Anime of the 112th United States Congress [Winter 2011]

[MightiMidget]

Madoka -- Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus looks almost not trippy now. I think I liked it, although I am super bummed about the deteriorating quality of where I watched it. It would have been /gorgeous/ had I been able to watch it in good quality. :/ Oh well. IS and Yumekui are next on the to-try list.

[Midori]

Yumekui Merry:
Yeah, the animation is slightly sub-par and also the voice-acting is a bit too generic. It seems to be a fairly close adaptation of the manga, but the extra color and motion allows Merry's interesting design to shine much more. In the manga I never noticed the blue spots under her eyes that make her look like she needs to sleep. That's a nice touch. The camera crew seem to have an unhealthy fixation on her navel though.

I liked the fight animation, particularly the use of sketchy line style during fast bits. It reminded me of Noein, which made me happy, but then made me want to watch that instead of this. I'm gonna continue watching this for a while...possibly because I'm in love with Merry. I'm gonna go into denial about that and say I'm a sucker for dream-world plots instead.

Madoka Magica:
Yep, I'm probably going to be watching this excitedly all the way through. It reminds me of Earthbound in that it's totally parodying its genre, but it parodies it by being awesome instead of sucky.

GOSICK:
This show didn't hit the Bad Name Lottery quite as hard as Kiddy Grade, but it sure could use a better name. I liked Victorique but I think she and the lead could have just a little bit more original personality. Maybe it'll show through later. I'm going to continue watching this in the hope it'll get more exciting and/or cute.

Like Yumekui Merry, this show displayed occasional moments of distracting superdeformation at not-quite-appropriate times. I wonder if it's a trend.

I want to know what's in the pipe besides the spirit of Sherlock Holmes. It seems like it contains nothing, but...

[Atria35]

Madoka Magica was only watched due to people on here saying it's good. And itw as. I will SO be watching this!

Gosick also really interested me. Am I the only tperson who thinks it was a misspelling of 'Gothic'? Love it so far!

[MightiMidget]

Infinite Stratos was mediocre, but entertaining. It has potential to be fun if they keep the fanservice level down. Yumekui Merry I loved. xD I'd been looking forward to it, and it didn't disappoint for me. It looks like it's going to be a really fun watch.

[Cadence]

I don't think I've ever made it past two or three episodes of a Shaft show. Madoka Magica will probably change this. I love mahou shoujo anime, and it has been far too long since I have watched one.

I also liked Yumekui Merry quite a bit, though I have no idea why. Maybe because the cats were awesome.

I didn't enjoy GOSICK. I wish I could get the twenty minutes of my life that I spent watching it back. The detective guy's unicorn hairdo was the only thing that I enjoyed about it, and even my enjoyment there was limited to my initial reaction ("What the crap is that abomination?!" followed by hysterical laughter) as he stepped on screen. If the show has nothing more to offer in the first few minutes of episode two, then I guess I am done with this one.

And I have no idea what I was thinking when I decided that watching Starry Sky was a good idea. It is an excellent candidate for the worst anime I have ever seen. Three episodes in and there is no sign of it getting better, but I'm continuing to watch it because (sadly) I laugh harder during the ten minutes I spend watching it than I do during the rest of the day.

(Not intending to offend any Starry Sky fans :p)

[MasterDias]

Madoka Magica: Well, that was...something. I hadn't been looking forward to it (well, except for maybe the Kaijura soundtrack) since I'm not really a Shinbo fan, but it's on my radar now. The creepy/surreal bits at the end worked really well I thought.

IS: Infinite Stratos That was a pretty cool intro battle, followed up by a fairly standard harem set-up for the rest of the episode. Not bad, but it felt like it could use some polish. Some of the scenes were awkward/stilted to me.

Dream Eater Merry: This was pretty interesting. It's clearly one of those shows where not much is actually explained quickly, and the initial antagonist runs off after making his statements as cryptic and vague as possible. I don't find this a bad thing though, as I've quite enjoyed shows like this before. I think the Casshern Sins director was a good fit too, as it was pretty atmospheric and surreal in places.
But man...those cats...

