So I’ve been making liberal use of God’s own gift to anime fans, BitTorrent. I’ve also been the recipient of considerable kindness from one of my very good friends. And so I now have what could be called the start of a decent anime collection. Since I’ve been dangerously remiss in writing here lately, I figured on making up for that with a great big mass of fanboy geekery…

Stellvia treads the oft-followed pathway I think of as “students in space.” For all that it bears a passing similarity to Pilot Candidate, it has the good fortune to actually be enjoyable and bear a reasonably interesting plot. (That would be unlike Pilot Candidate, thank you.) The fact that the lead character bears a passing resemblance to Sailor Moon and her best friend bears a passing resemblance to Washuu shouldn’t deter you from trying out and enjoying this surprisingly well-written series. The plot departs from the norm in a few nifty ways (that I won’t spoil here), and the relationships are portrayed in a way that conveys subtlety and depth. Of all the shows I’m currently following, this is the one I most eagerly anticipate new episodes of.

Onegai Twins hasn’t quite won me over yet, nor has it lost me. It’s a sequel to something I haven’t watched (Onegai Teacher) and as such seems to be treading ground I’m supposed to already be familiar with. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but that will entirely depend on the writing. One wonders at the pseudo-incestuous overtones of the show, but so far they haven’t crossed any really dangerous lines. I’ll keep watching this one and hoping that it really gels into a compelling series, rather than merely a light and amusing diversion.

Narutaru is… weird. And dark. And cheerful. And, well, it sort of defies description in a few ways. It’s certainly not for young children, no matter how much it might resemble your average “precocious pre-teen befriends cuddly little creature” premise. I’m only four episodes in and there’s already a clear thread of corruption and death running through the plot. It’s compelling stuff, however, and I’m intensely curious to see how things turn out. There are some strong hints given, but I’m not entirely sure those aren’t red herrings. Yet. My suspicion is that the writers are relying more on their ability to turn what looks like an established “type” of show on its ear than they are on truly clever plot twists. I’m willing to be surprised, however. And I will keep watching.

Chobits may not exactly be new to most anime fans, but I hadn’t seen so much as one episode until a few weeks ago. I freely admit that I wasn’t really prepared to give it a fair shake, given that it’s a show centered on a clueless perv of a boy and a brainless waif of a “girl.” I sort of gritted my teeth and plowed through the first few episodes. Something strange happened along the way. Two somethings, actually. The first strange thing is that I actually found myself laughing at some of the “hilarity ensues” setups. (You know: Boy has to teach cute(sy) girl-shaped robot how to bathe herself. Hilarity ensues. The sort of sitcom-like setups that usually make me groan in frustration.) The second was hints of a very serious underlying meaning to the series. This isn’t to say that Chobits gets all dark and dreary, but it does tackle in some prococative ways what it really means to be in love, and to be worthy of love. At the end, I found myself glad I watched the show.

Oh yeah, and Sumomo rocks. I just had to say it. The little pink imp grows on you… sort of in the way Chibi-Usagi of Sailor Moon doesn’t.

Some other shows, most of which I’m still barely started on, include RahXephon (two episodes seen, seems like Evangelion II but without the blatant Judeo-Christian religious overtones, undertones and middle-tones), Noir (what happens when Japanese storytellers pretend they’re French storytellers… mixed results, but mostly pretty damned cool), Vandread (oooh lookie, 3D-animated space combat, and lots of “battle of the sexes” material… quite fun, though) and the X TV series (I’ve seen the movie; it had better damned well outclass that utter piece of dreck). There’s also the handful of Angelic Layer and Card Captor Sakura episodes available that the kids have been enjoying over and over (and over).

All in all, this is a happy anime-fandom household lately. Hey, don’t knock the notion of having something guaranteed to bring the family together!