Anime of the Year 2010-IV Fall - Bakuman.

Anime in its prime. Bakuman. is inspirational and perfect. Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt are firm enjoyable masterpieces.  And Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai is also memorable enough to have a honorary title.

1. Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai OreImo 俺の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない  [AIC Build] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Otaku Culture Comedy  Kirino Kousaka embodies the ideal student with equally entrancing looks. Her grades are near perfect, and to cover her personal expenses, she works as a professional model alongside her best friend Ayase Aragaki, who abhors liars and all things otaku. But what Ayase doesn't know is that Kirino harbors a deep, entrenched secret that will soon be brought to light. At home one day, Kyousuke, Kirino's perfectly average brother, stumbles upon an erotic game that belongs to none other than his seemingly flawless little sister. With her reputation at stake, Kirino places a gag order on her sibling while simultaneously introducing him to the world of eroge and anime. Through Kirino, Kyousuke encounters the gothic lolita Ruri Gokou and the bespectacled otaku Saori Makishima, thus jump-starting an entirely new lifestyle. But as he becomes more and more involved in his little sister's secret life, it becomes that much harder to keep under wraps. I'm loving OreImo and still not fed up with tsundere, but can't call it intellectual, so there's the cap to the score.   Overall Rating: 8/10

2. Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai The World God Only Knows 神のみぞ知るセカイ [Manglobe] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Shounen Harem, Otaku Culture Comedy, Romance, Supernatural Keima Katsuragi, known online as the legendary "God of Conquest," can conquer any girl's heart—in dating sim games, at least. In reality, he opts for the two-dimensional world of gaming over real life because he is an unhealthily obsessed otaku of galge games (a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive girls). When he arrogantly accepts an anonymous offer to prove his supremacy at dating sim games, Keima is misled into aiding a naive and impish demon from hell named Elucia "Elsie" de Lute Ima with her mission: retrieving runaway evil spirits who have escaped from hell and scattered themselves throughout the human world. Keima discovers that the only way to capture these spirits is to conquer what he hates the most: the unpredictable hearts of three-dimensional girls! Shackled to Elsie via a deadly collar, Keima now has his title of "God of Conquest" put to the ultimate test as he is forced to navigate through the hearts of a multitude of real-life girls. Protagonist makes it an enjoyable watch, and some situations are great as well. Can't say I'm head over heels with it, but I definitely want to memorize this title that I keep forgetting, so it deservers a honorary masterpiece at least for the concept.   Overall Rating: 7/10

3. Bakuman. バクマン。  [J.C.Staff] (Finished 25/25) Tags: Shounen Otaku Culture Comedy, Drama, Romance As a child, Moritaka Mashiro dreamt of becoming a mangaka, just like his childhood hero and uncle, Tarou Kawaguchi, creator of a popular gag manga. But when tragedy strikes, he gives up on his dream and spends his middle school days studying, aiming to become a salaryman instead. One day, his classmate Akito Takagi, the school's top student and aspiring writer, notices the detailed drawings in Moritaka's notebook. Seeing the vast potential of his artistic talent, Akito approaches Moritaka, proposing that they become mangaka together. After much convincing, Moritaka realizes that if he is able to create a popular manga series, he may be able to get the girl he has a crush on, Miho Azuki, to take part in the anime adaptation as a voice actor. Thus the pair begins creating manga under the pen name Muto Ashirogi, hoping to become the greatest mangaka in Japan, the likes of which no one has ever seen. OreImo came at a wrong time as few titles can rival Bakuman. It's innovational, enjoyable, inspiring and complex.   Overall Rating: 10/10

4. Yosuga no Sora: In Solitude, Where We Are Least Alone. Yosuga no Sora ヨスガノソラ In solitude, where we are least alone. [feel.] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Harem Drama, Romance, Erotica Due to a sudden accident, twins Haruka and Sora Kasugano have lost both of their parents. Starting their lives anew, they return to their childhood home—living once again in the rural, quaint town like they did four years ago. However, revisiting such a nostalgic place also means recalling all the memories the two of them made together, be it those that gave them blissful joy or those that made them suffer painful sorrow. Meeting both old acquaintances and new companions alike, the story of Haruka and Sora only gets more convoluted as their lives are slowly influenced by different acts of love, friendship, envy—and perhaps even lust. Adaptation of another simple visual novel. It's something like School Days, but on a higher quality level.   Overall Rating: 6/10

