Anyway, here’s what I’m currently watching

Anime currently airing:
Bleach (ep 326) – I admit, Bleach has become like lazy comfort food to me, it may be not so stellar at times but I do like some of the non-manga arcs and always like watching my favourite characters
C The Money of Soul And The Possibility of Control (ep 4) – the concept is intriguing, the short length makes it easier to bear with
Deadman Wonderland (ep 9) – this is another good example of something gripping, I usually do not really like survivor/battle-royale/prison type shows and a lot of violence but each episode is very gripping and I want to see how it comes together at the end despite already having read spoilers for the manga
Koe de Oshigoto! (ep 2) – it’s quite bordering on hentai, but it’s strangely entertaining despite being very cliche
Tiger & Bunny (ep 3) – looks like it’s developing as it goes ago, will stick on a bit more

Currently Airing to Try:
30-sai no Hoken Taiiku
Ao no Exorcist
Nichijou
Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox
SKET Dance
Steins; Gate
Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san

I have dropped recently (not necessarily current series)
Bakemonogatari (way too much talking, it started out interesting but turned out quite slow-moving, as a reader and writer, I like the show, not tell-all approach)
Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (too repetitive and the humour was rather annoying after a while)
Shiki (did not really care for the characters, rather slow moving)
X-Men (just could not get used to them speaking in Japanese and Japanese cultural nuances in the transmission from western to asian audience)

Ladies vs Butlers

[Rating: 6.5/10]

Genre: Ecchi, School, Comedy

Hino Akiharu enrols in a boarding school that trains students as maids and butlers to serve the upperclass students. However his rebellious appearance stands out and he always seems to find himself in the most misunderstood situations. Akiharu also finds himself caught inbetween the rivalry of his childhood friend Saikyou Tomomi and her academic rival, Selnia Flameheart. I think this series will either provide entertainment with the cliches abound or turn off viewers due to the cliches and unbashed amount of ecchi fanservice. Top nudity and lots of panty shots and sexual references litter the show. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would, then again, I don’t watch much anime in this genre so it was something different for me. The last harem series I really enjoyed was Love Hina back in the day and even that was much tamer than Ladies vs Butlers! While I think it was a tad too gratuitous with the sexual references and a little degrading in terms of how girls were portrayed (what’s with the girl who keeps randomly stripping) , I quite liked the characters, who weren’t that flat – I especially liked Tomomi, who makes a great antagonist and I was secretly hoping she would end up with Akiharu even though I knew how things would end. She was not oversexualized as some of the other female characters were, and had more brains and street-wise smarts than the rest of the girls. Frankly I didn’t care much for Selnia, she struck me as rather bossy and arrogant, also very naive. Akiharu was a pretty decent main character, the misunderstood and generally dense sort and generally nice. I think he was really tolerant of Selnia despite her judging him from the start.

This anime is definitely not for everyone and has lots of things that could turn one off, but I found it quite enjoyable in terms of the mindless entertainment it provided.

Kemono no Souja Erin

[Rating 8.5/10]

Genre: Fantasy, Slice of Life

Erin is a girl who lives in a village that rears war-lizards called Touda. Her mother Soyon is the village’s beastarian and also of the secret Mist People clan, which not everyone is happy about. A terrible event occurs that wrenches Erin and Soyon apart… and thus sets in motion Erin’s fate.Kemono no Souja Erin is an rare gem of anime, and is rewarding is one is able to sit through all 50 episodes. I did find the start of the series slow and it was and almost dropped it, but I read somewhere that the turning point came around episodes 5-7 so I skipped to that point, and I wasn’t disappointed, the pace and story development picked up nicely from that point.

Despite being a fantasy series, Kemono no Souja Erin would suit fans of the slice-of-life series, as you can tell by the length of the series. It is essentially about a girl growing up and we are taken along the journey of Erin from childhood to adulthood. It is not particularly adventure or action packed, most of the series consists of Erin and her studies to become a beastarian like her mother. There is also a fair bit of ethical questioning of how captured beasts should be raised, especially when Erin comes into contact with the Ouju. Animal lovers will be able to sympathize with the issues presented and the Ouju are cute in a strange way yet frightening when they attack the Touda, their natural enemies. Many things that happen in Erin’s earlier life subtly foreshadows what is to come in the later half of the series, as the kingdom falls into turmoil. The show also has a rather calming OST although I have to say after hearing that harp theme for X number of episodes I was kinda tired of it, I never tired of the rousing opening song though, and loved how it changed in towards the end of the series.

