Zoopraxiscope

Shingu is the perfect show to recover with after Divergence Eve/Misaki Chronicles. The fate of the Earth, perhaps the entire galaxy, may hang in the balance, but six episodes in, the outstanding characteristic of the show is its playfulness.

Misaki Chronicles and Shingu just arrived. Don’t expect much posting here for a few days.

Update: Just finished Misaki Chronicles. A few quick notes:

1. Wow.

2. I want to let the story settle in my mind a day or two before I watch anything else. Shingu will have to wait.

3. Somebody please shoot the character designer and the jiggle choreographer.

4. Misaki and her colleagues are cute — from the neck up, anyway — but Lyar von Ertiana is the one I want to meet.

5. Much of the anime that I find memorable deals with grief and despair. Few series do so as directly as Misaki Chronicles.

6. Wow, again.

I’ve watched each of the first five episodes of Denno Coil at least twice so far. I have a few small reservations, but overall I’m very impressed. Iso and company have yet to stumble. If these five episodes are indicative, this is the best show I’ve seen on fansub yet and one of the best of any kind ever. I was initially concerned that there wouldn’t be enough material to stretch twenty-six episodes; now my concern that twenty-six will barely be enough to elucidate all the mysteries of Daikoku City and the connections between Yasako and Isako. Denno Coil is a pleasure to watch on every level. I don’t often write about quality of animation because I don’t have the background, but even I can tell that the work here is exceptional. Watching the different ways the various characters in the opening climb stairs is an education in the art of animation. Daikoku City may be a virtual world, but it’s one of the most believable I’ve ever visited.

Eleven episodes of Seirei no Moribito have been translated now. The last few have been surprisingly quiet (not that I mind; there are few things duller than non-stop action). It looks like the story might be as much about the education of the prince as about eluding assassins.

I’m watching Sugar, a Tiny Snow Fairy slowly, one episode a day. I watched the ninth today, which is the beginning of the “Bear Pianist” arc, my favorite part of the series. Overall, it’s as good as I remember it, but not all parts have aged equally well. The Elder’s infatuation with Ginger gets old fast, and after the fluid animation of Denno Coil, Sugar looks just a little wooden. The writing and acting generally are very good, though, and the music is better than I remembered. One recurring theme reminds me strongly of Metamora, and I keep expecting to hear Malcolm Dalglish’s dulcimer.

Addendum: Here’s some Denno Coil motivation.