Anime review: "Monogatari Series: Second Season"

I've been eagerly waiting for next season of "Monogatari" series since first seeing early announcement for it. I like a lot of anime and genre, but if I had to pick, this kind of weird-humor series would be my first choice (like "Durarara!!", "Baccano!", "Tatami Galaxy", "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei"). So I felt unreasonable joy and expectation before watching the last season!

I first waited for all episodes to come out - I didn't want to be forced to wait. And before watching "Monogatari Series: Second Season", I did a rewatch of all previous shows, in order they came out: "Bakemonogatari", "Nisemonogatari", "Nekomonogatari (Kuro)". First, it was a good thing I did it, because I really did miss two episodes in first season, because they were released as specials. And second, it really put me in the mood for fresh season.

The new season, "Monogatari Series: Second Season" consist of five arcs. Surprisingly, all these arcs deal with previous girls, while I expected introduction of new characters. But don't take me wrong - this is a superb show and there is no feel of recycling old themes. It's hard to write a one-paragraph blurb since all arcs are very different, but if you liked old seasons (especially if you like original "Bakemonogatari") you will love this one!

First arc came as a surprise. First, there is no Araragi - he is absent and is only mentioned. This means that we see story first time from other people's eyes and it give us a different perspective, especially on Senjougahara and Hanekawa. And Senjougahara is very funny here.

I was again reminded how this show greatly uses nonlinear storytelling. We see (or they are mentioned) a bunch of new characters and previous events that we know nothing about, but everybody talks about them as they were shown. And later when they really are displayed, they came out completely different that we expected. Like constant mentions of first meeting between Araragi and Shinobi (which should be shown in announced movie "Kizumonogatari"). Also, a lots of stories remain unresolved (I hope they are saving it for later). This first arc uses another dirty trick by those missing Black Hanekawa scenes - you will know what I am talking about, believe me.

Another trait of this season is that it the show lost much of it cuteness and became more morbid, serious and violent. It always did have these elements, but they were not so evident mixed with playfulness and fanservice. This is so evident that even the faces changed - Tsukihi is much more rugged than in "Nisemonogatari".

Second arc is good, but not as epic as other ones. I didn't expect a time-travel/zombies story - it didn't really fit in my idea of "Monogatari". But it was quite good in the end. I especially liked Oshino's letter to Araragi.

Next comes the third arc, with introduction of that ominous Oshino Ougi and with Sengoku Nadeko. I never liked her in previous shows, but I really didn't expect what happened here. It is another arc that is not told from Araragi's POV and where he is almost nonexistent.

Fourth arc is similar to second one - not so epic, but good in its own way. We learn much about Shinobu's past, which was a surprise to me. We also spent more time with two new characters. Well, Ononogi Yotsugi was introduced before, but only shortly. She was a great character in this season, especially with her strange ways of talking. The other one was Gaen Izuko - very mysterious characters who adds several layer of confusion to all that has happened. We will see more of the in the future, mark me. Also, this arc is a pretty sad one.

And then came the last arc, the masterpiece! It is told from point of view of Kaiki Deishuu! Yes, him. The one man I would never expect to told a story, especially concerning how he lies to everybody including himself. Add to that the fact that this arc is told in by-the-book noir style (including the raincoat), it is really something. I was swept with last two episodes (especially the cliffhanger in penultimate one).

It reveals some unexpected facts, about relationship between Senjougahara and Kaiki. I was surprised how Araragi was made to look like a child in last episode - let an adult resolve the situation! I later realized that this arc had not one ecchi or fanservice scene. Anyway, now they have to make a sequel, they can't be so cruel not to reveal further story.

Now, little bit about technical side. There are 26 episodes in this season, but episodes 6, 11 and 16 are just recaps, so feel free to skip them. The visual side of anime is on the standard level for this series, maybe somewhat darker and rugged. There are several OPs and EDs, of which I really liked only one. Be careful, because there is sometimes more story after ED and sometimes there isn't. Oh, and I didn't like the short haircuts.

Well, in the end, there is not much to say that I consider "Monogatari Series: Second Season" the best anime of 2013 (with "Shingeki no Kyojin" on second place). Even better than the original "Bakemonogatari"!

Anime review: "Sakamichi no Apollon"

"Sakamichi no Apollon" (or "Kids on the Slope") won several awards last year and it is a josei, so it was given that I would watch it sooner or later. It turned out it was later.

"Sakamichi no Apollon" tells the coming-of-age story of three friends: Kaour (Bon), a rich boy with no friends, due to his often transfers and movings; Sentarou (Sen), a troublemaker who often misses school; and Ritsuko (Richan), Sen's childhood friend whose father owns a music store. For some unknown reason, Sen takes liking on Bon and the two of them start hanging out at Richan's place, playing jazz sessions. Because actually, Sen is a passionate drummer, while Bon learned piano since childhood. The three of them live through first loves, occasional fights and jazz music.

This is a pretty short anime, with only 13 episodes, so there is no long story like in "Nana" or "Hachimitsu to Clover". But on the other side, plot sometimes skip months and in such way covers really much time. In the end, it covers their whole high-school. It made me surprised several times, like with that early confession - I didn't really expect it so soon. The beginning was also good and got me hooked immediately: light, with no real subject, but hinting at drama and future topic.

The anime covers an unusual epoch - the 50s in Japan. This is the first time I watched anime covering this period of time. There is an interesting sub-story of Jun'ichi and Jurika, including political activism, student riots and Japan's after War history. Music is an important part of this anime, but not the main topic - character's relationships are what this really is about.

It is really a coming-of-age anime and it has some good drama. Not the usual awkward moments you would expect: Bon always says wrong things instead what he really wants, but it is so with most people. Anime doesn't go in making extreme emotional reactions, but goes lightly about it.

The ending was very surprising. Josei anime usually have some kind of bitter-sweet ending, but this really took me by surprise.

The animation and design is good, but not something extraordinary. Voice acting was very good, though. I don't like jazz usually, but even I was able to enjoy the music here.

"Sakamichi no Apollon" is a short but very good josei anime. Not among the best of genre, but with good and likable characters, fast story and some really nice drama. A good anime for everybody who likes josei.

Anime review: "Hyouka"

Few weeks ago AnimeReactor Community Awards were finally out. Most of the anime I watch I find and pick by myself, but I always check this yearly selection in case I miss some (I usually do). For last year, "Hyouka" won in three categories: Character Development, Male Lead and Slice-of-Life. I noticed "Hyouka" before, but I looked like a typical school comedy, probably based on some dating-sim or video-game, so I decided to skip it. But winning three categories made me change my mind, especially in these few weeks without any expected anime out.

