Anime (And Other Random Interests) Notebook

Ouran Host Club: Anime v. Manga

2006-07-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

I told myself that I'd wait for the anime to end before I read the manga. But then I walked into the library and there were three volumes of Ouran just sitting there, staring at me, and, really, how could I refuse? And then I told myself that I'd only read the stories that have already been animated so as not to spoil myself. Well, that didn't work out as planned either. I've now read the first five volumes, and am glad that I did. But which is better, the anime or the manga?

Points for the anime:
In the beginning of the manga, I was turned off a bit by the character designs--Haruhi's eyes are too big and alien-like and the twins' flat hair is not as appealing as the spiked look they have in the anime and later on in the manga. While the drawings improved and later on were quite good, the animation has been very good all the way through.

Furthermore, in stories such as the beach episode, the anime really did improve things just by being able to make the action more clear. However, by volume 4--and definitely in volume 5--I believe that the art style became a lot smoother and that the mangaka (Bisco Hatori) had improved greatly in planning her panels so that the action flowed better.

One of the things I also liked in the anime better than the manga is the fact that the anime adds a bit more depth and symbolism. For example, in the first episode a lightbulb in a line of six goes off every time a Host Club member realizes that Haruhi is actually a girl (no such thing in the manga). And in the Alice in Wonderland episode (13), the anime takes a silly, throw-away chapter and turns it into something that really shows Haruhi's character (and is a bit of a mind-trip, to boot).

Points for the manga:
Of course, the nice thing about the manga is that it can throw in author's notes and details that the anime skips out on. For instance, the reason why all the Host Club members are in Class A of whatever year they are is explained. It's because which class a student is in is determined by their family's wealth and influence, with Class A being composed of the kids from the best families (Haruhi, as a scholarship student, is a special case and gets put in class A despite her low socio-economic status).

Organization (Or, Guide to Which Chapter Got Turned Into Which Episode Thus Far)
In terms of organization, the anime chose to change the order of the stories somewhat. I think it worked out, and neither the anime nor the manga had a "better" way to organize.

Note: In the manga, each chapter is called an "episode". But I'm calling them chapters because it makes it less confusing.
Volume 1
Chapter 1: Haruhi joins the Host Club ("From Today On, You're a Host" Ep 1)
Chapter 2: The Host Club helps get a couple together ("A High School Host's Work" Ep 2)
Chapter 3: The otaku Renge appears, claims to be Kyoya's fiance, then assigns herself the role of club manager ("The Manageress Invades" Ep 4)

Volume 2
Chapter 4: The physical exams are taking place, and the Host Club worries that the school will discover Haruhi's a girl ("Be Careful with Physical Exams" Ep 3)
Chapter 5: The twins have a fight ("The Twins Fight" Ep 5)
Chapter 6: An elementary school student apprentices himself to the Host Club ("The Elementary School Host is the Naughty Type" Ep 6)
Chapter 7: The Host Club goes to Kyoya's family new indoor water park facility ("Jungle Pool SOS" Ep 7)

Volume 3
Chapter 8: The beach part I ("Sun and Sea and the Host Club" Ep 8)
Chapter 9: The beach part II ("Sun and Sea and the Host Club" Ep 8)
Chapter 10: The St. Lobelia's Zuka club tries to recruit Haruhi ("The Lobelia Girls' Academy's Challenge" Ep 9)
Chapter 11: The Halloween episode in which Haruhi might be under a witch's curse (Not yet animated)
Chapter 12: The Host Club visits Haruhi's house Part I ("Fujioka Household's Daily Life" Ep 10)

Volume 4
Chapter 13:The Host Club visits Haruhi's house Part II ("Fujioka Household's Daily Life" Ep 10)
Chapter 14: Hunny gets a cavity and can't eat his beloved sweets ("Hunny-Senpai's Three Unsweetened Days" Ep 12)
Chapter 15: Retelling of Alice in Wonderland, Host Club style ("Haruhi in Wonderland" Ep 13)
Chapter 16: The newspaper club plans an expose on the Host Club ("Collect Information on the Rumored Host Club" Ep 14)

