I did not expect to take an entire 4 months off from the good old blog, but god damn how time can just fly by. I haven’t lost interest in anime, in fact this might be my busiest season yet. Unfortunately I learned a lesson that voice actors do not make a show. Akane-Iro ni Somaru Saka has crushed my poor soul into never anticipating a show again. I should have listened to my gut feelings but the stellar cast got the best of me. Note to self: avoid School Days staff as much as possible. On the other hand there are two complete stand-outs for me in Kannagi and Toradora. The art styles of both are what initially intrigued me but they turned out to be pretty damn good. Lesser known talent in Kannagi is not only refreshing but exciting. I’m eager to see what Haruka Tomatsu (Nagi, Lala Deviluke) will end up voicing next. And who would have thought that another one of Kugimiya’s psycho tsundere lolis would sit just right? I will admit I cringe everytime I hear a “shut-up” or dog and master reference though.

Other shows being force fed this season include ef – a tale of melodies, which is surprisingly darker than I thought it would be, but in a weird kind of good way. Clannad After Story, which seems to be more of the same shit different week. Not a bad diversion between other shows, but nothing that I guess would qualify as a necessary sequel. I’d rather see KyoAni working on Haruhi Suzumiya Season 2 or something completely new. To Aru Majutsu no Index has been pretty solid so far as well, and could wind up a real winner in my books if it keeps the quality up for a full 24 episodes.