2009 is the first year I’ve actually completed to monitor from January to December. Now I can fully assess the anime(s) I’ve watched—and liked from every season. Is 2009, yay or nay?

The anime(s) listed below are not really in any order of preference or such, but these are my final picks for the best shows for the year of 2009. I really didn’t include shows which weren’t done airing yet. Meanwhile, I’ve included a show from 2008 Fall which didn’t finished airing on 2008.

Anyway, I’ve finally finished Persona 4 before the end of the year so expect some sort of a review of the game. It’s partly responsible why the year end post is late.

Toradora! – It was kind of let down that this show not really left that of a heavy impression among the viewers but to tell everyone the truth, Toradora! is one of the shows that really kept me excited every week during the season it was being aired.

I never really liked Taiga at first because she only seems to me a brat, with a Shana-esque voice, spouting baka-inu over and over. It was really Minorin who enticed me in this show. I still remember that scene with Ami whispering to her, whether her feelings of guilt has disappeared or whatnot… Although I also have to agree that Taiga was awesome during this episode as well because of the cat fight.

I just don’t care anymore about the love interest of the characters here in the series. I just really like the character developments made in this show, from Minorin’s guilt, deceit and of course her impulsive character, Ami’s provocative attitude, Yuusaku’s idiotic tendencies, Takasu’s awesomeness, and Taiga’s ill-temper.

Well, I honestly didn’t liked the ending of the series. Seriously, I just don’t know why Toradora suddenly tripped that branch when it’s already about to end. I don’t know if I’m the only one who didn’t like the ending. Adversely, I guess there are also several episodes which I liked, which I think could compensate for the feeble ending.

Spice and Wolf II – The best sequel I’ve seen so far. I think the first season is somewhat shallow because it  simply seemed to me a boy meets girl plot. Season 2 begs to differ because it explored more the relationship between Horo and Lawrence. There have been several situations already where Lawrence was drove into a corner to select from limited options but it has never been the case that Horo has to leave his side, in exchange for something he has desired for long. Season two further tests the strength of the bond formed between Horo and Lawrence after their encounter. It was a good watch because you get to see some substantial character developments from the two primary characters, even if it was in a slow-paced manner. I am highly anticipating a third installment from this series.

Bakemonogatari - Haha, it’s kind of expected already because Bakemonogatari is one of the unique series through out the year. Nisio Isin’s antics were funny, but at the same time, he still didn’t failed to incorporate the story. I fail as a viewer though because I never had the chance to formally write a review for it, but I’ll certainly write one. Someday.

Ugh, I still remember that it was too late for me to realize that Senjogahara’s staplers were sembalnt to that of crab’s pincers. I think I was only able to sumise that after 10 episodes, yes it was a real fail for me for noticing it on the last minute.

The series’ capriciousness is one of its fascinating traits. The characters are pleasing in sense that they are fun and surprising to watch, on how they are going to react to certain situations. I especially liked conversations between Senjogahara and Araragi, since these two are the very embodiment of the descriptions I’ve just said. Araragi’s fun to watch because of his tsukkomi-esque responses while Senjogahara is so enticing to watch as she teases Araragi.

My only qualm though is the walls of texts. Probably, that’s one of the reason I just can’t say that I’ve fully understood the series. Once in a while, I get to see this kanji character of kuro 黒 (black) — which I still don’t comprehend up until now.

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 – One of the anime(s) that left me dumbstruck after it was finished.

It was a blunt bullet for people who don’t really know how to get past some obstacles in life. It was a realistic portrayal of how Mirai was able to change from that of an annoying teen into a much mature Mirai after all the events. It showcases that commonality among people to take for granted some things that they’d find important once it is lost already. Sometimes though, we just have to overcome that fear in order to advance in our own lives.

I doubt one would still be able to utter “the world should just break” after watching this series.

The final episodes gave such a confusing impression among the viewers though because of the issue regarding Yuuki. Either way, I think witnessing Mirai’s growth through out the story is the true essence of the series.

Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou – A supernatural series that has a subtle atmosphere, but piquant on its own unique way.

Okay, how should I describe this anime? Well, it was interesting on its own right, but I especially liked the portrayal of Natsume’s character. He is an interesting fellow for he does his best to deal with youkais alone. I guess I just can contemplate with his behavior towards the people around him. He seems to be fine around others when he’s actually not often times.

