Post by Shades of Night on Dec 6, 2015 20:06:50 GMT
[/url]ThirdWizard
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 1053
Location: The Wired
2005 In Review
a collection of anime series aired in 2005
Well, 2005 is over, and even though the current season isn't done yet, I thought I'd take a look at what I saw in 2005 and give a rating. Hopefully a lot of these will get picked up by licenses for English (or your preferred language) distribution, because I liked them for the most part.
I've linked to ANN which gives a short blurb about each one with a rating based on popular vote, but I included a 1-5 scale of my own personal opinion of the shows.
Bleach: 5/5
Shonen, Action, Fantasy
Rumors abound of a bidding war going on for this one, much like Naruto, and I've got to say I believe them wholeheartedly. This is a great shounen action series. I think I've heard it called the next Inu Yasha, and that's pretty accurate. Think Inu Yasha with more style.
Blood+: 4/5
Action, Psychological
Finally the sequel to Blood: the Last Vampire is made, and it doesn't disappoint. It's still currently airing and I've heard its going to be a 40+ episode series. Full of intrigue and mystery, plus the killing of those creatures from the movie. It's still airing and is only in the teens right now, so expect a wait for it to cross the ocean, but it definitely will.
Ichigo 100%: 2/5
Shonen, Romance
I've only seen up to episode 12, but it appears to be your average high school harem anime, that is a single guy and lots of girls in the vein of Tehchi, Da Capo, or the many others in the genre. Nothing really makes it stand out too much, but it is a good watch if you like the genre, so if you like the genre, you will like this.
Monster: 5/5
Thriller, Psychological, Drama
If it were a scale of 1 to 100, this would still be a perfect score. It just doesn't get better than this. It's a Drama series that is just a perfect perfect piece. It's serious without getting too depressing, and it gives so many twists and turns that you'll be screaming to know the secrets behind the enigmatic characters of the series. A must see. (Fansubs still aren't done, so I want to see the end.)
Tide-Line Blue: 3/5
Military, Drama, Action
Even though its only a 13 episode series, it still has good character development and a plot that is very well done. I haven't seen the end yet, so I can't speak on that, but from what I've seen its a good show. It's sort of post-apocalyptic war, but about the characters and how they face the world as it has become.
My-HiME: 5/5
Shonen, Magical Girl, Drama
Why yes, I did just give a "magical girl" series a perfect score. It isn't your Sailor Moon fare, though, its your postmodernization of the magical girl genre, and if that isn't enough, it has fan service too! It's one of my favorites of the year, and a must buy for me now that it has been licensed (yay!!). The characters are great, the plot is outstanding... I just cannot say enough.
Tsubasa Chronicle: 4/5
Adventure, Fantasy
It's CLAMP. Do I have to continue? It's a companion to the XXHOLiC series (to be released in 2006 along with TC season 2), in which they take old CLAMP characters like Sakura from CCS and use the characters for a new story, although they aren't actually the old characters, they just look like them. Think of the characters as actors, and they're playing other parts and you'll get it.
Suzuka: 4/5
Romance, Sports, Drama
A lovely romance anime. It starts off a bit under cliche but falls into a few as it goes on, which is mainly what brings it down to a 4 instead of a 5. It's some very nicely done High School romance with enough twists to make it interesting.
Naruto: 1/5
Shonen, Adventure, Comedy
Don't be fooled! This is my rating for the 2005 season of Naruto, which by the whole sucked hardcore. The currently airing on Cartoon Network is from around 2002-2003 so its different and would get a higher rating. However, Naruto has been craptaculer ever since they went into filler, which will continue until April.
Tsukuyomi Moon Phase: 3/5
Supernatural, Romance, Comedy
Okay, I loved this one, but it isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's on the loli-con side, which is usually a turn-off for me, but its just so interesting that I couldn't stop watching. And then it hooked me.
Honey and Clover: 5/5
Romance, Slice of Life, Comedy
One of my favorites of the year, most definitely. Honey and Clover delivers an amazing story that takes place over a college career. It saddens me that it was 24 episodes instead of 26. Really. That's my worst gripe about the whole thing. It is beautiful.
Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan: 3/5
Comedy, Magical Girl
One of the few pure comedies of the year that I watched! Club to Death Angel Dokuro-chan is hillarious, at least if you like slapstick. Note the title? She clubs the main character to death a lot then brings him back. It isn't for the faint of heart. Plus the premise of the show is hilarious for most otaku, which I won't spoil.
Mai-Otome: 4/5
Magical Girl, Fantasy, Shonen
This is a sequel to Mai HiME that is an alternate universe with the same characters in different roles, much like Tsubasa except they all come from the same source. If Mai HiME had fan service, this one has a triple layer cheesecake with extra toppings piled on high. But, other than that it has an interesting story, especially when you get to see what they're doing with the beloved characters from HiME. Its still airing in the current season, though, so I'm still in the middle of it.
