CR Top Animes of Summer 2008

I promised I’d begin posting all my favorites of this summer so I’ll begin with my favorite anime series. Then I’ll probably follow up with favorite manga, video games, movies (anime and real), music, musicians etc. Should be fun! So, hajimaru!

TOP TEN ANIME SERIES OF THE SUMMER

1. Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
2. Vampire Knight
3. Junjou Romantica
4. Bleach
5. Code Geass
6. Death Note
7. Mirage of Blaze
8. InuYasha
9. Gravion
10. Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Ta-da! The Count of Monte Cristo tops the list this year as the unexpected BEST SHOW EVER anime of the summer. I first saw The Count at Otakon 2005 and was instantly captivated by its elaborate artwork. However, because I only saw one episode at that time, I had no idea what was going on. Since then, I had tried my hardest to purchase it but alas, other anime series beckoned. Every time I went to Suncoast, I always allowed my hand to linger in front of the boxset but I never brought it. Finally, in June at Anime Mid-Atlantic, I broke down and chose The Count over the second half of the Fushigi Yuugi Series. At first, I thought I had made a mistake but it turned out I didn’t. The art, the story, the voices in both English and Japanese… everything was worth it. I finally got to see it, I finally got rid of that terrible longing in my chest for it and I kept my V for Vendetta fandom alive a little longer (not that it was dying. It’s just that shortly after I got Gankutsuou, HBO started showing V again everyday at lunch time)

So here’s to Gankutsuou, Junjou, Vampire Knight, Bleach and Code Geass; my top 5 animes of the summer!

Anime Dark Ages? Maybe Not…

So Geneon went under. It seems that cataclysmic event set off a chain-reaction throughout the industry both state side and in Japan. It was dubbed “The Anime Dark Ages” by PiQ Magazine, which painted a dark and bleak future for the anime industry in the coming months. Even I was starting to wonder if it was true. I was running out of new content to watch. However, after a recent splurge at FYE in Washington D.C. I slowly came to realize the Anime Dark Ages might not be so dark after all. We still have ADV, Bandai, AnimeWorks and Funimation after all (I probably forgot a few more). There is still some interesting new stuff on the shelf. My favorites so far are Devil May Cry and Black Blood Brothers. I have yet to get Girl with the Blue Eye and even though they went under, there are still some Geneon titles floating around out there (even if they have become a bit more expensive). To top it all, Funimation seems to be making good on their promise to re-release Yu-Gi-Oh!. The second season box set is now available for purchase on AnimeCastle.com. So if you know where to look, you can still find good anime to watch.

Going across the Pacific, it seems the anime industry in Japan is showing signs that it still has what it takes. My new favorite manga Vampire Knight has a 26 episode series that premiered last Tuesday. Everyone’s favorite BLCD Junjou Romantica has also been adapted into a 24 episode series and premiered last Thursday (wait, I guess that means the second episode came on earlier this morning EST since it is now 3:30AM in Japan XD) Plus, this summer, the second OVA of Ikoku Irokoi Romantan by Ayano Yamane will be released. Then there is a bunch of other stuff happening, like people from Cowboy Bebop and DeathNote working on a Pokemon movie?! I skimmed through ANN this morning and saw a blurb about something going down with a Pokemon movie, lol.

It might be the Anime Dark Ages but it isn’t as dark as some people paint it to be. Besides, there’s always manga, VHD and Trinity Blood novels to read X3

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Watching: Vampire Knight Episode 2

Listening to: Gareki no Hana by D

Eating: Beef and Broccoli & White Rice + Pizza

Drinking: Chai Tea