Final Impressions / First Impressions / Kuragehime

Kuragehime – 11 (END)

「ジェリーフィッシュ・オブ・ドリームス」 (Jerīfisshu obu Dorīmusu)
“Jellyfish of Dreams”

Well what an incredibly anticlimactic solution to last week’s cliffhanger huh? To be honest, I didn’t give it much thought, and sadly, I don’t spend every waking moment wondering what the next episode of Kuragehime will reveal, but I seriously expected the Amamizu-kan to be a plot milestone this time. That said, the episode managed to tie up the series rather nicely, faithful to the manga or not (I wouldn’t know).

Season Schedule / Series Introduction

Winter 2011 Schedule

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Beelzebub
07:00 NTV (1/9)		 Dragon Crisis!
25:30 CTC (1/10)		 Bleach
18:00 TX		 Starry☆Sky
16:00 animate.tv (12/23)		 Wolverine
22:00 ANIMAX (1/7)		 Cardfight!! Vanguard
08:00 TX (1/8)
Suite PreCure ♪
08:30 EX (2/6)		 Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?
25:30 TVS (1/10)		 Rio -RainbowGate!-
23:00 MX (1/4)		 Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica
25:25 MBS (1/6)		 To Aru Majutsu no Index II
23:30 AT-X (10/8)		 FREEZING
09:30 AT-X (1/8)
STAR DRIVER Kagayaki no Takuto
17:00 MBS/TBS (10/3)		 LEVEL E
25:45 TX (1/10)		 Kimi ni Todoke 2ND SEASON
24:59 NTV (1/4)		 IS Infinite Stratos
25:25 TBS (1/6)		 GOSICK
25:23 TX (1/7)		 Bakuman.
18:00 NHK E (10/2)
Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector
22:00 MX (10/3)		 Moshidora
22:55 NHK (3/14-18, 3/21-25)		 Yumekui Merry
25:55 TBS (1/6)		 Tegami Bachi REVERSE
23:55 TX (10/2)
FRACTALE
24:45 CX (1/13)		 Onii-chan no Koto ga Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!!
24:30 tvk (1/8)
Hourou Musuko
25:15 CX (1/13)		 Mitsudomoe Zouryouchuu!
26:58 MBS (1/8)

* Others: SUPERNATURAL THE ANIMATION, Houkago no Pleiades

Legend: 7 Divine 3 Kiiragi 4 Takaii 2 Prooof Not covering

The start of the winter 2011 season is only days away, so here’s the quick rundown on what me and the writers will be covering. As I mentioned in the Winter 2011 Preview, I’m reducing my personal load to about half of what it was last season by only picking up a couple more series — Infinite Stratos and FRACTALE. To help compensate, both Kiiragi and Takaii have offered to pick up an additional series to cover, adding GOSICK and Kore wa Zombie Desu ka respectively to the ones they decided on in the preview. Prooof on the other hand is still too busy to pick up new shows, but will continue being the resident Bleach specialist like he’s always been.

* More after the jump on some plans for the new season.

Miscellaneous / Poll

Reader’s Choice – Favorite Anime 2010 Poll

It’s… TIME! Time to look back at 2010 that is, so I’d like to present the Fifth Annual Reader’s Choice Poll.

Similar to last year, there are two polls for you to vote on — one for regularly broadcast series and another for OVA/movies. The subtle change is the number of votes has increased from three to five for series and one to three for OVA/movies to further diversify results so they aren’t heavily skewed. With 98 series and 71 OVA/movies to choose from, we’re now asking for your top five and top three of 2010 respectively.

The criteria for a regular broadcast anime to be included is that it had to have been a TV series that finished airing in 2010. The general idea here is that you can’t really judge a series until it’s over, so shows such as STAR DRIVER and To Aru Majutsu no Index II will appear in next year’s poll. For OVA/movies, it has to have been released on DVD/BD in 2010 to qualify, ensuring that viewers outside of Japan have had a chance to watch it. This mostly pertains to theatrical offerings. I’ve loosened the requirement on being complete though, which is why you see Gundam Unicorn episodes one/two and Break Blade movies one/two included in the list as single entries.