"Hyouka" had a pretty uninformative and general description. Oreki Hotarou has just entered high-school. He is almost typical boy, except for his philosophy - he is an "energy-saving boy" and his motto is: "If I don't have to do something, I won't, but if I have to, I'll do it quickly.". Meaning, he avoid any unnecessary effort and obligation, even though he is not lazy. According to his life-style, he would avoid joining any high-school clubs, because it would ask for additional effort, but he is forced by his older sister to join Classic Literature Club. There he meets Chitanda Eru, also from his year, who is a very curious and dynamic girl - his complete opposite. Later they are joined by Fukube Satoshi, Oreki's best-friend, and Ibara Mayaka, a friend from their junior-high school.

Plot of "Hyouka" stems from Chitanda's curiosity (her phrase is "I can't stop thinking about it") and Oreki's uncanny ability to connect seemingly uncorrelated facts into a theory or explanation. It turns out that Oreki is a natural born detective - when he can be coerced to leave his usual low-energy state. There is no overall plot in this anime, only a bunch of standalone episodes and three mini-arcs made of two or three episode. At the beginning, I was wondering why this anime got an award in Slice-of-Life category when it was clearly a detective anime, but toward end focus shifts more to characters and their daily life than to plot.

Also, a word of advice. This anime has a pretty slow introduction, so give it some time to really start. It you like it when it reaches Seikitani Jun arc, things go only better from that point on.

From my description, you probably understand that I liked this anime, although it doesn't sound like anything extraordinary. And this is true, this anime is not extraordinary - but it is very, very good in every aspect. There is no big story here, but each episode and few arcs are very interesting, even if you don't like detective stories (I don't, really). Characters don't stand out, especially at the beginning, but they grow more complex and life-like whole time during this show. Animation and design also don't look anything special at first glance, but as you watch it, you will realize that a major effort is put in details and that everything fits right. There is also some romance, some comedy and much of light humor. Looking back now, this anime is like normalized (in sense that both high and low extremes are flatted out) "Haruhi Suzumiya" show. And I think that fans of it will also like "Hyouka". Despite slow and unimpressive start, this show ends as one really good anime.

The show doesn't have many characters. Except four main, there are only some recurring supporting characters, but they are all made good. Again, I stress that this anime really deservedly won first place in Character Development category (as both jury and community pick). This is most evident in Oreki, who quite grows in self-confidence and gradually changes his life-style.

There are some unexpected quirks in this anime. First, you rarely see a minor getting drunk in anime (even when it is accidentally). Secondly, it is not common that boy is attracted to girl only psychically (at least at first), except in ecchi anime. It usually involves unrealistic romance (e.g. Harima and Tenma from "School Rumble").

The show has 22 episodes, and there is one OVA which is actually a normal standalone episode. As I said, visually anime doesn't look much, but quality is actually pretty high and it stays that way whole time. There is really much care put into details: clothes, furniture, surroundings... It is obvious that anime had pretty good production.

All in all, even not extraordinary, "Hyouka" is quietly great anime and I would recommend it to anybody who doesn't require action from anime their watch. It is interesting, sometimes mysterious, lively and fun all the way.

Anime review: "Nekomonogatari (Kuro)"

As I mention, I plan to watch few anime shows in next weeks. I wanted to watch "Nekomonogatari" since I've seen it on AniDB in December, and planned to watch it in between "Towers of Midnight" and "A Memory of Light". But when aMoL arrived, I was still at "The Gathering Storm", so it got delayed. But watched the anime this weekend, and its only flaw is that it has only 4 episodes.

"Nekomonogatari" follows the same principles as "Bakemonogatari" and "Nisemonogatari", a mix of fantasy, romance, Japanese mythology, ecchi and comedy. For those who didn't like "Nisemonogatari", but liked the original "Bakemonogatari", you will be happy, because NKMG (short for "Nekomonogatari") is much close to BMG that to NMG. So, after this hard sentence, let us continue with the review. NKMG was a New Year's special, and it has only 4 episodes - one arc.

It actually takes place immediately before NMG, but after the "Kizumonogatari", which will describe the actual beginning of series. The arc here deals with bakeneko (Monster-Cat) Oddity, and the female obsessed by it Hanekawa Tsubasa, best friend of main character Araragi Koyomi.

As you can surmise for last paragraph, this whole series is pretty non-linear. The particular "seasons" are linear, but they are pretty much mixed up. This may presents some difficulties to occasional viewer, but I find it very appealing.

The story itself is very interesting. Even though it deals with a topic usual for Japan mythology-based anime (bakeneko - I think this is third anime dealing with it), it is in no way dull or familiar. Especially when it is placed in "Bakemonogatari" setting. As usual, this means a lot of talking scenes and lots of flashbacks with no explanation. Ecchi element is much less expressed than in "Nisemonogatari", but it is present. I didn't expect such action scene at the end - but I liked it. There is a very dark streak in background, dealing with domestic violence, but this has always been a part of this series.

One of strongest points of "Nekomonogatari" (and other from this series) is beautiful art. Backgrounds are CGI, very nicely done, and characters are drawn, even better. I just love such bright and vibrant colors. The show also has very good sound effects.

"Nekomonogatari" is a great treat for fans of "Bakemonogatari" and a tease until we wait for "Bakemonogatari: Second Season", sometime later in this year. I really enjoyed there four episodes.

Anime review: "Nazo no Kanojo X"

I regularly (once a month or so) browse AniDB calendar to see prospective candidates for watching and add them to my wishlist. So when I need to pick some anime, I go to my wishlist, filter it to show only finished series and then choose one that looks the best. AniDB allows choosing a priority for watching, red, yellow and green, so I usually first add them as yellow and later upgrade or downgrade them depending on rates and reviews. Such was the case with "Nazo no Kanojo X" (or "Mysterious Girlfriend X"). I first added it, and them my interest started dropping when I saw the ugly front-cover picture and bad rates. But somehow reading the short reviews on its AniDB page persuaded me to give it a chance, since there wasn't any other series I was really interested in.

