Re: Autumn 2010 Anime Thread

[SPARTAN 119]

My Father Can't Be This Tsundere Childhood Friend Can't Be This Friend Zoned Little Sister Can't Be This Cute Ep. 6:

It seems that Kyousuke's childhood friend, Manami is still in the friend zone in spite of signs that she clearly wants more.

Yeah... I'm getting a Toradora! vibe with this episode and that worries me. Hopefully, Ayase Aragaki's dislike of Kyōsuke stays firm and Manami wins him in the end, otherwise I'm calling on Cherubino to invoke Brooklyn Rage.

Ayase? I was more worried about Kirino's implied interest in incest (as per the siscon H games).

[rusty-spring]

Panty and Stocking continues to amuse me beyond words. Episode 6's fight with their evil counterparts cemented my desire for the OST when it comes out.

[Totoum]

Yeah... I'm getting a Toradora! vibe with this episode and that worries me

I know we've been over this before and your thoughts about toradora,but what reminds you of toradora in this episode?Toradora had no "childhood friend" girl.

Episode 6's fight with their evil counterparts cemented my desire for the OST when it comes out.

December 29th,that day will be like 2nd christmas day.

[Kiskaloo]

Yeah... I'm getting a Toradora! vibe with this episode and that worries me

I know we've been over this before and your thoughts about toradora,but what reminds you of toradora in this episode?Toradora had no "childhood friend" girl.

Didn't Minori Kushieda know Ryūji since they were kids?

[Totoum]

Didn't Minori Kushieda know Ryūji since they were kids?

I'm pretty positive Ryuji met minorin in their first year of highschool,had a crush on her but didn't speak to her at all.That's why he wanted to use taiga to get close to her,I remember him going "she knows my name!" in one of the early episodes.

[Kiskaloo]

Panty & Stocking 7 - Just when I think this show can't get any better, it does.

Hands down my second favorite of the season behind Shinryaku! Ika Musume.

And release the frackin P&S soundtrack already!

[Officer_Charon]

Panty & Stocking 7 was freakin' AWESOME... I couldn't stop laughing throughout the entire thing. Also, more "Rrrrrrules!"

[0utf0xZer0]

Ayase? I was more worried about Kirino's implied interest in incest (as per the siscon H games).

I'm totally convinced that all hints of Kyousuke/Kirino are just the author screwing with people.

Speculation: you know how they were talking about Manami staying over at Kyousuke's at the end of episode 6? I've been wondering if she's going to discover Kirino's hobby too. That would place Kyousuke in a difficult situation, because while I think he can lie and "take the fall" when dealing with his dad and Ayase because he isn't very close to them, I don't think he could do the same in front of Manami.

[Piero]

This week's episode of Index II was awesome. Although if it wasn't for the fact that the next episode preview indicates that Touma and Index will be getting involved shortly I might have deemed it more appropriate for a second season of Railgun.

[Kiskaloo]

While also not anime, Family Guy is animated and last night Peter had some great lines:

"Look, Lois. We're making a lot of cash with this boxing thing. And I need money for bourbon and anime."

also

"I just can't understand any of this. Everybody in Japan is either a 10 year old girl or a monster."

[SPARTAN 119]

Ore No Imouto 7: Kirino and Kuroneko watch anime together and give their commentary, but, as far as me and rest of my university's anime club are concerned, they're doing it wrong! The commentary is supposed to be more random and amusing, eventually becoming a meme among the anime club.

Also, Kuroneko and Kirino are having themselves a little rivalry. Is it just me, are Kirino's friends, just, one after another, encountering problems in their friendship related to Kirino's hobby, and it's always Kyousuke's job to sort them out...

On that note, this is from the previous episode but, I know that otaku are looked down on in Japan, is it really like it was with Kirino and Ayase, as in "I was your best friend all your life, but because I discovered you like anime and play eroge, I can't be your friend anymore."? Seems a little extreme.

[Piero]

I found Episode 7 of Ore no Imouto highly amusing for two reasons. The first one is that I've been reading fanfiction for years and found the parodies of badly written fanfics to be pretty spot on. The second one is that despite some very substantial differences "Stardust Witch Meruru" is reminiscent enough of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha for me to find the commentary the characters were making (as well as the mass destruction on screen) hilarious.

"She's basically saying "I'm going to release my full power magic into you at point blank, so don't move, bitch.""