Volume 5
Chapter 17: Haruhi has to take a make-up test to regain her number 1 class standing, or risk losing her scholarship (not yet animated)
Chapter 18: The Host Club in Karuizawa Part I [contest to be the most "refreshing"] (not yet animated)
Chapter 19: The Host Club in Karuizawa Part II [Haruhi's middle school friend appears] (not yet animated)
Chapter 20: The Host Club in Karuizawa Part III [Haruhi's & Hikaru's date] (not yet animated)
Chapter 21: Nekozawa's (the Black Magic Club's President) little sister thinks Tamaki is her brother ("Onii-chama's the Prince" Ep 11)

So, so far they've only animated stories in volumes 1-5, having animated all of 1, 2, & 4. I hope they animate Chapter 11, because it's one of my favorites. Also, I'm highly anticipating the animation of the Karuizawa arc, because that is my absolute favorite at the moment (Episode 15, entitled "Karuizawa's Invigorating Battle" seems like it will cover at least part of the Karuizawa arc) . I wonder if they'll give Karuizawa one episode or two? Considering how cleverly the animators do added, non-manga scenes (like the first part of Episode 12), I think that two episodes for the Karuizawa arc would make it better.

Opinion: The anime wins the battle so far.

I think that the anime has taken an already excellent source and turned it into something even better. Of course, my opinion is subject to shifting if the manga continues to get better and if the anime has a less-than-satisfying conclusion or for some reason goes down hill in the second half.

As a side note, I've noticed that my favorite episodes and manga chapters center around either Tamaki/Haruhi or the twins/Haruhi. While Hunny is cute, and Mori is nice, I don't care as much for episodes centered around them. And when minor characters butt in and become the focus of the episode (like the Zuka club members or Nekozawa & his sister) I am not as interested in that, either (in fact, episodes 9 & 11 were my least favorite episodes--although, since this is Ouran, I still liked them).

Karin Review

2006-06-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

Karin
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Supernatural
Air Date: November 2005
Episode Count: 24

Karin Maaka is the middle child in a family of vampires living in Japan. However, unlike the rest of her family, she does not need to suck blood from humans. Instead, her blood level increases to the point that she needs to infuse her victims with blood--if she doesn't, she suffers from massive nosebleeds. Due to the fact that she's not a 'real' vampire, Karin also can do things that the rest of the fully mature vampires in her family can't, like be out in the daylight. Because of this, she goes to high school like a regular teenager. One day, a boy named Kenta Usui transfers to her school. Karin's body reacts to him and starts to overproduce blood whenever he's around, and Kenta soon discovers Karin's secret. The budding romance between Kenta and Karin is complicated by her eccentric family and the fact that she is not fully a vampire but neither is she fully human.

While Karin may not be groundbreaking or a masterpiece, it is quite an amusing addition to the romantic-comedy genre. For me what really made the series enjoyable was the cute and well-done romance between Karin and Kenta and the antics of Karin's family. While the other side-characters were occasionally amusing, it was really the family dynamics that helped make the show for me. The dopey dad, pushy mother, suave older brother (Ren), serious and brilliant younger sister (Anju) with her loud-mouth puppet and the later addition of the strong-willed (and well-preserved) grandmother all helped fuel moments of comedy and provided some of the most memorable characters.

Karin is on the surface the same large-breasted, sweet, oblivious, clumsy, bento-making anime female that typically annoys me. However, somehow she never got on my nerves--well, maybe once, when her obliviousness reached the point of ridiculousness in the scene when her friend illustrated a 'hypothetical' situation in which the 'hypothetical' people obviously included Karin and Kenta, which Karin didn't pick up on. Her needlessly large chest still annoys me, but Karin herself doesn't.

Besides the bustiness of the main character, the only other aspect that occasionally got on my nerves was Winner-kun, the gung-ho vampire hunter who fell madly in love with Karin and rivalled her in obliviousness. In the beginning he was funny, but eventually he became a tad grating.

The music was well-done, if not anything spectacular. However, the OP, "Scarlet," was very catchy and got stuck in my head after every time I listened to it. The art was also nothing to write home about, but the bright colors and pleasing character designs made it quite passable.

