Spring 2010 (Impressions So Far + Top 18 + Fave OPs & EDs)

(I think Yui from Angel Beats makes an awesome mascot for the current layout because she's pink yet HYPER and those black things on her legs make her seem pretty BADASS. Awesome~)

Anywayz, the original plan is to make a post of opinions of the current season at the end of last month (most shows started early last month). But because I hadn't caught up with many of them during that time, I decided to just wait until the 4th episode of the last show that debuted (since usually there 4 episodes of one series get aired in a month). My basis on the titles is the list in FansubWiki.... I didn't include sequels of those I'm not familiar with though. Neither those shows that seem too kiddie for my tastes ^^;

So here's the list I've managed to come up with so far... opinions differ so my favorites could be different from yours though I highly encourage you to follow my recommendations because my tastes are awesome. OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!! *someone starts aiming a bazooka at her*. Here goes:

[ DON'T WANNA MAKE MY EYES BLEED ]
These are shows that I didn't bother to watch at all, mostly because of biased reasons or I just wanted to save myself from being disturbed or disgusted =_= Others get delighted over such though, but meh, leave me out x_x

(too bad... these bishies in Kiss x Sis look pretty cute though)

=== Ikkitousen: Xtreme Xecutor
The only XTREME that I see here are boobs and flesh exposure. Whut.

=== Shin Koihime†Musou ~Otome Tairan~
Saw a few episodes of the first season.... but this season seems to be worse. Nah.

=== Marie & Gali ver. 2.0
I find it weird that this hadn't been my type.... or perhaps it had been kinda.... kiddie...

=== Kiss x Sis (TV)
F*CK NO.

=== Mayoi Neko Overrun!
Some people say that despite the cliche and stereotypes, it was pretty good. But meh, I don't care. I'd like to avoid headaches and besides, I HATE CATS AND NEKO PEOPLE (well, most of them) GET AWAY FROM ME!!! ESPECIALLY THE REAL CATS!!!! GAAAAAAAHHH!!!! (The only kitty I accept is Puss from Shrek!!!)

[ COULDN'T LAST LONG ]
These are shows that didn't really impress me much on its first episode but I decided to give a chance. Sadly, they still suck or have become worse on its second episode.... so I can't stand seeing more of these crap.

(what a waste.... the villains seem cool... and I like the white hair + red eyes stuff)

=== Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan
Just when did an anime series that is based on an otome game with an epic fail leading lady become good??? Guh.
Putting my disgust to the leading lady aside (I always call her sword a decoration in ep.1, and they actually questioned that on the 2nd episode. She brags about her skills but totally lost in the match. But they complimented her for being good somehow because the script writer says she has to be included in the upcoming mission no matter what. And oh, of course, on events after that, she never gets to use her sword at all and always needed to be rescued. In conclusion, she actually has fighting background but never gets to use her "skills" at all because it's her role to be freakin' useless in battle. Oh gawd I could go on but I want to save myself from headaches so I ain't watching more of this), if they're not on battle, most parts of the episode are spent on angsting, or the dudes being nice (or simply spoiling) or being tsundere to the leading girl. They are only threatening in words/speech but the most that they could do is put her on bondage. Guh. Moreover, the comedy's so unfunny, most fight scenes are lame, the rest are simply boring or annoying. This is only worth watching if you only want to stare at the bishies for being oh-so-pretty (Saitou *_*) but it's CRAP. Huge thanks to the leading girl's patheticness for making things worse for me. UGH I HATE HER!!!!

=== Heroman
This show is like American and Japanese superhero cliches and stereotypes combined =_= But even so, it honestly haven't been that bad. The anime was better than the manga even. And even though it annoys me that the leading lady needs to be rescued often, I don't dislike her o_O The story sucks but for some reason the characters are decent and likeable o_O
But still, typical shounen is still typical shounen =_= I'd rather spend my time on something different and more interesting.
(Hetalia fangurl ramblings: I saw a hamburger.... and the desire to communicate with aliens.... and the last name is JONES... and so many mentions of HERO.... ohmygawd... Hetalia's America got lots of them right xD)

[ ENJOYABLE WATCHES ]
These are shows that I enjoy watching (I even had negative first impressions on some of them. I'm relieved that I gave them a try~) but not my priority. So I only watched around 4 episodes of them (which is like all episodes in a month to be fair to all of them).

