My 2011 Watch List

• 30-san no Hoken Taiiku
• A Channel
• Beelzebub
• Fractale (maybe)
• Hanasaku Iroha
• Hourou Musuko
• Kampfer Season 2 (but that means I gotta finish season one!)
• Mahou Shoujo Madoka*Magica
• Sekaiichi Hatsukoi
• Shouwa Monogatari (maybe)
• Yumeki Merry
• Ga-Rei Zero
• Antique Bakery
• FINALLY finish Hayate the Combat Butler!
• Whatever else I find interesting later

Number 9: Sasameki Koto

I think we all know how painful it can be to love someone who doesn't love you back. I certainly do, and I don't think I've ever seen an anime series that depicted the loneliness--and very rarely the joy--of one-sided love as well as the shojou ai* romcom Sasameki Koto did.

I began watching Sasameki Koto at the very beginning of the year, around the same time I started Junjou Romantica. I could not have picked a better first shojou ai series. Although it is basicly about the love between two girls, it is way lighter and more fun then some of the more dramatic shojou ai series out there, making it a perfect introduction to the genre.

Sumika Murasame is an intelegent, tough as nails highschooler with a big problem: she has fallen in love with another female, her best friend, Ushio Kazama. The problem isn't that Ushio doesn't like girls--in fact, she's absoluely crazy about them--the problem is that Ushio only likes "cute" girls. Small, weak, shy girls that one would feel compelled to protect. Sumika, being unusually tall and a martial arts expert, does not at all meet this description.

Sasameki Koto presented a very simple story, and was able to do a lot with it. Something different happened every episode, and they managed to bring in very satisfying romantic scenes and wonderful comedy without being too unrealistic. The only problem was that some episodes had no real significance, and could have been skipped over in order to make room for a decent ending. Note before you watch Sasameki Koto that the ending is very abrupt, and will probably leave you unsatisfied and thinking 'That's it?'

The characters made this series what it was. Each character was unique and quirky, and you pretty much had to love every one of them. We start out with the two mains, Sumika and Ushio, and their friend, the happy-go-lucky Kiyori. Later, we are introduced to Akemiya, a dorky boy with a huge crush on Sumika, Tomoe and Miyako, a lesbian couple who hopelessly attempt to start a school club for lesbian girls, and Aoi, a passionate fan of a series of yuri novels. The characters are all very well developed, and it's very entertaining to watch them in their everyday lives.

The main reason I love Sasameki Koto is that you can feel the characters emotions as if they are your own. There are several scenes in this series that will make one think "I've felt that way before." The series manages to perfectly execute the drama of one sided love without being melodramatic, and seeing as this is a Highschool story, this is a major accomplishment.

Number 10: Junjou Romantica

How the hell did I get wrapped up in Junjou Romantica? I will never really know. But one way or another, this series managed to gain a lot of my interest. Heck, I even got emotional at certain parts. I couldn't bring myself not to put Junjou Romantica on this list.

I started watching Junjou at the very beginning of the year. It was actually my very first (and so far only) shonene ai* series. I'll admit, however, that this was not a very good series to start with because...well...err...there was sex in nearly every episode. (not graphic, mostly implied) However, once I got used to those scenes, I was able to enjoy this series through all of its ups and downs.

There's not really a main story for Junjou. The series centers around three odd gay couples and their relationships. The main couple is Misaki and Usami. Misaki is the little brother of Takahiro, a man Usami was madly in love with. When Takahiro gets engaged, it almost seems as though Misaki has become his replacement. Despite his internal struggle, he can't seem to deny the fact that he just might be falling under the seductive Usami's spell.

Hiroki has been in love with Usami for several years. Apon discovering that Usami will never feel the same way, heartbroken Hiroki runs to the park to be alone. There, he meets Nowaki, a kind young man who has fallen for Hiroki at first sight. Hiroki tries to remain cool and nonchalant, as he usually is, but something in Nowaki brings out a side of Hiroki that he doesn't recognize, and certainly doesn't like.

