Top 5 anime of 2010

Honestly, there were several excellent anime this year, which makes it kinda hard to pick just 5. But somehow, I was able to. On that note, here are my top 5 anime series of 2010:



5. Strike Witches 2.
I rather enjoyed the first season of Strike Witches. It was for that reason that I watched the second season, which, naturally, wasn't as good as the first one. But, on its own, it was very good, provided you've seen the first season. Otherwise, you'll be left wondering what the hell the characters are talking about.




4. K-ON!!
Like Strike Witches, I got a kick out of K-ON!. And like Strike Witches 2, K-ON!! was not quite as good as its predecessor. A decent show on its own, but hurt by dragging on too long. Despite not finishing it, I still enjoyed the first 14 episodes or so of K-ON!!, earning it the #4 spot on my countdown.






3. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Yeah, yeah. Technically, it's from 2009. But I'm sure most of us haven't seen it till recently, so I'm putting it in with 2010 anime. This movie really showed what Kyoto Animation is capable of when they put in the effort. The soundtrack is beautiful, as is the animation. However, I'm going to put my fanboyism aside for the time being, and give Disappearance the #3 spot on the countdown.





2. Invasion! Squid Girl

Remember when slice-of-life anime wasn't all cake and tea? Yeah, it's been a while since that kind of show came around, and frankly, I had missed it. Then a girl with blue tentacles for hair came ashore. In hindsight, I'd never become so attached to a show, to the point where playing the OP on my iPod depressed me. This show and the #1 show of 2010 are probably interchangeable, though.






1. Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

Easily the biggest surprise of fall 2010 season alone, never mind the whole year. An over-the-top parody of Western cartoons, drawn by the nutcases over at Studio GAINAX. Mind you, these are the same people that made Evangelion and Gurren Lagann. Every aspect of Western cartoons was parodied to seemingly no end. A lot of the humor was relatively character-driven, yet still fresh after the first 4 or 5 episodes. Orgasm of a soundtrack, too.



That's my top 5 of 2010. What's yours? Leave a comment to tell me!

Happy New Year!

2010 has come and passed. Another either wasted or well-spent, depending on how you look at it. We got K-ON!!, Disappearance, Squid Girl, and Panty & Stocking. What will 2011 bring us? I dunno, but I can't wait to find out! Can January 4th come any sooner?

Being the year of the rabbit, I think one of my favorite Touhou characters should get some love. As such, here's a few images of everyone's favorite rabbit.

Review: Dirty Pair Project Eden

Continuing my run of Dirty Pair OVA reviews, I have Project EDEN, which is technically a movie. Oh, and Project EDEN is the US name. It's just called "Dirty Pair" in Japan. I managed to pick up an ADV DVD, so I popped it into my computer and watched Project EDEN.

This was an excellent film on its own. The improved animation (Bear with me. This was made in 1987. The animation isn't gonna be perfect.) was a great point. The dialogue, however, is where the film falls short. The lines felt far too dramatic for the Dirty Pair franchise, and drama is not Dirty Pair's forte.

Another thing that I feel hurt the series was the soundtrack. While it was excellent on its own, it paled in comparison to the TV series. Even though a mere 2 years had passed since the 1985 TV series, the soundtrack, like the dialogue, felt far too serious for Dirty Pair

Sadly, the negatives far outweigh the positives here. Despite the occasional amusing scene, the movie was generally unfunny and excessively dramatic. I wouldn't say it's worse than Flight 005 Conspiracy, but it's certainly not as good as even Affair of Nolandia.


Project EDEN:

Plot Advancement: 4.5/5
Comedy: 1/5
Characters: 2.5/5
Sub-plots: 3.5/5

Overall: 3/5

Podcast Appearance

I am appearing on the 12/30 episode of Bakacast, courtesy of Project Haruhi, which I also write for. I will be discussing MM! and the rest of the fall 2010 season with the rest of the PH guys. There's a link to the site on the front page, and the podcast will be embedded into the blog.

