Probably should have posted something here sooner, but blarg I am late with mega posts, or something.
Anyways, back in August I got plunked down in a video room at a con for two days in order to make sure no one got rowdy or walked off with stuff they shouldn't. Oh, and also to make slight adjustments to schedule if the guy in charge fucked up scheduling or we hit something soul scarringly bad. Oddly enough, both came up. Anyways, just my thoughts on the first few episodes.
Emma - This is where I came in. Seems ok, a predictable enough romance that will inevitably involve two people from different classes finding a way to make their love work despite several comedic differences getting in the way. Nothing exciting, but not overly offensive.
Maburaho - Or whatever it's called. Something about a world where everyone can only use magic so many times, and this one guy who is otherwise useless has some famous magicians far back in his family tree, so every girl in the series throws themselves at him because his genes must obviously be keepers. Right. Moderatly amusing, and they do throw the guy the bone of being the most powerful mage around (in what, the second or third episode?), but this doesn't change the fact that 8 uses of magic at one use per episode means that this is either a really short series, or they break their rule somewhere.
Tide Line Blue - Heard a lot of good things about Blue Submarine, didn't expect something so... bland. Follow the adventures of a happy go lucky youth suddenly faced with big events and his own oddly important stature as he survives in the world following yet another mysterious disaster! On the one hand, there doesn't seem to be a villain outside of greedy politicians, americans, and polluters yet.
Mai-Hime - The first few episodes looked interesting, and I actually bothered to watch this one the whole way through. It actually reminds me a lot of Neon Genesis Evangelion in that it starts off with a nice mix of humour and drama, and generally looks like things won't be so bad. And then you get to the end of the series where the tone goes pitch black, and you get to see people break. And it is good. The only possible flaw is the last episode, as it seems to reset everything, unless you just consider the fact that the good guys lost, in which case it all makes a kind of twisted sense.
Mai-Otome - Erg... I am never going to be watching this. There's something about a setting where women are made strong, but that strength is then made to basically serve one person to the exclusion of all else is upsetting. Yes, I am aware that it's both genders that end up holding those leashes. But the implications are just not ones I'm comfortable with.
Code Geass - The bastard love child of Death Note and Gundam. And honestly, the worst of both. You've got Gundam's massive geopolitical ideological struggles along with Death Note's wacky supergenius with supernatural power with rules, and ignoring the characterisation that makes Gundam, and the cat and mouse chase that made Death Note worth reading. It's just a mess, especially when you get lame scenes like the shower one where you not only apparently have phones in the bathroom, but you're going to send a guy in to deliver towels while a girl is showering when there's at least two girls present, one of whom has a crush on the guy and thinks he may be interested in the chick that's showering and is jealous over that? And it only gets worse over time?! Ye gods this thing is bad. But, not as bad as...
Pani Poni Dash - Watched one episode. Seems to be trying to go the route of having semi-competant character tossed into situation they're not ready to deal with filled with anime archtypes with their quirk dial turned up BEYOND THE MAX!!! And I'm pretty sure that description sounds 10x better than the final result. Watched one episode and then (with mass public approval) moved on to School Rumble.
School Rumble - Is Awesome. Sure, it's a high school romantic comedy, but unlike most romantic comedies, it has romantic tension and humour. I mean, for starters, it's one of the few shows of any medium where I'm not sure that the male and female lead are bound to hook up. They not only have fun mocking all of their characters, but they also find fresh and interesting ways to subvert expectations. And, all of this is done with a surprisingly large and well fleshed out cast of secondary characters, so occasionally you can ignore the main cast and focus on humiliating entirely different people. As for the final episode, I'm still not entirely sure it actually happened, though there are two more seasons, so I'll make an effort to check those out when they're semi-available.
