m going to see how it works out, because, in the manga, it wasn’t that bad at all actually

RP: Yep, yep. There’s always at least one or two shows like this every season. Plot is secondary to bust sizes. Ridiculous bust sizes.

Sabishii: Manyuu Hikenchou. lol. Seikon no Qwaser. Derp. You know  Qwaser wasn’t as bad, if only they took out the nipple-sucking-for-energy thing and copious ero

RP: That’s like saying murder is not bad if you take out the whole killing part

Sabishii: lol. The whole “chemistry-user” thing was pretty attractive to me tbh, but i guess I saw more to Qwaser than most people did. that’s how i survived the first season

RP: The director for DxD has worked on some interesting shows in the past though, not all ero anime.

Sabishii: Oh that’s interesting background info. Anyways I guess you’re goign to leave me with the investigation

RP: Yeah, you can write about this show if you want. I’m not watching it.

Sabishii: Hahaha. Even if if i tell you it’s ridiculously good?

RP: yep, I’m very biased based on first impressions

Sabishii: We’ll see ^^ Anyways next. Area. Immediate thumbs down

RP: Area no Kishi… more sports anime

Sabishii: Generic art. Ridiculously generic plotline. Sports tied in with romance. Sorry, but I’ve watched this too many times. Thumbs down.

RP: Ok then. That makes two of us with the thumbs down.

Sabishii: Glad you’re agreeing.

RP: Zero no Tsukaima 4. Have you watched the previous seasons?

Sabishii: i’ve always wanted to see what the hype is about… but never got a chance to. Seeing how this is the final season for ZnT, it better be damn good.

RP: I think you’d like it.

Sabishii: However, I’m shelving it till like…August.

RP: It’s a notch above the ero anime

Sabishii: Oh? So it’s like HOTD?

RP: Mmm, a little classier than HOTD… not much classier. It’s not bad

Sabishii: i’d expect so

RP: I liked the first season, and the ending of the second season was great. The third season sucked though

Sabishii: DERP

RP: I’m guessing this fourth season will suck too, but I’ll give it a shot

Sabishii: FINISH THE FIGHT

RP: Occasionally the drama moments are really well done

Sabishii: :3

RP: I guess I should mention that the director of the 1st season is also doing this season. So maybe there’s hope. Daily lives of high school boys… you’re kinda show?

Sabishii: LOL. What am I? A shoujo? Nah, to be honest it does seem like it but the art, sorry. It’s like madoka for me. Good plot, perhaps. Bad art. [RP’s post-game comment – Madoka art was great!]

RP: lol, a couple years ago, I joked about the lack of Ichigo Mashimaro type shows with an all boys cast. Now it’s the new fad.

Sabishii: Hahaha. Gonna try one?

RP: Cute boys doing cute things? I’m going to pass. My time is precious

Sabishii: Alright. Nexttt

RP: Ok, so finally, a decent show perhaps… Another. Terrible name

Sabishii: It sounds remarkably interesting however, too dark for my tastes. I guess this is going to be you?

RP: PA Works always makes beautiful shows. Pure horror is not really my thing, but I’ll give it a shot.

Sabishii: Yes that’s true~ the art is good. I’m thumbing this one up, but I still doubt I would watch – seems too dark.

RP: Yeah, we’ll see how it goes. These types of shows always seem hit or miss

RP: Rinne no Lagrange

Sabishii: hmm, I like the whole mecha thing, as usual, but the story is too iffy. I’m defs going to take a peek. If it can’t wow on the first episode, I’m pulling out.

RP: Yeah, I’ve never been a big XEBEC fan, and lately the mecha shows have been pretty awful, but I’ll probably give it an episode or two to win me over.

Sabishii: I guess we’re the same then. Do you want to do the FI?

RP: the FI?

Sabishii: first impressions

RP: No, you can go have it. I think you’re probably looking forward to the show more than I am. I just have a passing curiosity

Sabishii: LOL. alrighty. Next…

RP: Black Rock Shooter… I never watched the OVA. Did you?

Sabishii: Yes. The OVA, despite popular belief was absolute shit…well at least for the first 35 minutes of the 40. No speaking, just grunting and hmphing. Like wtf, you have hanazawa kana and you don’t give her lines. The whole BRS thing, I believe, is still pretty shrouded in mystery. However, since the music is by supercell, I guess I’ll be watching it.

RP: Mari Okada is the writer for the show though… she didn’t do the OVA. She’s not bad, occasionally very good

Sabishii: guess I’m full in then

RP: I bet BRS gets her Canaan/Fractale treatment though… nonsensical . Ok, Amagami 2. I didn’t watch the original, well, save for the first episode.

Sabishii: DIBS. DIBS. DIBS. Haruka Morishima is my eternal waifu, lol. well actually I enjoyed the majority of the first season, except I didn’t like some of the girls.

RP: What’s the deal with this show? Didn’t the main guy already hook up with everyone?

Sabishii: Not sure what the hell the sequel is about. Probably just to siphon more dough out of fans but I’m all in. However, can I choose what arcs I want to cover? There’s girls that I don’t like and I don’t want to waste time on them LOL ;D

RP: lol, No – all the girls need to be treated fairly [RP’s note – Rabbit Poets is an equal opportunity employer]

Sabishii: Fine. Got it. Anyways. Nexto.

RP: Kill Me Baby. Pass. There might’ve been a time that I’d give a show like this a chance – random nonsense gags and whatnot, but I think I’ve had my fill of them.

Sabishii: ridiculous moe loli shit. you know as soon as I saw that picture I’m putting a big X on this show… so what about that Mouretsu pirate show. The art looks fantastic, but the plot…doesn’t seem very appealing somehow…

RP: What? Bodacious space pirates not convincing enough?

Sabishii: bastard

RP: Or Miniskirt pirates

Sabishii: HNNG

RP: I guess take your pick

Sabishii: it’s not that I don’t find it appealing it’s that I do take plot into consideration…sometimes… lol

RP: Well, it could be a fun show

Sabishii: yeah I’ll defs be doing a FI, but I can’t say for sure I’ll watch the whole season. It looks fun as you say, but you never know.

