Announcing, the winner of Moe, Moe, Moe!

Thank you all for voting in the 2010 Moe Moe Moe competition! The results are in! Dim the lights! Here we go...

And the winner of Moe Moe Moe 2010 is...

Kotomi Ichinose!

Congrats, Kotomi! You will be rewarded with the very first Lovely Ladies of Anime post. Everyone, please look forward to it. Again, thank you for voting!

Fall 2010 Evaluation

I do express most of the following opinions in my podcast with Freddy and Eric, but unfortunately I'm not as good with speaking as I am with writing. Therefore, I have listed below my true opinions of the Fall animes I've seen so far.

Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge

Why I was Interested : I absolutely loved Arakawa Under the Bridge season one, and was extremely excited when I heard about season 2.

Expectations: Very High

Episodes Seen: 1

Pros: The jokes were as solid as ever. This is one of the very few animes that can make me laugh out loud. (most of the time I only laugh on the inside and smile)

Cons: I was expecting them to step it up a bit since season 1 was so great, but there were bits that left me unsatisfied. There were also a few things that went completely unexplained.

Starting Rating: 7 (good)

Following?: Yes

Bakuman


Why I was interested: I had read the first couple of chapters of the manga and absolutely adored it

Expectations: Pretty high

Episodes Seen: 1

Pros: Very true to the manga. Develops its characters well.
Witty dialogue and original story. LOVE the main protagonist. A lot of people will be able to relate to him.

Cons: Although most scenes were pretty realistic, some were a bit forced. The leading female needs to be developed more. I don't get her. Art style on the characters was a bit strange

Starting Rating: 8 (great)

Following?: Yes

Kuragehime

Why I was interested: I'm a josei enthusiast. Only about eleven Josei series have been animated to date, so a new one is always exciting

Expectations: Very high

Episodes Seen: 1

Pros: These characters are fugly, but still extremely likeable. The opening is now easily my favorite. You do see that more realistic element that makes josei unique.

Cons: Where are they going to go with this? There's not that much to the story, and I'm curious to see how they're going to stretch this to eleven episodes.

Starting Rating: 8 (great)

Following?: Absolutely

MM!

Why I was Interested: The plot is so unique. I thought this would be pretty funny.

Expectations: Higher than low, but not super high

Episodes Seen: 2

Pros: The jokes hit, the characters are likeable, and the little plot twists here and there are very clever and unique. This series will give its viewers exactly what they watch it for.

Cons: In episode 2, they start getting more romantic and sentimental. This was a nice break from all the slapstick, but they can't push that envelope too often or this series will go downhill.

Starting Rating: 8 (great)

Following?: Absolutely

Ore Imo

Why I was Interested: I honestly have no idea...

Expectations: Low

Episodes Seen: First half of 1

Pros: His little sister is, indeed, cute. I like the relationship between the two, and the animation is pretty good.

Cons: I...just...freaking hate this series. There is nothing interesting to the story. It's a cliche'd peice of turd.

Final Rating: 4 (bad)

Following?: When hell freezes over...

Otome Yokai Zakuro

Why I was Interested: I thougt it would suck and wanted to laugh at it.

Expectations: Very low

Episodes Seen: most of 1

Pros: The blonde guy is pretty interesting. That's all.

Cons: When I saw the first seen, I thought this would be an action packed thriller. Then it turned into Ouran High School Host Club with soldiers and demons. This is one of the most generic peices of crap I have ever seen. Near the end, I was thinking, "If something interesting doesn't happen in the next ten seconds, I'm shutting thia off." Needless to say, I didn't finish the episode.

Starting Rating: 3 (very bad)

Following?: See answer for Ore Imo

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo

Why I was Interested: I saw the trailer, and I thought it would be a very good thriller.

Expectations: High

Episodes Seen: 1

Pros: I'm very interested in the characters, and I want to see where this story goes. Also...honestly...I find the leading female attractive...teehee

Cons: I think this series, or at least this episode, is a bit rushed. They're trying so hard to create this horror mystery that they leave out some very important elements. They need more detail.

Starting Rating: 6 (decent)

Following?: For now

SoreMachi

Why I was Interested: I watched the trailer, and the animation looked incredible. Also, it's a SHAFT comedy.

Expectations: Fairly high

Episodes Seen: 1

Pros: Fun characters, nice setting, and wonderful animation. Although not nearly as good as Arakawa Under the Bridge or Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei, this is definitely a work of comedic genius.

Cons: This series has potential to get boring if they don't step it up with each episode.

Starting Rating: 8 (great)

Following?: Yes

The World God Only Knows

Why I was interested: I had heard nothing but praise for the series.

Expectations: High

Episodes Seen: 1

Pros: A lighthearted comedy with a unique storyline. This series is pure fun, and the two mains are extremely likeable.

Cons: This series is leaning toward the generic shojou zone. They need to keep away from there if they want viewers to be satisfied.

Starting Rating: 8 (great)

Following?: Maybe

REVIEW: True Tears (13 episodes)

"The you within me is always crying. I have always wanted to wipe away your tears, but I cannot imagine the tenderness of wiping the tears from your face.” – Shinichiro Nakagami

I’ve actually just watched True Tears for the third time, (I have the DVDs) and my opinion on the series has varied with each viewing. The first time I saw it, I thought it was breathtaking and heartwarming. The second time, cheesy and forced. After watching it a third time, I realize that although this series is definitely not for everyone, it displays a very interesting mixture of dream and reality that you don’t find in a lot of anime.

