Winter Wrap-Up

It's hard to wrap up Winter when it never really happened. In New England, we had a snowstorm before Halloween, and another one in March, and that was it. True, the October storm brought down a large number of trees and knocked out power for days, but it hardly seemed like a winter event.

My summary of the Winter Season doesn't differ much from my assessment four weeks in. Back then, I thought Natsume Yuujinchou Shi was the best show of the winter season, and I still do, with Ano Natsu de Matteru a close second. I hope that Natsume gets a fifth season sometime, and that Ano Natsu gets a sequel.

However, I have changed my opinion about two shows, Another and High School DxD. Another started as a stylish horror show with a soupcon of violence for flavoring; it ended in a series of repetitious, bloody, and unnecessary massacres. (It's important to remember that grandparents typically don't like movies, TV shows, or games where children are killed in large numbers; that's why we don't buy first-person shooters.) I'll finish out my obligation to edit the show but without much enthusiasm.

High School DxD, on the other hand, started out as mindless fanservice and ended up as good, guilty fun. It had plenty of mindless fanservice to the very end, but it also had a plot, appealing characters, and lots of energy. The perverted hero remained true to his essential character even as he grew into a certified Action Hero, complete with a very unique secret talent.

Poyopoyo, Recorder to Randoseru, and Mouretsu Pirates are all continuing into the Spring season, and I look forward to following them.