Summer 2013: Quick Halfway Thoughts

I'm heading back to school really soon, which means my life's about to get busier. However, I will not abandon my blog like I did for so long during this past school year. While I won't blog with the same frequency I did earlier this summer, you can at least expect my weekly "Rewind" posts.

I'm not sure how much anime I'll be able to watch. I'll have to see if I have enough anime time to warrant keeping a Crunchyroll membership. I've enjoyed keeping up with this season using a free trial. At the very least, I want to finish up this summer's anime before I go back to being a week behind on everything.

What's got me following this season so closely?

First of all, Naruto Shippuden. But if you've been following this blog at all, you already knew that.

Attack on Titan. Well, duh. This anime is super popular right now, and for good reason. The animation is beautiful. The story is captivating. The action and violence evoke both excitement and shock. The suspense has me teetering at the edge of my seat. If this quality keeps up, Attack on Titan will make my list of all time favorites.

Hunter x Hunter. The ninety-third episode just aired. So far, only three of those episodes have been of the flashback/filler variety. It has everything I love about stereotypical shounen anime, and very little that I don't. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if you're a fan of shounen anime, and for some pathetic reason you haven't tried Hunter x Hunter, then stop what you're doing and go to Crunchyroll. Now. 

Servant x Service. When I heard that this gem was thought up by the same person as Working!!, I knew I needed to try it out. I was not disappointed. The animation, the humor, and even the music has the same fun flavor to it as Working!! does. Yet it has enough differences to keep me entertained.

Watamote. It's painful, but I watch it regularly anyway.

Shiori in episode 2 of KamiNomi.

KamiNomi. Keima and the girls are in serious trouble... but this is still a lighthearted, fun anime. Great to watch right after Watamote. In recent episodes, I've particularly enjoyed Shiori, the library girl.

Space Brothers. I've gotten a couple weeks behind on this one again, but I still really like it. It's just one of those shows that's more fun when I marathon several episodes at a time.

There other anime that I'm following (or sort of following) this season, but they don't get me quite as excited:

Brothers Conflict. Why? Because I'm going to finish what I started. Yeah, that really is the only reason I'm still watching this reverse harem.

Silver Spoon. I love watching city folk when they're outside their natural habitat. Whether they're worried about cougars in the empty lot in their neighborhood or, in this case, freaking out about where chicken eggs come from, they are quite entertaining. I'm sure they'd have found me just as entertaining during my first trip to New York City or LA, so I don't feel bad chuckling at their antics. Despite that, I haven't gotten excited enough to keep up with this one each week. It was good, but... I guess I just wasn't in the mood last time I started an episode.

Monokuma, one of the strangest
antagonists I've ever seen.

Danganronpa. This is quite entertaining. Its wackiness, from the pink blood to the entire premise, makes me smile despite all the homicides. Whenever these kids are investigating to see which classmate killed the latest victim, I think about the ending of the board game Clue: It was _____! In the locker room! With the candlestick! It's not the greatest show this season, but it's still fun to watch. I find it noteworthy that the evil "principal" in Danganronpa and the boss in Servant x Service are both stuffed animals.

Recorder to Randoseru Mi. When I first found out that Recorder and Randsell got another season, I thought, "Seriously? How?" I got the answer quickly enough: Even folk like me who don't always enjoy the humor are willing to waste three minutes on it each week.

My summer vacation is coming to an end, but we're still only halfway through the anime season. I look forward to seeing what these shows have to offer over the next couple weeks! 

Naruto is Back! (again)

Warning: The following post is almost pure fangirling. Just like every other time that Shippuden returns from fillers, I have dissolved into gleeful singing and dancing. This is about as far from objective as I get. The grammar and thoughtfulness I usually prize are dismissed as secondary to excitement. Proceed at your own risk. 

Spoiler warning: I’ll warn you again right before it comes, but there’s a major spoiler near the end of this post.

In case you missed my one-girl party on Twitter:

Ahem. 

*Singing to a tune similar to “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”* 

Naruto is ba-ack, Naruto is ba-ack, Naruto is baaaa-aaak! Naruto is back!

*Singing over*

I can’t contain my smiling. No matter how many fillers they put me through, I always return. Why? Because I love Naruto. And Gaara. And Shikamaru, Kakashi, Shino, and Sakura (don’t you dare hate on her; she’s grown up a lot over the past couple hundred episodes), and... well, you get the idea. There’s so much excitement, and suspense, and fun. And I’m just plain attached to this show. 

“It’s alright now,” Naruto says. Yep. It’s better than alright. It’s fantastic, actually. You’re here! 

I really don’t have much else to say. I’m not in a mood to be critical. I try to avoid letting my critical wheels turn when I watch Shippuden. It’s too special to me.

There was a pretty big, exciting plot twist at the end. Unfortunately, it was a little spoiled for me. Apparently the Naruto wikia operates on manga readers’ knowledge. I tried to wipe what I learned out of my mind, but I only sort of succeeded.

MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD!

Tobi is not Uchiha Madara. 

I’m pretty dang excited to see the real, albeit reanimated, Madara in action.