RP: I’ll probably wait to hear what others say before watching it though.

Sabishii: Next one is a pass btw. Not into that weird stuff.

RP: Inu x Boku? Ok, thumbs down. Two thumbs down?

Sabishii: Nyeas. Next one thumbs down [Papa no Iu Koto o Kikinasai], thanks to moe lolis.

RP: We should just rip off Siskel and Ebert. Two thumbs up – two thumbs down and everything in between

Sabishii: LOL, i’ve heard of that somewhere. I swear to god i can’t remember. Fail. Okay… Brave10?

RP: Hold on. let’s go over Papa

Sabishii: lolwut. Fineeeee……………………………..

RP: Papa no Iu Koto o Kikinasai

Sabishii: moe lolis, thumbs down

RP: lol, they’re just little kids!

Sabishii: plot seems fun though btw

RP: Ok, never mind. They’re college kids. Ha.

Sabishii: yeah, sorry, moe lolis being a main aspect of any show pisses me off

RP: I would’ve sworn they were like 12

Sabishii: hehehe. You’ve been baited and trolled. kekekeke

RP: I would watch it if AIC produced it, they make everything look good… Ok, Brave 10

Sabishii: Wait. Aside from that, Papa actually has some legit seiyuu – Daisuke Ono and Yui Horie. hnnnnggg. Pretty good i’d say. Too bad it’s a moe loli show.

RP: oh Daisuke Ono?

Sabishii: yes

RP: shoot then I have to watch it

Sabishii: Hehehhee, tell me how it goes Anyways Brave 10. Thumbs up. I’m a history buff and the art looks damn appealing. However, this is something I think it’ll be impossible to write about.

RP: Japan loves these Sengoku-era adaptations

Sabishii: so do I

RP: Daisuke Ono’s in this one. I guess I have to watch this too. Although it’s gonna be a little weird, because I’m so used to the Sengoku Basara versions of these people.

Sabishii: Oh, Daisuke is in brave10? Well i’m watching for sure but no blogging. I didn’t like Basara. Too un-real.

RP: You didn’t like Basara?!

Sabishii: Not really.

RP: what!? O_o That’s blasphemy. I don’t know if I can accept Date Masamune not spouting random engrish phrases during battle.

Sabishii: LOL, sorry, it’s like I want to watch Sengoku anime but when it’s all pop-culturized, no thanks. I wanted something more down to earth. I guess I was looking for a different anime.

RP: lol, we’ll agree to disagree then.

Sabishii: hahha, anyways next Aquarion Evol.. hmmm. hmmm…. it seems really damn interesting but almost a Macross-like love triangle. I’ll watch it, but only FI like Rinne. Unless it absolutely wows me.

RP: Well, it does have members from the Macross Frontier team working on it, so I suppose the similarity makes some sense.

Sabishii: damn I’m good.

RP: Maybe they can copy Macross instead of trying to copy Code Geass and inadvertently give it its own character

Sabishii: I guess you’re a pass? I’m ambivalent

RP: I’ll give it a shot

Sabishii: oh nice

RP: My expectations for mecha anime have really fallen though

Sabishii: somehow I keep getting a sacred seven feel from this…

RP: Star Driver, Guilty Crown, and Sacred Seven were all godawful

Sabishii: Star Driver come on, we all know it was a shoujo’s Gundam. Guilty Crown…uh…yeah. Fanservice girl. Sacred Seven, as Lemmi puts it, godawful.

RP: I hope they give the main guy some personality. That would be my most obvious advice for anyone writing mecha stories from now on. Make your characters interesting. Very counterintuitive advice I know.

Sabishii: hahaha isn’t that what every show needs lol… I miss Gundam Seed so much.

RP: Senhime?

Sabishii: Senhime Zesshou Symphogear. HNNNNNNGGGGG DAT ASS. GOD what is with this sexual advertisement seriously. DAT ASS. IT SHINES.

RP: Strike Witches? Err, no what’s the other one – Infinite Stratos?

Sabishii: oh IS? It wasn’t bad actually but anyways they might as well have named this show Senhime Zesshou Nymphogear

RP: Skin tight outfits are necessary to minimize wind shear when flying around

Sabishii: I’m thumbing this one down…but still going to watch it

RP: I’ll probably not watch it Thumbs down

Sabishii: just to see DAT ASS, lol

RP: lol

Sabishii: 2 thumbs down. kk moving on~

RP: ok, Nisemonogatari. Not a fan of Senjougahara’s short haircut, but this would get my vote for “probable best show of the season”

Sabishii: God, all star cast.

RP: I hope they mix up the storylines

Sabishii: wait so sequel as in arararararargi kun is returning and so is senjou and my tsubasa?

RP: Yes, but I dont know how big a role they’ll have

Sabishii: hmm, regardless, definitely thumbs up. All star cast. Sequel to awesome show. I’m in, but I guess I’l lleave this to you~

RP: ok, two thumbs up. that was easy

Sabishii: lol, u kidding? that is the most expected show of 2012. so far lol.

RP: Ok, so Ano Natsu. More JC Staff romance

Sabishii: the plot is okay-ish. I like the art though. It might be good just saying.

RP: Well most romance stories have a fairly bland plot, per se. It’s just whether or not the characters are likeable. JC Staff does a pretty good job usually with these types of shows though.

Sabishii: That’s what I’m hoping for~ and it is original so I’ll be doing a FI if you’re not~

RP: Mmm, you can have it

Sabishii: though the seiyuu cast is.. quite…bland

RP: I’m only going to watch it if the comedy > drama… what?

Sabishii: and you can tell the girl is made to attract male viewers

RP: Haruka Tomatsu! Yukari Tamura!

Sabishii: big boobies, red hair, meganneko, hnnnnnggg. Ah well, I’m definitely ready for some winter time romance. I’ll let you know if it’s more comedy>romance btw speaking of romantic comedies… how did u like school rumble?

