I’ve actually been tinkering with this redesign for the past 3 months. Even though I feel like it’s still only 80% ready, I finally decided to launch the new look, not because of the new season, but because I was getting sick of looking at the same damn test post while I was dicking with CSS code. Plus, I’ve been tweaking this design long enough where I started getting bored of it, at which point I thought, "uh oh" better release it before I Duke Nukem’d it for a newer, sexier model.

The redesign

There’s definitely a lot I’ve learned from this redesign. Most of all, I feel pretty comfortable with CSS now. I’m familiar with the syntax, I know what properties to look for. Definitely much more so than I was before. But even moreso than the coding, I think the toughest part was figuring out the right color scheme. It took me more than a month to settle on something I liked. I wanted to have some bright accents, which is why I went with the orange, a color I typically hate. And then I accidentally stumbled on the blue as the main color.

Otherwise, the goals for this design was to make things faster, more functional and more clickably-delicious.

As far as faster goes, I think I’ve accomplished that to some degree.

• My Yslow score has gone from a 63 to 71 on the home page, and a 57 to a 66 on post pages
• According to WebPageTest, the site now loads in less than 1/2 the time (from almost 9 seconds before to about 4 seconds now), and makes 2/3 the number requests it did before
• I think there’s still room for some improvement though (chasing a better Yslow score has become my white whale)

As far as more functional, there were a few things I wanted to incorporate:

• A better search – I must’ve referred to Kabitzin’s google search post about 50 times. Very helpful
• A comment toolbar – Nobody but myself knew that I had a "spoiler" tag enabled on the comments. Not that anyone should ever use it.
• Not really functional, but the site now validates as XHTML 1.0 strict! (Although I doubt I deserve any credit for that. Those props should go to Ian Stewart for building such an excellent framework.)
• Non-image based drop shadows
• Other things that I can’t remember

And as far as clickably-delicious, I wanted to incorporate some of the new CSS3 effects. So there’s a healthy smattering of box shadows, border radiuses, opacities and scalings (hopefully I didn’t overdo it). So anytime you hover over a button, or click on a form field, you should get some sort of visual response that should in theory, make you want to click it or continue engaging with it. I suppose taste is subjective, so again, hopefully I didn’t overdo those effects. They’re as much for usability and accessibility purposes as for the deliciousness factor.

Thanks

So some thanks are in order.

• Gargron for taking care of some PHP dirty work that was out of my league. Highly recommended, he was a true professional, a pleasure doing business with. I’d absolutely hire him again. (And you should check his and mefloraine’s collaboration, Paper Dream – very cool.)
• Smashing Magazine and it’s network of blogs, because just about everything I learned, from CSS3 to color theory, I learned from perusing their posts over the past few months
• Kabitzin for his google search post I mentioned earlier, and actually his blogging tips category as well.
• Firebug for Firefox, Notepad++ and Filezilla. All indispensable tools.
• Hmm, I could’ve sworn this section would be longer… Hope I didn’t forget anyone

Still not done

Sadly, there’s still plenty left to do. Luckily it’s mostly under the hood stuff, so you shouldn’t notice much changing.

• Well, as you can see, I need to stick a cute image in the header. I’ll get to that… someday.
• Little nicks and nacks, like for example, inconsistent sidebar treatments
• Still figuring out what widgets should go in which sidebar
• Still redoing the blogroll. I plan on having the main list on its own page and then incorporating CCY & Gargron’s "Do you read" dual-custody baby somewhere on the home page. (I’ve finally started writing the blurbs)
• Testing across various browsers. While I had the stage site running, everything looked pretty good. But you never know what might happen when you transfer files over. (although you guys on IE6 are probably screwed. I don’t think it’s going to look terrible, but it’s not going to look quite right.)
• Other stuff I can’t remember

Anyway…

So, hopefully you’ll like the new look. If you notice anything wonky let me know. Or if you have any feedback (good or bad) that’d be much appreciated too!

It’s the S-orchestra guys! I hope this isn’t the extent of their involvement in this season, but with just two episodes left, I’m not too hopeful of getting much more from them.

I can’t believe Stresemann’s 73-years-old. For one, he looks like he’s in his 40’s. And two, he hits the town like he’s in his 20’s. Although Nodame didn’t look like she originally wanted to be there, or maybe she was a little in disbelief, it was pretty cool seeing her taking the initiative and guiding the piece the way she wanted it.

Nodame’s always been sort of the sympathetic character as far as her relationship with Chiaki’s been concerned. But I wonder if that dynamic has turned. 88-56-87 is 35"-22"-34" for those not on the metric system. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I find myself doing those calculations every time I see the three sizes. Oh, and that’s pretty impressive… if true.

I was thrilled with Rui’s 2+ minute performance last week, but did you notice that Nodame’s performance went nearly 6 minutes? It felt like it took up just about the whole second half of the episode. Last week was awesome. This week was sublime on a level above.

Once Nodame’s fingers crashed onto the keys and I saw the shots of everyone’s faces and reactions, I thought "yabai!" Are they good looks? Or bad looks? Are they just so stunned by her playing? Or are they in shock because something is off? With Nodame, it’s usually a mixture of both. And at that point a knot formed in my stomach as I hoped and prayed that Nodame would be able to hold it together.

Chiaki sums it up best, even here, Nodame is still Nodame, unpredictable, uncontrollable as ever. But that’s why listening to her play is so unique. There’s no one else like her. Still, as talented as Nodame, I would guess that there’s very few composers that would be able to hang with her – able to adjust to her unpredictability. If it weren’t Chiaki, Stresemann’s was clearly the best alternative to conduct Noda’s debut.

I have to admit, I was nervous for Stresemann as I was for Nodame. "Keep it together Stresemann! Make it work!" I thought. The Nodamustang image from the last episode popped up in my mind. The anime, throughout the three seasons has done a fantastic job characterizing her playing as something truly wild and untamable, but also remarkable is that her playing, as "eccentric" as it is, never fails to draw in everyone. From the crowd to the concert master, who’s changing his style on the fly.

And then when the music stops, there’s the slight pause, and the crowd breaks out in a roar. Wow. It brought a tear to my eye. I took a deep breath and could finally relax knowing that it all went keikakudoori. I thought everything about this scene was brilliantly directed, from Chiaki’s voiceover, to the faces and expressions, to the light and flower effects. Everything about it just sucked me into Nodame’s world. I’d imagine it’d been the same effect if this scene were playing in the real world and I was sitting in the orchestra seats. Just tremendous.

Bravo, Stresemann. You deserve a rest. Or at least some ice cream.

What a way to end the episode. As Chiaki points out, everything’s changed and they can’t go back to where they were before. It just feels more and more likely to me that Chiaki and Nodame’s path towards brilliance will ultimately pull these two apart. I hope I’m wrong. But that’s feeling like the most "real" ending.