[0utf0xZer0]

Ore No Imouto 7: Kirino and Kuroneko watch anime together and give their commentary, but, as far as me and rest of my university's anime club are concerned, they're doing it wrong! The commentary is supposed to be more random and amusing, eventually becoming a meme among the anime club.

Also, Kuroneko and Kirino are having themselves a little rivalry. Is it just me, are Kirino's friends, just, one after another, encountering problems in their friendship related to Kirino's hobby, and it's always Kyousuke's job to sort them out...

On that note, this is from the previous episode but, I know that otaku are looked down on in Japan, is it really like it was with Kirino and Ayase, as in "I was your best friend all your life, but because I discovered you like anime and play eroge, I can't be your friend anymore."? Seems a little extreme.

First of all, Kirino isn't just an otaku: she's an otaku who plays lolicon incest eroge. Remember that Ayase actually read one of the doujinshi she bought.
Second, the anime for Ore no Imouto apparently cuts a lot from the original novel in order to reduce the number of episodes needed per book. One of the cut details is that Ayase is the daughter of a politican and a Parent-Teacher Association chairwoman, so her parents are quite... "upstanding" types. Combined with the fact that teenage girls are apparently more anti-otaku than most in Japan, and, well...

Kirino and Kuroneko don't really approximate average anime club commentary: it's more of a "people from opposite sides of an internet flame war watching an anime" thing.

[SPARTAN 119]

Ore No Imouto 7: Kirino and Kuroneko watch anime together and give their commentary, but, as far as me and rest of my university's anime club are concerned, they're doing it wrong! The commentary is supposed to be more random and amusing, eventually becoming a meme among the anime club.

Also, Kuroneko and Kirino are having themselves a little rivalry. Is it just me, are Kirino's friends, just, one after another, encountering problems in their friendship related to Kirino's hobby, and it's always Kyousuke's job to sort them out...

On that note, this is from the previous episode but, I know that otaku are looked down on in Japan, is it really like it was with Kirino and Ayase, as in "I was your best friend all your life, but because I discovered you like anime and play eroge, I can't be your friend anymore."? Seems a little extreme.

First of all, Kirino isn't just an otaku: she's an otaku who plays lolicon incest eroge. Remember that Ayase actually read one of the doujinshi she bought.
Second, the anime for Ore no Imouto apparently cuts a lot from the original novel in order to reduce the number of episodes needed per book. One of the cut details is that Ayase is the daughter of a politican and a Parent-Teacher Association chairwoman, so her parents are quite... "upstanding" types. Combined with the fact that teenage girls are apparently more anti-otaku than most in Japan, and, well...

Kirino and Kuroneko don't really approximate average anime club commentary: it's more of a "people from opposite sides of an internet flame war watching an anime" thing.

Mind you, I'm definitely NOT a lolicon, and as far as I am concerned the concept of win-cest does not exist (As such, I am hoping Kirino or Kyousuke don't go for that kind of relationship). However, I am somewhat desensitized to the presence of lolicon themes and incest; I avoid them, but I am not shocked by there existence. However, if I had no knowledge of this kind of stuff, yeah, I would freak out.


That second comment is obvious. Still, there little flame war was amusing nonetheless, I'd like to see Kirino's reaction to Maschera. Also, perhaps it's not like my anime club commentary as my anime club is surprisingly free of "flame warriors", fantards, weeaboos and the like (though there is a "troll block").

I found Episode 7 of Ore no Imouto highly amusing for two reasons. The first one is that I've been reading fanfiction for years and found the parodies of badly written fanfics to be pretty spot on. The second one is that despite some very substantial differences "Stardust Witch Meruru" is reminiscent enough of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha for me to find the commentary the characters were making (as well as the mass destruction on screen) hilarious.

"She's basically saying "I'm going to release my full power magic into you at point blank, so don't move, bitch.""

I've notice that there have been a few parodies of anime series in OreImo, most notably Mereru and the less well known Kate/Starry Night: Unlicensed Blade Works.

[Kiskaloo]

I quote enjoyed Ore no Imouto #7. The best episode so far, I think.

[SPARTAN 119]

I quote enjoyed Ore no Imouto #7. The best episode so far, I think.

That Kirino gif and several others from that gif collection need to be added to this sites emoticon library.

[Kiskaloo]

Guess I should give my "mid-season scorecard". Have to say, this is the best season I can remember in some time.

