Life in Quadrant 4

artist: Tinkle

Totally got caught up in ECO that I forgot to type this up; I’m cramming all the anime I watched in the whole 2009 so this is probably the longest post I’ve ever done for the year, though it’s already 2010! (I’m sure it’s still 2009 somewhere).

And without further ado, hit the jump for the rest of the post:

Estimated time spent watching anime: Approx 341 hours

(shows marked with an asterisk denote that they aired only partially or not at all within the year)

I suppose you could just skip this and head straight down to my top 5 of 2009.  Or just read the massive wall of text.

Great shows:

*Ga-rei Zero: As I wrote in my 12 moments series of posts last year – pity I didn’t join in this time – the show starts with a bang and ends with one too. Damn good stuff.
*ARIA the ORIGINATION: Man, the last few episodes were really powerful, and I really felt this sense of loss when I realized that the show had finally ended. We need more things like this in the world.
*Kannagi: Though a lot of people didn’t like it for the sudden loldrama at the end of its run, we can’t discount just how enjoyable the show as a whole was. And Tomatsu Haruka’s voice acting was superb, and a great lead-in to her work in Polyphonica Crimson S (shame about that show thought)
*CLANNAD~after story~: Honestly, I STILL haven’t finished this damned show. It’s too depressing for me to watch, even though I know the ending will make me feel all warm and fuzzy. That doesn’t mean it’s not great however. It is, plot-wise, and KyoAni’s superb animation only helps to carry that all the more.
*Hidamari Sketch: Likewise, I still have yet to finish this. Went through it halfway, but I ended up putting it aside for a while. Maybe I’ll get back to it when I go on an acid trip. (not really)
*Hitohira: I don’t remember who recommended this, but it was a very charming little show that really pushes its characters forward. Lots of great characterization and development, and it’s relaxing to watch too. I keep stopping at the beach camp arc though.
Sora Kake Girl: Apparently, this was like Mai-Hime in space or whatever, except I never watched it so I don’t get the analogy! What I do know though, is that it’s a very entertaining watch. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and by god, no one dies. I think.
K-ON!: Moeblob show, but it’s a moeblob show done right. It hits all the right notes (pun intended) and it’s never a bore to watch. The drama moments feel slightly disjoint from the rest of the flow of the episode, even though it’s really how the manga goes. Weird.
Eden of the East: Damned good stuff. One thing I learned this year is how incredible Production IG is in making some really great shows – Eden of the East is a great show of just that. The first episode on its own is such a great reel that you can’t help but watch (their Johnnies).
Hayate no Gotoku! S2: Just right. A bit of a departure from the first season rife with references, and less focus on the plot. The second season sticks to the manga and lightens up on the random jokes, which is a good thing. It initially felt weird though, since there was such a huge shift in production quality, that I was thrown off for a while. Not that that’s a bad thing, of course.
Saki: Oh man, this made me get into actually playing Mahjong over the net for some time. I still do, on occasion – that’s how awesome and fun the whole show was. Really, if Gonzo did more shows like this and Strike Witches, they wouldn’t be in such a horrible financial situation right now.
Hatsukoi Limited: Hm, it’s almost like watching a number of interconnected short stories. On first loves. A lot of people (me included) compared it to KimiKiss, but honestly, this tops that. Completely.
Taishou Yakyuu Musume: Whoever reads this place on a semi-regular basis (who in their right mind would) would know that I’m a sucker for slice of life, and TYM does it well. With an ensemble cast even. It’s also a nice peek at a Japan’s history of women’s baseball. I think.
Bakemonogatari: Oh man, this show. So awesome. The source material, the direction, and the peak of it all – the dialogue. I could just watch any two characters of the show talking and already it would be interesting enough as it is. And let’s not forget Senjougahara Fascination; I’m sure many others were taken in by her too. I’m a Nadeko supporter, however! Go go Nadeko~
Sora no Manimani: A sleeper hit and a charming slice of life/comedy. Or perhaps comedy/slice of life. The two genres mesh so well together in here that it’s difficult to separate the two, or put one in front of the other. It’s a real pity that this slipped under the radar of a lot of bloggers, because this was and is a really, really good series.
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0: God this was depressing. Depressing as hell. But boy it was good. Bones knows how to make shows. After this and DtB, I’ve really looked up to them now.
Seitokai no Ichizon: Surprisingly, DEEN makes an adaptation that is better than mediocre! I thought they had no hope, after butchering Fate, Higurashi, and Umineko. I suppose maybe they just need to stay the hell away from serious stories. And CG dragons.
Sora no Otoshimono: I may get bashed for this, but Sora no Otoshimono is damned good. “But it has flying panties!” you may say, but the show does it all very well. Comedy is comedic, slice of life is nice and lifey, and serious moments are SRS, especially in the latter half of the show. Heck, the author, Minadzuki Suu, is the same person that penned Watashi no Messiah-sama, and well, that was one damned good series. I really wish that they didn’t go with such a short 13 episode run though, it’s left me wanting for more, and at the moment, only the manga can supply my fix.
Kimi ni Todoke: Really feel-good stuff, this show is. Perhaps the one thing that makes me smile so much is Sawako’s innocence; never does she assume that people are bad, or that they do bad things. I suppose it’s got something to do with her lack of self-esteem, but the way she’s so positive about everything around her just warms my heart.
Darker than BLACK S2: Man, this was not enough. Not enough at all. We need more now. But Hei should keep his face shaved at all times, and his hair trimmed and kempt. Otherwise, he looks evil.
*Kara no Kyoukai movies: This shit is cool. Period.
First Squad: The Moment of Truth: It’s an interesting take on the World War, and is presented in such a way that you’d almost think it’s real (I almost did). Plus Russian-dubbed anime is pretty rare and interesting in itself, though the VA’s weren’t very… “into it”?
Summer Wars: Every single one of the characters is likeable. Squeezing such a huge family into the span of two hours, you’d think a lot of them would be shoved aside, but as the climax proves, a family together is a real force to be reckoned with.