Summary: The school system gets seriously messed up and Yoshii fixes it with some effort.

First off, this thing wash seriously awash with parodies, both ones that I recognized, ones that I didn’t know but looked like a parody, and even ones that probably weren’t parodies but looked right well familiar. To illustrate, here’s my Parody Corner:

As for the episode itself, it’s good to finally see Yoshii use that bracelet for something useful but it seems to come across as Yoshii’s chibi being solid as a bad thing since he keeps getting beaten up through it. There seems to be no improvement in his actual intelligence so if he’s going to get any stronger any time soon it’ll be through that bracelet.

As for the plot, that guy at the start of the episode does pose some questions. Who was he? Will he turn up again? Is he actually important or is a mysterious character setting off the plot yet another parody I missed? The interesting question is why was he hacking into the system in the first place. It seems like that was the system for the summoned chibis so was he trying to hack them for some reason? Or maybe he was trying to find information on how they worked. The whole Summoning system is a bit of a mystery really. All they’ve said has been at the start of the series that it was a revolutionary new design or something like that and they never say why it was designed. Baka to Test seems too jokey to have a plot that would delve into this but who knows…

Now the big question here is: what’s up with the principal? She really seems to have some underlying motive here with all her vague references to idiots and with setting up all this in the first place.The plot doesn’t focus on her that much, probably because there’s no quirky character trait or love interest but I wish it would. I want to find out what she’s up to.
Here’s a few of my theories:
1. She set up this program as a way to help idiots because she is/was once an idiot herself and wants them to learn from her mistakes.

2. She’s a multi millionaire/genius with too much time on her hands.

3. She’s Yoshii’s long lost mother/sister/aunt/whatever and is secretly helping him to improve himself out of familial concern.

4. She’s one of Yoshii’s love interest’s (probably Glasses Guy’s) long lost mother/sister/aunt/whatever and is secretly helping him to improve himself so he’ll make a better husband/wife for her beloved child.

5. Yoshii’s actually playing a very realistic video game and she’s the narrator/guild master/helper person who assigns you quests and gives you hints at those bits in the game that make no sense.

6. She’s just the principal and happens to seem all important while actually not being so at all.

7. She’s a Seleção who’s method of saving the country involves either making the idiots smarter or making the idiots powerful so the world will be goverened by idiots in the future (it explains where they’d get the money for the system at least).

I hope some underlying plot point will run through the last few episode. It’ll make things a bit more interesting to watch and I’ll feel more like it was really worth watching this, and it’ll also avoid a crappy harem end. I hope even more that my Bit Torrent will start working so I can watch the last few episodes, stupid thing.

As before, no spoilers. I’m having too much fun guessing.

Nodame’s "Just as Keikaku" face was worth the price of admission to this show.

But the main act stole the show. 2+ minutes of the Ravel piece, pretty much uninterrupted by dialogue (except for two short lines). It was awesome. It was magnificent. In a world of sound bites, quick cuts, and 5 seconds of fame, this felt like an eternity, in a good way. I was hoping it would go on forever.

But the effects of Chiaki and Rui’s masterful performance would go beyond just the two minutes of music. It’s funny how a side character such as Rui, who’s never really even talked to Nodame, has had such a big impact on Nodame’s relationship with Chiaki and her musical goals. Like Chiaki points out, from the moment Rui was introduced, she’s always managed to ignite a dangerous side to Nodame.

But for the first time Nodame doesn’t respond by losing herself in her playing – instead playing the perfect waifu role. All seems to be well, but this was probably the worst possible reaction Rui’s performance could’ve incited.

Nodame shying away… In the end, Nodame is remarkably similar to Chiaki. Opening up then pulling away at the worst possible moments. It’s what makes the relationship feel so real, but it’s also a big source of frustration.

So I have to admit, I’m pretty much always going to give Chiaki the benefit of the doubt, because he reminds me a lot of… well, me. Except I’m not as singularly focused (or talented) as he is. But personality-wise I get where he’s coming from. His reacts the way I’d react. And I’m not sure there was a good way for him to respond when Nodame spontaneously proposes to him (although boinking her probably wasn’t a good idea). Chiaki was getting a lot flack in the MAL forums for not accepting her proposal… but, c’mon! It’s the first thing in the morning. No one just happens to accept a proposal out of the blue like that. I don’t know what I would’ve done. Probably just laughed and joked it off similarly. It was a terribly awkward moment, Chiaki has no idea how to respond, and I think director Chiaki Kon did a really nice job of conveying that.

There were some great expressions in this episode. Many of which were from Nodame, but also some from the supporting characters as well. I was struck by Yoda’s expression, particularly. It’s hard to explain, I saw sadness, but there was something else to it. A sense of loneliness, not Yoda’s, but maybe something he was sensing from Nodame and her absence.

After the wonderful Ravel piece at the beginning of the show, it was stunning to hear Nodame’s version of Beethoven. Stresseman, who arrived in Paris to party with Chiaki, instead finds a disconsolate Nodame, bereft of all motivation after hearing Rui play. Stresseman implores her to show her what she’s learned at which point she breaks into the Beethoven. And although I wish it went on longer, seeing Stresseman’s dour expression (another excellent one), Nodame’s tortured face, and hearing his explanation of the piece ("lamentation, utter exhaustion, so you can’t even think") was weighed tremendously heavy on me. You hear about music impacting scenes, this would be a prime example.

Meanwhile, Chiaki’s in Italy, tortured by Nodame’s proposal. He calls himself an idiot. He wonders what if she was serious? What would he do? Then he dismisses that possibility, thinking that she was shying away again. And wonders why, after coming so far, is she seeming like she’d throw it all away. Really, an excellent internal battle.

I do love Stresseman, because he has a way of just taking over scenes. Stresseman seems to be making an offer to Nodame to see the world. But what in the world was with the magic circle at the end? I can’t tell if I liked it or not, it was just so… bizarre to see. Three episodes left and the plot continues to thicken. Why is this season so short!?

It’s Shizzy-chan and Izaya-kun!

Like Scamp mentions in his review of Working, the show’s characters do fall into the trap of being quirky for the sake of being quirky. Why does the Crew Chief carry a sword? It’s not like she uses it for anything. How does Inami manage to walk to work without bludgeoning random men on the street? Why is the manager so lazy? Just ’cause she is. I could’ve done without all these quirks. I’d rather have had Crew Chief just been a normal mature girl stereotype without the sword. Inami just be cripplingly shy instead of being androphobic. And the manager? Well, I wouldn’t change anything about her, but she doesn’t need to tell us she’s lazy, just show it to us. Besides, she didn’t seem all that lazy, just quick-tempered.

