Those of you who have been following WHITE ALBUM and have been reading my weekly writeups probably know that I haven’t been the biggest fan of the show – partly because of its style, but largely because I don’t care for most of the cast of characters. You may also have heard the announcement that WHITE ALBUM is going to be two seasons long, with the second half airing this fall. Many people saw this news and felt better about the series because it seemed to explain the deliberate pacing, and it meant that they probably weren’t going to rush an ending. For someone like myself, however, whose interest level in the show has dropped as it went on, instead of it being “Well there’s only a few more episodes, I can stick with it for that long just to see the ending,” I’m now faced with 16 more episodes of a series I’m not particularly excited about or even fond of. So I decided there wasn’t any point in me continuing with it and that my time was better spent elsewhere (like catching up with Rideback). My apologies to anyone who was following those posts and does enjoy the show – I hate dropping series, but I just can’t motivate myself to continue with this one.

94 Comments

  1. I watched 1 episode of White Album, dropped it, then picked it back up during the weekend.

    While I’m not a fan of a harem version of skip beat, I do find myself intensely enjoying the musical score in each episode. Sure, the melodrama is piled on but that’s part of the fun.

    Kudos to you for refocusing on Rideback (one of the better, worthier series this season).

    Halcyon
  2. Yay for more Rideback!!! I really enjoy that show!
    And Lelangir, Nana Mizuki also voices Rin Ogata in Rideback so no blasphey, just a shift in focus to a better show!

    Something about White album put me off from the go-get (probably Aya Hirano) so I don’t mind seeing the back of it.

  3. Wow, the vultures come in to beg for shonen action series…surprise.

    White Album is a slow series, there’s no denying that, but I still find it to be one of the deepest series this season.

    As Jerry said though, blog what you enjoy. What you provide here shouldn’t be another job.

    kiro
  4. thank god, i dropped white album at ep 8..couldn’t take it anymore..and hearing about a second season just made me shake my head in disgust.

    PLEASE get up to date on Rideback, I love that show way more than I thought.

    Acesoldia
  5. definitely, it’s your time, so why waste it doing something you don’t enjoy unless it’s necessary? while i’m still following the show, this whole blog is a service done for the community so i personally feel no apologies are necessary. while i found rideback to be slow initially it’s picking up very nicely and i wouldn’t mind the change of focus.

    anyone else find it funny that mizuki is playing rina ogata here and rin ogata in ride back?

    RickyMack
  6. Hmm, that’s unfortunate to hear. Pacing is a bit slow but I think it’s pretty interesting to endure and see thing unfold. But it’s not like I watch just because I read a blog and feel positive about watching the series. I’ll miss your blogs on WHITE ALBUM but in the end, it’s your decision.

    Shin
  7. This season of White Album probably will suck, but once the second season kicks in during the fall, hopefully things will finally get a move on with the important characters (ie Touya, Rina, Yuki, and Yayoi)….Rina and Yuki are still <3 though. Too bad you’re dropping though 🙁

    Kit-Tsukasa
  8. im fine with omni’s decision of dropping white album but people should really stop bashing this show without fundamentally understanding it. Instead of the traditional harem route, this show offers a lot of drama, subtle messages, and smart screenplays, making it one of the most interesting harem animes ever made. Just because you are not mature enough to enjoy the show, doesn’t mean you should make conjectures about it.

    lotuskonoha
  9. I thought White Album had some audiences emotionally involved despite the pace it was going at. Case of circumstances and differing tastes, I guess. Not everyone is ‘sensitive’ enough to see the value of certain elements in the show, and not everyone can stand the snail’s pace White Album seems to be going at.

    But whatever. I’m going to watch it. No blogging committments, and I don’t like stopping something I’ve started halfway.

    Owaranai
  10. Maybe take this opportunity to just rest up a bit with a relatively light schedule before, what I imagine, will be a loaded Spring anime season? No need to stretch for material when it’s simply not there. Bad season is bad.

    kadian1364
  11. I was going to watching White Album only because you were blogging this show (i hate the characters designs), so now i will give it a second thought when this season finishes. Don’t worry about dropping it, because there is plenty of potential next season that might call your atention.

    Evoker
  12. So you aren’t dropping because you find Touya to be an unsympathetic immature douche for his age after 10 or so episodes. Weird. But hey, each to his own. Oh, and this isn’t troll bait for those who actually find Touya sympathetic, understandable, or even relatable, but it’s an honest opinion, albeit one that some might choose to ignore.

