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Wow, the first month of 2010 was busy for me which left me little time to sleep let alone breath or watch on the new season. Finally I have managed to escape from the smaller than usual stack of new series to provide you with a cheat sheet to point you away from the duds.

For those who haven’t hung out on the site around these magical times of the year here’s the rundown: Every three months I scramble to watch the first three episodes of as many new series as possible and share my initial thoughts. It’s at that point that I decide if a series is worth watching (The Good), worth watching occasionally or is something I might pick up later (The OK) and the ones that made me want to hit myself with blunt objects to make it stop (The Unwatchable). Sadly there were only a few particular stand outs as the first season of 2010 started us off with a big batch of average. Luckily for viewers the ones that do stand out from the others will be talked about for months to come.

The Good

Durarara
Premiered: 1/7
Available on Crunchyroll
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “Baccano, only less confusing.”

Where I Ended: Sharing a lot of the same crew, Durarara comes across early as a less confusing Baccano. Taking all the best elements of one series and giving it a new modern setting, Durarara does a great job of creating solid story hooks and unique storytelling to create early momentum. It seems as though this is the series that fans are jumping on in droves this season and after three episodes it’s easy to see why. Not everyone is going to get into the format or characters but it’s still going to be hard for anyone who watches this series to say ‘no’.

Status: Watching to Halfway (at least)
Recommendation: Anyone who enjoyed Baccano or found Baccano too confusing to keep up with

Hanamaru Kindergarten
Premiered: 1/10
Available on Crunchyroll
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “Alright, so it’s more Azumanga Daioh + kindergarten than Kodomo no Jikan + kindergarten.”

Where I Ended: No one was really sure what to make of this series before it premiered. Pushing trepidation aside, I went into this series and found myself face to face with the winter pick for best slice of life. Cutely designed and led by a cast of hilarious characters, this is the cute and charming slice of life series that fans are looking for this season.

Status: Watching
Recommendation: Slice of life and Azumanga Daioh fans

Baka to Test to Shokanju
Premiered: 1/6

Where I Started: “This may be the best thing I’ve seen all month.”

Where I Ended: This was actually the last winter series I watched and all it took was one episode before I HAD to marathon everything that had been aired thus far. A very sharp mix of word play, visual humor, shonen battle elements and romantic angles that seem to be actually going somewhere (as opposed to 13 episodes of hemming and hawing) this is the safe choice of the season. Consistently funny, engaging and charming there’s little here for someone to be disappointed with.

Status: Watching
Recommendation: Fans of school comedy romance

The OK

Sora no Woto
Premiered: 1/4
Available on Crunchyroll
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “Yup, K-ON joins the army.”

Where I Ended: I knew it before I started but tried to convince myself otherwise. After one episode, I felt annoyed that this was being billed as an original ‘Anime of Power’. Within two episodes I cared a little less and within three I just wanted to see more. This is a slow moving but entertaining series for the moe crowd. While it doesn’t have the same hyperactivity that some fans crave from their cute, the understated dialogue and humor keeps things moving smoothly. Add in some beautiful animation and backgrounds and you have a series that’s worth sitting through.

Status: Watching to the End
Recommendation: Fans of K-ON, Aria and other series where nothing actually happens

Chu Bra
Premiered: 1/4
Available on Crunchyroll
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “This could be so much worse.”

Where I Ended: Chu Bra is a series that always could have been worse but still didn’t do much to impress early on. While a panty OCD female lead and her bitchy best friends forming an underwear club is vaguely intriguing, the execution is far from it. A haze of breast jokes (naturally) and dialogue that just tries too hard, Chu Bra is never going to be something with wide appeal. While I appreciate now having a better understanding of how to fit myself for a bra; I’m not appreciative enough to stick with this series any longer than I have to.

Status: Dropped
Recommendation: Teen girls and guys who like lolis in underwear

Katanagatari
Premiered: 1/25

Where I Started: “Codename: Kids Next Door shows their anime side?”

