Jin makes a run for it.

I'm glad to see Kannagi address the following two issues: First, harem comedy male protagonists really need better excuses for not trophy fucking every girl in reach. The most obvious reason for their inexplicable celibacy is likely homosexuality. And if Male Protagonist is not gay, everyone else should probably think he is. I'm glad Kannagi realizes this.

Zange's rates are low, but she'll probably laugh at you before you're done.

Second, Kannagi addresses what it means to be The Childhood Friend. You can't throw a stick in Animestan without hitting a Childhood Friend. Kannagi takes the time to explain just exactly what that means. [Spoilers: It means she knows where all the bodies are buried.] Really, I'd rather see more Girls Next Door and fewer Childhood Friends, but Japan seems to follow different conventions.

Sakamoto takes an early lead.

It only took me five minutes of Strike Witches TV to dislike Miyafuji. On the other hand, I'll fully support the Chiba Saeko witch in anything she does because she's doing That Voice—plus smacking Miyafuji around unnecessarily hard.

Wasn't this a Venus Versus Virus shtick?

I'm no big fan of eye patches, but having one doesn't stop Sakamoto from being the front runner. I'm also no fan of animal ears and tails, but thankfully the witches don't have them all the time.

I think the glow means someone's about to get whaled on.

And even though I've only seen one episode of Strike Witches so far, I'm going to go ahead and say the show really should be about Ayako's character from Sky Girls slipping through a Final Countdown vortex and landing in the Strike Witches universe. Then the rest of the show could be about mahou no-jo Otoha trying to fit in with the rest of the crew and fighting Neuroi whatchamacallits while trying to get home. And then a mid-season Eika guest spot. Yeah.

Sheryl and Grace.

Just so you know, Sheryl Nome isn't just the Best Girl in Macross Frontier, she's also the Best Girl in Macross Fufonfia. Haven't heard of it? Macross Fufonfia is a bunch of shorts with the cast of Macross Frontier as office ladies. It's supposed to be SD, but Klan Klan looks exactly the same.

Misato takes a bath.

I have begun augmenting my showers with a bath component. It's not the first time I've tried emulating the Katsuragi lifestyle.

If you don't own any Full Moon wo Sagashite DVDs, you're wrong.

How many Full Moon wo Sagashite DVDs do you own? I have seven, and I would own more except there hasn't been a new release since December 2007. Given the shape of the current anime market (i.e. the bubble popped—predictably, I might add), it makes me worry if we'll ever see the six or so remaining discs.

If you've never watched Full Moon wo Sagashite, you're really wrong.

I understand Full Moon wo Sagashite is somewhat of a difficult title to market. For years, it was often lamented as one of the "this will never get licensed, EVER" shows along with To Heart and Kokoro Library. Well, we got two out of three, but Full Moon wo Sagashite is 52 episodes long and a shoujo clock show to boot. It's got one of the best endings of all time, but how do you get people there? Gunbuster has one of the best endings of all time, too, but it's only a six-episode investment.

Yes, I'm serious.

How do you convince people to commit to a 13-disc series? Hell, I went years without watching even a minute of the show despite hearing exceptionally rave reviews from people with established credibility I could trust. And I watched it for free. But, come on, it's about a 12-year-old girl dying of throat cancer who transforms into a 16-year-old girl to become a singer.

You're going to have to trust me on this one.

But it's more than that. I finally decided to give it a chance after seeing a screenshot featuring two shinigami characters. Now, I had watched enough anime by that point to develop a mental image of what shinigami might look like (and no, they weren't anything like Momo, and only a little bit like Rukia). Meroko and Takuto were not what I had in mind.

Daniel and Momo from Shinigami no Ballad.

So I figured Full Moon wo Sagashite had to be at least a little different. I set my reservations aside and gave the show a chance without preconceptions. Turns out, it is different. And it also turns out Full Moon wo Sagashite is really damn good.

Madoka should have believed in Takasu who believed in her.

This is one of the very few shows I broadly recommend. And I also encourage all y'all to buy the DVDs, because quite frankly I suspect the title probably could use more sales. I hope the long interruption since the last release (with no release date for the next installment in sight) isn't indicative of abandonment—but even if it is, maybe it's time to put your money where your mouth is. That is, just how committed to "supporting the industry" are you? If ever there was a series that deserves it, it's Full Moon wo Sagashite.

Even the inside of her refrigerator is clean, for crying out loud.

How does Shiki keep her apartment so clean? This question has been bothering me for a while. She throws her robe on the floor in the morning, so I don't think she's a naturally neat person.

Did I say robe? I meant bedclothes.

Does Kokuto come by to clean up after her like a little house boy? (See also Toradora! and Nodame Cantabile.)

Kokuto keeps Shiki stocked with bottled water.
It's not a stretch to suggest he tidies up.

It took me a while, but I figured it out: She just KILLS any dirt and clutter that manage to build up. Duh.

Makina deplores your despicable taste in music.

So, there are reports Shikabane Hime: Aka will get a sequel, Shikabane Hime: Kuro, starting in January. I already knew Gainax wouldn't be handling the sequel, but I didn't know the second season would start in January. That means both seasons combined should add up to around 26 episodes. Or does it?

Makina's disguise is infallible.

Watching the first four episodes, I get shounen jive vibes that suggest a Shikabane Hime franchise could run on indefinitely like Bleach, long after my interest has waned. At least so far there hasn't been endless exposition by various characters discussing power levels, so that's good. Maybe I'll be able to make it to the end.

Makina does all right for a dead girl.

To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure why I look forward to each new episode of Shikabane Hime. I think it's mostly because of the angela OP and partly because it stars a purple-haired character without a squeaky voice. I'm a little put off by Makina's choice of spray-and-pray submachine guns as her preferred method of dispatching the undead. I would have preferred a shovel.

19:01:50< Evirus> I figured out how Shiki keeps her apartment so clean.
19:01:50< Nakar> She never puts anything in it?
19:01:50< Nakar> She doesn't even have anything but water in her fridge
19:01:52< Evirus> I can't tell you. I'm saving the answer for a blog post.

Zange puts the moves on Jin, to Tsugumi's dismay.

Tsugumi may have the Kannagi Best Girl title locked up already. She is pure gold in episode seven. In fact, her only real contender is Akiba.