    Rawr
  13. Always hard to drop a series, but that’s how anime is. Btw you should definitely finish Hayate the Combat Butler though. Season 2 is on the way (along with an OVA). They reference so many different series’ throughout each episode its ridiculous lol. You’ve blogged it a few times and it would be great to pick it back up =]

    cking543
  14. NOOOOO~

    Hah, my guess is correct that it is 26 episodes long since the beginning.
    Well, I can’t help that you lost interest in blogging this. But, could you recommend another blog that blog this aside from THAT blog. LOL Thanks Omni for the hardwork.

    jonaht
  15. I honestly completely feel the same way. I liked it for an episode or 2. Then after more then that my interest waned, I probably could have done 14 episodes but that would have been stretching it the way things are, I only have about 1 day a week I can catch up on manga/anime and I haven’t been in the mood to watch this one in 2-3 weeks now.
    -Cheers

    J9
  16. White Album has been consistently mediocre until episode 9.. which was just plain bad. Season 2 will probably be more of the same, so there’s no point in sticking around if you’re not enjoying the episodes.

    I’ll take another look when season 2 finishes airing, but for now this series belongs in the “failed erogame -> anime” category.

    Cytex
  17. I dropped this at ep 3, I realized I wasn’t looking forward to it each week. I will probably go back to it after it is complete and watch it over (I’m a sucker for failed erogame -> anime category) but it isn’t one I can watch week to week.

    Camarilla
  18. I guess the slow development does make the series unexciting to blog. I think that it is better to be follow the series at one’s own leisure but not blog about it on an episodic level. It is something that is better to talk about as a whole.

    ayumikat
  19. I’m with you Omni. In fact after the first episode I was already let down by it and only read tidbits about it through your and other’s blogs. Guess I’ll forget about the series completely as well and focus on more interesting stuff.

    Sailor Enlil
  20. Good for you. I only watched ep 1, and couldn’t be bothered to finished it. I also watched ep 1 of Rideback, and to be blunt, I’m not impressed at all. So I stopped watching. Better you pick up regios.

    But then, spring season is only 3 weeks away, and the best Harem show ever is back. Yes, Hayate season 2 in on April 3, and couldn’t wait to see Maria-san again.. hmmmmmm

    Joez
  21. well not every anime airing is for everyone, and White Album is a very solid example. It’s a great anime to watch if your looking for a slow very detailed anime, however I have to agree with omni’s opinions. As a viewer myself, I am finding it increasingly harder to watch, though recent episodes have made me wonder just how far can they stretch this series out with it’s current pace. I’m still going to finish up this season, however I will not go into the second with open arms. Plus omni has a bunch of other anime’s ending soon, and I’m pretty sure there will be lengthy closing statements to come with some of them. Though do look forward to Omni’s next series of course!

    akizuki09
  22. Yeah I know how you feel about this. The news about the second part oddly enough deflated me. But figure I’ll get through the rest of this first. Then I’ll decide whether I really want to pick up the rest when the second half airs in the fall.

    Series definitely isn’t for everyone and also find it tough to care about the characters.

  23. In terms of everything…this anime is boring as hell. Its a melodrama. I can hardly consider it a true anime because of this. I would rather watch it as a soap because facial expressions are everything in a melodrama. Unfortunately, anime characters can only display mimiced expressions out of someone’s head. This anime doesn’t fail but it just hits the wall hard as hell with too many stoic characters.

    Megas
  24. I’m pretty much in Omni’s camp. This is a series I, by all rights, *SHOULD* just love. It has many of the elements and plot design I tend to like and some interesting directing/camerawork.

    However…. this series just utterly fails for me. I don’t care about the characters, not one of them (and that’s pretty difficult for a series to do). I’d almost rather the unpleasant little girl troupe machine gun the rest of the cast.

    Now I’ve heard, *SURPRISE!!*, ITS REALLY TWO COUR!!!! … okay that explains the pacing and improves my opinion of the series — but I’m still left just not caring about what happens next. I feel like I’m watching an assignment for FILM301 and afterwards I’ll have to do an analytical deconstruction of it. Meh.

    Those who are loving the show, carry on and I hope it delivers for you.

    Vexx
  25. just want to say thnx for the good job blogging the serie! i enjoy watching white album and i’ll still looking forward to it.
    but sadly if it doesn’t motivate you at all then its fine that you dropp it, cause you blog what you like.

    SilvfeR-v-SurfeR
  26. Vexx: Don’t worry, we will carry on with ease 😉 … the show had one weak episode so far (ep9), and the rest was pretty good. But it surely isn’t a show for everybody.