I really want to know who Tobi actually is. And I want to tell Sasuke the truth... yeah, I refuse to give up on him until Naruto does. As irritated as I get with Sasuke’s illogical, emotional decisions, I will stand behind all of Team Seven until the end. So no bashing him, either.

I decided to take Crunchyroll up on their free trial offer, so I get to follow Shippuden episodes as they come out for a while. Whoo-hoo! I can’t wait to see Naruto demonstrate more of his improved fighting ability!

*All screenshots are, of course, from Naruto Shippuden episode 321

Guest Post and Update

Hi there, folks!

It's early as I write this, much earlier than I like my brain to be awake on a Saturday. So if there are typos or illogical thoughts, I give you my weakest apologies. I've been really busy this week, and had very little time to post. I'm a bit disgruntled that I'm out of bed at the moment, actually. I need sleep. Oh well. This might be the only time I have to post today, so I can't really complain.

Anyway, I wanted to let my readers know that this past Wednesday, July 3, I was able to contribute a guest post to one of my favorite blogs, Beneath the Tangles. The post is called Confessions of a Complaining Naruto Fan. I was going to post a link to it the day it came out, but I've been busy having fun with family and friends away from my computer screen. If you wander over there to read it, I recommend sticking around and seeing what else the site has to offer. Charles/TWWK and his co-bloggers have some pretty good material up.

In other news, in case you haven't noticed, Annalyn's Thoughts got a Facebook page a little over two weeks ago! I even made myself a new avatar for the occasion, as you see to the left. I'm not quite ready to switch from my usual screenshot of Lydia to this girl on most sites, but I wanted something I made myself for my blog's Facebook profile picture. I'm enjoying getting familiar with out Facebook pages works as I post and follow other pages.

Also, I've been considering doing a kind of "Throwback Thursday" thing where I feature something I treasure from days past - be it a blog post here, a anime review or blog post from other sites, a comment on an anime I used to love (and maybe still do). I dunno. What do you think?

If I Had Shadow Clones, I Would...

I watched episode 311 of Naruto Shippuden yesterday. It wasn’t my favorite episode, since it wasn’t from the main plot (although, if a show is mostly fillers, backgrounds, and flashbacks, can we even call the actual story the “main” plot?). Plus the biggest conflict involved the old bathhouse tropes: peeping toms, body shape envy... you know the drill. It was also supposed to set up the Road to Ninja movie, which I’m in no hurry to watch anyway.

But I can’t complain too much. Shikamaru had a few lines, and I love that particular ninja. He’s so cool, and thoughtful... I love how he cleared his throat when he noticed his friends starting to talking about their moms wanting them home for dinner. No need to make Naruto feel lonelier about his ramen diet.

Anyway, there was a scene when poor Naruto was about to eat his instant ramen all alone on his day off. Bored, he decided to make two shadow clones to play a card game with him: winner would get the special limited edition ramen. Leave it to Naruto to garner both sympathy and amusement from the audience within a single second.

Some in the audience felt a third emotion, though: envy. We want shadow clones! One commenter said that if he had a shadow clone, he could both stay in bed and go to school. Sorry, pal, but that particular use of a clone has been dreamed about for decades. I’d like to hear other things people would do with shadow clones.

I can think of ten uses off the top of my head:

1. I’d have a real me to argue with when I nag myself to get homework done or go to bed. My shadow clone would literally drag me out from under my covers.
2. We could multitask in the kitchen and focus on more dishes at once... and talk to people without losing count of cups of flour.
3. I’d have a panel of Annalyns to talk with when I’m stuck with my writing. We could even role play, with each me being a different one of my characters, and another one writing down everything we did. That would be such a fun way to brainstorm!
4. I could play Boggle with myself, since my family won’t play me anymore.
5. My shadow clone could count how many reps of certain exercises I do, so I can focus on form and breathing.
6. I could get two more Twitter accounts with the same profile pictures and similar names, set my clones up on different devices, and argue with myself. I could do the same thing on Facebook. 
7. We’d play duets on the piano.
8. I could pretend I’ve found my long-lost twin, then, on April Fool’s Day, lock her up and announce to my friends that she’s under observation to make sure she’s not evil.
9. We could surround my dog when he runs off and refuses to come back in, instead of resorting to bribery.
10. I’d always have someone to unashamedly fangirl with about anime and otome games.

What would you do if you could conjure up shadow clones as easily as Naruto can? 

Naruto Shippuden - "Assemble! Allied Shinobi Forces!"

Naruto Shippuden is becoming quite intense! The most recent episode (ep 256, "Assemble! Allied Shinobi Forces!") made me want to squeal in eagerness. The five allied shinobi (ninja) villages are on the eve of battle with the Akatsuki, and this episode highlights that. Several things excite me.

First of all, Naruto's classmates look really good in their vests. They're only about seventeen years old (I think that's right by now), but they're so grown up! I remember back when Sakura was an annoying little girl who needed to get a life beyond making googly eyes at Sasuke. Now, she's mature, responsible, a team player, and a valuable medical ninja who can punch like Toriko when she needs to.

