Working!!

Working!!'s opening theme brings back memories of Azumanga Daioh! and the anime isn't far off in content.

If you are new to anime or japanese culture, here is a good introduction to something you see in anime all the time: family restaurants. Similar to Denny's or Shari's in the USA, the family restaurant or "famiresu" as its shortened is a community staple as common as the "combini" (short for convenience store, like 7-11 or AM/PM). Famiresu is your regular sit-down restaurant that serves the same sort of menu no matter which one you walk into.

I hope you don't mind famiresu, because this anime spends most of its time focusing on the staff that work at one called Wagnaria. During the first episode we meet a bubbly worker who is tasked to recruit a new part-timer and manages to bring a level-headed middle school student who is charmed and obviously doesn't mind picking up work on the fly. We meet the other staff members and soon get an idea of what bizarre events are in store for the new worker. I won't spoil what his other coworkers are like, but do want to mention that we aren't stuck with a dull and plain main character at the mercy of his opportunistic, abusive and fickle coworkers. We can see soon enough that we aren't dealing with the run of the mill young man.

We also get a few episodes where the pace is switched up and we get a peek at his family life and story lines that can only happen in this anime because of the unique set of characters. After a few episodes, you might be tempted to look forward to this upbeat, sometimes zany and always grounded anime that uncovers what goes on behind the scenes after a customer orders a B set lunch and milk tea.

Recommendations:

• Hatarakiman >>...there is working, but it's about a career-ambitious salary woman journalist who fights the urge to strangle her undeserving male coworker while deadlines and stress spread humor and dispair like only a salary job can
  
• Azumanga Daiou >>...a little more zany, but it's got daily life stuff
  
• Wagaya no Oinarisama >>...this anime has a level-headed young man keeping everything in life in check even after the introduction of gods, demon attacks, his appointment as a clan head and a fox demon that drives up the mischief quotient
• xxxHolic >>...don't be scared by the title, this anime is kept at ground level by an overreacting main character that manages to keep his kind spirit in harmony with otherworldly encounters and a demanding mystical employer that loves sake and homecooked meals
  

Video Sample:



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See the description for Working!! on AnimeDB.net >>

Durarara!!

Durarara!! has resuscitated an otherwise comatose few months of anime. It provided mystery, intrigue, excitement, action, all grounded with substantial characters that drove each episode in their own ways.

In the beginning, there is a lot of flipping around to different storylines and the questions just start piling up. What is this chatroom about? Whoa, what's going on here? Who are all these people? Okay, what's this high schooler's story? Now we are following these other people? This guy is dangerous. This other guy's even more dangerous.

Later on my thoughts were all about connecting the dots, and it just seems to get better from there. Characters start to shine, layers of story fall together creating the big picture, you get interested in what's going to happen in the next episode. And the realization that you now know the large number of characters in the opening theme.

Does it get boring after that? Don't worry, there is a new opening theme later on, with plenty of new faces to shake every character's world a little.

If you've seen Baccano, just be pleased that you are being treated to second serving from the same group. If you've seen anime, listen closely for some fun references from the otaku characters. If you are a restless high schooler looking for the something that will change your life...you can live through Mikado.

Favorite characters so far are the smooth-talking best friend and the bursting-with-emotion black rider. But there are still quite a few mysteries, and a few new ones introduced in the mix. I can count on this anime to give things a little spin.

Watch 2 or 3 episodes, so it can set the roots for this anime that has fun waiting behind every turn, before you decide to run with Durarara!!!.

I really like the ending theme, so I might put that in the sidebar soon.

Recommendations:

• Baccano >>...an obvious must if you like intertangled stories of a dozen characters colliding and congealing with a splashy violent jazz era backdrop
• Black Lagoon >>...organized gangs bump shoulders in a city full of criminals with comedic violence in chaotic finishes
  

Video Sample:



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See the description for Durarara!!! on AnimeDB.net >>

Konnichiwa Anne (Before Green Gables)

Konnichiwa Anne (Before Green Gables) is a prequel to the story of Anne of Green Gables. I haven't read anything from the series. This prequel stands alone just fine. There aren't any unanswered questions that leave you wondering. You share Anne's experiences: her daily routine, the daily wonders she sees through her imagination, and her encounters with people.

The story introduces us to an adopted orphan with red hair, who brings life to her grueling chores by escaping through imagination. She does the laundry, prepares food, cleans, and takes care of the reckless and useless children of the family who tease and make trouble for her. The couple that adopted her have their own share of problems that affect Anne heavily. Early off she is used as a scapegoat for their mistakes as they try to shake off poverty with a too-often-drunk father at the helm. Even though they are in the poor house, the series doesn't try to depress you, but show the hope that Anne brings to this family and many others.

Watch this if you are tired of anime main characters that are spoiled, jaded, and cynical.