Gosick: I'd been looking forward to this, and I generally liked it. It was admittedly slightly slow, so hopefully it will pick up a bit. I also really liked the opening.

Also, I totally solved that murder when it was presented. I'm hoping the cases become more challenging, otherwise this is going to suck.

I've seen other people bring that up, but I don't really think that was meant to actually be challenging. Grevil is not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

[blkmage]

It reminds me of Earthbound in that it's totally parodying its genre, but it parodies it by being awesome instead of sucky.

I wouldn't describe it as parodying]Am I the only tperson who thinks it was a misspelling of 'Gothic'?[/QUOTE]
That's almost certainly the case: ゴシック => Goshikku => Gothic/Gosick

(Not intending to offend any Starry Sky fans :p)

The anime is so bad that I feel obligated to at least play through Starry Sky ~in Spring~ before I talk about its story because, as an Umineko fan, I can sympathize with Starry Sky fans having to watch their beloved visual novel get mutilated in animation.

[LadyRushia]

Madoka Magica: Uses plot points that are typically predictable, but makes them interesting. Since I haven't watched any magical girl series since Sailor Moon, I want to keep up with this because of the genre and storyline. Surreality+magical girl is a very intriguing concept. Also, since Kyube is voiced by the same chick who voiced Kagami in Lucky Star, I kept imagining Kagami speaking every time he talked which was really distracting and amusing. Hopefully, my brain will sever that connection soon, XD.

I'll probably watch some of the other pilots later tonight.

[MasterDias]

The quality isn't great, but a new Fractale PV is out.
Man, it's really reminding me of old-school adventure stuff like Castle in the Sky and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. Trying not to get hyped...

[LadyRushia]

Oh my gosh, it looks amazing. I can't wait to see the first episode.

[Midori]

Is it just me, or does that PV look a little...unprofessional? The fractals are nice but the superimposition on the animation doesn't really work.

I wouldn't describe it as parodying]That's more the word for what I'm thinking of, yes.

Also, since Kyube is voiced by the same chick who voiced Kagami in Lucky Star, I kept imagining Kagami speaking every time he talked which was really distracting and amusing. Hopefully, my brain will sever that connection soon, XD.

Can't be nearly as distracting as Spock being played by the guy who was Sylar in Heroes.

Also that animal has two sets of ears it is so disturbing

[LadyRushia]

Also that animal has two sets of ears it is so disturbing

It also has twin tails (sort of). Kagami has twin tails. It has a :3 face. Konata has a :3 face. . .

Yeah, I'm gonna keep giggling at Kyube for awhile.

[blkmage]

(｡◕ ω ◕｡)つ 「僕と契約して、魔法少女になってほしいんだ！」

[Atria35]

I just realized who Victorique reminded me of. She has a strong Shinku vibe (from Rozen Maiden).

[Falx]

Beelzebub was alright. Wasn't really hilarious or overly interesting.

If it doesn't improve over the next few episodes I might end up dropping it just to give me some breathing room from the shows I'm watching.

[blkmage]

Level E was heavily reminiscent of Arakawa Under the Bridge. Don't know if I'm willing to keep up with it yet.

Dragon Crisis has Kugimiya Rie repeating RYUUJI over and over again. Beyond that, the setup seemed weirdly haphazard (why is he going on a relic hunting adventure and why are mans shooting at him?), kind of like how I felt about Asura Cryin' and Pandora Hearts.

Korewa Zombie Desuka? reminded me of BakaTest's brand of insanity, as well as a Cross Channel/Nanaca Crash reference right at the beginning.

[Falx]

Three more down, only Fractale's first episode left.

Zombie is on the three episode test, if the fanservice gets even slightly worse I'm dropping it, even though it's quite amusing and seems to have an interesting plot behind it.

Dragon Crisis wasn't really that exceptional but Deen seems to be doing an alright job with the animation for once. I just wish whoever is doing the TL work for Crunchyroll was a bit better.

Level E was a huge surprise. Genuinely funny and seems to be really interesting!