Project Haruhi

A short technical notice

It has come to my attention that Stepping Up To The Anime Plate causes Google Chrome to lock up and crash. I decided to tweak the site, and found that it is Blogger's Javascript plugin that is causing the issue.

For best results, view Stepping Up To The Anime Plate in either Mozilla Firefox or Opera, as Chrome seems to have issues loaded embedded media. This technicality is beyond my control.

I deeply apologize for any inconveniences this has caused, and sincerely hope you will continue view Stepping Up To The Anime Plate.

UPDATE: I've removed all non-image embedded media from the site, so Chrome should load it just fine now.

Review: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica 1

It's no secret that I like magical girl shows. So when I saw such a show on the season chart, I was thrilled. That show is Puella Magi Madoka Magica. A story regarding a girl who can grant wishes through magic, it looks interesting on paper. Was it interesting in application?

Well, first impressions are important. The art style, which almost looks hand-sketched, was unique, in an age where computer-generated images are commonplace. The show doesn't appear to follow the standard magical girl formula, which is: Monster of the Week appears, magical girl transforms and fights it, friendship speech, happy end. Granted, it's the first episode, so I'm not expecting immediate action.

When you think of a magical girl show, a surreal opening scene rarely comes to mind. That was different with this series. Even though it was a dream, such a dark opening scene might turn genre fans off to the series. And while a unique style is good, I think the animation staff could have put a bit more effort into this episode.

I do have high expectations for my favorite genre of anime. As such, this episode didn't quite live up to those expectations. While the art was unique, it left a lot to be desired, as I couldn't feel much depth in the animation. The dialogue was okay, but the script writers could have done better. I'll keep watching, but if the overall quality of the episode does not improve, I may not finish this series.


Madoka Magica 1

Plot Advancement: N/A
Comedy: 2.5/5
Episode Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 3/5

Overall: 3/5

Review: Dirty Pair Flash 1-6 (Mission 1)

It's no secret that I'm a moderate Dirty Pair fan. But given the age of the series, finding it on physical media is tough. I was fortunate enough to come across Dirty Pair Flash Mission 1 on VHS, though.

Flash is a 1994 reboot of the Dirty Pair franchise, featuring alternate versions of Kei, Yuri, Mughi, and the 3WA. I'm personally not a big fan of reboots, but I was pleasantly surprised by Flash. The excellent animation and great voice-acting made up for the alternate personalities.

Mission 1 has the Lovely Angels chasing down a woman named Lady Flair, although she is not shown in the first 2 episodes. While different, Flair was a decent foe for Kei and Yuri, who, as always, have their own squabbles. Along the way, Kei quits the 3WA, but comes back later.

What set Flash apart from the 1985 TV series was the presence of a running plot, something the '85 series did not have. Across 6 episodes, Kei and Yuri hunt down Lady Flair and stop a madman from conquering the galaxy. A bit cliche, but add the Dirty Pair's destructive nature in, and you have a fresh story.

Overall, I enjoyed Mission 1 of Dirty Pair Flash. The quirky humor that I've come to expect from the franchise was present. While it had its flaws, they weren't big enough to detract from the series. Not a must-watch, but you'd be missing out as a fan of the franchise if you didn't.

Episode 1-6:

Plot Advancement: 4/5
Comedy: 1.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Episode Plot: 3.5/5

Overall: 3/5

Fall 2010 Season Review

I won't lie. I had really low expectations for this season after the crapfest known as Summer 2010. As such, I wasn't expecting much from the fall shows. Man, oh man. I would be proven wrong in a heartbeat. I ended up finishing 4 series this fall, out of 7 that I started. Not too bad, if I do say so myself.

It was certainly progressive, but I initially picked up a single show: Shinryaku! Ika Musume. I think I can safely say it was the best show of the season. The mix of gag comedy and heartwarming moments created a unique show, without creating extreme mood whiplash.