Shinryaku! Ika Musume - Pushes all the right buttons for me. My favorite show of the season. A

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt - Epic since the first episode. A

Ore no Imouto ga Konnami Kawaii Wake ga Nai - Very much enjoying this. B+

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes - Slapstick silly, so of course I enjoy it immensely. B+

Otomoe Youkai Zakuro - Normally not a fan of "animal girls", but Zakuro has the perfect mix of tsun and dere to make her awesome and carry the show. B

Iron Man - Animation of the gods and I like how they portray Stark. Also good stories. B

Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru - Surprised I like this one, but I love Hotori Arashiyama, so... B-

To Aru Majutsu no Index II - Not as good as the original and, four episodes in, not as good as Railgun. I hear #6 is suppose to be amazing, so we shall see, but for now... C+.

Yosuga no Sora - I admit this show is not what I expected, and if I had known going in that it was a direct and explicit adaptation of an eroge, I'd likely have not started it. I'm kind of sticking with it just because I'm halfway in and not because I'm really enjoying it. C

Fortune Arterial - Jury is still out on this one, as I have only seen two episodes. I have 3-6 in the lineup so for now, I shall grade it an "Incomplete".

[SPARTAN 119]

Just saw the first Koe de Oshigoto OVA. For those who don't know, Koe de Oshigoto is about a high-school girl named Kanna Aoyogi who gets a job working as a voice actress for the same game production company as her older sister, a company that specializes in eroge. Personally, I find both the anime and the manga hilarious, but be warned, it contains large amounts of sexual humor and some scenes that are definitely not work safe, such as

Spoiler:

[Kiskaloo]

Yes, I downloaded it, but have yet to watch it. Probably this weekend.

As I understand this will be three OAVs?

[SPARTAN 119]

Yes, I downloaded it, but have yet to watch it. Probably this weekend.

As I understand this will be three OAVs?

I only heard about two OVAs, the next won't be until march. It deserves a proper series, dammit.

[Kiskaloo]

Panty & Stocking 8 should be a huge hit with this forum based on the love of zombies in this place.

I also loved the use of the theme for Iron Chef (Japan) in the second sketch.

If they keep this up, it might become not just my favorite show of the season, but of 2010.

[Robert Frazer]

Truth be told, I found the zombie episode a bit of a disappointment. The Engrish was funny and it was worth a few chuckles to see the both the angel and the demon sisters zombified - of the "robot ninja pirate" style of lampoonery - but they seemed to try and carry it on the references more than the actual story and action. The ending, just discarding it without any sense of resolution, was also very dissatisfying. Having the bell ring out with Panty's shrug of "whatevs" may have been a suggestion to not get too wound up about analysis and enjoy the show - but it also highlighted that this was one of the most disposable chapters in the series. Episodic shows encourage versatility, but they also allow for fluff.

[Kiskaloo]

Sym-Bionic Titan - Flock of Seagull's "Space Age Love Song" for the win.

[Kiskaloo]

Just saw the first Koe de Oshigoto OVA.

That was both full of win and full of wrong.

Kinda surprised that they censored it since it was released to Blu-ray.

[Piero]

I'm not quite sure what to make of Episode Seven of the new season of Index. Part of me thinks it was freaking awesome while another part of me was shocked at how violent it ended up being. Memo to self -do not piss off Kuroko. (Or Accelerator.)

Actually the biggest disappointment of the episode was that it wrapped up the new arc so quickly. Hopefully some of the plot threads will become relevant again at a later date, there's an awful lot unresolved.

Guess it's back to the magic oriented elements for the next arc. Hopefully it won't suck as badly as the first arc did. (I've tended to find that the ESPer oriented arcs in Index are better than the magic oriented ones.)

[theprodigalson]

I ended Index 7 thinking: "What was that? Filler!?"

Like Piero said, that arc was so short you almost couldn't call it an arc. It was more like a shotgun re-introduction of characters.

Spoiler:

Maybe I should take a lesson from Robert's review of P&S eight and just "whatevs" here, but after the failure of the first arc to please me I'm holding you to a higher standard Index. PLEASE deliver!

