A series has really fallen from grace when you are more entertained watching filler arcs then reading the actual manga. Really, this filler arc about the zanpakuto is far more interesting then what is happening in fake Karakura town. I do admit, half of why I find this so boring is because most of my favourite characters are in Hueco Mundo, but the other half is that the current fights seem so half assed. I mean Shunsui's first release was enough to defeat number 1? really? I get that he is one of the most senior of the captains, but even Ukitake wasn't able to do that and both of them joined Seireitei at the same time and both were tutored by Yamamoto. It really did feel like Kubo did it to get the plot moving, so I guess he knows that the fans don't like this part at all. Anyways, the filler arc is pretty interesting. I really liked Renji's fight with Zabimaru, it was basically his fight with Byakuya all over again, except this time he won. I wish Renji would get more fights, I really miss him. I was very disappointed with Rukia's fight, or lack of. While Rukia's fight with number 9 was amazing, so I was disenchanted with the Sode no Shirayuki fight. Although I guess Rukia would not want to fight her own zanpakuto.EDIT: Chapter 338 just got back to Hueco Mundo! Hurray! My interest level when from 4 to 7 (on a scale of 1-10). =D
Ojamajo Doremi
I started watching this series because it was a magical girl show, and I tend to like these. Doremi isn't Tutu, or even Cardcaptor Sakura, but it's still entertaining. The biggest problem with Doremi is that the characters are walking archetypes. Doremi is the good-hearted but dumb and goofy leader in pink, Hazuki is the soft spoken book worm with glasses, and Aiko is the blue tomboy that excels at sports and isn't too bright, but is high above at Doremi's level of dumbness. Most episodes are self contained and usually feature one of Doremi's classmates who has a problem and comes to the shop to buy a magic item to solve their problem. Often the person will buy Doremi's deformed item and the girls will have to follow the person to make sure that the item doesn't malfunction. It can get a bit repetitive, but Ojamajo Doremi usually changes up the formula just when it is getting stale by making the next episode about the girls's magic exam, or their family members. So far I'm yet to be bored of it, and it has a certain charm that keeps me coming back, even when the characters are so badly made and used.
Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch
Sometimes I really wonder why I continue to watch it. The plot moves at the pace of a snail, the filler episodes are boring and uninspired, and the main characters (except Lina) annoy me to no end. I should probably drop it, but I end up deciding to give it another chance because it's a magical girl show. I think Lina also helps me keep my sanity when watching this show, because the other characters are so unbelievably shallow and cliche and dumb that I cannot fathom anyone relating to them and their plight. Yes, angry rant is coming up! For starters there is Lucia, she's suppose to be a mermaid princess, but she NEVER takes her responsibility seriously, even after realizing that her kingdom is in real trouble. Nope, she rather day dream and chase after Kaito, who is awful. The guy has 'feelings' for both mermaid Lucia and human Lucia and doesn't know they are the same person. Sure he likes the same person, but if it so happened that they weren't the same person, he would be two-timing them. Most the time it seems like he only keeps human Lucia around because he knows he can't have mermaid Lucia, and during the earlier episodes he was really mean to human Lucia. But Lucia, being the dumb brood that she is, forgave him because he loves her in the end, even though he doesn't yet know it. This is kind of absurd because he is 'in love' with a mere image and recollection, and not a real person, any self respecting individual would have realized Kaito isn't worth the effort since he is a self absorbed shallow prick. The anime's awful perpetuation of masculinity as seen through Kaito and femininity as seen through Lucia and Hanon often brings me nausea. The only saving grace is Lina, who takes her responsibility as a mermaid princess seriously and is unwavering in her dedication to freeing her kingdom. Often episodes featuring her give me enough hope to keep slogging through the anime, but I am beginning to question how far my love for maho shoujo, and Lina's character can take me to bear the god awful atrocity that is Mermaid Melody. I guess we shall see how long I can bear to watch it. Currently I have watched 20 episodes out of 51. It's a contest then. ;)Lucky Star
I must say episode seven was far more entertaining then the previous episodes. Konata's lady imitation was genuinely funny because it is such an overused anime cliche. However, the rest of the episode was rather dull, like the six episodes before it. Lucky Star is bordering on being dropped like Mermaid Melody, but for now, I'm still willing to watch another episode (maybe not in the near future because like Mermaid Melody, I can only subject myself to something I do not particularly like, but something I feel may get better only so often.) Any ways, like Mermaid Melody I will have a little contest to see how far I can watch, Lucky Star has an advantage as it is much shorter, but then again it's even more dull then Mermaid Melody. I don't know about other people, but I do not find four demure (possible excepts are Konata and Kagami) girls discussing food, clothes, cell phones, and other trivial matters to be entertaining. But we shall see how much I can endure.
Endure Anime Test:
Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch - 24[NOW DROPPED]
Lucky Star - 7/24