And Ino? I remember when she was no more than a shallow girl who fought over Sasuke with Sakura. She can still be a little shallow now and then, but she's a team player, too. I actually like her now... even if she does need to buy longer shirts.

Choji? Well, he still eats a lot. But he's grown up to become a strong ninja.

Shikamaru? He's mature, strategic, invaluable, wise, cool... wait, he was always like that. But he doesn't complain as much now, which I'm sure his friends appreciate.

I could go on, but I won't. The point is that I've watched these characters grow up quite a bit, and it's good to see them become adults. Seeing them in their official vests gives me a sense of pride, even though I'm only an observer to their growth. At the same time, I feel sad for them. They are still young. Conflict with the Akatsuki cut their childhood short. Their classmate went rogue. And now, they stand on the brink of war, not as behind-the-scenes helpers, but as key fighters and even leaders. I hope they all survive.

Another thing that occurs to me: Naruto is going to be so ticked when he finds out they kept this from him. I mean, I suppose he could understand. After all, he needs the skills Bee can teach him, and the war would be lost if he were captured. But I still doubt he'll like the fact that his friends were in danger while he hid.

Further, personally, when I saw his friends all dressed and lined up for war, I thought that he should be with them. He belongs alongside them... yet as jinchuuriki of the Nine-Taled Fox, he's always been separate. I suppose this is just another example of how alone his life can be.

Gaara, now a former jinchuuriki, has also felt alone. When he became Kazekage, he gained the support of his village. He still feels his difference deeply, but he works through it. Now, he is commander-in-chief of the allied forces! Wow! He's young and a former outcast, so this is pretty impressive. This decision might have aired months ago, but the only appointment I really remember in the allied forces is the Raikage as supreme leader.

Both the shinobi army and the opposing Akatsuki forces are impressive.

On the one hand, we have the five shinobi villages. They've put aside their differences and come together to face the Akatsuki threat as one. They boast a force of 80,000 ninja, including all my favorites from the Leaf.

On the other hand, we have the Akatsuki, headed by the seemingly invincible Uchiha Madara with Kabuto by his side. Kabuto is no longer a simple teenage spy for Orochimaru. Nuh-uh. He's a full grown snakey mad scientist, and his nasty skills have supplied Madara with a very intimidating army.

First, there's the re-animation thing. They've taken dead Akatsuki members - from Deidara to Nagato - dead kage, dead former jinchuuriki, and various other dead ninja, many of whom I recognize as not only skilled ninja, but good people. All of these guys, and a good portion of their abilities, are on stand by to be re-animated and used in battle by Kabuto. Yikes.

Then, there's Zetzu. He's not just a really weird, split personality, black and white guy who's part of the Akatsuki. There are a zillion (I forget exactly how many) white Zetzu underground, waiting for battle against the the Allied Shinobi Force. All courtesy of Kabuto.

Madara and Kabuto, with a zillion white Zetzu following

... and then there is Uchiha Sasuke, who just hates the Leaf village and wants to destroy it. He's sitting in a cave waiting for his eyes to finish becoming even more deadly. I still hold a small hope, dwindling as it may be, that he'll get his head on straight and become a good guy again. And stop being so easily manipulated.

Sasuke aside, things are really heating up. I'm excited to see more... especially now that Naruto has finished his fake "S-ranked" animal sorting mission and is back to training. Unfortunately, it looks like next week's episode won't be quite so exciting. The preview looked suspiciously flashback filled.

Oh well. I'm too excited about the coming war to let a few flashbacks steal my thunder.

What's in a Year - Some Reflection

It's March 2012. I find myself in a reflective mood. So many things were going on last March and spring. And I'm not just talking about the earthquake in Japan - personal things weighed on my mind at the time. In some ways, it doesn't feel like it's been that long. In others, it's been forever.

A year ago, I'd been aniblogging for only a few months.

A year ago, I participated in SOTW (signature of the week contest) on Anime-Planet forums.

A year ago, I joined Twitter.

A year ago, another bout of Naruto Shippuden fillers came to an end.

A year ago, Tsunade lay unconscious and I wanted Danzo to go die in a hole.

A year ago, I used anime as an escape, an escape that I poured very unhealthy hours into.

A year ago, I was still trying to find and write another story that could be novel or novella length.

A year ago, I was finishing my second trimester of senior year of high school.

A year ago, college and scholarship applications overwhelmed me.

A year ago, I was depressed and anxious.

A year ago, I was too stressed to go to Lil Sis's volleyball tournaments.

A year ago, I spent most of my free time in my room, avoiding human contact.

A year ago, I just wanted time to stop.

This year, I'm trying to blog semi-consistently again.

This year, I haven't been on Anime-Planet forums once, though I still love the site.

This year, I'm on Twitter almost constantly.

This year, I'm still enjoying Naruto Shippuden. 


This year, Tsunade is awake again.

This year, I still escape on occasion, and there are times when I watch too much anime, but it's not as bad.

This year, I'm finally working on another long story, my first since over three years ago, though progress has slowed.