Working’s actually sort of enjoyable when it’s not blatantly winking at or focusing on these quirks. I like Popura’s genkiness, and I especially like hearing Kana Isumi voice her. Takanashi doesn’t seem like a bad male lead. And it seems like Daisuke Ono and Hiroshi Kamiya will carry on their bickering from DRRR. The artwork is appropriately cute and the animation’s pretty solid. If Working can focus itself on a "storyline" or just on some slice of life moments, instead of the forced quirks, I think it’ll be a fun show to watch. If not… then I’ll make a short run of it.

Pharma dude was a very convincing Lelouch for the first few seconds of the episode. Jun Fukuyama’s should get some royalties for it. So pharma dude locks Nemuru in with Hiro. Then the timing gets weird. It should be late evening when Nemuru and Hiro get locked in together. The next scene we see Kana notice that both of them are missing in school the next day. Then the next scene we see her go tell Hiro’s dad that he’s missing. We then see Hiro nodding off having nightmares. Then he wakes up. Then we see Mr. Hawk getting all politico with Nemuru’s dad (I thought he was her grandfather!?) and its the afternoon. Ok, so you’re telling me that Hiro spent the whole night sleeping? Originally, I thought the scenes were just spliced out of place, but I don’t think that’s the case.

It’s a shame Hiro’s nightmare wasn’t reality. That was by far the best part of the first half of the episode. But before I move on, let me step back and say how terrible Hiro’s father is. No wonder Hiro’s such a passive kid as Blindability points out. Some older dude you don’t know calls you at night, tells you that your kid is sleeping over his place, and then the next day your kid’s friend tells you that he never came to school, and you say that you’ll send a search party if he doesn’t go to school the next day? Really? Your kid has to be kidnapped for at least 48 hours for you to care? Wow. It explains so much. On the flip side, I give semi-kudos to pharma dude for covering his tracks – although anybody with a right mind would’ve thought of a better excuse than "your kid is sleeping over my place, Mr. Father who I don’t know".

As Kana recollects the counting rhyme, Nemuru spills the beans on the jouga. I actually thought this scene was nicely directed. Good pace, nice juxtaposition, interesting way to tell us the info. Basically, the confusion with the use of the "fallen" comes from the fact that the Jouga are referring to two "Gods." While the Jouga refer to themselves as "Gods", Nemuru admits that it’s actually the regular people who are the real Gods, and the Jouga are the ones drawn to them. So people like Mr. Hawk refer to regular people as the "fallen", because he considers the Jougas "Gods," but Nemuru clearly states that the "fallen" are those Jougas who’ve succumbed to the temptation and attacked the real Gods – the regular people. So the meaning of "God" and "fallen" seems to change based on the perspective of who’s referring to it. The one thing I wished was that Nemuru would explain what exactly happens to regular people who get sexed up by the Jouga. Do they become Jouga? (it would seem so based on next week’s preview)

And as we pretty much suspected, Hiro’s Calvin Klein Obsession drives all the kawaii chicks wild. Nemuru-chan is so adorable when she’s trying so hard not to kill Hiro. Personally, I would’ve told her to go for it.

During Kana’s walk home, she happens to overhear Mr. Hawk’s devious plans and frantically heads back to Hiro’s deadbeat dad and convinces him to start searching for Hiro and Nemuru. Meanwhile, Hiro cuts Nemuru’s ropes loose, because… I don’t know why. I guess he trusts her now. Or secretly he wants to get sexed up by curvy Nemuru.

Damn, I’ll miss Nemuru’s uncle. He was one of the side characters that I liked. But unfortunately he gets the double cross from Mr. Hawk, who’s just not a big fan of pharma companies, and in turn slips Nemuru’s uncle some exploding coffee. Unfortunately for Mr. Hawk – he’s all warfare, no brains – and instead of planning like a proper killer and knowing how long it’d take for the exploding coffee to kill someone, he just dallies out of the room, and Nemuru’s uncle uses that long moment to call Nemuru’s dad and warn him about Mr. Hawk, and to convince him to search for Nemuru and Hiro. Mr. Hawk, you sir, are a damn fool.

While Hiro’s dad hits the streets with Kana, Nemuru’s dad sends out the search parties. Like I mentioned, the above double-cross scene and the search scenes were excellent. Fast paced, frantic, it really sucked me in. Quite possibly the best 5 minutes of the show so far. But then Hiro and Nemuru’s dad arrive at the scene, and they find the two of them safe and sound. How did that happen? Well, after all that struggle, Nemuru relied on the power of promises, and chose not to get randy with Hiro. Sheesh, if it was that easy to begin with, they could’ve at least done some cuddling to raise the difficulty level. We also see Isuzu recovering safe and sound… And with that, the 5 minutes of excellence came to a crashing end, along with my hopes for a bad ending.

Source

So actually, it turns out when I’m not creating CSS/HTML atrocities, the season preview post doesn’t have to take a week to create. It still took a couple days, but that’s the fastest I’ve ever been able to create it. And I think this is actually the most "helpful" season preview post I’ve ever written. And by helpful, I mean actually providing useful info… Heh, enjoy that while it lasts.

All the show info came from either Chartfag’s wonderful season preview chart, AniDB or MAL. The Final Word is a feature suggestion from Baka-Raptor (see I do listen to reader feedback!), who is celebrating his toddler years. Go wish him a happy birthday, then tell him to release a b-sides album. A note about the images: I believe all of them are official artwork (except as noted), but if I’ve accidentally nicked someone’s fanart, just let me know and I’ll either take it down or attribute it.

Angel Beats

In a world after death, angels fight for their fate and their future. Yuri, the leader of the Shinda Sekai Sensen, rebels against the god who destined her to have an unreasonable life. On the otherhand, Tenshi, the chairperson of the student council for the world after death, battles against the SSS members. SSS members utilize armed weaponry to battle it out against the angels harnessing supernatural powers.

Studio: PA Works (True Tears, Canaan)

Listen for: Kana Hanazawa (Sengoku Nadeko, Kobato), Eri Kitamura (Ami Kawashima), Kamiya Hiroshi, Miyuki Sawashiro

Director: Seiji Kishi (Seto no Hanayome, Tentai Senshi Sunred)

RP: I’ve never been a Key fan. The overdose of melodrama just flatlines me. But Angel Beats seems interesting. The story sounds like a departure from the usual harem tearfest. There’s a good seiyuu cast, but more importantly, a fantastic director at the helm. And a great comedic director at that. I’m hoping that Seiji Kishi will able to keep the pace up, and the drama from getting too heavy. Color me intrigued.
Anticipation meter: 9

Libera: I haven’t seen a Key adaption before but they must have something that keeps having them done. Regardless of who wrote it, the artwork and description look like they have potential so I’ll stick around for a while.
Anticipation meter: 9

The final word: If you thought Clannad would’ve been better if it was totally different and if the girls had guns, you’ll like this show.

