Because I Can't Contain My Excitement...

Lookie lookie what my lovely lady-friend made me for Christmas!

Since, as you all can deduce, I'm more than a little obsessed with Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta, and making a full-length Hime scarf would be ten different types of impractical, I've got my own pair of Akina wristbands!  They're so great!

[disclaimer: that photo was taken in natural sunlight, I promise I'm not that pale...or a corpse]

P.S. - Merry Christmas, friends.  I love all of you! :D

P.P.S - anyone else notice how alike Kotoha and Mari from Evangelion look?

Only About 3/8 Bullshit

I'd like to take a minute to make a quick public service announcement.

For those of you who are keeping up with Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta (and if you're not, you should start...what's wrong with you?) you may have noticed a slight...hiccup in the story.

All of a sudden there's a new character and not a lot of backstory to go with her.  It's a little jarring, to say the least.

Rest assured, this is only about 3/8 bullshit.

As it turns out, the team that does YZQ: HU put together 3 OVAs in 2010 called Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi (coincidentally, ALSO YZQ: HU).  These OVAs cover all of the missing information and serve as the unofficial episodes 9, 10, and 11 (or 8.25, 8.5, and 8.75 if you prefer).

In fact, they fit so perfectly into the hole in the plot, that I'm even willing to subscribe to the theory that the creators of Hana no Uta were saying to each other "Hey, do you remember those OVAs we did that were so popular?  Why don't we just work that into the show.  It'll save us from having to do that whole arc again."

To be completely honest, I don't think any amount of exposition or flashback sequences can do Hoshi no Umi justice.  So...just do yourselves a favor and watch it, there's no reason not to.

Blazblue: Alter Memory

Alright friends, I can't avoid this any more.  It's time to talk about Blazblue: Alter Memory.

Now, you may remember me being really excited about this show back in September.  In fact, it was maybe my #2 most anticipated show for the season (right behind Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta).  I've been watching the episodes semi-regularly as they air and I'm saddened to say that I'm left...unfulfilled.

And now I will make my customary disclaimer and say that the show is not bad per se, but it's really not great.  I think that making Blazblue into a coherent anime was a very ambitious goal from the start.  From what I understand, and from what I've seen in the show, the world of Blazblue has a complex and convoluted lore that we, the players/viewers are just supposed to kinda roll with, and it gets really confusing, really quickly.

Sometimes it reminds me of those scenes in Evangelion where Gendo gets together with the guys from Seele and they talk about what's really going on in the show, but they throw around a bunch of confusing jargon that only they understand (which makes sense, because if they all get it, than why explain it?)  In fact, there happens to be a scene in the third episode that's almost exactly like that.

This one, to be exact

Despite all of this, however, I have stuck with the show and am piecing together a rough idea of what the fresh hell is going on.  It's not fully comprehensive, but it's enough to go on, and I will continue to stick with Blazblue: Alter Memory for 2 reasons:

Does anyone else see the...irony(?) of a cat with all the powers of the internet?

1- It's cool, if absolutely nothing else.  The fighting is really cool to watch (I should hope so, considering it's based off of a fighting game), and I've always liked the flavor of magic-punk feudal/futury aesthetic that Blazblue employs.  I also find myself enjoying a lot of the characters--even the ones I didn't really care for in the game).

2- I feel that this show suffers from what I like to call "Guy Ritchie Syndrome".  It's got a bunch of characters running around doing a bunch of different things, which is very confusing to watch, but then it gets to the end and everything clicks together and...is...awesome.
(So...fingers crossed there!)

Also, for the love of GOD, Hazama...please never take your hat off again, you look like an idiot.

Persona News. Something Everyone Can Be Thankful For.

In the spirit of misdirection, I thought we could diverge from our regularly scheduled program and talk about big Persona news.

Let me preface by saying that the Persona series is very dear to my heart.  I won't be a hipster and say I've been playing it from the start, before it was cool, because that would be a lie.  Instead, I will admit to the truth that I have only been playing since Persona 3.  I have played about 30 minutes of Persona 2, and everyone says it's awesome, so I'll probably get around to playing that one, but Persona 4 is one of my absolute favorite games of all time.

