I Want More Good Anime! ...With Real Men

It's been getting harder and harder to find anime that I'm interested in lately. As a result I haven't been watching any anime at all since 2012 started. During the long vacation this past week, I decided to get back to watching anime so I tried watching Uta no Prince-sama, Chaos;Head, and Burst Angel, but sadly I just couldn't get past the first couple or so episodes of each. Have I already watched all the good anime in the genre I'm interested in? I hope not.

I would really like to watch more anime in the caliber of Nana, Ouran High School Host Club, Code Geass, Darker Than Black, Death Note, Durarara, Kimi ni Todoke, Hakuouki, Hellsing, and Nodame Cantabile. These are my favorite anime shows ever. I loved both the story and style of drawing (except for Nodame Cantabile because I didn't really like its drawing style but I loved the story).

I'm not saying that I want the same story as these ten great anime shows, because the same story over and over again would be boring. It's not the story but the feel of the story that matters. Basically, I like anime where there are hot anime guys (the more the better) who have a deep emotional connection to a girl in the story. (I also like it when the girls are strong and intelligent or quiet and innocent. I hate loud, frivolous, airhead girls.) I like anime where the men are the ones doing the pursuing, where the men take charge and act like men, not wimpy little fairies who can't even look the girl in the eyes without blushing. These are the things that the anime I mentioned as my favorites above have in common, I think. The men are real men.

Now these guys are real men: Ren Honjo (second from left) and Takumi Ichinose (far right). Oh, I love Nana. I watched the anime and live action movies, and I read the manga but I still want more! :)

Anime for September 2011

September has been a busy month for me in terms of anime viewing. I have watched all of the following this month so far:

Nana

Nana is about two strangers, both of whom are named Nana, who meet each other for the first time on a train to Tokyo. One of them is a naive country bumpkin coming to Tokyo to live with her boyfriend; the other is a streetwise rock musician looking to hit it big in Tokyo. Through some strange play of events, the two of them end up as roommates in the seventh floor of an old building with no elevator. The story that unfolds thereafter is one of friendship, love, betrayal, sex and music.

I liked this story very much. I'm planning to continue reading the manga where the anime left off. The two live action movies were amazing as well.

Durarara!!

Durarara!! is about two childhood friends from the country who were separated and then reunited in high school in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. A headless rider, a scheming information dealer, a bartender with superhuman strength, a Russian sushi chef, and a company doing experiments on human subjects are also thrown into the mix.

The story unfolds in bits and pieces which may be difficult to understand at first, but the pieces come together to form a cohesive picture as the episodes progress. I found this story very interesting. The characters are over the top but lovable, and the story itself is quite unique. I love the opening and ending themes as well.

Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru 

I started watching Uragiri wa Boku no Namae wo Shitteiru, or UraBoku for short, primarily because of the bishounen (read: hot anime guys) in it. Surprisingly, the story was interesting and it drew me in.

Uraboku is about a an orphan boy with powers that he is unable to control. One day he is saved from demons by a mysterious man, who later on is revealed to be a demon himself. And it seems that this mysterious man was the orphan boy's lover in an alternate life where the boy had been a girl. Sounds confusing? Hehe... not really. In fact, it was entertaining. And I loved watching the hot anime guys fight.

Bakuman

Bakuman is the story of two middle schoolers aspiring to become successful mangakas (manga artists) and the struggles they encountered along the way as they overcame personal challenges and persevered. The show is inspiring, humorous, and educational at the same time, especially for those who also dream of becoming mangakas. I learned a lot of things about the work of a mangaka and I realized that it is no easy task.

I'm really looking forward to season 2 of this series which will start airing on October 2011.

Durarara! Opening & Ending Themes

I have one new addition to my anime OP/ED video collection with lyrics. Vote for your favorite!

• Durarara! OP/ED Themes