(ANCHAN!!!!! =D Crap, I'm really a sucker for big brother figures ^^;)

=== B Gata H Kei
Its premise was freakin' disturbing but it turned out to be a hilarious shoujo show with ecchi fanservice. The leading lady's pervertedness still bothers me, but it amuses me when she does her evil laughs or gets lost in her own world. Haha! And though the anime is perverted, it's actually a love (as in lovey dovey romance, not lust) story. It would actually be typical shoujo if it weren't for the... you know. Hahaha! And that made the series interesting and intriguing! What made me more delighted is that it has canon couples~ I'm kinda sick of the lack of early official couples in shoujo....

=== Ichiban Ushiro no Dai Maou
This had been very promising and I really like the twist of the main character wanting to be someone religious but couldn't be because of his nature. It's quite tragic and fighting against that destiny had been interesting~
I didn't see the necessity of adding a harem and so much ecchi in it....T_T..... but surprisingly, the ecchi doesn't bother me much. It's more of mature jokes actually. The perverted dialogues got me more humored than the nudes and gropes =_= It's the harem I still couldn't stand though... and I could no longer count how many times I said I wanted to butcher miss invisible girl =_=
But the goddess with a complicated brother complex made up for it xD Haha! And the one that is most worth watching for me in this series is the innocent looking bishie who wants to be a minion of an evil lord.... and also claims his boss to be his because he's moved by his boss's manliness Oh LOLz...

=== Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
I hate the narrator of this series. It's already pretty gloomy but her voice makes me sleep =_=
Many parts here make me go "WHUT?" or "THE HELL! STOP WASTING TIME AND DO IT ALREADY!" or the like, because the characters tend to be slow or stupid at times... and they're most annoying in the first episode. All try to act cool and tough to waste screentime... or maybe I just don't understand these kinds of dudes.
But I still find it a great series. Things got really better for me starting on episode two... IT WAS SO SAD I CRIED LIKE DAMNIT!!!! The drama in this series is so intense and heartbreaking, and the setting made me even more teary. AND IT'S ABOUT SIBLING LOVE! WAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!! *cried so much after watching the episode that her brother got worried why her eyes were so red when he arrived home*
And oh yeah, I must add: REAL MEN CRY. Mwahahahahaha! After all they've gone through, it would be too unnatural if they don't burst into tears already!
But anywayz, aside from the drama, this series had been very touching (they are very DAAAAAAAAAW) and intriguing (what a hell they've experienced. Poor boys ;_;). I hope it continues to do well and.... I really wish they meet decent adults already. Oh come on, not all of them could be that cruel x_x

=== Working!!
I enjoyed the manga and I'm very happy that the anime made it even better. Oh yeah, this is not something to be taken seriously. It's about weird people working on a restaurant after all. Haha! They're so weird that I find them amusing. Their interactions are so crazy that I find it hilarious. Hehe.
It has a couple of stereotypes, especially among the females, but for some reason there's a little twist on them that I end up lliking them instead of getting annoyed with them *usually pissed off with the generic moe* And hhhmmm... I think relationships here are more of hetero but I guess it's being shoujo-ai friendly because of a certain sword girl's obsession with her boss. Ehehehe.... too bad... I would really like her to be with mr. sexy blonde chef~
I don't think there will ever be development in this story because most comedies and gags are usually like that from what I know.... so I guess I'll just watch this for laughs and if I don't want to think. Haha!

[ LOVE 'EM but will marathon later ]
These are shows that I already know I'll enjoy very much but I've decided to marathon them only when they're over. In other words, I love them but they're not my priorities.

