Television Update 1: Anime Round-Up

I don't really have the energy to be too specific much farther back in time, so I'll just summarize the rest of what I saw in 2007. This is the first half.

Afro Samurai


This was a nice small collaboration between Japan and the US. It was extremely expensive to produce, but the results can be seen in the visuals. It's one of the most stylishly animated things I've ever seen. The action is pretty awesome, whether he's fighting an equal opponent or a large group. It can have some weird diversions, and since I usually watch anime with subtitles, it was odd to hear Sam Jackson's voice coming out of the character. He did okay in the role though, and it's a fun, quick watch.

Ah! My Goddess - Season 1 + Movie + OAV


The OAV and series are basically the same thing. They have different climaxes, but are the same thing, with a lot of shared elements. I preferred the series a bit, because it fleshed out the characters more, and too much of the OAV was spent worrying and waiting for the end. It just got heavy. The series was a little more light-hearted and enjoyable. The show is mildly entertaining, but it can sometimes get dull. It's another Magical Girlfriend show, and she is just a little too obedient and devoted. The guy is a nice enough character, and deserves a good life, but too much of her personality is just serving him. I thought the movie was great. The animation is excellent and story is intriguing. It doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the canon, but it's still quite good.

Gunslinger Girl - Season 1


Definitely a unique series. It's very short and has no actual storyline. There are events, but there's nothing driving it and no climax to come to. It introduces some characters, develops them a little bit, has them shoot at stuff, and then it ends. The animation, especially in some specific action scenes, is great. The premise of young girls without families engineered into super soldiers is an interesting one, and the show touches on some of the issues that would arise. It's hard for me to really dig something so lacking in point, though.

Love Hina + Specials


Another Harem show. It's kinda funny, with some decent characters, bu it gets frustrating with the girl's refusal for the longest time to admit she has feelings for the guy. He has troubles too, but he gets past them sooner. The art direction and all that is fine, and it's definitely a watchable show, considering the very compressed time span I watched it in. It's an extremely prolific show among anime fans, and I guess it's a good example of what this side of the genre is like.

Martian Successor Nadesico + Movie


A fairly influential sci-fi/mech show from the 90's. It didn't have as big of an impact as Neon Genesis Evangelion, which came out about a year earlier, but it was still popular. It can definitely be seen in a lot of newer stuff, though. It's interesting because it's actually willing to kill off characters and allow romance to develop. It's all a little goofy, which can be good or bad depending on what you're really expecting. The movie is a lot more serious. It takes place after the show, introduces a new conflict, and doesn't resolve it beautifully. It ties up some of the things previously left hanging, but the ending is another annoying ambiguous one with some seriously confusing actions taken by principle characters. I'd call Nadesico watchable but not essential.

Ninja Scroll


Now this is a weird series. It follows up the movie, which was a classic, full of violence and awesomeness. The show has some of that violence, but replaces the awesome with strangeness. There's a lot of new villains Jubei faces off against, although they're less interesting than the movie. Unless you count repairing your face with snake skin and replacing your missing limbs with those of a bear as interesting. There are some less than likable secondary characters. A lot of the episodes just have some weird thing happen, and it's all tied together by a loose plot, but it's just a sub-par show. There are some cool moments, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it unless you absolutely love the movie.

Read or Die


A nice, interesting little release. The protagonist is a little annoyingly naive, but she's still interesting and quite capable in a bit of a bumbling way. The animation is superb, with lots of great little touches and smooth movements. The story is strange, with resurrected famous people conducting a plot to kill lots of people, but intriguing. The whole thing is a bit off-beat but very enjoyable.

Rumbling Hearts


Definitely notable from steering clear of genre conventions and being willing to have a sad ending. It starts as a complex love triangle but it's a lot more than that, as tragedy strikes and the characters get older. There's a lot of heartbreak and sadness, and it can be quite depressing. The point is not to glorify relationships, but realistically depict how badly things can go wrong. There is happiness to be found, but it doesn't come without struggles. Besides some annoying comic relief, a well-written, good show.