It’s red alert at M3 camp following the sudden revelation that all the shows I’ve been watching are ending.

With the combination of some ace 1-cour shows this season with some excellent carryover shows from the fall season, the next week or two is looking to be one giant send-off to many high-tier shows…which looks to be a recipe for a couple nights’ worth of pure anime heaven, followed by a big blank void.

I’m just zetsubou’ing because there doesn’t look to be a whole lot of interesting names in the new season of anime for spring; something that won’t stop me from eventually watching half the shows based on critical praise from around the blogosphere, but still, something that’s distressing, as in the past at least there’s been one or two big names or concepts. Fall had Clannad to leave Key fanatics like me drowning in their own drool. Winter had the combo of H2O / True Tears, two visual novel adaptations which promised to be good…and oddly enough, both were.

Here, the most interesting thing to me is a three episode OVA. (Yes, it’s Bus Gamer, pronounced “Biz Gamer” apparently as it stands for “Business Gamer”. Who came up with that one?)

My stash of backlogged material is probably what will subsist me through the next few months but as I’m still busy looking for the next (last?) big gem to add to that backlog, there’s a certain state of panic here.

One which I must say leaves me very malleable for peer pressure, so, hey, influence me. Details after the jump, along with some advertising for some of the shows I’ll miss dearly:

Well, first off I’ll paint a picture of what worlds are ending soon, so that those equally in despair may link hands and sing tribal songs or whatnot:

Clannad
Status: Last episode downloaded and to be watched in 2 hours’ time. I think there’s one or two more ‘bonus episodes’, and hopefully a Tomoyo After / After Story OVA or second season was announced. They probably announced it in the 22nd episode – stop snickering at me for being ignorant.
How will I live without: Kyou’s thighs Kotomi’s moeness Ryou’s “totally deserves to win”-ness Fuuko’s annoyingness Nagisa’s Nagisa power DANGO DANGO DANGO DANGO DAIKAZOKU The great dynamic of both humor and storyline that Clannad has brought to the table. Unlike other visual novel adaptations, Clannad has done a great job of even interjecting the most serious moments with a bit of lightheartedness that keeps the audience both intrigued and sane.

H2O ~Footprints in the Sand~
Status: Last episode downloading, to be watched tommorow so to not cause an awesomegasm tonight
How will I live without: Kohinata getting beat up lame parental drama Hamaji, dear God, Hamaji The almost Evangelion-like (although I’ve never watched it – this is just what I imagine it is) way in which H2O is concluding, putting some serious question on the earlier events and leaving an almost ef-like taste with some of the disjointed insanity, which, I must say, actually is pretty good. I like Hirose for not being a completely bland harem lead, as well.

KimiKiss Pure Rouge
Status: Stalking TokyoTosho until Tuesday or so when the subs come out
How will I live without: Kouichi and Kazuki’s stupidity Kissing frogs Moe moe flustered Eriko Yuumi fighto~ The ability of KimiKiss to induce some of the most powerful character analysis / debates in me since the controversial days of Shuffle. I liken KimiKiss to politics, except more entertaining: a case can be made for the worthiness of both characters, and the debates really get heated, and, like the Democratic race, the vote can really fall either way. …Well, I still believe that.

True Tears
Status: 2 or 3 episodes left
How will I live without: Rhyming the words “Moe” and “Noe” together Deciding whether Noe or Hiromi is better Strange chicken analogies The powerful manner in which True Tears essentially manages to tread the same old visual novel ground as any other company, except better. It’s a good middle ground between completely down-to-earth KimiKiss and a-bit-out-there shows like Kanon, and boy is it a looker. It doesn’t feel as special as many first viewed it to be, and other shows have overtaken it in the awesome ranking, but True Tears is definitely very solid and worth it just for the parallel between Shinichiro and Raigomaru. (Unless…?)

Shakugan no Shana II
Status: 2 episodes left, I believe
How will I live without: Watching Konoe pwn Shana and Yoshida Actual fight scenes in an anime I’d watch Melonpan and urusai x 3 …uh…I’m not sure why I watch Shana II. Maybe it’s to rub it in the face of everyone at the start who said it was really bad. I like it a lot as a show; I like the action segments (such as the Sabrac fight) and the romantic segments … but quite frequently both are cut too short. Maybe if Shana II spent more time on one or the other instead of stalling for a potential third season, it would be a great, but until then, this show is like a good action movie: something that’s quite enjoyable when watched but not exactly memorable in the way other shows can be.

Gambling Apocalpyse Kaiji
Status: 2 or 3 episodes, maybe
How will I live without: Noses that can stab eyes out Taking one episode to reveal a card ISHIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA The raw ‘zawa zawa’ power of this show to be so many different, and so many awesome, things at once. It can be the mindgame show, where it’s a race between Kaiji, the viewer, and the clock to figure out just what is going on here and how to beat the system. It can be the action show, as we ride the rollercoaster after to figure out just how he figured out that Tonegawa was figuring that he figured out (etc, etc). It can even be a little philosophical, with some cutting, if not probably true, remarks on society. And more than anything, it can be a show that works despite featuring one girl in one scene in one episode, and for someone like me who has moe dripped into his right arm through an IV, that’s the best compliment for a show like this.

And here’s what I’ve got to look forward to (aside from some stragglers like Minami-ke Okawari and Zoku Zetsubou):
In the “I really need to get around to this” pile: Ever17 the visual novel, ONE the visual novel, Canvas2.
In the “I have no idea what this is but I’ve heard it’s good” pile: Bamboo Blade, Haibane Renmei.
In the “I could watch this but it’s not a top priority” pile: Hidamari Sketch, Manabi Straight, ARIA.
In the “I need more money / bandwidth” pile: Nodame Cantabile, Gurren Lagann, School Rumble.
And I’ve picked up the Kare Kano manga recently, but apparently the anime is licensed and out of print.

A more hefty list than I first thought, but no huge burning priorities.

And so I turn to you, the audience, which for some mystical reason knows more about anime than I do. Any good visual novel-type or romance shows that I’ve missed over the years that are unlicensed? (If you want a peek of what I’ve watched, look at the tags on the right.) Wanting to pimp some random out-of-my-genre show that will be really good, just because? Fire away. I’m hoping for some enthuastic suggestions. Thanks for reading, and hopefully for commentating.

-CCY

(Yes, even my short posts get out of hand.)