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It’s been a good six months since the release of the first OAD episode, but the sight of the more blob-like character designs in Tatsunoko Production’s variation still draws me in the most about it. As mentioned in my episode one post, these manga-bundled episodes are a departure from author/artist Yasuda Suzuhito’s style that was more closely adhered to in Nomad’s television series adaptation.
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「並列過程のパラノイア」 (Heiretsu Katei no Paranoia)
“Paranoia of Parallel Process”
Steins Gate is first uttered on screen… and it does not mean what you think it means. Actually, according to Daru, it doesn’t mean anything.
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「一挙落着」 (Ikkyo Rakuchaku)
“Problem Solved by the Fist”
I’d rather not say it, but I wasn’t quite sure how to feel after such a quick capture. While I wasn’t a hundred percent sure about what was going to happen, I had a pretty good idea in my mind. As the episode did a pretty good job foreshadowing it last week, the idea of trying to expel a certain part of yourself in an effort to become a stronger you sounds as ridiculous as it was to type it out.
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「悪魔は人の心に棲む」 (Akuma wa Hito no Kokoro ni Sumu)
“Demons Live in the Human Heart”
Coming from A-1 Pictures, Ao no Exorcist is a modern representation of what I perceive to be a “classic shounen.” You know, the type that some of us are familiar with from our childhoods watching Toonami. The type that doesn’t use much of any “commercial guarantees,” but boast excellence solely on storytelling. I mean, not even a single female appeared until the sixth minute of this show! Yeah, my mind was blown too.
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「ホビロン」 (Hobiron)
“Balut”
More so then any other show airing this season that I’ve watched, Hanasaku Iroha has successfully managed to become my number one pick. If not for the amazing cast of characters, or the stupidly funny situations, it has to be the show’s ability to consistently toy with my emotions — bringing them up and down at its whim.
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「日常３」 (Nichijou 3)
“My Ordinary Life 3”
I’m not sure why, but I reserve a small spot in my top seiyuu list for Shiraishi Minoru. Ever since his role in Lucky Star where he ended up being at the receiving end of just about every bad joke in the book, I’ve been looking forward to watching him become that great seiyuu he wanted to be — and look, he’s playing the part of a near important main character.
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「愚者は己の代弁者を指名する」 (Gusha wa Onore no Daiben-sha o Shimei Suru)
“Only a Fool Would Appoint Himself as His Own Lawyer”
It sucks that Avril’s such a charming character, because despite the fact that there doesn’t appear to be a serious reason for her to like Kujou, the power of fate will never let it happen, literally.
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「死刑囚」 (Shikeishuu)
“Dead Man Walking”
I didn’t know about this series before, but after burning through 40+ chapters of the manga in a day, I was sold and was excited for the anime adaptation to come out. My main fear was that there would be excessive censoring because it’s TV anime, not DVD or theaters, and also that the one cour may not be enough. There’s quite a bit of material and getting cut short would be no good.
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After further health-related delays on top of the endless wave of new spring shows, the last monthly post of the winter 2011 season is finally here. Included are mostly final impressions, along with some quick thoughts on the episodes leading up to a given series’ conclusion.
Changes for each of the writers over the course of the season are listed below.
Note: Once again, please be considerate of others who may be interested in picking up a series after reading about it here by placing discussion of any major spoilers in <spoiler></spoiler> tags. There will be little to no tolerance for anyone intentionally spoiling the enjoyment of others.
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「La Bambina」
“The Girl”
J.C. Staff is back with the Toradora duo of Majima Junji and Kugimiya Rie in their latest light novel/manga adaptation, except this time we have a bunch of armed detectives in training known as “Butei” (Busou + Tantei). As I described in the Spring 2011 Preview, the attention to detail with the Butei specializations and the weaponry they use is one of the highlights of this series.