This year, I'm taking a break from school.

This year, college and scholarship applications feel more doable. I'm taking more initiative.

This year, I'm not depressed. I am alert for the signs of anxiety as I get busier again, but I won't let it rule me.

This year, I went to one of Lil Sis's three day tournaments - and loved it!

This year, I spend a lot of time downstairs, talking with family. I don't need to hide in my room as much.

This year, time is moving forward, and I'm moving with it. There are still days when I feel like time is moving faster than I can keep up, but I don't live in dread of deadlines. I don't live in dread of the next stage of my life.

I feel the warning in my chest, the warning that anxiety is always present, waiting to pounce. But I have tools available to me. I can make lists and plans. I can spend time journalling. I know that when I pray and read my Bible, imposing things become doable. Still imposing, perhaps, but doable. I know that if my tools aren't enough, I can go to my doctor for medicine.

I don't always use my tools. The warning signs go off, and I'm faced with a choice: use my tools, or escape. If I try to escape, consciously or unconsciously, it gets worse. But I'm learning to step back from the anxiety, take a deep breath, and do what I need to. It's work. Even as I write this, a pressure in my chest tells me that I need to take some time to pray and organize myself.  I don't want a repeat of last year. I don't want to drown in my anxiety. I swim ahead of it, confident even when the current gets choppy.

It had over half a year of smooth sailing. No school, few commitments, and few social events. That's changing. I'm living with my aunt and cousins for at least the rest of the school year. I tutor two of my cousins everyday. I meet with and email their teachers. And I'm working toward going to college next fall. My several months of rest did wonders for me. Now, I can practice outsmarting my anxiety before going off to college.

I'm the reflective sort, so I often think about how I'm changing and growing. It's very gradual. But I'm becoming more responsible, more mature, and more confident all the time (of course, "more confident" is very relative). I even feel like an adult most of the time, albeit a very young, inexperienced one.

I'm in a better place than I was last year. I thank the Lord for that. Anxiety will always be on the sidelines, ready to jump in when I give it an opening. But I know how to help myself a little better than I did. And maybe next year, I'll be doing even better.

Winter 2012 - Halfway Point Thoughts

Taichi says it's time for a mid-season nap

We're about halfway through the winter season. In the first couple weeks, I settled into following first 11, then 12, and finally 13 anime. I've tried 14 in total this season. I've dropped two of them and toyed with the idea of dropping another. Then there's another anime that I'm so embarrassed to admit to watching, I haven't even put it on my Anime-Planet watching list. I'd actually be following even more anime if they were legally available on Hulu, Crunchyroll, Niconico, or YouTube (which pretty much has what Hulu has). I wanted to watch Black Star Rock Shooter, but it looks like my favorite sites didn't get a deal on it, so I'll have to pass.

I've never followed so many anime at one time (my last record was a whopping four titles). So this post will serve two purposes: 1) tell whether I can remember all the main character's names [doubtful], and 2) give my impressions so far. Hopefully in a concise manner.

Let's start with the anime continuing from previous seasons/series, then the other popular ones, the one I dropped, and finally the one I really don't want to admit to watching, shall we?

1. Naruto Shippuden
Main character: Uzamaki Naruto.
Okay, so remembering that name was easy. I've been watching Naruto for two and a half years.

Anyway, I'm enjoying this season of Shippuden very much. The fillers are over, which I was a little excited about, as you probably noticed if you read this post. And by "a little excited," I mean as excited as the munchkins in Wizard of Oz when they were singing "Ding dong, the witch is dead."

Now that we've settled into the new arc, my excitement has toned down a bit. Killer Bee is an important figure in these episodes, and, well... he's not exactly my favorite character. Let's put it this way: what some people consider hilarious or fun characterization, I often consider downright obnoxious. Still, compared to Lee and Guy-sensei, he's placid, an ideal study partner, really. So I can't complain.

On the plot: I've really liked the contents of some of the episodes. For example, Naruto's evil, "true" self (whose eyes kind of reminded me of something in Bleach): Even though the village finally accepted Naruto, they didn't accept him for himself, but for what he did for them. So it makes sense that he wouldn't have purely positive feelings about the situation. Black-eyed Naruto made good points. I'd like to see him wrestle through the issue more, though. The villagers deeply hurt Naruto over a period of many years. The issue shouldn't be resolved just because he fought and hugged his other self. I hope the psychological impacts are brought up again in future episodes, even if it's just in another heart-to-heart with a villain, like he had with Pain.

The recent double-header (eps 248 and 249) was fantastic! I've always loved Fourth Hokage Minato - I mean come on, he's pretty dang cool. But these two episodes showed a bit more of his heart - both the "will of fire" that all good Hidden Leaf shinobi possess, and as a family man. He was so cute when he found out Kushina was pregnant, and then during the childbirth process... the midwife had to tell him that he was the Fourth Hokage, and he should act like it! Somehow, seeing Minato get as flustered as any new father made him even cooler.