Good shows:

*Toaru Majutsu no Index: Too much exposition, which ultimately made the show kind of boring and full of random yak-yak instead of action. And Index gets shafted later on. Not too shabby a show though.
*Toradora!: It was good, but not that good. And apparently the episodes started fluctuating in quality later on.
*Spice and Wolf: Short arcs meant it had to be paced right, but it was not. Gotta love the Holo/Lawrence dynamic, however.
*HidaSketch x365: It doesn’t quite match up to the original, really. But I suppose that’s it. A fun show nonetheless.
*Xam’d: Very interesting, but sometimes I just Didn’t Get It. Your mileage may vary, I suppose. Still, it’s a very intriguing watch.
*Shigofumi: I’d kept watching, but it was just so damned depressing. Depressing is okay, but I can’t take it for the whole 25 minutes. Beneath that veneer is a gold mine though, which I really need to get to digging.
*Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: More of the same, I suppose. Not so bad, I guess.
*Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka: The only reason why this didn’t end up in great was that totally random ending. Everything had already pointed to a Yuuhi end, but they ended up turning the tables on the very last minute and gave everyone a happy incest end. (though I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that too)
Maria†Holic: An enjoyable watch, and Kobayashi Yuu always makes for a whacked-out, crazy as hell character. Not much actual rewatch value though, aside the laughs.
Asu no Yoichi: An inoffensive show. Nothing bad, nothing special. And nothing else.
RideBack: Initially enjoyable, but when everything started getting serious, the show just slowly sloped downhill from there.
White Album: I suppose I’m not rating this too badly because I didn’t realize how much of a dick Touya was until the second season. His character alone makes me rage at the show, actually. Unfaithful bastard.
Kemono no Souja Erin: I only had this for like one, two episodes, and then got dropped. It’s not bad per se, but it just didn’t suit my tastes.
Haruhi S2: Absolutely brilliant, had it not been for Endless Eight. That was – excuse the language – some of the dumbest fucking shit I have ever seen pulled off.
Valkyria Chronicles: It had great production values, but just not enough going for it to sustain my interest.
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~: Bee Train, in its quest for artfaggerjackery, totally ruins the ending of what could have otherwise been a great series by going against the canon ending by instead killing Reiji. Dumb move guys, dumb move.
Tears to Tiara: Superb production quality, but the whole show has this sort of dumbness to it, with lines like “Swords don’t lie!” and things like that. And it’s quite formulaic in its execution.
Shin Mazinger Z: First episode was filled with MEGA AWESOME GAR, but I ended up dropping it because I don’t like mecha in the first place. Whoops.
Sengoku Basara: More GUTS AND PASSION GAR, but for some reason I ended up dropping it anyway. I wonder why.
NEEDLESS: I thought it was absolute crap, but then around episode 5 it just turned into a show with lots of girls (with good character design). Fun for the entire family!
CANAAN: It’s like an thriller/action movie chopped up into a 13-episode series. Which sounds cool, except the pacing is godawful bad. By the time the episode ends you’re wanting more, but by the time the next one starts, you’ve already lost your drive.
Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: See Zoku SZS.
Princess Lover!: As with Asu no Yoichi, it’s an unoffensive show (asides the lolicon I suppose) and actually quite enjoyable if you get into it. Sadly, it won’t be anything more than that.
Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou: Though the premise was pretty interesting and the characters fun, it didn’t really seem to go anywhere with it. Too bad, since the cast was a fun bunch.
Spice and Wolf II: An improvement from the first season; there were only two main arcs, which let the story build up nicely and allowed the plot to get a foothold. In turn, the pacing was vastly improved, and the show as a whole felt very coherent. Not at all rushed or lacking.
GA -Geijutsuka Art Design Class-: Talk about a redundant title. It’s funny, but not really laugh-out-loud funny, but it has a certain cohesiveness that some other gag shows lack.
Nyan Koi!: A fun series with a well-rounded cast. Plus cats. Cats are cool. What definitely was not, however, was the ending, which was kind of cheap. I would’ve preferred a different way to end it, rather than the whole Junpei turning into a cat thing.
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun: Railgun eschews the exposition that plagued Index thankfully. Still, I can’t help but feel that there’s a certain (scientific) thing missing, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Cencoroll: An amateur production just about animated by a single person. It’s interesting on its own but it would have benefited from some further exposition, or more dialogue, because it has a very dry, rough-around-the-edges feel to it.
To Heart: Very retro. Very. But it tickles my interests because despite its eroge roots, it is firmly slice of life. At least, according to bluemist it is.