Recommendations:

• Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi >>...a child and her parents stumble into a strange empty town where the spirits fill the streets after the sun sets, leaving her to muster the strength to win back her parents and freedom
  
• Kemono no Soujo Erin...challenges and heartbreak only make Erin stronger as she grows and learns to become a caretaker of beasts that reign the waters and the skies >>
• Les Miserables Shoujo Cosette...when abuse and struggles keep a young girl wishing to see her mother's face, a mysterious man with a troubled past comes to her aid, and they begin to run from the law >>

Video Sample:



A special treat, compare the opening scene with the 1979 series Akage no Anne, based on Anne of Green Gables (to which the above anime is a prequel):
Watch the opening theme for Akage no Anne
(Embedding the video isn't possible.)

After seeing some of Before Green Gables, I'm interested in checking out the 1979 series, Akage no Anne >>, too.

Do you plan to watch Konnichiwa Anne (Before Green Gables)?


See the description for Konnichiwa Anne (Before Green Gables) on AnimeDB.net >>

Aoi Bungaku (Evergreen Literature)

Aoi Bungaku is the anime I was waiting all last season for and had somehow overlooked. I picked it up after the season ended, and was taken by surprise. At first I met a fellow who appeared to be hanging out afterhours in a library, and he began to speak of famous japanese authors and their works, a bit of their personal history, and some observations to spark intrigue and curiosity before the animated part of the episode began. I can't say I've read any of these stories or their translations, but hearing this guy's intro really put my mind in a hungry mood. I wanted to think about the story and what the author's life had brought to it.

Don't think this anime will bore you. There is plenty of good animation to keep you satisfied and a few unanswered questions to keep your brain hungry for the next episode. The series covers a few stories, written by different authors. A single story may take two to four episodes. The first story spans four and gives you a taste of what the anime can provide that most of the other anime this season cannot. For the mind, there are deaths, twisted happenings, and inner turmoils. For the eyes, the stories seem to use different anime styles that bend and flex to accent the story or access it from a different perspective. By the second story, you'll see that this anime has quite a few tricks up its sleeve. Though each story stands alone, we have the host to guide us through an animated tour of some of Japan's famous works.

I'm currently nine episodes in, but after the first, I realized I had almost missed out on a great series. If the first four episodes, you are still unsure, try that 5th episode which begins the second story and it might get you hooked. Leave the high school dramas and slapstick actions behind and delve into a series that has anime chops to draw you in, and literary classics that will entice you to have more.

Recommendations:

• Himitsu: The Revelation...peering inside criminal minds and the minds of victims, the team called Section 9 suffers more than just sleepless nights >>
  
• Genji Monogatari Sennenki >>...this take on the Tale of Genji brings to light the sadness and tragedy of a character that was dazzling and loved by many women
  
• Bokurano...it's easy to be dazzled by the giant robot, but what really shines is the character struggles that lead up to the deaths of each controller as each chair is emptied >>
• Jigoku Shoujo: Futakomori...the outcome is being ferried to hell, how the characters' grudges came to grow and grow until the cursed red string is pulled is worth the watch >>

Video Sample:



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Guin Saga

Guin Saga - Don't let the strange appearance fool you. By the time the dust settles, it's obvious that he is the man. The story begins on the crest of a coup taking control of a royal palace. We are introduced to two young royals, a prince and a princess. Their character and emotions are worn on their sleeves from the start. Thanks to an ancient power they are cast to a faraway land and wake up in unfriendly territory. Guin, a mysterious warrior appears and that's when the adventurous journey begins. They meet a few new companions and the story begins to mix and move, folding in new faces and growing the world around them for viewers to sink their teeth into. This isn't some shallow RPG adaptation animated. This story has some high level strategy, character twists and mysteries.

Will the royal twins return to their kingdom? What will become of the throne? Where did Guin come from and why is his past forgotten? Where will the characters end up if not as allies? And near the end, was Istovan out of his mind?

The opening theme really captures the "saga" feel of the anime. This first season has ended, but the story is far from over.

Recommendations:

• Record of Lodoss War >>...dragons, warriors of every cloth, and an evil that keeps rebirthing under a new guise, this keeps fantasy and dark adventure alive
  
• Heroic Age...battles so big they can only take place in outer space, a handful of clans are grappling for control while trying to fulfill a prophecy that takes a young man far from his modest home >>
  

Video Sample:



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September 2009 List of Picks

This past season brought a good number of interesting anime. Some surprised me with how much I liked them, even though the premise can be a little strange at first. I also picked up a couple of anime that are not from this season, which goes to show you that there is plenty of golden anime out there waiting to be discovered. Good news when you can't find anything to your taste in the current season

Sometimes I am interested in checking out new anime and want to list them, but then end up dropping a series or two and picking up others. This is a list of anime that I ended up watching this last season.