The other 2 shows I picked up shortly after starting Ika Musume were MM! and The World God Only Knows. I would be sorely disappointed by MM! in the end, but TWGOK was a unique show with a character-heavy plot. That is, it was divided into "character arcs" of 2 to 3 episodes each.

The last show I picked up, about halfway through the season, and finished was Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. This show was... unique, to say the least. The characters were bizarre, as was the premise: a sex-craving slut and a sugar-addicted goth loli come to the surface world to fight Ghosts. Did I mention that these two are angels?

As great as this season was, there were a few disappointments. One was My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute, or OreImo for short. A mid-season pick up, I enjoyed the show at first, before one of the characters started to get on my nerves. I ended up not finishing OreImo, dropping it after 10 episodes.

Another disappointment was the aforementioned MM!. A show about sadomasochism? Well, I like twisted humor, so sign me up! This was another show I enjoyed at first. Unfortunately, the show started to derail into a cliched romantic comedy, even putting in the Pocky kissing game.



There were 2 other show I started, but did not finish: Star Driver, and Princess Jellyfish. I didn't watch enough to really get interested, so I can't give an honest opinion here.

All in all, a great season. Winter looks to be pretty good. Expect reviews of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica throughout winter season, as well as a review of Dirty Pair Flash, when ever the last tape decides to come.

Review: MM! 12 + Overall thoughts

Well, this is it. The last episode of MM!. Fittingly, a Christmas episode. Will the series end with joy and cheer? Or will my disappointment continue?

We open with Tarou pulling a sleigh carrying Mio and several large Christmas trees. The plan: people write wishes on cards and hang them on the trees for God/Mio to grant. What's the date again? Last I checked, it's December, not July.

Two wishes in particular were addressed in the episode, both involving cafe work at rival locations, with Tarou as the prize for whichever camp does better. The plot was incredibly predictable from there, effectively destroying any hope I had left for the show. It de-evolved into a typical romantic comedy plotline, including the Pocky game.

My Christmas wish: Turn back time, take the budget from the last few episodes of MM!, and give it to Panty and Stocking. This show did not know when to quit, instead throwing the same stale jokes at me for 4 weeks. There was no hint of plot advancement, and even when there was character development, the show failed to build on it. The result of these flaws: a show that even a 5-year old couldn't enjoy.

Episode 12:

Plot Advancement: 1.5/5

Comedy: 1/5

Characters: .5/5

Episode Plot: 2/5

Episode Overall: 1.5/5

Series Overall:

Plot: 2.5/5

Comedy: 3.5/5

Characters: 3/5

Pacing: 1.5/5

Series Overall: 2.5/5

Review: Shinryaku! Ika Musume 12 + overall thoughts

To be honest, when I started watching Ika Musume, I heard a catchy OP. But I looked at the premise of the show, and immediately thought "Crap, this is gonna be another bland moe show." Boy, was I ever wrong. This show exceeded my expectations by several miles.

The final episode sees Ika doing 3 things, the first of which is entering a beach volleyball tournament. She wanted the shrimp to pop out of the screen, to be fair. Naturally, Ika's squid nature makes things anything but fair. The second part involved Ika not being able to move her tentacles. Shock therapy is needed. Who you gonna call? No, not the Ghostbusters. Sanae, of course! Buut it doesn't work. Ika's solution? Retreat to the sea for the time being. The third part is really just a continuation of the second part. Ika has not returned from the sea, and everyone is starting to worry. Suddenly... we find ourselves back at the opening scene of episode 1, except for a small difference... But in the end, everything went back to normal, as Ika got her squid abilities back.

As always, the comedy felt fresh, and the entire supporting cast was involved, which I greatly appreciated. And when I say "entire", I mean it. Literally all the characters were involved in the entire episode, included the creepy MIT grads. And, of course, the over-the-top finale to the final match was awesome. I felt my heartstrings being tugged at towards the end of the episode, but it was still pretty funny.

