Tonari no Seki-kun: A Quick Review

The first episode of this series of shorts features Yokoi (voiced by Kanazawa Hana) watching in despair as Seki plays dominoes with loads of his erasers in the middle of class.

There’s not really much to say about this series since it is incredibly high concept. The fact that Hanakana was cast as the main character here says that it was mainly about getting someone who sounds excited easily. Basically, all it comes down to is a series of segments of Hanakana playing William Shatner in that famous Twilight Zone episode where there was a monster on the wing of the plane. Except that it is a boy with a little too much time on his hands in class and an endless supply of equipment.

On the plus side, I did like the ending theme. It’s the 2nd best one I’ve seen so far (first being a show that hasn’t officially aired yet.)

The Coming Season of Discontent

A picture from the real Season of Discontent. That pile of trash does not represent the anime this season.

 

“No man really knows about other human beings. The best he can do is to suppose that they are like himself.”
― John Steinbeck, The Winter Of Our Discontent

 

I suppose I should preface this season preview post as coming on the basis of a rough couple of weeks personally and an evening of impromptu off-road driving. Anyway, winter usually is a dead period for my anime viewing and because of the quote I used above I can only suppose it is the same for you my lone reader. I’ve been in the anime viewing business for a long time, so I’m going to spend the time reflecting on all the great anime that I watched in the winter season of 2004. That’s because everyone gets jaded and remembers how good things were, right?

Let’s see, there was Paranoia Agent, Kon’s TV masterpiece which was surreal and filled with important social commentary at the same time. That really wouldn’t come to air now would it? Then I also watched, what was it…

The winter of 2004 was shit.