Sukitte Ii na yo. - 04

This is not your usual high school slice-of-life romantic comedy series!

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun - 04

The many faces of Haru!

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun - 03

Tonari is surely taking my expectations of a rom-com and turning them upside down!

Sukitte Ii na yo - 01

And it's another kiss in the first episode!  What is the anime world coming to when kisses happen in the first episode instead of the last?

All jokes aside, I thought this was a really brilliant first episode.  At first glance, it seems to resemble Kimi ni Todoke a lot.  The main character, Mei, is an outcast and scorned by her classmates, but still manages to catch the eye of Yamato, the school's most popular boy.  That's where the similarities end.  Mei, unlike Sawako, chose isolation instead of friends and is perfectly okay with that, especially if it means never being betrayed or hurt.  The tone is seemingly darker, and from what I've read, the manga that the anime is adapted from touches on a lot more mature issues. 

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun - 01 & 02

A kiss in the first episode and a confession in the second?  Holy smokes, that's not how the formula works!

Oda Nobuna & Rinne 2 - Final Impressions

Oda Nobuna no Yabou
"Surprisingly good" were my thoughts when the end credits began rolling.  I actually picked up this anime when it became apparent to me that I wasn't going to enjoy Arcana Famiglia, and I'm really glad I did!  When you have a hard time picking a favorite characters, that's when you know the anime did a great job in characterization.  The loose interpretation of history was fun too, although I have to be honest and say I don't really have a good grasp on Japan's history.  The reverse gender worked better than I thought it would be, and the anime had a great balance of action, humor, romance, and drama.  With the introduction of a new villain in the last few seconds, it seems like they're setting up for another season, which I would most definitely watch!

 Rinne no Lagrange 2
Rinne is one of those animes that slowly endear themselves to you so that when it's all over, it's like saying goodbye to a dear friend.  I laughed, I cried, and I looked forward to every single episode with childlike abandon.  That's not to say the show was flawless; they never really answered the question of the Voxes, plus I thought Moid's motives at the end were anti-climatic (which, I suppose, is why he got punched by Yoko).  However, with that aside, it did a lot of things well, and that's all that matters, right?  Even more surprising is that how much I enjoyed it despite it not being a romance at all (well, mostly not a romance).  Rinne transcended a lot of genres so that it's very unique and hard to put in any box, and while sometimes that gamble doesn't pay off, it did for this show.  I'm going to miss the Jersey Club!

Accel World - 24 (End) & Final Impressions

Kuroyukihime is such a smooth talker at times that I love her best when she's speechless and flabbergasted like this.

TARI TARI - 12

Despite all my criticisms of this show, this episode leading up to the finale did bring tears to my eyes.

Accel World - 23

I love you, Kuroyukihime!

Accel World - 21 & 22

I'm so over this whole Nomi arc.

Sword Art Online - 10

Best episode of SAO so far?  I think so!  Not only do we get to see Asuna in action, but we get a kiss, sex (!!) and a marriage proposal!  This episode made me wonder whether or not the side stories at the beginning were really necessary.  They did a great job at fleshing out Kirito's past with just snippets from episode 3 that I wonder whether or not episodes 2-7 were truly necessary.  I guess we'll just have to see how it ends; if it ends in a way that is satisfactory, then I'll be happy.  If not, I'll blame it on the side stories.  So far though, as someone who has not read the LNs and therefore have no expectations, I'm enjoying this quite a bit.

Sword Art Online - 09

I love badass Kirito and his dual wielding swords!  Hats off to Asuna, played by Tomatsu Haruka, too; I got chills when she screamed and rushed into the battle.

TARI TARI - 09

Wien is such a huge nerd!  But we finally see some of his back story; when a sick kid and returned mail is involved, it's never a good sign.  And despite the optimistic tone of the Choir Club getting permission to have their jobs, there are clouds in the horizon with the principal and vice-principal.

Accel World - 20

I just want to punch Nomi in the face every time he appears onscreen.  Which would be bad, you know, because I'd be punching my computer.  And I love my computer.  I do not love Nomi.

This week played out pretty much like I expected, in that Chiyu healed Nomi for her own reasons.  My hypothesis is that she has some sort of plan for defeating Nomi, but first she must make it seem like she's on his side.  I did not expect what I think is the latest incarnation of Chrome Disaster to make an appearance in Haru.  Seriously creepy.  And as for re-appearances, we get to see Niko again next week!

Hyouka - 18

I love Houtarou's reaction to everyone else's reaction to him being curious.

TARI TARI - 08

It's hard to stay motivated when it feels like your whole world is crashing down.

Accel World - 19

 
The connection between Hime's side arc and Haru's struggles with Nomi become clear as Black Lotus battles a Burst Linker named Sulfur Pot.

TARI TARI - 07

Even the smart ones can be blinded by their own desires and act foolishly.