I'm a sucker for romance (no pun intended, honestly) and love anything that can actually make me laugh out loud--which the show did, multiple times. The show did turn a bit more dramatic in the second half--and espeically in the final few episodes--but even then it still provided a few laughs. While Karin won't break into my top 10 list, I'm still very happy I found this show. Not every show can become a favorite, but it can still be worth watching. Karin is definitely worth watching for light, fluffy, romantic fun.

I also just found out that the Karin manga is being published in the US by Tokyopop under the title Chibi Vampire. I find this title silly, but I suppose it could have been worse. The second volume is coming out in August 2006, and there are currently eight volumes are out in Japan (don't know if the series is finished or not yet).

Overall: 8/10

Wallflower becomes an anime

2006-06-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

Del Ray announced at Anime Next that The Wallflower (aka Perfect Girl Revolution) is being turned into an anime. The manga is very good, and if it gets the same awesome production that Ouran received then I think it will be a great anime. The art style is a little weird, but it'll probably be modified a bit for the anime.

For those of you who don't know, this series is about 4 gorgeous guys who must turn the gothic, horror-movie loving Sunako into a lady in order to continue living in the mansion for free. Sunako resents the presence of these "creatures of the light" and gets nosebleeds whenever she is overwhelmed by their prettiness. However, slowly it appears that they might be making progress. Except sometimes progress seems hard to see.

Summer 2006 Preview

2006-06-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the summer anime season appears to be a rather tepid one. The year got off to a good start, with some wicked good anime in the winter and spring seasons (Blood+, Ouran High School Host Club). And I haven't even seen everything that I wanted to from this year, since I'm way behind in my anime queue and have nearly a dozen series that I need to make time for. So maybe it's a good thing that nothing has really caught my eye for the upcoming season.

But, since I do enjoy making lists so very much, I have made a list of upcoming shows that I'm keeping my eye on. I'll check out the first few episodes and moniter opinion in the community (specifically Omni over on Random Curiosity, because his blog has helped me find several good series I would have otherwise overlooked).

Note: Since I can't read Japanese, all my information is from second-hand sources (blogs, websites, and forums), so some of it may be inaccurate.

Watch List
From most to least anticipated

Kemonozume Sakaba
Guy loves girl. Girl loves guy. The problem? The guy is a monster hunter and the girl is a monster. Very Buff-Angel oh-so-angsty love, ain't it? This gives me Buffy and Blood+ vibes, both of which are good shows to be connected with.
Air Date: August 5, 2006
Episode Count: 13
Anticipation Level: 8/10 ('cause fighting and romance are a pretty good combination)

Bokura ga Ita
My interest in this is based mainly on the fact that it's a shoujo series and I'm a sucker for that genre. The basic plot involves a boy popular with the ladies (Yano Motoharu) and a girl who actually doesn't like him (Takahashi Nanami). Love-hate relationship that blossoms into romance? Cliche, but just my cup of tea. The art style doesn't appeal to me, but if this is a good production overall, that won't hinder my enjoyment too much.
Air Date: July 3, 2006
Episode Count: 26
Anticipation Level: 8/10 (Could be really good if done well, could be really bad if it cannot adequately compensate for its ugly art)

Mamotte! Lollipop
A young girl (Nina) eats a piece of candy that actually turns out to be a magic item that is part of an exam for a magic academy. Now there are two boys (who are part of the magic academy? I don't know) who have to stay with her. Again, the irresistable siren song of shoujo drives my interest in what I expect to be a fluffy tale that could be either craptastic or surprisingly (and guiltily) enjoyable, a la Karin. I'm really hoping for the latter.
Air Date: July 1, 2006
Anticipation Level: 7/10 (This might be one of the shows I secretly love but am too ashamed to admit to it)

Coyote Ragtime Show
The planet of Grazeland is going to be destroyed in 7 days because the Earth Federation Government is afraid that the war taking place on Grazeland will spread to other planets. However, there is a pirate treasure on the planet that some people want to find before it's too late. People keep saying it looks Cowboy Bebop-ish, and I agree with that. It could be good, gun-blazin' fun, but the maid-costume picture that keeps showing up in relation to it turns me off, as I'm not a fan of maid costumes being tossed in to animes just for the maid-fetish angle.
Air Date: July 3, 2006
Anticipation Level: 7/10 (The trailer's cool and it looks like the show might have some depth. But where the hell does that maid come from?)