Anyhow, Persona is one of the various splinters of the Shin Megami Tensei (SMT)...multiverse thing.  SMT spans a series of games with the same title, the Devil Survivor games (there's two at this point) and the aforementioned Persona series.  These games generally focus on humans taming demons spanning various mythologies.  Kind of like a demonic Pokemon, I guess.

So anyways, Persona focuses more on people (so far almost exclusively high school students) who use the power of "Persona", their "other self" to fight Shadows.  In Persona 3, the shadows were turning people into apathetic, soulless husks, and in Persona 4 someone was using them to commit murders.

The last proper installment to the Persona franchise was winter of 2008 when Persona 4 came out, one of the last games for the Playstation 2, and was wildly successful.  Since then, Atlus, the company that put out the games, has been beating around the bush, being a general tease to all the Persona fans craving a sequel.  In fact, a sequel was announced way back in March of 2010 (Happy Birthday to me), but nothing was ever done with it.

They released a PSP port of Persona 3 (Persona 3: Portable, or P3P), an Xbox 360/Playstation 3 fighting game that tied the timelines from 3 and 4 together (Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena, or simply Persona 4 Arena in the states), and a Playstation Vita port of 4 (Persona 4: The Golden).  They were all great games, each one adding it's own particular spice to the whole Persona stew, but no P5.

However, roughly a month ago, Atlus released a website...countdown clock...thing p-ch.jp (Persona Channel), counting down to November 24th, 8:00 p.m.

Fortunately for us in the U.S., 8:00 p.m. has already come and gone in Japan.

Atlus released news and trailers for several Persona projects, and I am...3/4 excited, for the upcoming titles.

First is a...not very informative trailer for the much anticipated Persona 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2mZssK05WYo

Not much to say about this one, other than that it verifies that Persona 5 is coming out next winter for the PS3.  I'm gettin' it.



Next is a trailer about a 3DS RPG featuring both casts from 3 and 4.  So without further ado: Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etfqRXPXbQQ

I'm actually really interested in Shadow of the Labyrinth for several reasons.  Primarily, I want to see if and how this effects the story continuity.  There are several big flashing indicators that lead me to believe that it won't, which makes me pretty sad, but I think this could be a lot of fun.  Consider me sold.

I can see some people complaining over the art style, which to me is reminiscent of another Atlus 3DS RPG series: Etrian Odyssey or something like that (I played the demo of the first one and thought it was okay), but I think it could be fun.  So I'm down.

The last video Atlus posted was for a rhythm game for the Playstation Vita called Persona 4: Dancing All Night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5BIRWiifo8

I'm really not thrilled :/

The last project wasn't announced last night, it's actually oldish news, but still exciting.  They're putting out a sequel to Persona 4: Arena
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZBNY4JY8l0


So basically last night was like...hitting a triple with the bases loaded.  Not QUITE a Grand Slam, but pretty sweet nonetheless.  I'm so thrilled for Persona 5, Q, and Arena 2 to join the ever-expanding family that is my Persona collection (Dancing All Night can burn in the hell it crawled out of).  To all of you out there who love Persona like I do, I hope I've brought some joy to you.  And to all of you who have never played Persona, consider this post my enthusiastic endorsement (of all that I've played, I would say 3 would be the best place to start!)

Thanks for reading, Happy Thanksgiving, and happy gaming, friends! :D

.hack//Quantum

So, a couple weeks ago I went to Nekocon, an amazing little convention in Hampton Roads.  I was perusing the program when I saw that they were running .hack//Quantum, the three episode OVA brought to us by Kinema Citrus and Bandai visual.  And this particular OVA I have wanted to see ever since its debut in 2011.

I suppose I should take a moment real fast to say once, for the record, that I am a dedicated .hack fan.  That is not to say that I am a die-hard, ignore-its-faults, say-its's-the-best-show-ever fan; but if you put .hack// in front of something, I will more than likely be interested.

WARNING: incoming digression

I have loved .hack ever since I caught SIGN on cartoon network in 2001.  In fact, I want to say that it was the second box-set of anime I ever owned (Outlaw Star being the first).  Anyways, I watched SIGN, played the original set of games for PS2 (Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and I am working through Quarantine), and I OWN the first of the G.U. games.  The series will always have a special place in my heart, so this will be a very rose-colored-glasses review.  Something about the Celtic aesthetic, maybe?  Maybe I'm just drawn to the GAMECEPTION!!!
Digression over.