Natsume’s stance between both youkais and humans is of course one of the catch of the anime. Will he be able to keep up with the youkais given his transient life? When will he finally be at his true self around humans? The human-youkai relationship being the focus between Natsume and Madara is also a good watch because it somewhat tells a story of an unrequited relationship between two different entities. Madara’s growing fondness towards Natsume is given already but will the two of them make it given the barriers?

It also has a slow paced manner of story telling but it is worth watching Natsume’s struggles with Madara, as they take that path, nobody knows where it leads.

Also— A third installment as well puh-lease.

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Hmm, probably my runner-ups would be: Aoi Hana, Eden of the East, Birdy Decode 2 and Skip Beat. K-on, Umineko and Valkyria Chronicles just didn’t made it on my cut. There are still lots of anime I’ve watched but I guess those above would be the top 5? Well, I guess this will look like very subjective since I don’t have any formal criteria to assess them, but i really don’t care about crappy animation and sound that much because I give the heavy weight to the story and characters alone while distributing some to my personal enjoyment and the value of the anime itself.

I hope you’ve enjoyed as well these top 5 anime(s) of mine for the year 2009.

Well then, it is again the start of another decade. I hope there would be more good anime(s) which would be produced.

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image credits: pixiv users NPN♥サイト引っ越しました, きぃら～☆, 椿九, 928, Liddle

It doesn’t really matter how many Thoreni, Lumione or whatever coins you possess. Everyone has their set of choices to choose from whether to succumb to what they feel right or wrong, whichever might be the source of their happiness or joy, even if it’s also just momentarily.

I chuckled a bit and partly agreed to what Harold-san(the innkeeper) mentioned with regards to wealth and merchants. Indeed, merchants keep on thinking how to earn and gain large sum of profits and yet, would they be able to keep it when that day comes? Of course not, and yet they are putting all the effort just to obtain those high-quality materials and such. Certainly, why exert that much effort in obtaining something you’ll eventually throw away? I guess this rather falls in the category of that dispensable part of happiness.

We all have different kinds of perspective on how we choose to be happy with our lives, even if we’re just pretending to have the role of a fairy tale’s protagonist. Happiness is a scary thing. Perhaps that’s right but, probably not as well. Well, since it’s how Horo perceives it, let’s not argue with that.

Horo’s justification of why she is scared of the happiness she feels is because it might suddenly perish, and that’s just a painful thing to bear, once you’ve already gotten used to it. Just like the elders’ favorite proverb says, “Anything that is too much is bad”. For Horo, this sentiment is too much because of Lawrence’s kindness towards her. It’s not like it’s Lawrence’s fault to behave so kind towards Horo, but just like what Lawrence mentioned on the episodes where he faced that obstacle regarding Horo’s sellout, he doesn’t want to abandon his “crate”. Can you blame either one of the sides?

Yes, Lawrence is a merchant, and that just sums it up all to describe him. Merchants are inclined to stick to whatever they think is profitable to their business. Undeniably, one of the reasons why Lawrence accepted Horo to be his companion in the very first place, is because she is gifted with those skills essential for item-appraisal. Nevertheless, after all those travels and deep water, I doubt if some sort of bond didn’t formed between the two of them. Well, that was a rhetorical question, since we all probably knew already what’s the answer…

A merchant should be a risk-taker and just as much as they want to risk and to gain profit, certainly, they also want to make their dreams come true and as for Lawrence, it’s to own a shop. It was at that brink of moment that Lawrence’s dreams might have come true if only he decided to finally part ways with Horo, but that’s not what he did, he traded that dream of his for a different aspect of happiness. He might not have achieved his dream yet but he was able to upheld a priceless bond with someone.

He might be a merchant, who seeks happiness and fulfillment by mere profit and fortune, but certainly at one point in his life, he’ll eventually realize that he’ll need someone to be with. Well, In conclusion, this series doesn’t only teach us about supply, demand and all that economics stuff but it also emphasizes that a man can’t live through physiological needs alone, he also needs several things and one of these is a companion/lover.

This is one of those what I’m referring to as the indispesable part of happiness. There are so many choices, options and other things that would make us happy but there is always this one thing we are holding to, something we cherish, and we are ready to sacrifice anything just so it will remain in our lives. Sometimes, these are the things we take for granted, and I hope that moment won’t come to anyone.

