Can anyone get the HD version of Kurenai to play? My media PC seems to cry every time I try to watch it, I'm very confused. I've watch many 720p anime on it before, this is the first one that gives it trouble. I'm using the CCCP codec pack and Haalis Video render for upscaling.
*raises hand* Works fine here. The only stuff I have been unable to watch without a painful amount of frames dropped were the 1080p SHS release for Le Chevalier D'Eon, and Druaga no To, which just had a lack of cell shading. Have you tried turning off all software that might claim resources causing CCCP to not be able and keep up? What media player are you using? MPC? Zoom? To what are you upscaling it and perhaps specs on your comp. Though it should just work.
I do not that mplayer coughed one time at the opener when I started playing. A rewind and wait fixed it. Have you tried that? Rewinding before the first skips and then seeing what happens? Can't think of anything really that could be your fault and result in bad playback...
*raises hand* Works fine here. The only stuff I have been unable to watch without a painful amount of frames dropped were the 1080p SHS release for Le Chevalier D'Eon, and Druaga no To, which just had a lack of cell shading. Have you tried turning off all software that might claim resources causing CCCP to not be able and keep up? What media player are you using? MPC? Zoom? To what are you upscaling it and perhaps specs on your comp. Though it should just work.
I'm using MPC and I'm upscaling to 1080. There are no other programs running, this computer is literally XP + drivers + CCCP. It's a AMD 1.8 dual core with 1MB L2, 512 of RAM (way more than is needed), and a 7600GT. The Haali Video Render does upscaling in the Pixel Shaders so I'm gonna try swapping a x1950 XT which has 3 times the Pixel Shaders. This really is the only video that's chugged and it's done many H.264 720P videos fine before. It used to have a considerably wimpier 1.8 sempy in it too.
I do not that mplayer coughed one time at the opener when I started playing. A rewind and wait fixed it. Have you tried that? Rewinding before the first skips and then seeing what happens? Can't think of anything really that could be your fault and result in bad playback...
Yeah, if I pause for a moment when it staggers and then play it's fine for a little while. Something is just falling flat on it's face for some reason.
It's the god damn opening of Kurenai, I overclocked my computer to 2.7 and it made it passable, and the rest of the episode is fine. What the heck?
Hahaa! Who would've known. I had a bump there too as I said earlier. But my trusty 3Ghz P4 managed to decode it properly the second go. Have you watched Druaga in 720p resolution on that machine? It sounds really neat. *writes out plans to make an awesome media PC*
It's the god damn opening of Kurenai, I overclocked my computer to 2.7 and it made it passable, and the rest of the episode is fine. What the heck?
Hahaa! Who would've known. I had a bump there too as I said earlier. But my trusty 3Ghz P4 managed to decode it properly the second go. Have you watched Druaga in 720p resolution on that machine? It sounds really neat. *writes out plans to make an awesome media PC*
I buy the episodes on crunchyroll.com and they're only 480p sadly. Still they look pretty frickin awesome upscaled to 1080i, but I think it's mostly the 57 inch-ness of it. Media PC's are great and they aren't that expensive. You basically want two parts, a powerful CPU if possible (this is really for the newer, H264 stuff that uses a lot more CPU power) and a decent graphics card, you want pixel shader 2.0 support and as many shaders as you can swing cause this is where the upscaling is done.
Golgo 13 - After thinking for some while about what to write (I saw this yesterday), I decided that "Nothing can be said, nothing needs to be said and I wish I didn't have to say this." and " " (that is, nothing) neither are anywhere near explaining Golgo 13. I can think of no way to describe Golgo 13 and not make it look bad. All I can say that you should definitely give this a try, and with that will modify my earlier created list to be more advisable instead of reflecting of what I'm watching.
Nabari no Ou - Let me try and get in the heads of the creators of this anime. Take Naruto, up the age of the main demographic, make all males very pretty and lean to draw in the female crowd, throw in some shounen-ai jokes to please said secondary demographic, and air it. I mean, EVEN the sexy jutsu character design of Naruto (the character) appears as a character in this anime. Exact same face minus the stripes on the cheeks! It's a meh anime. Some things don't add up (white haired glasses guy has amazing senses, yet never noticed the main guy just walking off as he talks to him), and the main character is an apathetic bastard, not caring for anything and making his teacher look like a pedo. *sigh* I have no idea if there's anyone on this board who would like this anime.
Definite watch: Golgo 13
Interesting: Allison to Lillia Druaga no To: the Aegis of Uruk Soul Eater Kurenai
Decent: Itazura na Kiss Special A Vampire Knight
Not much: Blassreiter Nabari no Ou
DO NOT WATCH: Kamen no Maid Guy
Left to check out: Amatsuki, Catman, Crystal Blaze, Himitsu: The Revelation, Monochrome Factor, Nijuu-Mensou no Musume, Real Drive, Toshokan Sensou.