As far as I’m aware, the anime series list is complete. The OVA/movie is purposely less so since there are a lot of really niche OVAs that aren’t really worth considering. However, if you feel there’s something the deserves consideration, please send me an e-mail and I’ll add it. Otherwise, you are welcome to vote for it in the Others option. Let the voting begin!

Note: The polls will close on Sunday, January 2nd at 8:00 AM GMT. Results will be posted in the upcoming Best of Anime 2010 post.

The Reader’s Choice Polls are after the jump.

Polls are now closed. Thank you for taking the time to vote.

First Impressions / Super Robot Wars OG

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector – 13

「楽園からの追放者」 (Rakuen kara no Tsuibousha)
“An Exile From Paradise”

As suspected, any sort of potential suspense or shock from Lamia’s sacrifice was short-lived, after it was revealed she survived the Ash to Ash self-destruct. Taking its place wasn’t a decisive battle between Kyousuke and Axel however, and instead an explanation on Shadow-Mirror’s origin care of one Gilliam Yeager, a.k.a. Helios Olympus.

First Impressions / OVA/Movie / Suzumiya Haruhi

Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu

「涼宮ハルヒの消失」 (Suzumiya Haruhi no Shōshitsu)
“The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya”

At this point in time, the Haruhi series needs no introduction. Unless you’re an extremely casual viewer, or have a streak of uncanny avoidances, you probably know who or what Haruhi is. You may not know that fans have been waiting for this movie for a long time, and you may not know that this is not a stand alone movie. If you have not seen the prior two seasons of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, and you wish to enjoy this movie, please do so now. For everyone else, these impressions are written with the expectation that you have seen the movie beforehand, so if you have not had the pleasure to do so, well what are you waiting for?

First Impressions / STAR DRIVER

STAR DRIVER: Kagayaki no Takuto – 13

「恋する紅い剣」 (Koi Suru Akai Ken)
“The Loving Red Sword”

Either hairstyles and colors don’t stand out as much as they seem or some characters just don’t bother to take notice, as the secret “Kiraboshi” greeting often leaves me both amused and dumbfounded by the surprised reactions. Take Benio for example: “Oh, so you’re Ivrogne.” Me: “… (lol)”

Note: The STAR DRIVER broadcast is on break next week. Episode 14 airs on January 9th.

Miscellaneous / Poll

Poll: Winter 2011 Anime Season

Time is counting down to the new year and I still have the year-end Reader’s Choice poll to put up soon, so here’s the seasonal one first. I’ve decided to stick with the five-vote maximum used this past fall, since it allows for a more diverse range of results. While some people may not think so, I actually find this upcoming season rather interesting, offering twenty-two new titles with a fair bit of variety. At the moment, I’m not even sure what to make of some despite their potential, whereas others I’m eagerly looking forward to because I have a good idea what I’m in store for. What that translates to is a good season to start, with the possibility of turning out to even better if one or two hidden gems are discovered. Anyway, if you haven’t already, please refer to the Winter 2011 Preview for detailed information on each of the shows listed. As always, comments are welcome if there’s anything you want to add about a particular show or the winter season in general. Let the anticipation begin!

Note: The same poll will also be available on the sidebar. It will automatically close on January 3rd at 4:00 PM GMT to coincide with the start of the new season.

First Impressions / Tegami Bachi

Tegami Bachi REVERSE – 13

All it took was one sloppy fight together for these two to work out all the kinks as partners.

「紅緋色の旋律」 (Benihi-iro no Senritsu)
“Deep Crimson Melody”

After all that talk about wanting to see Aria back in active service, my visions of a cool beauty taking out Gaichuu with ease were quickly shattered when she turned out to be a complete klutz. I would’ve never known given how strict and diligent she is back at the Bee Hive, so this other side of her was like a completely different character.

Note: The Tegami Bachi REVERSE broadcast is on break next week. Episode 14 airs on January 8th.