Okay shows:

Macademi WAsshoi!: Fun, cheap laughs. Lots of nakedness.
*Soukou no Strain: Beginning is really, really good, but plummets around halfway point (Lavinia filler episodes, especially).
Minami-ke Okaeri: Lost the charm that the original series had.
Hetalia Axis Powers: Cute, but kind of pointless. Good for a few laughs though.
KuroKami: An injustice to the manga.
Shoujo wo Miageru Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai: The only mediocre thing KyoAni’s put out in recent history.
Asura Cryin’: Totally lost interest. Not very good to begin with, now that I think about it. Seven Arcs should just get back to Nanoha already.
Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S: Bad budget, everything feels a bit dumb, but man Tomatsu Haruka’s voice acting is fun to listen to.
Tayutama -Kiss on my Deity-: Having played the game prior, I can’t help but make comparisons at every corner. All of which are in favor of the game.
Natsu no Arashi: As I mentioned earlier, I just can’t get along with the art direction. Nasty stuff, man.
07-Ghost: I thought it’d be even half-worth watching, but it was just full of pretty boys anyway.
Pandora Hearts: I blame my classmate for being such a rabid fangirl about this that I ended up hating the show. Alice is a great character though.
Shangri-La: Started off okay, but in typical Gonzo style, turned crap pretty quickly.
Ristorante Paradiso: I gave it a chance, but… no. Just… no.
Fight! Ippatsu Juuden-chan: Hm. Pissing your panties. Lovely. Not that bad though.
Umineko no Naku Koro ni: It’s watchable, but the typical DEEN massacre is all over the place. Some people noted that it wasn’t so bad, but… eh. They rode too much on the killer loli thing.
Kanamemo: Initially interesting, but the only fun thing that remained after a few episodes was loli-molesting.
Umi Monogatari: The characters really made a bad impression on me that I ended up dropping it posthaste. I think
Tatakau Shisho: The Book of Bantorra: The show is very disjoint and throws around a lot of events that seem to only forward the plot. And good heavens, the OP is by Ali Project.
Kampfer: More like Mein Kampfer. Character designs are very nice though!
White Album S2: Touya’s continuation of being a dick just irks me too much. Far too much.
Seiken no Blacksmith: It’s decent, but the katana fetishism really gets to you sometimes. I suppose if you ignore all the cliches and stuff, there’s nothing truly offensive, by my standards (they are low).
Shin Koihime Musou: Just random hijinks from our wonderful feminized ancient warriors of China! Maybe I should give this a second chance and see if it improves?
Kobato: I was kind of hyped to watch this because my old Newtype issues had the first serialization of the manga, but I was just disappointed.
Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu S2: Inoffensive, but mediocre, unlike say, Princess Lover!.
Trapeze: It’s like a series of short stories, except the way they’re presented in is annoyingly pretentious. Please don’t pretend to be Shinbo kthx.

Shit shows:
Akikan!
Queen’s Blade
Arad Senki ~Slap Up Party~
11eyes

Top 5 anime of 2009 (in no particular order because I will be lynched otherwise):

• Bakemonogatari
• Eden of the East
• Summer Wars
• Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
• Kimi ni Todoke

2009 Year in Review Posts to come: Anime Statistics, Expenditures

Edit: I may be getting air dates and stuff messed up; shows that aired before 2009 are marked as such… to the extent of my memory.