My top 5 of the year are probably:
1) Monster
2) Mai-HiME
3) Honey and Clover
4) Bleach
5) Blood+
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 10:12 am
[/url]
[/url]mynfel
Site Admin
Joined: 18 Jun 2005
Posts: 3352
Location: anywhere but here
Thanks for the awesome recap! I'd heard about a number of these but haven't had a chance to check them out. Definately will now tho.
_________________
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:56 pm
[/url] email removed [/url]
[/url]bluenail
Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 575
Location: Great White North
Wow, what a great list!
I gotta convince some store in town to start carrying anime...
*sighs*
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 3:11 pm
[/url] [/url]
[/url]Louvette
Joined: 27 Jun 2005
Posts: 566
Location: Sydney, Australia
Hmm. Interesting! I haven't watch any anime lately, and that's mainly because I don't know which are the good ones from the bad, so I'm glad you made this list ThirdWizard! I'll definitely get to watch some from the list, especially the top-rated ones
_________________
The Mistress of broody, shadowy, naked pixel hotties
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 5:50 pm
[/url] [/url]
[/url]Wintersinger
[/img]
Joined: 21 Jun 2005
Posts: 7812
Location: Canadian, eh.
Oooh! Also a very helpful list for someone who knows nothing about Anime, but is looking for a few good shows to start with...
Thanks T-Wiz!!
_________________
[/img]
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 9:38 pm
[/url]
[/url]ThirdWizard
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 1053
Location: The Wired
I'm glad people are interested.
Keep in mind that these are brand spanking new in Japan, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll see them released this year in America. Really, most are good enough that I'll be surprised if almost all of them aren't picked up very quickly.
Mai-HiME has already been licensed by Bandai, and it's going to be released in March. I've got a preorder from here! It even comes with a collector box and tee shirt! *glee*
FUNimation has licensed Tsubasa Chronicle and the XXXHOLiC/Tsubasa movie, so we should be seeing the series in R1 hopefully this summer! I would also be very surprised if they don't pick up the XXXHOLiC series and Tsubasa's 2nd season, so both of these should probably hit shelves late 2006 or early 2007 for an optimistic estimate.
FUNimation also got Tsukuyomi Moon Phase!
If you're interested in checking some of the ones out that aren't licensed, you can head over to Anime Suki to find links to fansubbed series. For example, I doubt Dokuro-chan is ever going to be licensed, and it will probably be a while before Blood+ will be picked up. Just remember to support the industry when the series you like are licensed by buying them.
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:00 am
[/url]
[/url]Jello Kitty
Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 937
Location: 10,000 paces weast
Thanks for the review! I'm always interested. Honey and Clover sounds very good, I'll be sure to check it out as soon as I can! Others as well.
Out of these I've seen Bleach, Naruto, Tsubasa Chronicle and the first episode of Monster. Here's what I thought of them:
Bleach 5/5. I'm a complete Bleach nut.. it's *awesome*. One of my favourite animes ever. Fighting for the best ever title with Naruto on my list. (Then again maybe I'll crown Azumanga Daioh the king.. ahahaha.. ok that was a bad pun, but seriously I'm totally in love with AD )
With Naruto being now just one filler after another I would still give it 2 or 3 out of 5... because the characters are still themselves and I love seeing them. I miss ero-sennin. T_T It breaks my heart to see Naruto like this, but I know it'll be worth 5/5 for me once the real story continues again.
Tsubasa Chronicle I thought was beautifully done, good story.. but if it wasn't for Fay, Kuro-poo and Mokona I wouldn't be so interested. I give it 3/5 because it's a little too slow paced for me and I just don't feel anything for the main couple. Still, it was worth watching because of the mentioned characters. Mekyo!
Monster looks VERY promising. Too soon to say much about the series, but the first episode was worth 5/5.
I'm looking forward to more reviews!
_________________
Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:24 pm
ThirdWizard
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 1053
Location: The Wired
Honey and Clover has finally made the Top 10 best rated anime at ANN. With 166 votes for Masterpiece, 76 for Excellent, 35 for Very Good, and a total of 43 for everything below that, you can see that people love it! A funny thing, a bit after I posted that review, someone finished fansubbing a H&C special. So happy! ^___^
Everything on that list is well worth seeing by the way, so if anyone has missed anything off of it, go for it! Especially Haibane Renmei. I can't recommend that one enough, even though its "only" the 10th most popular one.
Here are some anime that I want to watch, but haven't gotten around to yet:
Jigoku Shoujo
Mahou Shoujo Tai Arusu
Da Capo 2nd Season
Shuffle
Gunparade Orchestra
Ichigo Mashimaro
Amaenai de Yo!!