(O_O... Usui.... damnit... stop making me...have...nosebl-RED PAINT UNDER MY NOSE!!!! xD)

=== Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
I am STILL not updated with the manga but I know I had been hooked to it when I discovered it that I couldn't get Usui off my mind for a long time LOLz. The title implies annoying maid fanservice but shoujo knows how to handle that kind of fanservice without making it perverted, which made me relieved. What got me more relieved is that the story's pretty good despite the cliches here and there. I'm most relieved on the decent heroine, because they're seriously RARE in shoujo series.
But hhhmmm.... I love this but I want to prioritize other shows... especially those I have no manga background of. Would've been tuning in to this if there hadn't been too many awesome shows this season ^^; Besides, xtine06 is already focused on this.... I'll just ask her to burn the episodes for me once the series is over. Ohohohohoho xD (To xtine06: You can ask me for those you don't have~)

=== K-ON!! season 2
I like K-On but this doesn't seem to be any different from the previous season x_x I prefer they're in college this time but no, the same thing is being offered, which implies to me that the staff thinks that the fans would embrace anything as long as its K-On even if there's nothing new with it. *sigh*
Ah well, I never watched K-on for the story anywayz. It's just for fun.... so I'd rather just watch this if I have nothing better to do. In other words, this is just for wasting time, to be honest. And oh, when I do watch it, I'll also instill on my mind that this is still the first season.... to forget my disappointment of the second season not being anything different. *sigh*
Fortunately, xtine06 is still hooked to this. (xtine06: Asking this from you as well ;P)

[ ABSOLUTELY AWESOME but will marathon later ]
These are shows that I know are going to be EPIC AWESOME but I decided to marathon them only when they're over because it's more enjoyable for me to watch episodes of sports shows continuously instead of having to wait for a week just to see a continuation of a match. It's pretty frustrating ^^; Ahahahaha! So I'll definitely watch these a.s.a.p. once they're over. But for now, I'll just be saving episodes~

(I already miss this series even though I just marathoned the first season just around last month. Damn Oofuri for being so addicting~)

=== Giant Killing
Why are people ignoring this???? Well, I'm not wondering about those who simply don't like sports shows and also those who ca't stand art style that isn't pretty to majority's point of view. It saddens me when awesome shows are ignored without giving it a try....
I don't think it's the best soccer show ever, and to be honest some stuff here don't seem realistic and the matches don't excite me that much. Not all of the characters are interesting and many don't stand out at all (they're annoying sometimes too.... watsing time to piss others off =_=).
Nevertheless, it's no typical sports show. It had been interesting and hilarious (The Prince. LOLz xD). The characters had been charming (TSUBAKI xD) and fun in their own way (though I must repeat, not all). This show's really awesome~

=== Ookiku Furikabutte: Natsu no Taikai-hen
OOFURI IS ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS SHOWS EVER. THIS SERIES TAUGHT ME HOW TO LOVE AND ENJOY WATCHING BASEBALL. IT MADE ME UNDERSTAND THE SPORT. THE SERIES INVOLVES RELATIONSHIPS, SELF-IMPROVEMENT, AND OTHER LIFE-RELATED STUFF AS WELL. THE CHARACTERS ARE FUN, ADORABLE, AND COOL IN THEIR OWN WAY! I LOVE THIS SERIES. WATCH THIS SERIES NOW! BUT IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE PREQUEL, WATCH THE FIRST SEASON A.S.A.-NOW. I COMMAND YOU, DAMNIT xD

[ FOLLOWING and VERY HOOKED ]
These are shows that are SO DAMN GOOD that I feel like I'm gonna die if I miss an episode xD LOLz! They're so addicting... can't get enough of them... can't can't can't xD

(Sad that this is mainly ignored because of the art style.... which is just not usual, not horrible! T_T)

