Television Update 2: More Anime

So this is the rest of what I've seen this year. If it all seems like a lot, remember two things:

1) Anime series tend to end very quickly.
2) I am insane.

Azumanga Daioh

Azumanga is an insanely popular series among anime fans. I can see why it's appreciated, if maybe not why it's so revered. It's a cute, entertaining series, but rarely truly hilarious or interesting. It's a slice-of-life show with some wackiness thrown in, and that kind of show relies heavily on the quality of its characters to be successful. The characters are all pretty good, but they're not really funny enough to make the show really great. Without a real plot, the show just kind of wanders along, introducing some recurring elements and new information about their concerns and desires. It blazes through their high school years quickly, and then it ends. It's a likable show, but one of many I find to be overly loved by the community.

Big O


Big O is disappointing if only because it wasn't allowed to properly end. It has a nice style, it feels a lot like Batman: The Animated Series with giant robots. It's slightly obtuse and off-putting at times, but overall I enjoyed it. The characters and setting are interesting, and there are some really cool moments with the robots and different strange happenings. The story is a bit confusing, but interesting. Unfortunately, the show ends before the story does, and in the final episode about a hundred weird images are shown to completely confuse the viewer. It might have been an attempt to get another season greenlighted, but to this point it hasn't happened yet.

Excel Saga

Excel Saga is probably the funniest anime I've seen. It's basically a parody of the medium, with each episode basically representing a specific sub-genre or style. The main characters are likable and funny, and there's tons of crazy stuff happening all over the place, and a lot of smarter stuff to go with the generally goofy humor. There's a lot of fourth wall breaking, with the writer of the manga approving of the various episode ideas and the director making frequent appearances. It's just an entertaining show.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing + Movie

The art style is pretty simple, but the show is still decently animated and designed visually. There's so much Gundam in the world that it can get dull, but Wing has an interesting political story and some good characters, so it's pretty watchable. It's not as compelling as some better series but stuff's constantly happening and the show never rests on its laurels. It always pushes the plot forward. The mechs are pretty cool and while the action is often repetitive, with recycled animations, it's still a nice series. The movie is pretty slickly animated and does a pretty good job of introducing a new story, wrapping it up, and adding a bit of (but not too much) closure.

Noir


A really stylish and entertaining series. It's a little weird to see so much violence without any blood, but it generally works out pretty well. The two main characters kick a lot of ass, and it's a lot of fun to see all the crazy things they do. The story's a bit weird, and as the show goes on there's a lot of strange interactions, and the final episode has a very odd setting. Definitely a unique show that marches to its own beat.

Rurouni Kenshin


Not really nearly as interesting as the OVA's. It's a decent show, it's just too kid friendly to be really interesting. The main story arc is pretty cool, but the series way overstays its welcome after that ends. The first third of the show is just random events with some continuity, the second third is one big storyline, and the last third is a few shorter stories that just seem pointless. Oddly paced series. The protagonist is another that refuses to kill people, and that's fine, it just gets annoying when it's used so much as a plot device. The characters are generally okay, the show is just rarely truly intriguing.

Trinity Blood


Trinity showed a lot of promise, but didn't quite deliver. The main character is basically a complete copy of Vash, with a similar friendly personality masking his true power. The show has some cool ideas and characters, but too much of it focuses on the weaker, innocent people, and the end is completely unsatisfactory. I don't know if there are plans to continue it, but it really isn't an ending at all. This seems to happen somewhat often in anime, and it makes me wonder if maybe the Japanese culturally care less about closure than we do.

Vandread


This series is the most obviously influenced by Nadesico that I've seen. Plotwise, it's pretty unique, but the general atmosphere and male-female interaction on the ship is very reminiscent. A lot of the characters are annoying, but it's usually a funny, interesting show. The central gimmick with the different ships somehow merging with each other is pretty cool, and there's more to the plot than it might seem at first. The romance stuff is a little too middle school for me, but otherwise it's entertaining.