RP: i thought it was one of the funniest shows I’ve ever watched. Loved it

Sabishii: good, then if it turns out like that…

RP: even though there’s never any progress

Sabishii: i’ll let you know. omg 3rd semester. Worst ending ever.

RP: I think School Rumble’s a whole different kind of show

Sabishii: I guess but still romantic comedy with emphasis on comedy and whatever aspects that made it awesome

RP: interestingly, the writer for HOTD is doing Ano Natsu

Sabishii: LOLwut, more bullet time?

RP: Of course he did Honey & Clover too, which is prolly a better comparison

Sabishii: oh then I’m in. LOL. anyways, thumbs up for sure.

RP: I give it… thumb halfway

Sabishii: hahaha, alright

RP: 1.25 thumbs up

Sabishii: that’s not half, that’s a quarter.

RP: Yeah, slightly pointing downwards

So that’s our view of the winter season in a nutshell. Thumb slightly pointing downwards

It’s the Final Countdown!

Please follow along with me as I go through my final countdown for this “Anime Year in Review” series. So far I’ve focused on characters, but now I will focus on the shows themselves. I present to you what, in my view, where the Ten Best Anime Shows of 2011!

10. Anohana

On this site a few months back, I wrote a series review for Anohana. There’s not a whole lot I can add to what I wrote there, except to say that as good as I thought Anohana was, it did air in a very strong year for anime, hence why it didn’t finish any higher than 10th for me. If Anohana had aired in the relatively lackluster anime years of 2009 and 2010, it almost certainly would have been Top 5 material for me. However, amidst the fierce competition of 2011, it just barely manages to squeak on my Top 10 list, nonetheless edging out some pretty good shows in Mashiro-iro Symphony, Un-Go, and the first halves of Fate/Zero and Shana III. Ultimately, I have to concur with what my good friend Demi Soda (from Anime Suki) wrote: Anohana was the best “Melodrama” focused anime of 2011. If you wanted an anime show with powerfully palpable poignant life drama, Anohana was the show for you in 2011. I can certainly understand why this was the best anime show of the year for a lot of people. For me personally, though, the melodrama in the show could at times be a bit too thick, and for that reason it hasn’t aged as well for me as other shows on this Top 10 list have. Still, it was a very well-written, well-produced, and well-executed anime show that demonstrates how the anime world should never cease making good, sincere life drama shows like this one. Anohana shows how anime is often at its best when it takes itself seriously, and with a touch of class.

9. Chihayafuru

Ah, but another anime show that features a fair degree of life drama, and takes itself seriously, is Chihayafuru. You could say that Chihayafuru ultimately beat out Anohana by the nose of Chihaya. Chihaya herself serves well as the hook of the show, drawing in viewers with her initial “Beauty in Vain” presentation. The irony behind that cutting character critique is that Chihaya’s actions are never in vain, but always decidedly purposeful. Chihaya effectively shows how inner beauty, such as the inner beauty needed to stand up for people being wrongly bullied and ostracized, is more important than outer beauty, particularly when such outer beauty is portrayed in a vainglorious way. By going against the negative aspects of predominant social norms and expectations, Chihaya ends up embracing a cast of outcasts, turning them into dear friends and teammates. Together they form a motley but intensely inspiring crew, who’s enthusiasm for the game of karuta is often contagious. I myself knew nothing about karuta going into this anime, and it’s still not a game or sport that interests me, so it says a great deal about the deeper emotional appeals of this anime that it’s managed to make me care about karuta within the context of the anime because the characters themselves so clearly care completely about it. Yet, it is this same lack of familiarity with karuta that slightly limits my overall love for this show. I am a pro sports fan in general (pro hockey specifically), so I’m able to relate to a lot of what the anime is portraying at the level of “sports anime”, but on-screen karuta competitions themselves don’t always gain that sports enthusiast engagement form me. Still, Chihayafuru has been a wholesomely wondrous watch so far, often feeling like a good, old-fashioned, live-action Disney sports film to me.

8. Tamayura ~Hitotose~

Another awe-inspiring anime of 2011, when it comes to capturing that full sense of family and friends that classic Disney was known for, is Tamayura ~Hitotose~. This is an anime that largely fell below the radar screen of the online anime community, and in fairness, I can understand why. It’s mild, melodious, mellow. It’s like a bright light lava lamp, which serenely soothes subtly as you watch on in total relaxation. It’s not as loud, zany, noisy as most anime are. So I can see why it could get lost in the crowd of dozens upon dozens of other concurrently airing anime shows. However, there is, in my opinion, no purer form of “healing” anime than Tamayura ~Hitotose~. Even as a big yuri fan, I have to appreciate an anime that can present a main cast of very close female friends without even once making me perceive yuri subtext in the air. And so I think what ~Hitotose~ managed to capture here is platonic female friendship in its finest form. Now, I am a male, so I could be wrong here, but I get the sense that the way Potte, Kaoru, Maon, Norie, and Chihiro treat each other is a close approximation to how good female friends treat each other in real life. There is certainly a degree of idealization at play here, but it is grounded by how events do not always conspire themselves in the most beneficial of directions. For example, there’s an episode where every love confession fails, a rather ironic twist for a show seeking to affirm life itself as this show does. And yet, this show is one of the most heartwarming I’ve ever watched. If you’re looking for a show to brighten and lighten your mood after a hard day of work, than I heartily recommend sitting down with a comforter and cup of hot chocolate as you ease into another day in the lovely life of Potte and her friends.

