...what are you watching...

Mawaru Penguindrum 24! the end. I was going to write that the last episode was not a literal as the rest of the series, but that's not totally accurate. It was in keeping with the progression of the story, but deliberately left open to interpretation. *spoilers* The brothers who had shared the fruit of fate have to be punished for their parents' sin, and instead of losing the ones they love, sacrificed themselves. Yeah, rather simplifying it for myself. I don't get why Mario had a penguin hat and where that side of the story would have gone. And was Sanetoshi only after revenge against Momoka? Despite the blurriness of it all, there is an understanding of what happens to the main characters (The boys weren't reincarnated; more like fate shifted so they didn't cross the other characters which is kinda sad). ~8/10 rating~ for story that kept you hooked with its twists, and for the top-notch production; very much enjoyed the visuals.


Sekaiichi Hatsukoi S2 12! the end...for now. This was a flashback episode featuring Takano's view of the past which was mainly influenced by his parents' pre-divorce spats and their lack of attention. The visit to the not-Subway was cute. ~9/10~ rating for this season. There was a boost in character/relationship development (especially in the last couple episodes), and although all the smut continued to be off-screen, the production had some good peaks. I also gave the season an extra point for the dancing bunny fairy. I'm looking forward to Nakamura Shungiku's Hybrid Child being animated next year.


Un-Go 11! the end. until the DVD/BD episode which explains the backstory to the two main characters. This was a rather dull conclusion to the fake death conspiracy. The battle between Inga and Bettenou was just oddly out of place. Despite the decent set-up; a defeated detective whose truths get covered up and a creepy sidekick who eats souls; the series lacked good storytelling, good side characters and decent bad guys. ~6/10 rating~ for the lackluster detective series.

Chihayafuru 12! is thankfully only at the halfway mark. Chihaya and the rest prepare for nationals. Their teacher becomes interested after seeing them practice.

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi S2 11! has the best dramatic and comedic conversations out of whole series. Yokozawa confesses his feelings which was pretty sad considering the fact that he knew he was going to get shot down, and then Takano's reaction was so funny; gotta love their straightforward talk. And then the conversation in the rain was hilarious. Takano is spilling the beans about what happened in the past, and then Onodera confesses to something stupid he did in the past. Love the extra push in production value, too...and the pink haze during the rain scene.



Mawaru Penguindrum 23! Run from the ticking robot bear. I have no idea how this will end since the story keeps you guessing, but I sorta suspect that the main characters will survive. Glad to see the penguin hat come back into the picture.

Un-go 10! More things happen. A fake death, etc. I only really care about Shinjirou, Inga and the robot girl.

Mawaru Penguindrum 22! I was hoping we'd see Natsume kicking arse, but maybe next time?

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi S2 10! Yokozawa chews out Ritsu. Good for him.

Un-Go 9! stuff happens...zzz...

Live-action Kenshin doesn't look too bad. The new Rurouni Kenshin Kyoto OVA anime CM doesn't look too bad either. My guess is that Fushigi Yuugi will be the next one to make a comeback.

Un-Go 8! After getting tasered to snap him out of the hallucination, Shinjirou solves the prison case. There's an intriguing cliffhanger involving the novelist and Inga, but this is still my least favorite anime this season. Only watching because Thursdays are slow days.

Mawaru Penguindrum 21! Of course it builds up the suspense some more. In this episode the family falls apart. This series has more surprise family revelations than any kdrama. And it's actually fun to follow. On the other hand, while I appreciate the variety in ending theme songs, it's not my kind of music. I do like the different illustrations from Lily Hoshino at the end.


Sekaiichi Hatsukoi S2 9! Yukina was remarkably unsparkley for most of the episode, but huzzah, flowers and sparkles come back in the end.

Just made a big hole in my wallet via online shopping. :)

Un-Go 7! Shinjirou is talking to a novelist in a prison when he gets caught up in a dream or hallucination in which he thinks he is a cameraman on a movie set.

Mawaru Penguindrum 20! Cute flashback showing how Shouma met Himari. Looks like the brothers aren't related either. The child broiler is explained. Great buildup.

Fate/Zero 8! Kiritsugu vs. Kayneth ends with Kayneth taking a significant hit to his magical powers. Maiya & Irie vs. Kirei ends with Kirei overpowering them, but with Irie holding a trump card (something that didn't show itself until the near-end of Fate/Stay Night). Saber & Lancer vs. Caster ends with Caster running away. Impressive magical battles being played out in this episode.


Fate/Stay Night 6-24! the end. This does get a tiny bit better as the show moves along. It still pales in comparison to Fate/Zero. The main characters have no strategy in their participation in the Holy Grail war; too many high school kids run around aimlessly. Shiro just stumbles along trying to protect Saber. He exudes too much angst, too. It's been awhile since I've watch a male character whine as much as him. Rin and Illya give up too easily. The only Servants that are consistent with Fate/Zero is Saber and Archer/Gilgamesh. The other Servants in Fate/Stay aren't very dynamic. Caster, Assasin and their master were especially boring as were their battles.