5. Toaru Majutsu no Index II A Certain Magical Index II とある魔術の禁書目録Ⅱ [J.C.Staff] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Super Power Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi As tensions between the world of magic and Academy City continues to rise, Touma Kamijou and his hand of negation must face off against both esper and magician in order to protect the lives of those around him. Of course, he is not alone in his fight; whether by his side or out of sight, allies and enemies both old and new will enter the fray to help him. Toaru Majutsu no Index II continues the story of action and comedy, as the scale of Touma and his allies' battle grows ever larger. A conflict is slowly brewing on the horizon, and magic and science will cross paths once again in the war to come. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 6/10

6. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt パンティ＆ストッキングwithガーターベルト [Gainax] (Finished 13/13) Tags: Gag Humor, Parody Action, Comedy, Supernatural, Ecchi The "Anarchy Sisters," Panty and Stocking, have been kicked out of Heaven for, to put it mildly, misbehaving. Led by a priest named Garterbelt, these angels must buy their way back by exterminating ghosts in Daten City. But this task requires unconventional weapons for these unorthodox angels—they transform their lingerie into weapons to dispatch the spirits. Unfortunately, neither of them take their duties seriously, as they rather spend their time in pursuit of other "hobbies": Panty prefers to sleep with anything that walks, and Stocking favors stuffing her face with sweets than hunting ghosts. Follow these two unruly angels as they battle ghosts, an overflow of bodily fluids, and their own tendency to get side-tracked in Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. It's relatively short, amusing, with nice adult humor and even developing story. Always liked this series.   Overall Rating: 8/10

7. Motto To LOVE-Ru もっと To LOVEる -とらぶる- [Xebec] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Shounen Harem, School Comedy, Sci-Fi, Ecchi Rito Yuuki never gets a break—he's always finding himself in lewd accidents with girls around him. Although his heart still yearns for Haruna, his childhood love, Rito can't help but question his feelings for Lala, the alien princess who appeared in front of him and declared she would marry him. But now, it's not just Lala he has to deal with: her younger twin sisters, Momo and Nana, have also traveled to Earth, wanting to meet their older sister's fiancé, and just as luck would have it, they end up staying at Rito's home. Meanwhile, amidst the bustle of his new family members, Yami, the human weapon girl, begins her pursuit for Rito. It's not an easy life for Rito as he deals with uncertain love, punishment for being a pervert, and a girl dead set on murdering him. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 5/10

8. Sora no Otoshimono Forte そらのおとしものf（フォルテ） [AIC ASTA] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Shounen Harem Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Ecchi Sakurai Tomoki has settled into his life with the two angeloids, Ikaros and Nymph, and is enjoying himself immensely. However, he keeps having weird dreams and asks all of his friends to help him investigate the cause. Nymph conjures up a device that enables people, but not angeloids, to enter other people's dreams. The device malfunctions at first but eventually they get to what was supposed to be Tomoki's dream but discover that something is very wrong with it. Later, a meteor comes crashing down from the skies at the site of the large cherry blossom tree where Tomoki first discovered Ikaros. An extremely well endowed blonde angeloid with a huge sword emerges from the meteor and sets off in search of Tomoki! Sequel.   Overall Rating: 6/10

9. MM! えむえむっ! [Xebec] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Harem, School Comedy, Ecchi Taro Sado is a high school student who lives his day to day life with a big secret—he's a masochist! Encouraged by his cross-dressing best friend Tatsukichi Hayama, Taro asks the Second Voluntary Club for help with his problem and ends up joining the club after they vow to "fix" him. However, it turns out that all of the members of the club have some serious issues. The club leader Mio Isurugi is a self-designated god who is afraid of cats, Arashiko Yuuno has a severe fear of men, and the club advisor Michiru Onigawara is a sadist who enjoys making people cosplay. Together with other wacky characters such as Yumi Mamiya, a talented masseuse and Yuuno's best friend, and Noa Hiiragi, the president of the invention club, they all learn about the importance of acceptance and kindness. School club with weirdos, but this time with a super unpleasant M protagonist. And characters describe it all well as disgusting. Single episode is all I can tolerate here.   Overall Rating: 5/10