Arakawa Under the Bridge

The story is about the strange courtship of a successful executive in life called Kou and a mysterious woman called Nino who lives under a bridge. It all begins when Kou almost drowns in a river but is saved by Nino. For saving his life, Kou fulfills Nino’s desire to have a boyfriend. Thus, Kou becomes her boyfriend, but has to live with her under the bridge…

Studio: SHAFT (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Bakemonogatari, Hidamari Sketch)

Listen for: Kamiya Hiroshi (Zetsubou Sensei, Ararararagi Koyomi-oniichan, Orihara Izaya), Tomokazu Sugita (Kyon, Graham Specter), Sawashiro Miyuki (Selty), Saitou Chiwa (Senjougahara), Takehito Koyasu (Jade Curtiss, Shark Fujishiro), Keiji Fujiwara

Director: Shinbou (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Bakemonogatari)

RP: This should be fun. This should be cute. I love the seiyuu cast, and I’m generally a fan of Shinbou and SHAFT – although I have to admit I’m getting tired of the continual delays, and Shinbou’s increasing habit on not animating scenes. But the premise of this show seems quirky enough that Shinbou’s style should be a good fit for it.
Anticipation meter: 8

Libera: It sounds like a romance but I heard it’s actually a comedy so that could be worth watching. On the other hand I haven’t watched any SHAFT anime yet so I don’t know if I’ll like their style. I’m still going to watch it though. nothing indicates that this is going to be rubbish at all.
Anticipation meter: 8

The final word: If you like the idea of scenes not being animated and possibly airing months late, you’ll like this show.

B Gata H Kei

The story revolves around a sexually inexperienced schoolgirl who dreams about her 100 sexual fantasies. One day, she falls in love with a plain-looking boy and tries to date with him.

Studio: HAL Film Maker (Aria, Skip Beat!)

Listen for: Atsushi Abe (Kamijou Touma), Yukari Tamura (Rika Furude, Mai Kawasumi), Yuu Kobayashi (Kaere Kimura), Mamiko Noto (Ana Coppola, Kotomi Ichinose), Yui Horie (Ayu Tsukimiya, Eri Sawachika), Kana Hanazawa

Director: Yuusuke Yamamoto (Welcome to the NHK!)

RP: I admit I’m interested in the show for the same reason I was interested in Chu-Bra last season – the synopsis is so unusual, I can’t help but be somewhat captivated. Note: ANN has the description as 100 casual sex partners, while aniDB has it as 100 sexual fantasies. I went with the second description, just because the first description sounds like slutbaiting. Whatever the case, I’m still intrigued. In actuality, it’s probably going to devolve into an ecchi-fest, but a good seiyuu cast and the director of Welcome to the NHK makes me think that B Gata H Kei will be a million times better than Chu-Bra and could be a nice surprise.
Anticipation meter: 5

Libera: My first thought on reading this was "What?" It hasn’t changed.
Anticipation meter: 1

The final word: If you like to think that the world would be a better place if girls would just get sexy time more often, you’ll like this show.

Black Rock Shooter

Black Rock Shooter tells of the narrator’s despair and hopelessness as they wander aimlessly, searching for something important to them that they presumably lost. Eventually the narrator gains new hope and decides to move on into the future with courage. The video for the song of the same name became massively popular, featuring Black Rock Shooter traveling through a bleak city and countryside, riding a motorbike and wielding weapons.

Studio: Ordet

Listen for: ?

Director: Shinobu Yoshioka

RP: I never quite understood the popularity of BRS, but whatever. It looks stylish and sexy, I’ll watch it.
Anticipation meter: 5

Libera: Seems like it’s going to be a glorified music video, but if it’s good music then I don’t mind that. The animation in the trailer is really funky too so I’m a bit more excited then I was.
Anticipation meter: 7

The final word: If you like Hatsune, but thought she wasn’t "edgy" enough and needed more sex appeal, you’ll like this show.

Giant Killing

In Giant Killing a ragtag bunch from East Tokyo are struggling in Japan’s top football league. The team is going through an abysmal spell right now where they are nearing the bottom of the table and have lost 5 matches in a row. The loses haven’t done much to team moral, because it was already low. Fan support, on the other hand, is looking bleak. In the world of football, once the fans turn on a team the end is near. Teams don’t recover. Coaches are fired, players are sold, and teams drop to smaller divisions where profits often prevent them from ever being successful against even mediocre top division programs. East Tokyo United, ETU, can only blame their coach right now. And Coach is ready to give up this next game to prove to his team and fans, that against the biggest club in the nation he can make this team win.

Studio: DEEN (Higurashi, Umineko, Fate/Stay Night)

Listen for: ?

Director: Kou Yuu (Zero no Tsukaima – the crappy seasons, Chrno Crusade)

RP: I don’t know why, but I’ve never really had an interest in watching sports anime. I like sports. I like anime. Should be a perfect fit right? But yet… I’m going to pass.
Anticipation meter: 2

Libera: Well this is original anyway. I’ve never watched an anime about football. I’ve hardly seen any anime about any sports (actual running around sports, not stuff like Go and Mahjong). This thing could go anywhere but I’ll keep my hopes up, even though my enthusiasm for football is pretty much non-existant.
Anticipation meter: 7

The final word: If you like rooting for the underdog, you’ll like this show.

Gundam Unicorn

Set 3 years after the events of Char’s Counterattack, a young man is caught in a deadly conflict between the Earth Federation and Terrorist Organization "The Sleeved" as they battle for an object that is said to have changed the course of Human history. (The first episode of Gundam Unicorn has actually already been released.)

Studio: Sunrise (Code Geass, Gundam, Cowboy Bebop)

Listen for: Shuuichi Ikeda (Mobile Suit Gundam), Haruka Tomatsu (Nagi, Lala Satalin Deviluke), Tatsuya Kakihara (Simon, Fujioka)

Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Rurouni Kenshin)

RP: I was looking forward to this until I realized it’s related to a lot of Mobile Suit Gundam movies I haven’t seen. So there’s a good chance that I may never get around to watching it. But if someone could give me some pointers on which Mobile Suit Gundams I should watch in advance of watching Unicorn, that would be mighty helpful.
Anticipation meter: 3 (was 8 before)

Libera: There are 3 reasons why I’m looking forward to Gundam:

1. It gives me a legit excuse to watch the original Gundam, to understand the U.C. better.
2. It’s GUNDAM!!! (more specifically, it’s giant mecha, big fights, political intrigue and possibly bishies all in one anime)
3. Gundam Unicorn is one opf the films listed as airing in the Irish Film Institude this March. It’s probably just the first OVA, since the others aren’t out yet, but it does mean I can watch Gundam on the big screen, surround sound, high def, with popcorn. I am so up for this.