35 year old Miyagi is Hiroki's coworker. He is recently divorced, and is going through a lot in his life. Things get much more complicated when his ex-wife's brother, 16 year old Shinobu, (umm big age difference much?) claims to be madly in love with him, and ends up living with him in his apartment.

So what's so special about these stories? To be honest, not very much. Every episode seemed to be basicly the same thing. There wasn't really anything original; anything we hadn't seen before. However, the way the stories are delivered somehow pulls you in. You don't really think about the lack of originality while you're watching Junjou Romantica. I give this series major props for so cleverly hiding these uninteresting storylines behind amazing delivery.

I felt like Hiroki, Nowaki, and Miyagi were the only three characters with any real depth. The rest of the cast, though entertaining, seemed rather generic and flat. Usagi was the steryotypical seme, Misaki, the classic uke*, and Shinobu...some kid trying to force himself onto a middle aged man. It's not that I really disliked any of the characters in this series--they were all very diverse and interesting--I just wish I had gotten to know them a little better. In the course of 26 episodes, (2 seasons, 13 episodes per season) I think they could have done much better.

The art was probably the weakest part of the series. I can honestly say nothing good about the art style. I constantly found myself confusing characters with other characters. There were literally only 3 hairstyles for male characters in this series, and 2 hairstyles for female characters. It felt like they picked a few hairstyles and faces, and tried some different combinations to come up with their characters. I know, it could be a lot worse, but the art was still pretty lame.

Now about the sexual content...like I said, it's mostly implied. You only see faces, hands, and sometimes upper bodies. The sex scenes in Junjou Romantica were actually very tasteful. You don't really see "sex" here. You see two men in love giving themselves to each other. The only problem I had with the sex scenes was that, although they were pretty at first, they got old very quickly. The sex was just excessive. As I said, they put one at the end of nearly every episode. Had they put only one every five or so episodes, it would have been easier to appreciate the beauty of these scenes.

So why did I like Junjou Romantica? Because, despite its many flaws, it has been the most passionate shonen ai series I have seen to date. I've realized that the reason I haven't had the desire to continue any of the other shonen ai series I have tried is because, on episode one, I always find myself thinking "Junjou Romantica was much better." So, for making me adore it for reason's I don't even understand, Junjou Romantica has stolen the number 10 spot on my list.

*Shonen Ai - centers around the love between two men

* In a Shonen Ai or Yaoi couple, the seme is the more dominant and seductive one, while the uke is the one who is seduced

Intro to My Top Ten of 2010

With the year coming to an end, I thought I'd reflect on all of the fantastic anime that I have seen in the past 365 days. Therefore, I give you my Top 10 of 2010. Here's how this is gonna work: starting with my number ten, I will post a review once a day (or rather whenever I get the chance) of an anime that I thought deserved a spot on my list.


Please note that not all of these series were released this year. 2010 is just the year I watched them. Also, some of these series are very difficult to properly review. I apologize in advance for any rambling or confusing content.

One more thing. I WANT YOU TO COMMENT! I'd really like to hear you guys' input on the subjects I write about. Do you disagree? Tell me why. Agree? Tell me what with. I really want to hear what you have to say.

Without further ado, I'm going to start working on my review for number ten. Stay tuned!

Anime Awards 2010 (For reals this time!)

Hello! So I kind of chickened out on this last time, but now that the new year is just around the corner, I'm gonna give it another shot. We are currently in the nominating stage of the 2010 anime awards. Please follow the rules below, and nominate your favorites for the ten listed categories. Thank you!

RULES:

- The anime must have been released in 2010. We will not be accepting OVAs, new seasons, or series that had been continued into 2010 from other years.

- You may nominate as much as you like for each category, but do not nominate two from the same series in the same category. For example, you could not nominate both Panty and Stocking for best leading female, as they are both from Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt.

- Be specific with openings and endings. When nominating one, please state the anime, the name of the song, and the author

Categories

Best Male Protagonist

Best Female Protagonist

Best Supporting Character

Best Couple

Best Comedy

Best Drama

Best Opening

Best Ending

Worst Series

Best series nominees will be determined based on the nominations from the other categories, and possibly what me and my group of critic friends decide (if they're willing to help out). Please vote now!