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.

First Impressions / To Aru Majutsu no Index

To Aru Majutsu no Index II – 12

「天文台（ベルヴェデーレ）」 (Tenmondai (Beruvedeeru))
“Astronomical Observatory (Belvedere)”

There was a fair bit of build-up in this episode towards about the Croce di Pietro, which Touma and Tsuchimikado had a fairly long talk about, so hopefully it won’t be simply brushed aside with a new development as well. After the Stab Sword turned out to be a “plot feint”, I’m starting to become a bit wary of these twists that don’t really feel like one.

Note: The To Aru Majutsu no Index II broadcast is on break next week. Episode 13 airs on January 7th.

Angel Beats! / First Impressions / OVA/Movie

Angel Beats! – OVA

「Stairway to Heaven」

When Angel Beats finished airing six months ago, the December release of the last DVD/BD volume containing this bonus episode felt like an eternity. Well now the wait is finally over, we can have a final taste of the series that is undoubtedly one of best this year. As a completely comedic extra akin to the rocket chairs seen in episode five, the more relevant bonus actually came in the form of a short alternate epilogue.

Final Impressions / First Impressions / Shinrei Tantei Yakumo

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo – 13 (END)

「失意の果てに ～久遠～」 (Shitsui no Hate Ni ~ Kudou ~)
“The Limits Of Despair ~ Eternity ~”

In a surprising turn of events, just about nothing is revealed this week. Instead, my mind was pretty blown away after watching Gotou get shot. But besides watching one of my favorite characters go down pretty hard, I thought it was pretty crazy watching Yakumo’s father try to actually take over Yakumo’s body.

Amagami SS / Final Impressions / First Impressions

Amagami SS – 25 (END)

「上崎裡沙編 シンジツ」 (Kamizaki Risa-hen – Shinjitsu)
“Kamizaki Risa Chapter – Truth”

I probably should have held off on the poll until this first of two bonus chapters, but I’m almost certain I would’ve felt bad for Rihoko if I did. With just a single episode to her name, Risa would’ve easily surpassed her and probably some of the other girls too. As Junichi’s stalker since elementary school, she’s not nearly as bad nor plain as she makes herself out to be.

Bakuman. / First Impressions

Bakuman. – 13

「速報と本ちゃん」 (Sokuhou to Hon Chan)
“Early Results And The Real Deal”

I think it’s happened. Kaya has won me over. I think it might have been her flamboyant attitude, her fashionable clothing, or just the way her hair is done at the end. Whatever it may be, I’m glad that she plays a decent role in this series. Besides being Takagi’s girlfriend, I think it was awfully kind of her to take the role of being Mashiro and Azuki’s in-between.

Season Preview / Series Introduction

Winter 2011 Preview!

The new year is rapidly approaching and the winter anime season along with it, so I’d like to present my detailed look into all the upcoming series. As usual, I plan to watch all the ones that interest me to a certain degree and have listed my intentions in the entries below. This season, I only plan to pick up a couple more shows to blog though, as I’d like to take more time away from the site for personal reasons. The past year has been an ambitious one given the number of shows I covered every season, and it’s set some unrealistic long-term expectations on what comes out of the site. Rather than continuing at the feverish pace of 12-16 shows per season, I plan to drop my personal load to a much more reasonable 3-5 shows and take on more in some seasons if time permits. I had only planned to cover four shows this winter, but with STAR DRIVER and To Aru Majutsu no Index II added to my plate, I’m going to make time for six. That will still put me at post a day if I include the Naruto manga, which combined with Kiiragi, Takaii, and Prooof’s coverage, means there shouldn’t be any noticeable shortage of new content.

 

Happy Holidays! Please note that this preview will be kept at the top for the next while, so be sure to scroll past it or check the Recent Entries on your right for new posts.