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

b House of Five Leaves: The most laid back period show about ronin samurai ever.  There is some action and a certain amount of suspense and intrigue (and a wildly anachronistic soundtrack heavy on Italian/Mediterranean accordion music).  The main character is a seriously timid samurai who has severe social anxiety issues.  He's not actually bad with a sword; he just can't really use it when lots of people are watching him in a real-life situation.  He ends up catching the eye of a mysterious criminal who drags him into his kidnapping business.  As time passes, this criminal's past starts catching up to him.  I think I prefer the manga because the ending is very different and feels more consistent and because there are more interesting sub-plots and more character development.  The anime is sleeker, trimming away the extra plot threads (mostly) and turning on different circumstances and choices.  The art in both is, well, very Natsume Ono, which means it's distinctive, startling, and sometimes hard to get used to.  Even though no one really leaves, there's a relaxed, road trip vibe.  It's a good time, and the character interaction is entertaining.

b Ristorante Paradiso:  Another Natsume Ono story, this one takes place in modern-ish Italy.  It follows a young lady (whose mother abandoned her in order to marry a man who didn't want a woman with a child) as she plots her revenge on the mother she doesn't know.  Except then she meets her mother, and her planned revenge just sort of falls apart as she falls in love with the restaurant her mother's husband runs which has a staff made of up middle-aged men with glasses.  She also starts to fall for one of said middle-aged wait staff and ends up helping out as a kitchen assistant.  This series is also very laid back as it meanders around the lives of folks involved with the restaurant.  If you are looking for resolution or something to really happen, just don't.  Enjoy the ride and try to control the food cravings.

b Steins;Gate: WHOA.  It has bits of gosh-wow fantastic science-fiction increasingly crushed by that pesky time paradox/morality problem.  It has some moments of ridiculous otaku fanservice and episodes of unrelentingly dark moral quandries.  It has murder, mystery, romance, and a main character who has adopted a personna to annoy people around him.  I cannot really explain what makes this show great, but I was hanging on by my fingertips most of the way, and I found the ending to be incredibly well-done.  Excellent voice acting and sometime excellent plotting (it twists, it turns, you NEVER thought it would go there, holy cow).  I suspect it might be a good show to marathon because lots of details MATTER in a way that they don't in most other shows, but some of the characters are reeeeally awkward and might get on one's nerves in larger doses.  Good stuff.

What I watched in APRIL 2013: Digest Version, part 1 of 2

b Ghost Slayers Ayakashi: Finally managed to track down a cheap copy of Part 2.  This is a quirky series, consciously starring a middle-aged protagonist and a weird cast of characters.  The dub has some really shining moments (a great and unusual performance from Crispin Freeman is a delightful highlight), the plot is episodic with an overarching story that ends tragically in some OVAs (not tragic on the level of, say, Wolf's Rain, but still a bummer), and there is some really weird stuff in here.  It mixes history with fantasy and mythology, and I like it.

b Pandora Hearts: It started in giggles and ended in tears. Even if it didn't get to end like the graphic novels will, it still managed to get that part right.  Pandora Hearts is the story of a boy named Oz, who, on the day of his ceremony to become an adult, ends up attacked by mysterious cloaked figures who say his very existence is a sin and send him to the Abyss, where he meets a girl called Alice who makes a contract with him, so they can both escape.  When they get back to the real world, 10 years have passed there, and they band together with some shady characters from an organization named Pandora to track down Alice's memories and figure out who the cloaked people were and exactly what Oz's sin is supposed to be . . .  Towards the end, it veers off pretty sharply from the ongoing manga series, but it managed a somewhat decent ending, so kudos to it.

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

b Arakawa Under the Bridge 2: Possibly the funniest moment yet was the "Justin Beaver" conversation.  I love how this story walks the line between these people are just insane and this is a fantasy.  It doesn't really walk it; it stomps decisively on either side of it repeatedly.  Oh, anime that can only be anime, you are entertaining.

b Blassreiter first half:  Holy cow, this CGI is terrible AND poorly integrated.  I didn't think this show was that old . . .  The first disc is terrible.  I hate the main character, and I'm glad he died.  (Yes, I still cried when it happened.)

"I would do it again and again and again if I thought it would make them stop picking on me." "Why aren't the ones who bullied Johann being punished?"  The good stuff is the drama about outsiders and bullying and the poor and the outcasts.  "Power has finally come to the just." Power corrupts.  "Nobody ever came for Johann or I when we needed help."  "I won't let anyone bully the weak anymore."

"Is that justice for the wicked?  All I see is someone suffering in pain."  "So do you really feel satisfied now?"  "There wasn't a single life it was right for you to take."  "I really hated killing them even though they bullied Johan.  At first it felt good, but then I suddenly hated it.  My hands were covered in blood.  And I couldn't help Joseph either.  I guess I am a weakling after all."  We are actually quickly running out of living cast members.  I wonder how that's going to work out for the second half . . .  The first commentary was kind of a hoot.

b Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below: Makoto Shinkai strikes again.  This was a lovely movie.  It wasn't, you know, totally coherent or emotionally complex and brilliant, but it was quite beautiful for a road trip/coming of age movie.

b Mobile Fighter G Gundam: Oh, man.  Bring your silly hats and leave your pretentious, serious Gundam notions far behind you.  This was ridiculous and awesome and did I mention ridiculous?  Men spoke with their fists (and also a lot with their mouths)!  People died so many times.  There was a Gundam with a Windmill!  There was a  huge, cheating-filled martial arts tournament!  There were twists and turns!  There was even a (naked person) romantic conclusion. (?!)  I love self-aware directors who are just having a ball and are fully aware of their own weaknesses.  The G-Giles extra is actually pretty great.  It's a simple text transcription of an interview, but it's amusing and insightful and plainly silly.  And the English voice acting was delightfully overwrought.  It wasn't quite original Knights of the Zodiac dub quality, but by the end, the voice actors had stopped trying to understand it and were just letting fly no matter how leaden or ridiculous the dialogue was.  I laughed, I cried, sometimes at the same time . . .  Good stuff to play in the background while you clean, copy down book quotes, update your budget, or write.  Shining Finger forever, dudes!

What I watched in February: Digest Version, Part 2 of 2

b Katanagatari: This show has some serious balls.  After a few episodes building up to a particular fight with an amazing swordsman (it was going to be SO VERY EPIC), the creators cheerfully smirked and thumbed their noses at the audience in a particularly hilarious way.  I couldn't believe their audacity; it was pretty awesome.  I probably shouldn't like this show, but I really do, and I can't really explain why it's so compelling.  The art should grate on me all the time, and some of the characters should earn my ire, but it is fun and funny and interesting and full of awesome.  Somehow.

b Kekkaishi Season 1-2:  Oh, Madarao.  I adore your English voice (Troy Baker).  You are a total hoot.  I heard some dislike aimed at the anime version, and it's true they made some changes I didn't really like, and I'm not too fond of some of the character designs, and some of the voice casting in English is really questionable to me, but it's still a fun and engaging show.

b Nerima Daikon Brothers:  Filthy and funny and chock full of inappropriate and wacky musical numbers.  Apparently not as good at keeping my blood pressure down when sorting through OWCP ridiculousness as Broken Blade, but it still made me laugh and check to make sure no one was around to see me laughing at such inappropriate jokes, which is better than raging or crying.