Emma
*sigh* There just aren't enough hours in the day.
Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 8:22 pm
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 1053
Location: The Wired
2005 In Review
a collection of anime series aired in 2005
Well, 2005 is over, and even though the current season isn't done yet, I thought I'd take a look at what I saw in 2005 and give a rating. Hopefully a lot of these will get picked up by licenses for English (or your preferred language) distribution, because I liked them for the most part.
I've linked to ANN which gives a short blurb about each one with a rating based on popular vote, but I included a 1-5 scale of my own personal opinion of the shows.
Bleach: 5/5
Shonen, Action, Fantasy
Rumors abound of a bidding war going on for this one, much like Naruto, and I've got to say I believe them wholeheartedly. This is a great shounen action series. I think I've heard it called the next Inu Yasha, and that's pretty accurate. Think Inu Yasha with more style.
Blood+: 4/5
Action, Psychological
Finally the sequel to Blood: the Last Vampire is made, and it doesn't disappoint. It's still currently airing and I've heard its going to be a 40+ episode series. Full of intrigue and mystery, plus the killing of those creatures from the movie. It's still airing and is only in the teens right now, so expect a wait for it to cross the ocean, but it definitely will.
Ichigo 100%: 2/5
Shonen, Romance
I've only seen up to episode 12, but it appears to be your average high school harem anime, that is a single guy and lots of girls in the vein of Tehchi, Da Capo, or the many others in the genre. Nothing really makes it stand out too much, but it is a good watch if you like the genre, so if you like the genre, you will like this.
Monster: 5/5
Thriller, Psychological, Drama
If it were a scale of 1 to 100, this would still be a perfect score. It just doesn't get better than this. It's a Drama series that is just a perfect perfect piece. It's serious without getting too depressing, and it gives so many twists and turns that you'll be screaming to know the secrets behind the enigmatic characters of the series. A must see. (Fansubs still aren't done, so I want to see the end.)
Tide-Line Blue: 3/5
Military, Drama, Action
Even though its only a 13 episode series, it still has good character development and a plot that is very well done. I haven't seen the end yet, so I can't speak on that, but from what I've seen its a good show. It's sort of post-apocalyptic war, but about the characters and how they face the world as it has become.
My-HiME: 5/5
Shonen, Magical Girl, Drama
Why yes, I did just give a "magical girl" series a perfect score. It isn't your Sailor Moon fare, though, its your postmodernization of the magical girl genre, and if that isn't enough, it has fan service too! It's one of my favorites of the year, and a must buy for me now that it has been licensed (yay!!). The characters are great, the plot is outstanding... I just cannot say enough.
Tsubasa Chronicle: 4/5
Adventure, Fantasy
It's CLAMP. Do I have to continue? It's a companion to the XXHOLiC series (to be released in 2006 along with TC season 2), in which they take old CLAMP characters like Sakura from CCS and use the characters for a new story, although they aren't actually the old characters, they just look like them. Think of the characters as actors, and they're playing other parts and you'll get it.
Suzuka: 4/5
Romance, Sports, Drama
A lovely romance anime. It starts off a bit under cliche but falls into a few as it goes on, which is mainly what brings it down to a 4 instead of a 5. It's some very nicely done High School romance with enough twists to make it interesting.
Naruto: 1/5
Shonen, Adventure, Comedy
Don't be fooled! This is my rating for the 2005 season of Naruto, which by the whole sucked hardcore. The currently airing on Cartoon Network is from around 2002-2003 so its different and would get a higher rating. However, Naruto has been craptaculer ever since they went into filler, which will continue until April.
Tsukuyomi Moon Phase: 3/5
Supernatural, Romance, Comedy
Okay, I loved this one, but it isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's on the loli-con side, which is usually a turn-off for me, but its just so interesting that I couldn't stop watching. And then it hooked me.
Honey and Clover: 5/5
Romance, Slice of Life, Comedy
One of my favorites of the year, most definitely. Honey and Clover delivers an amazing story that takes place over a college career. It saddens me that it was 24 episodes instead of 26. Really. That's my worst gripe about the whole thing. It is beautiful.
Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan: 3/5
Comedy, Magical Girl
One of the few pure comedies of the year that I watched! Club to Death Angel Dokuro-chan is hillarious, at least if you like slapstick. Note the title? She clubs the main character to death a lot then brings him back. It isn't for the faint of heart. Plus the premise of the show is hilarious for most otaku, which I won't spoil.
Mai-Otome: 4/5
Magical Girl, Fantasy, Shonen
This is a sequel to Mai HiME that is an alternate universe with the same characters in different roles, much like Tsubasa except they all come from the same source. If Mai HiME had fan service, this one has a triple layer cheesecake with extra toppings piled on high. But, other than that it has an interesting story, especially when you get to see what they're doing with the beloved characters from HiME. Its still airing in the current season, though, so I'm still in the middle of it.
