Summer Anime 2004

Just to keep you up to date with what seems to be worth watching right now in the anime world. First of all, the excellent MONSTER continues with a second season (seasons are generally 13 episodes). Looks like things are going to heat up very soon, with Dr. Tenma’s ex-fiance now joining the hunt. The new show that follows MONSTER on Tuesday nights is called OTOGIZOUSHI, and it looks like it’s going to be a nice one. What first caught my eye was the quality of the animation, and after watching the first episode I can see that there’s something else there worth staying for. The series takes place during the Heian period (10th century), and seems like it’s going to feature some mysticism.

SAMURAI 7 is also still holding my interest, with some nice character designs, and a world that sees itself as a nice mix of old and new (the series is a futuristic take on Kurosawa Akira’s SEVEN SAMURAI). The only thing that ruins it is the godawful song that plays during the opening credits. Makes my ears bleed everytime.

I also checked out a new series called KURAU PHANTOM MEMORY, which is a definite strange piece of work. After being warned by a friend that I should steer clear, curiosity got the best of me and I gave the first episode a shot. Well, the first half looks like a typical shojo manga (girls comics), and then in the second half it turns into GHOST IN THE SHELL. Although I’m not really crazy about the show, I think I’ll have a look at the second episode, just to see where they’re heading with this.

And unfortunately, Kon Satoshi’s PARANOIA AGENT is now at an end, after 13 episodes. I’ll admit to being a bit disappointed with how it ended, leaving too many unanswered questions, and relying too much on the supernatural. Maybe a second viewing will clear things up.