Status Update: Holidays & More on Summer Anime

Turns out searching for Mayo Chiki on Google images doesn't provide many 'savoury' results, so here's a Tiger & Bunny image for your appreciation:

So I haven't posted anything in the last week: this is because I have been in Wales - otherwise known as the Land of Sheep and Rain. Nor will I be posting anything in the coming week because I will be in Eastbourne - otherwise known as the not particularly famous place somewhere to the South as far as I know. Now that the formalities are over with, the list of Mayo Chiki cliches continues.....

Episode 2, unsurprisingly, didn't learn from the mistakes of its predecessor. In fact it continues very much in kind. Harem roll-call begins again!

Rich girl turns out to also be the girl who's into manga! Double check that one.
Girl forced into dating the main character? Check.
Girl somehow has first encounter with claw machine and/or Purikura booth whilst on said date? Double check.
Creepy stalking of said date? Double check.
Tsundere? MASSIVE check.

I've also been trying to work out whether or not 'being incredibly painful to watch' counts as a harem cliche. If it does, then that pretty much dominates the list. Either way, the series has officially been dropped. So long Mayo Chiki; we hardly knew ye.


Due to the time I've taken away (without internet - SHOCK HORROR) I've also got a massive backlog of episodes from this season, and seeing as I'm going away for a further week it's only going to get bigger. Not an ideal state of affairs, but I'm sure I can corner off a week or so on the far side to get myself caught up on everything. There are a few that I think I'll most likely drop after seeing the second episode, so that should take a load off, but there are a few that have definitely grabbed me already this season.

Of course the mighty Penguindrum is among them. In any given season I tend to have at least one 'wtf?' series and at least one genuinely funny comedy, and in this case Penguindrum fulfills the both of them. I'd be lying if I said I could understand what was going on at all, but that's the fun of it really. The first episode contains one of my favourite mood swings in the history of media - just contrast the first half of the episode with the transformation sequence at the end. Absolute excellence. And the second episode brought back both the transformation and the bug spray, so it couldn't really go wrong from there.
I'm hesitant to hail Penguindrum as a godly series just yet though, mainly because of how little sense it makes. Granted it makes for great entertainment (has me in tears of laughter frequently) but it's not really telling a story. Maybe it would be better if we knew anything about the Penguindrum or the hat, maybe it would be better if we knew where on earth the penguins themselves came from. But there are a lot of maybes - if there were some semblance of plot we wouldn't get immortal lines such as "For now we can only do what the hat tells us and find the Penguin Drum." For now I'm all for mindless hilarity, especially if it's penguin-related.
Incidentally I'm trying to decide which penguin is the best: 1 or 2. Number 1 has the amazing facial expression going for him, but then again number 2 has the bug spray. Too tough to call as yet. I'll get back to you.

There is still room in my heart, however, for the winners from the Spring season. It's the first time so many of my favourites from a season have continued onwards into the next as 24+ episode series. Much more to catch-up on, but hey I'm not complaining. The most prominent figure here would have to be Steins;Gate though - never ceases to both entertain and intrigue. Granted the plot is not without holes, but the characters are genuinely original and entertaining. Still need to get on to episode 16, but who could resist Okabe's amazing Engrish from 15? Or Kurisu's cute denial of her otaku-hood?
Really looking forward to seeing how this is going to play out.

Fairy Tail is going strong as ever. After a bit of a lull in quality I'm really getting into the Edolas arc. Lots more ridiculousness in the form of the Exceeds and characters like 'Sugar Boy' and the unexplained little girl, but also some awesome in the form of Panther Lily, Gajeel and the return of Gray and Erza. I love the giant transformations the protagonists undergo from filler episodes, in which they're incompetent bumbling fools, to the dramatic/battle episodes, in which they're incredibly badass. Nothing as yet has topped the genius of the Oracion Seis arc, or the music therefrom, but I have high hopes.


Anywhos, I've probably rambled on a bit for a mere status post. I'm off to watch 'The Killer' now and then driving away merrily on the morrow.

Peace out y'all,
K