Menu

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

32 Replies to “Midterm Grades: Fall 2008”