7. Hanasaku Iroha

Ah, but what if you want a heartwarming show with kick, punch, and other assorted attacks? Well, then look no further than Hanasaku Iroha! One of the most controversial anime shows of 2011, due in large part to the (in)famous episode 3, which anime fans were starkly divided over. And yet, even as someone who was on the more critical side of that divide, I have to admit there there were few finer anime shows in 2011 than Hanasaku Iroha. This is because Hanasaku Iroha had one of the very best main characters of the entire year, who along with a couple important recurring characters (Satsuki Matsumae in particular), managed to give HSI some of the very best stand-alone episodes and arcs of the entire year of anime. Due to the sheer beauty of P.A. Work’s artwork and animation, matching the best that even Kyoto Animation can offer, it was easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Ohana sparkled not only because of her inherent character strength, but also because it was conveyed with equally sparkling artwork and animation. The full product hence shone illustriously during its greatest moments. While Hanasaku Iroha did have a few stretches of episodes that didn’t feel particularly impassioned, important, interesting; it more than made up for it by having a few stretches of episodes that were absolutely awesome. As time goes by, I find that I remember this anime show’s peaks more than its valleys, and so it’s no surprise that it has aged very well for me. Mari Okada has her weaknesses as a writer, but for giving us two excellent anime originals that were amongst the 10 best shows of 2011, I do tip my hat to her. As long as she doesn’t expect me to wear a dress, mind you.

6. Hourou Musuko (Wandering Son)

The obvious segue just screams out to be used by me, doesn’t it?   But no, Hourou Musuko deserves better than that. It treated cross-dressing as a serious issue, unlike what Mari Okada does in her anime original works, so I will treat it as a serious issue here as well. And, in fact, for a lot  of people it is a serious issue. Gender identity is not unimportant. Nor is feeling comfortable in one’s own skin, and in the clothes that one wears. Given how anime has always played gender issues primarily for laughs (classic comedy anime Ranma ½ makes this clear almost in and of itself), it’s very nice to see an anime show breech the topic from a more relevant sociocultural perspective. Equally important, though, is that Hourou Musuko works simply as subtle drama, even if one isn’t particularly interested in its subject material. I myself have never felt inclined to wear a dress, and have never had substantial gender identity issues, but Hourou Musuko is careful and concise enough in how it presents these issues that it doesn’t really factor into what I take from this anime. Nitori’s story is compelling because he himself presents it simply, streamlined, straightforward. We don’t get lost in minutia, or abstract analogies. He likes the way he looks and feels when wearing girl’s/women’s clothing. He doesn’t beat around the bush or try to find some sort of powerful psychobabble pretext for it. And since he speaks plainly and clearly and maturely about this issue, it feels fine when the rest of the character cast speaks like this as well. I know that some say that these teenage characters act overly mature for their age, and maybe there is some truth to that, but I think it usually works in Hourou Musuko because it exemplifies the overall maturity and sophistication of the show itself. In other words, the show develops a certain tone and identity for itself, one that isn’t too far off from what you could see in a real life setting, and hence it all comes together nicely. Hourou Musuko was hence a very tight show, from start to finish.

5. Tiger and Bunny

In sharp contrast, Tiger and Bunny was a bit of a slow burner, much like those consuming fires that were featured time after time in Barnaby Brooks Jr.’s corrupted memories. That slow burn was probably Tiger and Bunny’s greatest weakness, but also its greatest strength. That obviously sounds paradoxical, so let me explain. While the first few episodes of the show are decently entertaining, it does take awhile for this show to truly shift into high gear, which may have made it seem a bit underwhelming at first. Being a more action-oriented show than most on this list, such a high gear is not only helpful, but called for. You don’t watch a show like Tiger and Bunny strictly for dialogue and character development, as its very premise demands a certain level of theatrical action, adventure, drama, and suspense. You expect clashing crashing conflicts, both physical and personal. And this Tiger and Bunny did provide in desirable ample quantity, in literally flying colors, red and green. But it did take awhile to fully get there.

That slow burn in the first half of the show, though, is what made later developments so coolly compelling. By slowly but surely pulling back the curtain on Barnaby’s background, the viewer is able to gradually piece together what makes this man who and what he is. We learn what makes him tick. Likewise, Kotetsu’s admirable and likable character is best displayed by showing how he perseveres through the less glamorous periods of his life and career, making it all so much sweeter when we see him later become a widely beloved and respected hero, looked up to by all his peers, and even his often aloof partner. Then there’s two specific arcs in Tiger and Bunny that spoke so succinctly to the American comic book fan in me: The Jake Martinez (similar to The Joker) arc and the Maverick (similar to Lex Luthor) arc. Comic book allusions awesomely abounded in this show, and that’s a big reason why it was one of the most awesome anime shows of the year for me.

4. Mawaru Penguin Drum

Ah, but if there was a reward for the most awesome and well-balanced character cast of the year, it would go to Mawaru Penguin Drum. There was no 2011 anime more driven by its characters, and their charismatic personalities, than what Mawaru Penguin Drum was. It holds the distinction of being the only anime to have 2 of my Top 10 male anime characters of the year and 2 of my Top 10 female anime characters of the year. From Himari instigating the great rock and roll time, to Ringo speaking breathlessly about Destiny, to Shouma barely being scratched by a roaring automobile, to Kanba dauntlessly dodging magical slingshots at point blank range, to Sanetoshi being more electrifying than Las Vegas, to Yuri being enchantingly yuri with Ringo, no 2011 anime clearly enjoyed itself more than what Mawaru Penguin Drum did. And hence those of us who watched it couldn’t help but enjoy it as well. Why, even Triple-H warranted a reference here! Gosh, how I wish Natsume and him would crush John Cena soon.   It’s fitting that MPD cutely referenced pro wrestling here since this anime had cool character catch-phrases to rival the likes of “Watcha gonna do when the 24-inch penguins come crashing down on you?!” Penguinmania is running wild, brother! Comedy gold of the year right there, with those penguins, if not the best anime comedy elements of the entire decade! During MPD’s weakest hours, you could always count on the penguins to keep you laughing, smiling, and entertained.

So why doesn’t this show place even higher on this list? Well, as much as I ended up loving Ringo, I eventually grew very tired of her futile pursuit of Tabuki during the first half of the anime. That didn’t resolve itself quite as quickly as I would have liked. Then there’s the trademark Ikuhara symbolism that cuts like a double-edged sword, in my opinion. Sometimes its fascinating and makes everything seem deep and enriching, but other times its incomprehensible to the point of being a bit of a negative. Still, MPD was the most unique anime of the year, and boy, was it ever a lot of fun to watch. In the end, I agree with Ringo more than Kanba. I love fate, since anything that resulted in me watching this show can’t be a bad thing.

3. Usagi Drop

And what Usagi Drop demonstrated gorgeously is that parenting isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. It has its decidedly daunting drawbacks, but it also has really riveting rewards. One scene in this anime stands out to me as I write on it now. It’s the scene, early on, when Daikichi takes Rin up on his back, and runs her home with a youthful vitality and zeal. And I think that’s one of the implicit messages of Usagi Drop. As people age, bonding with younger generations, particularly in a parenting/adult supervision role, is a way to ensure that you don’t lose your energy, vigor, or zest for life. Ultimately, that is what Rin brought into Daikichi’s life, as she implicitly demanded those elements from him: Energy, vigor, and zest. Daikichi had to run himself ragged in order to balance his work life with properly caring for Rin, but through such efforts I think that Daikichi may have realized how life is best when its active and lively. It is arguably better to be tired from a full day of activity than to be bored from inactivity.

Daikichi’s life was lacking in some areas before he met Rin, and so I think that a case can be made that she saved him as much as he saved her. I think this shows a possible ideal outcome for a good parent/child relationship: The child is able to offer something to the parent as worthwhile as what the parent offers to the child. With this being said, Usagi Drop didn’t shy away from displaying less ideal family situations, as we see through various friends and relatives of both Daikichi and Rin. This display gave Usagi Drop a great sense of authenticity about what it was saying about the life of a parent, and the life of a family. In the end, I would not have changed anything about the Usagi Drop anime. I mildly criticized one episode over on Anime Suki, but that episode worked perfectly well as a relative “break in the action” when all is said and done. Usagi Drop is probably as close to flawless as an anime can get. However, it wasn’t quite as ambitious an work as the ones that finished in the top two slots on this list. Now, good reader, we will see if Steins;Gate goes three-for-three.

2. Steins;Gate

And the answer is… It didn’t. But contrary to popular belief, there’s no shame in winning the Silver Medal. And indeed, Steins;Gate was a Tour de Force of Olympic proportions.

Like Tiger and Bunny, it was a slow burner which switched into high gear about halfway though the show. However, its first half was almost as great as the second half, due to whimsically winning witty dialogue. There was probably no anime show of 2011 that had sharper or wittier dialogue than Steins;Gate had. Indeed, I think I’d even put that dialogue ahead of Bakemonogatari’s, a show widely noted for its strong dialogue-driven nature. Now, I’ve already dealt extensively with what made Steins;Gate such an adroitly astounding show in what I wrote about the Male and Female Anime Characters of the Year, Okabe and Kurisu. That pair did more than words could say in making Steins;Gate such a thoroughly triumphant terrific viewing experience. The relationship between them was also one of the best and most sublimely sophisticated subtle anime romances that I’ve ever watched. The rest of the cast was also far from weak.

Mayuri was one of the most moe characters of the entire year, and her kawaii innocence and friendliness added marvelously to my emotional investment in the second half of the show, while consistently putting a smile on my face during the first half of the show. Meanwhile, Suzuha was one kickass character! She had some great scenes in this anime, and played the role of action heroine very well when the need arose. Daru worked equally well as the otaku touch-point character for the show. Shining Finger’s characterization ended up having much more depth to it than I first thought it would, and that added a lot of “Oomph!” to the most tense moments of the anime. Love him/her or hate him/her, Ruka was the Trap archetype polished to perfection. Finally, who wouldn’t want to take a ride on the Feiris Wheel? More seriously, Feiris, like Shining Finger, thankfully ended up being a deeper character than what I had first suspected she’d be.

All-told, this was an elaborately exquisitely excellent anime show, that would have easily been 2010′s best anime of the year if it had aired a year ago.

But no, it aired in a year in which one anime truly stood above all others when it came to taking the Anime World by storm. The fact that anime pulled this off in a very strong year for anime as a whole speaks to the magnificently magical masterpiece that it was. I give to you the No. 1 Anime of 2011. I give to you…

1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

But for Steins;Gate, Mawaru Penguin Drum, Anohana, and Fate/Zero fans that may find my choice of 2011 Anime of the Year disagreeable, let me admit a personal bias to you in the interests of fairness.

I’ve always loved magical girl anime. The reason is elegant simplicity, much like Homura’s character design.

As a young lad, I loved He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. A cartoon where a Prince holds aloft a magical sword of power to become a mighty hero challenging a constantly cackling classic villain named Skeletor, a magic user of the highest order.

In my adolescence, I loved American comic books and pro wrestling, with colorful attire accentuating astutely colorful characters. Hulk Hogan and Superman captured the imagination.

Through my early adulthood and now into my early 30s, I love anime, including its distinguishing moe element.

The magical power of He-Man, the captivating color of super heroes, and the sweetly scented allure of moe. So what brings these altogether?

Magical girl anime is what brings them altogether. When I see a good magical girl anime show, I see much of my life flash before my eyes, along with the flash of the beloved transformation scene, a popular trope that has left me in child-like awe since Prince Adam used a sword to became He-Man, and Clark Kent disrobed to become Superman.

We live in an increasingly jaded age where magic (figuratively speaking) is often seen as quaint, if not juvenile. We live in a cynical age where selfless altruism is often seen as foolhardy.

The great irony of the magical girl deconstruction Madoka Magica is that even while it tears down the more questionable conventions of the magical girl genre, it also reaffirms the magic of the genre, and the altruistic ideals promoted by the genre, through the successfully heroic sacrificial act of Madoka Kaname. Oh, darkness was winning, and cynicism understandably abounded, right up until Madoka’s heroic sacrifice. But that is precisely why Madoka Magica manages to be so effective at reinforcing the spirit of magical girl anime.

You see, Madoka Magica appropriately addresses the antithesis to that timeless spirit. And it lets the antithesis win for a time. Sayaka Miki falls to that antithesis. Kyouko, and her entire family, were victimized by it. Mami was killed by it. Homura was emotionally numbed by it.