Unfortunately, in the actual series, you only get to see Hiromi in a kimono

The story centers around high school student Shinichiro Nakagami, an aspiring artist who lives with his mother, his father, and the love of his life, Hiromi Yuasa, (left) who hasn’t shown much happiness since she came to live with Shinichiro and his family. Loving Hiromi, chasing his dream, and being pressured by his family is tearing Shinichiro apart inside. Everything changes when he meets Isurugi Noe, (center) a very odd girl who claims that she has “given her tears away.” She tells Shinichiro that she must collect someone else’s tears in order to be able to cry again, and he is, unfortunately, the prime candidate.

I feel like the entire storyline is a ton of metaphors thrown together. This is not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it a good thing. If anything, this series adds originality to every cliché you would expect from a romantic harem drama. There are certain things that go unexplained, and certain things that seem to be tossed into the story in hopes of intensifying the mood. But overall, the way it was presented worked very nicely.

The art, especially the scenery, was probably the best part of this entire series. It was wonderfully animated, and most of the facial expressions of the characters were quite realistic for an animated series. I can vividly remember almost all of the background art in this anime. The scenery was so detailed and well-drawn that it’s kind of hard to forget. The only problem I had as far as the art and animation was the excessive use of certain elements. There was a lot of fan service, (mostly from Hiromi) as well as an overuse of colored pencil freeze-frames and extreme close ups on people’s lips. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time it was just kind of distracting.

My favorite peice of background art in the series. This bamboo forest is so hauntingly beautiful

The characters in the series were very unrealistic, but in a way that makes you love every one of them. These are the kinds of people you only wish existed in real life, in that their emotions are more powerful than most people’s, and these emotions are outwardly expressed through their actions. Sometimes, however, the characters personalities did seem a bit forced. It often seemed like the writers were trying too hard to make us feel sympathy for the characters.

(left to right) Shinichiro, Noe, Hiromi, Aiko, and Miyokichi

The most well-done character by far was Isurugi Noe. Noe has a very childlike, free-spirited personality that’s pretty much irresistible. Not only is she a very likeable character, but she is probably one of the only characters, other than the protagonist, that we actually get to watch grow from the beginning of the series to the end.

Not gonna lie...I find her attractive

I think you have to be a certain type of person to really enjoy this series. The main flaw in this series overall is that it was very, very cheesy. Therefore, in order to enjoy this series, you must be able to overcome the cheese. You have to be the kind of person who can relate to the characters, understand the metaphors, and apply the messages the anime portrays to your own life. If you’re not the kind of person who connects to the shows you watch, this series is not for you.

True Tears is definitely something special. It's a lovely drama about about the struggles that a lot of teenagers have to face. This series can either be viewed as a powerful love story, or a melodramatic high school series. If you look past the all its flaws, True Tears can be viewed as one of the most unique dramatic harems to date.

Story: 6 (decent)
Art: 8 (great)
Characters: 8 (great)
Enjoyment: 7 (good)

Opening - Reflectia by Eufonius: 7 (good)

Ending - Sekai no Namida by Aira Yuki: 6 (decent)

Overall Rating: 7 (good)

Moe Moe Moe!: Your Finalists

First off, I would like to apoligize that these results were about 2 or 3 weeks late. My school's computer had blocked blogger and I just haven't found the time to blog until now.

But FINALLY, the results are in! These are your three finalists! The girl with the most votes byyt the end of the week will be our winner, and will be the subject of the first "Lovely Ladies of Anime" bit. Please vote for the one girl you want to win. Thank you all for participating!

Alice Carrol

Kotomi Ichinose

Misaki Nakahara

MOE MOE MOE!!! - Semi Finals

I've decided to do something just a little bit different this time. Based on your previous votes, I have chosen the 5 girls with the most potential to win. These are your semi-finalists! The two (or more if tied) girls with the highest number of votes by Monday will be your finalists. Please vote for two now!

Alice Carrol (Aria the Animation)

Chiaki Minami (Minami-Ke)

Kotomi Ichinose (Clannad)

Misaki Nakahara (Welcome to the NHK!)

Moka Akashiya (Rosario + Vampire)

MOE MOE MOE! (Top 8)

Erm...unfortunately the lowest number of votes was a tie between Koume and Azmaria Hendric. Therefore, we had to eliminate them both. There was supposed to be a top nine this week, but we had to skip straight to top eight. Please pick your three favorites from the list below.

Alice Carrol

Chiaki Minami

Isumi Saginomiya

Kagura

Kotomi Ichinose

Koyomi Morishita

Misaki Nakahara

Moka Akashiya

MOE MOE MOE! (Top Ten)

Wow! That was fast. The results are in! Thanks to everyone for voting. Here are your top ten. Please vote for four girls. Voting ends Tuesday of next week. Thank you! ^_^

Alice Carrol

Azmaria Hendric

Chiaki Minami

Isumi Saginomiya

Kagura

Kotomi Ichinose

Koyomi Morishita

Misaki Nakahara

Moka Akashiya

Koume