The only real bone I had to pick with those two episodes was after the nine tailed fox demon impaled Minato and Kushina. First of all, he didn't move at all. Didn't struggle or even twitch. Now, I realize that half of him was just sealed away for all eternity, so of course he's a bit stunned. But I somehow doubt he's the type to stay still and let dying parents say their goodbyes to their newborn baby. Whom he's about to be sealed in.

Further, I'm no expert, but should Minato and Kushina really have been alive and well enough to talk after being impaled by a gigantic claw? I mean, didn't that thing go through their lungs (and spine and other important organs)? And all the movies and TV shows I watch indicate that having a claw bigger than you shoved through your chest leads to instant death. But, like I said, I'm no expert. And Minato and Kushina were two of the most amazing ninja in the village. Maybe their concentrated amazingness was enough to get them through their last goodbyes. However it happened, I'm glad it did. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had that episode with Minato in the Pain arc, nor the recent episodes with Kushina this season, and Naruto wouldn't have met them. Or rather, he wouldn't have met their chakra remnants, but same deal.

Overall? This season of Naruto's been okay. Except for the more recent episodes - those surpassed okay, jumped over good, and landed somewhere between great and awesome. Closer to great.

2. Chihayafuru
Main character: Ayase Chihaya.

Okay, so I loved Chihayafuru last season. The characters were fun, the art was a little different and beautiful, and it had the same appeal that all sports anime tend to have - perseverance and game days. I still like it this season, but the novelty has worn off. I've dropped it from five stars to four stars, where my rating will stay unless I get good reason to change it.

It still has all the great things from last season, but that's it. We don't see much of Arata, whom I really like. The spirit in Chihaya's games is almost always the same, though there was some variation in last week's episode. It's usually predictable: determined start, losing and depressing beginning, take a card, and charge forward with positive thinking once more. Repeat.

Not much else to say on this show at the moment.

3. Hunter x Hunter (2011)
Main character: Gon
Other favorite character: Killua

If you call yourself a fan of mainstream shounen anime and you haven't watched Hunter x Hunter, then stop. Just stop reading, visit Cruchyroll, and click on the first episode. Seriously.

I watched the original Hunter x Hunter anime on a friend's recommendation two years ago, and I greatly enjoyed it. The new version is just as good as I remember. There was one recap episode (ugh). Other than that, pure goodness. There's adventure, action, creative scenarios, humor, and great characters.

I could spend several paragraphs on any one of the characters in Hunter x Hunter, but my favorites are definitely Gon and Killua. Gon has amazing senses, to the point where he could track another character over miles because of his cologne. But that's not what makes him so great. He's twelve years old and still very much a child. His wide-eyed innocence stands out among the tough guys and killers that make up the most of the other hunter contestants. His childlike stubbornness works where adult stubbornness would fail - as seen in the most recent episode, when he refused to accept how his fight with a blooded ninja was going. He wouldn't accept loss even with a blade pointed at his forehead, and he wouldn't accept a win unless he felt he earned it. The ninja finally knocked Gon out so he couldn't protest his win. The result? Admiration from the other characters and giggles from me. The combination of his childish traits with his tenacity and amazing skills make for a favorite character.

The other twelve year old in the show, Killua, also deserves recognition. He, too, can act rather wide-eyed and childish. Yet behind that is a cold hearted assassin will scary skills. Of the characters introduced thus far, he's in the top three that I wouldn't want to cross (the other two being Hisoka and the chattering guy with all the pins in him). He's also the coolest. He and Gon are great friends for each other, and I really enjoy episodes that have a lot of both of them.

4. Natsume Yuujinchou Shin
Main character: Natsume.

If you read this post, you know that Natsume Yuujinchou surprised me by becoming a new favorite. Nothing has changed since I wrote that post. I still love it for all the same reasons. I did find the image of Nyanko-sensei getting mad at a jar (with a shrunken Natsume inside it) very amusing. I mean, come on, a fat cat fighting with a jar? Can you imagine walking in on such a scene with no knowledge of youkai? That's the kind of scene people post on YouTube. The kind of video that gains millions of views because teenage girls love cats doing silly things.

5. The New Prince of Tennis
Main character: Echizen Ryoma, sort of. Focuses a lot on other characters, too.

So far, The Prince of Tennis II has disappointed me. I celebrated it at first - felt my inner fangirl come through. I was like, "Ooh, it's Tezuka!" "Oh, Kikumaru," "Hehe, Kaido. You never change," and "Love your outfit, Echizen. Did you get taller?" and finally, "Eeep! Ryoma-sama in glasses! If I were six years younger, I'd totally have a 2D crush on him!"

I never expected it to be sophisticated. All I wanted were the characters I love, a decent-ish plot, a few laughs, and some great tennis matches. Instead, I received an Inui who said "Chances of something: blank percent" every five seconds, a Kawamura that calmed down before they took the tennis racket from him, and a slew of characters from other teams ranging from "plain annoying" to "I really don't care about them."

I don't care about the plot, they give screen time to way too many characters, some characters either overdo or under-do what I expect of them, and the animation/art is a tiny bit different, a tiny bit shinier (which is expected, given how long it's been). So, why do I continue watching?