Kure-nai is simply beautiful, I do not think any one of us can deny that, however the actual plot is moving relatively slow at the moment. While we have been given a solid grounding on the various main and ancillary characters, factions, and what the general plot may end up being, we have yet to see any actual plot. Understandable considering there are only two episodes out in fan-subs at the moment but this is a 13 episode series, if it doesn't start picking up pace by the end of the next episode then I have a feeling that Kure-nai will move in an agonizingly slow sashay towards the final episode.
xxxHolic Kei picks up right were the first season left off with no recap at all and with the abnormally long limbs we all love so much. Now while the anime will never be as visually pleasing as the manga form it does stand out due to the odd character designs and amazing background, however it can be seen that the less dramatic scenes lack in, at times, above average artwork. Story wise there isn't much to say, the show follows the path of the manga very closely while completely ignoring Tsubasa as much as possible. If you liked the first season then watch Kei but if you haven't watched the first season then, at the very least, do some background research on the series before watching Kei or else the first episode will confuse you almost as badly as the original episode 25 and 26 from Eva.
Man, I just started watching Duraga. That show is hilarious! Especially the almost tentacle rape scene. EDIT: I just finished the second episode, the show pulled a 180, but I am going to keep watching. I fully agree that this is one of the shows to watch this season.
Golgo 13 - After thinking for some while about what to write (I saw this yesterday), I decided that "Nothing can be said, nothing needs to be said and I wish I didn't have to say this." and " " (that is, nothing) neither are anywhere near explaining Golgo 13. I can think of no way to describe Golgo 13 and not make it look bad. All I can say that you should definitely give this a try, and with that will modify my earlier created list to be more advisable instead of reflecting of what I'm watching.
Definite watch: Golgo 13
Now, just imagine 50 episodes of that. Can it get any better? Maybe with a 009-1 cameo.
Oh, forgot about this thread. Yes, I've watched more anime, several second episodes, a few third episodes, and some fourth episodes are almost coming out.
Let's see, what was left to watch, Amatsuki, Catman, Crystal Blaze, Himitsu, Kaiba, Monochrome Factor, Nijuu-Mensou, Real Drive and Toshokan Sensou.
Amatsuki - A nice anime. The story centers around Tokidoki, a student who goes through life not caring much about anything in life. He fails History (Can't blame him) and goes to some state of the art VR museum thing for extra credit. Here he tags along with another guy his age until he suddenly disappears. Not much later Tokidoki gets attacked by a monstrous lion of myths, ridden by a small humanoid creature asking questions about what life is, and so on. He gets saved by a katana wielding woman, but loses his sight in his left eye. By now we have discovered that he no longer is in the VR museum thing, he has suddenly without warning or flashy tubes of space-time travel, gone back in time. He meets up with the guy from the museum again, who tells that he was send back two more years and has since then lived in this ancient Japan. Overall a very nice and interesting anime, I like the character designs, and it seems to have a non-crazy plot.
Crystal Blaze - Disappointment. Those of you who read the ANN anime review guide already know this, but for those of you who don't... Crystal Blaze gets its name from women who suddenly turn into crystal, well, glass if you ask me, statues after suddenly catching on fire in a blaze of flames. Hmmm, anyone notice anything? Something like: And the Lord God made man from the dust of the earth? Probably me reading a bit too deep into whatever they mean. The story then follows this detective agency of sorts, and follows the two female members of said agency. Boring stuff happens, boring action happens (it's all too dark in that parking garage), and the entire main cast meets in some back alley with the woman we saw burning and turning into glass at the start of the episode. Nothing great.
Himitsu - MRI gets a new meaning. Memory Recollection Imaging (iirc), a new technology that gets used by a special division at the local PD, as far as I can tell. Basically they take the brain of someone who was killed, put it in a machine, connect plugs and put it back into action, to 120% of its potential. 120%! That's not possible. If something can go over 100% of its potential, that's not its potential. Anyways, lip reading guru IForgotHisName starts his first job and before the day is over a woman gets killed, the brain gets removed, the husband steals the brain, climbs an entire mountain, gets tracked, gets picked up and taken back, the brain gets wired, the murderer gets identified and found. Or at least, all that happening in one day is more logical than some of the alternatives. Oh, and spoilers, sorry.
Kaiba - So... what's this? Weird art style, weird universe, guy with blond dreadlocks and a cylindrical hole in his chest. Also, consciousnesses of people in little cones. Yes, this is a weird anime, but it's not bad. I don't have much more to say save for retelling the entire first episode, but that's impossible I think. When you watch this you'll go "What?" a bunch of times, if I have to put it all in words that will become "WTF?!?".