So anyways, I managed to convince my lovely lady to come with me to watch it, even though I wasn't sure she would like it, and we were both very pleasantly surprised with Quantum (SO many nerd-out moments on my part).  It far surpassed my expectations in terms of visuals and animation quality.  I can't say the same for music and voice talent because those have always been great ;)

Did I mention that it was gorgeous?  Yeah, it's real pretty.

So anyways, .hack//Quantum follows a high school girl named Asumi, a...vibrant girl, to say the least, who plays The World -a fantasy MMORPG (the setting for everything in the .hack universe)- with two of her friends Iori and Eri (with their alter egos Sakuya, Tobias, and Mary respectively).  I won't spoil too much about the plot, but true to form, there's a cat player (because there's ALWAYS a cat player...for some reason) and a coma.  The three episode OVA shows Asumi/Sakuya as she tries to solve these mysteries surrounding The World.

The thing I liked the most about .hack//Quantum was its strong character development.  Three episodes really isn't a lot of time to fully explore a character, but somehow these OVAs managed to get me attached to a whole cast of characters.  I thought all of the characters were very defined and well-rounded, and each one had an incredible amount of personal growth in the story, especially Asumi.  Her development was the strongest (not surprising since she was the main character), and it was done so in a way that really resonated with me.  I really enjoyed watching her grow up through her adventures, and there were even some real tears towards the end (don't you judge me!).  I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was genuinely sad to see the end of Quantum because I wanted there to be so much more.

Q_Q yon feels!!!!

Which I guess is part of what I love about the whole .hack universe, that there always is a little bit more to it.  Even if you've already seen/played everything, you can go back and find some connection that you missed the last time.

Anyhow, .hack//Quantum is available on Blue-ray and DVD in English (I haven't heard the original Japanese dub, though I have no doubts about its quality, but I highly advocate the English dub on this one), and I would definitely recommend it.  Hell, I'm trying to get a hold of it myself to add to my collection.

YZQ - Why Aren't You Watching This?

Ye gods, I can never find the right way to start these...so...let's just dive right into it.

Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta

Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta is an anime adaptation of the currently ongoing, 13 volume manga created by Suzuhito Yasuda about a town that lies on the border between the world of humans and the world of yokai (Japanese mythological monsters).

On the astronomically slim chance that you, dear reader, are saying to yourself "That person sure does sound familiar, I feel like he's been referenced before on this blog," rest assured, you're not losing your mind.  I talked briefly about Suzuhito Yasuda in my June post about Devil Survivor.  He did the character designs for the Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor games as well as the illustrations for the Durarara! light novels, among other things (good lord, I promise this is the last time I'll talk about that).

Aaaaaanyways, Yozakura Quartet (I'm going to save us all some headache by just abbreviating it as YZQ), follows four main characters through their adventures in Sakurashin town (the aforementioned town on the border between worlds).

First is Hime, the superpowered mayor of the town, whose most distinguishable feature is her orange and black scarf.  Next is Ao, a blue-haired, cat-eared mind reader.  There is also Kotoha, who has the power to conjure items just by speaking; and Akina, who runs a...town outreach center type thing?

Sounds kind of boring, but it's lots of fun, I promise.

Like I mentioned in my last post, Hana no Uta is a rehash of a 12 episode series from 2008 that I was very...content...with.  It was overwhelmingly okay, but it made me aware of the series, which got me reading the manga, so I guess there's always that.  Anyhow, the original series was animated by Nomad Studios, but this newest adaptation, as well as the 2010 & 2011 OVAs-- Hoshi no Umi-- are being handled by Tatsunoko Productions.

I was apprehensive at first when I looked into other Tatsunoko projects (Science Ninja Team Gatchaman and Casshern Sins, to name a few).  I found the art style reminiscent of things like Lupin III, Cyborg 009, and other shows that I just couldn't get into visually.  However, I quickly adapted to the art style and found that it...actually...is pretty awesome and not nearly as bad as I originally feared.  Granted, it's a far cry from Suzuhito Yasuda's work (of which I am personally a big fan), but hey, they made it work.  And...oh my god the way everything moves!

The comparison I like to draw is thus: "Hey, do you remember the fights from the first episode of Soul Eater?"

