Monthly Round-up: January

First up I have an apology to make for the severe lack of posts this month. There's little good excuse and I've certainly failed hardcore at the "Blog more" resolution I made. 

Initially I had planned to do a weekly round-up of what I've been watching and reading, but thanks to my (possibly unhealthy) addiction to Skyrim, before I knew it I'd already missed the first two weeks. So, I decided to do a monthly one instead. At the moment I'm not entirely sure how these posts will go, and they may well morph into something completely different, but we'll see how it goes. I'm also hoping that by keeping a record of what I've watched/read this year, my next 12 Days of Christmas post may be a little easier, since last year I forgot what I'd seen in 2011 and what I'd watched before!

Anime I've Watched:

• Arrietty - I've barely watched any anime this month, but it felt quite fitting that my first of the year was a Ghibli film, and the latest one at that! Thoroughly enjoyed it, though wasn't quite as blown away as I had expected to be. Still loved it nonetheless.
• Morita-san wa Mukuchi 2 - I finally finished off the last episode of this, and while it's harmless enough, I'm kind of glad it's over. I was definitely getting more and more bored throughout the series' run.

Ongoing Anime I've Watched

• Chibi Devi

Manga I've Read:

• Vinland Saga - From starting at volume four, I've now managed to get up to date on this, and damn it's good! It's definitely very tough going to reading it as it's scanlated.
• Black Paradox - The final two chapters of this were finally scanlated, so I managed to finish it off, and even by Junji Ito's standards, it's bloody weird!Definitely not my favourite of his works so far, but it won't put me off reading any more.
• Faster Than A Kiss - Another of the 25 Days manga that I wanted to get up to date on. Quite enjoy it, though at one point I found it a bit repetitive. It definitely got more interesting when it started delving into Kazuma's past and his relationship with his family.
• Black Bird - Again, a 25 Days request that I wanted to get up to date on. Still really enjoying this one, especially since while it has all the shoujo romance, it also has a fair bit about the politics of the youkai clans, which for me gives this series an extra edge.
• All Rounder Meguru - Now up to date on this 25 Days manga. Still enjoying this one. I must say I remain surprised at how much I've enjoyed the mixed martial arts manga I've read. I assumed my love for HSDK was mainly due to the humour of the Masters (which it is) but I think there's also some inherent part of me that enjoys the combat side.
• Nichijou - Started and read all that's translated of this. I've certainly gained more of a fondness for Nichijou than when I first started the anime. No longer bored by it and find it quite amusing.
• Hanamaru Youchien - Another series I picked up and have read all that has been translated. Just as cute as the anime, shame that not more of it is available to read.

Ongoing Manga I've Read:

• Bleach
• Naruto
• One Piece
• Beelzebub
• Bakuman
• Fairy Tail
• Ao no Exorcist
• Mononoke
• Kill Me Baby
• Otoyomegatari
• History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi (Resolution Manga - currently 262 chapters to go til up to date)

 As you can see from the above list, I've been shockingly poor with anime this month - something that I'm working on this month as I still haven't finished most of the Fall season, and I owe a post on my final thoughts, with luck that should be coming soon, alongside a post on whatever Winter titles I eventually pick up.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Twelve Awesome Anime
Eleven Weeks of D'AWWW-ness
Ten Heaping Cow Turds
Nine Stop-Motion Wonders
Eight Slappable Arseholes
Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!

So, I wholly admit that the title for the final of my 12 Days of Christmas is a bit of a copout, but I wanted to pick twelve of my favourite anime moments from the last year from the good to the bad and the just plain weird. Some are scenes, others full episodes, and there's even an entire series. So here they are, some of my favourite anime moments of 2011. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Katanagatari  (Episode 12) Before I started watching, everyone had told me how epic and awesome Katanagatari was. It seemed that everyone, even those who are hard to please, seemed to love it so I was a little concerned. Too much hype often leads to big disappointment. When I started watching, however, I was far from disappointed. Initially it was the art style that leapt out at me most, it's very different to most anime and utterly gorgeous. Then I got more into the story and damn, I was addicted. But, what REALLY made the series for me was the epic final episode. Following the end of the previous episode, Shichika in the castle, just OH. MY. GOD. I kind of want to re-watch it all again just to get to that last bit.

