Midterm Grades: Fall 2008
I picked up several shows from Fall 2008, but I’m only giving midterm grades for these five. You know why? Because most of them were too damn short. One season = 26 episodes. Let me reiterate:
1 Season = 26 Episodes
I’m generous enough to give out midterm grades for series with 24 or 25 episodes. 13 episodes? Not a chance. You don’t know shit about a series after 6 or 7 episodes. You might as well be writing a first impressions post.
Clannad After Story
Episodes seen so far: 15
Premise in terms of other anime: Clannad Season 1 – half the cast
Motivation for watching: As an anime blogger I’m obligated to watch anything done by Kyoto Animation no matter how much it sucks.
Good call: Minimal Fuko
Bad call: Minimal MamiKotomi IchiNoto
Notable checklist inclusions: Stylish Visual Effects, Random Cat, Dinosaurs
Tragic checklist exclusions: Comical Victimization (several attempts, but complete failure to be comical), Lesbians, Time Travel
Best character: Tomoya (runner up: the dinosaur on that book cover)
Please kill off: That little girl who skips around during the first four seconds of the ending sequence
I want more: Serious business
I want less: That damn Dango song
Does loving this show make you a pedophile: No (unlike the first season)
Bold prediction: The robot dies
Projected trend: Getting better. I foresee less screwing around and more legitimate drama.
Other thoughts: I still can’t figure out when/how Nagisa got pregnant.
Midterm Grade: B
Toradora
Episodes seen so far: 16
Premise in terms of other anime: (Every school life anime ever made) / (# of school life animes ever made)
Motivation for watching: Michael’s biggest fanboy craze since Code Geass R2
Good call: Evil eyes
Bad call: Inko
Notable checklist inclusions: Failed Confessions, Ghosts, Trademark Infringement
Tragic checklist exclusions: Hilarious ambiguously gay dude, Giant Robots, Catchy Dance Sequence
Best character: Ryuuji
Please kill off: Inko
I want more: Violence
I want less: Inko
Does loving this show make you a pedophile: Yes
Bold prediction: Inko finally says her name, inspires Ryuuji/Taiga, gets shot with an arrow
Projected trend: Consistent, perhaps even downhill. Good luck topping episode 16.
Other thoughts: It really is “a touching story about the power of love.“
Midterm Grade: A- (would’ve been a B+ before watching episode 16)
Tytania
Episodes seen so far: 14
Premise in terms of other anime: Legend of the Galactic Heroes + Moé
Motivation for watching: I heard it was the second coming of Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Good call: The ending song (I didn’t care for any of LoGH’s)
Bad call: Giving half of the male cast girly, vision-impairing bangs
Notable checklist inclusions: Rivalry, Character who vaguely resembles me, Graphic Violence
Tragic checklist exclusions: Soft-spoken girl voiced by Mamiko Noto, Tournament Competition, Obligatory Hot Springs
Best character: Fan Hyulick (Jouslain isn’t far behind)
Please kill off: Zarlish’s mother
I want more: Manly tea-pouring
I want less: Episodes without Fan Hyulick
Does loving this show make you a pedophile: No
Bold prediction: Moé Princess does something useful
Projected trend: Rising (assuming Fan Hyulick gets more involved)
Other thoughts: Tackling someone with a gun into a pool of man-eating fish is a pretty cool way to die.
Midterm Grade: A
Jigoku Shoujo Mitsugane
Episodes seen so far: 14
Premise in terms of other anime: (Jigoku Shoujo Seasons 1 & 2) / 2 + those Lesbians I’ve been asking for since Season 1
Motivation for watching: Saw the first two seasons
Good call: Regular characters
Bad call: Opening song no longer by SNoW
Notable checklist inclusions: Themes of Hatred/Suffering/Revenge, Lesbians, Soft-spoken girl voiced by Mamiko Noto
Tragic checklist exclusions: Frequently updated intro/ending visuals, Badass mid-episode transitions, Soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura
Best character: Sparkly Wanyuudo
Please kill off: Kikuri
I want more: Change-up episodes (multiple people dying, unexpected characters dying, no deaths at all, etc…)
I want less: Cheesy Enma cosplay fanservice
Does loving this show make you a pedophile: Depends on the episode
Bold prediction: There will be a fourth season regardless of how conclusive this season’s ending may seem
Projected trend: It’ll have its ups and downs. You can never tell with this show.