[LadyRushia]

Dragon Crisis has Kugimiya Rie repeating RYUUJI over and over again.

This doesn't surprise me. In fact, I lol'd a bit when I saw that the guy's name was Ryuuji and Kugimiya Rie was playing the main girl in a show called Dragon Crisis.

As much as I'm tempted to just get a subscription right now so I can watch the new episodes right now, I gonna try to get into the habit of going on the site frequently. So for now, I'll have to wait until next week to watch.

[MightiMidget]

As much as I'm tempted to just get a subscription right now so I can watch the new episodes right now, I gonna try to get into the habit of going on the site frequently. So for now, I'll have to wait until next week to watch.

Yeah, I'm the same way. Just waiting...waiting...one more week! xD

[Midori]

Infinite Stratos:
This is kind of entertaining, but I can't help but compare this to the other giant-robots-can-only-be-piloted-by-women-except-for-one-guy show, called Dual. I honestly don't think it'll compare favorably.

Kore wa Zombie desu ka:
I'm certain this would be a better show if the developers put less emphasis on fanservice and more on the funniness (which is pretty funny already). However, I can say one thing for it, which is that there is also plenty of comical nudity of the male variety, which makes it just plain crude humor rather than sexism. The raunchy shows I hate the most are the ones that go into detailed fanservice on the girls and then refuse even to draw guys' chests in detail. So there is hope for this show.

Also it appears to have a very excellent nonverbal ABHG. That is a definite perk.

[MasterDias]

Level E was surprisingly good actually. Sharp dialogue and there was an E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial reference that was pretty funny. The opening and ending animations are really stylish too. I wasn't actually thinking I'd follow this before, but I'm considering it now.

[Fish and Chips]

So guys.

Guys guys guys.

There are 19 new shows this winter. Guess how many I can watch; or, alternatively, guess which one I can watch?



I get it universe. I get it already. Stop this immediately.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Level E was a huge surprise. Genuinely funny and seems to be really interesting!

Level E was surprisingly good actually. Sharp dialogue and there was an E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial reference that was pretty funny. The opening and ending animations are really stylish too. I wasn't actually thinking I'd follow this before, but I'm considering it now.

There has been a good buzz about this show, which makes me happy. Perhaps it will somewhat rehabilitate Togashi in my mind.

[blkmage]

Aw yeah, it's time to start the season that contains the most infuriating arc of Kimi ni Todoke (and most shoujo series, really).

[Falx]

Aw yeah, it's time to start the season that contains the most infuriating arc of Kimi ni Todoke (and most shoujo series, really).

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Wait.

What is Andrei Arshavin doing in this thread?

[blkmage]

He is expressing his displeasure at the propensity for minor misunderstandings to shipwreck relationships in shoujo manga.

[TWWK]

Dragon Crisis has Kugimiya Rie repeating RYUUJI over and over again.

My interest level went from zero to "must watch" with just that sentence.

I've only caught Infinite Stratos so far. I liked it - was right up my alley.

[airichan623]

[SIZE="4"]Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season[/SIZE]
Studio: Production I.G.
Director: probably Kaburaki Hiro (Kimi ni Todoke)
Cast: Noto Mamiko, Namikawa Daisuke, Nakamura Yuuichi, Sawashiro Miyuki, Sanpei Yuko

Based on a shoujo manga, this is the second season of the best show of the Fall 2009 season. Go watch it.

YES.

[SIZE="4"]GOSICK[/SIZE]
Studio: BONES
Director: Nanba Hitoshi (HEROMAN)
Cast: ???

Based on a light novel series, GOSICK is what happens when you go from English to Katakana to Romanji. It's set in the 1920s and is about a Japanese boy in a small European country and a girl who spends her time reading in the library and goes around solving mysteries. Animated by BONES.

may have to check this one out for two reasons: cool setting, and BONES.

[Fish and Chips]

He is expressing his displeasure at the propensity for minor misunderstandings to shipwreck relationships in shoujo manga.

But it's [SIZE="4"][color="Magenta"]~REALISTIC~[/color][/SIZE].