Shiki (Episodes 14 & 20.5) I don't care how much I've raved about Shiki this year, I'm going to do it again. In particular this time I want to pick on two specific episodes. Firstly, episode 14, which contains what is, for me, one of the most disturbingly dark scenes I've ever seen. Watching Ozaki perform live experimentation on his undead wife was gruesome, cringeworthy (in the good way) and down right uncomfortable. That scene marks the distinct change between the show's quiet beginning and it's bloody, frenzied finale and boy, what a way to do it. My second pick is episode 20.5 which is actually one of the DVD specials. This particular episode depicts some of the manga content that was omitted. Set during theheight of the shiki-hunt, it focuses on the villagers chasing their prey into the irrigation pipes. It's dark, very dark, a bit on the gory side and just plain awesome viewing.

Redline Everyone and their granny has been banging on about Redline this year, so when I got the chance to purchase the Blu-ray at Expo a fortnight before it was released tot he public, I jumped ta the chance. I have to admit, though it's generally not my sort of thing (racing + intergalactic spacey stuff) I did enjoy it. The visuals are pretty damn awesome and fall somewhere between horrifically ugly and too cool for school, while the movement is impeccable. Well done Madhouse. Do I think it's over-rated? If I'm honest, yeah, a little bit. But it's still well worth a watch, if only to make up your own mind about it.

One Piece (Ace's Death) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCE! That's really the only way I could begin this bit. Having been up to speed on the manga for some time, I knew that this was coming and I was kind of dreading the moment when I'd st down to watch One Piece and Ace would meet his end. I cried at the manga and generally I tend to blub more at the anime (with the actual movement, sounds and music, it's hard to resist when the tears well up). However, for me, as much as I loved Ace, what upset me most was not his demise per-se but the profound effect it had on Luffy. Watching those scenes and the ones that followed were like watching his heart systematically crumble and fall apart. Heart-wrenching stuff, truly.

Nichijou (Deer Fight) Had it not been for the fact that I really wanted to mention this scene here, the principal in Nichijou would have ended up on my list of "Five Kick-ass Dudes" for this one skit alone. Without a doubt, the deer scene is the luminescent highlight of an otherwise underwhelming series. There's no particular story to it, quite simply, it's just the quite gentle-looking principal going at it in an all out battle for supremacy with a deer. Why is the deer there? WHy are they fighting? Where did that guy learn all his moves? No one knows and really, who cares, it's just awesome viewing!

Gintama (Episode 38) I have an odd relationship with Gintama. I'm only around 40 odd episodes in, but despite the promises that it's utterly hilarious, I personally have never quite managed to get into it. Generally I've found it to be quite hit and miss, with some episodes bordering on the just plain dull, but then along comes a plotline that reminds me why I really like the series, and one of those was episode 38. The gang participating in a scnow sculpture contest was hilarity in a bucket, packed with stupid humour that had me giggling like an idiot the whole time.

Hanasaku Iroha Without a doubt, one of my favourite new series this year has been Hanasaku Iroha. It demonstrates some of the best characterisation that I've seen for some time and is a true ensemble piece. With the exception of a filler-esque mid-section I looked forward to each new episode with increasing anticipation. Plus with P.A. Works pulling out all the stops in the animation department, such exquisite eye-candy made it a genuine joy to watch.

Shinryaku!? Ika Musume (Beach Aerobics Scene) Now, I love Shinryaku Ika Musume, but it's not one of those series where there's a laugh a minute. Mostly it's fairly gentle with some decent giggles from time to time. However, in the latest series there came the most brilliant section that had me full-on belly-laughing. Quite simply, Ika-chan is taking part in a beach aerobics session with elementary school kids and her tentacles keep hitting the kids. It sounds like dumb slapstick, and it is, but the comic timing is perfect, and it's played out in such a way that by the end it's like there's been some kind of child massacre. Genius. Absolute genius.

Detective Conan: Quarter of Silence (Avalanche Scene) What I love about watching the Detective Conan movies is that inevitable moment towards the end where the whole thing entirely detaches itself from reality in favour of a big flashy finale. Whether it's the tone deaf Conan singing into a faraway phone in order to dial the correct number, or two teenage girls successfully performing an emergency landing in a jumbo jet on a ridiculously short and narrow strip of land, the antics are ridiculous. Safe to say Quarter of Silence didn't disappoint with the supposedly seven-year-old Conan riding around on his jet propelled skate/snowboard in order to cause an avalanche and stop a rampaging flood from hitting a village. So dumb, so epic, so fun!