Other thoughts: Enma needs a new computer
Midterm Grade: B
One Outs
Episodes seen so far: 15
Premise in terms of other anime: (Hiruma + Akagi) / 2 + Baseball
Motivation for watching: Can’t turn down a gambling anime
Good call: Non-pedophilic character design, except for…
Bad call: Tokichi’s anorexia
Notable checklist inclusions: Mangled English, Non-Mangled English, Exaggerated Foreign Accents
Tragic checklist exclusions: Dinosaurs, Lesbians, Failed Confessions
Best character: Tokichi (did I just pick the male leads as my favorite characters for every show that has one?)
Please kill off: Big Momma
I want more: Kojima. He’s interesting enough to warrant screen time, not to mention he has manly sideburns.
I want less: Tokichi’s teammates acting like he’s crazy every time he develops an unconventional tactic. By now they should know better.
Does loving this show make you a pedophile: No
Bold prediction: The Lycaons win the championship
Projected trend: Consistent
Other thoughts: If the losing team forfeits the game, don’t they keep the score instead of changing it to 9-0?
Midterm Grade: A
Tags: Clannad, hell girl, one outs, Toradora, Tytania
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Holy shit, a comment RSS feed!baka-raptor@baka-raptor.com
January 24th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
1 year = 52 weeks, so 1 season = 13 weeks = 13 episodes.
Totally agree with you about the Jigoku Shoujo Mitsugane grade. I hate Kikuri.
Tytania and One Outs are amazing and are the high points of this otherwise less-than-stellar season.
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January 25th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Toradora deserves an A+. You have bad taste, Baka-Raptor!
(Just kidding.)
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January 25th, 2009 at 3:30 am
3 Shows we are both watching: Tytania, Toradora!, One-Outs.
You gave Tytania a grade much higher than I’d give. I’ve put the show on hold until I really don’t know when. I’ve had the last straw when Fan Hulic went on yet another trip to… whatever. I’ve stopped caring.
We’re pretty even with Toradora! and One-Outs, and yes One-outs can get even better (especially if his teammates stop hamming up their skepticism/surprise for Toukuchi’s tricks.
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January 25th, 2009 at 4:13 am
Like Joe says, DO THE MATH.
Jigoku Shoujo 3 is a terrible, terrible show. Until episode 13.
Also, ALL HEIL KIRAYUUDOU.
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January 25th, 2009 at 5:17 am
@Joe the Anime Watcher: 1 season begins every 13 weeks, but they each last for 26. There were a few other strong shows from the Fall 2008 season, but those were only half-season (12-13 episode) shows (Mouryou no Hako, Ga-Rei Zero, ef – melodies).
@Michael: I’ll think about it once Inko dies.
@ghostlightning: If you’re looking for another LoGH, you’ve got the wrong show. I laugh at Tytania as much as I praise it. Still great though. If you could sit through the entire series of Lucky Star, you can sit through a few episodes of Fan on vacation.
@Omisyth: JSM 11-13 were all change-up episodes and therefore awesome.
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January 25th, 2009 at 10:34 am
“You don’t know shit about a series after 6 or 7 episodes.”
But…isn’t that relative? Perhaps # eps in a percentage would be better…
“I want less: That damn Dango song”
THIS
“Projected trend: Consistent, perhaps even downhill. Good luck topping episode 16.”
IMO they didn’t top 13.
we only share clannad and TD at any rate.
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January 25th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Enjoyed the spot on reviews
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January 25th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
What anime is your dead parrot screen from ?
4:3 + old school colors + scene I don’t remember = oldie I didn’t watch ?
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January 25th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I agree that Inko needs to die. Freaking annoying bird that takes up screen time. Still, I would have thought Toradora would be an A flat.
Besides Toradora, I haven’t watched any of the other Animes you have ‘thar.
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January 25th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
DANGO, DANGO , DANGO , DANGO
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January 25th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
@lelangir: We could always go with a constant plus a percentage. How about 5 episodes + 30%?
@lonny: Same here.
@Windspirit: Good eye, that’s Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star).
@Aizen: “A flat” is the musical equivalent of an “A minus.”
@Laguna: I’ll rape the dango daikazoku.
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January 25th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Only Toradora, Clannad and Jigoku Shoujo on my watchlist right now. I agree on episode counts under 20 not being a full season. Too many anime from the fall were too damn short.
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January 25th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
You definitely know enough about DMC to write a full review after only 6 episodes.
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January 25th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
@Baka-Raptor
Touché, Touché.
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January 25th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
@ Baka-Raptor
Yeah, I think Tytania suffers by comparison – which I can’t help but make since I’m watching both at the same time. Will probably pick it up again when it’s done; which should mean a good number of weeks after I’ve finished LOGH.