Kemono no Souja Erin is is very easy anime to watch and is also something fans of different ages can enjoy, the tone sometimes reminding me of the more family oriented Ghibli movies turned into a series. It would appeal to fans of lighter fantasy and slice of life anime, and be a good start for new anime viewers, as well as fans who want something a little different and those looking to try a longer series.

Ristorante Paradiso

[Rating: 9.5/10]

Genre: Josei, Slice of Life

Nicoletta is a city girl who winds up working as an apprentice at a quaint little restaurant in the Italian countryside, where she learns much about life in the process. The Casetta dell’Orso is not your average restaurant- for one thing, the staff are all older men, and the place is never short of customers… what is its secret?

At first glance, this show does not seem like much. What could be so interesting about a girl working in a restaurant with a bunch of much older men?

But Ristorante Paradiso is anything but boring.

First of all, these ‘older men’ are some of the most charming and lovable characters you’ll ever meet in anime. The fact that they are not your stereotypical pretty bishounen (pretty boys) already gives it a unique twist, and no, nothing squick about it at all. And… it doesn’t hurt that said men are not that bad looking either.

Nicoletta was a surprising character for me, because though in the beginning she seemed like a naive girl with a silly crush, but by the end of the series I really liked her. How she handled Olga and ‘the secret’ in the end was very classy and mature. It was hard to believe that she was the same girl from the first episode.

Also, I love shows where all the characters get their stories told. It just adds so much more depth, and even better when the backstories are good. You’ll find yourself getting the warm fuzzies at at least one of them. And the characters just have this natural way of interacting with each other like a big family~ then again, it is set in a little Italian town.

And though the main relationship arc is between a older man and younger woman, in no way did it seem perverted or strange. Claudio and Nicoletta just balance each other out so nicely, and Claudio is so adorable in this shy awkward way, even though he used to be married. I also loved Teo, Olga and Luciano’s stories~ and Gabriella was quite memorable for a secondary character. I can totally see how Claudio fell for her, and she and Olga balance each other as friends as well. Olga’s impulsive and whimsical whereas Gabriella is a very independant and self-reliant woman – I was glad that she didn’t hook up with another guy after her divorce, and I love how she was not made out to be a bad character though she was ‘the other woman’. After Claudio’s past experience, she was probably the best thing that happened to him.

One of the good things about Ristorante Paradiso was that it did not fail to disappoint, but seemed to give more and more as it went along while keeping the mood and pacing at a consistent and relaxed manner. Casetta dell’Orso is like a foodie’s dream restaurant – good food, great atmosphere, and stellar service.

Also, this show had probably the best and most satisfying ending I’ve seen in any anime series, so that gets two huge thumbs up from me, if anything. A delightfully solid show~ I wouldn’t mind seeing a second season or movie although that’s just really pandering to the fact that I can’t get enough of it. Definitely has a good re-watch value as well.

Ikoku Irokoi Romantan

[6/10]

Genre: Yaoi, Ramance

Ranmaru is the young successor of the Omi clan who is stuck having to marry the daughter of a rival yakuza clan. However while on his wedding cruise he meets the charming ship’s captain, Albert. Albert has an odd fascination with Japanese culture and is attracted to the kimono-clad Ranmaru at first sight. He shows up to help Ranmaru in a few shifty situations, and in turn Ranmaru finds himself becoming more interested in the mysterious Al.

Nice character designs (probably the best I’ve seen in a bl anime) and Kaoru is a strong and likeable person for a female character in a yaoi show, considering female characters in shounen-ai tend to be annoying and often the antagonist, plus she had a surprising amount of airtime. She complains but not without good reason. I’d be pretty annoyed if I were forced into marrying an uninterested man too. Despite this she seems to chatise and worry over him like an older sister. Actually from the first half of the first ep, it looks more like a shoujo show. I’d love to have seen Kaoru and Ranmaru end up together though they’d be an extremely stubborn pair full of spit-fiery agruments. Story-wise it’s nothing unique, and gets a little slow-moving at times but at least there’s development in the characters and plot and it not all ‘I want you let’s have lots of sex!’. And and… What’s with the Ranmaru man-panty flashes… once or twice is okay, but that was overdoing it =.= Albert seemed rather extra. It was a little disappointing to see headstrong Ranmaru from the beginning becoming totally submissive to Albert… granted he was intoxicated but still… Al would’ve made a more convincing Italian if he had darker looks, here he looked American. And how knight in shining armour was he? Otherwise Albert had a very cardboard seme role, a little bland at times.

