Aristotelian Logic

So. I have just been idly thinking about anime and so forth for a while, and thought I'd offer up some of my recommendations. Note that that which I recommend here will probably miss out on a few things; I'm mainly focusing on things that have recently received my interest - i.e. since the founding of the renegade anime club.

Actually, I'll make this the list of things that I'm rabidly advocating. Saiunkoku Monogatari is on my personal to-watch list, but there are others more enthusiastic about its advertisement than I.

First, the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha series. May not be for everyone, but it's kind of fun. Magical girl series in a sense...except that instead of rods and cards, the girls are wielding beam scythes and particle beam cannons. Three seasons - the first one is thirteen episodes, with two main characters. The second one introduces the Wolkenritter and the Book of Darkness, another thirteen episodes which enlarges the cast. The third season, StrikerS, is to have 26 episodes in all - I've seen 14 - and has less action, more development of the 'next generation' type characters. Still enjoyable. The 'penultimate battles' are usually the best in the first two seasons. Particularly season one's. I blather on; look into it, however briefly.

Second - I know that I'm a couple of years late in suggesting this one. I don't care. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - or Suzumiya Haruhi for those preferring Japanese name order - is in my opinion awesome. I suppose there might be some who dislike it, but for me both anime and novels are great. Eagerly anticipating the next novel (with fan-translation, eheh) and next season of the anime (it will have Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody. I just know it.). The anime had an odd airing order originally - intentionally so, splitting the main plot arc across the season and interspersing with filler that came later chronologically. Strangely enough, it works better for pacing. Although episode 9 was a bit of an ordeal. What strikes me about the novels and even more so the anime is this: it's a series where a normal guy has to deal with time-travellers, espers, aliens, and gods. Normally, you'd expect either wacky comedy or boatloads of angst on all sides (I'm looking at you, Shuffle). Or both.

But in Haruhi, it's neither. The characters are very real. There's humor, as we see the series from the normal guy's perspective and he has very snarky inner commentary. And outer commentary, at times. There's angst, most notably in Haruhi's melancholy - but it's not omnipresent, and is actually very rational. Long story short, I recommend Haruhi. Hands down. And will be tapping my foot and twitching until novel 10 is finished.

That's all that comes to mind. It's a bit warm. Frankly, though, those are the series over which I have been semi-obsessing as of late. For games...well, that comes later.