Monochrome Factor - BORING! REPETITIVE! YAOI! Well, that last one to some extent, more like shounen-ai. The main character constantly makes known to the world that he's bored and has nothing to do anyway. YOU ALREADY TOLD US THAT! And then he meets a guy. Or so it claims. And it claims to be a shadow on top of that! And supposedly lacks a shadow himself because of that, BUT WE SEE THE SHADOW HIS FACE CASTS ON HIS NECK IN FACE SHOTS! WTF?! If you want to claim a character casts no shadow, don't draw any then! Or only draw the shadows cast by the clothing, since that's not the person, eh? But nooooo, they have to not draw a shadow below its feet, but keep drawing shadows on its face. At the end of that scene the main guy is alone again and WOOPTIDOOO! They didn't bother drawing a shadow beneath his feet because he's supposedly far away. Inconsistent yaoi-fan-girl crap. They also use the INSTANT-SUPERSKILLED trope here the moment the main guy is turned into a shadow. Kamen no Maid Guy finally can share it's spot for worst anime Nine has watched from the new season.
Nijuu-Mensou no Musume - Yay! A nicely done anime based on good old books. At least, thus far, haven't read the 20 faces book(s) though. This anime seems to be using the same idea of taking great old stories and making an anime out of it by making a new character for it to tie it all together. See Agatha Christie no Meitantei Poirot to Marple. However, unlike Poirot and Marple no two completely separate characters have to be connected, thus it is still different and unique as far as I know. The story centers around the young Chiko, a girl living with her uncle and aunt for her parents are gone, I don't remember what exactly. At first she seems to be this horribly spoiled child who refuses to eat and dislikes her uncle and aunt. We also meet the super thief 20 faces. A Robin Hood kind of thief, stealing from those who are rich and bad and exposing them. The first episode is very complete and ties up some threads it made in that episode very nicely. I like this anime and will continue to watch it most likely. Also, it's being subbed by both Live-Evil (the group that also subs Scott's Galaxy Express 999) and pseudonym, or sudo, the group that did a wonderful job at fan subbing Spice and Wolf.
Real Drive - As Emily said, made by the creators of Ghost in the Shell. High quality art and animation, and the start of a very strange and interesting story. Unexplained waves of something, a burning sea and some sort of The Wired (from Serials Experiments Lain for those who don't know, think VR internet basically) called The Metal. A Secretary-General whose breasts look like they might pop out the moment she leaves her sexy lying down pose and robotic brains. Some good stuff (man's arm almost getting ripped off by a cable), some meh stuff (secretary-general being a whore), and an interesting start.
Toshokan Sensou - What the heck? Several raws for the first two episodes are already out (in ridiculously huge 1440x1080 resolution) and no fansubber has subbed any of it yet! Ridiculous! As much as the raw resolution sizes.
Definite watch: Golgo 13
Interesting: Allison to Lillia Amatsuki Kurenai Nijuu-Mensou no Musume Real Drive Soul Eater
Decent: Druaga no To: the Aegis of Uruk Himitsu: The Revelation Itazura na Kiss Special A Vampire Knight
Not much: Blassreiter Crystal Blaze Nabari no Ou
DO NOT WATCH: Kamen no Maid Guy Monochrome Factor
Left to check out: Catman, Toshokan Sensou.
Reflecting upon: Allison to Lillia - Episode 2, and 3, have been subbed and both continue what was started in episode 1 at a good pace. Still very good. Golgo 13 - Episode 2 is out and HOLY FUCK! How the heck can episode 2 be so much better than episode 1?! And to answer Erwin: Haven't seen 009-1, so saying that doesn't excite me, but yes, 50 episodes of Golgo 13, 48 left to go. This show is so awesome. Kurenai - Second and third episode are out. Gedavids, yeah, it's the opener somehow. Two very nice episodes, more of the same goodness as in the first episode. Itazura na Kiss - This anime gets a lot better in terms of hilarity in the second and third episode if you ask me. Lots of awwww and laughing moments, poor Kotoko, crazy Kin-chan. Also! Kin-chan introduces himself with his full name in episode 3! And then tells us that he's mostly called "Kin-chan" resulting in Nine forgetting his full name. I don't care, he's still a crazy loud mouth with an ancient hairstyle. Nabari no Ou - Main character, still boring, teacher, funnier, new character has Naruto's Sexy Jutsu design (minus the stripes on the face, and the lack of clothes), and is weird, the white haired glasses guy is meh, overall the character designs are nice, the art is nice, the backgrounds are very nice, all painted looking, story, still the same. Fastest sub out there is crap btw. Weird sentences, incomplete translations, and generally confusing. Soul Eater - Episode 2. FUCK YOU BLACKSTAR! Stupid brat with an ego the size of Jupiter, a mouth as large as Pluto and as much tact as a maggot. Overdone bragger in my opinion. His weapon takes on several forms and is nice. Preview for the next episode looks also disheartening. Death the Kid, a perfectionist with two girls, one which is certainly a clumsy ditz? *sigh* Such great art, such great first ep characters, and it seems to already cave in. Special A - !!! More of the same! How unexpected. Funniest characters are still the other 5 of the Special A class. Not much to say, it's as I already said, just more of the same in a slightly different costume. (A pro-wrestling costume this time). Vampire Knight - More pretty boys, valentines day, and the male prefect apparently being sick. If you still cannot predict where the plot is going you're daft.
