What I watched in APRIL 2013: Digest Version, part 2 of 2

b From Up on Poppy Hill: A lovely, enjoyable, slice-of-life sort of movie.  Gorgeous on the big screen with its hills and coastline.  This is a studio Ghibli film, directed by the famous Miyazaki's son (and apparently much better than his last one).  The dub was great, too.

b Magic Users' Club: This mostly light-hearted and goofy fantasy series starts with one of the most ridiculously-shaped alien invasion ever and continues in general ridiculous, over-the-topness, and sometimes realistically awkward romantic geometric shapes.  I really enjoyed it and found it a fun thing to play in the background as I assembled and organized a massive amount of medical records into a PHR.  (You really need something funny when you are doing this.)  The dub suffers from sounds-like-they-recorded-this-in-a-tiled-bathroom syndrome but is generally pretty serviceable and sometimes a total hoot.

b Strawberry Marshmallow 1: Bwahahaha.  So cute.  Makes me happy.  I really enjoyed it and found it a fun thing to play in the background as I assembled and organized a massive number of medical records into a coherent PHR.  (You really need something funny when you are doing this.)

b Zatch Bell!, 10: Oh, big brother Kanchome.  And Folgore.  And everything.  What a fun, ridiculous show.  I really enjoyed it and found it a fun thing to play in the background as I assembled and organized a massive number of medical records into a coherent PHR.  (You really need something funny when you are doing this.)

What I watched in FEBRUARY 2013: Digest Version, part 2 of 2

b Ronin Warriors OVA: Yep, the Ronin Warriors in New York City in the 80s.  SO 80S!  The dub?  AWESOME!!!  "The pain will be unbearable.  I suggest you lose consciousness." - a villain  SO MUCH AWESOME CHEESINESS THE MIND BOGGLES.  The other set is full of wonky ethnic stereotypes and semi-hilarious mysticism.

b The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye: Two thumbs enthusiastically up.  Excellent dub!  I liked that actress' work in Piano as a secondary character, so I'm glad to see she got a leading role and really nailed it.  And there was more of a finished story there than your average based-on-a-light-novel anime adaptation.  I'll definitely be watching it again.

b Tweeny Witches: This show is a pretty great one to listen to in the background as you do other things.  Don't get me wrong; the visuals are weird and creepy and interesting and well worth watching, but the English dub is pretty fun and lets you follow the story well enough.  Arisu is a normal girl who believes in magic, and then she gets sucked into a magical world, and she turns it on its ear through the power of positive thinking.  Kind of.  It gets pretty dark sometimes, but it's ultimately hopeful.

b Xam'd: So it sort of falls apart in the end, but you almost don't care because of the trippy journey it takes to get there.  I think maybe if I watch it 2 more times, I will get it.  Maybe.  I wish it had been a 39 episode show.  I think it might have been able to be more complete in all its varied storylines and thus been a tad more coherent.  They did a decent job with Eureka7, but that one fell apart a bit in the end, as well.  They both sort of choked on their own mysterious mythology.  But were awesome just the same.  And that opening sequence for the DVDs: holy cow is that catchy despite being totally nonsense Engrish.  I listened to it every single time and still liked it.  (Some fun resources.)

What I watched in July: Digest Version

TRSI licensed Rose of Versailles.  Sentai licensed Mawaru Penguindrum.  Signs of the Apocalypse?  Excellent!

b Best Student Council:  My initial thought was, "What is with the puppet?"  I was having puppet flashbacks to Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service.  Eventually, I realized, "This is just the kind of show where someone walks around with a puppet all the time; just deal with it or stop watching.  "You're with the Best Student Council now.  You shouldn't be hanging around with a no-good puppet like me."  The puppet does end up being more than just a gag, but you have to put up with all the general wacky hijinks until then.  Your call.  This one was a lot of fun to watch/listen to in the background while doing other things.  I don't know if I would have liked it as much if I had to concentrate hard on every minute of it.

b Cosmo Warrior Zero: Oh, Leiji Matsumoto and your MANime.  It's ridiculous, and I really like it.  Lest you think I'm talking about a comedy, Zero is actually supposed to be a manly space drama, I think, and it does take itself pretty seriously most of the time.  There are some moments where you'll have to just abandon your brain, but it's a fun ride.  Except for the bits about genocide, which aren't fun at all.