Anyway, in episode 15, there's a humorous pseudo-orgy between Shiro, Saber and Rin as they try to prevent Saber from disappearing due to a lack of mana/power. And then for some reason, the writers start sprinkling more fanservice all over a couple episodes after this. Saber as King Arthur is terrible. While she talks about being a knight, the rest of her personality wavers between being a blushing shoujo character and a brick wall. Further, it isn't until episode 19 that Saber talks about the previous war and Kiritsugu. Ok, it is a lot worse than Fate/Zero. The climactic battle between Shirou & Kirei Kotomine and Saber & Gilgamesh lacked the depth and showmanship that you'd expect. Oh well, if you are enjoying Fate/Zero and want to know how their kids turn out, well, I guess this will show you, and then you will weep with despair. ~6/10 rating~ mediocre production with weak character development. Their parents are 100% more interesting. And the family connections in Fate/Zero hardly show up in Fate/Stay.

Un-Go 6! and the episode 6 peak finally. Well, a new character who is more interesting than all the other characters is always good. The episode was about child neglect, missing kids, self-mutilation and a supposed affair. It honestly really wasn't that great, but the new character at the end has possibilities.

Mawaru Penguindrum 19! Ah ha, my initial love triangle theory comes true, but not quite like I thought. Himari's soulmate doesn't have anything to do with Mario, but rather Kanba.

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi S2 7! It's time for the company's New Year's party where Ritsu turns down An-chan again. One more and she's gone for good, right? Cameo by Kirishima and Iijiun. Will Yokozawa's story get animated?

Chihayafuru 6! Chihaya meets a kimono and Japanese poetry otaku. Kana serves the purpose of teaching us that the cards have history. She's an unexpectedly likable character.

Mawaru Penguindrum 18! each episode tops the previous. Tabuki exacts his revenge. Very smart and touching to have all the major players witnessing that scene.

Un-Go 5! I thought I was going to drop this, but decided to give this the old 6 episode test. Another murder, another conclusion. It's interesting that the robot from the previous episode is now a sidekick. Inga also shows off super-human strength. So far, the cases haven't been very interesting.

Un-Go 4! it's Chobits...sorta. The artificial humans aren't welcome in this show. This series is really lacking the sense of drama and suspense a detective show should have. This is teetering near my drop pile.


Mawaru Penguindrum 17! The opening scene with the brothers was cute. The showdown between Yuri and Natsume was funny. And then Tabuki taking Ringo and Himari? Great cliffhanger.


Sekaiichi Hatsukoi S2 5! Progress!! with Ritsu and Takano..though with this family-friendly anime, they kiss and cuddle after taking a step over the whole fiancee scene. Looking forward to Junjou Mistake next episode. Isaka makes a small cameo in this episode.

Mawaru Penguindrum 16! Natsume's story is of course, weird like everything else in this series. It's also pretty funny. When she was younger, she used to dream of crazy ways to kill her grandfather whom she blamed for her absent father. I didn't really get why her little brother, Mario, was possessed and where Kanba came from, but hopefully, they fill that part in later on. The survival strategy scene with the maid was amusing, too.


Sekaiichi Hatsukoi S2 4! Hatori takes care of a clueless Chiaki. One day Chiaki gets jealous and runs to Yuu. If Yuu had a little more personality, I might feel sorry for him. There's more Hatori x Chiaki smut off-screen. Not much to this couple, but they are sweet in their cluelessness. Thinking back to the Junjou series, those couple revolved around couples with large age differences. The Sekaiichi couples are about the same age..with the slight exception of Kisa and Yukina. I don't think the Sekaiichi couples are as funny as the Junjou couples and it might be the lack of age humor. Btw, Junjou Mistake getting animated? Awesome. Yokozawa's story (in manga form)...with a single father...even better. Can't wait.

Nankyoku Tairiku 1! I actually saw the US watered-down, white-washed, Disney-fied adaptation of this story on tv just a few weeks ago; lured by the cute dogs. This drama is about Japan's involvement with an Antarctica expedition right after their WWII defeat. Doggies! Kimura Takuya plays the lead who goes on the expedition and later, tries to rescue dogs who are left in Antarctica after the expedition abruptly leaves due to weather conditions. Ayase Haruka plays a teacher (his love interest?). Yamamoto Yusuke plays a student who helps with the dogs. There's many more familiar actors/actresses in the show, too; a who's who of casts. While Disney's version really made a family-friendly dog film, this tv version made it a human drama. Personal conflicts, political manipulations, dramatic setbacks, the pride of the working class, a bunch of little children and dramatic music, and you've got everyone sucked in. And that's just the first episode. The first episode covers the start of the expedition, getting acceptance from the international community, permission from Japan's goverment, getting dogs, and getting a ship. It looks like the dog part of the story won't come until much later in the series. The quality of the show is great and I gotta wonder how much the budget is.

Sekaiichi Hatsukoi S2 3! I continue to like watching the yaoi-crazed bunny bounce all over the screen during the opening and ending. This was unexpectedly funny near the end when Chiaki was blowing up at Hatori, and when Hatori walks in on Yuu and Chiaki's conversation. More of them next episode. (eh, not liking the crunchyroll translations. i think they take too many liberties)

Mawaru Penguindrum 15! Yuri's past and motivation for stealing Momoka's diary are revealed. The power of Momoka's diary is revealed, too; *spoilers* it changes fate at a price. The insane plot twists are very enjoyable.