"Nazo no Kanojo X" starts... Well, both usually and strange. Main character is Tsubaki Akira, a normal second-year high-school boy. He is quite ordinary, without girlfriend, although he would like to have one. At the beginning of the second year, a new transfer student is introduced, Urabe Mikoto, and is placed on seat next to Tsubaki. He initially tries to be friendly to the new girl, but she turns out to be a strange and quiet loner, ignoring Tsubaki and literally everybody else in class, spending all free time sleeping at her seat. After the first shock, Tsubaki gets used to this and she just melts to the background of class. Until one day! Returning suddenly one day to the classroom, Tsubaki finds her sleeping later, and after waking her up, she notices a pool of drool left on her table. Tsubaki, being a horny teenage boy, disturbed by noticing how pretty actually Urabe is, decides to lick her drool. He feels shocked and ashamed by his behavior, but forgets about it soon. Next day he has a strange dream about her, and few days later he gets a fever and has to stay at home. He is surprised when Urabe visits him after school, uncovers his licking of her drool, and tells him that from now on he is addicted to her drool and that they now share a bond....

Well, this is not the strangest premise of romance anime I have ever heard. Just going through my list on AniDB ("Bakuman", "Itazura na Kiss", "Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou", "NHK ni Youkoso!"... And I will not even start with those based on dating-sims) reveals Japanese fondness of bizarre reasons for coupling two persons, but "Nazo no Kanojo X" definitely has one of the more nauseating - drool. But if you are not very squeamish, don't be thwarted by this seemingly disgusting premise, because "Nazo no Kanojo X" is one of better anime I have watched this year and is definitely underrated. Although this sounds like a recipe for ecchi anime, it is not: this is a seinen romantic comedy. There is some fan-service (panties shots, boing-boing), but nothing over the top; girls are sometimes shown naked, but their bodies are without features, only silhouettes. I just realized that this anime is very similar to "Nisemonogatari": even though there is a lot (and in "Nisemonogatari", a really lot) of sexual innuendo, this is not a primary point of this anime. If you are watching either of this anime for fan-service or arousal, you are completely missing their points. There is also a noticeable supernatural streak in here, although it is taken for granted. Any yes, the show justifies its name ("Mysterious Girlfriend"), because there is a lot to reveal yet about Urabe.

"Nazo no Kanojo" is definitely a seinen anime. Although there is a lot of blushing, nosebleeds, and drooling, as you could expect from anime romance comedy, it is the characters that make this a real seinen anime. By this I mean that they are not one-dimensional and perfect: they are bizarre, but they are also realistic. I know that this sounds like two opposites, but if you are a fan of anime, you know what I mean. For example, Harima from "School Rumble" if unrealistic idiot (I don't mean this derisive, he is one of my favorite character ever); Tsubaki on the other hand is quite realistic idiot. He is a naive/innocent/goffy like a teenage boy that he actually is. Urabe, who is on one side completely bizarre character, on the other hand is reasonable and multifaceted character, which is able to recognize the flaws in others and her, but she is also able to accept them as part of people. Tsubaki is the main character and we see the story mostly from his POV and hear his thoughts, but there is lots of Urabe POV's and inner observations. Both of them are strangely shy. Except them, there is only few other characters in series and they are the usual one-dimensional (but funny) anime characters.

Jokes in the anime are good, and they are not of laugh-out-loud type and more focus is put one romance than comedy. And of course, all is all mixed with this strange topic of sharing drool (and not by kissing).

At the beginning, I was almost put off be "old-school" design of characters, something that I connect with older anime like "Akira" or "Golden Boy", but I soon get used to it. "Nazo no Kanojo X" actually has a pretty good animation, design of characters and vivid colors, which is especially seen in Tsubaki's dreams, which are very imaginative and impressive. The show has pretty good sounds and background music. Two other things I appreciate: people wear different clothes and even though at first it looks like Tsubaki lives alone with his sister, it is later shown that this is not true. There are 13 episodes in series and there is an additional OVA, which is actually a regular episode. Manga is still on-going and I hope that there will be a second season some time in future.

In conclusion, "Nazo no Kanojo X" is definitely an underrated anime, but I can understand this because it belongs to not the most popular category and has an off-putting element. But if you are into more serious romance comedy (like "Lovely Complex" or "Bakemonogatari") and are not particularly nauseous, I would recommend not to skip this anime.

Manga review: "School Rumble"

After some two weeks of reading, I have finished with "School Rumble" manga. I have watched the anime adaptation several years ago - it was one of the first anime I watched, and I still consider it as one of my favorite anime. This actually applies for the first two seasons - third one was composed of two episodes and left a bad aftertaste. So I had some great expectations from this manga, but at the same time I was dreading it would leave prove my memories false and diminish my experience of "School Rumble".

I can't say that "School Rumble" has any real plot. It is a love-polygon slapstick comedy following member of one class during their second high-school year. Two main characters are Tsukamoto Tenma and Harima Kenji: Tenma is a childish, clueless and not so good looking girl, while Harima is notorious and one of the toughest delinquents around - and he is hopelessly in love in Tenma. But Tenma herself is in love with Karasuma, a strange and expressionless boy from their class. He lead us to the second level of main-characters, which include him, Suou (one of three Tenma's best friend, beautiful and popular), Sawachika (another of Tenma's best friends, half-Japanese, blonde and also beautiful), Takano (yet another of Tenma's best friends, capable and elegant), Hanai (class leader, all proper and strict, but altogether a good guy) and Yakumo (Tenma's younger sister, one of the most popular girls in school, shy and capable). I won't list more characters because I would need several pages to mention all few dozen of recurring characters...

Main topic of the first several volumes are Harima's efforts while he try to express his love to Tenmna, while Tenma tries the same to Karasuma. Later focus changes more to the Tenma's misunderstanding (and she is full of those) where she belives Harima in love with Suou, Sawachika, Yakumo, Itoko (their teacher but at the same time Harima's cousin), Tae (a girl Harima meet during one of his frequent giving ups of life). All, all this is crisscrossed with love-problems of other girls (which may or may not include Harima) and other characters, and with short gags. Structure of the manga is such that every now and then there is a longer arc which describe a typical event like trip to beach (where Sawachika will see Harima naked), school sport festival (where Sawachika and Harima will save the reputation of their class), school culture festival (where Harima will be found in bed with Yakumo) and so on....

As for characters, there is really bunch of them. Since this is a shounen slapstick comedy, one cannot expect any real depth and complexity of them, but you can expect much hilarity. They usually have few distinctive characteristics that are used to draw laughter: Imadori like breast and Dojibiron (something like Power Rangers); Hanai is proper but can be challenged to extreme actions; Tougo is all extreme, Sawachika is a typical rich Princess, but has a surprising gentle side, and so on.