Papa to Kiss in the Dark

[5.5/10]

Genre: Yaoi, Romance

Mira lives with Kyousuke, his young and popular actor papa who does things with him that papas aren’t supposed to be doing. When Mira starts high-school, he gathers alot of unwanted attention from his peers, especially his old childhood friend who reveals that he has been habouring affections towards him, but despite his growing reciprocal feelings, Mira is conflicted over his feelings for Kyousuke. Mira also comes to find out some startling truths about his origins~

I’m probably being a bit lenient with this rating. Mainly because I did like Kyousuke’s character despite his shota inclinations. His character design just looked a whole lot like an older version of Tamaki from Ouran Host Club, and personality wise he was charming and likeable on the whole. Mira really irked me because he was so whiny and Mary-Sue-ish (aka all the boys want him even though he has a huge father-complex and angsts most of the time). I found the romance factor unbelievable as Mira displayed quite a bit of resentment towards Kyousuke in the beginning and suddenly it was just all lovey and mushy. But at least it had some plot and the sakura tree scene at the end was quite pretty.

In terms of a yaoi anime with a similar theme, I prefer Kirepapa.

[Rating: 9/10]

Genre: Shounen-Ai, Comedy

The main story follows the misadventures of Misaki, a high-school student as he ends up living with Akihiko Usami, a famous novelist who is a longtime friend of his elder brother’s when said brother gets married. To Misaki’s  horror, Usagi starts to develop a more than friendly liking towards him. Hilarity ensues as well as some romancing ensues! Also, there are two other stories revoloving around ‘forbidden’ relationships of some sort. The stories arcs are entitled Junjou Romanticist, Egoist and Terrorist.

My review will be focused on the second season since it has been awhile since I saw the first one. Though I just read the earlier manga volumes which I pretty much the same, let’s just close one eye to that first~

So in the second season Misaki finds himself in deeper water than he can thread with the unexpected appearance of Usagi’s elder brother and father. His true feelings for Usagi get put to the test and as he comes to realize that he is falling in love with Usagi. While Junjou’s plot is pretty formulaic, one great thing about the series is that it’s one of the few shounen-ai (boys love) stories that is not overly angsty and ends with someone dying. It is rather lighthearted and heartwarming actually, to see the three relationships develop. You’ll find yourself rooting for one of the pairs at least. My favourite story is the relationship between Hiroki Kamijo and Nowaki Kusama~ Hiroki was just adorable and Nowaki is a very likeable character, their story was more believable and realistic than the other two, and they had great chemistry that didn’t seem forced. Miyagi and Shinobu was a little squicky I’m not really into shota (underaged relationships)… their age gap was even greater than Usagi and Misaki. I do like the main pair except Usagi’s sexual urges got a little overbearing at times… but he’s an awesome character though. It’s hard for me to describe. The manga is much more explicit with sex scenes than the anime, which was rather toned down in comparison. I also like the character designs, and voice acting plesantly suited the characters as well. It’s one of those light-hearted slice-of-life stories that is fun to watch and doesn’t get boring, even for someone like me who isn’t that into shounen-ai series.

Skip Beat! (anime)

[Rating: 8/10]

Genre: Shoujo, Comedy

Kyoko Mogami is an ordinary teenage girl who discovers that Sho Fuwa, the childhood friend she has a crush on is only using her to do his dirty work. Sho is an upcoming pop idol who aims to make it to the top of the charts. Angered by his deceit, Kyoko decides to show him up by entering showbiz and beating him at his game! Will she succeed?

Skip Beat is awesome, not even for me to give it a perfect score but I definitely recommend it~ Based on the manga (and quite a good adaptation at that!) the characters couldn’t have been animated better. The dialogue and comic timing is sharp and witty, there will be something in every episode that makes you laugh, want to facepalm in exasperation, and feel for Kyoko’s misadventures that usually turn out all right in the end. The biggest appeal to me is that all the main characters are not stereotypical shoujo characters, they all have pretty solid characterization and back stories. Even though I this Sho is a bastard, at times I couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic for him. I’m a huge Ren x Kyoko shipper and hope that there is a second season or that they’ll at least end up together in some way in the manga (which is still ongoing). It also presents the hardwork, stress and tensions going on behind-the-scenes of the seemingly glamorous world of acting and celebrities in a pretty realistic light. The voices behind the characters carry some big name talents such as Miyano Mamoru (Sho) and Katsuyuki Konishi (Ren) as the two main male leads, everyone’s talents complimenting each other nicely.

A great anime which has the potential to hit it off with many anime fans as while it is a shoujo anime for girls, the romance is not played up and doesn’t take center stage. It is more of a coming of age show (on Kyoko’s part) and an ‘insider’s’ look into the entertainment industry in Tokyo.