Have you seen the second episode of Wagaya? It's much better than the first, doesn't seem to play up the big appetite thing from the first episode, and introduces a very interesting new character. Only pitfall I can see is that the older brother still has a bit less of a spine than the younger one. It's still not an amazing show, but it's pretty darn decent, I'd say.
Of the anime I've sampled and heard reviews of this season, my "continue to watch" list has become Kurenai, Wagaya no Oinari-sama, Vampire Knight, and possibly Golgo 13 (depending on how I like the episodic structure over time). Kurenai's definitely my favourite so far. Very well animated, very sweet, some great dark moments and action, and has a few mysteries to unravel. I can't get over how weird its opening sequence is, though. o.O
Speaking of openings, here are my views on this season's anime openers and closers (crossposted to Viga's forum).
Best OP and ED overall: Vampire Knight, "Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi" by ON/OFF and "still doll" by Kanon Wakeshima Best "generic anime" song: Wagaya no Oinari-sama, "KI-ZU-NA ~Haruka Naru Mono e~" by Hitomi Yoshida Best slow song: Allison & Lillia, "Tameiki no Hashi" by Kuricorder Quartet and Shione Yukawa Best upbeat song: Code Geass R2, "O2" by Orange Range Special "WTF do these lyrics have to do with this show?" prize: Golgo 13, "Take the Wave" by Naifu
I'm working my way through everything. Damn. This is my first time watching a bit of everything in a season. It feels whoa because I'm practically having a marathon today to talk about them all. My eyes hurt. XD
Ah yes, I forgot that one. It is indeed better than the first. I like the resident god, woot for merchants. I agree that the eating habits in the second episode were normal, compared to the insanity over the train food. The brothers, both are meh. I like whatshernameagain. The water priestress.
I agree that Vampire Knight's ED is very nice, the OP, don't really remember that one, Wagaya, same, don't remember it. Allison to Lillia I don't hear since MPlayer does not yet support linked files *shakes fist*.
I agree on the fact the Golgo 13 is fucking A!
What!? Only fucking A? What about Fucking Special A? Ohoho, stupid joke.
I recommend people going and picking up the Golgo 13 manga Viz released in the US. I actually happened to buy that a month or so ago randomly in the book store, man is it awesome. Also I agree the series is freaking awesome.
I recommend people going and picking up the Golgo 13 manga Viz released in the US. I actually happened to buy that a month or so ago randomly in the book store, man is it awesome. Also I agree the series is freaking awesome.
I got the first two volumes of this manga. They were pretty much exactly the same. Golgo 13 is just a formula. Once you recognize the formula, everything is just more of the same. Once you've read or seen one Golgo 13 story, you've read/seen them all. Sure, go ahead and buy a volume, or watch an episode of the show. There's just no reason to ever go back for seconds.
I recommend people going and picking up the Golgo 13 manga Viz released in the US. I actually happened to buy that a month or so ago randomly in the book store, man is it awesome. Also I agree the series is freaking awesome.
I got the first two volumes of this manga. They were pretty much exactly the same. Golgo 13 is just a formula. Once you recognize the formula, everything is just more of the same. Once you've read or seen one Golgo 13 story, you've read/seen them all. Sure, go ahead and buy a volume, or watch an episode of the show. There's just no reason to ever go back for seconds.
I am sorry Scott but you are ever so wrong. Golgo 13 is like a fine dish, if you like it you will have another one.
I am sorry Scott but you are ever so wrong. Golgo 13 is like a fine dish, if you like it you will have another one.
But it tastes exactly the same every time. Eventually you will get bored of it.
If it is your favorite dish then you will never get tire of it.
The thing about Golgo 13, though, is that it could reach the "James Bond" level of formulaic-but-entertaining. As a pinnacle of testosterone (getting shot at by mafia henchmen after having sex with a whore while waiting for your gun to be ready to assassinate a CIA/FBI target you are being payed millions to kill), the show could have just enough personality to keep you interested the whole way through.
I am sorry Scott but you are ever so wrong. Golgo 13 is like a fine dish, if you like it you will have another one.
But it tastes exactly the same every time. Eventually you will get bored of it.
If it is your favorite dish then you will never get tire of it.
The thing about Golgo 13, though, is that it could reach the "James Bond" level of formulaic-but-entertaining. As a pinnacle of testosterone (getting shot at by mafia henchmen after having sex with a whore while waiting for your gun to be ready to assassinate a CIA/FBI target you are being payed millions to kill), the show could have just enough personality to keep you interested the whole way through.
She was not whore, she was a jazz singer. Also,if you know Golgo 13 I do not blame her for having sex with him.
Ah yes, I forgot that one. It is indeed better than the first. I like the resident god, woot for merchants. I agree that the eating habits in the second episode were normal, compared to the insanity over the train food. The brothers, both are meh. I like whatshernameagain. The water priestress.
Yeah, Kou. Damn, it takes some kinda rigor to have that kind of ultrasubservient mindset and yet not give off moe or leading-into-porno vibes. It's kinda disturbing, and at the same time fascinating. I like exploring the ramifications of that type of mindset in general.