Appeal of "School Rumble" is coming from play between rooting that a guy finally gets a girl and rooting against him because you know that it's funny and if he ever catches it, then everything is over. The trick is in doing this but keep the originality and not irritating the reader - and it can't be said that "School Rumble" always succeeds in this. There are irritating parts (for me, most of the Tenma-Karasuma thing was irritating), but I liked most of it. I didn't like "trip to England" arc and found it really not funny. Also, I kept hoping for a different ending - I would be more satisfied if mange ended one or few chapters earlier. There are lots of slapstick jokes, misunderstandings, puns - I would usually snort at least once during the better chapters. And Harima can always cause an outright laugh ("Miko-chan...").

The art in manga is not really impressive, and the color covers were especially poor. But for such manga where its strength is in gags and dialog this is not so important. Dialog is often nonsensical and plot inconsistent, but they are hilarious. I had few occasions that I really couldn't follow the plot, like there were pages missing, but they are not often. Also, I noticed few differences from anime: like missing the explanation why Harima is in love with Tenma, although there is one in anime.

I really liked "School Rumble" mange and had a very good time with it. But all in all, I wouldn't recommend it - I would recommend the anime adaptation, and only first two seasons ("School Rumble" and "School Rumble: Nii Gakki"). Anime perfectly filters only the best parts of mange (the most it), it has a better art and it gives characters voices. But if you have watched anime and now are wondering what mange is like - it is good.

Anime review: "Seitokai Yakuindomo"

After finishing "Daily Lives of High-School Boys" several weeks ago, I noticed several comments recommending "Seitokai Yakuindomo" to those who liked the former. They also warned that it was an anime with high amount of sexual jokes, some of them pretty heavy, so it was not appropriate for those easily offended. Since there are currently no other anime I have set my eyes upon (except "Hyouge Mono", but nobody is doing the translation!!!), I decided to give it a try.

Identically to "Daily Lives of High-School Boys", "Seitokai Yakuindomo" is anime composing of several scenes/sketches per episode, something apparently called 4-koma style. Here we follow Tsuda Takatoshi who is just entering a high-school. The school he picked (because it was closest) was until this year all-girls school, so he is one of few boys there. On the first day he is selected by a presumptuous President of Student Council to be a new member, which will define the rest of his first-year. The Council consists of three other girls: President Amakusa Shino (presumptuous and full of misconceptions about boys), Secretary Schichijou Aria (rich and ditzy, fond of perverted jokes) and Treasurer Hagimura Suzu (genius trapped in a child's body).

There is no real plot, but the show has some form of time-continuity, and we follow our characters in whole-years school events: exams, excursion, sport-festival, art-festival. There is also the unavoidable trip to beach with overnight stay at the hot-springs. The jokes are heavy (they include talks about sexual toys, extreme sex, bondage...), but they stay jokes - they are neither crass nor erotic. This is not ecchi anime, and there is almost none fanservices. The jokes cleverly originate between girl's misconceptions about teen boys (who are seen as masturbating perverted freaks), intentional shameless desire to make Tsuda uncomfortable (he is pretty normal - actually a bit too reserved for a rare boy in girl-school) and some originally perverted streaks of few characters (Shino is obsessed with bondage, Aria owns several vibrators...). But there is nothing explicit in this series, and most jokes are presented orally (no pun intended). Oh, yes, there is also a lot of slapstick and pun-based jokes.

Whether you will find these jokes funny depends mostly on yourself. I found jokes funny, but not much. I think that authors intended the jokes to be more shocking, so I you are not easily shocked by sexual content, these jokes lose much of their impact. Still, there are some genuinely funny jokes, and it is always funny to see Tsuda's antics focused on Shino.

Interesting, there is even some innocent romance in this series. I actually got warmed up to the characters toward the end. Except the main four characters, there are some half a dozen supporting characters, like Hata (member of newspaper club that likes to take improper pictures to sell them on the Internet), Igarashi (female member of Discipline Comity that is chronically scared of boys), Naruko (teacher attracted to younger males)...

The graphical side of the anime is not impressive. Design of characters is especially generic and bland, but I appreciate it that they are not in the school uniform all the time and possess more than one set of clothes. There is some nice OP and ED. Music in between is intentionally made sleazy. There are 12 episodes total, but there are two more sequels with few more OVAs.

But in the end, "Seitokai Yukaindomo" is not really an anime to recommend. There are funnier high-school comedies out there ("School Rumble" for example). And for the jokes the work you would have to be not easily offended, but easily shocked by the sexual content at the same time. But on the other hand, if you like high-school comedies and don't have anything other to watch, this is not a bad anime.

Anime review: "Daily Lives of High School Boys"

I am a little bit late with this post, for it was almost two weeks now since I have watched it. But I had a three-day trip to Germany, few days were spent on field, and so the time passed. It started to fade a bit, but good thing I have made notes.

Anyway, "Daily Lives of High School Boys" was a pleasant surprise. I didn't have any particular wish for watching this anime, but since there was not much out there to choose from and it had a fairly nice rating, I gave it a chance. It turns out that "Daily Lives of High School Boys" is a gag anime with no particular plot. Instead, it consists of several unconnected short "stories" in each episode, between four and eight. There is some timeline to it, but it is not relevant in any case. These short stories revolve around students of one class of all-boys high-school, plus several other boys and girls from other schools (so it is not solely about boys, contrary to the title). The cast is so pretty big, but the names are not really important, since it has different cast for most of the stories.

So, there is no plot, characters are unimportant, why would anybody watch this anime? Because if you are or ever were young, and especially if you are male, you will be able to relate with this anime and find yourself somewhere in it. This anime perfectly depict the mental state of high-schoolers: empty and sarcastic talk, worries about being cool, stupid ideas and wrong facts... But presented in such funny and lovable way. And jokes are just perfect: I watched this anime alone in my room, but kept giggling most of the time, and sometimes even laughing out loud. In spirit, this anime reminded me on "School Rumble", but without the romance part - there is absolutely no drama or angst in this anime. Another anime it reminded me of was "Lucky Star", just that this concentrate on boys and there is no moe.

Unfortunately, there are only 12 episodes. There is a mention of second season in anime, but no information about it on AniDB. Visuals are pretty good, voice acting great, and there is even some catchy music in it.

"Daily Lives of High School Boys" is probably the best gag anime I watched so far, and it is especially good for quick watch - stories last for few minutes each and you can stop whenever you want. If you have any fond memories of high school and like to watch comedies, just try watching the first episode. And remember, later ones are even better!