[Robert Frazer]

Looking back at my previous post, I think it shows more than anything else how you change with age. Back when i was younger I'd watch Dexter's Laboratory after school, and almost every episode would finish with the lab destroyed, Dexter mutated into some disgusting monster, or some other irreversible calamity - and it didn't trouble me in the slightest. PSG did the exact same thing in its zombie episode... but now that can no longer satisfy me! I'm not sure whether that's because I'm more mature or less innocent. :\

In any case, it's annoying to have to wait for the next episode! I've been composing a Scanty & Kneesocks AMV but have run out of usable footage from their current appearances with about a minute's worth of gaps - it's been my main preoccupation this weekend so having to box it away for a week before I can pull some more clips from the big beach battle we're promised is frustrating! No chance that you could bribe a Gainax employee for the master tape if you're in Tokyo anytime this week, eh, Kiskaloo?

[Kiskaloo]

Actually, rusty-spring and I were discussing that Scanty & Kneesocks are getting a bit too much screen time and are losing their edge of awesomeness.


In other news:

The Venture Brothers Season Four Finale - Best...Episode...Evah!

[Robert Frazer]

I agree that the demon sisters really were redundant in the trial episode - while it was nice to see them dishevelled (and hey, it's another fifteen seconds in the AMV), their presence was unnecessary to the crime and to have them just swan off as soon as they arrived again undermined things with a lack of resolution. The episode would have been stronger if it was just Panty & Stocking going up against the show itself.

[Kiskaloo]

Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai 8:

Welcome to the wonderful world of anime production committees, Kirino-chan...

[SPARTAN 119]

Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai 8:

Welcome to the wonderful world of anime production committees, Kirino-chan...

I have a feeling Kirino's reaction to the changes the producers made to her story is similar to Yu Aida's reaction when he saw the artwork for Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino.

[Officer_Charon]

Otome Youkai Zakuro #8 was a rather interesting piece. I love how we're fleshing out Zakuro's character, rather than ALL TSUN, ALL THE TIME. And it's going to be interesting to see what comes from these two new half-spirits...

[Kiskaloo]

Yeah, the more I watch of Otome Youkai Zakuro, the more I like it.

[Piero]

Iron Man (Episode 8): Apparently Tony Stark is not immune to the power of moe. I'm sure some people will find this episode cringeworthy, but I found it pretty hilarious. Although I'm a bit surprised Tony took that random escaped test subject girl to the restaurant he'd originally planned to take Chika to. I'd think taking a preteen girl who looks like she escaped from some hospital to a romantic restaurant would get a few strange looks. But then again that's probably part of why I found that scene so funny.
On a more serious note I did find the episode had a too easy resolution and continued the series trend towards some really ridiculous enemy designs. Oh well, at least it was entertaining.

[0utf0xZer0]

Otome Youkai Zakuro #8 was a rather interesting piece. I love how we're fleshing out Zakuro's character, rather than ALL TSUN, ALL THE TIME. And it's going to be interesting to see what comes from these two new half-spirits...

All tsun, all the time seems to be a big mistake writers working with tsundere characters make. Especially annoying if she exhibits a very shrill brand of tsun (which is a lot of characters).

Some might sight Hitagi as an example of a "all tsun" character that works, but I would counter that Hitagi actually shows a fair bit of dere... she just has a bit of a sadistic way of expressing it.

Back to OYZ... I'm going to cross post some of my thoughts from Animesuki:

I don't think that the two sisters hate Zakuro to the same extent: Byakuroku really hates her, whereas Daidai seems to fight more because she adores her mistress (Lady Rangui):

-Daidai suggests they return to the village, but Byakuroku insists they stay to fight Zakuro.
-Byakuroku is the one that expresses so much hatred to Zakuro... and she's also the one whose feelings traumatized Susukihotaru back in episode five.
-Byakuroku insists on being the one to fight Zakuro.

All of which makes sense when you consider that Lady Rangui showers affection on Daidai and threatens Byakuroku by holding her sister hostage. Byakuroku doesn't resent Zakuro just because of her happy home - that bit about "your freedom" in the list of things she resented about Zakuro is not as much a throwaway line as it first appears. I'm kind of curious as to whether either sister's feelings will prove exploitable. The big remaining question, of course, is who Lady Rangui is and what she's trying to accomplish.

Liked this episode in general, although sword fights don't seem to be this series' strong point. Nice to see Orikata and Mugi again. Also, Zakuro and Riken make a surprisingly good action duo even if their affections obviously lead elsewhere.

[0utf0xZer0]

Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai 8:

Welcome to the wonderful world of anime production committees, Kirino-chan...