My top 5 of the year are probably:
1) Monster
2) Mai-HiME
3) Honey and Clover
4) Bleach
5) Blood+
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 10:12 am
[/url]
[/url]mynfel
Site Admin
Joined: 18 Jun 2005
Posts: 3352
Location: anywhere but here
Thanks for the awesome recap! I'd heard about a number of these but haven't had a chance to check them out. Definately will now tho.
_________________
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:56 pm
[/url] email removed [/url]
[/url]bluenail
Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 575
Location: Great White North
Wow, what a great list!
I gotta convince some store in town to start carrying anime...
*sighs*
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 3:11 pm
[/url] [/url]
[/url]Louvette
Joined: 27 Jun 2005
Posts: 566
Location: Sydney, Australia
Hmm. Interesting! I haven't watch any anime lately, and that's mainly because I don't know which are the good ones from the bad, so I'm glad you made this list ThirdWizard! I'll definitely get to watch some from the list, especially the top-rated ones
_________________
The Mistress of broody, shadowy, naked pixel hotties
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 5:50 pm
[/url] [/url]
[/url]Wintersinger
[/img]
Joined: 21 Jun 2005
Posts: 7812
Location: Canadian, eh.
Oooh! Also a very helpful list for someone who knows nothing about Anime, but is looking for a few good shows to start with...
Thanks T-Wiz!!
_________________
[/img]
Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 9:38 pm
[/url]
[/url]ThirdWizard
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 1053
Location: The Wired
I'm glad people are interested.
Keep in mind that these are brand spanking new in Japan, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll see them released this year in America. Really, most are good enough that I'll be surprised if almost all of them aren't picked up very quickly.
Mai-HiME has already been licensed by Bandai, and it's going to be released in March. I've got a preorder from here! It even comes with a collector box and tee shirt! *glee*
FUNimation has licensed Tsubasa Chronicle and the XXXHOLiC/Tsubasa movie, so we should be seeing the series in R1 hopefully this summer! I would also be very surprised if they don't pick up the XXXHOLiC series and Tsubasa's 2nd season, so both of these should probably hit shelves late 2006 or early 2007 for an optimistic estimate.
FUNimation also got Tsukuyomi Moon Phase!
If you're interested in checking some of the ones out that aren't licensed, you can head over to Anime Suki to find links to fansubbed series. For example, I doubt Dokuro-chan is ever going to be licensed, and it will probably be a while before Blood+ will be picked up. Just remember to support the industry when the series you like are licensed by buying them.
Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 12:00 am
[/url]
[/url]Jello Kitty
Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 937
Location: 10,000 paces weast
Thanks for the review! I'm always interested. Honey and Clover sounds very good, I'll be sure to check it out as soon as I can! Others as well.
Out of these I've seen Bleach, Naruto, Tsubasa Chronicle and the first episode of Monster. Here's what I thought of them:
Bleach 5/5. I'm a complete Bleach nut.. it's *awesome*. One of my favourite animes ever. Fighting for the best ever title with Naruto on my list. (Then again maybe I'll crown Azumanga Daioh the king.. ahahaha.. ok that was a bad pun, but seriously I'm totally in love with AD )
With Naruto being now just one filler after another I would still give it 2 or 3 out of 5... because the characters are still themselves and I love seeing them. I miss ero-sennin. T_T It breaks my heart to see Naruto like this, but I know it'll be worth 5/5 for me once the real story continues again.
Tsubasa Chronicle I thought was beautifully done, good story.. but if it wasn't for Fay, Kuro-poo and Mokona I wouldn't be so interested. I give it 3/5 because it's a little too slow paced for me and I just don't feel anything for the main couple. Still, it was worth watching because of the mentioned characters. Mekyo!
Monster looks VERY promising. Too soon to say much about the series, but the first episode was worth 5/5.
I'm looking forward to more reviews!
_________________
Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:24 pm
ThirdWizard
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 1053
Location: The Wired
Honey and Clover has finally made the Top 10 best rated anime at ANN. With 166 votes for Masterpiece, 76 for Excellent, 35 for Very Good, and a total of 43 for everything below that, you can see that people love it! A funny thing, a bit after I posted that review, someone finished fansubbing a H&C special. So happy! ^___^
Everything on that list is well worth seeing by the way, so if anyone has missed anything off of it, go for it! Especially Haibane Renmei. I can't recommend that one enough, even though its "only" the 10th most popular one.
Here are some anime that I want to watch, but haven't gotten around to yet:
Jigoku Shoujo
Mahou Shoujo Tai Arusu
Da Capo 2nd Season
Shuffle
Gunparade Orchestra
Ichigo Mashimaro
Amaenai de Yo!!
Emma
*sigh* There just aren't enough hours in the day.
Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 8:22 pm