(Skip if you’ve already read the first paragraph of one of the other ones) So the summer of 2009 has come to an end last week on Tuesday. Well, what that brings is also the end to all of the summer seasons of anime that I have been watching. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty ambitious when I started the season; investing time into about 14 different series simultaneously. Needless to say, that didn’t work out so well – ended up dropping a ton of series that I found boring or just didn’t bother to keep up with. Now I find myself at the end of summer with around 6 series completed of varying quality. I have to say, 2009 hasn’t really blown me away with any anime, but it’s been interesting. So right now, I’m going to sum up what I have finished this summer: Bakemonogatari, Hayate no Gotoku S2, Canaan, Saki, Spice and Wolf S2, and Requiem for the Phantom. These aren’t listed in any particular order, so don’t follow it so much like that. Anyway, here we go.
So this article got extremely long. I’ve split it up into 3 parts so it’s easier to read. You’ll be able to tell when I’m wrapping up by the title of each one. I included the intro paragraph in each of these articles too in case you decide to read one, but not the others.
Spice and Wolf II had me guessing at the beginning of it because I thought what had turned out to be a nice slice-of-life anime from a merchant’s point of view back in a Historical view of Europe had turned into a somewhat sappy-romance inspired anime. And I don’t think I was that wrong either. This time around, Spice and Wolf had a lot more of Lawrence running around trying to stay together with Horo than anything else. I guess the producers figured that they get more viewers when they try to sell romance, as opposed to how the economy worked a few hundred years ago – they’re probably right too. I’m not giving Spice and Wolf the proper credit it deserves though. A lot of the time though, Lawrence is still trying to make profit somehow while explaining in detail on how he is going about it. I think a lot of the blubber was cut though from the previous season because it was probably too boring for people to watch anymore. Either that, or maybe the anime is following the light novels very closely, but since I can’t read Japanese well enough to actually read them, I can’t say.
The plot remains unchanged though. Lawrence is trying to get Horo back to her hometown of Yoitsu in the North while making money along the way. Just like the last series, there are crises, opportunities, and unexpected events thrown around that affect the plot and the money schemes. The series focuses on mainly two real happenings during Lawrence and Horo’s travels though. To be honest, I think both of these events were nicely done, even if this time around the focus on romance was escalated a bit. The anime overall remained unchanged, so I think no harm was done in the long run. Whether or not this series will warrant another season is a tough question. With Horo getting closer to her hometown and their journey coming to a close though, who knows.
Phantom ~Requiem of the Phantom~ is probably the better of the action anime I’ve watched this season. I liked this one significantly more than Canaan. Well, I guess I should talk in the present tense since I haven’t exactly finished watching this yet. Phantom is about a boy who is abducted into an organization called inferno and is trained to be an incredible assassin. The memories of his identity and past are concealed using drugs and the only method he has of living is to do the organization’s bidding. He is personally trained by the organization’s other elite assassin who is called Ein. As the anime progresses through its first half, we get to watch the progression of Zwei’s abilities and watch as the organization he works for rises to power over all of the mafia and gangs in the US.
The plot of this anime is split into basically three parts. The first focuses on Zwei’s progress as an assassin and his struggle to not lose his own identity, all the while trying to give an identity to Ein. The second part focuses on Zwei being Inferno’s main assassin. Here, he meets a young girl named Cal and takes her into his care. The last part that I’m watching now focuses on all three of the main characters and will ultimately lead up to a conclusion of their conflicts (or at least I’d hope). I really won’t give any insight other than this on the story because I think you should watch it to find out. I was skeptical on watching this series throughout the first arc of it, but as it kept progressing, I found myself getting more engrossed in it. The second and third parts are definitely worth sitting through the first part, even though that was the longest.
While there are action scenes in this anime, that’s not really the main focus of the series in my opinion. Neither are the goals of inferno or the missions Zwei takes on. To me, Zwei’s struggles throughout the series are what make up the plot. His struggle to survive (part 1), his struggle to take his identity back and protect innocence (part 2), and his final struggle against his past and choosing between his only 2 real companions he’s ever had (part 3). These are what make up the entire series. Is the story mind-blowing or great in anyway? Not particularly. I did feel that the series was pretty good in general though. As long as the ending doesn’t turn out extremely sour, I give this anime a recommendation. The biggest complaint I had with it though, were the OP’s and ED’s. Please, never let me hear ALI PROJECT ever again. I’ve never liked their music. Period.
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