Muteki Kanban Musume (Noodle Fighter Miki)
Miki is a Kamban Musume, which is a poster girl who is supposed to attract customers to the store (in this case, her parent's restaurant). Miki, however, always gets in fights and makes trouble. She also has a rival in the form of Megumi, the Kamban Musume of the bakery store. I think this could be a cute little series, and at 12 episodes it's short enough that it doesn't have to become repetitive and therefore increasingly dull (that doesn't mean it won't get repetitive and dull, of course).
Air Date: July 4, 2006
Episode Count: 12
Anticipation Level: 7/10 (could be a nice little diversion that helps me relax after work, could be grating)

Le Chevalier D'Eon
Centers around a cross-dressing noble man around the time of the French Revolution, possibly involving the mystery surrounding the murder of d'Eon's sister (I'm not sure if the source of this information is reliable). Apparently there was a real Chevalier D'Eon who was a cross-dresser and also a spy under King Louis XV. I have no idea how much real history will actually make it into the anime, although if I was placing bets, I'd say not very much.
Air Date: August 19, 2006
Episode Count: 24
Anticipation Level: 6/10 (the trailer looks cool, but the plot still sounds a little ridiculous)

Night Head Genesis
Two brothers with psychic powers are abandoned by their parents and raised by a labratory--until the day they run away. Looks kind of creepy, and if Supernatural (not anime, the show on the WB) and Fullmetal Alchemist have taught me anything, it's the fact that a show based around traveling brothers can be really awesome. However, the name for some reason makes me think of Neon Genesis Evangelion (because it starts with "N" and includes the word Genesis, basicallly). And that's just a weird association to make.
Air Date: June 2006
Episode Count: 24
Anticipation Level: 6/10 (Brothers = awesome, psychic powers = awesome, but does that mean that the show = awesome? Not sure on that math).

Innocent Venus
Post-apocalyptic series about life after simultaneous hurricanes kill 6 billion people and destory The World As We Know It. Of course, Japan survives, but is torn between the haves (Logos) and the have-nots (Revenus). The story revolves around two men who escape from Phantom, a special task force (were they part of the force? or captured by it? I'm unclear) and take with them a mysterious little girl, Noto Saya. Gritty futures and mysterious little girls are nothing new, but it could be interesting enough.
Air Date: July 26, 2006
Episode Count: 12
Anticipation Level: 5/10 (This is definitely on the wait-and-see-list. Sounds decent enough that I'll keep an eye out for it, but not really expecting too much).

Otogi-Jushi Akazukin
The world is divided by the gods and now has two sides: one with magic and the other with science. Now there is a little boy (who, with the pigtails in the images I looked at, looks awfully like a girl) who has the power to unite the two sides. There was a multi-part OVA that came out in 2005, with only the first part being subbed. The warm reception of the OVA, and the general positive buzz of the show, put it on my list. Of course, the translation of the title on the official website to Fairy Musketeers makes me want to reconsider. This might be referring to the name of the OVA, but still. Fairy. Musketeers. The entire show looks too cutesy for it's own good.
Air Date: July 1, 2006
Episode Count: 39 (definitely will create cuteness overload)
Anticipation Level: 4/10 (I'm honestly not really looking forward to it, since I'm already getting a sugar high just looking at the picture. Fairy Musketeers. Seriously, people)

Angelique (Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique ~Kokoro Mezameru Toki~)
The Queen of the Galaxy is dying and two girls are chosen as candidates to replace her. They must go through a series of tests to prove who is more capable, helped by 9 bish gaurdians, of course. Based on a dating sim video game for girls (not that the vast array of bish makes that obvious or anything). Although I dislike harem animes, male-harem animes don't get the same automatic negative reaction from me (Fushigi Yuugi and Pretear received much love from me). What can I say? I just swing that way. I'm not one of those girls, however, who will watch every male-harem show or watch a show just for the cute guys. If it is Fushigi Yuugi quality it will be quite good. If not...it will be like every other bland male-harem show out there and not worth my time.
Air Date: July 8, 2006
Anticipation Level: 4/10 (Cute guys not withstanding, it seems pretty forumulaic and silly. If I hear good buzz, I'll definitely watch. Negative or no buzz will probably kill my remaining interest).