I still love the Seigaku team. I'm a fan, through and through. I'm not going to abandon them just because the plot or characterization has gone downhill. And who knows, maybe it will improve. Maybe. I did enjoy the most recent episode quite a bit, and will do a post on it tomorrow if time allows.

6. Guilty Crown
Main character: Ouma Shu (though some websites say Shuu, so...)

I didn't get a chance to watch today's episode yet, so this is going off of the show up to last week.

I started watching Guilty Crown near the beginning of this season. The first couple episodes were okay. I liked the animation, and Inori's song in the first episode was absolutely beautiful. By the time I caught up to the current season, I was hooked. The story grew very interesting, Shu seemed to be getting over his generally weak personality, and, of course, there was action (Hey, I'm an easy please. Give me weapons and a few good fights, and I'll stay glued to the screen for hours).

In the more recent episodes, I've wanted to shake Shu silly. Or un-silly. Maybe spray him with a water bottle and say, "bad Shu!" If you read my post last week, you know how hard it was for me to sit through Shu's tyranny. I had to pause repeatedly to type out my frustrations in a blog post, shake my fists at the air, and muffle the shrieks of anger that were fighting to come out.

Basically, the dramatic conflict in recent episodes has been good. So good, it's hard for me to handle.

7. Another
Main character: Sakakibura. I think. *Checks* Almost. It's Sakakibara.

I love this show! Every Monday night, I go into my room, turn off all the lights, and click on the latest episode of Another. It has this dark, creepy atmosphere that simply requires you wait until night to fully enjoy it. There's blood. There's mystery. And if you watch it, I guarantee you'll never look at certain rain gear the same way again. I know I haven't.

Spoiler next paragraph.

Seriously, don't read the next paragraph. It gives information that really brings down the effect of the third episode. I found this info out before I watched, and it almost ruined it for me.

Spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler I recently walked up and down the stairs with an umbrella. Like any sensible fan of Another, I checked repeatedly to make sure the tip was dull. Images of a bloody death flashed through my mind, and my chest ached where I imagined the umbrella impaling me. Was anyone else similarly effected? Spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler spoiler

Okay, spoiler over. Come back and read after you've watched the third episode. Trust me, you'd majorly regret it if you read that information too early.

One of the first things I noticed about Another was the art and animation. The backgrounds are wonderfully done. Not a detail was spared, from the rust on the metal fences to shadows and textures on the concrete walls. Other aspects of the art, from the character designs to the dark color palette, enhanced the atmosphere as well.

Of course, it takes more than nice visuals to draw me in. The story is great. I enjoy trying to figure out exactly what is going on. I ask questions such as, "Is Mei a ghost?" "What exactly are the rules?" and more recently, "Is Sakakibara the dead student? He couldn't be, could he? Isn't it too obvious?"

I look forward to seeing where Another takes me next, and I recommend it to anyone who likes the suspense/mystery/horror genre of anime.

8. Area no Kishi
Main Character: Kakeru... yep. Aizawa Kakeru.

Eh, this show's been okay. The latest episode, episode seven, was my favorite by far. I was really caught up in the suspense of the game, and Kakeru's last move was amazing.

The first five episodes weren't quite so good. I'm a sports anime fan, not a drama fan. Drama is the reason I avoid live action sports movies like the plague. I mean, sure, Kakeru and his older brother interested me. And there was definitely some soccer. And, of course, the first few episodes were crucial to the story. Still, I spent those episodes waiting for more soccer to show up.

Now that we're finally getting to the fun part, I'm excited. I will say that the way Araki dropped 100 plus pounds in ten days was annoyingly unrealistic. Other than that, the most recent two episodes really drew me in. I can't wait for more!

9. Mouretsu Pirates
Main Character: I want to say Chiaki, but I think that's the black haired girl... Yeah, it is. Okay, the main character is Katou Marika.

I'm surprised how much I like this one. I came into it expecting just another overdone sci-fi space show, but it's proving me wrong. Mouretsu Pirates (aka Bodacious Space Pirates) goes into surprising detail about the ship and operations. I followed the electronic battle with fascination. Unlike most space ship battles I've seen, this one was less inexplicable blasting and more strategy. I hope to see more of how Marika's mind works in future episodes.

10. Recorder and Ransdell
Main Character: don't know their names and don't care enough to check

Each episode of this show is just three minutes long, including the short ending theme song. It's amusing at times, though I'm not a fan. Basically, Recorder and Ransdell peaks into the lives of two siblings: a high school girl who looks like an elementary student, and her sixth grade brother, who looks like an adult. That in itself it bizarre, but the boy even has a man's voice. I don't like that.

Like I said, not my favorite. But I can spare three minutes of my time each week to watch.

11. Brave 10
Main Character: Saizo

Ugh. I'm probably dropping this one. I still haven't watched the most recent episode. The main girl is a-n-n-o-y-i-n-g. She's super clingy to Saizo. She's all whiny about how it's all her fault that so many people are dead and hurt. Um, no. It's not her fault. It's that hair pin, the k... something that begins with a "k." If she wants to blame anyone, she can blame the priest who gave it to her to protect. Not herself.