    Omni: No hard feelings, thanks for keeping up. Especially since WA is a show which takes alot of effort to blog due to the high detail level and the fact that alot of things are handled via implicit storytelling.

    Mentar
  27. Another season for White album!!? -___-”

    Omni really appreciate the fact that you would try your best for us readers out here 😀 Dont worry about it , blog what you believe it and it would go along long way just like what you have accomplished today. I am sure its definately would be for the readers best interest. Oh yes its been a long time since I’ve first came here haha glad its still as good as it had always been.

    Ganbate ne!

    s.a
  28. I’ve watched every episode both raw and subbed. For the first time, I didn’t bother watching this weeks sub version. I really wanted this show to succeed and felt it had the possibility of correcting itself. At this point, the characters are still too unlikable. Touya can be replaced with a cardboard cutout and achieve the same result. He is simply a placeholder while the supporting cast manipulates him at will. No sense of direction or willingness to pursue his own best interest. The age excuse can only go so far.

    Finally, the writing has now begun to create situations that are a bit forced. At first I thought they planned to rush the ending but now it appears they are moving towards a cliffhanger. I wonder how many viewers will be left by the time the second season rolls around.

    Irie
  29. Well that sucks >.<
    I loved reading your thoughts on the show Omni. However, if you really don’t like it then I can’t expect you to keep blogging/watching the show.

    I’ll just have to find another good anime blogger out there covering the show in an intelligent manner. Unfortunately, other than you, that doesn’t exist.

    Karisu
  30. I’ve lost interest in this one some time ago but keep watching it in the hope that something interesting would happen. When it finally looked like something good was about to happen (at the play last episode), she pushes him away.

    draksig
  31. I have the same problem with Tales of Abyss, I only have to watch about 5 more episodes in order to finish it (and I HATE DROPPING series) but I’m not sure if I even wanna waste my time on those 5 episodes…

    ConfusedGirl29
  32. I feel the same way about this series, I almost choked on some food when I heard the news about a second season. My blog post for episode 10 has been sitting in my draft pile of a couple of days, maybe I’ll finish it today. But, I’ll also be dropping the series at the end of this season, because I really don’t like Touya or Yuki, or care if they hook up or not.

  33. Thanks for the heads up, most blogs just stop coverage without warning. The premise for White Album is surprisingly annoying, so I never bothered. Checked out some Rideback, could go places.

    Sammy
  34. I did play the original Leaf game and actually liked it. I liked Haruka a lot because she looked so weird but so cute. But I dropped this anime version show after the 1st episode because it just looked so boring,
    As for Leaf anime, Tears to Tiara is set to come next month and with almost everyone who made Utawarerumono anime pretty good show getting involved, it surely looks very promising.

    calde
  35. OMNI I totally agree with everything you said.
    I think this serie really sucks compared to any other romance serie ive seen so far.
    The characters just dont get me really intrested and the story is really going nowhere.
    I had the same feeling as you did when they said there gonna be a second season.
    I also cant motivated myself to watch a second season so after the first seasons over iam dropping this serie.

  36. I can see why you’d wanna drop this, although it isn’t as bad as people are saying, really.

    Now if only you could bring yourself to drop Bleach… and Gundam 00, but that one’s almost over anyway.

    Bane
  37. I dont know, I watched the series because it sort of has a nostalgic vibe to it, but that’s probably because I already lived in the 80s, so maybe I can relate more to it than others…

    tokugawa
  38. Great! A new season, I’m happy about that.

    I’m a bit disappointed that you’re going to stop blogging it. I like to read your take on anime once I’ve watched the episodes myself – helps to clarify things and you usually point out something I’ve missed. I do however understand why you are going to stop blogging the series and respect your decision. No point blogging / watching a series in which your losing interest.

    I’m enjoying Ride Back aswell – I look forward to seeing your takes on it’s episodes. It’s turning out to be really interesting.

  39. Why all the hate for a very good anime.

    It’s the anime like Rideback, Bleach, the upcoming 2nd FMA, etc that I have got sick of.

    Omni, I respect your opinion if your not enjoying it, but White Album has been a very nice change of pace from the usual crap that has been aired the past couple seasons.

    loplop
  40. To all those who commented on how much this series sucked every episode:

    No one *forced* you to watch the episodes.
    No one *forced* you to read Omni’s synopsis.
    No one *forced* Omni to watch and blog the show.

    It would be nice if some of you displayed the same maturity that Omni did in admitting it no longer interested him and leaving it at that.

    Melchior

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