Good for Lawrence though since he finally had the courage to say the words. Meanwhile, I hope Horo would reciprocate those feelings from Lawrence, to be someone part of her indispensable happiness as well. From here on, it’s just a matter of preservation so that the fear of Horo’s having left with dull memories won’t happen.

Thoughts from the ending of the series:

Season two is totally great, I really liked the character development for this season. The characters became more solid with regards to their personality and of course, that underlying relationship between the two became more intense in this season. Also, I really find it relieved that they somehow limited the concept of fantasy for this season. I don’t know but I just don’t like it when Horo transforms because I think that concept should always and only belong to the high fantasy types of anime, and Spice and Wolf is certainly not one.

The season is just superb, I think I almost liked all aspects of the show. The teasing part between the two characters was very entertaining even though the topic was a bit cheesy. Well, I’m praising here the two great seiyuus behind them. There was a great balance of character interaction, plot development, and conflict which I really think helped me a lot on staying focused with the show and not be bored. It wasn’t dragging to watch at all.

The show is not insipid and it was notable since it was only scheduled for twelve episodes.  I don’t know but there is this feeling of fulfillment from me after I’ve watched the ending, probably because I finally heard the words Lawrence should say to Horo. It was a long journey of love but I hope it doesn’t end there.

I actually watched this show because there is a season 2 for summer. This is not a review by the way.

The setting of the show is medieval age where the economic system is mercantilism so trading goods as well as gaining a lot of profit is really the most important for the nobles and even for the church so as to gain the power over a certain city or town.

If you watch Spice and Wolf, you can really see the power of the church involving the minds of the people. The very person that manifested this would be Chloe since she was the one who grasp the new era over the old one. Can you blame the person herself if she wants to break loose against the superstitious belief of the town? Nonetheless, she didn’t knew Horo’s existence which might have caused her to doubt due to the lack of physical reference since the only thing present about Horo would be tales about her which was passed through span of generations already.

One could say that Chloe just wanted to be practical about reality. Of course, sure profit comes first in contrast to Horo’s principle of having the land rest for future harvests (which the people call “whim”). Now, can you tell me what kind of farmer would stick to the older way when the new era of harvesting can produce sure results and improved ones? None… But Horo’s way of giving prosperity in harvesting was never wrong. It was actually the most normal thing to do. After all, even the most richest soil in the earth could experience drought if pushed to the limits.

Now why would the church want to persecute Horo? The answer lies in the minds of the people. If the church would be successful in establishing the belief that Horo is just a pagan god that doesn’t exist and never really helped in the harvest of the people, people will turn over their belief towards the new religion the church is offering. Accompanied by the swarm of new believers would be the increase in donations and other powerful nobles that support the church; thus, further enhancing the network the church controls.

Based from the anime, the church somehow became the lodgings for traveling merchants. The church was also responsible for irrational increase of the prices of gold just by engraving a seal of the church. Because of the church rapid spread of authority, they even had the privilege to avoid tax. They even dug sewer passages just to ensure underground dealings. So far so good eh? Are these the things people of the old era willing to give to the church in behalf of their sure profit from forsaking pagan gods? Sure sounds fair, for the deceived ones.

Behold, the follies and flaws of the church. We have forsaken the pagan belief of our ancestors yet we’ve gotten this. The premise of the new era where graft and corruption is prevalent. Where religion is no less than a mask for wrong doings. Just an allegory of our forgotten beliefs. Do you think that its worth that we got to exchange this belief over the old era?  — (What I’m referring here is during the past)

Don’t make harsh judgment since I’m no anti-christ, atheist, agnostic, or whatever you want to call it. I just had this thinking — What could have been instead if something like church didn’t existed. What if people during the past just stayed worshipping deities like Horo? Would the people be much happier and contented? I mean living during those days was like living in the shadows of the church because of their influence. Based from the anime, people should give donations every now and then… One character from the anime(Nora) even took the peril of engaging her vengeance towards the church because of their bigotry even to their own kinsfolk.

When you talk about Medieval age, the first thing to enter your mind would be chivalry and all those cool knights clad in armor but others seem to forgot about the church during this period,  which is nothing less than a corrupt institution.