Neo Angelique Abyss: The Second Age

[Rating: 6/10]

Genre: Shoujo, Fantasy

The land of Arcadia is plagued by the Thanatos, demons which suck the life out of all living things. They are led by Erebos, who plans to destroy Arcadia can only be stopped by the power of the entity known as The Queen. Enter Angelique, an innocent schoolgirl who has a unique healing gift. She catches the eye of a mysterious aristocrat who claims she has the power to stop Erebos and the Thanatos for good.

Well, while this is meant to be a ’6 month later’ continuation from the first season (which I have yet to see), it was easy enough to understand without any prior knowledge. It was pretty straightforward and predictable. The best thing about it were probably the art and the voice acting. The character designs were very pretty, the best I’ve seen in a shoujo series, and the guys didn’t look too girly. And the voice acting was good in the sense that the characters all had rather pleasant sounding voices, so watching the anime was quite relaxing. I was quite glad the heroine, Angelique was not whiny, because whiny damsel-in-distress heroines are annoying. While she was pretty cliche, at least she took initiative and had some backbone despite not being a great fighter. The final battle was rather anti-climatic though given the kind of show they can’t really have much violence or a more mature atmosphere. My favourite of the guardians was Nyx, although I’d say he’s more of the solitary leader rather than part of the group. Loved his character design and his voice. I’m tempted to follow his seiyuu (voice actor), Touru Okawa except he’s not really in any shows I really want to watch lol. It was a decent effort, and I wonder if I should just watch the first season to understand the context.

[Rating: 7.5/10]

Genre: Historical, Paranormal

Kuroshitsuji is a somewhat dark anime that takes place in Victorian England. It centers around the main chracter Sebastian Michaelis, one demon of a butler (pun intended!), who has a binding pact with Ciel Phantomhive, the young and remaining heir of the powerful Phantomhive family. Due to the Phantomhives’ strong ties with the throne, Ciel is often sent to investigate mysteries for the Queen and Sebastian aids him, often ending up being the one to save his life. Of course, there’s always more to it than meets the eye…

Ok, given that I have not read the manga, I found that the anime was rather mediocre in terms of plot, three main things kept me watching:

1) Sebastian Michaelis is one of the more compelling lead anime characters I’ve seen. Ciel was nothing in comparison to him and indeed he’d have been nothing (aka dead) if Sebastian hadn’t saved his ass those years ago.

2) Most of my bachelor’s degree centered around the historical and literary studies of Victorian Gothic literature, so the setting itself was an attraction to me, and to my delight, they did attempt to throw some actual historical events/places/people into the fray of the happenings, even though most of it was wrongly dated. Then again I closed an eye because I believe Kuroshitsuji is meant to be set in a parellel world of Victorian England rather than actual Victorian England (sort of like the city in the Golden Compass trilogy mirroring real Oxford but with daemons and steampunk technology).

3) On a lesser level, I was also curious to find out what happens in the end. Would Ciel honour the pact with Sebastian and would Sebastian actually take the soul of his young master who he had grown somewhat fond of? Since I was rather impartial towards Ciel, I wasn’t really bothered at the end, but still glad that it was done gently. Dare I say it was somewhat poetic?

Also, a couple of the secondary characters were not bad. I actually quite liked Ash before it turned out that he was Angela. Can I please deny his boobage~ Ash is actually quite cool whereas his counterpart is a psychotic bitch. I admit that was certainly a twist I did not expect. I thought they might be related or something, but that was about it… And Plu is a pretty awesome dog, his fire breathing destructiveness aside, he was like this huge puppy who just wanted some TLC. I wish that there had been a bit more about the Undertaker because he was wonderfully eccentric and insane. I think he had the best voice actor of the lot. If there is a second season, I do want to see Undertaker’s face! I won’t be surprised if he’s actually quite good looking despite the scar running across one side. The three servants in the Phantomhive mansion were really annoying at first, but the episode that showed there background made me soften up to them a bit… I know people can be clumsy (myself included) but it’s just that from the beginning those three were so incompetant! They’re awesome at kicking butt though… and Ciel will never know how much he owes them his precious life every other night. Ciel wasn’t the most likeable character to me because he was generally bratty, naive and selfish. Sebastian practically did all the hard bits of the investigation for him and the way he treated Elizabeth was pretty harsh. I dunno, but I’ve never really understood the whole ‘living for the sake of vengance’ thing before. And concerning the music, it was one of the few times I’ve actually enjoyed an opening or ending song. Usually I just skip past the credits at the start and end. The sequence of chibi Sebastian getting prepared for the day was cute~