Seto no Hanayome
Seto no Hanayome is a light romance harem comedy set in the world where mermaids do indeed exist and can actually turn themselves into normal humans, and, you know, attend schools and stuff. Anyway, while Seto no Hanayome doesn’t stand out as a romantic piece, it kicks ass in its comedic part becoming one of the funniest romantic comedies I have ever seen. If you are up for some crazy Japanese humor or you’re a fan of harems - don’t doubt, pick this show up, it’s among the best of its kind. Don’t expect a masterpiece of course.
Nodame Cantabile
Nodame Cantabile portrays a bittersweet love story set in musical academy, starring an aspiring conductor Chiaki and a genius pianist Nodame. It’s funny, it’s dramatic, it’s touching, it’s sweet. If you have seen Honey & Clover before you know what to expect as the one who directs this show is Kasai Kenichi. While Nodame Cantabile isn’t groundbreaking in any way, it’s a worthy watch if you have it for somewhat mature slice of life or classical music.
Hayate no Gotoku
Hayate no Gotoku is not a particularly exceptional light romance tsundere parody. A debt ridden extremely unlucky genius, Ayasaki Hayate, due to a leap of fate ends up working as a butler for one of the richest “ojyou-sama”s in the world, Sanzenin Nagi, who also appears to be tsundere and an otaku. You have a huge cast, you have a lot of fillers and also a story which might or might not go anywhere, as you can never know how many seasons will it have. Season 2 improves on the storyline and appears to move further into the romantic affairs so you might as well give it a show if you have a soft spot for romantic comedies or tsundere. Or you can try counting how many parody jokes will you get, some are pretty well hidden actually.
Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team
Gundam: 08th MS Team.
Those words in themselves hold a special place in my heart. Being one of the first Gundam series I’ve ever watched as well as one of the first anime series I’ve ever watched. Having seen a few black and white episodes of those old giant robo type anime, I couldn’t get into them. It wasn’t believeable to my little mind. However, early mornings before school, catching this on the television did something to me. I’d draw Gundam heads in my notebook at school. It took the whole Mecha genre and made what was fantasy and ubsurd into something tangible and real. I could see it as a possibility that one day, there would be Gundams.
Capeta
I am a fan of racing. I used to do cart racing from ages 5 to about 9, although I had to stop due to financial problems I kind of wish I had the ingenuity and backing team that Capeta had. Although the area that I live is dominated by NASCAR fans, I prefer F1 and Touring. Capeta is about the problems that a rising star in the racing world can face and potential solutions. Although I doubt they will happen as smoothly as they did in Capeta.
Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a sci-fi dystopia with some nice action as a side dish. It tells an ambitious story behind humanity’s last hopes to cling to life after it failed its carbon management thus obliterating human-friendly environment. You are put in the shoes of a young girl, Hojo Kuniko, who appears to be a respected leader-like figure of a terrorist group Metal-Age, which strives to make government put all people, disregarding their political status, into a perfectly human-habitable sky fortress, Atlas (as it appears some poor guys got left out to live on the earth’s surface, where rain is enough to kill you). The plot of the show, though with potential, is badly realized and the cast is quite dull. Shangri-La is not particularly a bad show, but it would be hard to call it particularly good. Watch it if you got time to kill, but don’t expect too much.
Welcome to NHK!
Welcome to NHK! is a magnificent slice of life show depicting the life of hikikomori, Satou Tatsuhiro, and his struggles to overcome this dreaded condition. The quality of psychological insights, pace of plot and an ability to tie all lose ends is certainly something no one could have ever expected from a show coming from GONZO, but, well, miracles happen it seems. Satou’s struggles will give you a lot of insights at many Japanese sociological problems and otaku life, moreover it’s a pretty high level psychology material and first-rate romance show at that. Definitely watch it if at least one of the things I’ve mentioned spurt your interest - Welcome to NHK! is amongst the best anime ever produced.
Elfen Lied
Elfen Lied is a psychological (a bit) violent harem thriller with elves, telepathic powers and protagonist whose behaviour goes against all sense of logic. The mix of all these things, however awkward, ends up as something fun and entertaining if not particularly good or deep. So give this show a shot if it sounds like something you`d like as there is nothing else quite like it.