Anime review: "Nisemonogatari"

Huh, I just checked, it was more than two years since I have watched "Bakemonogatari". I thought I was last year... Anyway, "Bakemonogatari" - one of my favorite anime. I was, of course, thrilled when I read that a sequel, "Nisemonogatari", is coming out. But, recently, just few weeks ago, I read a discussion on AniDB where people compared BMG and NMG, and many complained that the latter was too much ecchi?!?! I didn't like this, but I hoped for the best.

Now, after finally watching "Nisemonogatari", I must say I that this is one strange anime, even stranger that "Bakemonogatari", and I am not sure I can express my opinion of it coherently. Actually, I am not really sure even what my full opinion is. But on the other hand, let it be noted that I enjoyed it very much and I gave it 9 out of 10 on AniDB.

Anyway, in topic there are no much differences between BMG and NMG. We still follow Araragi Koyomi helping different people (well, girls), overcome their problems connected to supernatural creatures from Japanese and other mythology. As before, this anime consist 95% of talking, whether in dialog or monolog. It is like BMG just took a hiatus from airing and now continued. It has two cases/stories, both involving Koyomi's sisters, Karen and Tsukihi. And this time, difference between real and fake makes a large deal. Thus the name: Bakemonogatari = Ghost Story; Nisemonogatari = Story about pretending (or something close).

As with BMG, where we were plunged into setting without much explanation who is who and what happened previously (and some things obviously did happen before), some events have happened between BMG and NBM that are often referenced but not really explained. Oshino is gone somewhere and Shinobu plays a much, much larger role (and a great one). From one side, I hate not knowing what is going on here, but on the other hand, I really like this way of delivering information - here are the references and you pick what you can. It really entices me to watch new sequels just to find more references, although I will probably end up with more questions than answers (kind of like "Malazan Book of the Fallen"). What I should have done was to watch BMG again before I started watching this sequel, although this is not guarantee that my sense of confusion would me weaker.

So, you are now probably wondering where the strange part is. Well, I am pretty much sure that "Bakemonogatari" didn't revolve around sex as much as "Nisemonogatari". And while my memory regarding this can be somewhat faulty, I am positive that it didn't include any incest. Well, this is not hentai and there is no real incest, but innuendo is quite strong. And not only incest, anime plays with other fetishes like lolicon and harem. There is also lots of fanservice. But all this doesn't feel like ecchi anime, but more like the anime mock it. I am not really sure how to explain this. Also, I presume that this all would sound strange to someone not into anime, so don't even try to tackle this anime if you are a beginner.

There are few things I would like to highlight. First, I would like to see more of Senjougahara. I found her character fascinating in first season - this time she felt much subdued. On the other hand, Shinobu, who played a marginal role in BMG, was the top character for me this time. And I especially liked the ending...

There is not really much I can say in conclusion. Even if you loved "Bakemonogatari", there is no guarantee that you will like "Nisemonogatari" (contrary is true - if you hated BMG, you will hate NMG, too). High quality is still here, just that it have taken some new, strange routes - only for those with acquired taste.

Some time later...

Well, it turns out I was wrong: there are people who hated BMG, and liked NMG. I just read the recommendations on AniDB page of "Nisemonogatari" and there are no two opinions alike. Some hate it because it's too much like BMG; others love it because of it. Some love it because it's not like BMG; others hate it because of it?! To some it's too ecchi, to other it's not enough... As I said, a strange anime.

Anime review: "Bakuman"

Today I finished watching "Bakuman". Most of the time I give myself a few days of rest before posting a review, but since I am still on vacation and have some free time on my hands, I decided to do it today.

"Bakuman" has been on my wish-list for some time now, based on its high marks, but only on moderate importance. I was feeling a kind of dread whenever I thought about watching it - just look at that image! Especially on the upper-left corner! Include to this words like "middle-school", "marriage", "becoming a mangaka" - how could this be a good anime? Well, it turned out that I was pretty much wrong and this is a great anime!

Mashiro Moritaka is a typical middle-school kid, moderately good student, but without any particular dream or purpose. One day he loses a notebook where has was secretly making drawings of Azuki Miho, a girl who he likes. After coming to school to retrieve it he is confronted by another kid from his class, Takagi Akito, who has found his notebook. On the basis of drawings from there, Takagi tries to force Mashiro to become his partner in drawing manga. Since Mashiro has some bad experience regarding manga (his uncle was an unsuccessful one and died from overexertion), he initially declines. But Takagi tries again, this time in front of Miho (who incidentally, aspires to become a voice-actor), and this time Mashiro accepts - but even more surprising, Mashiro proposes to Miho. Even more surprising, Miho accepts - to become married after they realize they dreams and she plays a role in anime made after his manga.

This anime combines some realistic approach and themes with ridiculous stuff typical for shounen anime - but in perfect combination. For example, the plot: basically, this is a show about two kids who aspire to become mangaka. I obviously can't know what really happens on a road to becoming one, and I presume there is much more than showed in here, but everything that was presented sounded logical and realistic. Our protagonists have troubles in coordinating school, working on manga and private lives; they have to fight prejudice for being too young for this enterprise; they have to deliver their mangas to editors, have to discuss it and remade it; these editors have their bosses to respond to, have to take care of things like pools, formats and schedules; and myriad other small things that make this (in my humble opinion) a realistic representation of young manga authors' life. On the other side, we have a such plot elements that can be found only in shounen anime: the reason why all this is happening is because a 15 year old kid wants to marry when he is 18 (!!); they have friendly rivals who will give everything they have to become mangaka; there is even a genius high-school mangaka who draws them like a machine... But even with all this simplifications and jokes, this anime's first and foremost subject is about what it takes to become a mangaka.

Characters are great, simply said. Mashiro and Takagi are obviously mostly developed, but most of other got a pretty good realization. Mashiro gets a bit more coverage, especially his inner thoughts, than Takagi, which is little unfair because they are both equally good characters. On the other hand, Takagi has an actual girlfriend, Miyoshi (Miho's best friend) - very normal and realistic relationship for a shounen anime. Mahsiro's and Miho's relationship is anything but normal and realistic - they exchange maybe three sentences in whole season - but this IS a shounen anime so there is no room for complaining - actually they move toward normal at the end. Niizuma Eiji (guy from the upper left part of the picture) is the before mentioned "high-school genius", but he is also very good characters - he grows, realizes mistakes, accept advice and so on. Hattori is another character that fooled me - considering his design I thought he will be one-shot character - is another good and fully-realized character - a grown-up editor in manga-magazine. There is another 10-15 named characters. Interesting and laudable is the fact that some characters come and go - for example Iwase has some importance in first part of the show when they are still in middle-school, but disappears later when they enter high-school.