10. Kuragehime Princess Jellyfish 海月姫 [Brain's Base] (Finished 3/11) Tags: Josei Crossdressing, Visual Arts Comedy Ever since her late mother took her to an aquarium when she was young, Tsukimi Kurashita has been obsessed with jellyfish, comparing their flowing tentacles to a princess's white dress. Now living with five other unemployed otaku women, 19-year-old Tsukimi spends her days as a social outcast dreaming of becoming an illustrator. However, her life changes forever when one day, a beautiful woman unexpectedly helps her save a jellyfish in a local pet store. From then on, the stranger—confident, fashionable, and the complete opposite of Tsukimi and her roommates—begins to regularly visit the girls' building. This trendy hipster, though appearing shallow at first, harbors some secrets of her own, starting with the fact that "she" isn't really a girl at all, but a wealthy male college student named Kuranosuke Koibuchi! Never watched it, probably because of trap. No idea where this all is going, probably protagonist is getting more and more feminine with advise of trap, and that's of zero interest to me.   Overall Rating: 5/10

11. Shinryaku! Ika Musume The Squid Girl 侵略!イカ娘 [Diomedéa] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Shounen Anthropomorphic Comedy Humans have been polluting the ocean for a long time, carelessly pouring their garbage and desecrating the waters that many creatures call home. The denizens of the sea have suffered at their poisoning hands. Finally, one certain squid has had enough and vows to punish the humans' selfish actions. Possessing all the fearsome abilities of a squid such as powerful hair-tentacles, the ability to spit ink, and even use bioluminescence at will, Ika Musume takes it upon herself to rise from the depths of the ocean and exact revenge upon humanity! She surfaces at a certain Lemon Beach House, a restaurant managed by the sisters Eiko and Chizuru Aizawa. Thinking them to be an easy first step toward world domination, she immediately declares war against them, only to find out that she is, quite literally, a fish out of water! To make things worse, she destroys a part of a wall of the beach house in an attempt to flaunt her squiddy superiority and is consequently forced into becoming a waitress to pay the repair costs. Beached for the time being after tasting a thorough defeat at the hands of the Aizawa sisters, Ika Musume is forced to put her plans for world domination on hold. Despite these setbacks, Ika Musume soon finds herself right at home in her unexpected position as Lemon Beach House's newest employee. Wacky and hilarious, Shinryaku! Ika Musume follows her brand new life on the surface as she makes precious memories and meet lots of new people. With her newfound acquaintances, Ika Musume is looking to take the world by storm, one squid ink spaghetti at a time! A nice comedy centered around invader squid girl with ten controllable tentacles. But the thing is it's not really memorable and not really special though good.   Overall Rating: 6/10

12. Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Girls Samurai Girls 百花繚乱 サムライガールズ [Arms] (Finished 5/12) Tags: Harem, Samurai, School Action, Comedy, Ecchi With its gorgeous landscape and prosperous people, Great Japan is the envy of all other nations. But a serious threat hovers over the country. Mysterious guardians known as Master Samurai are Great Japan's only defense. At the behest of the student council, young samurai Muneakira Yagyuu arrives at Buou Academic School. Run by the Tokugawa Shogunate, here children of warriors are given aristocratic education required to run the country. The school is led by the student council president Yoshihiko Tokugawa and his sister Sen, who also happens to be Muneakira's childhood friend. Upon arriving at the academy, Muneakira finds himself in the midst of a terrible fight. During the chaos, the sky fills with a peculiar white light and a mysterious girl named Juubei Yagyuu appears and suddenly kisses Muneakira. With his kiss, she awakens an unknown power that protects them. Just who is this girl, and where did she come from? Muneakira finds himself entangled in the fate of the country and a threat that will shake Great Japan to its core. He must learn the secret behind the Master Samurai and the kiss that awakened Juubei's power in order to protect his country. Nonsense shallow samurai imitating plot does not leave any room for empathy. It ends up being a spree of crafted jokes and nudity opportunities.   Overall Rating: 5/10

13. Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge 荒川アンダー ザブリッジ×ブリッジ [Shaft] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Seinen Comedy, Romance  On the beautiful banks of the Arakawa River, it is lively as ever. Now known as "Recruit," Kou Ichinomiya has adjusted to the troubles his unconventional neighbors brew daily. However, the atypical scene is about to get even rowdier when their community adds a couple of oddball enthusiasts: a tall, muscular woman calling herself Amazoness, followed by her loyal Tengu henchmen; and Captain, self-proclaimed Commander of Earth's Defense Force against Venusians. In spite of all the commotion, Recruit gradually learns more about his lover Nino and the story that shaped her. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. Shinrei Tantei Yakumo Psychic Detective Yakumo 心霊探偵 八雲 [Bee Train] (Finished 2/13) Tags: Adult Cast, Detective Horror, Mystery, Supernatural Haruka Ozawa's sophomore year is getting seriously scary. One of her friends is possessed, another has committed suicide and Haruka could be the next one to flunk the still-breathing test. Her only way out of this potentially lethal dead end? Yakumo Saito, an enigmatic student born with a mysterious red eye that allows him to see and communicate with the dead. But the deceased don't always desist and some killers are more than ready to kill again to keep dead men from telling any more tales. That doesn't stop Haruka's knack for digging up buried secrets, and there's even more evidence of bodies being exhumed by both Yakumo's police contact and an investigative journalist with a newly made corpse in her closet! Can this pair of anything but normal paranormal detectives solve the ultimate dead case files or will they end up in cold storage themselves? Among things that are worse than detectives, psychic detectives are among the worst. Another slow-paced mess that mostly likely would only disappoint by the end of it.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. Otome Youkai Zakuro Zakuro おとめ妖怪 ざくろ [J.C.Staff] (Finished 6/13) Tags: Seinen Historical, Military, Mythology Romance, Supernatural Second Lieutenant Kei Agemaki, the son of a famous general, has hidden his extreme fear of paranormal beings all his life. However, when he and two others are reassigned to live and work with youkai in the Ministry of Spirit Affairs, he is brought face-to-face with his worst nightmare. Now with the help of the fox spirit Kushimatsu, he and his fellow officers must learn to work alongside youkai maidens—Zakuro, Susukihotaru, Hoozuki, and Bonbori—to solve paranormal cases. Set in the midst of an alternate version of Japanese Westernization, Otome Youkai Zakuro explores the clashes and unions that can occur when east meets west, local meets foreign, and women meet men. The unusual alliance of the youkai maidens and human officers must learn to work together in a world that is changing around them. Sakura Wars aesthetics, boys from prewar military, catgirls, youkai, katanas... fells like a collection of random things appealing to shoujo gathered together. Hardly interesting or memorable.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. Fortune Arterial: Akai Yakusoku FORTUNE ARTERIAL 赤い約束 [feel., Zexcs] (Finished 1/12) Tags: School, Vampire Comedy, Romance, Supernatural  Fortune Arterial's story revolves around the male protagonist Kohei Hasekura, who transfers into a prestigious public school in the style of an English six-year school encompassing junior-high and high school students. The school is on an island named Tamatsu Island off-shore from mainland Japan, and the only way to get there is by boat. Soon after transferring, he discovers that one of the student in the class next door to his, Sendo Erika, is in fact a type of vampire. Most of visual novels from 2008 were rather simple. Fortune arterial has vampire flavor, but otherwise again amnesia, again meeting two childhood female friends after many years, familiar events. Quality is a bit higher than average, but otherwise quite the average school romance.   Overall Rating: 6/10

17. Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto Star Driver STAR DRIVER 輝きのタクト [Bones] (Finished 3/25) Tags: Mecha, School Action, Romance, Sci-Fi Deep beneath the surface of Southern Cross Isle, a mysterious organization known as the Glittering Crux Brigade frequently gathers in their underground fortress. The group is particularly interested in "Cybodies," stone giants which can transform into massive fighting humanoids but only in a realm known as "Zero Time." By finding and shattering the seals of the island's four seal maidens, Glittering Crux hopes to break free of Zero Time and use the Cybodies anywhere they please. One night, a young man named Takuto Tsunashi washes up on the island's shore and is rescued by Sugata Shindou and his fiancée Wako Agemaki, one of the island's seal maidens. After he awakens, Takuto quickly befriends the two and proceeds to enroll at the local academy, where many of his fellow students are secretly members of Glittering Crux. However, Takuto holds a secret: when in Zero Time, he can utilize a Cybody of his own—the Tauburn. In the forthcoming battle, Takuto and the Tauburn will be the key to preventing Glittering Crux from shattering Wako's seal and realizing its nefarious ambitions. Galactic pretty boy transforms into mecha opposes the council of five ultra-villains!  And protagonist actually cries out that he's galactic pretty boy when transforming. That's cringy. It's all show off and of   little essence.  Overall Rating: 6/10