What about the survivors?  There's a whole world that needs you out there.. . . You're not the only one who lost a family.
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We have to do this.  That's the only way to mourn for the people who have died in the war.
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Poor fool.  Why do you have to blame it all on yourself?

b Mariaholic: Your mileage will very wildly.  If you can't stand bullying, especially when it seems completely misogynistic, then you shouldn't even try this one.  If you have a fairly thick skin about these things where your comedy is concerned, and you are a longtime anime fan who is knowledgeable about jpop culture, you might have an enjoyable time.  You will, of course, be offended sometimes because that's part of what this show is all about, but you might also be amused.

b Tatami Galaxy: How good are you with crazy?  If you don't mind the out-there art, the bonkers premise, and the wild execution, you might appreciate this one.  By the last episode, you feel like the ending is earned, gosh darn it, even if it doesn't, you know, totally make perfect sense.  This is the story of a loser guy who goes to college and keeps falling in with the wrong crowd and then calling do-over and trying different choices to see if his life turns out more the way he wanted it to be.

b Windy Tales: If you can deal with the sketchy animation and you don't hate slice of life and aren't completely against a bit of magical realism, you might enjoy this odd-looking little show that peripherally deals with some people and cats who can control the wind but mostly just deals with life and growing up.

b Young Animator Training Project: This series of shorts by different young creators is kind of fascinating, especially if you like random things and short stories and variety in your anime viewing.  The result vary in quality, but that sort of adds to its charm for me.

What I watched in June: Digest Version, part 1 of 2

b Darker than Black season 1:  I do kind of wish they maybe hadn't rushed the last few episodes, and I sort of wish the bonus episode wasn't the last one I'd watched (though it is hilarious . . .).

What more do you have to take from me?
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 "I made the stars fall tonight.  Lots of them . . ."  Heartbreaking when you consider the flashback about falling stars in their childhood before this all started.
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Nothing but confusion awaits you if you choose both.
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So you've chosen a third path, have you?

Some of the commentaries had their moments, too.  One of my favorites: "There are winners and losers in the naked teleportation game."

b Rurouni Kenshin, season 2: Well, the animation isn't great, and I totally forgot about the biting, but this is still some powerful stuff, even after all these years.  The internal struggle of a man trying to decide if his principles are worth clinging to if they prevent him from saving his country is compelling.

I find it is much harder to build a new era than to break one.
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I am a wanderer.  I must begin wandering again.
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Humans are work against the terror of violence.
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You truly are a man who never shows any mercy.
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That was a paper-thin margin, it was. That was . . . a thick piece of paper.

b Lucky Star: Hands down best part is the extra The Adventures of Minoru Shiraishi (and the random endings).  They are utterly ridiculous . . .  And the tourists in them!  Bwaha!  And the karate kid references . . .  And, well, the show is amusing in a low-key, allusion-filled way.  Those stupid caricature store clerks: their English VAs are having an awesome amount of fun with this . . .  Bwaha!  G Gundam reference?!  (Behold, the Eastern skies are burning red!)  And Lagoon Engine!?!  If you love these reference heavy comedies, you will probably get a kick out of Lucky Star.

I feel like I've lost if people can keep up. ---
Who was that?
A telemarketer?
Didn't you see the caller ID?
I was bored.
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If you really love Gundam, you have a duty to watch it.
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"I'm already two years older than Amuro.  And in two years, I'll be as old as Mr. Bright."

Not that I have ever found myself comparing my age to a fictional character's . . .