Anticipation meter: 10

The final word: If you like old school character designs and are willing to tolerate moe robot fanservice overload, you’ll like this show.

Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan

Yukimura Chizuru is the daughter of a doctor who works in Edo. The father leaves Edo to work as a volunteer doctor and moves to Kyoto without his daughter. As time passes by, Chizuru starts worrying about losing contact with her father, so she decides to go to Kyoto in search of him. On the way, Chizuru is attacked by few criminals and witnesses a fight between a demon and the Shinsengumi. Taking her into custody and saving her, the Shinsengumi debate on what to do with Chizuru when they discover that she is the daughter of the doctor they are also looking for. So they decide to become Chizuru’s protectors and help her look for her father.

Studio: DEEN

Listen for: Shinichirou Miki (Kurz Weber, Lockon Stratos, Roy Mustang)

Director: Osamu Yamasaki (Terra e…, Itazura na Kiss)

RP: So this show is apparently an adaptation of an otome game, which is apparently a dating simulation game for girls. So… I’m thinking it’s probably going to have some shoujo-esque elements. The premise seems interesting enough, but shoujo is kryptonite as far as I’m concerned, so I’ll pass.
Anticipation meter: 2

Libera: It’s game based, and I think I have yet to see a good game based anime. But it has bishies and a possible political and convoluted plot so it may be good. I want it to be good so I have an excuse to watch all those bishies in sword fights ala Rurouni Kenshin!
Anticipation meter: 7

The final word: If you like dating simulations but have always wanted to pursue the nameless guy, you’ll like this show.

Heroman

The story will center on a boy named Joey who discovers a toy robot near the west coast of the United States. Then, the toy becomes Hero Man, a giant robot that Joey pilots against evil threats.

Studio: BONES (Full Metal Alchemist, Eureka Seven, Soul Eater)

Listen for: ?

Director: ?

RP: The Iron Giant was a really good robot cartoon. I don’t think Heroman will be. Stan Lee hasn’t created anything good since I was born. But he must have really hit the bottom of the creative well if Heroman is as generic as it sounds. Joey Jones? Heroman? Fighting robot wearing the American flag? This has to be some kind of blatant parody or homage. It doesn’t make any sense otherwise. At least BONES will make it look good.
Anticipation meter: 1

Libera: There’s something inherently stupid about a robot with an American flag motif. But it’s Bones! Why can’t they do something with robots like Eureka Seven? Or plots like Fullmetal Alchemist? Or maybe that’s the problem; all of Bones’ good workers are still doing Brotherhood and left the dregs to do this.
Anticipation meter: 3

The final word: If you like your robots with a slice of cheese, you’ll like this show.

Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou

The story of "love, magic, and battles" revolves around Akuto Sai, a boy who aims to become part of his country’s highest order of magicians and contribute to society as one of its clergy. On the day he is admitted into the Constan Magical Academy, his aptitude test predicts the following: "Future Occupation … Devil King." Thus begins his severe school life in which he is resented by his studious female class head, desired by a girl with mysterious powers, and guarded by a beautiful female android.

Studio: Artland (Mushishi)

Listen for: Toyosaki Aki (Yui Hirasawa, Kazari Uiharu), Itou Shizuka (Hinagiku), Hirohashi Ryou (Alice Carroll)

Director: Takashi Watanabe (Shakugan no Shana)

RP: This sounds like a terribly generic ecchi harem show, but I’ll probably give it a chance just because the director of Shakugan no Shana’s directing it. I’ve liked his comedic direction in some of the Shana eps, so maybe he can imbue this with some spirit.
Anticipation meter: 4

Libera: Normally I go for the shows that have bizarre descriptions but this one apparently has fanservice galore so I’m staying clear.
Anticipation meter: 3

The final word: If you like the appeal of a "traditional" ecchi harem comedy, you’ll like this show.

Iron Man

Marvel Comics has formally announced a partnership with Tokyo based anime production studio Madhouse to develop four 12 episode anime television series featuring Marvel super hero characters. The first series, which will feature Iron Man and Wolverine, among other characters, will premier on the Animax network in early 2010.

Studio: Madhouse (Death Note, Monster, Legend of the Galactic Heroes)

Listen for: ?

Director: ?

RP: I didn’t care about Iron Man when I was a kid and into comics, nor when the live action movie came out, and I don’t expect to start now. (And I also don’t really like Wolverine or most of the X-Men either.) So I’ll pass on this and look forward to Madhouse’s Blade adaptation.
Anticipation meter: 1

Libera: Man, the trailer Marvel has for this is so badass I’m hyped already. Still, I don’t know anything really about American comics so I’ll view this as I’d view anything else, which is Madhouse adapting something with action so I’m going to watch it.
Anticipation meter: 9

The final word: If you like seeing American superheroes get bishonen-fied, you’ll like this show.

K-ON!!

The surprising second season of an obscure slice of life, comedy called K-ON!

Studio: KyoAni (Haruhi, K-ON!, Clannad)

Listen for: Aki Toyosaki

Director: Naoko Yamada (K-ON!)

RP: Wow, I don’t remember this show airing. Really surprised it got a sequel.
Anticipation meter: 7

Libera: "sigh" It was inevitable. K-On had too much moe and not enough music for me to finish the first season but popular opinion obviously didn’t agree with me. Not Watching.
Anticipation meter: 1

The final word: If you like gritty, but inspirational stories of an unknown underdog facing the odds to finally break through and hit the big time, you’ll like this show.

Kaichou wa Maid-sama!

A romantic comedy that centers on the student council head named Misaki Ayuzawa who despises the mostly male, slovenly population at her school, which was once an all-boys school. However, Misaki’s most handsome schoolmate just discovered her secret — that she works afterschool at a maid café.

Studio: JC Staff (Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile, Hayate no Gotoku – season 2)

Listen for: Ayumi Fujimura (Cecily Cambell), Nobuhiko Okamoto (Luke Ainsworth, Accelerator), Mariya Ise (Nemuru Kushinada), Kana Hanazawa, Aki Toyosaki, Yuu Kobayashi

Director: Hiroaki Sakurai (Cromartie High School)

RP: Cecily Cambell and Luke Ainsworth from The Sacred Blacksmith finally get together! Too bad it’s in another show. My short experience with Kimi no Todoke taught me that shoujos are just not my thing. So I’ve got no interest in this show. But at the least, the character designs look much more attractive than KNT’s characters, and maybe director Sakurai will toss in some Cromartie-esque randomness to keep things interesting.
Anticipation meter: 3

Libera: Trailer’s a bit nondescript. I’m not that crazy on shoujo but Kimi ni Todoke was worth watching so I’m going to stay cautiously optimistic about this. It’ll help if it’s got comedy.
Anticipation meter: 6

The final word: If you like to dream about the perfect man sweeping you off your feet in a completely unrealistic way, you’ll like this show.