I have a feeling Kirino's reaction to the changes the producers made to her story is similar to Yu Aida's reaction when he saw the artwork for Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino.

What's interesting is that episode eight of Ore no Imouto itself is deviates significantly from the source material itself. Someone posted a synopsis of what happened in the book on Animesuki and a lot of people seem to dislike the changes made for the anime.

Ironically, I find "B" light novels tend to get some of the worst anime adaptations. The fact that people seem to consider "adapted from a light novel" a sign an anime is good is just because they tend to concentrate on the "A" franchises.

[Totoum]

Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai 8:

Welcome to the wonderful world of anime production committees, Kirino-chan...

I have a feeling Kirino's reaction to the changes the producers made to her story is similar to Yu Aida's reaction when he saw the artwork for Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino.

Quite to the contrary,contrarly to quite a few anime adaptations where the original author doesn't have much of a say in things,Yu Aida "supervised" il teatrino,in addition to adapting the screenplay himself,so the chara designs were fully approved by him,in fact those are close to the chara designs that you'll find in the latest manga volumes.
2chan rumors were going around saying that it was artland that got to produce the show because madhouse wouldn't accept him being so heavily involved in the anime making process,those were just rumors though.

Il teatrino is really a great exemple of how an original author being involved doesn't mean the adaptation will be loved by fans.

[Kiskaloo]

Yeah, Yu really cranked up the moe dial around Volume 9 so I could see Madhouse balking at animating that style because it was so different from what they had both done in the first series and with their other project.

Artland actually did a decent job with the non-people, and as much as I hate the character designs, they are pretty faithful to Yu's current "mega-moe" style so I can place that blame purely on Yu, now.

[Kiskaloo]

Did anybody else catch the commercial in Iron Man 8 that Animax is launching a Wolverine anime in January 2011?

Madhouse is doing the animation, so it will have the same look as Iron Man does. Evidently Logan's presence in Episode 04 wasn't just a cameo, but an animation and character design test.

[SPARTAN 119]

Quite to the contrary,contrarly to quite a few anime adaptations where the original author doesn't have much of a say in things,Yu Aida "supervised" il teatrino,in addition to adapting the screenplay himself,so the chara designs were fully approved by him,in fact those are close to the chara designs that you'll find in the latest manga volumes.
2chan rumors were going around saying that it was artland that got to produce the show because madhouse wouldn't accept him being so heavily involved in the anime making process,those were just rumors though.

Il teatrino is really a great exemple of how an original author being involved doesn't mean the adaptation will be loved by fans.

Yeah, Yu really cranked up the moe dial around Volume 9 so I could see Madhouse balking at animating that style because it was so different from what they had both done in the first series and with their other project.

Artland actually did a decent job with the non-people, and as much as I hate the character designs, they are pretty faithful to Yu's current "mega-moe" style so I can place that blame purely on Yu, now.

OK, then I suspect Kirino's reaction to her anime was similar to that of Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi when they saw the Tsukihime anime.

And @FiveX: It Exists!!!!!:

Warning, this the page linked contains images that may will be disturbing to those who played or read or watched (or whatever you do with a visual novel) the Tsukihime visual novel.

Spoiler:

[tsundere9kagami2]

Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai 8:

Welcome to the wonderful world of anime production committees, Kirino-chan...

My thoughts

[Piero]

Did anybody else catch the commercial in Iron Man 8 that Animax is launching a Wolverine anime in January 2011?

Madhouse is doing the animation, so it will have the same look as Iron Man does. Evidently Logan's presence in Episode 04 wasn't just a cameo, but an animation and character design test.

I'd known there was a Wolverine anime coming for a while, so the most notable part of the trailer for me was seeing that the art style for the series itself will not resemble a piece of promotional art that got an extremely negative reaction.

Other than that I guess I found Tony Stark succumbing to moe more notable.

[Kiskaloo]

I do wish they'd give the Demon Sisters a rest in Panty & Stocking. They're in every episode now, and the endings always just drop off a cliff.

Though beach volleyball was win.

And where the heck is the damn soundtrack!