Accel World - 18

A Hime arc!  Looks like we won't be getting any answers to the Haru's current dilemma until the week after next since Hime's adventure hasn't finished yet.

TARI TARI - 06

 

We're finally awarded for waiting to hear Wakana sing as she joins the group as a full member!

TARI TARI - 04 & 05

Episode 6 finally sheds some light onto Wakana's past, but before that, we finally see Sawa lose her cool!

Accel World - 17

Why, Chiyu, WHY??

Most of the episode was devoted to the battle between Nomi and Takumu and Haru.  I honestly don't have much to say, but it certainly was frustrating to see Chiyu heal Nomi just when Haru and Takumu have almost beat him.  I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt and hope that she has a good reason.  Hopefully this rage-inducing arc will end soon!

Natsuyuki Rendezvous - 05

They certainly took a strange turn this week by banishing Hazuki to a sketchbook world drawn that Shimao, complete with a miniature Rokka!  I'm not really quite sure what to make of it so far.  Guess we'll have to see what next week brings us.

Accel World - 15 & 16

Trying to get back on track with anime after a vacation is tough!

Natsuyuki Rendezvous - 03

I'm going on vacation in a couple of days and so I've been delaying watching certain episodes because I want something to do while on the plane.  Natsuyuki Rendezvous, however, was one that I probably shouldn't watch while in the company others; I've either cried or teared up at each episode, and this is only the third one!

While Shimao acts like a whiny child, throwing tantrums and refusing to move out the way for Hazuki, I can certainly empathize with him.  If I was in his place, watching my spouse in the arms of another in my old bedroom, I'd probably cause an earthquake as well.  But most of all, I feel for Rokka.  Even without Shimao around as a supernatural element, Rokka's conflicted feelings are so genuine and real that I completely understand her reluctance and confusion at the thought of being with anyone else.  To think, this was only the third episode.  I have a feeling it's going to be a tearjerker.

Accel World - 14

What a rage inducing episode! 

TARI TARI - 03

That was one of the most disjointed episodes I've seen in a while from any anime.

Natsuyuki Rendezvous - 02

I didn't write a first impressions introductory post, and chances are I won't be blogging this regularly, but I wanted to mention how impressed I have been by the first two episodes of this anime.  The love triangle with a ghost seems, at first, kind of ordinary even with the supernatural twist.  However, by this second episode, my emotions have gone through a roller coaster ride already.  It's wonderful and very refreshing to see an adult romance cut through all the bullshit and deal with some very real issues that comes with love, life, and death.

Hyouka - 12

I love the contrast between Houtarou's surliness and Chitanda's ditziness! And how adorable is Chitanda in that penguin costume??

Accel World - 13

And the new arc starts with Chiyu joining Accel World as Lime Bell!

Sword Art Online - First Impressions

I had always thought that the premise of Accel World was a little bit silly - sure, it sucks to lose the ability to play a certain type of game, but it's not the end of the world.  With Sword Art Online, losing does mean the end of the world!  Or, at the very least, your life.  Both light novels are written by Kawahara Reki, so I expected some similarities, but SAO takes it to another level, with the threat of death looming over everyone.  The first episode did a fantastic job setting up the premise and introducing the main character (unlike some other animes...*cough*AracanaFamiglia*cough*).  They controlled the atmosphere well, with the scene shifting from an idyllic plaza to an ominous place with blood seeping out of the sky.  With the set up done well and quickly, I'm looking forward to the next episode.

Arcana Famiglia - 02

Unfortunately, the second episode wasn't much better than the first, with more awkward introductions about the rest of the cast's Arcana powers.  The plot is non-existent as well, since they devoted the entire episode to rescuing a cat.  Please don't let the talents of this stellar cast go in vain! 

TARI TARI - 02

I really admired Sawa throughout this episode with her supportive, yet take charge attitude when it came to both Konatsu and Wakana.  Be it dragging Wakana to her house or giving Konatsu a good swat on the butt, she's a great friend!

Kore wa Zombie desu ka? Of the Dead - Final Impressions

After a long hiatus from the show, I finally marathoned the last few episodes last night and finished it.  While I enjoyed the second season, possibly more than the first, I have to admit I'm a bit confused at why they decided to end where they ended, with that particular episode.  The whole Chris thing was never resolved, and I loved the idea of alternative Ayumu fighting Eu, but it came out of nowhere and left us hanging.  I guess this means they're hoping for a third season, but I don't see why couldn't have extended the second season into twelve episodes instead of just ten.

Besides that, I really do enjoy this show.  I feel like they were able to really go all out with the humor this season since they had already established all the main characters.  And not only that, but they introduced a whole bunch of new characters that only added to the show, and that's not easy to do!  Well, I'll be hoping for a third season, if only to see Ayumu in a Masou Shoujo outfit again.  And if we do get a third season, I hope we see more Imaginary Eu's!