Kiss x Sis

The story begins with Keita Suminoe, a male third-year junior-high school student studying for his high school entrance exams. He is living in a home with his older twin stepsisters, Ako and Riko, who kiss, flash, and display their love for him in public. They help him prepare for his exams. Although they share no blood-relation to him, Keita begins to become romantically attracted to his two stepsisters and initially dislikes himself for it. Seeing this attraction, his two parents encourage him to eventually get married to one of them.

Studio: Feel (Kanamemo, Nagasarete Airantou, Da Capo II)

Listen for: Ayana Taketatsu

Director: Munenori Nawa (Haruka Nogizaka’s Secret)

RP: Well… at least the dude isn’t blood-related. I suppose this is a very small step up from the cousin-love storylines (which thankfully seem to be disappearing).
Anticipation meter: 1

Libera: Can I skip this one? (only joking RP.) This whole thing, from the description to the promo pictures makes me want to avoid this like the plague. No thank you.
Anticipation meter: 1

The final word: If you like Shelbyville’s marriage laws, but don’t think your cousin is attractive enough for marriage, you’ll like this show.

Mayoi Neko Overun!

The story revolves around Takumi Tsuzuki, a boy who lives with his older sister Otome, although the two have no blood ties between them. Otome manages a run-down confectionary store called Stray Cats. One day, Otome picks up a mysterious beautiful girl off the streets.

Studio: AIC (Seto no Hanayome, Nyan Koi)

Listen for: Ayana Taketatsu (Azu-nyan), Kanae Itou (Saten Ruiko), Satomi Satou (Ritsu), Rina Satou (Mikoto Misaka, Haruka Minami), Yukari Tamura, Yui Horie, Nobuhiko Okamoto

Director: ?

RP: I liked this show better when it was called Nyan Koi… and when it didn’t have a siscon. Still… if there’s one thing Hanekawa the Cat taught me, it’s that saying no to cats are tough. I’ll give it a shot. It’s AIC so at least it’ll look good.
Anticipation meter: 5

Libera: AIC with a link to cats is enough to get me to watch the first episode. I love cats! Though the whole "older sister" thing is a bit dubious.
Anticipation meter: 6

The final word: If you like your nekomimi hot, bothered and in a box, you’ll like this show.

Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin

Seven teenagers in 1955 have to learn to live together in the same hold in the reformatory of Shio. Confined in a hall where suffering and humiliation are daily, they are waiting for a ray of hope in a dark, incarcerating world. The story follows their life together and how they move on afterwards.

Studio: Madhouse

Listen for:

Director: Koujina Hiroshi (Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro)

RP: Unique premise. It’s not often we get an anime with featuring a very gritty, realistic, dramatic setting. Even though I haven’t heard of the director, Ranbow seems like the type of show that Madhouse seems very well suited for, having produced some fantastic dramas (e.g., Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, Death Note, Monster, etc.).
Anticipation meter: 6

Libera: Looks depressing, sounds depressing. I like watching something that makes me feel the world is that bit brighter because I watched it and this… well put it this way, there are other things I’d like to do with my spare time that isn’t voluntarily making myself horribly depressed.
Anticipation meter: 3

The final word: If you like Shawshank Redemption, but thought it would’ve been better if it starred seven kids, you’ll like this show.

House of Five Leaves (Sarai-ya Goyou)

Masterless samurai Akitsu Masanosuke is a skilled and loyal swordsman, but his naïve, diffident nature has time and again caused him to be let go by the lords who have employed him. Hungry and desperate, he becomes a bodyguard for Yaichi, the charismatic leader of a gang called “Five Leaves.” Although disturbed by the gang’s sinister activities, Masa begins to suspect that Yaichi’s motivations are not what they seem. And despite his misgivings, the deeper he’s drawn into the world of the Five Leaves, the more he finds himself fascinated by these devious, mysterious outlaws.

Studio: Manglobe (Samurai Champloo, Ergo Proxy, Michiko to Hatchin)

Listen for: Ooura Fuyuka (Lambdadelta), Sakurai Takahiro (Kururugi Spinzaku, Faldio Landezaat)

Director: Mochizuki Tomomi (Ranma 1/2)

RP: I’m sure this is going to be a very good show, but I’ve never really been interested in the whole samurai thing. Unless it was completely off the wall like Sengoku Basara. I’m not sure why. Probably because I lump it in with my relative distaste for historical period pieces. But maybe one day I’ll go on a samurai kick and include this in my list of shows to watch, but that day is not today.
Anticipation meter: 2

Libera: Manglobe doing samurais!!!! Other than that it’s NoitaminA and looks kinda funky in the promo pictures so I’m interested.
Anticipation meter: 9

The final word: If you like your samurais getting all funkdafied, you’ll like this show.

Senko no Night Raid

The story is set in Shanghai in 1931, when the Imperial Japanese Army has been dispatched to mainland China due to the relatively recent First Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War, and World War I. In this cosmopolitan city of intrigue, there is a special military spy organization called "Sakurai Kikan" that has since been buried in history.

Studio: A-1 Pictures (Kannagi, Sora no Woto, Kuroshitsuji)

Listen for: Yoshino Hiroyuki (Allelujah Haptism, Solf J. Kimblee, Firo Prochainezo)

Director: Jun Matsumoto (Persona: Trinity Soul)

RP: The story seems interesting enough, but I’m not that interested in it. I think I’m just really skeptical that they’ll be able to pull off a sharp, smart spy show. If there’s good buzz, I might check it out.
Anticipation meter: 3

Libera: I’ve never seen an anime dealing with this dodgy kind of stuff before. Looks like it could be good if they’re not too melodramatic and don’t skirt the main issue. It’s Anime no Chikara so there won’t be any internet spoilers either, and this looks like the type of show with hidden parts to theorize over.
Anticipation meter: 8

The final word: If you like intrigue and probably faulty history, you’ll like this show.

Working!!

Set in a family restaurant in Hokkaido, the northern prefecture of Japan, 16 year old high school student Takanashi Souta works part-time along with his strange co-workers: Taneshima Popura, a high school girl who’s a year older than Souta who’s easily mistaken for a elementary/middle schooler, and Shirafuji Kyoko, the 28-year old store manager who doesn’t bother to do any work at all.

Studio: A-1 Pictures

Listen for: Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch Lamperouge, Lawrence Kraft), Kana Asumi (Yuno), Daisuke Ono (Battler, Koizumi, Shizuo Heiwajima), Hiroshi Kamiya, Shizuka Itou

Director: Hiraike Yoshimasa (Sketchbook, Kaleido Star)

RP: What the heck is up with this trend of anime overusing exclamation marks? Interestingly, it reads like this slice of life has a male lead. I’m looking forward to it, because it sounds like it could be a fun series with an interesting setting and a quirky cast of characters. Plus, slice of lifes with a mixed-gender cast seem so rare.
Anticipation meter: 7

Libera: The description sounds sleepy but the trailer is all bouncy and energetic. I say this anime could go either way but I’m not all that hopeful.
Anticipation meter: 6

The final word: If you liked a mixed-gender cast, non-harem comedy like Kannagi, you’ll like this show.

Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitte Iru

Sakurai Yuki is a mysterious boy with a mysterious ability. He was found in the bushes as a baby and adopted by his current family. Because of this, Yuki strives for independence. The last thing he wants is to be a burden to anybody. Furthermore, when he touches others, he can feel their emotions. Unable to control his ability, he often made insensitive blunders in the past. With death threats and his abilities increasing, what will happen when a man claiming to be his older brother appears? (Oh, I wonder what will happen when onii-chan arrives. Hmm…)

Studio: JC Staff

Listen for: Souichirou Hoshi (Maebara Keichii, Yukimura Sanada), Ken Narita (Jeremiah Gottwald), Hino Satoshi (Yuuji Sakai, Li Yunlong), Marina Inoue (Yoko, Alicia Melchiott), Jun Fukuyama, Takehito Koyasu, Sakurai Takahiro, Kamiya Hiroshi, Shinichirou Miki

Director: Katsushi Sakurabi (Shigofumi)

RP: Well, damn. The season’s best and most GAR vocal cast is also starring in the season’s gayest show. Literally. Zetsuboushta! Such great vocal talent all in a show I will never watch.
Anticipation meter: 1

Libera: If this has yaoi I probably won’t be interested. I’ll give it a chance and try the first episode but I doubt it’ll be my thing, despite the bishies.
Anticipation meter: 5

The final word: If you like to think about whether Keichii Maebara or Spinzaku would be the seme or the uke in a relationship, you’ll like this show.

Yutori-chan

The story centers around Yutori-chan, a high school girl assigned to a part-time job in the marketing team of a medium-sized toy company called Popuu. There, she deal with the generation gaps that separate her from Tsumekomi-chan (another part-time worker and a student at Japanese’s most prestigious university, "T Dai") and Daikai-san (the regular employee who oversees Yutori-chan).

Studio: Actas

Listen for: ?

Director: Keiichirou Kawaguchi (Hayate no Gotoku – 1st season)

RP: I can’t tell if this is a "real" show, or one of those kids shows that no fansub group would think of touching. I’d give it a shot if someone subbed it.
Anticipation meter: 3

Libera: Kids show. Not really interested.
Anticipation meter: 2

The final word: If you like pastel colors and ganbatte! girls, you’ll like this show.

Yojo-han Shinwa Taikei

The story follows a nameless protagonist who is a third-year college student. The protagonist looks back at the earlier years of his college life and his adventures with a particular club.

Studio: Madhouse

Listen for: Sakamoto Maaya (Alphard, Shiki Ryougi), Fujiwara Keiji (Maes Hughes, Ali Al-Saachez), Hiroyuki Yoshino

Director: Yuasa Masaaki (Kaiba)

RP: I’m having a tough time getting a bead on what this show’s about. So… I’ll talk about the artwork. It’s quite unique, although not exactly to my tastes. Yuasa Masaaki’s done great work in the past with Kaiba (or so I hear). If you’ve seen the trailer, it looks a bit like Shinbo/SHAFT except a little more stylistic. But I don’t think this is the type of show that I’d watch until long after it’s aired when all the ratings have piled in.
Anticipation meter: 1

Libera: It’s a NoitaminA and done by Madhouse but other than that I don’t know anything by which to judge this weird looking thing… wait, this guy did Kaiba! I’m so trying this out.
Anticipation meter: 8

The final word: If you like your anime to be esoteric, you’ll like this show.

The Final Anticipation Meter Tally

Other shows (mostly sequels) that didn’t make the cut:

Hetalia Axis Powers – Season 3

Ring ni Kakero 1 Shadow

Major season 6

D.C. ~Da Capo~ Ext

Ikkitousen: Xtreme Xecutor

Shin Kouhime + Musou Otome Tairan

SD Gundam Sangokuden

Bakugan Battle Brawlers New Vestroia

Hime Chen! Otogi Chikku Idol Lilpri

Ookiku Furikabutte Second Season

Nodame and Chiaki have always had this weird give and take. Actually, it’s more Nodame’s weirdness. For someone who can be so obsessed with Chiaki, she also becomes remarkably cool to him when she gets deeply involved in one thing or another. If she had a better attention span, I think she’d be prime for megalomaniac training.

But days of forgetting about Chiaki, and missing his shows pays off as Bebe-chan’s new dedication to her studies gives Yoda sensei reason to graduate Nodame from a bebe (lol) to a Megumi. Aww, I’ll miss my bebe-chan though. There’s something about listening to Ayako Kawasumi screaming "bebe-chan!" that really soothes my soul.

But lest bebe-chan get too full of herself, Yoda sensei leaves her to continue practicing her Beethoven piece, to try to perfect the betrayal, despair and hopelessness the end of the piece is supposed to convey. Bebe-chan, though is a little too buzzed about her recent graduation, that is until she learns that Chiaki and Rui will be spending some alone time together to practice for the upcoming concert. I am Bebe-chan’s complete lack of surprise. I am Bebe-chan’s inflamed sense of rejection. I am Bebe-chan’s broken heart.

Actually, I don’t think Bebe-chan was that broken up by the news. The Rui x Chiaki drama was forced, but I think it was on purpose. Like Yun Long suggests, I think she was having a little fun with it and being melodramatic to draw her inspiration to perfect the end of the Beethoven piece.

Chiaki really should be used to how slobby classically trained girl musicians are. Rui’s slobness reaches Nodame’s level. It only looks better, because she has a larger place I think. And what in the world is California juice? Some sort of watered down wine?

I thought the scene in which Chiaki and the Roux-Marlet concertmaster was really interesting. Chiaki hints at wanting to hold back during Rui’s performance, without stating that it’s probably for Nodame’s sake, but is rebuked by the conmas, who delivers a really excellent line actually. Basically, don’t be defensive, since Chiaki has nothing to defend. It’s an interesting way to deliver the typical "give your best every time!" line. It also forces Chiaki to check himself, because he realizes that holding back for Nodame’s sake doesn’t make sense, since she’s shown that she never fails to blow his expectations away. It’s moments like these where I think "damn, that Nodame must really be something special."

The big news for Nodame, beyond her graduation from bebe-chan, is that Yoda sensei has plans for her in the works (unbeknownst to her). Competition plans. I wonder when we’ll see that come to fruition. It’s a big deal for Nodame, but not big enough for the series end. Next episode we’ll see Chiaki and Rui shine. I’d expect Nodame to get to compete in the next episode after that. Maybe even stretching two episodes. That would leave us with one final episode for them to go out with a bang. There’s supposedly a Nodame OAD planned to be released in April, but I’m sure that’s not going to be connected to the main story. Argh, time’s running out. I’m getting antsy. We shall see.