I cringe every time that girl enters a scene. When she's kidnapped, I cling to the .0005% chance she won't be rescued and will stay out of the picture forever.

She's rescued, of course.

In the first episode, we hear that Saizo is some amazing swordsman/ninja person. Naturally, I expected something at least halfway to Kenshin level awesomeness. I didn't get it.

Yeah... I should probably drop this series.

12. Inu x Boku Secret Service
Main character: Ki... ki something. She looks kind of like Yamada from Working!!


I dropped this one after four episodes for just as many reasons:

1. I didn't care for the plot.

2. I didn't care about, or just plain disliked, the characters. I mean, come on, doggy-dude-SS-agent! Get a personality! No, I mean your own personality. Not the personality of a golden retriever.

As for the rest of you: Scroll Guy, you're cool. Cook, you're okay. Kid, I can count your lines on one hand, but you're my favorite. Everyone else can go die in a hole for all I care. And I mean that in the nicest way possible way. (Doggy Dude: "But it's not nice in any possible way!" Me: "It's a cushy hole. With a dog bone. And you can die of old age in there, so long as I don't have to see you again between now and then. Now shoo.")

The kid on the left is one of the 3 likable characters.

3. Fanservice. It annoyed me from the first episode on. If it was the only problem, I probably would have just rolled my eyes and moved on, since I've seen much worse. I still didn't like it.

4. Suggestive "humor." Example: the creepy female SS agent who makes perverted looks and comments at the other girls. And reads porn. It's clearly supposed to be funny, but I find pervert anime characters disgusting at worst and obnoxious at best, be they male, female, or little balls in a stuffed lion (yeah, I'm looking at you, Kon from Bleach).

13. Zero no Tsukaima F
Main Characters: Louise and Boy-from-Earth-whose-name-I-really-should-know

I watched the first couple series of this within my first year of watching anime, and I remember really enjoying it. Probably because I hadn't seen enough anime to expect better quality. Now, two years later, I expect better. The characters bothered me, and the fanservice was awful.

I dropped it after two episodes.

--
Okay, so I don't really want to admit to watching this next one. But, in the spirit of honesty, I will:

14. Listen to me, Girls, I'm Your Father! aka Papa no Iu Koto o Kikinasai!
Main Character: Segawa Yuuta and his neices, Sora, Miu, and Hina

I have a whole lot to say on this one, mostly complaints. I'll save the majority of those complaints in case I decide to do another post. For now, let's start with why I'm watching this borderline lolicon atrocity.

The description on Crunchyroll intrigued me. The idea of a college student, Segawa Yuuta, taking care of his three nieces sounded like it had potential as fun entertainment. Sure, it didn't look as good as, say, Usagi Drop, but it was still worth a try... right?

Wrong. The first episode saw a bunch of college students out drinking, the introduction of Segawa's perverted sempai, and fanservice in the form of his well-endowned other sempai. All before the episode was half over.

Then we meet the nieces: Sora (age 14), Miu (10), and Hina (3). Except, as we find out, Sora and Miu aren't actually related to Segawa by blood, since they're his sister's stepdaughters. Further, Sora has a crush on him, which makes things awkward. If anything, and I mean anything romantic happens between Sora and Yuuta, I will drop this show like a hot potato, as I probably should have done five episodes ago. A relationship between them is not appropriate, even if they aren't related by blood.

Most of the fanservice in this show exploits fourteen year old Sora, which really bothers me. I know that other shows have fanservice with fourteen year old girls, but it feels even more wrong in this case. Sora's young age is more apparent, I guess. Of course, the tiny bits of fanservice with Miu just make me mad. It's like the creators were toying with the line. Ugh.

I could complain about so many other things (the unrealistic sleeping arrangement, for instance), but I'll stop for now.

So, why do I keep watching? Um... Uh... I guess the basic premise of a young man in college taking responsibility for three young girls still interests me. But my finger is always ready to click on the exit button and drop this show. It really does have too much fanservice for comfort. I don't recommend it.

Well, there we go. That's all the anime I'm following (or dropping) this season, and my opinions on them so far. Some are good, some not so good. What do you think of them?

Winter Season, End of Naruto Fillers, Super Excited!

Disclaimer: this was written in a fit of fangirl excitement, rather late at night, and it shows. 

I'm so stinkin' excited right now! I mean, I literally cannot contain my excitement! Like, I just did a happy dance, I'm smiling like crazy, and I had to restart last week's episode of Naruto Shippuden because I couldn't concentrate on it.

Okay. Slow down, Annalyn. What kind of post would this be if you just rambled on? Deep breaths... that's good... *ten minutes later* ... There we go. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

Until recently, I avoided watching anime that weren't finished. I did not like the idea of having to wait a week between episodes of my favorite shows. Of course, once I caught up with Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, I had no choice. But, other than that, I didn't watch any current anime.