In the first episode of Katanagatari, there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. The animation style is vastly different from anything else in the last few seasons and these aren’t the heroes that fans are used to cheering on. Following a dim young man and a not entirely bright military strategist through twelve episodes seems like a challenge in itself but my concerns fall more with the staff. Early momentum is strong but will this series fall into a trap of predictability? It’s not a bad premiere but time will tell if this one has the lasting power it needs to be successful.

Status: Watching
Recommendation: When you’re in the mood for something different

The Unwatchable

Omamori Himari
Premiered: 1/6
Available on Crunchyroll
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “Cat girl and guy with cat allergy. Hilarious.”

Where I Ended: Omamori Himari has the lovely distinction of being one of the first series I wanted to drop this season. Another half baked harem story it has all the tropes you’re expecting and makes zero attempts early on to stand out on its own. Occasionally the dialogue drops a nice one liner into the mix but after two episodes, I was ready to call it quits. After three, I was relieved that my time with the series was over. Even if you like harem anime you can do much better than this.

Status: Dropped
Recommendation: Harem fans who have already seen everything else

Dance in the Vampire Bund
Premiered: 1/7
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “I am so into this!”

Where I Ended: Well, that was a rather spectacular nosedive. In the first episode, characters were being introduced and a story was created using a live television format (a TV show inside of a TV show? Madness I say!). It was compelling and seemed to be setting up something amazing. Instead intriguing early story elements have led into what is already looking like a less than compelling excuse to show loli fan service.

Status: Dropped
Recommendation: Fans of dark horror (i.e. Descendants of Darkness)

Seikon no Qwaser
Premiered: 1/9

Where I Started: “So, does Tomo add anything to this series besides breast milk?”

Where I Ended: While the animation looks good, the series itself is lacking in… what’s the word I’m looking for? Oh right, everything. The staff behind this one has worked to create something with merit but it’s hard to imagine anyone watching this and being able to say it’s for the ‘thrilling battles’ or ‘gripping dialogue’. After only a couple of episodes, it feels safe to assume that if you’re watching this series it’s probably for the breasts. The censorship in this series is so horrific however that it hardly seems worth it to even try. If you really want to see this series that badly, wait for it to come out on DVD.

Status: Dropped
Recommendation: People who like breasts

Ookami Kakushi
Premiered: 1/7
Early Impressions

Where I Started: “Please be building to something, please be building to something…”

Where I Ended: Gods but did I want to like this series. I even looked specifically for as many things to enjoy and say nice things about along the way. Unfortunately over three episodes, the slow crawl fails to cast any particularly strong plot hooks. Boy moves with his family to new town with mysterious past and odd residents. Seen it before and seen it done better; don’t even start this one unless you have a bucketful of patience on standby. This one goes down as my biggest disappointment of the season.

Status: Watching (only because I’m stubborn and I’m sure there’s a story SOMEWHERE in here)
Recommended: fans of Higurashi – When They Cry and masochists

Ladies vs. Butlers
Premiered: 1/5
Early Impressions

Where I Started:

Where I Ended: This is easily the most surprising series of the season for me but perhaps not for the reasons you would expect. After the first episode, I wanted to drop this series hard and forget that it ever existed. After pushing forward into the next couple of episodes though I had a realization: Ladies vs. Butlers IS capable of being entertaining and even clever on occasion. But then the second half of the episode starts and it all goes downhill. The nudity and sex jokes are not the issues in these early episodes but more how much it feels like, most of the time, these scenes are being forced in just so that they can be there. If you can ignore these scenes, you’re bound to find a fairly typical school comedy that can even elicit a laugh on occasion. Unfortunately to ignore those scenes is to ignore half the series.

Status: Watching Occasionally
Recommendation: Fans of sexy school comedy, school comedy, sexy comedy, sexy school or any combination thereof.

Well, I know that I’m not the only one out there who had an opinion? What were your hits and misses for the winter season? Agree with something I said or disagree severely? Leave a comment or drop me a line on Twitter.

2 Responses to “Winter 2010: The Good, The OK and the Unwatchable”