Since I have only gotten around to doing a single First Impressions post, here are the rest of my first impressions put together in concise form.

The series I look forward to watching each week the most are listed first, and it goes down from there.

• Amagami SS+ plus — First Impressions post can be found here. (Rating: Great)
• Ano Natsu de Matteru — One of my favorites from this season. Even though the story has quite a few similarities to Onegai Teacher, I think it is easily the superior series. The first few episodes already demonstrate the complexity underlying this romantic comedy. (Rating: Great)
• Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai! — Raising 3 kids as a single college student is not a simple feat. (Rating: Very Good)
• Nisemonogatari — The sequel to Bakemonogatari. Koyomi certainly has a lot of female friends. (Rating: Great)

• Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou — I didn’t think the daily lives of 3 high school boys would be so hilarious. (Rating: Great)
• Mouretsu Pirates — I love the futuristic space travel setting. The technology shown in the series is impressive. (Rating: Very Good)
• Rinne no Lagrange — The super energetic Madoka is what pulls this series forward. (Rating: Good)
• Another — Just when I thought there wasn’t enough horror in it, gruesome deaths happen. (Rating: Good)

• Senki Zesshou Symphogear — The concert scene in the first episode is very impressive. Other than that, I dislike Hibiki’s personality. (Rating: Good)
• Area no Kishi — This series must have a record for how fast tragedy strikes the main character. A good adaptation of the soccer manga. (Rating: Good)
• Recorder to Randoseru — If each episode wasn’t only 3 minutes long… (Rating: Good)
• Brave 10 — The action scenes were pretty impressive. (Rating: Good)
• Inu x Boku SS — I didn’t expect the supernatural to play such a large part in this series. (Rating: Good)
• Aquarion Evol — I think I would appreciate this series more if I had seen the prequel.
• New Prince of Tennis — Every time I see their special tennis moves, I can’t help but think of how absurd they are. (Rating: Decent)
• Highschool DxD — Despite all the ecchi and nudity, the story is actually somewhat decent. (Rating: Decent)
• Kill Me Baby — Eh, I don’t find the humor in this to be funny. (Rating: Mediocre)

The Winter 2011 Anime Season is here with a whole slew of new series to watch, with my favorite so far being Amagami SS+ plus.

The format is similar to the first season except with only 2 episodes per heroine. Since it starts with Ayatsuji Tsukasa’s arc, I’m assuming the arc order from season 1 is reversed, which means it’ll end with Morishima Haruka’s arc.

These short arcs take place after the 4-episode arcs in the previous season. So in the first episode, Tsukasa has already been going out with Junichi for a few weeks. I actually prefer these continuation stories since too many romance series end right after a couple is formed.

For some reason, it appears I never wrote a Final Impressions post for Amagami SS. I would rate it now at “Great” or maybe even “Excellent” because of its innovative format that flows just right. Amagami SS+ plus continues on with all the aspects that made the first season a joy to watch.

Rating: Great

Although I didn’t do a First Impressions post for Working’!!, I feel it deserves mentioning.

The core formula remains the same in the second season with the same cast of characters and only a few new faces. My thoughts about the first season over a year ago still remains mostly true when applied to this season.

Inami’s relationship with Takanashi was the central focus for a few episodes, so it really feels like they’re pushing for that pairing. I found the episodes showing Takanashi’s household to be the most interesting since it gives a break from seeing Wagnaria all the time.

The only disappointment I had was the lack of Matsumoto during most of the series. When she was introduced in the final episode of the first season, I expected she would play a larger role in the future. However, even though you catch the occasional glimpse of her working diligently, she does not get scenes with dialogue until the final episode. Save the best for last I guess, but I do like how smoothly they integrate her into the final episode. All her interactions with her co-workers gives off the impression that she’s been watching their antics the entire time and putting up with it.

Rating: Great

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (also known as Haganai) was one of the three series I watched every week without exception.

The characters are the strong point of the show. From the clashes between Yozora and Sena to Rika’s outbursts, all their personalities mesh well together. They always talk and act as if none of them have any friends, but I can’t wait to see when they admit that they are already good friends with one another.

The ending was somewhat anti-climatic. When Kodaka finally realizes who Yozora is, she wants him to treat her as if they did not previously know each other. A bit disappointing considering the substantial amount of screen time spent exploring their past history together. I guess I was just expecting something more to end the season on.

Hopefully there will be multiple seasons since I can easily see it going on for a while, and I want to see who wins between Yozora and Sena.

Rating: Great

One thing I always look for in a visual novel adaptation is an ending where the main guy pairs up with a girl. Those open-ended non-endings where there’s a clueless guy surrounded by a harem are not to my liking.

When I first started Mashiro-iro Symphony, I expected Shingo to go with Airi since she seemed like the main female character. However, after a few more episodes things started pointing towards Sana before it was finally obvious that Miu had won.

The series did a really good job hinting at a potential pairing and then quickly switching it up. I initially thought Airi would be the one since he even took a bath with her, but I guess he’s just that dense. Then things were going well for Sana until Miu came out of nowhere.

I would have liked to see him end up with Sana, but this isn’t the Amagami SS anime where each girl gets an ending.

Rating: Very Good

Once again in the interest of time, here are the rest of my first impressions on the series I’ve started watching this season.