=== Angel Beats!
I love shows that tackle about afterlife and question about the Divine Creator. The school setting's honestly a letdown though (oh come on!!! Not everyone who dies are young and Japanese!!!) but overall it still rocked~
This show is serious and nonsensical at the same time.... yet the ridiculous parts don't feel out of place.... it blended with the main plot well. I love how it balances action, horror/gore, comedy, supernatural, drama, and even romance! It has a fun set of characters (their character intros were epic xD). I am so relieved that it doesn't have perverted fanservice. It doesn't need such and has so many to offer to entertain the audience xD Cool~ Oh it's really really funny.... got me laugh so hard! Hahahahaha! It also made me very sad (especially on Yuri's and Otonashi's story..... waaaaaaaaaah)....
It's fantastic in like everything (art, story, characters, [fine, setting's kinda questionable], and MUSIC!!!). I'm so addicted.... I love all the characters~ (And oh, I don't care if Otonashi dear is like a Gary Stu because HE'S REALLY THAT LOVABLE xD I love him with his best friend [Hinata], no.1 fan [Naoi], quiet friend [Kanade], and respected leader which should soon be his love interest [Yuri] ) But oh please gimme a male angel =3 Oh come on, delight me further xD Ohohohohoho xD

=== Arakawa under the Bridge
After reading the available manga chapters that time and upon watching the first episode, I thought this series is TOO WEIRD for me. It's so absurd that even my already oh-so-weird mentality couldn't handle it.
But I thought of giving episode 2 a try and the next thing I knew I was already watching the latest episode ^^; I guess I could really still relate to crazy shows.... ahahahahahahaha!
The story's unbelievably SILLY, and the characters are even CRAZIER. I got used to it later and finally saw the fun in it. It's totally something not to be taken seriously, haha!
What I fear in this kind of shows that there won't be much developments..... but to my relief I'm seeing some of it in this series... especially on the main couple *_* And the love story's the one I appreciated the most in this series xD It's so hilarious and cute~ Nino's such a weird goddess and Ric isn't any less weird despite what he thinks yet he could actually be very sweet. And I've realized that he's actually handsome.... and I find it awesome that he plays the violin!!! Yay!!! Oh it's so much fun to watch this~

=== Magic Kaito (aka Kid the Phantom Thief)
I HAVE BEEN PRAYING FOR A LONG TIME TO HAVE KAITO KID (from Detective Conan) TO HAVE HIS ORIGINAL SERIES HAVE AN ANIME ADAPTATION ALREADY SO IT MADE ME SO HAPPY WHEN IT CAME TRUE!!!!!
The story's kinda typical/overdone.... but you've gotta forgive it for being a little typical since it was published WAY BEFORE Yaiba and Detective Conan (So it's WRONG to say that Kaito is like Shinichi or Aoko is like Ran... it's the other way around!!!! xD)! It's old yet it's so fun and incredible. It's just the beginning anywayz, next events get more interesting and exciting.
I love Shinichi but Kaito is HELL BETTER and MORE ENTERTAINING than him. And if you're after mystery, Kaito gets involved in cases too. He's so awesome that he could adapt to a lot of genres (even supernatural and action!!!).
Though to be honest, I'm not that pleased with the anime adaptation. I'm fine with the changes... but I think they could've improved the original more if they wanted to. But ah well, Magic Kaito's too awesome to have its other adaptations skrewed up. Hehe.
Btw, so sweet that dear xtine06 is covering this xD

=== Hetalia World Series
DUH. This is like my greatest obsession ever. I've been hooked to the series since 2008... it's still so epic, no way I'm gonna get tired of this. Mwahahahaha!
My biggest complain on the anime adaptation is the not-so-nice episode/strip/events order (making non-manga readers confused at times) and some colors were just so wrong (often on the eye colors). Fortunately, the animation improves (which they should because of all the money taken from fans) and minor characters are getting more screentime.
Ah well, if ever the anime staff would think of messing this up, the original material is too brilliant to ruin. Mwahahahaha!

