This is part 2 of the first section, Anime, of the 2008 in Retrospect series, dealing with all the other series I did not cover in the first part. I missed out Niijuu Mensou no Musume in the first part, so I will take a look at it here as well, in addition to the remaining summer and fall series of 2008.
One of the underrated and overlooked series of spring 2008, Niijuu Mensou no Musume (The Daughter of Twenty Faces) is the only series that I still have not finished in the spring list. I am left with just the last episode, but I heard from people who already saw it that the last episode seems to be a new beginning, showing Chiko, our protagonist, as an adult.
Niijuu Mensou no Musume was great until after the first 6 episodes, and it gradually dwelled deeper into the mysteries hidden behind the war. It is a kind of post-World War II series, and there is quite a bit of science fiction built into it, but it was otherwise a fine show despite its foray into what seemed impossible. It is also the only series in which I will praise Hirano Aya for her work (as Chiko herself).
A 22-episode series that you might just like if you are into more serious shows, and it has quite a bit of good action and detective work built in, so do check it out. No rating has been given yet since I have not finished this, though I may just watch the raw just to end it.
Adapted from an eroge of the same name featuring the heroes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in female form, Koihime Musou was surprisingly entertaining as a light watch. It was not so much of a harem watch as to show off the girls of Koihime Musou, and it included some nice chibi funny scenes (that are reverted to adult form in the DVD releases) as well as fanservice (ecchi available in the DVD releases obviously). Other than for it being funny (and no they are all not in school uniforms unlike the picture), Koihime Musou may not be as entertaining for those who want a good plot or want to watch this other than for the fanservice and the girls. A short series complete with an OVA that was released later.
Koihime Musou received a 7 out of 10.
Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo
The Strange Cases of Yakushiji Ryoko follows, in just 12 episodes, several cases often dealing with the supernatural or the scientifically unbelievable from the aspect of Yakushiji’s assistant, Izumida Juunichiro. There is a huge problem though – Ryoko is a very selfish, high-and-mighty girl who has all the guts, skills and even beauty to back it up. She is a woman among women, and the biggest problem is how Izumida has no idea Ryoko has actually fallen for him.
This turned out to be a very interesting and good watch, the way they set up the action scenes, the voice acting, and the stories all combined to make it one of the better anime series of the year (but not as good as the top three) for me. I highly recommend this one; you will be surprised at the way Ryoko solves certain of her cases and her sometimes outright ridiculous/outrageous attempts. It has a French theme throughout; all episodes’ titles are in French, and so are the OST’s song names.
Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo received a score of 8 out of 10 (this is not accurately reflected in my ANN listing).
The final in the School Rumble series, these two episodes were extremely disappointing compared to the first season, and just disappointing compared to the second. They basically jumped right from where they left off in the second season (in the manga) straight to the end (School Rumble manga ended around this time). So we missed out on a lot, and there are probably no plans to bother continuing or even filling in the holes. It was otherwise a fine watch that brought the series to an end, but I could not help feeling left out.
Out of courtesy, it was given a 7.
Needless to say I was all over this when it first came out, having heard way beforehand of the boobs of Sekirei. The anime did not however exactly follow the manga, which I picked up not too long after I started the anime. As is usual with such adaptations, the manga was way better (and had more ecchi, though you could also find the ecchi in the DVD releases of the anime). The voice actresses were also changed in the original drama CD to newer ones.
Sekirei follows the life of a loser known as Sahashi Minato (as is typical of all harem series) who one days discovers that he is an Ashikabi, able to command Sekirei. The Sekirei are unknown beings, 108 of them (almost all girls) that are bonded to their Ashikabi and must fight with him in a game hosted by the MBI, who is led by a crazy and deluded fanatic. Lots of fanservice (especially in the DVD releases) as well as some comedy scenes, but not exactly something you want to watch if you are not into those. The plot in the anime also does not follow the manga exactly and looks a little weaker towards the end. There are hints towards a second season but no plans have yet been announced.
Sekirei achieved a 7 due to the lack of plot and the diversion from the manga’s storyline. Yes I am still following it, Sekirei is getting a little more exciting now.
World Destruction: Sekai Bokumetsu no Rokunin
World Destruction was radically different from its promo, which showed a story of good possibilities. Unfortunately it hardly went the way I expected or anticipated until the very end, which explained all of it up till that point. I just hate being led on a wrong line though, and the anime, though pretty much above average, was only funny at times throughout.
World D follows the journey of two humans on a planet that is covered in sand (they even have sand oceans); beastmen rule the world and discriminate against humans, though there are areas in which both co-exist peacefully. Morute is trying to find the Destruct Code, an object of legend that is said to be able to destroy the world and return everything to sand, for she seeks revenge against the world for the death of her younger brother, and Kylie is the unwilling accomplice in her journey. Yet the secret behind the Destruct Code may be more than either can bear…
The twist at the end was quite unexpected, but otherwise the anime did not receive any really large following. It received a score of 7. It is good for a side watch.
Adapted from a visual novel of the same name, Chaos;Head follows the delusions and life of Nishijou Takumi, who is truly the derogatory definition of an otaku, to the point where he even has delusions about his favorite anime/game female character come to life in his daily routine. Yet Nishijou is about to be plunged in a world from which there may be no return, for his delusions are getting wilder and he finds that he is unable to know what is true or false anymore…
I did not play the VN, but I found the anime to be severely disappointing. Takumi went from zero to hero way too fast, and the animation was, as expected, not as top-notch as compared to the VN, but still, it could have been better. Several highlights include the way they played around with people’s minds and also the way they portrayed recent (at the time) figures and other things like that, but otherwise, one would be way better off playing the VN for the story.
C;H only received a 6 out of 10, and I was being generous.
Y-Quartet is about 3 “youkai” (normally translated to spirits but in this sense it is more like a cross between a human and a spirit, maybe a monster in human form, but these are definitely not real monsters…) and a human, who fight and work together to protect a city built just for the youkai’s peaceful co-existence with humans. Yet their history will come back to haunt them in the form of a powerful youkai bent on infiltrating the city and disrupting the peace at any cost.
Y-Quartet was…average. It had average animation, typical characters, classic storyline of sorts. I was told the manga was way better. Otherwise, for a side show, and if you happen to be interested, Y-Quartet may yet be something you want to watch.
Yes it received 7. I should use a better rating system than ANN’s next time, like something on a scale of 100, which would make these ratings way more accurate. Bleh.
“Overall, Hyakko certainly was not what you might deem a “good” anime, but it more than served its purpose for those who catch on to its comedic side and like the girls’ antics and the way the characters are developed throughout the anime. Not meant for everyone indeed, this anime gets a ranking of about 7 out of 10, if I had to give an arbitrary score, overall.”
Full review here.
That ends the list of 2008 anime series that I wanted to cover in a summary, the last part of the anime section will deal with the three best anime series for me in 2008. Stay tuned.
Related posts:
Subscribe to the Deathseeker's RSS feed
All of these anime here were subpar, excluding Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo and Yozakura Quarted ’cause I haven’t seen them. I don’t think I really finished any of these, though I intend to give Nijiuu Mensou no Musume another try.
53RG10´s last blog…Fight Ippatsu Juuden-chan – The Problem is…