• Guilty Crown — One of the better shows this season. Interesting enough premise, lots of action, and crisp visuals. The only downside is having to put up with Shu’s teenage angst moments. On a somewhat related note, during my trip in Japan there was an exhibit for Guilty Crown in Nakano Broadway showcasing art from the first two episodes. No photos were allowed, but I did purchase an art book and some goodies. (Rating: Good)
• C3 — The first few episodes makes it seem like another cookie cutter high school-themed series, but things get serious and dark rapidly afterward with some pretty intense battle scenes that I was not expecting at all. (Rating: Decent)
• Hunter x Hunter (2011) — If you haven’t seen the original Hunter x Hunter, simply watch this remake. It’s the same fun story filled with adventure and friendship. (Rating: Great)
• Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon — I’ve only seen the first episode, which was filled with randomness. I heard it gets somewhat better though. (Rating: Mediocre)
• Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! — A random story filled with fighting and fan service that revolves around a harem. (Rating: Mediocre)

• UN-GO — A detective story with some supernatural elements mixed in. The cases are actually interesting, which is a relief after the disappointing ones featured in Kamisama no Memochou. (Rating: Good)
• Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle — A bit too shounen for my tastes. It feels like I’m watching Yu-Gi-Oh! except with battles between puzzle creators and solvers. (Rating: Mediocre)
• Kimi to Boku — I haven’t watched that many episodes, but so far it’s a relaxing slice-of-life series focused on a group of male leads. (Rating: Decent)
• Maken-Ki! — A high school fighting series filled with fan service. It would be better if the main character wasn’t such a wimp most of the time. (Rating: Mediocre)
• Persona 4 The Animation — Just like what happened with the game…I never got around to watching even one episode of this. >_<
• Shakugan no Shana III (Final) — I passed on this for now since I want to watch the second season before starting the final one.
• Mirai Nikki (2011) — Looks really good, but I haven’t gotten around to starting it yet.
• Mobile Suit Gundam AGE — I can’t believe they decided to make this after Gundam 00. It’s nowhere as good and instead feels like a subpar copy of Gundam Seed targeted towards young children. The entire concept of the AGE system is also questionable. (Rating: Mediocre)

For some reason, I was under the impression that Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam was going to be a movie after hearing about it premiering at this year’s Anime Expo. Since I was busy most of the time manning the Figure Haven booth, I was unable to attend the premiere.

When I later realized that it was going to be an actual series, I was overjoyed!

Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam takes place 2 years after the conclusion of Last Exile. The original series aired over 8 years ago and was one of my favorites that first got me into watching anime. Even though the sequel is watchable without any prior knowledge, I still highly recommend watching the first one beforehand.

One of the first things you notice when watching is the superb animation quality. From aerial battles between fleets of battleships to watching a lone vanship (a small aircraft) fly in the open sky, it is all very impressive and helps to immerse the viewer into a world filled with conflict and strife.

Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam follows two sky pirates named Fam and Giselle as they fly the skies in the midst of ongoing wars between various nations. Characters from the first series also make reappearances, which is something I always like to see. If Fate/Zero wasn’t airing right now, this would probably be my top pick for this season.

Rating: Excellent

Mashiro-iro Symphony is surprisingly good considering its visual novel origins.

I’m usually hesitant about these adaptations since I’ve seen many turn out poorly, but this one nails it.

The premise is nothing out of the ordinary:

One day, Shingo’s school combines with a girls’ school. As a specially selected student, Shingo temporarily joins the girls’ school until they officially consolidate. He meets various unique girls there, but they all dislike male students. To improve their relationship, Shingo works hard, and…

What makes it special is the atmosphere. Everything flows more slowly and it gives you a feeling of calmness, which is something you don’t usually find in a high school harem series. I also found the characters to be believable (for the most part), and the development of their relationships to be quite interesting.

Since I’m already over halfway through the series (7 out of 12 episodes), I’m confident the rest of Mashiro-iro Symphony won’t disappoint.

Rating: Very Good

After reading Ben-To‘s ridiculous premise, I dismissed it as a series I would potentially follow.

Nevertheless, I always give all anime a chance by watching a few episodes to see how it really is. Ben-To is one of those series where I’m glad I did.

The story is about a high school boy stumbling into an ongoing war for half-priced bento boxes when he tries to purchase one at a grocery store. In this “war”, the last ones standing after they compete in chaotic physical combat are the ones that end up with the bentos.

Seeing how the participants all looked like your average office worker or student, it reminded me of Fight Club since the bento war could be viewed as an underground fighting club. Even though it all sounds pretty random, Ben-To was actually quite entertaining to watch.

Rating: Good

Another good series this season is Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai.

The general premise is that a transfer student named Kodaka and his classmate Yozora both have difficulty in making new friends, so they decide to make a club for people like themselves. Then they can all learn how to build friendships and bond with one another through group activities. At least that’s the idea.

After watching the first episode, I think the series has a Haruhi feel to it. Both are based around a club that does seemingly random stuff and both are led by strong female leads. Then throw in the same character design style as Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko and you have yourself a masterpiece. There’s something about this style that makes it both unique and appealing; it must be the slightly colored lips you don’t usually see in anime.

I’m already looking forward to the future clashes between Yozora and Sena, with Kodaka caught in the midst of everything.

Rating: Great