Project Blue Earth SOS
Like Innocent Venus, this is a show that I'm considering, but not that excited about. A group of teenagers (Billy, Benny, and Lotta) attend the opening ceremony of a bullet train that can travel from Tokyo to NYC in 90 minutes. However, the train vanishes. And it's not the only thing that mysteriously disappears--many other things go missing as well. The UN creates a special task force, Labyrinth, to uncover what is happening.
Air Date: July 2, 2006
Anticipation Level: 4/10 (this sounds even crazier after I typed up the synopsis. And, yet, despite the craziness, it still sounds kind of boring ).

Shows That Didn't Make the List (which means that they don't deserve my time and energy to get pictures for them, sorry)

Honey and Clover II
Probably the most anticipated show of the season because of the much-beloved original about a group of poor college students. I still haven't gotten around to seeing the first Honey and Clover and therefore there is no point in seeing the sequel. I still have my doubts about whether or not I'll actually like Honey and Clover, but there have been so many good things said about it that I'll certainly give it a try.

Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z
I want to know exactly why this saw the light of day. The Powerpuff Girls already looked slightly anime-ish, and they were beloved because they were silly and cute and chibi and good for when you had nothing better to do than turn on Cartoon Network. Now...now...they have short skirts. And possibly breasts. And seem to have grown up a decade or so and why oh why did they mess with a good thing?

Binbou Shimai Monogatari
A story of two orphaned and monetarily poor sisters (although I'm sure that they're rich in love!). Very slice-of-life, which to me sounds terribly dull. But some people like the nothing-really-happens-but-watch-it-anyway anime. I think the word "heart-warming" is usually applied to these types of shows.

Tsuyokiss
Harem anime. 'Nuff said. While some people gobble up harem animes like candy, I find them uninteresting.

Tonagura
Harem anime, which is bad enough, plus a really pervy male lead. Yech.

Zero no Tsukaima
Ordinary high school student Hiraga Saito suddenly gets summoned by Louise, a beautiful but haughty and talentless student at a magic academy. With a kiss, Louise turns Saito into her familiar, and he is forced to stay with her. Seems like typical girl abuses guy, girl falls in love with guy anime, with magic thrown in. The description at animenfo.com does not make it appear any more appealing: "Every day, he is abused, scolded, and loved? by this haughty but cute girl. This is how his exciting days filled with courage, humiliation, and love begin." To me, this humiliation of the love interest is not appealing, and in fact offends my shoujo sensibilities.

Flag
In essence, somehow the image of a flag is able to bring two warring countries to the peace table. But the flag gets stolen by terrorists (if flag-stealing is the future of terrorism, we should all be very, very afraid). Now, of course, the flag must be recovered, probably with lots of buildings and innocent bystanders getting shot and blown up along the way.

N.H.K ni Youkoso!
Many people are interested in this one, but it doesn't appeal to me. This show is about a paranoid hikikomori (essentially, a recluse) who blames the NHK (a broadcasting station) for his isolation, and has decided to do something about them and their evilness.

Chokotto Sister
A little boy desperately wishes for a sister and one Christmas Santa gives him one. Merry Christmas!

Quickie Note

2006-06-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Just so there is no confusion, my previous blog, lamuseanime.blogspot.com, malfunctioned, which led me to create this blog. The few posts I had at lamuse are being moved over here and then I will delete that blog. I think it works out for the best, because I thought of a better title this time. I don't think it'll confuse anybody, though, because I don't think anyone besides me read the old blog, and I don't think that anybody besides me is reading this one.

But, to soothe anyone who is upset (or, really,because I just want an excuse to post this), look at the pretty, pretty bish:

Note: Sano from Hana-Kimi

Ouran Host Club (Episodes 1-11)

2006-06-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

Finally learned how to screencap, so all these pictures were done by me! I now have plenty to make icons out of.

