mDuo13

Well, here we are. Deep into the holiday season, it's time to deliver an update on pretty much everything I'm watching. It's an interesting time to do so, too, because a lot of shows are nearing the end of their run and showing signs of reaching a finale. I've fallen a bit behind ever since Thanksgiving (finals didn't help) but the things I've chosen to prioritize may or may not be indicative of what I think about them.

Dropped This Season

• Earl and Fairy - (1 episode) This show actually looked kind of interesting, but I guess it wasn't quite interesting enough to get me to watch the second episode.
• Kuroshitsuji - (4 episodes) I thought that perhaps the Taku Iwasaki soundtrack would be enough to warrant watching this show, but unfortunately, not even he can save a show whose only interesting points are the OP and laughing at how unabashedly it panders to fangirls.
• Shikabane Hime Aka - (3 episodes) This anime seemed profoundly average from what I saw. It wasn't going anywhere in a particular hurry, and the subbers fell behind, so when the pressure mounted for keeping up with everything, it was one of the things that got pushed to the wayside. I figure, it's GAINAX, someone will keep watching it regardless, and if it ever picks up and goes anywhere I'll hear of it. Funny, though, I haven't heard anything yet.
• Yozakura Quartet - (2 episodes) I had this series pegged before it even started as one whose OP and ED themes would be the most redeeming parts of it. I was all too right.

Still Watching

• Blade of the Immortal - (7/8 episodes) My reasons for not dropping this series are kind of dumb. First, subs release so rarely that I don't usually fall behind; second, it's Bee Train. But really, it's Bee Train at nearly their worst. The music is not only bad, but horribly misplaced most of the time, the pacing is weird, and the characters are sometimes exaggerated to ridiculous extremes. But once in a while it'll have those flashes of stylilstic genius that made me a fan of Bee Train in the first place.
• CLANNAD ~AFTER STORY~ - (11/12 episodes) Haven't had time to see the latest of this one yet (and my excitement for the series has calmed a bit ever since playing the game) but it's still beautiful. One of my favorite OPs ever, a well-paced plot, and a continuingly stellar cast of characters.
• Ga-Rei -Zero- - (8/10 episodes) This show has been among the biggest rollercoasters of up and down I've seen. It goes from being great to being awful and back every couple of episodes, or so it seems. I'm hoping that it's back on track to be good. I just wish we'd see more of the cast from the first episode, because I liked them more than Kagura and Yomi. Still, it looks like the plot may be on track for now.
• Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens - (11/11 episodes) Odd pacing has been the trademark of this show for the past few episodes, but it seems like they're going back to serious business, or at least, closer to it. There are, after all, several interesting questions still unanswered about the series, entertaining karaoke filler aside. Regardless, it's been pretty watchable throughout.
• Toaru Majutsu no Index - (11/11 episodes) Having given up on watching this series in HD (despite purchasing a new video card hoping it would be possible), I'e kept up with the standard definition episodes and found the series to be moderately interesting throughout. The character designs are fairly generic but good enough. The plot always seems to undermine itself by resolving too easily right before it gets really epic, but it still has some cleverness to it.
• ToraDora - (11/11 episodes) I've already blogged on how this show surprises me by being deeper than I expected. There's a lot of kind-of-subtle stuff going on: the characters tend to know more than they let on, and so forth. In general, I can see what this series is getting at, but the show makes me wonder often enough to keep my interest.
• Tytania - (9/10 episodes) I would have watched the 10th episode already but SMPlayer seems to be having issues with synchronizing the video and audio. I guess I'll have to either download the LQ version for my Eee or borrow someone else's computer to watch it. Anyway, Tytania has one thing that makes me really want to watch it (her name is Lira Florenz) and an intelligent enough plot that I'm still enjoying the series even though she hardly shows up. I've realized that I actually enjoy the animation style a lot, too, except for the lazy CG explosions. It feels like a hybrid between classy old-school and modern animation.
• Xam'd: Lost Memories - (18/19 episodes) I really like this show, but lately it's been confusing. Several of the characters are kind of stuck making very little progress per episode. I think it would be paced fine for a 52-episode series, but at 26 I'm really, really having doubts that they'll be able to give the show its due development and resolution with the time they have left. I could be wrong, and I hope I am, but dammit, BONES, stop scaring me. Also, the animation in this series is still really top-notch.

So there you have it. Now then, hopefully my little Eee will hold out long enough to get this post uploaded, and I can go back to stressing out about what to buy people for Christmas.