[Piero]

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 1st: This movie is fantastic because it solves one of the biggest problems I've had with the franchise: namely the fact that parts of the first season are absolutely terrible. In fact parts of the first season were so awful that I've had a tendency to recommend that people introduce themselves to the franchise the way I did by watching the second season first. Thanks to this movie I no longer need to do that. It is a huge improvement over the TV version of events in many respects and solves almost all the major problems that the first season has.
There are trade offs of course. The movie version of Fate doesn't seem quite as broken inside as her TV counterpart and I really missed the "take my hand" moment from the final episode. There were also an awful lot of times where scenes that should be tense got interrupted by flashbacks, and there was something a bit lacking about some of the combat scenes in spite of the all the magical firepower that the girls were unleashing. But overall I think the storytelling improvements were pretty significant. Interestingly enough I think Precia's character benefited from them the most.
Also I'm glad to say that the rumour that Bardiche was going to have a female voice in this version proved to be false. He sounds different but at least he's still male and still calls Fate "sir" despite the fact that she's a girl.

*Edit:* You know it occurs to me that my review did very little to explain what the hell this series is about for people who are unfamiliar with it. So here's info on a few key aspects of Nanoha in general and how the movie does with regards to them:

1) Awesomely choreographed magical girl fights with strong super robot influences

The movie improves considerably on the weak early battles of season one. However Nanoha and Fate's final duel seems to have less of a super robot influence in this version, it seems to have more of a Macross influence in some ways. I like Macross, but Nanoha usually puts more emphasis on each move in it's fights, so this version of Nanoha and Fate's final duel doesn't seem quite as strategic as the original one (which is still one of the best fights in the franchise).

2) Sweetness that can edge into tastes like diabetes territory combined with some really dark parts

The movie dials down the moe level considerably and Precia's abuse of Fate seems less extreme. However the the contrasting sweet and dark elements are still there, they're just toned down a bit.

3) Characters who sometimes act in ways that are very unrealistic yet at other times behave in ways that seem extremely human

Thanks to some good writing this movie is much more towards the latter side than usual.

4) Nanoha making friends through superior firepower

In spite of all the stuff about magical artifacts, season one was really about Nanoha trying to save her physically and psychologically abused dark magical girl counterpart. Fate doesn't seem quite as broken in this version of events, but it's very clear that the writetrs know that Nanoha's attempts to save her are the core of this story, and they put the focus on that much earlier than they did in the TV version.

[Totoum]

And where the heck is the damn soundtrack!

Yeah,just when I thought it couldn't get more awesome,it got more awsome, "chocolat" featured in the 2nd part is one of the best songs yet!

December 29th can't come soon enough

You can do like me and stare at the cover art while waiting for the OST

[rusty-spring]

And where the heck is the damn soundtrack!

Yeah,just when I thought it couldn't get more awesome,it got more awsome, "chocolat" featured in the 2nd part is one of the best songs yet!

December 29th can't come soon enough

You can do like me and stare at the cover art while waiting for the OST

Epic. I can't wait for the OST either.

[Kiskaloo]

The Valkyria Chronicles Theater snippets that ship as bonuses on the DVDs are pretty amusing, but the latest one (#7) is awesome. Titled "Rebirth! Squad 7!", Hans the pig becomes the new CO of Squad 7 and declares war on England because they eat so much pork.

Even if you're not a fan of Valkyria Chronicles, you might want to head over to Seto-Otaku's site and download it. It's less than four minutes.

[Piero]

Index II (Episode 8): I actually enjoyed this episode in many respects, but if someone said it had focus issues I wouldn't disagree with them. Maybe things worked better in the source material but with this episode I found that there was an awful lot of comedic filler for something dealing with a serious plotline. Also I wanted to see more of Touma parents and Mikoto's mom. Why give them an appearance if they have basically no role?

[Piero]

Ore no Imouto (Episode 9): This episode was hilarious. Poor Kyousuke had to put up with Kirino getting way to into her H-Game in the next room, Kirino couldn't tell how much the little sister character she found so frustrating in said game resembles her, and we got a glimpse of what Kuroneko's life is actually like.
Also, I believe I commented a few episodes back that Stardust Witch Meruru (the in universe magical girl anime Kirino likes) kind of reminded me of Nanoha. Well turns out the actress voicing Meruru is the same one who voices Nanoha.

This week's PSG will certainly be a memorable one. Okay, "Inner Brief" was a bit shit. That's a real disappointment - it was an episode I was expecting more of (and talk about Freud being right - I thought that the teapot spout was a condom at first...). However, "Chuck To The Future" was quirky fun, and I can only re-echo the rest of the internet in having nothing but starry-eyed praise for "We are 2 Angels", the music video for "D City Rock", the montage tune in the show's superb soundtrack.