All characters do a lot of growing up: they learn from their mistake, don't always act rashly, and think about past and future. This is to be expected, since show takes almost two years of their time. Another their property worth mentioning is that they are not frustrating, which is often occurring, especially in shounen romance anime.

Jokes are pretty good and I chuckled at loud at least once in every episode. Kudos for jokes where they make fun of themselves ("Doesn't anyone have a fiancée?")! Also there are lots of references to real-life manga and anime: "Dragon Ball", "Naruto", "Bleach", "One Piece"... Actually, a magazine where they are submitting their works is called "Weekly Shounen Jack", which is an obvious reference to "Weekly Shounen Jump".

One thing that got me confused was Miho's anime. If she works only as voice-actor, why does the character she gives voice to looks like her? I can't get it whether this is a mistake or only simplification...

From technical side, anime has 25 episodes, all original, no fillers or recaps. Animation and design is good, but nothing over-the-top. Characters wear different clothes (although restricted number of sets) - I always notice this and find it laudable where it is so. Music I didn't like much, but voice-acting was very good. I especially liked Takagi's voice (done by Hino Satoshi).

I am happy to say that "Bakuman" was a very pleasant surprise. It doesn't belong to the best anime ever, but it is very good and especially enjoyable. Recommendation too all, except to those who watch exclusively action anime. I just hope that next two seasons will be good as this one.

Anime review: "Kimi ni Todoke" 2nd season

Huh, I finished watching second season of "Kimi ni Todoke" before almost ten days now, but last week was quite hectic for me, so I didn't find time to write about. And things are already fading from my mind... Good things that I made some notes.

"Kimi ni Todoke" was one of my favorite anime of last year. It is shojo romance anime with many comedy elements, dealing with Kuronuma Sawako, nicknamed Sadako ("The Ring"), strange, but strong girl, whose shyness and quirkiness get her estranged from people. In first season she wins over some of her problems, getting several good friends. But focus of the series was on her relationship to Kazehaya, a boy from her class. Interesting was that she only regarded him as a friend at first, never realizing that they could be something more.

In this season, things continue directly after the first one. There is even episode zero that recaps a bit of events, so you won't have problems with remembering facts. Different from last season, biggest focus is put on Kuronuma-Kazehaya relationship and this is at the same time the biggest strong-point and biggest weakness of anime. Because, at least in first half, Kuronuma loses her voice every time she is near Kazehaya. Which means we have very slow (especially first two) episodes, full of long scenes where nothing happens. On the other hand, we have Kuronumas inner thoughts revealed in these scenes, so they are not boring. Just very infuriating, because you start to wish that she finally speaks something. Basically, things got reset back to starting point between them. Fortunately, events become much more interesting and faster pacing in later episodes. It got all elements of high-school anime, but they are all present nicely.

Characters are the same as in first anime, with exception of Kent, who is here to provide a counter to Kazehaya. Well, there is Kent's friend, but he only has few lines. As I said, most focus is put on Kurnouma and Kazeaya. I would wish that there were more parts with the rest of cast, because they were very interesting in first season. Here we have only one or two short scenes featuring Yoshida, while the private lives of the rest of the cast is ignored, which is a pity. Nevertheless, they are well features in show. Pin was especially good as comedy relief.

Visuals are good, although I think a bit weaker than in first season. I can't say anything good or bad about audio.

From one side, this season provides an almost definite ending. Things can always be continued, but they are concluded as it is by this ending. On the other hand, I see that manga is still ongoing. If they continue with adaptations to anime, I hope they will put more focus on side-characters.

Second season of "Kimi ni Todoke" is definitely weaker than first one, but it is still a very good watch. If you liked the first one, you will like the second one and will not be disappointed.

Movie review: "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows", part one

Last Saturday I went to movies with my girlfriend to watch "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows", first half of seventh book's movie adaptation. We both like Harry Potter books, but we are not really fans. I liked the fourth ("The Goblet of Fire") and the fifth ("The Order of Phoenix") book. Movies I liked all, except the last one ("The Half-Blood Prince"), but I did like the book. But the seventh book ("The Deathly Hallows"), I didn't like it at all. I read it only once (rest of books I read twice or more) and I don't plan to reread it. Not that I hate it, I just think it is weak and I am indifferent toward it. I don't think that previous books are fantasy masterpieces, but they were fun and interesting, which cannot be said of the last one.

On the other hand, I am happy to say that the movie is great. It lasts little less than two and a half hours. And of that, just a bit (some 15 minutes or so) is boring. I am talking about the part in woods. As I said, I read book only once and long ago, but I remember that being quite boring and much longer. In movie, they focused on interesting stuff and boring parts are elegantly (but not completely) avoided and reduced.

I have read few reviews where authors complain how movie would be confusing for people unfamiliar with the books. I don't see the problem with it: this movie is made for fans. You don't have to know the names of every character, curse and place, but a bit of familiarity with plot and characters is expected. This is the reason why I will not go in details on characters and plot; I will only try to relay my impression of the movie.

Movie does great in transferring the atmosphere to the audience. From the beginning it is filled with action, tension and depression. Things are not going well for our heroes and the times are dark; you can feel the stress and emotions of characters. On the other hand, there are lots of funny scenes and they are done very well. You don't feel stupid for laughing and humor is clever. Action scenes are intense and exciting but not too showy.

Good part of the movie is dedicated to emotional stress and the problem of accepting one's role. Harry is having problem with accepting his duty and the fact that people will get hurt in fight. I can't help myself and not to draw parallels to Rand's problems in "The Gathering Storm".

Regarding bad sides of the movie, I can't name one. Or better to say, flaws originate in the book, and they couldn't be totally avoided with greatly changing the conception of the movie. I think that stuff did a great job in focusing on brighter (in quality, not in context) parts of the book. Most flaws are connected to sudden and unbelievable plot elements.

I think that everyone who likes Harry Potter books or movie adaptations will like the first part of "The Deathly Hallows". So this is definitely a recommendation. I am looking forward to the last part, which is announced for July of next year.

Anime review: "Durarara!!"

I think I already said it, but I feel very lucky this year with the choice of the anime I have watched. "Bakemonogatari"  and "Kimi ni Todoke" are among my all-time favorites, while "Akagi", "Tatami Galaxy", "Paranoia Agent", "Paradise Kiss", "Mononoke" and last season of "Nodame Cantabile" were all a great watch. After watching "Durarara!!", I am of a mind to put this anime to first group. At least, it definitely belongs to at least the second group.