“The night is darkest just before the dawn” – Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight

When you cut Madoka Magica down to its very core essence, that is what it is saying. It is a message that does not ignore cold hard reality. But it is also a hopeful message, as it confirms that the dawn is coming. Kaname Madoka was that dawn in Madoka Magica, and that’s much of the reason why the ending to Madoka Magica was so beautiful, touching, and glorious. All the while not feeling contrived, easy, or intellectually shallow. The perfect solution wasn’t there for Madoka, but through careful thought, altruistic desire, and high ambitions, she found a good solution.

This is the key edge that I think Madoka Magica holds over Steins;Gate. Steins;Gate’s ending was nice, almost too nice. Steins;Gate deals with an antithesis similar to the one that Madoka Magica deals with, but in the end it shows a resolution as magically happy as a fairytale ending. Don’t get me wrong, Steins;Gate had a good end, but it was an end that lacked some punch because it divorced itself  a bit from the real world, in my view.

Madoka Magica, on the other hand, never denied the existence of inescapable evil and loss. It simply argued that it can be overcome, at a price. As hokey as it sounds, that’s a message that stirs the young boy inside of me. The young boy that dreamed of highly hopeful heroes in capes like Sayaka Miki, of clever manipulators of technology and time like Akemi Homura, of graceful slayers of witches like Mami Tomoe, of stylish spear-wielding stars like Kyouko Sakura, and of sweet selfless souls like Kaname Madoka.

Madoka Magica inspirited the child in me, while engrossing my adult mind. A rare combo from the rarest of anime gems.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is my No. 1 Anime of 2011, and it is one of my five favorite anime shows of all-time.

But, as the old saying goes, your mileage may vary.

That does it for this year in review series. I hope you all enjoyed reading my takes on the anime shows and characters of the past year. Everything you read is just my opinion, and other contributors to this blog site may well disagree. But still, I found it fun – tiring fun, but fun nonetheless – to pay tribute to 2011, a honestly great year for anime. I hope that 2012 will have more of the same.

Happy trails, and Happy New Year!!!

As promised, here’s the next part in my three-part 2011 Anime Year in Review series. From the Top 10 Male Anime Characters of 2011 we now move on to the fairer sex, as we count down the Top 10 Female Anime Characters of 2011. As for why I’m promoting this with a Madoka Magica group picture, it’s because no fewer than 3 of these 5 girls made my Top 10 list, and the other 2 could be considered ‘honorable mentions’. To find out which three made it, and precisely where they finished, please read on!

While keeping in mind that the same disclaimers I made for the Top 10 Male Anime Characters of 2011 also applies here, let’s kick off this triumphant tribute to girl power! I give to you my personal listing of the Top 10 Female Anime Characters of 2011!

10. Potte, Fu Sawatari (Tamayura ~Hitotose~)

Tamayura ~Hitotose~ is definitely one of the unsung hero titles of the anime world of 2011. It sadly generated little discussion, even relative to other less noticed gems like Usagi Drop and Ikoku Meiro no Croisée. Still, in spite of this, I found that Tamayura ~Hitotose~ represented the hearty Heavenly heights that ‘healing anime’ can reach when it presents itself with smooth subtle sincerity and good execution. While these heights were reached primarily due to a strong ensemble cast performance, I do think that Potte was ultimately the character that had the most to do with that rise. Her personal story lay at the core of the narrative, and it was a story that managed to bring me to tears in the very first episode, that was how instantly beautiful and touching I found it to be. Keep in mind here that I am not a person easily moved by anime, as I can count on my fingers the number of times an anime has left me teary eyed. However, Potte’s intensely illuminating innocence, in spite of personal tragedy in the form of losing her beloved father at a young age, was truly a sight to behold and a welcomed reminder of how people can overcome lost without becoming very bitter or jaded. Instead, Potte eventually came to terms with her loss, and carried on the legacy of her father, by adopting both his old-fashioned camera as well as his love for photography. If I ever have a daughter, I’d be very proud if she was like Fu Sawatari (Potte being her nickname).

9. Minami Kawashima (Moshidora)

Another female anime character that could do a father proud is Minami Kawashima. Minami is also similar to Potte in that she to came from one of the lesser known anime shows of 2011, Moshidora. Moshidora had a decidedly ‘edutainment’ feel to it, being explicitly inspired by the business management philosophies of Peter Drucker. Minami took those philosophies, and applied them comprehensively to the business of managing a high school baseball team. It made for intellectually intriguing insights into how one can adapt business strategies for helpful use in different contexts. While Moshidora was admittedly never perfectly clear on how this all worked, the earnestness and temperance of its lead character Minami went a long way to adding weight and credibility to what Moshidora was trying to achieve. Also, while Moshidora did start somewhat slowly, it did end up being a very enjoyable watch for me personally. So due in large part to Minami, I think we saw how the modern anime world can be used to convey and develop practical ideas and themes, while still being a pleasantly entertaining watch. It also helped that Minami did have her highly emotional moments, where she became unglued and hence more human in a way. On a personal note, Minami made me think of a more realistic and saner Haruhi Suzumiya, and being a big Haruhi fan myself, this admittedly went a long way to me liking Minami’s character.

8. Himari Takakura, Princess of the Crystal (Mawaru Penguindrum)

While Himari wasn’t one of my favorite anime characters of 2011, she did end up being one of the more fascinating anime characters of 2011, due in part to the nebulous relationship between the human Himari and the Princess of the Crystal persona that takes over her body during the scintillating “Survival Strategy!” sequences. Given that the exact nature of the Princess of the Crystal has been left in question a bit, it’s hard for me to separate that persona from Himari herself, and so ‘both’ of them share this spot on my Top 10 list. Also, I found that the two personae complimented one another. Himari tended to be meek, mild, milquetoast. She was certainly likable, but she could lack presence. As the PotC, though, Himari was bold, brash, brazen even. The contrast between the two was breathtaking to behold, precisely because they occupied the same body. Another factor that helped Himari’s character appeal a lot was a steady stream of flashbacks for her, starting in Episode 10. Through these flashbacks we slowly but steadily learned more and more about Himari, rounding her character into shape, and showing that there was actually a lot of depth to her beneath the sugary sweet surface. Also, Himari’s challenge was a difficult one: Making viewers believe that this was a person that Kanba, Shouma, and Ringo would all be willing to sacrifice themselves for. In the end, I think Himari met that challenge, and that’s a big reason why she’s on this list.