18. Hakuouki: Hekketsuroku Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom - Record of the Jade Blood  [Studio Deen] (Finished 1/10) Tags: Josei Historical, Samurai Action, Drama, Supernatural After the conclusion of Hakuouki, Chizuru Yukimura and the Shinsengumi are forced to flee Kyoto and set sail for Edo. In their commander Isami Kondou's absence, vice-commander Toshizou Hijikata steps in as acting commander. However, Hijikata is not only struggling with the extra leadership duties—which worries everyone around him—but also a newfound uncontrollable bloodlust. To make matters worse, the urge does not affect him alone, and it is even beginning to drive some of his subordinates mad. Finally, Kondou returns with orders from the emperor to defend the castle, and a new name for their squad: the Kouyou Chinbutai. But in war, the balance of power can shift suddenly and allegiances can waver. In Hakuouki Hekketsuroku, Chizuru follows the Shinsengumi into the heart of war and continues the search for her missing father, all while the bond between her and Hijikata grows ever stronger. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 6/10

19. Tegamibachi Reverse Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee Reverse テガミバチ REVERSE [Pierrot Plus] (Finished 1/25) Tags: Shounen Adventure, Fantasy After Niche carries the wounded and stunned Lag back to the Bee Hive, the Letter Bee finally begins to piece the puzzle together. Now he knows what's happened to Gauche, why the Marauders are so focused on stealing mail and the actual intent of the group controlling both, Reverse. However, when he's forbidden to reveal the truth, Lag is soon forced out of the artificial sunlight and back into the world of perpetual night. And soon Reverse's plot to take down the Letter Bees and overthrow the Amberground government begins to accelerate. If things weren't already bad enough, the giant insect creatures called gaichuu are apparently evolving into something new; there may be traitors working within the Hive; and Niche's sister, who's definitely not human friendly, shows up to turn family drama into a full-scale siege! It all spells serious trouble for the Letter Bees, but if anyone can weather the storms and gloom of night, Lag and his team are the ones who'll deliver. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 5/10

20. Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru And Yet the Town Moves それでも町は廻っている [Shaft] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Seinen Comedy, Slice of Life Seaside Cafe is hardly what comes to mind when one thinks of a maid cafe. Hastily rebranded to jump in on the maid trend, Seaside Cafe carries no tea, offers very little in the way of service, and only gets customers from the local shopping district. Despite the cafe's humble offerings, this is where Hotori Arashiyama chooses to secretly work after school. Balancing high school, work, family, and a love life can be difficult, and Hotori manages to stumble through without the slightest bit of grace. With the help of her friends and family, she tries to navigate her way through the wild world of adolescence where barely anything normal occurs. With manga as source it's a nice varied SOL comedy, but it's episodic, and I don't feel any affiliation with the cast.   Overall Rating: 6/10

21. Tantei Opera Milky Holmes Detective Opera Milky Holmes 探偵オペラ ミルキィホームズ [J.C.Staff] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Super Power Comedy, Mystery "Toys" are powers bestowed upon those chosen to wield them, each having qualities that are unique to their users. Some of these individuals are born pure, using their powers to become detectives. Others bloom laced with poison and choose to become phantom thieves. These two opposing factions caused the formation of various detective academies around the globe—training detectives to fight and catch the phantom thieves. Sherlock Shellingford, Nero Yuzurizaki, Hercule Burton, and Cordelia Glauca form "Milky Holmes", a group recognized as the cream of the crop in the Yokohama-based Holmes Detective Academy. However, in a skirmish against the phantom thief Arsene, their Toys suddenly disappear, deeming them unfit to continue as detectives. Stripped of their prestigious life and thrown into a rundown attic, they face expulsion if they fail to regain their powers within the next three months. Tantei Opera Milky Holmes tells the story of a once-legendary group in their journey to recover their Toys, as well as attempting to continue their line of work without the powers that once defined their career. I watched couple first seasons as I really wanted to like it. Some moments are good, but overall I don't appreciate this humor and thus watching it feels more like a chore even though meme potential is high here.   Overall Rating: 6/10