I didn't expect such an anime when I started with it. Quick glance on AniDB gave me impression of... I don't know, something wacky and typically shounen. Big reason for that is the picture on its profile. That ochre helmet looked like a some kind of crocodile. Anyway, a big mistake from my side!

"Durarara!!" is made by same author as "Baccano!", Narita Ryogho, which is evident from first episodes. Difference is that this is much lighter anime than "Baccano!", in a way that it is much easier to watch and follow the plot. Because of that, I think it will be accepted by wider audience than "Baccano!". On the other hand, don't think that this anime makes some compromises to be better liked by general public.

Due to originality of anime and it dependence on plot and characters, I can't describe it in details.

"A young boy from countryside Ryugamine Mikado comes to Tokyo to enter high-school. There he meets his childhood friend Kida Masaomi and both of them fall for beautiful and innocent schoolmate Sonohara Anri. Three of them will get involved in some strange occurrences and it will be revealed that each of them have their own secrets..."

You see, it sound like a generic description of at least dozens similar anime. But, in first episode we meet some of original characters, residents of Ikebukuro (where the anime takes place). Like Celty Sturluson, headless Irish fairy who works as courier on black-bike; Heiwajima Shizuo, debt collector with super-human strength and short temper; Orihara Izaya, shady and sadistic information dealer; Simon, Russian of African descent, working as a hawker for sushi-bar... Ikebukuro is plagued with color-gangs: juvenile gangs which differ by wearing different colors. There is also one colorless gang, with base on the Internet: the Dollars... There are many other characters and each one is original on its own way.

First part of show centers on introduction of characters, each episode focusing on one or two main characters. Later we have two story arcs: one centered on Celty's head, the other about Dollars vs. Golden Bandanas (one of the color gangs) conflict. Anime is based on light novels. There are eight of them so far, and anime adapts only first three, so we can expect more season of this fantastic anime.

What differentiates this anime from the other similar shows is that "Baccano!" feeling. There is action, there is laugh, there is anger... As I said, it is not intense as "Baccano!", but it's good enough. Connection with "Baccano!" is strengthened with cameo appearance of awesome comedy duo, Miria and Isaac.

Good as this anime is, there are some flaws. First episodes, the introduction are great. And so is the first story arc. But second story, about gang fighting is evidently weaker that the first one. Fortunately, great characters and romance aspect of the story saves it, at least for me. Next flaw, which is something I mind very much in longer seinen shows, is that characters are always in same clothes. Some people also objected the fact that unimportant people (people on streets, mostly) are drawn as gray people. For me, this was actually a plus.

From visual side, the show is looking nice, but nothing impressive. Animation slowly degrades during the show, which is mostly evident in design of characters (e.g. Horada), but that's not an important flaw for me. Opening and ending are nice enough songs, especially both openings. Voice-acting is also good, but as I mentioned, I usually don't notice it unless is pretty bad.

So, this is definitely a recommendation. Especially for "Baccano!" fans, but also for every other anime fan older than 15. For those interested, Crunchyroll offers free streaming of this show here.

Kimi ni Todoke - anime review

Welcome to the review of a new addition to the list of my favorite anime. As series was closing to finale, so was my fear that there will be no more sequels growing. Now I'm relieved, since nothing has resolved in the last episode. To be doubly sure, I checked Wikipedia and found that manga is still ongoing! I don't know how many volumes did the anime adaption covered, but at least I know that somewhere in the future a new season of this great anime is awaiting me.

 (source: AniDB)

First to state, this is a shoujo anime. This covers a lot of series, from heart-tearing drama like "Clannad" to slapstick comedy like "Ouran Koukou Host Club". Specifically, this is a romantic comedy shoujo anime, but with just a right ratio of romance and comedy. I would best compare it to "Lovely Complex", which has the same captivating combination. I've seen people compare it to "Kare Kano", but I didn't like that anime (irritating characters and worse quality), so I will not join them.

Main character is Kuronuma Sawako, a very (really, VERY) shy girl, who unfortunately reminds to Sadako (from horror movie "Ring"). She is also very good and considerate, so she doesn't mind to sacrifice her comfort for happiness of other people. This leaves her alone, with no friends, somewhere at the beginning of her first year in high school. Kazehaya Shouta is her opposite: very lively boy, always smiling and ready to help, adored by classmates of both sexes, constantly surrounded by friends. When he takes interest in Sawako, her life is about to change.

Let's not pretend naive: it is obviously that they will end up together. Already in first few episodes, it's indicated that they both have feelings for each other. Just to show how much Sawako is shy: she realizes that feelings she have for Kazehaya are actually romantic somewhere around half of the series. For Sawako, who never had friends, step from realizing that she likes someone in romantic way to actually doing something about it is a very long one. And Kazehaya, for all his friendliness, doesn't have much more experience in this field, so I think we can look forward to at least one more season before they end together.

This is a common story, used in many animes. But, what differentiates this anime from others with similar premise is that, not once during watching it, I haven't thought "IDIOTS! Why are you doing this?!?!". In most anime, you just know that when it comes to the critical scene, main characters will say or do just the most completely wrong thing he or she can. This doesn't happen here. Sawako, for all her shyness, is actually very brave and stubborn. For example, when in the beginning, she and Kazehaya are mistaken for a couple (because they were seen talking), she actually stands in front of her class and denies it, because she believes that is a right thing to do and that further misunderstanding would inconvenience Kazehaya.

Supporting cast is small, but very good: they are all real people, with their own lives. Ryu (silent and sleepy) is Kazehaya's friend, while Chizuru (a tomboy) and Ayane (a stylish girl dating an older guy) are Sawako's first ever friends. Of other character, I can mention Pin (yount teacher with planet-size ego) and Kurumi (girl version of Kazehaya). Except Pin (who is more of a comedy relief), none of this character is stereotypical. For example, Chizuru is interested in sports and winning and has a history of violence, but on the other hand, she is easily moved, ready to defend her friends and actually harbors a secret love.

From visual side: nothing to complain, but nothing to be impressed about. There are lots of chibi and super-deformed scenes, but I found them quite funny. From sound department, the same; except, I liked the voices. They are very appropriate and skillfully done. There are 25 episodes, one of which (16th) is a recap episode. Unfortunately, I didn't found any news about when the next season is planned.