That changed with this past season, Fall 2011. Between Shippuden, the new Hunter x Hunter, Chihayafuru, and Working'!!, I found myself dutifully watching four new episodes every week. I didn't plan to; it just happened. I usually had to wait a week after the initial airing (there was no way I was paying for premium membership on Crunchyroll - I like my money where it is, thank you very much). Someone kindly gave me a few guest passes, so I was able to watch some episodes right away, but not usually.

Now, the fall season is over, and the winter season has begun (or at least, it's begun for many of you. I'm waiting not-so-patiently). This time, I'm actually planning to watch some of this season's anime, and I've been pretty excited about it for a while.

First of all, Hunter x Hunter and Chihayafuru are continuing. I enjoyed the original Hunter x Hunter, and I'm enjoying this round of it, too. And I've loved Chihayafuru.

Secondly, The New Prince of Tennis is coming out! The Prince of Tennis is what introduced me to sports anime, which is now one of my favorite genres. So I was super happy to hear about the new season. Of course, it would be nice if Hulu or Crunchyroll would put up the entire first series so I could re-watch it, but I can't have everything. At least Hulu has the first fifty episodes.

There were other series that caught my eye, but I forget what they are... like I said, I haven't started watching this season yet.

But none of the above things are why I'm so excited right now. You see, as I started to watch last week's episode of Naruto Shippuden, a crazy thought occurred to me. It was a day dream, one that had me grinning, even though I wasn't sure. What if episode 242 was the last filler? What if the story line returned this week? It was a crazy idea, but I had to check. I clicked on episode 243, even though I couldn't watch it yet, skimmed the description, scrolled down to read the comments, and... jumped for joy. The fillers are over, people! After many months of agonizing wait, testing the patience of Naruto fans everywhere, the fillers are finally over! *Cue happy dance*

So that, my readers, is why I'm so excited for this season. Sure, Naruto isn't the most sophisticated show out there. But it's what introduced me to anime. It's had my attention for the past two and a half years. I love the characters, the fights (Pain arc, anyone?), the humor... I've even begun to think I might qualify as a Narutard.

What about you? Are you excited for this season of anime? Have you already started some promising new shows? (Does asking questions at the end of your post mean you'll get comments?)

Naruto Shippuden Proceeds

As I wrote the following post at the beginning of the week, before finals and scholarship deadlines swept me away in a storm of stress and responsibility, an idea began to form. Editing it today, the idea hardened, and I made a decision. This is only the first post regarding Naruto, and I will write at least one more. In fact, I already began the next one, and I think it may be perfect for appearance elsewhere.

Warning: post contains minor spoilers if you haven’t watched up to the most recent filler arc.

– Without further ado, I give you today’s main feature –

I sit in front of our home computer since we need to replace our wireless router. I type in “hulu.com/naruto-shippuden” and the familiar page comes up. Laptop in hand, Word document up, I click on episode 197, “The Sixth Hokage Danzo.” The episode delights me, since it means the several months of fillers have finally come to an end. But I’m also hesitant. Danzo. I’ve known since twenty episodes ago that he would be the next Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, but a small part of me hoped it was not true. I like Danzo even less than I liked Orochimaru. At least that snake guy was obvious about how evil he was.

Naruto’s mangaka did not ask my opinion, though, any more than the anime adaptors asked whether I wanted all those fillers. And since I persevered through the fillers, I’m not about to desert Naruto over a small matter like Danzo. The short intro advertisement ends, the Viz Media theme jumps and spins, and one of Sai’s ink rat drawings scurries across the screen. Naruto Shippuden returns.

---

The end credits roll as I grin. Yes, Naruto is back. Besides the obvious conflict with Danzo, the age old Sasuke problem seems ready to return to center stage. And of course, Uchida Madara and the Akatsuki still refuse to leave our heroes alone.

I proceed to watch the next two episodes. Again, it strikes me how much Naruto has grown up since episode one of the first series. Yet some things, such as his fierce loyalty and friendship, will never change. Despite evidence that Sasuke has continued to stray off the path, Naruto refuses to tell his friend’s weaknesses to those who hunger for revenge. When ninjas from the Hidden Cloud village require compensation for Sasuke’s crimes, Naruto offers himself as a punching bag. Out of the love of deep friendship, he accepts every punch the foreign ninja lands on his face. And when the beating ends, he still asks to accompany the Cloud ninjas to right the wrongs Sasuke committed.

I look forward to the next episode of Naruto Shippuden. Naruto’s maturity stands out clearly after the many filler episodes full of his more childish self. Yet the passion remains and adventure promises to continue. In fact, as I finally prepare to post this, I realize the next episode must already be on Hulu.com. I smile, remembering the thickening plot at the end of the last episode. With the fillers over, a certain spark returns to my Thursday, as does an agonizing decision: do I watch the episode immediately, teasing myself with twenty-two minutes of Naruto? Or do I wait at least a week and enjoy a fuller Naruto session? This internal conflict nearly matches the intensity of the conflict in the show itself. Have I the patience to wait? Alas! This week, at least, I haven’t the will, for my Naruto plot-starved mind recalls the taste of conspiracy, the hope of two groups colliding, and the promise of battle…

Naruto Shippuden returns.