Just...just skip to 1:47

"You know how they looked really nice and intense?  Well, Yozakura Quartet moves like that all the time!"

This is all in the first 3 episodes, mind.  Consider me a convert.

So anyways, YZQ: HU is good looking, fun, and follows really closely to the manga, so I've got high hopes for a longer run than its previous incarnation.  I'm keeping up with it weekly and we're just getting into episode 6 and this show has yet to disappoint.

Simply put: I think it may be getting time for me to reevaluate my top 10 favorite anime XD

Fall 2013 Anime Forecast

So, I realized a few days ago that I just got my hands on episode 10 of Blood Lad, which means that Summer has been going on for at least 10 weeks, and since seasons are typically 13 weeks long, that means the Fall was coming up.  So I looked up a chart for the Fall 2013 anime lineup, and if the chart I found is to be trusted, there are more than a couple shows for me to look forward to in the coming months :)

Right out of the gate--GODDAMN BLAZBLUE?!  Yes, friends, goddamn BlazBlue is getting a run at anime this season.  If that last sentence didn't mean anything to you, allow me to enlighten.

BlazBlue [full name- BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger] is a 2d fighting game by Arc System Works (makers of Guilty Gear and Persona 4: Arena).  The game, like its predecessor Guilty Gear has had many sequels and spinoffs (BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, Continuum Shift II, Continuum Shift Extend, and Chrono Phantasma) in its 5 year run.

As much as I love BlazBlue, I have never actually owned one of the games (though I own Persona 4: Arena and a few Guilty Gears), and plots to fighting games have always acted a little like greased eels to me, so I think we can all just rely on the official synopsis here for BlazBlue: Alter Memory.

Next there's a rehash of Yozakura Quartet, which was a show that I have mentioned more than once and really enjoyed in 2008.  The primary difference, aside from the promised new original scenes (whatever that means), is different animators.

While the original was animated by Nomad studios (whose most notable other works is the Rozen Maiden series), this reboot, Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta is being done by Tatsunoko Productions, people responsible for such productions as Gatchaman,and Superbook. At first I was a little discouraged by this, but then I noticed that they also did the Yozakura Quartet OVAs - Hoshi no Umi, which I thought was really quite good.  Some parts of the look of it were a little squirrely, but I thought it was quite largely passable.

I'll tell you what I'd really like, if they'd rehash the series but stick closer to Suzuhito Yasuda's art style, the way they did for Durarara!!

There's a second season of Infinite Stratos, which I will certainly watch, since I enjoyed the original.  Staying true to form, though, I won't dwell too long on a sequel, but I will pass a hearty recommendation for the original to anyone who enjoys mecha-harem-comedy hybrids.  (The original series is available in english on DVD and Blu-ray)

Lastly, there is Diabolik Lovers, what I can only assume is going to be a romantic drama with ghosts and vampires.  Except the vampires are sadistic deuchebags, which I had ZERO issue with.  I think this is going to be like Vampire Knight, except better.

Originally a visual novel for the PSP, the adaptation is being animated by Zexcs, who also did My-HiME and THE LEGEND OF THE LEGENDARY GODDAMN HEROES!!! (*ahem*, The Legend of the Legendary Heroes is one of my favorite shows...like...ever).  Needless to say, I am on freaking board with this one :D

God dammit Fall is my favorite season!

The full chart can be found at http://1-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/a/image/1372/88/1372886993660.jpg

Blood Lad: Savior of the Summer

After several weeks of procrastinating (6, to be exact) I finally managed to catch the first episode of Blood Lad and I have to say that I am very pleased with it.  I had honestly lost all hope for new shows this summer but this one really came out of left field and pleasantly surprised me with how good it was.

Synopsis: The main character is Staz, a vampire who is pretty much the king/gang leader of his little slice of the demon world.  Another thing about him: he has a strong fascination with humans, Japan specifically.  So yeah, dude's a huge otaku. Figurines, manga shelves, the whole nine yards.  Things shake up when Staz's gang find a human girl has strayed into his territory.  [spoiler spoiler spoiler], things happen and now Staz and Fuyumi (that's the girl) are off on a quest to the human world [for reasons undisclosed...just watch the first episode].