Being a gag show, I honestly felt that Ika Musume's comedy would run dry within 5 episodes. It had its issues at first, but it quickly addressed them. The comedy constantly changed, and, as a result, was incredibly fresh. After the first four episodes, the supporting cast was integrated a lot more. All in all, this was an excellent show.


Episode 12:

Plot Advancement/Ending: 4/5
Comedy: 3/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Episode Plot: 5/5

Episode 12 Overall: 4/5


Series Overall:

Plot: 3.5/5
Comedy: 4.5/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Pacing: 4/5

Series Overall: 4/5

Review: MM! 11

After last week's disappointment, I'm really hoping for an improvement this week. Surely, the writers have some new jokes in store? Surely, they've got some fantastic episode plot in store? They do, right? RIGHT?! Oh, who am I kidding? This show is starting to suck.

Tarou is suffering amnesia as a result of his repeated “treatments” at the hands of Mio Isurugi. As such, it's up to Yuuno to take care of Tarou till his memory comes back. At least, that's what I'm expecting, but perhaps the writers have a twist prepared? Yeah, right.

Sadly, by the eyecatch, I was already thoroughly disappointed, as the plot ended up being a typical amnesia plot. There weren't any twists in the episode, and the dialogue was incredibly predictable. Additionally, the ending didn't reel me in too well, giving us the stereotypical “shock therapy” cure.

When I watch an episode, I don't want to see a overused plot like this one. I want to see something at least mildly original. Even throwing a twist into said overused plot would make it interesting. But, no, the writers couldn't think of anything good, and decided to just run with the stale amnesia idea.

At a time when a show should have more effort put in, MM! is putting in less effort, giving us crap plots each week, filled with stale jokes and pointless violence. The tail end of the season should be epic, with major plot advancement, something MM! hasn't given us all season.

It's starting to feel like the writers are pulling these plots out of the “cliche” bin. That's making it very hard to look forward to the episode each week. Thankfully, there's only one episode left. I'll finish this one, but I'm starting to reconsider watching the OVAs next season, especially if this is what I'm going to get. I have the feeling it's going to be a very slow winter.

Plot Advancement: 1.5/5

Comedy: 1/5
Episode Plot: 2/5
Characters: 1.5/5

Overall: 1.5/5

Review: MM! 10

MM! never ceases to amaze me, with its continued creativity regarding the Second Volunteering Club's “activities”. As far as the plot was concerned, this week was... different. Would I see more character development, or would I see a return to the silly masochistic comedy? I kind of liked last week's episode...

After last week's character development episode involving Mio, I was left curious as to which way the writers would take the momentum. Unfortunately, disappointment would reign as I was subjected to an rather out-of-character Yuuno trying to be more sadistic than Mio, with little connection to last week's character development.

The episode opens with a stammering Yuuno making Tarou act like a dog, which I've already seen a million times in this season. Seeing Yuuno trying to be a sadist looked odd, felt odd, and struck me as an idea that was originally chopped, but salvaged for filler. All through the 25 minutes, many of the jokes fell flat, which raises concerns for the next two episodes. The two amusing parts were Yuuno's random mountain training, and the “Extreme S Competition”. We later discover that Yuuno's desire to be a sadist stemmed from jealousy during the last minute of last week.

Unfortunately, there weren't as many good points this week, if any. The comedy fell flat, the overall mood of the show felt harsher than usual. Even with the creativity put into the episode, the quality is starting to decline at a time when the quality should be improving. The supporting cast seemed thrown into the dialogue, and I didn't connect with the characters as much as I usually do. If any of the MM! Writers are reading this, I know you can do better than this.


Plot Advancement: 2/5
Comedy: 1/5
Characters: 2.5/5
Episode Plot: 1.5/5

Overall: 2/5

Just a quick note/plug

I will be appearing on the December 16th episode of the Otaku in Review podcast. I'll join the regular hosts and discuss MM!, as well as Panty and Stocking. Please tune in, or better yet, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, or at www.otakuinreview.com. Also, the MM! review will be a bit late this week, due in part to final exams and late subs.