7. Chihaya (Chihayafuru)

From a character of brilliant contrasts we shift to a character of compelling consistency. We see Chihaya as a child, and we see her as a young adult, and we see that through it all, she remains the same socially awkward but superbly strong-spirited girl. Chihaya’s penultimately powerful passions permeate the work that fittingly bears her name, and since Chihayafuru has been one of the fantastically finest Fall 2011 anime shows, it’s only fair to give Chihaya due credit for the major role she plays in making that anime be as good as it is. While other characters, most notable Kanade and Taichi, add a great deal of needed nuance and color to the work, it is Chihaya that is the heart and soul of Chihayafuru. More than any other character, she pushes the plot forward, and she represents the themes of the work. Nowhere is this more clear than how young Chihaya stood up for young Arata in the face of bullying, even against her own good friend Taichi in the process. This gave Chihaya lasting moral credentials, and speaks to Chihayafuru’s theme that just because a person is different or unusual doesn’t mean that he or she should be condemned and ostracized. Chihaya is a modern day heroic figure, in this regard. A lovely young woman, but one who’s greatest beauty is of the inner sort.

6. Madoka Kaname (Madoka Magica)

Ah, but there is perhaps no female anime character of 2011 with more inner beauty than what Madoka boasts. Or, rather, she could boast about it if she was not such a humble sort who tends to see herself as less than what she actually is. As the titular character of the best-selling TV series anime of 2011 (thus far, at least), there is no question that Madoka has been an impressively influential anime character this year. Furthermore, her character design is magical girl aesthetics in its purest form. Madoka represents the spirit of the magical girl genre itself, and she hence plays an essential role in what Gen Urobuchi attempted to do in Madoka Magica. Madoka has a mixture of humility, femininity, altruism, and guarded hopefulness that I think exemplifies what the magical girl genre is all about. And so in her we see both the best, and the worst, inherent qualities of the genre. It is her successes, and her failures, that most clearly tell the tale of deconstruction and reconstruction that I think Madoka Magica was all about. In a more basic sense, this makes Madoka very likable, but also mildly exasperating in some ways. On the whole, I think she was a wonderful character, and she’s one of my favorites of all-time, but I can see why some found her overly inactive during most of the narrative that bears her name.

5. Sayaka Miki (Madoka Magica)

When it comes to degree of activity, Sayaka is the ying to Madoka’s yang. The two best friends are similar in many ways, but one way that they differ markedly is in how quick and eager they are to take decisive action. While Madoka is quite cautious, arguably to a fault, Sayaka can at times be downright impulsive. And yet, even when she is impulsive, Sayaka’s actions and choices are always informed by what I would call a slightly idealized form of conventional morality. What I mean by this is that Sayaka is more or less a normal girl of conventional moral values that I think are pretty reflective of common human values in general, but Sayaka always takes these values to their logical ends. This makes Sayaka, in my view, a bit of a “Everyman Hero”. She’s simply a good young woman, who’s strengths and flaws are reflective of many people. This makes her very likable to me, as she adds a great deal to the immersion value of Madoka Magica. It also makes Sayaka’s eventual descent so magnificently effective when it comes to what I think Gen was aiming for with her. Basically, Sayaka shows as well as any character could how deeply flawed and corrupted the Puella Magi system of Madoka Magica is. If it can so cruelly victimize her, then that speaks profoundly to how horrible the system is, and to its potential for victimizing countless innocent teenage girls. Sayaka’s descent, though very tragic and sad, is probably essential for fully displaying the great evil that Madoka must confront and overcome. So Sayaka’s role in the narrative is much more indispensable than I think many viewers realize. Not only does Sayaka carry the middle portions of the narrative, she also plays a central role in framing Madoka’s final act, and showing why that act was both necessary and the right way for the anime to end. On a personal note, I also completely love Sayaka’s character design, as its a glorious fusion of so many different character types I love: Magical Girl, Super Hero (Sayaka’s Cape), and Chivalrous Knight/Paladin.

4. Ringo Oginome (Mawaru Penguindrum)

Ah, but one character with a notably normal “girl next door” character design is Ringo Oginome. Yet this normalcy not only does not limit Ringo’s effectiveness as a main cast character, I think it may even aid it. Over the course of Mawaru Penguindrum, Ringo goes from a ‘crazy stalker girl’ to the most normal and sane character in the cast. What is quite remarkable about this is that the anime achieves this completely seamlessly, with her characterization never feeling uneven because of it. While the Takakura brothers grow ever more mentally disturbed, Ringo regains her faculties and becomes increasingly stable.  As such, the “straight man” and the “crazy fun” characters become juxtaposed. Ringo now becomes the viewer “touch-point” character, a role once played by the Takakura brothers, while the Takakura brothers descend into demented self-loathing and crazy terrorist activities respectively. As the viewer touch-point character, I found Ringo exquisitely elegantly effective. She is truly a sweet, caring girl who’s relentlessness in the face of adversity is to be admired. A fearlessly faithful friend, who in some ways combines the best of Sayaka Miki and Madoka Kaname. Perhaps for that reason, Ringo achieved a happy end. However, if there’s one word that I think sums up what made Ringo so great a character, I think it’s this word: Soulful. For all of her normal looks, Ringo is simply overflowing with emotion, zeal, charm, and style. She is truly the soulful girl next door.