I agree that Vampire Knight's ED is very nice, the OP, don't really remember that one, Wagaya, same, don't remember it. Allison to Lillia I don't hear since MPlayer does not yet support linked files *shakes fist*.
The OP is by some pretty boy Jpop duo called ON/OFF. It's what you would expect from a group like that doing a song for an anime like Vampire Knight, but for some reason the chorus really stands out to me and sticks in my mind, more than almost any other song this season. Any anime song that is instantly memorable to me in a good way is almost always an instant classic, at least in my books. But then, I'm weird like that. I listen to so much anime music that I have very particular, yet hard to describe criteria regarding it. XD;;
And yes, the ED is lovely. I especially like the dolls and dancing imagery that it's paired with in the ending animation. Very creepy. o.o
Allison & Lillia's OP is very relaxing and whimsical. Ahhhh.
I don't doubt that its formulaic, but I guess its really not so much that as its that Golgo 13's actions given any situation are outlined as to what he would do (for the most part.) If you read the back of the Viz manga they go over a lot of this stuff, like he has to have sex before a mission, he always stands or sits with his back to the wall, if you purposely go behind him he will kill you, he never shakes hands, he never accepts a mission that doesn't involve sniping, etc. But even though those things are all outlined, I think that what makes it interesting is seeing how they put him into situations how he gets the job done, and then gets away with it. Especially in those situations where things don't go perfectly, like in ep 2.
Bump. Summer 2008, some anime have finished, thus there is room on Japanese television for new anime!
Here the list with new anime: RoboDz Fuunkun Detroit Metal City Episode 01 Ikkitousen Great Guardians Chocolate Underground Gurren Lagann Parallel Works Telepathy Shoujo Ran Ultraviolet: Code 044 Sekirei Slayers REVOLUTION Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~ Scarecrowman the Animation Seiyou Kottou Yougashiten ~Antique Bakery~ Hidamari Sketch x365 Strike Witches Birdy the Mighty Decode Takane no Jitensha Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo -Ryoko's Case File- Neo Angelique Abyss -Second Age- Gakkou no Kaidan Anime Special Zero no Tsukaima ~Princess no Rondo~ Choro-Q Deck System Natsume Yuujin-chou Mission-E World Destruction~Sekai Bokumetsu no Rokunin Koihime†Musou Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu Blade of the Immortal Akiba-chan Lupin the 3rd sweet lost night ~Mahou no Lamp wa Akumu no Yokan~ Eve no Jikan Kiku-chan to Ookami
What of this must you be watching? The Gurren Lagann Parallel Works! Already 4 have aired, for certain, and they are all awesome. Medieval Gurren Lagann, Slot Machine Ganmen, Alternative History and I forgot the other one...
As for what I'm watching/trying my hand at: Gurren Lagann Parallel Works (awesome), Telepathy Shoujo Ran (cute), Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo (looks hotgood), Natsume Yuujin-chou (Mushishi plus... haven't though of something else yet... spirit relations?), Blade of the Immortal (Waiting... not sopatiently).
Also ITT, go bash Gonzo's new potentially live saving show. GAH!
I really like Natsume Yuujin-chou. It reminds me of a more shoujo manga version of Mushishi. I tend to like Hana to Yume comics, and they have a pretty high quotient of fantasy/supernatural manga.
Slayers REVOLUTION - Haven't seen it yet, but it has to be the same ol' zany slayers. Natsukashii~!
Eve no Jikan - piqued my interest. I like character designs like this. A show about android robots and people and a strange shop where, unlike in the rest of society, everyone is treated equally.
Seiyou Kottou Yougashiten ~Antique Bakery~I like Fumi Yoshinaga's stuff. I read the manga of this and I remember liking it. Although there is a gay character (Ono, the chef at the bakery), its not really a "kyaaa! Yaoi!" type manga, and it focuses more on the characters that frequent the bakery and how they are all connected. I am sorry to say that I watched an episode of the anime and was very disappointed in the adaptation. The music and mood were all wrong, in my opinion. I feel like they were trying to sell it more to fangirls who like drama and angsty pretty boys, instead of giving it wider appeal of the bittersweet and quirky comic.
Strike Witches - I...might watch this. I have been strangely fascinated by mecha musume and gijinka lately. And OStan rabu! I don't like the leg armor though. It looks round and puffy to me.
Gurren Lagann Parallel Works I am not watching until I have seen all of the original show.
Comments
I do not that mplayer coughed one time at the opener when I started playing. A rewind and wait fixed it. Have you tried that? Rewinding before the first skips and then seeing what happens? Can't think of anything really that could be your fault and result in bad playback...
Golgo 13 - After thinking for some while about what to write (I saw this yesterday), I decided that "Nothing can be said, nothing needs to be said and I wish I didn't have to say this." and " " (that is, nothing) neither are anywhere near explaining Golgo 13. I can think of no way to describe Golgo 13 and not make it look bad. All I can say that you should definitely give this a try, and with that will modify my earlier created list to be more advisable instead of reflecting of what I'm watching.