What I've been watching this past season:

• Aoi Hana >>...a sentimental girl returns to a small town, and is reunited with her childhood friend, whose friendship sees her through new and difficult situations
  
• Canaan >>...human beings survive mutations due to covered-up viral experiments, bringing the mess to the doorstep of a seasoned assassin with a past she's ready to put to rest
• Guin Saga...a mysterious leopard-headed warrior and a pair of displaced royal twins escaping enemy attack, and strike out on a journey home in the midst of ongoing war >>
  
• Hanasakeru Seishounen >>...a sheltered rich girl is challenged by her father to select a husband, but his bet is that she'll choose a man out of four men he has secretly selected, hearts, lives, and family empires are at stake
• Hatsukoi Gentei >>...this light-hearted anime focuses on the difficult and comic challenges of unrequited love, and cashes in on borderline shameless fan service opportunities at times, making up with breakthroughs later on
  
• Tokyo Magnitude...a jaded girl and her little brother are on an outing when an earthquake hits and their lives and world are left shaken, holding on to hope that they can make it home safely and that their parents are still alive >>
• Umineko Naku Koro ni...a gruesome game of whodunit is proposed when a witch takes a recently reunited rich family hostage and kills them off as the hour chimes until her challenge is met >>

Series still watching:

• Hetalia: Axis Powers...update: country-characters don't always fight, sometimes they just try to go another day without killing each other, tidbit webisode entertainment >>
• Valkyria Chronicles >>...update: happy times are in the past when armies are face to face, and things are down to the wire, the element of a superpowered descendant joins the fray
• Tears to Tiara >>...update: put the day-to-day character circus on the backburner, we'll see where this rebellion really going, who's the old guy in the opening theme, and what the demon king has truly set his sights on
• Phantom: Requiem for Phantom...update: it's no longer all about Zwei/Reiji, now it's an in-family fight amongst the Phantoms, old and new, and not everyone is left standing at the end >>
  

Picked up late:

• Kemono no Soujo Erin...Erin gets cooler and cooler with just her hardships, kindness and dedication to taken for granted beasts backing her up, but there's no shortage of attempts to tie her down by laws fueled by past tragedies >>

Loose episodes:

• Les Miserables Shoujo Cosette...update: finally someone kind and competent takes the little french girl under his wing, but now they are on the run from the police >>
• Eve no Jikan (Time of Eve) >>...a web anime about how androids have become ingrained into everyday human life, the story centers around a mysterious cafe that temporarily hides the line between android and human

Out of season anime:

• Last Exile....the story is always on the move with two friends that grew up flying their own aircraft in hopes that they'll someday conquer the natural force that took their fathers' lives >>
• Kigeki (Comedy) >>...there's hardly much to laugh about when a grim demon-like man is approached with a young girl's request to rid her town of invaders
  

Jury is still out:

• Sora no Mani Mani >>....an overexcited, shouty happy character is reunited with a quiet bookworm who thought he'd managed to escape her starry-eyed escapades until he caught her attention on his first day back in town

Watched a few episodes and then dropped:

• Koukaku no Regios >>...it became unbearable for me to watch when I couldn't tell why I was still watching after the 5th episode

Video Sample:

Kigeki (Comedy)



Do you plan to watch any of these anime?

Umineko no Naku Koro ni (When Seagulls Cry)

Umineko no Naku Koro ni - Do you like mysteries? How about those ones where you aren't sure that the butler did it? And how do you feel about golden butterflies?

The party starts with a rich family's reunion on a secluded island in the middle of nowhere. Almost-obnoxious-guy shoulders his way into main character status with his pointy red and white suit. Everything seems fine and dandy until ill will worms its way to the surface as inheritance, child abuse, jealousy, hate, the rumor of hidden gold and the influence of a unseen witch has brought this tea party to a screeching halt. Once the screams start, the anime has begun to fling full pace into mystery-novel land.

There will be blood, there will be ugly endings to lives, there will be countless references to a chessboard and magic, and there will be a creepy little girl complete with creepy little grin. You have been warned.

Nine episodes in, I have already surrendered to the notion that I need to watch these all in row, as opposed to one every week, giving myself time to forget what scenario the anime is currently in, and what facts have been established. My head flips every time Battler suggests to flip the chessboard. And when Beatrice started talking in red, I almost threw in the towel.

I'm ready to watch this whole thing from start to end, as this anime is definitely something I wouldn't usually touch with a ten foot pole. Mysteries aren't always up my alley, but this one was like a scary story you want to hear...with the lights on...and a baseball bat in hand. I don't want to give up on this anime, because I want to know how it all happened. I want to see the episode where the mystery is solved and each little trick is broken down.

Until then, I plan to suppress a cringe every time Maria "ooh's" and enjoy those fun scenarios when someone is shown with a menacing face as they attend to a gruesome killing in someone's imagination.

Recommendations:

• Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro...episodic mysteries take zany turns as a demonic detective and his fronthuman crack mysteries to feed his appetite >>
  
• Ga Rei: Zero...close friends are pitted against each other when one has her life, humanity, and future taken away by a demonic force >>
  
• Jigoku Shoujo: Futakomori...when a request to bury a grudgemaker comes in, a small mystery is created, often adding another bittersweet round to an unending cycle >>
• Himitsu: The Revelation...solving seriously mysterious crimes takes brains, specifically the brains of the deceased >>
  

Video Sample:



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