Best recommendation that I can give to this anime is that whole time during watching it I kept smiling and laughing. This is a must for fans of romantic comedies, and a good watch for everybody else (except if you think that shoujo anime are only for little girls). For now, it is right next to "Lovely Complex" as my favorite romantic comedy, with potential to greatly overcome it (depending on the way in which is continued).

I already started reading "Shadow and Betrayal" by Daniel Abraham, so my next post is in due for week or probably two, depending on my free time.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Juuustu 2009 - anime review

"Suzumiya Haruhi no Juuutsu" or "Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" is anime that I watched this week. And I am currently very biased about it. Also, I plan to write about plot and characters a bit more detailed, so beware of spoilers. I don't plan to write any real spoilers, but I would recommend skipping this to last paragraph if you want to be surprised while watching this anime.

This is a 28 episodes version that aired last year. In year 2006, anime with same name (only difference is in "2009" addition in title of newer one) was aired, that consisted of first 14 episodes. I watched it sometime in 2007 and, like Claymore, it was one of my first anime. I remember that there was much flame and discussions about it, which I thought were irrational at the time. Now, some 150 anime later, I understand them much better. In short, people were arguing was this series uninspired and intended for masses, or was it actually a masterpiece of entertainment. At that time I was closer to second opinion, although I admitted that there were some flaws in it. Now I'm somewhere in the middle, maybe closing to first one.

Episodes were broadcasted in nonlinear fashion, which I didn't mind then, or now. Actually, I though it very clever then (one other series that used this trick was "Kara no Kyoukai"). But problem for me was that that I remembered first 14 episodes quite well, so there was no much suspense for me. And this is half of series! So jokes weren't funny as first time nor was I surprised with revelations in plot.

There are five main characters. Story is told from point of view of Kyon, a normal school boy (first year), although cynical and somewhat lethargic. Suzumiya Haruhi is his new classmate, an eccentric girl who is not satisfied with normal life and is only interested in aliens, time-travelers and espers. And, although she is not aware of that, she has an ability to alter reality (this is maybe not true, but watch anime if you want to understand it better). And to answer her wishes, there are Nagato Yuki (alien); Asahina Mikuru (time-traveler) and Koizumi Itsuki (esper). Haruhi is not aware of their real identities and think of them only as her schoolmates, but Kyon knows it.

Plot consist of several their adventures, connected to Haruhi's quirky wishes and changes to reality she purposelessly cause. Plot is nothing especially interesting or surprising, but it's not bad in any way. For me, most impressive part was eight episodes named "Endless eight". Our heroes are trapped in time-loop and this is represented with eight episodes that are different in only few words per episode and in different clothes (actually, there are few differences in first and last episode, but nevertheless...). Though, I found it unrealistic that all five of them have eight swimming suits!!

Characters are what should be the best point of this anime, but for me, they were also the reason why I am biased about it. Kyon is great character; his comments are always funny and sarcastic and he is very real character (like doubts he has about his feelings). Koizumi and Nagato are good characters, fitting to their roles. I liked Koizumi's speaches and explanations. Problems were Haruhi herself and Mikuru. Mikuru was too whinnying for my taste. I understand that she was intended to be like that, but it was too much for me. Her weak voice and constant whining were irritating for me. And Haruhi is terrible person, especially to Mikuru. Her lowest point (at least for me) was in episodes about making a movie. She is demanding, bossy and not at least concerned about feelings of other. And she gets no punishment for that, nor does she realize it. This was biggest objection for me. But, since there will be some sequels to it, maybe it will get corrected in future.

From technical side, only praises. Animation, design, colors and care for details are on high level. Sounds are good, voice-acting too. And there were few nice songs.

Now, about my recommendation. Anime itself is not great; I would judge it a slightly above average. If you are watching anime only occasionally, or like only one or two categories (and this is not one of them), I think you should skip this anime and found something you will like more (depending on your taste). But if you like anime in general and watching them systematically, this is one of must-see, at least to know what all the fuss about it. Or, at least watch earlier series with 14 episodes, then if you like it, watch other 14 episodes (just beware of order!). And then, if you liked it, watch Bakemonogatari, which I found much better!

Bakemonogatari, anime review

In last few days (mostly on last Sunday), I watched "Bakemonogatari", which translates as "Ghost Story", according to AniDB. It is a last year anime, with 15 episodes, although first 12 are broadcasted, and last three will be streamed. I watched 13 episodes; 14th was released just yesterday for Japan, so I will have to wait some time to watch last two. Just a note: this anime is currently in AniDB Top10!

(source: AniDB)

After first two or three episodes, I've got an impression of anime thematically somewhere between "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu" and "xxxHOLIC", but made in style of "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei". These anime are few of my favorites, although that doesn't guarantee that mix of them would be successful. In this case it was!!

We follow few days in life of Araragi Koyomi, who is a normal high-school boy (not completely normal, but he acts as one, anyway), who helps various girls to overcame their supernatural problems. This covers similarities to "Haruhi" and "xxxHOLIC". For likeness to "Sayonara...", anime is composed mostly of dialogs and monologues, with sudden cuts in scenes; design of characters is very similar between these two; and voice-actor is same for male-leads of both anime.

Plot and cases themselves are nothing amazing (girl got obsessed by evil spirits or cursed...); one thing that attracted me to this anime (same as to "Haruhi") is romance aspect of story. Of course, every girl protagonist has (at least it's suggested she has) romantic tendencies to main character (it would be too simple to call it a crush). And of course, we know that he likes only one girl (I still haven't watched longer version of "Haruhi", so I don't know how this was settled there, but here is different). All this sounds very naive and simplistic, but I think that in one of older post I already noted that I'm a sucker for romance.

Best episode for me so far was episode 12, where Araragi has a date with his girlfriend, Senjougahara (this is not a spoiler since there is not much of plot). Most of the episode consists of witty and provocative dialog between the two, with a love confession at the end.

From technical side, I already mentioned that series is made in style of "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei". I admired it much: nice, bright colors, many static images, unique characters (who often wear different clothes)... Sounds are also nice (I notice only bad SFX, or exceptionally good ones), music too; there are five opening and one ending song.

In general, I would recommend it to people who liked "Haruhi...", but also like a bit more adult anime. As I mentioned, dialogs are strongest part of this series (I had to rewind it few times to get it all right), so beware. I found it on Wikipedia that it is based on light novels, so I hope for more episodes in future.

Next, I will do a re-read of "The Black Jewels Trilogy" by Anne Bishop. I have an omnibus edition that I've read year or two ago and find it good. It will be interesting will I change my opinion after I read it again. Next post will probably be after first part of trilogy.