22. Yume-iro Pâtissière SP Professional 夢色パティシエールSP（スペシャル）プロフェッショナル [Studio Hibari] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Shoujo Gourmet, Slice of Life Upon her return to Japan after a two year study break in Paris, Ichigo Amano is met with news of Team Ichigo's separation, as each of the Sweets Princes takes a different path toward their dream. Now in her first year of high school, Henri Lucas has a project in store for her, enlisting the help of Ichigo, Makoto Kashino, and new members Lemon Yamagishi and Johnny McBeal to give rise to a new Team Ichigo. As the four work together on this project, Ichigo and Makoto continue to grow closer, though Johnny and the unrelenting Miya Koshiro will not idly sit by; with Johnny's eye on Ichigo and Miya still after Makoto, it definitely seems like love won't come easily. With Ichigo's time at St. Marie Academy, she is now ever closer to her dream of starting her very own pâtisserie. However, she will soon realize that it takes more than just making delicious sweets to open up a shop. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 5/10

23. Iron Man アイアンマン [Madhouse] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Mecha Action, Drama Tony Stark, CEO of a large weapons manufacturer, physicist, engineer, and brilliant inventor, is wounded by shrapnel from one of his own weapons. While held captive by terrorists, he develops the Iron Man Suit and escapes. From that day on, he vows not to waste his second chance at life and to change the world for the better. For that purpose, he comes to Japan. In Lab 23 in Japan, great strides have been taken to develop, and build, a unique power station which does not run on fossil fuels, the Arc Station. Stark intends to join this project, and, for that, he is ready to announce his retirement as Iron Man. At the same time, he will also announce the Mass-produced Iron Men, to which he will pass on his duties. However, during the ceremonies, Stark is suddenly attacked by combat mecha belonging to an organization known as Zodiac. Can't stand both Marvel and DC, just brainless fast food entertainment action.   Overall Rating: 5/10

24. Super Robot Taisen OG: The Inspector Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector スーパーロボット大戦OG -ジ・インスペクター- [Asahi Production] (Finished 1/26) Tags: Mecha, Space Action, Sci-Fi With many of its central personnel lost in the war, the Earth Federation Government is forced to rebuild, and Brian Midcrid, president of the Unified Colonies, takes the position of its president. During an emergency session of the Federation Diet, he publicly acknowledges the existence of extraterrestrials, and reveals the events of the L5 campaign to the masses in what will later come to be called the "Tokyo Declaration." He goes on to state that these aliens pose a serious threat to humanity. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 5/10

25. Battle Spirits: Brave バトルスピリッツ ブレイヴ [Sunrise] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Military, Mythology, Strategy Game Adventure, Sci-Fi Two years ago, the world was saved by Dan Bashin and the other light bearers of the cores. Having once risked his life in Grand Rolo's strife, Dan no longer finds passion in the mundanity of everyday card battles. When Dan desires to clash against stronger opponents, he is approached by Mai Shinomiya. She offers to bring him to the future, the stage of a new conflict where Dan's strength is needed. The two arrive in the year 2650, where civilization has been ravaged by the struggle for power between mankind and an otherworldly race known as "Mazoku." As humanity begins to crumble under the dominance of the Mazoku, the hardened light bearers are destined to cross paths once more. Armed with new cards from the future, Dan and the other warriors must yet again bear the fate of humanity on their shoulders. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 5/10