Nabari no Ou - Let me try and get in the heads of the creators of this anime. Take Naruto, up the age of the main demographic, make all males very pretty and lean to draw in the female crowd, throw in some shounen-ai jokes to please said secondary demographic, and air it. I mean, EVEN the sexy jutsu character design of Naruto (the character) appears as a character in this anime. Exact same face minus the stripes on the cheeks! It's a meh anime. Some things don't add up (white haired glasses guy has amazing senses, yet never noticed the main guy just walking off as he talks to him), and the main character is an apathetic bastard, not caring for anything and making his teacher look like a pedo. *sigh* I have no idea if there's anyone on this board who would like this anime.
Definite watch:
Golgo 13
Interesting:
Allison to Lillia
Druaga no To: the Aegis of Uruk
Soul Eater
Kurenai
Decent:
Itazura na Kiss
Special A
Vampire Knight
Not much:
Blassreiter
Nabari no Ou
DO NOT WATCH:
Kamen no Maid Guy
Left to check out:
Amatsuki, Catman, Crystal Blaze, Himitsu: The Revelation, Monochrome Factor, Nijuu-Mensou no Musume, Real Drive, Toshokan Sensou.
xxxHolic Kei picks up right were the first season left off with no recap at all and with the abnormally long limbs we all love so much. Now while the anime will never be as visually pleasing as the manga form it does stand out due to the odd character designs and amazing background, however it can be seen that the less dramatic scenes lack in, at times, above average artwork. Story wise there isn't much to say, the show follows the path of the manga very closely while completely ignoring Tsubasa as much as possible. If you liked the first season then watch Kei but if you haven't watched the first season then, at the very least, do some background research on the series before watching Kei or else the first episode will confuse you almost as badly as the original episode 25 and 26 from Eva.
EDIT: I just finished the second episode, the show pulled a 180, but I am going to keep watching. I fully agree that this is one of the shows to watch this season.
Chi's Sweet Home is a fantastic show about a kitten doing kitten things.
Yugioh 5d's is a fantastic show about yugioh doing yugioh things, on motorcycles.
Macross Frontier is Macross and has the best cellphone ever.
Golgo 13 is a fantastic show about Golgo 13 doing Golgo 13 things.
Let's see, what was left to watch, Amatsuki, Catman, Crystal Blaze, Himitsu, Kaiba, Monochrome Factor, Nijuu-Mensou, Real Drive and Toshokan Sensou.
Amatsuki - A nice anime. The story centers around Tokidoki, a student who goes through life not caring much about anything in life. He fails History (Can't blame him) and goes to some state of the art VR museum thing for extra credit. Here he tags along with another guy his age until he suddenly disappears. Not much later Tokidoki gets attacked by a monstrous lion of myths, ridden by a small humanoid creature asking questions about what life is, and so on. He gets saved by a katana wielding woman, but loses his sight in his left eye. By now we have discovered that he no longer is in the VR museum thing, he has suddenly without warning or flashy tubes of space-time travel, gone back in time. He meets up with the guy from the museum again, who tells that he was send back two more years and has since then lived in this ancient Japan. Overall a very nice and interesting anime, I like the character designs, and it seems to have a non-crazy plot.
Crystal Blaze - Disappointment. Those of you who read the ANN anime review guide already know this, but for those of you who don't... Crystal Blaze gets its name from women who suddenly turn into crystal, well, glass if you ask me, statues after suddenly catching on fire in a blaze of flames. Hmmm, anyone notice anything? Something like: And the Lord God made man from the dust of the earth? Probably me reading a bit too deep into whatever they mean. The story then follows this detective agency of sorts, and follows the two female members of said agency. Boring stuff happens, boring action happens (it's all too dark in that parking garage), and the entire main cast meets in some back alley with the woman we saw burning and turning into glass at the start of the episode. Nothing great.
Himitsu - MRI gets a new meaning. Memory Recollection Imaging (iirc), a new technology that gets used by a special division at the local PD, as far as I can tell. Basically they take the brain of someone who was killed, put it in a machine, connect plugs and put it back into action, to 120% of its potential. 120%! That's not possible. If something can go over 100% of its potential, that's not its potential. Anyways, lip reading guru IForgotHisName starts his first job and before the day is over a woman gets killed, the brain gets removed, the husband steals the brain, climbs an entire mountain, gets tracked, gets picked up and taken back, the brain gets wired, the murderer gets identified and found. Or at least, all that happening in one day is more logical than some of the alternatives. Oh, and spoilers, sorry.
Kaiba - So... what's this? Weird art style, weird universe, guy with blond dreadlocks and a cylindrical hole in his chest. Also, consciousnesses of people in little cones. Yes, this is a weird anime, but it's not bad. I don't have much more to say save for retelling the entire first episode, but that's impossible I think. When you watch this you'll go "What?" a bunch of times, if I have to put it all in words that will become "WTF?!?".