Ouran High School Host Club (Episodes 1-11)

Haruhi is a scholarship student at a prestigious and wealthy high school. One day, while looking for a place to study, she discovers the Host Club, a group of six guys whose job it is to play host to the rich girls of the school. Haruhi accidently breaks an $80,000 vase belonging to the Host Club and she eventually becomes a host to help pay off the damages. Although by the end of the first episode all of the club members have figured out she’s a girl, they decide (and she agrees) that she should continue to work as a host to finish repaying her debt.

Really, what can I say about this series? I love it. I love it a lot. I was on vacation for three weeks, so I just caught up on the last few episodes I missed and the newest episodes made me love the show even more (how is that even possible?). Episode 8 was my favorite, because it played up the romance aspect between Haruhi and Tamaki.

Funnily enough, when I first spotted the manga in Borders, I thought it looked stupid. I thought the Host Club was some sort of escort service, a concept I thought was kind of ecchi. I decided to watch the show only because one of my friends, whose taste I respect, loved the series so much and was ecstatic that it was being turned into an anime.

Can I just say I’m very glad I decided to start watching? First of all, it’s shoujo, which already gives it a boost up. Second of all, it’s good shoujo, which is, sadly, not always the case with some shoujo shows I’ve seen (Paradise Kiss comes to mind. Lots of people love it, I know, but I hated it). Plus, it is absolutely hilarious. I was laughing so hard when I was watching it yesterday that my mom gave me a strange look and commented You’re certainly enjoying that, aren’t you?. Yes, yes I was.

Not only has every single episode made me laugh out loud at least once–a feat that I’m not sure has been accomplished before–but I also love all the Host Club members in their bishy glory. Even characters that I initially didn’t much care for, such as the twins, have grown on me. I may not be one for twincest (seriously, why is that of interest to anyone?), but I still love the twins, who remind me of Fred and George Weasley in their red-headed mischeveousness.

Although it is a bit of an odd pairing, I’m still gunning for a Tamaki-Haruhi coupling. Maybe that’s just because that’s what’s been hinted at and they do have their own weird chemistry, but I think the two of them could work.

I’m going to be awfully sad when this series ends–it’s supposed to have a 26 episode run, which means we’re almost half-way through (the 12th episode has come out, although it’s not yet subbed). That means the manga will have to sustain my Ouran fix. The 7th one is apparently being released by Viz in September, which means it’s almost caught up with the Japanese release (the 8th came out in Japan in April). Bad news for me, because that means future volumes will come out much more slowly. I hate waiting on releases.

I will say one final thing: unless Ouran takes a drastic turn for the worst (which I don’t forsee happening), this show will easily make it into my top 10 list. If they satisfy my hopeless (hopeful?) romantic tendencies by having a good ending, with an official pairing (come on, Haruhi and Tamaki!) and closure, it could even slide into a top 5 slot.

Staring Down My Anime Queue (Misc)

2006-06-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

Too much anime, too little time. I have 18 anime from the Fall 2005-Spring 2006 season that I at least need to watch the first few episodes to see if they're worth completing. There's also the older anime that I want to see (ie, Full Moon wo Sagashite) and the series that I want to rewatch (with Fruits Basket and FMA topping the list). Last summer I managed my anime blitz fairly well, but now that I have a 40-hour a week job, things go much more slowly. Plus, there's all the blog reading, blog writing, forum stalking, etc. One of my friends observed that if I spent less time reading about anime and more time actually watching it, I'd be able to see more. This is, of course, quite true. But I enjoy reading about anime and making lists about anime. I happen to like lists. I know some people who spend time reading about sports or cars–about as useful in the grand scheme of things as keeping up on the latest anime news and reviews. They like it, I like this. It may not be particularly productive, but if I find it enjoyable then it's worth my time.

Right now my focus will be (a) catching up with the series I'm currently watching & (b) getting through my Fall & Winter selections.

That means right now my playlist looks like this:

Series I'm currently watching:

Blood+
Episodes 24-31

Although I love this series dearly, I got behind on it because the subbing, although good quality, is a tad slow. So, I waited for a few episodes to pile up…and then a lot of episodes piled up. This series is a great blend of action, romance, (okay, not much romance, but there's something there between Hagi and Saya) and horror.

