Anime Apolyton

[loinburger]

The first is a spoof. The second is not.

[DanS]

Don't think Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto has been mentioned in this thread yet. It aired in Japan in the fall and is making it slowly to fansub.

Historical drama set after Commodore Perry's opening of Japan. It assumes that you know some Japanese history from the time and it is sometimes representational rather than literal. Because of this, it is confusing. Nonetheless, it is a very good series so far.

[Wraith]

--"Don't think Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto has been mentioned in this thread yet."

Might have to check that one out.

I was thinking of bumping this thread, since the new season started. Haven't seen much yet this season to really get me interested, though. Only significantly interesting show is one I've been looking forward to, Nodame Cantabile.
I've been following the translated manga release for a while now. Good stuff. Then I heard that the same animation team that worked on Honey and Clover was going to be involved in Nodame Cantabile, and it's a perfect match for the story.

The show is set in a music academy, and the main character, Shinichi Chiaki, is a gifted violin and piano player. However, what he really wants to do is conduct. Unfortunately, thanks to an incident on a flight, he's now phobic of air travel. And thanks to almost drowning he's just as phobic of boats. Which means he's trapped in Japan.
Then he meets another piano student, Noda Megumi (the Nodame of the title), who is rather odd but an excellent pianist. Or would be, if she'd bother to practice sight reading instead of trying to memorize songs by ear.

Fun characters and great interaction. The anime, so far, is following the manga closer than the live-action drama did.

Wraith
"Huh? What kind of dog? That's great! A dog! Other people say I'm more like a fish. Devil stinger. This is my first time being a mammal!"
-- Nodame ("Nodame Cantabile")

[DanS]

I just started downloading Nodame Cantabile, so great minds think alike.

[loinburger]

I've recently finished the first season of Rozen Maiden, it certainly wasn't anything spectacular but it was decent enough that I'm checking out the second season.

Up to episode 60 (out of 74) in Monster, so things ought to be wrapped up in another few weeks (at which point my next options for long-running series are Hunter X Hunter, Tenshi na Konamaiki, Rose of Versailles, and Mahou Shoujotai).

[Wraith]

--"I just started downloading Nodame Cantabile, so great minds think alike."

You'll have to comment in here later on ^_^

So far it's pretty good. They've definitely taken some animation shortcuts I would rather have skipped, but they've done some good instrument playing scenes with the savings, so I won't complain too much.
Only a couple major pieces so far, but I think the live-action payed more attention to the sound of the pieces. The major performances are later, though, so we'll see.
Given the pacing, looks like this will cover about as much of the manga as the live-action did.

--"I've recently finished the first season of Rozen Maiden"

That was licensed recently by Geneon. Apparently they got both seasons, but I'm not sure about the OVA yet. Overture goes a long way towards explaining Suiginto's relationship to the other Rozen Maiden, so it's worth a watch. Not to mention her reaction to the j-word.
Traumed takes things in an even more plot-holed direction, but it's as watchable as the first season.

I've been thinking about checking out the manga. From what I've heard, it's darker and more complex than the anime (plus more tightly plotted). The anime, second season especially, is apparently very diverged from the manga story. Sounds more interesting, too, from what little I know (trying to avoid spoilers).

--"at which point my next options for long-running series"

Mahou Shoujotai isn't as long as you might think. The episodes are only about 8 minutes long ^_^ It was okay, but nothing special.

Of the rest, I still haven't watched Rose of Versailles. I like Brother Dear Brother well enough, so I should see it one of these days.

Of the other two... hmm. I do like Hunter X Hunter, but have to say the pacing of the anime does seem slow after reading the manga version. It may take a while to get in to.

Tenshi na Konamaiki was okay. Interesting premise, but as I don't recall whether or not they get any real ending for the story.

Wraith
"If I take refuge in ambiguity, I assure you it's quite conscious."
-- Kingman Brewster, Jr.

[DanS]

I notice that 5 Centimeters per Second just came out on fansub. By Shinkai Makoto, the guy who did Hoshi No Koe, an impressive one-man half-hour science fiction/romance OVA.

I've been watching Ghost Hunt. Lighthearted, but sometimes gruesome. Not my genre (horror, spirits, mystery), but surprisingly enjoyable. Don't think I'm part of the target audience, but...

Nodame Cantabile has been enjoyable so far. Nice adult comedy.

Nana is breaking my heart.