=== House of Five Leaves
It's a samurai show that is more slice-of-lifey instead of action-packed.... yet it can show decent action, and can deliver us an interesting story with its fascinatng set of characters. It may seem plain, but there's a lot of mystery and deep stuff going on that can make one wonder and think. The gloomy feel makes the dark side of the series even more intense for me~ And even so, it could also be hilarious (kinda subtle though) and even touching if it wants to. It's also pretty cool that the main characters aren't exactly good guys. Oh it's no typical samurai show. I love it, especially Yaichi because REAL MEN WEAR PINK. LOLz xD And his fondness to Masa amuses me so much xD

=== Senkou no Night Raid
I think a lot of people turned this down because of... historical inaccuracy (aside from the epic fail chinese dialogues)? Then what makes it different from other historical FICTION? =_= Besides, do you often see an anime series that has the guts to cover a historical event that's pretty controversial/sensitive like this one in China? Nah. Shows that try out something different and do a good job on it are worth checking out, IMO.
I guess you could say that the show had been soooo my type because supernatural and historical happened to be my top genres. It's got good action (which for some reason only I [and very few people if there are others] appreciate? o_O) and nice comedy too (Aoi's like the official comedian in the series. The chinese girl's comedy acts were lame to me ^^;). Aoi and Kazura also entertain me so much xD I also see sibling love that had a tragic twist.... AND I SEE A CANON COUPLE [AS IN MARRIED!!!] BUT THE OTHER HALF SEEMED TO HAVE DIED AND IT MADE ME CRY!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
*sniff*.... Anywayz, I have to admit that the story isn't exactly fantastic.... some parts really don't make sense or have plot holes... what's worse are those horrible accents... the chinese was painful to the ears O_O;;;; But at least, they bothered to have the characters speak on the original languages instead of the "all are japanese" thing, like lazy studios do. Really huge plus for that. The characters seem to have interesting backgrounds and it's cool that they're not the only ones who are special ^^

=== Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru
It's considered as shounen-ai because the canon couple happened to have the leading lady reincarnated as a boy. But it's just showing how SOULMATES are really like, IMO; so to me, this is SHOUJO and Yuki's FEMALE. xD
The plot isn't exactly original... there are also cliches here and there. It obviously provides a lot of dark bishie fanservice. The fight scenes are actually very VERY lame (thanks to the not-so-great CG and epic fail fight choreography) and only their weapons and powers look pretty cool. And I'm most annoyed with the little girls.... who rejected Yuki upon seeing blood on his face. T_T Roar.
Despite those flaws (and there are more actually), if the author knows how to handle what's typical and put some twists in it it and do some changes on the timings/outcomes/sources, typical series could become interesting, and that's exactly what Uragiri had become. The same had been applicable to the characters, even to some of the extras and low level villains. Some relationships are pretty complex here (there's the betrayal thing after all). What I like most are the comical and the touching moments~ (I LOVE THE CRACK AND DAAAW STUFF IN THIS SHOW xD) .
Gotta admit that it's pretty angsty though (Pfft! Just what dark fantasy with romance and bishies isn't???!!!) but at least many of them are tolerable or have a good reason for it (at least to me). I don't care if it'd continue to give me several headaches. At least the main cast doesn't bring me pain, but lots of delight instead. Story's very promising anywayz... I'm so hooked~

=== Yojou-Han Shinwa Taikei
It's one of the most innovative series I've ever seen. It's got such a unique style. The visual presentation was so bizarre yet remarkably creative. The super quick dialogues didn't only make the series more different... what's impressive is that despite the crazy speed on those speeches, the actors have managed to put appropriate emotions on those lines.
The story also intrigues me. Some scenes repeat or are the same as the previous episode's, but there had also been many differences that makes you wonder what really happened and what makes them connected. That makes watching it so fun and thought-provoking (some issues that it tackles makes it more so). Not to mention it's also very hilarious and can even be pretty romantic~

[ RECOMMENDATION ]
In the above categories, titles are just arranged in alphabetical order. This time I'll arrange them on how much I like them. Naturally those belonging in the first category won't make it here =_=

(blue butterfly *_* damn... so easy to get my bias)

