Hi all. Mayama here. Here's my first super quick rundown of the month. Now I haven't watched all of these eps this month, but I needed to go back a little to get started. In the future this will be a rundown of what I've watched for the month. Also in the future you'll get an expanded view of the episode and the series of the month. So, look forward to it!
Aria (Season 1: 1-13 Season 2: 1-6)
Aria takes place in the future on a terraformed Mars. However, the setting itself is a mix of a classical Venice with evidences of technology. The series itself focuses on three girls try to become Undines (female gondola guides). I'll be honest in the grand scheme f things not much happens. There's very little action and while parts are humorous, it is not an over the top comedy. If anything it is a slice of life piece, somewhat in the vein of “My Neighbor Totoro”. All in all though if you don't need something being slashed or shot every couple minutes you should really check Aria out.
Mayama's Opinion: 4.5
.Hack//Roots 1-9
Just in case you thought that all the .Hack stuff was finally over here comes another series, which is paving the way for a new trilogy of games, which pro'ly will only lead to another animated series. In any event .Hack//Roots takes place some time after the first game series. It's not really clear how long, it appears to be a “long time” after, but you knows what that means in terms of the ever changing world of an MMORPG. .Hack//Roots falls into a trap that most of it's predecessors avoided, that being lots of MMORPG speak and terms. For some this won't pose a problem, but to the non gamer they may find themselves going “the hell is that?” Anyways the story is decently intriguing and the characters are ok, but neither live up to the story telling of the previous games or .Hack//Sign, which was a great story. All in all if you like .Hack or things of a gaming or fantasy nature it might be worth your time.
Mayama's Opinion: 2.5
Blood+ 1-32
It really deserves a full blown review, but I think Yukino is on that so I shall keep it brief. Basically unless the only type of show you watch it Shojo, or things with no action in them at all....watch this show. It's awesome. There are good fights, but they don't take over the story or pigeon hole the characters i.e. No one is “that guy with that move”.
Mayama's Opinion: 5
Ouran Host Club 1-10
Ah host club. What don't you have? Cross dressing, comedy, pretty boys, the occasional pretty girl, all the character stereotypes in the rainbow. There's nothing you're lacking. If you like comedy, shojo, or pretty things this show is for you.
Mayama's Opinion: 5
Ray the Animation 1-9
If ER and anime had a baby that had a few mutant genes you'd get Ray. There are conspiracies, operations, and medical terminology galore. There's also awkward romances and unrealistic things that infect or grow out of people. Still it can make for some entertaining watching.
Mayama's Opinion: 2.5
Princess, Princess 1-9
Ah anime about all boys high schools. Here the prettiest of the first years are made to wear girl's clothing to “enrich” daily life at school. In addition to the standard cross dressing hilarity there is some quality problems in life struggles, as well as some standard shojo action. Also, one day, it seems like we might get boys dressed like girls kissing each other.
Mayama's Opinion: 3.5
Fate/Stay Night 1-24
Do you like magic, fighting, and long dead figures from mythology? If yes you should watch Fate/Stay Night. Seven “masters” have each been given a servant out of the world's mythological lore and they're going to fight until one is left standing. To that winner goes the holy grail and the power to make any one wish they want come true. The action and animation are great, and while the secondary characters are a little flat the core 3 or 4 are incredibly well developed which makes it worth watching even if you're not huge into fighting animes.
Mayama's Opinion: 4
Noein 1-23
Holy alternate realities and techno babble (which from what I can tell atleast half of it is in the ball park of being accurate). I'll be honest if it weren't for the translator's notes I'd have only a vague idea of the technical side of what's going on, and I'm college educated. Anyways, one of the “Time Spaces” that exists is trying to assimilate all over “time spaces” into itself. Only one power can really prevent this, which of course is held by a clueless elementary schooler. Also a third “time space” is trying to kidnap aforementioned elementary schooler in an effort to save their dying “time space” by enslaving her and her power. This is pure sci-fi, but it's really entertaining. If you start it give it 2 or 3 eps, and be prepared for a little bit of a slow down in the middle when the technicalities of the physics start popping up.
Mayama's Opinion: 3.5
Ergo Proxy 1-12
Another sci-fi anime, but this one is also dystopian. If Mayama loves one genre in literature it's dystopian tales. This is another anime that you can enjoy just on a surface level, there's sci-fi action, some mystery, suspense, a search for oneself, plus the whole we're all cogs in this society with no freedom. However, there is a lot of dense metaphor, references to mythology, and tenants of psychology operating too. Again is a show that I get about half of, but you have to tip your hat to the fan-subbers. At times, it might seem a bit much, but you should do yourself the favor of reading through the notes, because the show is enjoyable at its surface level, but you gain a whole new appreciation of it's complexity if you dig just a little.
Mayama's Opinion: 4.5
Kamisama Kazuko 1-4
So, being the son of god kind of sucks, because everyone in your family can read your thoughts, of course you can hear theirs too, but everyone seems to be a bit too meddlesome. Everything goes your way and you don't have to really try to do anything, because it always seems to work out no matter what. However, when our son of god finally meets a girl that he wants to whoo on his own, of course everyone gets in the way. Sometimes for the better, sometimes in disastrous fashion. Of course which shojo school love comedy is complete without a a second girl for a handy love triangle.
Mayama's Opinion: 3
xxxHolic 1-10
It's CLAMP! It's a bit occultish and mystical, lots of good spirits and bad spirits, but at the end you really just have to ask yourself do you like CLAMP? If you do good, if you don't bad.
Mayama's Opinion: Pro Clamp: 4 Anti-Clamp: 2
NANA 1-9
It's NANA in anime form! Here's another one that's gonna come down to if you like the source material or not. However, just to add something the animation is fantastic, the voices are good, and they even managed to write some halfway decent songs. Nothing Beck quality yet, but a cut above what you usually get in anime.
Mayama's Opinion: 4
Zettai Shonen 1-24
I don't really know why the series is called “Absolute Boy”, but it is great. A boy goes from his home in the city to spend the summer with his father in a small town. While there strange things happen, and he remembers some of his “otherworldly” friends from his early childhood. The pacing is rather slow, but the characters, their interaction, and the genuine mystery of what's happening is fantastic. A word of warning though. Both seasons are very much their own thing, the themes are the same, but there is a definite break in time between the seasons and the cast and setting change, it takes an episode or two to get back in the swing of things. All in all though it's a really entertaining watch.
Mayama's Opinion: 4.5
Sunday, June 18, 2006
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