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January 26th, 2009 at 12:17 am
[...] know that people are after her and that she is wanted (dead). Seriously, Keita needs to be killed like Inko-chan in [...]
January 26th, 2009 at 1:00 am
I agree about Inko. Good lord, kill that diseased, godforsaken, pile of putrescent feathers before it’s too late.
You forgot the beauty of killing off Alses in Tytania. Now that was awesome. I felt so much better after he died.
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January 26th, 2009 at 5:57 am
Well, the girl who skips around on that first 4 seconds of the ED sequence will (spoiler to those who haven’t played the game) eventually die. So don’t worry.
If Inko dies, it might turn into a mutation that might kill off unwanted characters…. On second thought, kill the damn bird. What I want to know is how Ryuuji and Taiga are gonna hook up, if they will hook up! Less Tsun, more Dere!
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January 26th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Yes I agree with you, Inko is horrible. Almost as bad as the Ostrich from Tide-Line Blue…
…wait I take that back. But still.
Ep 16 of Toradora will be hard to top. Extra points for bloody nose Taiga.
Fan Hyulick started off being a clone of Yang, but no longer, he’s a different guy altogether. Altogether great character. You know that Jouslain is supposed to be the main final boss guy, because he’s the guy who looks the most ‘Japanese’ (well with dyed red hair). Sadly anime always does this, LOGH was the only exception. Reinhard forever!
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January 27th, 2009 at 12:12 am
I’m happy I’m not the only person in the world who still likes Jigoku Shoujo.
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January 27th, 2009 at 2:27 am
If what I’ve heard about the Clannad VN holds for the anime, you may very well get that “please kill off” wish…
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January 29th, 2009 at 3:42 am
@Persocom: Then vote in my poll; the 13-episode season side is currently winning.
@Praz: If you’re talking about my DMC is Not Over post, I categorized it under Observations, not Reviews. Therefore it’s not a review.
@ghostlightning: After watching episode 15, I take it all back. Fan spent the whole episode screwing around again. Bump that A down an A-.
@iniksbane: Yes, we all cried tears of joy when Alses died, but I try to keep death spoilers to a minimum in my midterm reviews.
@Rakuen & vendredi: Let’s not jump to conclusions about who that girl is. We can’t see her face. It could be anyone. Even a trap.
@Epi: Jouslain won’t be the final boss if Moé Princess turns him into a flower-picking sissy.
@Day: Some people seem to think its any different from the first two seasons in any way whatsoever. It’s not. Except for Kikuri’s boy toy.
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January 30th, 2009 at 1:16 am
I can’t be the only person who wants to julienne somebody’s trachea (or something similar) every time a hack with a keyboard tries to use pregnancy as a drama-bomb. At least School Days had the excuse that it could be seen from a mile away, but when the topic’s handled clumsily, I feel there is no mortal means that can adequately express my rage in a stylish manner.
The fact that I already think Kyoani’s everything that’s wrong with anime doesn’t help.
A question I pose all shows with casts composed entirely of teenagers* is: why should I care about characters that aren’t even old enough to pick their own clothes?
Kyoani’s answers don’t work, because I am not a paedophile and I do not know how to be profoundly saddened over someone I was apathetic about or hated to begin with.
(Time skips: If I hated them then, I’ll hate them now.)
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January 30th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Why Inko must die? I thought Baka-Raptor was fond of the birds, after all they are the evolution of the dinosaurs. Anyways, A weird bird is funny and doesn’t have too much screen time, there are even episodes where it only appears in the OP.
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January 31st, 2009 at 5:34 am
@Baka-Raptor: I better brace myself then.
*whispering* Please let it be a delicious trap. Please let it be a delicious trap. Please let it be a delicious trap. Please let it be a delicious trap. Please let it be a delicious trap. Please let it be a delicious trap. Please let it be a delicious trap. Please let it be a delicious trap. *end of whispering*
I hope not.
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February 3rd, 2009 at 11:15 pm
[...] it’s the new OP/ED… Or maybe Baka-Raptor is right when he made his mid-season assessment about how the show is going to be able to top episode [...]
March 13th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Well if u want the girl that skips in the beginning of the ED, then fine, but it makes a big connection if you keep on watching.
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October 23rd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
“Please kill off: That little girl who skips around during the first four seconds of the ending sequence”
… So you were the one behind it?? How could you do such a thing??
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April 9th, 2010 at 7:17 am
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