Monochrome Factor - BORING! REPETITIVE! YAOI! Well, that last one to some extent, more like shounen-ai. The main character constantly makes known to the world that he's bored and has nothing to do anyway. YOU ALREADY TOLD US THAT! And then he meets a guy. Or so it claims. And it claims to be a shadow on top of that! And supposedly lacks a shadow himself because of that, BUT WE SEE THE SHADOW HIS FACE CASTS ON HIS NECK IN FACE SHOTS! WTF?! If you want to claim a character casts no shadow, don't draw any then! Or only draw the shadows cast by the clothing, since that's not the person, eh? But nooooo, they have to not draw a shadow below its feet, but keep drawing shadows on its face. At the end of that scene the main guy is alone again and WOOPTIDOOO! They didn't bother drawing a shadow beneath his feet because he's supposedly far away. Inconsistent yaoi-fan-girl crap. They also use the INSTANT-SUPERSKILLED trope here the moment the main guy is turned into a shadow. Kamen no Maid Guy finally can share it's spot for worst anime Nine has watched from the new season.
Nijuu-Mensou no Musume - Yay! A nicely done anime based on good old books. At least, thus far, haven't read the 20 faces book(s) though. This anime seems to be using the same idea of taking great old stories and making an anime out of it by making a new character for it to tie it all together. See Agatha Christie no Meitantei Poirot to Marple. However, unlike Poirot and Marple no two completely separate characters have to be connected, thus it is still different and unique as far as I know. The story centers around the young Chiko, a girl living with her uncle and aunt for her parents are gone, I don't remember what exactly. At first she seems to be this horribly spoiled child who refuses to eat and dislikes her uncle and aunt. We also meet the super thief 20 faces. A Robin Hood kind of thief, stealing from those who are rich and bad and exposing them. The first episode is very complete and ties up some threads it made in that episode very nicely. I like this anime and will continue to watch it most likely. Also, it's being subbed by both Live-Evil (the group that also subs Scott's Galaxy Express 999) and pseudonym, or sudo, the group that did a wonderful job at fan subbing Spice and Wolf.
Real Drive - As Emily said, made by the creators of Ghost in the Shell. High quality art and animation, and the start of a very strange and interesting story. Unexplained waves of something, a burning sea and some sort of The Wired (from Serials Experiments Lain for those who don't know, think VR internet basically) called The Metal. A Secretary-General whose breasts look like they might pop out the moment she leaves her sexy lying down pose and robotic brains. Some good stuff (man's arm almost getting ripped off by a cable), some meh stuff (secretary-general being a whore), and an interesting start.
Toshokan Sensou - What the heck? Several raws for the first two episodes are already out (in ridiculously huge 1440x1080 resolution) and no fansubber has subbed any of it yet! Ridiculous! As much as the raw resolution sizes.
Definite watch:
Golgo 13
Interesting:
Allison to Lillia
Amatsuki
Kurenai
Nijuu-Mensou no Musume
Real Drive
Soul Eater
Decent:
Druaga no To: the Aegis of Uruk
Himitsu: The Revelation
Itazura na Kiss
Special A
Vampire Knight
Not much:
Blassreiter
Crystal Blaze
Nabari no Ou
DO NOT WATCH:
Kamen no Maid Guy
Monochrome Factor
Left to check out:
Catman, Toshokan Sensou.
Reflecting upon:
Allison to Lillia - Episode 2, and 3, have been subbed and both continue what was started in episode 1 at a good pace. Still very good.
Golgo 13 - Episode 2 is out and HOLY FUCK! How the heck can episode 2 be so much better than episode 1?! And to answer Erwin: Haven't seen 009-1, so saying that doesn't excite me, but yes, 50 episodes of Golgo 13, 48 left to go. This show is so awesome.
Kurenai - Second and third episode are out. Gedavids, yeah, it's the opener somehow. Two very nice episodes, more of the same goodness as in the first episode.
Itazura na Kiss - This anime gets a lot better in terms of hilarity in the second and third episode if you ask me. Lots of awwww and laughing moments, poor Kotoko, crazy Kin-chan. Also! Kin-chan introduces himself with his full name in episode 3! And then tells us that he's mostly called "Kin-chan" resulting in Nine forgetting his full name. I don't care, he's still a crazy loud mouth with an ancient hairstyle.
Nabari no Ou - Main character, still boring, teacher, funnier, new character has Naruto's Sexy Jutsu design (minus the stripes on the face, and the lack of clothes), and is weird, the white haired glasses guy is meh, overall the character designs are nice, the art is nice, the backgrounds are very nice, all painted looking, story, still the same. Fastest sub out there is crap btw. Weird sentences, incomplete translations, and generally confusing.
Soul Eater - Episode 2. FUCK YOU BLACKSTAR! Stupid brat with an ego the size of Jupiter, a mouth as large as Pluto and as much tact as a maggot. Overdone bragger in my opinion. His weapon takes on several forms and is nice. Preview for the next episode looks also disheartening. Death the Kid, a perfectionist with two girls, one which is certainly a clumsy ditz? *sigh* Such great art, such great first ep characters, and it seems to already cave in.
