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2010-02-18

Whimsical pictures: Weeks 4-6 of winter 2010

Well, so much for staying on schedule... But no sweat, I'm just going to make up for lost time by posting my impressions for the past three weeks.

Sora no Woto - 04, 05 & 06

The last three weeks of Sora no Woto continued to delight me, yet it really needs to pick up now. There are way too many great things about the world that beg to be explored further.

For example, there is a scene at the end of episode 5 where the girls are showed an apocalyptic landscape, but like, really, destroyed skyscrappers and all. It hints at the timeframe of Sora no Woto being our future, but it still doesn't explain what caused our world to change so drastically. And that's probably the question I want answered the most : the past of the characters seem like good opportunities to approach this central question from various angles, but are not -as of now- enough to keep the whole series going.

But, well, it's still gorgeous to look at, and the opening theme by Kalafina is really an awesome song !

Verdict so far : Great

Ookami Kakushi - 04, 05 & 06

Things continue to fall into place, yet we're still mostly in the dark. Sure, everyone who's watching ought to have a fairly good guess on what is going on, yet I know I for one would be very hard pressed to find who is doing what exactly.

Except for Issei doing creepy things. That one's easy, as was forseeing the true identity of the scythe-wielding girl. And finally, the guy who is seen having bad dreams in several of the first episodes (and who was conducting the drugs deal, did you notice ?) is taking steps towards becoming a more important character. My only true gripe with the show is how passive the main character still is. But I want answers, so I'll bear with it.

Verdict so far : Pretty Good

Dance in the Vampire Bund - 04, 05 & 06

Incredible, those episodes were actually pretty good. I really hope it's finally Dance in the Vampire Bund showing its true colors. They don't have that much episodes left, but enough to tell a good story, if they decide to.

After the third week, I was almost ready to give up on my hopes regarding SHAFT's latest production, but I may have judged them too soon...

Verdict so far : Decent

Durarara!! - 04, 05 & 06

Oh, my. They did it again. And again, and then again a third time. I don't know how Brain Base do it, but it seems like that studio is able to pull any type of episode off with equal ease. Be it lengthy expositions, action-packed scenes, mystery-filled moment, it just works.

Frankly, I'm almost considering buying a thesaurus to help me find synonyms of "good", "awesome" or "great". Because honestly up to now I can't complain about any aspect of Durarara!!, and if it keeps its momentum, it's directly headed to somewhere near the top of my all-time favorite list.

So, well, if you're not watching this one, may I ask why ?

Verdict so far : Need I say it's still awesome ?

Baka to Test to Shukanjuu - 04, 05 & 06

The best thing about Baka to Test is that it REALLY doesn't take itself seriously. It's a show that you can sit in front of, switch of your brain and enjoy. Sure, some of the jokes are done over and over to the point where you see them coming from miles away, but on the whole they're still funny.

I really think of Baka to Test as the "shonen" counterpart to the "shojo" Ouran Host Club. Only maybe with a way higher level of fanservice. Yet, I suppose that's a pretty universal difference between shonen and shojo shows.

Verdict so far : Very good

Closing notes :

Well, the pictures are coming, but I wanted to have this out of the door in time. As I would have for the gazillion other posts that are currently half-written, or the ones still in my head. The next post will probably be about what's keeping me away from writing now (kinda ironic, isn't it ?).

Also, please please please go vote for the International Saimoe League ! The second phase of the preliminaries is starting today, and some characters need your support, badly. In particular, Shindo Chihiro, Senjogahara Hitagi, Miyamura Miyako, Isurugi Noe and Amamura Yuuko. There's no sign-up required, so don't be shy ;) And I swear I'll do proper posts explaining why I think those characters are worth voting for. As soon as I find the time and if they're still in the competition, of course.

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