This episode wasn’t bad. Again, it moved the plot forwards and we’re hurdling towards some sort of resolution. But it made me kind of sad, because I’m starting to believe that this mystery is actually pretty straightforward, and we’re not going to get any Higurashi or Umineko-esque brain-melting twists. If the show continues at its current pace, I’m looking at it as a 5/6 rating anime. Very disappointing by Ryukishi07 standards. But I shouldn’t eulogize it yet, there’s still time.

The episode starts off with Kaname being realized from the jail cell by Nemuru, who’s straying from the "law" by taking her friends’ fates into her own hands. But before letting Kana-chan go, Nemuru confirms Kana’s research and admits that she and her people aren’t humans, but "monsters who carry a cursed fate." For Kana’s safety, Nemuru suggests forgetting about this whole incident and not digging any further into it (pfft, when has that warning ever worked?). Meanwhile, there’s some sort of odd politicking going on in the Jouga Wolves’ camp, as Mr. Hawk, as I will dub him, questions Nemuru’s decisions concerning Isuzu and Kana and accuses her of putting her personal interests above the village law. He also admits to getting some hired help to deal with the mitsu (or temptation, a.k.a. Hiro). Whether he plans to kill him or just capture him to give the ladies and gents from getting hot and bothered under the collar is uncertain.

Apparently the village rules say the Jouga wolves can’t snuff the fallen people, but that doesn’t stop Mr. Hawk from leading a lynch mob to ostensibly partake in a good ole’ pitchforkin’ (sans the fork). Honestly I don’t know why they went after Hiro, when they’re clearly not allowed to, and when they hired an "expert" for the job, but perhaps they’re a little hot and bothered under the collar as well. Hiro owes Nemuru a debt of gratitude, as she intercedes to stop the attack not only on Hiro, but perhaps a possible attack on Mana imouto-chan as well. Even going so far as gifting Mana an ugly rabbit.

Meanwhile, Pharma dude appears to be playing both sides of the field. On one hand, he’s been hired by Mr. Hawk to deal with the Hiro problem. On the other hand, he’s learning the biological secrets about the Jouga wolves. And on the third hand, all he seems to care about is killing the Jouga wolves to avenge his fiancée’s murder.

I’m not sure what in the world is going on with Kaori. In accepting the wolf mask, I assume it means she’s accepted a cursed fate. Is she a fallen human, who’s now joining Nemuru’s roaming wolf gang? Would the girl that Issei infected follow a similar path? Or is this ceremony for a different purpose. That Nemuru’s uncle seems to be leading this procession and not Mr. Hawk or Nemuru’s grandfather makes me think that they could be after a different goal.

Nemuru is punished with house arrest after the latest incident in which she stopped the Mr. Hawk and the gang from going after Hiro. I believe this is because she continues to put her personal interests ahead of the village’s interests – but I’m not sure how Mr. Hawk’s actions were copacetic either. Anyway, Nemuru overhears a phone conversation in which pharma dude claims to have captured Hiro, and she defies her grounding and heads out to find him.

There’s a pretty good action and chase scene in which Nemuru handily beats down pharma dude, but he relies on some late trickery to end the fight the victor. I’d been skeptical about all the supernatural scenes I’d seen before, mostly because they had a lack of witnesses, and Hiro’s hazy memory, but based on Nemuru’s and Nemuru’s uncle’s conversations, and then the fight scene between Nemuru and pharma dude, I guess I have no other option to believe that she and the Jouga wolves are indeed not human and have special powers.

With Nemuru knocked out cold, pharma dude invites Hiro out to the dark, abandoned construction area to learn the truth… and then throws Hiro into a locked room with Nemuru under a bright full moon. There sure have been a lot of full moons lately. What in the world is going on with Jouga’s lunar cycle? It seems obvious that Nemuru’s going to get real tempted to do this and that with Hiro next week, but I’m a little curious to see what happens when the Jouga wolves get all the time in the world to get wild. How far would Issei have gone with the girl if he hadn’t been hunted down? How far would Isuzu have gone with Hiro.

So the Jouga wolves are a class of humans that are susceptible to losing control of their inhibitions and gaining physical benefits under certain conditions. That includes:

• The fruitfulness of the hassaku harvest (the more, the better they can control their passions)
• The lunar cycle (full moons make them wild)
• Pheromone-rich humans like Hiro

In actuality, they may not be a subclass of humans, but rather humans that are suffering some type of mental illness similar to manic depression. Furthermore, I’m thinking that they discourage their own from moving out of the old village, and that they kill their fallen, not because they’re concerned about the welfare of the people in the new village, but because they don’t want evidence of their secret slipping out. I’m also still pushing the theory that Kaori is some type of "Queen Bee" as far as immunity goes. I bet if you cut her open, you’d find hassaku juice running through her veins.

Summary: Yuuji brings Shouko to the park under duress, and everyone else conspires to get them into romantic situations.

The first remotely serious episode so far, and also the first episode with back story and plot development. Told chiefly from Yuuji’s point of view, it develops his character a bit, but enough that Yuuji is now the most relatable and most complicated character in Baka to Test so far, though that obviously isn’t that hard to achieve. The lack of other characters and their quirky things made this episode worse that episode 5 but at least it was better than fanservice laden episode 6. The nearest this episode had to fanservice was Shouko in a wedding dress, not the type of image that makes you all hot and sweaty.

Shouko and Yuuji started off weak but now they make an interesting couple. Shouko is obviously head over heels in love because of something that happened when they were children and by what he said Yuuji doesn’t think that was worth anything. It didn’t seem like it at first but Yuuji actually does seem to have feelings for Shouko, which does raise the point that if Shouko had been a bit more persuasive and patient she could have got Yuuji as a boyfriend without the ESB in the second episode and the extreme violence and its like. Or maybe she was trying to win him for years and Yuuji’s constant refusals caused her to go to the extreme. Either way, at the rate these two are going, they might end up doing all right if Shouko calms down a bit.

Apart from YuujixShouko, episode 7 wasn’t all that brilliant. There just wasn’t enough comedy. Having the focus on one character helps the plot but it loses the rapid-fire random comedy that episode 5 had. And there was no cross-dressing or Yoshii making girly faces, though I’m sure there are some jokes you can do without these.
Speaking about the new ending, there was something that caught my eye.

It’s either that both endings have Hideyoshi or it’s his twin sister that hardly ever shows up. The expressions s/he pulls in the second ending seem reminiscent of Hideyoshi so I’m really not sure. It is Hideyoshi after all.