26. Shin-Men  [Shin-Ei Animation] (Finished 13/13) Tags: Seinen Super Power  Action, Comedy The spinoff is set in a parallel world known as Shin Jigen (Shin Dimension). The titular Shin-men team is composed of five heroes with supernatural powers symbolized by fire (Gou), water (Sui), wind (Hyuu), greenery (Nyoki), and iron (Kan). Together, they fight against their enemy, the evil pigs of Ton-Men. Not translated. As expected, childish superhero action with characters of Shin-chan. Only pilot episode is 16 minutes, all the others are just 8 minutes long, and with that length I would not even pick it up.   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. Koe de Oshigoto! The Animation こえでおしごと! The ANIMATION [Studio Gokumi] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Seinen Otaku Culture, Showbiz Comedy, Ecchi Being asked to work as a voice actress at a game company might not be so bad, unless you are Kanna Aoyagi. On her 16th birthday, her older sister Yayoi guilts Kanna into doing voice work for her at Blue March, a game company that specializes in eroge: erotic games with lots of sexual content. Sweet and innocent, Kanna has no idea how she can possibly succeed at such an occupation when she has no sexual experience. But as she plays eroge for research, uses her vivid imagination, and receives unorthodox help from her coworkers, Kanna slowly becomes more comfortable with her new, embarrassing profession. Nice seiyuu ecchi, but it's just different situations over one hour length, so can't be treated seriously.   Overall Rating: 6/10

28. Megane na Kanojo 眼鏡なカノジョ [AIC Takarazuka] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Shounen School Comedy, Romance For most people, wearing glasses is a necessity for clear sight, but for four young girls, their spectacles mean so much more. From a teenage girl wearing her glasses with pride and a top idol who uses hers to disguise herself as a regular person, to a couple whose bent frames bring them closer together, a good pair of glasses can not only open your eyes, but also open your heart. There are four megane heroines and four 13-minute episodes, so just not enough substance.   Overall Rating: 6/10

29. Ghost Messenger 고스트 메신저 [Studio Animal] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Action, Supernatural Ghost Messengers are super-power agents from the underground world called the World of Death. The World of Death is a digitalized world with cutting-edge technologies that control and manage the life and death of all living things based on its elaborate systems. Our Ghost Messenger hero, Kang-lim, has been dispatched to the human world to capture the remaining ghosts who are refusing to go to the World of Death although it is their time. An accident occurs during his mission and Kang-lim gets captured in his own mobile phone. Little Kang-lim, a human boy who has extraordinary spiritual powers, finds the mobile phone and takes GhostMessenger Kang-lim out from the mobile phone. And the adventure begins. Just this year we've seen the first visually acceptable Chinese animation, and this Korean title is also the first that does not bother the eye with occasional ugliness. But contents is just Korean juvenile ghostbusters using even similar devices. World of death theme tries to be serious, but ghosts themselves are rather not serious, so consistency suffers a lot.   Overall Rating: 6/10

30. Mardock Scramble: The First Compression マルドゥック・スクランブル 圧縮 [GoHands] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Psychological Action, Sci-Fi Rune Balot is a down-and-out teen prostitute in Mardock City. One day, she's picked up by an ambitious casino manager named Shell who gives her everything she could want. Renewed by a false innocence, a false past, and now the false life Shell has given her, Balot feels grateful. However, she can't help but be curious about why he's done so much for her, so she does some research about his past on a computer. This turns out to be a mistake which will change her life greatly. When Shell finds out what she's done, he attempts to burn her to death by blowing up her car. Due to the high crime rate in Mardock, a new law called "Scramble 09" has given police carte blanche to take extreme and otherwise illegal measures to revive crime witnesses. With this in mind, they allow a professor to bring Balot back from the brink of death by reassembling her entire body with reinforced synthetic fiber. When she finally wakes up, her confused mental state eventually turns toward revenge as Shell is revealed as her killer. Revenge stories tend to be rather simple plot-wise, but that allows to tune other elements better. Another variation of Kite that takes some things to a higher level.   Overall Rating: 6/10

31. Break Blade Movie 4: Sanka no Chi Broken Blade 4 ブレイク ブレイド 第四章 惨禍ノ地 [Production I.G, Xebec] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Adult Cast, Mecha, Military Action, Fantasy Fourth Break Blade Movie. Finally counter-offensive and clashes with abrupt ending on some kind of cliffhanger.   Overall Rating: 6/10

32. Cheburashka チェブラーシカ [Comma Studio] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Comedy  The stop-motion animated film based on Russia's Cheburashka character. Not translated (except for Russian voicing). Childish stuff.   Overall Rating: 6/10

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