1. Hetalia World Series - for those who enjoy historical parodies (and silliness and bishounens/bishoujos)
2. Ookiku Furikabutte: Natsu no Taikai-hen - for those who want to see a very refreshing and amazing baseball series
3. Magic Kaito (aka Kid the Phantom Thief) - for those who are Gosho Aoyama and Kaito KID and Detective Conan fans.... and wants to see someone better than Lupin. Ohohohohoho~
4. Angel Beats - for those who like crack, drama, and seeing highshool teens carrying guns.... and die and revive
5. Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru - for those who enjoy nice dark fantasies and bishies~
6. Arakawa under the Bridge - for those who find enjoyment on a series that is seriously insane
7. Senkou no Night Raid - for those who are interested in world war settings, agent/spy stuff, and supernatural powers
8. House of Five Leaves - for those who want a different samurai show
9. Yojou-Han Shinwa Taikei - for those who want something bizzare yet brilliant
10. Giant Killing - for those who are sick of typical highschool sports shows
11. Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin - for those who get intrigued with stories about juvenile prison and surviving from that hell
12. Kaichou wa Maid-sama - for those who are fond of nice and fun shoujo romance~
13. Working!! - for those who enjoy watching weirdoes work together
14. B Gata H Kei - for those who had never thought ecchi in shoujo is possible
15. Ichiban Ushiro no Dai Maou - for those who like or are fine with ecchi in a stereotypical yet interesting series
16. K-On!! Season 2 - for those who want more K-On!
17. Heroman - for those who like superhero stuff
18. Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan - for those who want shinsengumi bishie eyecandy

[ FAVORITE OPENING THEMES ]
Here's a list with the links of the videos of the opening themes that I enjoyed/liked a lot~

(I'm pretty sure they are butterfly wings~)

1. Rainbow
IT ROCKS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!
2. Arakawa Under the Bridge (Maria version)
The original ending theme's SO CUTE!!!!!! And Maria's is Epic LOLz xD
3. Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru
It's so COOL! I love the song~ And all those roses and chains.... yummy
4. Angel Beats (Yui version)
The music is BEAUTIFUL and I love the animation sequence... especially the piano parts~ Yui's version had been incredible too!
5, Senkou no Night Raid
The song and animation are so AWESOME!
6. Ookiku Furikabutte ~Natsu no Taikai-hen~
Not as addicting as the previous season's, but just as good~
7. Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei
The visuals are as creative as the episodes themeselves, and the song's nice~
8. Giant Killing
Not that fond of the animation sequence, but I like the song~
9. Kaichou wa Maid-sama
I find the chorus part cool~ Hehehehe....
10. B Gata H Kei
It's typical and it has disturbing scenes but for some reason the song's addicting... AAAAHHH!!!!

[ FAVORITE ENDING THEMES ]
Here's a list with the links of the videos of the ending themes that I enjoyed/liked a lot~

(Mio's hott as usual)

1. K-On!
SUPER SEXY ending theme~ like the first season's~ Their clothes are so stylish too~
2. Working!!
I LOVE THE BEAT! And no, the seiyuus have nothing to do with it and neither is it exactly because it's like a song being sang by my beloved Durarara trio: Shinra, Shizuo, and Izaya. Hahaha!
3. Heroman
AWESOME western comic effect... and I like the song~
4. Kaichou wa Maid-sama
HOTT!!! So HOTT!!! And no, not just Usui, the song's really HOTT!!!!
5. Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei
CUTE!!!! It's simple but the beat's quite addicting~ Hehehe...
6. Ookiku Furikabutte ~Natsu no Taikai-hen~
It's a very nice song ^^ OOFURI MUSIC ROCKS!
7. Senkou no Night Raid
It's so sad and OH MY GOD THAT LAST PICTURE FRAME MADE ME CRY ;_______________;
8. Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru
The beat was really cool~ And the scenes were pretty romantic, hehe.
9. House of Five Leaves
The english lyrics in the song were horrible but the beat is damn addicting *_*
10. Arakawa Under the Bridge
The song's pretty cool~

On the OP and ED themes, my liking to them honestly have nothing to do with its ranking in my favorites list. But anywayz, OP and ED themes don't represent the show's music overall... there are still the background tracks (the best ones I couldn't recall at the moment) and the insert songs (Angel Beats has a number of them and are good too! Yojouhan's was so hilarious xD What's with the mathematical terms! Haha!)


Alrighty, that wraps up my appreciation of the current season for now. I dunno if we'll create another like this.... but definitely going to do the summer preview.... someday.