July 2009 List of Picks

This past season has been some slim pickings for me. A few anime have been sustaining me, and some leftover episodes pop up, also some trailing anime. 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:

• Souten Kouro...the time for change has come and one man is at the eye of the storm, bloodshed and crooked politicians don't phase him (See Anime Spotlight)
• Sengoku Basara...let's have some fun action with flashy characters, styled art, and two main characters whose rivalry takes them straight to the Demon King (See Anime Spotlight)
• Genji Monogatari Sennenki...shield the children's eyes, it's the man that steals the hearts of maidens whose tale is told through the ages
• Eden of the East...mysteries unfold around a young man found nude and armed, with a phone to die for (See Anime Spotlight)
• Hetalia: Axis Powers...don't think, just indulge in the stereotype-seeped characters of Hetalia and how they go way back (See Anime Spotlight)
• Hatsukoi Gentei...a kappa, a bijin, and a kaibutsu are a few of the trail mix of characters you'll get with this light high school comedy with underlying blooming romances
• Valkyria Chronicles...if you've got the clueless commander, they've got a tank for him to command in this wartime story sprinkled with action, comedy and suspense
• Tears to Tiara...don't be fooled by the first episode, this anime provides surprising laughs, characters straight out of an RPG, and some long-awaited mysteries
• K-On!...this was light, airy fun with some high school girls banding together to experience being in a high school music club
• Phantom: Requiem for Phantom...really want to finish this cold and slightly haunting anime about an assassin in-training (See Anime Spotlight)
• Koukaku no Regios...this is good for some laughs, and a decent time filler if you mute the fighting music and don't expect too much
• xxxHolic Shunmuki...I enjoyed the xxxHolic team, but think I would have enjoyed it much more if I had finished Tsubasa Chronicles

Picked up late:

• Kemono no Soujo Erin...one episode won me over, will be watching till I have no more episodes left (See Anime Spotlight)

Loose episodes:

• Les Miserables Shoujo Cosette...classic story about a little french girl who sees hard times (See Anime Spotlight)
• Porfy no Nagai Tabi...I've seen a few episodes to be interested, but have a feeling these kids aren't going to have it easy
• Denpateki na Kanojo...it gets twisted when a high school delinquint gains a new stalker and a serial murder surfaces (See Anime Spotlight)
• Cat Soup...this was a bit surreal, watch when you have time to admire the animation
• DOGS: Bullets & Carnage...caught two episodes and it was action that entertained
• Kannagi ep 14 DVD episode...you could tell this was for fans because it went nowhere in fun

Out of season anime:

• Kurozuka...a romance borne at a gruesome beginning spires a familiar chase that spins on throughout the ages

Watched a few episodes and then dropped:

• 07-Ghost...it got boring for me after a handful of episodes
• Pandora Hearts...it got creepy and boring for me after a few episodes

Do you plan to watch any of these anime?

Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi (Summer Vacation with Coo the Kappa,Summer Days with Coo)

Description on AnimeDB.net

Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi - This story has it all, tragedy, comedy, trust, action, a life lesson, friendship,....and a kappa. Even if you don't know what a kappa is to start out, this movie will endear that little beaked bald/mopheaded green guy before you know it.

Watch this when you need a summer watch or a dose of sunny skies and hot days. I highly recommend this one, and would watch it again. This is what anime movies should be like. I like the balance of seriousness with the everyday events. Definitely a "seishun"/"springtime of youth"/"coming of age" whatever you want to call it sort of watch. I don't want to spoil it, but you should know whether this is worth a watch and I think it is. Watch the first 10 minutes and see what you think.

Recommendations:

• Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (The Girl Who Lept Through Time)...a young girl stumbles upon the ability to time travel, and learns her lighthearted games have unforeseen consequences
• Heisei Tanuki Gassen Pom poko (Pompoko)...japanese mythical creatures have their own battles to take on, when humans start affecting their way of life
  
• Piano no Mori - The Perfect World of Kai... friendship, a mysterious piano can be heard at night in the woods near the village of a young boy's new home

Video Sample:

List of Picks: February 2008 - Anime Movies

Give yourself a break from anime series and watch these anime movies. Just sit back and relax and don't worry about finding the next episode.


Description on AnimeDB.net

Paprika (be warned, there's a naked lady in there somewhere, the movie is really amazing to watch. It's made by the same company that did some of these movie gems that you should also check out.

Recommendations:

• Tokyo Godfathers...unlikely heroes have their own stories to tell, and bumbling situations somehow turn miracle
  
• Milennium Actress...an interviewer is whisked away through the life of an actress as she revisits the many exciting roles she's had
  
• Perfect Blue...suspense, terrifying psychological mess with a screaming-freaky ending
• Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo...what begins as a refreshing everyday world following a young high schooler, quickly reels out of control once she travels through time and finds a ticking counter
• Tekkon Kinkreet...two young boys band together in a lawless world where gangsters and youngsters mix on the rooftops and in the gutters
• Howl's Moving castle...a hatmaker is swept off her feet by a wizard Howl, and overcomes struggles such as a curse and keeping the moving house from falling apart
  
• Spirited Away...a little girl is whisked away into a spirit world, she works in a witch's bathhouse in hopes of escaping this world and saving her parents
  
• Tales from Earthsea...fantasy adventure following a young lad, sword, villain, and...doppelganger?
  

Video Sample: