Current shows:
Clannad After Story - After Story takes place immediately after the first season but ends up focusing more on Nagisa's story arc. It actually develops quite far; to the point where Nagisa gives birth to her and Tomoya's daughter. Those familiar with the series aren't surprised by this, but I'm amazed at how fast the show got to that point. The middle of the season did move a bit slow, but the more recent episodes have kept my attention quite well. Most of it is because it has focused a lot on the extremely touching father-daughter relationship that takes place between Tomoya and Ushio. The first season is definitely superior entertainment-wise, but I've enjoyed the second season as well. I'm sad to see the series end, but there should be one more extra episode. Maybe they'll make a third season somehow, or some OWAs.
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Toradora! - I mentioned that my second favorite anime of the year was Toradora during my last anime post, but it has moved up to being my favorite. It turned out to be an incredibly addictive show. The characters are really deep and interesting. Toradora follows Ryuji who befriends a small female bully, Taiga. They end up trying to help each other start relationships with their crushes, but their own friendship ends up growing more. I highly suggest this show if you are into the high school/romantic comedy/slice-of-life style of anime.
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One Outs - This is a baseball anime about Toua Tokuchi, a gambler who also happens to be a great pitcher, who joins a professional baseball team. However, his contract differs from the usual in that he gets 5,000,000 yen for every out he pitches, but loses 50,000,000 yen for every run he gives up. The animation and dialogue are okay, but what really makes this show great are the inventive games. There's a lot of tricky techniques that Tokuchi brings into the game of baseball with his high-tuned gambling skills. The team that he plays on is always put in crazy situations and it's really fun to see how they're going to get out of it.
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White Album - This show is not about the Beatles CD. It centers around Tōya Fujī, a college student dating a rising idol singer named Yuki Morikawa. The show deals with the challenges to the couple's relationship from the other people at Fujī's college, Morikawa's work, and elsewhere. It is in no way a romantic comedy at all, but rather a romantic drama. It's like a daytime soap opera, but animated. The first part of the season was really intriguing and left me wanting more, but the latest episodes haven't been filled with too much content. I'll watch it until the end, but I wouldn't say that I've really enjoyed it.
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RideBack - I'm not into very many action genre animes, but every once in awhile, one will come along that grabs my attention. This season it's RideBack. I've also never enjoyed any mecha animes before, but this one is pretty cool. Ogata Rin used to be a female ballet dancer, but a small mistake discourages her from dancing anymore and she decides to focus on her studies. School doesn't keep her occupied for very long as she discovers a club that rides vehicles called "Ridebacks". If I had to describe what a rideback is, I would say it's a half-motorcycle, half-robot vehicle. But the two things that make this show great for me are the visuals (in delightful 720p) and the story. There's surprisingly not as much action as you would think in this anime, but it's okay because the story is engaging. I recommend it if you're looking for something a little quicker than any of the above.
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Asu no Yoichi! - This is a new show that I watched for a few episodes and ended up dropping. A boy swordsman, Yoichi, and his father live in the mountains and do intense training. Yoichi comes to the city to apply what he has learned and stay with his four beautiful cousins. A new more severe "training" regiment awaits him. The preview of this show grabbed my attention, but there's really nothing special about it. The animation is okay, the characters are vaguely interesting, and the story isn't very capturing. There's also a bit too much ecchi stuff for my tastes. I know some people who are happy with the series, but I'm not one of them.
Finished shows. (I just want to point out that "finished shows" doesn't mean that I've finished watching them. It just means that they are not shows that are currently airing in Japan like the shows above.):
Bokura ga Ita - Nanami Takahashi, a 15 year old high school student, falls in love with and begins dating the most popular guy in school, Motoharu Yano. However, their relationship is not easily maintainable. Yano's past, as well as the complex emotions they bring up, make it difficult to be completely honest about how he feels. This anime is a total teen drama, but I love it. The animation style is unique to anything else I've watched. Oddly enough, the characters actually look more Japanese. The story is really well-written. I also really like the voice acting in this one. I highly recommend it if you want a serious love story.
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ef - A Tale of Memories - I had always heard a lot about this show and a lot of people recommended it to me, and now I know why. The first season of ef is super artistic and uses lots of colors, shading, silhouettes, and transitions. It takes all my favorite elements of live-action cinematography and applies them to anime. It's really eye candy for me. The story ain't so bad either. It revolves around two male protagonists who each fall in love with a twin sister. One of the sisters was involved in a terrible car accident that permanently injured her eye, as well as caused anterograde amnesia (similar to the thing that Drew Barrymore's character had in 50 First Dates). I really like this show and highly suggest it as well.
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Minami-ke - "This story gives a straightforward account of the three Minami sisters' normal, everyday lives. Please have no expectations beyond that." That is how each and every episode opens and it's quite true. There is no real constant story in this show, but the comedy makes up for it completely. This is a slice-of-life comedy, and is one of the funnier animes I have watched. If you are looking for an anime with a good laugh, check this one out. No romance in this one.
Remember, you can always see what shows I'm watching by my small anime section on the right.
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