Since the last post, I've watched some more anime.
Nabari no OuThis show is about ninjas, but it reminded me more of Nana than Naruto (other than one stolen plot point; a plot point is also lifted from Fullmetal Alchemist). This is based on an allegedly
shonen manga, but the creator is a woman. I guess that explains why all the ninjas are so emo and depressed. Actually it was a pretty good show, but parts were pretty boring. The interpersonal relationships that gradually develop throughout the show were handled very well, but half the time the plot seemed to consist of "some character has disappeared so let's spend an episode looking for him" (then repeat with a different character, or the same one).
Slayers RevolutionI think I had seen this on Hulu before in dub form, but a big reason to watch Slayers is for Megu-chan's voice acting, so I'm glad it's now available with subtitles. I don't think I've watched Slayers since college, so I was impressed that this new show maintained the best elements of the old anime, basically continuing as if there hadn't been an 11-year break since the last series. It's very funny, and you have to pay attention because so many of the jokes and gags go by so quickly. I'm looking forward to the Evolution-R follow-up.
Lupin III vs Detective ConanEvery year there's a Lupin III TV special in Japan; this was the 2009 offering. I have a bunch of the specials either on DVD or in fansub form, but this is the only one I've watched so far. I'm a bigger fan of Lupin than of Conan (I much preferred
Kindaichi when I was in Japan), but I thought the special was handled well. The actual mystery wasn't that interesting, but the interaction between the famous thief and famous detective made it unique. I liked how the characters designs were completely different, and yet didn't seem that out of place together. I'd like to see more cross-over specials like this.
I also rewatched season 2 of Nodame Cantabile and the first 8 episodes of season 3. Nodame is easily in my all-time list of favorite anime. Actually, I was working on a top-10 list, and here's what I came up with (in alphabetical order):
- 3x3 Eyes
- Armor Hunter Mellowlink
- Berserk
- Gunsmith Cats
- Here Is Greenwood
- Kiki's Delivery Service
- Nodame Cantabile
- Outlaw Star
- Spirited Away
- Video Girl Ai
Looking at it now, I'm not sure I agree with everything. The first problem is I can't list every Ghibli movie without taking up the whole list, so I limited myself to two. If they ever finish Nana, it might bump either Mellowlink or Outlaw Star. There's also a ton of stuff not in there, like Cowboy Bebop, Kimagure Orange Road, and Marmalade Boy, just to name a few. As for manga, although the list is similar to the anime list (3x3 Eyes, Berserk, and Gunsmith Cats are top 5, and I haven't read the Nodame manga yet) I can
easily say
Video Girl Ai is the best manga I've ever read.
