For me personally, 2009 was pretty yandere. Here’s hoping for less trolling in 2010.

So much for that new year’s resolution. Maybe that legend of how a trip to Japan makes one start to lose interest in anime is somewhat true. Except I’m pretty sure I’ve been watching more anime since my trip, I just haven’t had much push to blog about it. So let’s take a conservative “no guarantees” approach and try to make up for lost time.

Some of the highlights in otakudom in the past two weeks for me:

- Umineko Episode 4: Epic is very appropriate here. Will need to go back through my notes to see if I can sort out the truth from all the red (and blue) herrings.

- Toradora: It was Mimi’s post that got me to sit down and give the show a second try, and I am so glad I did. I finally understand all the HatchiKuro comparisons, and makes sense as it’s from JC Staff. The ending was satisfying, if a bit rushed. Yet another light novel I need to find a way to read (didn’t appear to be licensed last I checked).

- K-ON: KyoAni knows how to get me to spend money. Here’s hoping for more volumes of the manga and a sequel.

Still have Higashi no Eden and Hatsukoi Limited to get through. Haven’t even looked at what’s coming for the Summer season. But I should have a bit more time now to watch anime and blog (not necessarily in that order), so I should finally be able to get this blog off the ground soon, and start getting some actual readers, as opposed to the imaginary ones I’m writing to (I love you guys!)…

Kannagi: I wonder why they had two filler episodes in a 12-episode series when there seems to be so much mystery and intrigue to the main plot. We’ll see how it goes.

ef – a tale of melodies: I really appreciate the moments in a show when everything comes together. Unfortunately in this case, it was pretty tragic.

Chaos;HEAD: I miss the delusions.

Nothing in the Winter season seems to particularly strike me as must watch. Will take a wait and see approach.

Some background info: Like many others, I started out watching Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon growing up. Then came my teenage years and NGE. After that, I didn’t really watch much anime until Haibane Renmei and Kino no Tabi came along and anime started to become more of a hobby. I lurk on animesuki and 4chan, but haven’t really contributed much to the community. I hope to change that with this blog.

Probably the best way to get a feeling of what to expect would be to give a brief summary of my impressions on the Fall season so far and what I’m currently watching:

Macross Frontier: I originally passed this up when it first aired thinking it would be just another emo-pilot mecha show. But halfway through it, I’m liking it more with each episode. There’s a lot of good characterization and depth underneath the typical mecha plotline.

Clannad ~After Story: This one’s a tough one. I am certainly enjoying the series, especially the comedic bits. And it has the Key/Kyo-Ani flair that I love. But it seems to be missing the emotional impact that Air and Kanon had. And it just feels that the story isn’t going anywhere. But I’ll still watch and enjoy nonetheless as the execution is superb.

Kannagi: The first few episodes have been good so far. This is a perfect example of a show that I really enjoy: lots of cliches and standard themes but utilizes them effectively instead of just relying on them.

ef – a tale of melodies: I enjoyed memories and I’m a fan of the Shinbo artsy-style, so I’m expecting to enjoy this one as well. The story seems intriguing enough and I’m looking forward to see how it plays out.

That should be enough for now. This blog will probably be pretty random for the first few weeks as I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with it. And with that, Greywings ni Youkoso!