For starters, the show looks great.  I don't know if it's a case of "first-episode-animation-budget-blowout" or if the studio [Brains Base, most notable for Baccano! and Durarara!!] is just awesome that way.  It's colorful and has an art style that is refreshingly unique without going too far.

Just look at those goddamn tiles!

So far, I really enjoy Staz as a character.  While his rampant fandom is funny, there are moments where he reveals a not-heavy-handed inner anguish over his nature.  He talks about how he just wants to be his own person and not feed on humans.  Fortunately for him, vampires in this series can sustain on more than just blood.  In fact, the matter has thus far gone unaddressed.  I get the impression that the creator [Yuuki Kodama] is treating the issue in a similar fashion to the way E. E. Knight treats a dragon's penchant for abducting maidens in the Age of Fire series (they're awesome, read them).  In the books, human women smell really good to dragons and drive them a little crazy.  They just really like being around them.  From Staz's first meeting with Fuyumi, I get a similar impression -- that vampires don't need to feed on humans, they just find it really hard to resist.

It's unfortunate, but it's impossible to put humans and vampires together these days without straying into the realm of Twilight subject matter.  I will say though, even though Blood Lad addresses Staz's reluctance to feed on human blood, it manages to stay away as well as is humanly possible.

Another thing that I enjoy about the show [and I don't know how well this will stay as the story progresses] is the personification of various demons and folkloric figures in the demon world.  I have always had a taste for shows that feature various yokai in human form.  Yozakura Quartet, Nurarihyon no Mago (Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan in the states), Inu X Boku, and Rosario + Vampire to name a few.

Meet Saty, I think she might be "Sati" from Hindu mythology, we'll see.

Long story short, one episode in and Blood Lad is a good ride, and I strongly recommend it.

Also, I will never say "no" to a show that gives Eva a good nod.

mini-post: Summer 2013 update

Blegh, fuck my life.

Everything I've tried out so far has been a bust.  Thankfully, though, that hasn't been terribly much (I blame Dark Tower and Borderlands).  I will, however, say these small bits.

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi was okay.  Not great, just okay.  I watched the first episode and got about halfway through the second one before I was just not-wowed enough to say to myself "I can put this down and not feel bad about it".  Now, don't take this to mean that I think it's bad, it just...didn't really grab me.  People may keep up with it and--who knows-- it may really pick a few more episodes in.  So I will say this: Not a terrible show, but not for me.

I also sat through the entire first two episodes of Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C3-bu, the show that GAINAX got behind.  I was dismayed to find that it was not entirely the K-On with gunplay I was expecting, which led to the realization that GAINAX is not synonymous with Hideaki Anno (creator and director of Evangelion).  It's about a girl who doesn't really connect with others and wants a fresh start in high school.  She doesn't really know who she wants to be and finds herself (on multiple levels) in the C3 club at school (war games with airsoft).  Sounds like K-On, just replace "C3" with "Light Music", but it was missing a certain je ne sais quoi that I really loved in the past.

And I have to be honest, I got through the first two minutes of Fantasista Doll before I thought to myself "I have made a terrible mistake".  Could be good, could be great, but I don't really think I'm the right person to find out.

But there's some good news on the horizon!  I'm finally going to see Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Advance at Otakon, which is in a week :D

They won't be showing the dubbed version, but the Eva-fans in the gang are pointedly tired of waiting.

Also Legend of Korra comes back this September

Dubstep Robot Punch

There's a movie that I mentioned a few posts back called Pacific Rim.  I saw it this past Thursday, and felt I should say a piece of two about it, and haven't said anything until now on account of...laziness mostly.

So, Pacific Rim...

The 2013 homage to giant monster films like Godzilla, etc by Guillermo Del Toro, writer/producer/directer.  You may have heard his name associated with movies like Pan's Labyrinth (2006), Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010), and Mama (2013) [for a full list of everything he's done EVER, check the IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868219/]

One of the main complaints with Del Toro's horror films is that you see too much of the monsters, which makes them less terrifying.  However, this is not the case with Pacific Rim.  In this film, you want want want to see the Kaiju (not to mention that would make for one hell of a weird fight scene if you couldn't see half the fight XD) and you would not be disappointed.  This movie's got Kaiju (Japanese: Giant Monster) coming out of its ears, and each one is unique in their design and the way they fight, making each encounter a completely different experience to the others.