Special A - !!! More of the same! How unexpected. Funniest characters are still the other 5 of the Special A class. Not much to say, it's as I already said, just more of the same in a slightly different costume. (A pro-wrestling costume this time).
Vampire Knight - More pretty boys, valentines day, and the male prefect apparently being sick. If you still cannot predict where the plot is going you're daft.
Of the anime I've sampled and heard reviews of this season, my "continue to watch" list has become Kurenai, Wagaya no Oinari-sama, Vampire Knight, and possibly Golgo 13 (depending on how I like the episodic structure over time). Kurenai's definitely my favourite so far. Very well animated, very sweet, some great dark moments and action, and has a few mysteries to unravel. I can't get over how weird its opening sequence is, though. o.O
Speaking of openings, here are my views on this season's anime openers and closers (crossposted to Viga's forum).
Best OP and ED overall: Vampire Knight, "Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi" by ON/OFF and "still doll" by Kanon Wakeshima
Best "generic anime" song: Wagaya no Oinari-sama, "KI-ZU-NA ~Haruka Naru Mono e~" by Hitomi Yoshida
Best slow song: Allison & Lillia, "Tameiki no Hashi" by Kuricorder Quartet and Shione Yukawa
Best upbeat song: Code Geass R2, "O2" by Orange Range
Special "WTF do these lyrics have to do with this show?" prize: Golgo 13, "Take the Wave" by Naifu
I agree on the fact the Golgo 13 is fucking A!
I agree that Vampire Knight's ED is very nice, the OP, don't really remember that one, Wagaya, same, don't remember it. Allison to Lillia I don't hear since MPlayer does not yet support linked files *shakes fist*. What!? Only fucking A? What about Fucking Special A? Ohoho, stupid joke.
Golgo 13 is like a fine dish, if you like it you will have another one.
And yes, the ED is lovely. I especially like the dolls and dancing imagery that it's paired with in the ending animation. Very creepy. o.o
Allison & Lillia's OP is very relaxing and whimsical. Ahhhh.
Here the list with new anime:
RoboDz Fuunkun
Detroit Metal City Episode 01
Ikkitousen Great Guardians
Chocolate Underground
Gurren Lagann Parallel Works
Telepathy Shoujo Ran
Ultraviolet: Code 044
Sekirei
Slayers REVOLUTION
Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~
Scarecrowman the Animation
Seiyou Kottou Yougashiten ~Antique Bakery~
Hidamari Sketch x365
Strike Witches
Birdy the Mighty Decode
Takane no Jitensha
Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo -Ryoko's Case File-
Neo Angelique Abyss -Second Age-
Gakkou no Kaidan Anime Special
Zero no Tsukaima ~Princess no Rondo~
Choro-Q Deck System
Natsume Yuujin-chou
Mission-E
World Destruction~Sekai Bokumetsu no Rokunin
Koihime†Musou
Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
Blade of the Immortal
Akiba-chan
Lupin the 3rd sweet lost night ~Mahou no Lamp wa Akumu no Yokan~
Eve no Jikan
Kiku-chan to Ookami
What of this must you be watching? The Gurren Lagann Parallel Works! Already 4 have aired, for certain, and they are all awesome. Medieval Gurren Lagann, Slot Machine Ganmen, Alternative History and I forgot the other one...
As for what I'm watching/trying my hand at: Gurren Lagann Parallel Works (awesome), Telepathy Shoujo Ran (cute), Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo (looks hotgood), Natsume Yuujin-chou (Mushishi plus... haven't though of something else yet... spirit relations?), Blade of the Immortal (Waiting... not sopatiently).
Also ITT, go bash Gonzo's new potentially live saving show. GAH!
Slayers REVOLUTION - Haven't seen it yet, but it has to be the same ol' zany slayers. Natsukashii~!
Eve no Jikan - piqued my interest. I like character designs like this. A show about android robots and people and a strange shop where, unlike in the rest of society, everyone is treated equally.
Seiyou Kottou Yougashiten ~Antique Bakery~I like Fumi Yoshinaga's stuff. I read the manga of this and I remember liking it. Although there is a gay character (Ono, the chef at the bakery), its not really a "kyaaa! Yaoi!" type manga, and it focuses more on the characters that frequent the bakery and how they are all connected. I am sorry to say that I watched an episode of the anime and was very disappointed in the adaptation. The music and mood were all wrong, in my opinion. I feel like they were trying to sell it more to fangirls who like drama and angsty pretty boys, instead of giving it wider appeal of the bittersweet and quirky comic.
Strike Witches - I...might watch this. I have been strangely fascinated by mecha musume and gijinka lately. And OStan rabu! I don't like the leg armor though. It looks round and puffy to me.
Gurren Lagann Parallel Works I am not watching until I have seen all of the original show.