Bleach
Episodes 72-86

Bleach is currently in filler episodes, after coming off of the incredible Soul Society arc. The filler episodes aren't bad for filler (I've given up Naruto entirely during the filler arc after the first dozen episodes of it, and my little brother informs me that it is, in fact, becoming even more ridiculous and horrible). However, just the fact that it is filler makes me want to watch it just that little bit less. Although the art quality went dangerously downhill during this arc–some episodes it is just pathetic–the humor that I loved in Bleach does occasionally still appear, and minor characters that I love (Urahara and Histugaya most prominently) have screentime, which adds that extra incentive to watch.

Ouran High School Host Club
Episode 12

As soon as this gets subbed, I'm on this. Lunar does amazing quality subs, which I learned when they were doing Bleach (before it was lisenced). This is one series that I'm not going to fall behind on, because every time I watch an episode my day becomes brighter.

Fall 2005 & Winter 2006 Selections:

Black Cat
Air Date: Fall 2005
Episode Count: 24

My only Fall '05 selection left to finish. I was originally informed that it was a 52-episode series, so I was all ready to take it slow and steady. Then bam! it turns out to be only 24 episodes! That ruined my scheduling plans right there. I've watched the first few episodes already and it was all good, clean shounen fun with clean animation, well-done fights and enjoyable (if not exactly original) characters. I'm looking forward to actually finishing this.

Fate/Stay Night
Air Date: Winter 2006
Episode Count: 24

Spoiler whore that I am, I have read the various synposes of the final episode of this series. I've also read the various opinions people have about the series. As far as I can tell, it's kind of divided. Some love it, some hate it, some find it mediocore. My prediction is that I'll like it, except for the fan service I know will (sadly) be a part of it. I mean, come on, awesome fight scenes? There's a reason this is on my list.

Kage Kara Mamoru!
Air Date: Winter 2006
Episode Count: 12

This originally went on my list because it involves ninjas. Shallow reason? Maybe. But it worked for Naruto (before it hit fillers and went bad). Plus, it had that whole romantic comedy undertone. I've heard it's awfully silly–which, if it makes me laugh, is good. If it doesn't, it's very, very bad.

Ergo Proxy
Air Date: Winter 2006
Episode Count: 52?

My older brother said he had never seen a series disintegrate from so intersting and with such awesome art to so ridiculous and with such bad drawings so quickly. I've read some other postings about the series, and from what I can tell some think it's bizarre just to be bizarre and some find it innovative and intriguing. I generally respect my older brother's taste in all things, although we do have disagreements over the best anime (he advocates such classics as Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion, I side with newcomers such as Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist). If this really is a 52-episode count series, it damn well better be good to make me stick with it for that long

Shinagami no Ballad
Air Date: Winter 2006
Episode Count: 6

Of all the series on my list, I have the least idea about this one. It was put on my list for the same basic silly reason as Kage Kara–this time, though, not because of ninjas, but because of shinagamis. After Bleach I have become a shinagami fangirl. It's short, so that's good. Of course, FLCL was short as well, and every minute I was watching it was painful.

I've got this crazy policy of not watching things I don't like. Silly, no? This occured after pushing myself to finish series that I hated every minute of (*cough*Hundred Stories*cough*). Shows I don't like in the beginning I still don't like at the end. And it's really, really not worth it to keep watching just to know how it ends. That's precious time I could have spent on something I enjoyed and that I will never get back! I usually give a show three episodes and if I don't like it, that's it. I delete the files or turn off the DVD and end it. I started this with the Fall 2005 shows and gave up two shows (Shakugan no Shana and Noein) that I never regreted not finishing and got through episode 8 of Paradise Kiss and caught up with the fansubs before I realized I really didn't want to finish it (I did read the manga and didn't particularly like it either, because George [the main love interest] is an utter prat). I knew I didn't like ParaKiss from the first few episodes, and pushing myself to episode 8 didn't change my mind. So. I don't think I'll like everything on my list, so just watching the first 3 eps will help me narrow it down.

Then when this is done, Spring 2006, with its dozen titles! Yikes. And Summer 2006 is swinging underway soon. Really, I don't think I'll finish with the list until the end of the year, but it's good to have direction.