Seeing as it’s been a month since the Summer anime season began, I thought I’d share my thoughts on… well, you know the drill…

Zero no Tsukaima: Futatsuki no Kishi - Perhaps I need to go back and watch the first season again in order to refresh my memory, but it seems as if the second season jumped right into a major story arc without any sort of transition. I’m kind of left scratching my head. The individual episodes have been a lot of fun, and I’m happy to see some of the smut from the novels restored, but… well, I don’t have a clear idea yet what the show intends to do in the story department, and it worries me. For the time being, it’s all very disjointed.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai - For some reason, I expected the second season to start strong. Instead, we got what may very well be the most boring story arc of the series yet. How odd. The show also seems to be suffering somewhat from its success. It sort of feels like the producers pulled a focus group of fans together, asked them what they liked most about the first season, and then proceeded to cram as much of it as possible into the first few episodes. End result? More fanservice and more “ni-pa” than you can shake a stick at. Not a good sign.

Potemayo - This is my favorite show of the new season, no doubt about it. What’s fascinating about it, I think, is the way the humor goes from clever to low-brow in the blink of an eye. One minute, you’re wondering what the mangaka has been smoking, and then, *BAM*, someone’s pissed their pants. And, yet, it’s all wrapped up in a seemingly innocuous package, playing out against a pastoral Kobayashi Shichiro backdrop, adorned with all the standard JC Staff trimmings. Looks can be deceiving.

Moetan - I know I’m supposed to say, “Eww… don’t push that button, please,” but the reality is this: I kind of like this show. Why? Because it’s genuinely funny. Simple as that. Honestly, I think it parodies a particular, um, fetish, more than it panders to it, and that’s why it works. I don’t know how long my amusement with the show will last (I have my doubts, I’ll admit), but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have some redeeming value. And Onosaka Masaya is simply a riot in the Ah-kun role - especially if you take his past work on Cardcaptor Sakura into consideration. I’ll never look at Kerebos the same way again.

School Days - After watching the first episode, I just sort of shrugged my shoulders. It wasn’t bad, mind you. It just wasn’t… particularly special? So, I immediately put the show on the backburner with the intent to catch up with it at some point in the future. Of course, such is how I typically drop a show without having to commit to actually dropping it. I don’t have any courage, I know. Anyway, I see that the show didn’t waste any time getting down to, um, business, and the potential for a BAD END is definitely there, so… perhaps I’ll give it another try. My curiosity has been piqued, at least.

Kenko Zenra Kei Sueibu Umisho - So much promise. Such a shame. Seriously, if the show would rely a little less on the in-your-face fanservice and a little more on its reasonably interesting cast and reasonably interesting premise, it could actually be a fun watch. As is, however, it’s just kind of dull. I have a feeling the show will turn out fine in the end, but since I’m trying to trim down my viewing schedule…

Doujin Work - It feels like a racy version of Comic Party. Without a point. That’s not a bad thing, however. The show is actually kind of funny when it wants to be, and with half-length episodes, it never really overstays its welcome. I’m surprised the animation quality went to hell so quickly, however. If the episodes were normal length, we’d probably be watching stick figures by now.

Code-E - The jury is still out, but I like what I’ve seen. It’s not flashy, but it’s competent. And, even though I’m generally not much of a meganekko guy, I really dig Chinami.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - I think I’m becoming a Shinbo fan. God help me. In some ways, however, the show leaves me feeling conflicted. To say it’s funny would be an understatement. In fact, it’s absolutely hilarious. Yet, I mostly take it at face value. That is, I laugh at the gags simply because they’re funny, not because I think they’re particularly clever. Unfortunately, I worry that, once the laughs dry up, the show will try to compensate with cleverness. Then, I’ll get bored. It’s only twelve episodes, however, so perhaps it’ll finish strong. Shinbo, don’t fail me now!