(Check out the stickied post for the full bracket.)
In the inaugural matchup of our Charactology feature, we compare the appeal of a character who spends most of the series trying to go to space with a character who spends most of the series deader than a Hokuto no Ken villain.
In an ending that was typical of everything the show has done prior till now, we got excessive combat, Shakespeare quotations, and plenty of toying with expectations. It’s been a heck of a ride for a show I almost quit on 4 months ago.
This week’s episode once again showed the show’s consistent ability to cycle on all cylinders. Appropriate to the week’s wait for the details of the heroes’ grand plan, we got treated to a wham-bam reveal and a complimentary visual feast.
This show continues to be a little caught up in its own terminology, but as usual makes up for it with a combination of rational strategizing and character development. It is nice to see characters have real time to plan and reflect before the final battle.
Live from what may or may not be a filing cabinet, we bring you the Animetics Podcast, a (presumably) monthly recording of our panelists jawing over various topics. If the very thought doesn’t scare you, you can download it from the following link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?dtwsd2810g366d0 (94 minutes, 85 MB)
In this inaugural episode, we’ll be talking about the Winter 2013 Anime season. This discussion is a two-pronged assault. First, we cover the shows we’re watching, trying hard but not too hard to stay on topic. Second, we discuss the season in historical context with recent previous Winter seasons, taking on the oft-disseminated “worst season of all time” rumors.
If you’re strapped for time or only want to follow a certain portion of the podcast, you can find each particular segment at the times listed below:
Tamako Market [0:50]
Maoyuu [5:58]
Blast of Tempest [12:13]*
Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman [17:05]
I Don’t Have Very Many Friends Next [20:07]
Sasami-san@Ganbaranai [26:42]
Cuticle Detective Inaba [32:38]
Senyu [35:40]
GJ-bu [41:12]
Koutoura-san [44:12]
Mangirl [54:00]
Problem Children [55:24]
Puchimas [58:32]
Vividred Operation [60:56]
The Unlimited [63:30]
Comparison with past Winter seasons [72:47]
Seasonal Charts We Used:
Winter 2011 full chart (w/ Madoka)
*Blast of Tempest is technically a Fall 2012 show. It’s in there mostly because Sam and I wanted to hash out a topic we had argued over the past week. One that I proved myself wrong about 2 days after emphatically declaring that studios didn’t really matter.
Blast of Tempest is a very entertaining show, but sometimes it makes odd choices that don’t really seem consistent with how good it’s capable of being. This was, by and large, a solid episode, but also a reminder of how peaks-and-valleys the show can occasionally be.
First of all, let me say I’m continually entertained by the willingness of this show to place serious discussions alongside characters lounging around in massage chairs. With that out of the way, the more pertinent comment; wow, did that episode ever floor me (in any number of ways, really).
Blast of Tempest: Some Thoughts on Episodes 1-19
Blast of Tempest started out as a very serious action/drama about saving the world from an evil clan of mages while trying to avoid letting your friend know you were dating the sister whose death he’s on a quest to avenge. It only got more deliciously complicated from there.
Animetics 