The Jaegers (German: Hunter - the name for the mechs in this universe) are also jaw-droppingly gorgeous, even the Russian Jaeger, looking like a Nuclear Ventilator, was a beautiful thing.

I thought the characters were really well-rounded and compelling, the plot simple enough to follow but complex enough to be engaging, and the fights lasted the perfect amount of time to leave us wanting more (which there was).

All-in-all, Pacific Rim was...just...fantastic.  10/10.  Go see it if you haven't.  Hell, see it again.  I would.

I'll go back to anime now, I promise.

Lost Christmas in July

The title may be a little squirrely, so I'll make this as simple as possible.

GUILTY CROWN IS COMING OUT ON BLU-RAY AND DVD AUGUST 27TH!

FUCKIN' B-GAH!

If you know me personally or are from the future and have read my top 10 anime post I plan on making, you know that Guilty Crown is one of my favorite shows ever, probably my single favorite mech show (though that may be debatable since mechs are IN IT, but not really focal).

Guilty Crown has been called the unofficial Code Geass season 3, for good reason.  There are some parts of it that are reminiscent of Code Geass-- Japan being occupied by a foreign power, a military power focused on ground-based robots, etc.

To put it simply, Guilty Crown is a show that I LOVE and I'm super pumped for it being released in the states (shut up and take my money, Funimation!) and WATCH IT!

Guilty Crown is a show from Fall 2011, directed by Tetsuro Araki, whose most notable work to date is Attack on Titan the show that everybody is going nuts about right now.  It was also written by one Hiroyuki Yoshino, the writer of the aforementioned Code Geass


You can preorder the limited edition part 1 of this masterpiece on Amazon.com for $66.99 and part 2 for $44.99, though I have to say I'm a little apprehensive of Funimation's choice of voice actors.  The vast majority of them are names with which I don't readily identify.  On the flip side, I'm also really happy for Funimation for branching out from their routine of throwing the same handful of VAs at every show they get.  So, tip of the hat, but if this turns out to be another fiasco like the guy they cast to voice Gray in Fairy Tail, I'mma shank a bitch!

Do yourself a service and get your hands on Guilty Crown this August (though I'm probably gonna wait for the price to go down some XD)

Relevant to somebody, I'm sure

So...figurines are a thing, and lots of people are into them.  I'm not one of them, but I thought I'd share this.

A company that makes PVC figurines called Wave has announced that they're going to be putting out figurines of Amy and Bellows, two main characters from Suisei no Gargantia, a series that I realllllllllllly like.

It comes as no surprise that this series is doing well in terms of popularity, but it's still nice to see recognition coming its way :P

http://sgcafe.com/2013/05/gargantias-amy-bellows-swimsuit-figurine-annonced/

Summer 2013 Anime Part III

Now that the summer season is fully upon us, I thought I would at least my promised 3 part post of the upcoming shows before I jump into it.  This part of the summer forecast will be looking into shows that I have literally no inclination to watch and why.

At the top of the list is Ro-Kyuu-Bu SS

The primary reason that I have no desire to watch this is that I, in fact, do not share the sentiment that "elementary school girls are the best".  Damn, Japan.  Just.  Damn.  Secondarily, this is the second installment of an already running series, and it should say something when the fact that a show is in its second season is not the primary reason I won't watch it.  Just sayin'.

The next show that you could not pay me to watch is Love Lab.

Because I need a show full of archetypes like I need a hole in the head.  There's nothing wrong with a show having a character or two that follow one character type or another, but if the synopsis is to be trusted, this show is full of them.  You know what, scratch that, I don't even mind a show having a cast of characters that cover the entire spectrum of archetypes (Negima! has a cast so big that I think they had some overlap before it was all over), but I will never be into a show whose singular focus is that.

And last, but certainly not least, we have Silver Spoon.

In case you've never heard the phrase, "being born with a silver spoon in your mouth" means being born into a life of privilege, and is where the title comes from.  I don't think there's anything more I really need to say about this other than read the synopsis.  Oh, you know what, I think I got something.  I think the money from Fullmetal Alchemist ran out (unlikely, but by lookin' at Greed squattin' in the corner there, I think this is the same creator). Anyways, much as I loved Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, this really...really does not interest me.

In the immortal words of Hooper in Jaws - "I don't need any of this working class hero crap!"