School Days (Episode 12) I ended up marathoning all of School Days in two days, not because it was any good - it wasn't - but because I wanted to know what the hell the infamous ending was and just how such an initially innocuous series could descend into something with such a reputation. I'd like to say that watching it was wholly worth it, but it was only half-so. It was worth watching so that I could witness first hand the insanity of the events, but at the end of the day, the entire series was shite.

Legend of Koizumi This is a bit of a lesser-known and slight shock entry really. Legend of Koizumi is a short OVA that's basically political parody with mahjong. Big important political figures meet in neutral areas to play a game with high political stakes on the line. As an anime, it wasn't that great, and in truth, it was kind of dumb, but you know what... it stuck in my mind. Despite its inherently idiotic foundation, it's somehow incredibly epic. Hell it's so epic that the snivelling dude accompanying Koizumi can't help but piss his pants half the damn time.

Ben-To (Any of the Supermarket Scenes) Ben-To started out for me as a fun, throwaway series, but very quickly got to the point where I was bored of it and couldn't wait for it to end. However, the one part that still makes me chuckle like a maniac are the various supermarket battles. No matter how many times I see them, or how crappy the plot gets, the utter ridiculous notion of fighting bloody battles over half-priced lunch boxes just does not get old. Serious comedy at its best (just a shame about the rest of it).

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...

Eight Slappable Arseholes
Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!

This year, as has been the case in many years, I have encountered many characters that have irritated, angered and full on enraged me. Some have been previous additions to the list of hate that have continued to piss me off, while others are new additions worthy of my most potent vitrol.

Makoto Itou (School Days) This guy is one of Anime-Planet's most hated characters, and with good reason. Makoto is a dick. And not just any dick, a proper pustule-coated, disease-ridden dick. Among his many "qualities" the guy is selfish, a coward, a serial cheater, manipulative and wholly unreliable manwhore. Sekai Saionji (School Days) I think out of all the School Days asshats, Sekai pisses me off the most. Sure, Makoto should be castrated for his behaviour, but to a degree he was at least driven by his cock, Sekai was conscious of what she was doing at (nearly) every step of the way. She gives girls a bad name. Megumi Shimizu (Shiki) From the minute I saw Megumi, I hated her. Actually, that's not true. When I saw her mincing around I had a feeling I'd dislike her. As soon as she opened her mouth, I knew I hated her. She's a vengeful, selfish, materialistic tart and I was damn pleased she died at the end of the first episode - less so when she freaking came back from the dead though. Masao Murasako (Shiki) Masao. What a simpering git! He's selfish and believes that he should be adored and receive adulation and attention for being the poor put upon teenager. This alone is enough to make me dislike him, but it's his snivelling and wimpish demeanour that really takes the biscuit. I do admit to cheering at his end in the manga. Yuuko Aioi (Nichijou) While everyone was wetting themselves with how awesome Nichijou was this year, I was merely sitting back going... "eh". It took me a very long time to get into the series, and I eventually figured out one of my biggest problems with it: I hate Yuuko with a passion. She annoys the hell out of me, and while most boke characters tend to have some kind of charm about them, Yuuko doesn't, she's just an annoying attention whore. Sure, I like seeing her get the short, dog-shit covered end of the stick at times, but to be perfectly honest, it's much better when she isn't on screen at all. Hakase grew on me, Yuuko didn't. Fumi Kamohara (Mainichi Kaasan) Yeah, yeah, I know, "how can you hate a little kid?" Well, quite easily. Sure, when she's cute she's adorable, but most of the time, Fumi is a right little bitch. She's the perfect example of everything I hate about certain types of women. She's just a kid and yet all she cares about is marrying a RICH guy, she isn't interested if they can't buy her shiny, expensive things. Add to that her manipulative streak and frequent use of crocodile tears and I find myself wanting to smack her round the head so hard that she'll be breathing out her arse for years to come. Jealous, selfish, money-grabbing little cow. Aiko Iwase (Bakuman) I didn't like Iwase much when she briefly appeared in the first season of Bakuman. I thought she was an uptight bitch who should have stuck that pole up another hole to loosen her up a bit. However, when she turned up again in the manga she ventured into full-on irksome bitch mode. Koichi Shido (Highschool of the Dead) Oddly enough, this guy doesn't earn quite as much of my hatred as the others on this list, mainly because he's not as prominent as some of the other characters. However, that doesn't change the fact that he's an evil shitbag who deserves to die a horrible, gruesome death.