3. Ohana Matsumae (Hanasaku Iroha)

Another girl who is soulful in her own right, though, is Hanasaku Iroha’s Ohana. Ohana, I would argue, took that swashbuckling shonen spirit, and put it inside of a teenage girl character in a slice of life anime. This made for a remarkable combination of popular anime elements, even when much of the rest of the cast was unremarkable (or even remarkably bad, in some cases). Ohana definitely deserves no less than the No. 3 spot on this list for one very simple reason: More than any other character on this list, she carried the anime that she was in, through good times and bad. There’s no character that was more valuable to the anime that they starred in than what Ohana was to her’s. While Minami and Chihaya are definitely the heart of their respective anime shows, both of them were well-supported by a strong and diverse supporting cast. I typically couldn’t say the same for Ohana, though I will admit that Hanasaku Iroha’s supporting cast ended up being better than I first thought. Still, if not for Ohana, I wonder if I would have even made it through Hanasaku Iroha. The irony there is that Hanasaku Iroha ultimately ended up being one of my favorite anime shows of the year, as it’s final arc was outstandingly excellent. But I never would have managed to get there if not for the spectacularly sparkling shounen heroine with the marvelously moe mannerisms. Ohana was simply a joy to watch, and she was why I had the patience necessary in order to fully enjoy Hanasaku Iroha. I hope we see more of Ohana in the future, because nobody fests it up like she does.

2. Akemi Homura (Madoka Magica)

Still, Akemi Homura is also quite good at festing it up. Just ask Walpurgisnacht. Homura is probably the most popular new anime character of 2011. For me personally, I like her, Madoka, and Sayaka, all about equally well, albeit for significantly different reasons in each case. However, popularity itself can be important, and may show if a character is having the desired effect of the individual who first wrote her. By that measure, Homura has been incredibly effective. I do think that Homura is very “cool”, and that she added a lot of that commercially important “cool” factor to Madoka Magica. The more famous Dark Magical Girls (Fate Testarossa being a good example here) tend to be well-beloved due to that “cool” factor. But Homura put a welcomed new spin on that old Dark Magical Girl idea. Typically, you see, the Dark Magical Girl starts out as genuinely antagonistic and needs to be reformed/”saved” by the titular magical girl. Conventionally, the Dark Magical Girl has a sympathetic, passionate cause that overrides everything else for her, but that cause runs contrary to the titular magical girl. However, Homura puts an interesting twist on this in that, for her, the passionate overriding cause is… the titular magical girl herself. Madoka herself is why Homura does what she does. When you really think about it, this is a pretty mind-blowing twist on a magical girl genre convention. The reason being is that it’s usually through the titular magical girl reaching out to the dark magical girl and befriending her that the dark magical girl becomes reformed. In this case, the dark magical girl is a dark magical girl precisely because of such “reaching out”. You could even say that Madoka inspired Homura to become a “dark magical girl”. As with Madoka and Sayaka before her, I think that Homura also has a great character design that suits her personality and character role beautifully.

Now, given the mammoth impact that Homura had on the anime world in 2011, some may wonder who could possibly finish ahead of her,and why? Well, let me now answer that question.

I give to you the Top Female Anime Character of 2011. As with the Top Male Anime Character of 2011, I think it calls for a drum roll and an imperial tuturu…

1. Kurisu Makise (Steins;Gate)

Kurisu shares some similar strengths with Homura, but she has a couple key advantages over her for me. While Homura puts a nice new spin on a popular anime archetype, Kurisu doesn’t merely spin the tsundere character type, she revolutionized it. Also, Kurisuo frankly made that anime archetype relatable and relevant again. Finally, while Dark Magical Girls aren’t rare, they’re also nowhere near as common (and hence predominant/influential) within the anime industry as the tsundere archetype is. Tsunderes are found everywhere in the anime world, and the future of that archetype will have a lot to say about the future of anime as a whole. This is why Kurisu being the perfect tsundere was such important and welcomed news to me, as I delved into before on this site. Since I already covered a lot of ground there in that post, I’m not going to waste the time of regular readers of this blog by restating it all anew.

So let me instead focus on the second key advantage that Kurisu holds over Homura. While I think that both characters are great representations of “strong character (female)”, I think that Kurisu is a bit more down-to-Earth and realistic overall. There’s a few key reasons here. Kurisu kept her wits about her when faced with personal tragedy. She favored cooperation over “going it alone”. As awesome as Homura’s independent stands were to behold, they weren’t necessarily the smartest or shrewdest courses of action. In sharp contrast, Kurisu always pushed herself in when she could sense that Okabe was in deep, serious trouble and that he shouldn’t “go it alone” either. While Homura relied on keeping Madoka uninformed of the wider situation, Kurisu relied on forcing Okabe to inform her of the situation so that the two of them could deal with it together. I think that there’s a positive message there, of the importance of not “going it alone” when you or a loved one are in deep trouble.

One other notable strength of Kurisu’s is how I think she’s a more modern and realistic anime female character. What I mean by that is that Kurisu wouldn’t seem out of place at a modern real world University, whereas many anime female characters frankly would. As much as I love some Yamato Nadeshikos, and many magical moe girls, and many of the other quirky and unusual female anime characters of renown, a lot of them are pretty starkly divorced form the modern female. Here I think Kurisu really shines. I suspect, but don’t know, that she’s a character that many female anime viewers would like, because she’s like them. She has her own personal goals, separate from those of the male lead. She’s strong, assertive, independent. However, she’s not constantly uptight and serious, as she’s able to let her hair down at times and be a bit silly (see the picture I’ve chosen for her spot on this list ). She can match Okabe’s “Mad Scientist” persona when the need arises, as such an approach is sometimes for the best for both him and her. Long story short, she’s a very sophisticated character, that represents a meeting of the anime world with the world of the modern female. If anime is to ever hit it big in North America again, it will need characters like Kurisu Makise to lead the way. As such her character, more than any other female anime character in 2011, gives me reason to hope for where anime may go to in the future.

That does it for this Top 10 list, but know that there will one more to come later this week. Steins;Gate has taken top spot on the two Character lists, and so the question now is if it will go 3-for-3 by taking the top spot on the Top 10 Anime Shows of 2011 list. To know the answer to that question, check back here in a day or two.

In the interim, please let me know what you think of my list here, and your thoughts on those characters who made it. Any comments on the basic format of this post is also welcomed, of course. All images featured in this post came from a simple Google Image search; I lay no claim to either of them and I give full credit to their respective creators/owners.