It's been too long since I posted an update. Here we go:
SaiKano - Chise is so confused and clumsy all the time that it's hard to see her as an equal to Shuuji emotionally. Shuuji on the other hand acts most of the series as a complete jerk. He scolds Chise all the time, forces himself on her a time or two, cheats on her with Fuyumi-san, bleh.
Couple that with a setting that varies from boring country town where nothing happens to outright war where people are dying left and right to devastated town where people desperately try to survive, and you'll understand that this isn't really a pleasant anime. If it were a book, it would surely be classified as Literature (with capital L) because it is very depressing, and in the end nothing is accomplished except showing human suffering and the utter stupidity of war.
SaiKano: Another Love Song (OVA) is more SaiKano. Same sad story, just from a different perspective.
Speed Grapher - At first I thought the whole corrupt rich folks blackmailed about fetishes angle wasn't very interesting. Now (around ep.6) it seems that the anime focuses more on Saiga & Kagura vs. the evil empire, and there's enough suspense to keep watching. Not exactly sure about the whole superpowers thing though. That seems a little too American superhero comic book.
*lol* Ginza said so too when Saiga explained to her what was going on.
Hmm, towards the end the story slows down somewhat, so it wasn't as captivating anymore (there's even a clip episode).
It disappointed me a little that the few women in this anime were all either victims or prostitutes or both. Even Ginza didn't really escape being a victim, and her character was all about getting Saiga back anyway.
All in all Speed Grapher isn't worse than I expected, but not better either. Worth watching, but don't expect excellence.
Gunslinger Girl - The first ep. was a little confusing in jumping back and forth in time. After that it got better. For such a short anime (only 13 eps.) it doesn't move very quickly though.
Wow, someone really wanted to get their money's worth out of that footsteps soundtrack
Overall I think it was a good anime, but very short. Good art, meh or non-existent music, intriguing characters, not much character development, decent but short story.
I've heard the second season is bad, so I'm not sure if I should watch it.
Because all of the above are either rather sad or a little depressing, I balanced them with Aria:
Aria The Animation - Ooh, this looks just so lovely. I've discovered a new favorite ^_^ ♪
The laid-back atmosphere, Akari's attitude towards every little detail of life, Aika's interruptions, president Aria's 'Pui! Nyuu!', Alicia's 'Are, are', ahh, this is such a refreshing and wonderful anime. This is a great antidote to all bad feelings. Goes on my to-buy list immediately.
Aria The Natural - Ahh, bliss. More Aria to soothe and happify
Careful, you might smile so much your cheeks ache. It's a good kind of ache though
Aria The OVA ~Arietta~ - Akari and Alicia's faces were a little off-model a few times.
Aria The Origination - I felt sad when Aria came to an end, but I think it's for the best. Too much more would spoil the goodness. A few days later I'm still smiling while listening to the soundtrack
Right now I'm watching the first season of Minami-ke. It reminds me of several other slice-of-life/comedy anime, in good ways that is. Lucky Star, Hidamari Sketch and Azumanga Daioh come to mind. Minami-ke has its own style though. There is a lot of juvenile comedy that comes very close to fanservice/ecchi territory at times, but it doesn't become unbearable.
I'm a little reluctant to get started on Pretty Cure Splash Star and Yes! PreCure 5. Not all episodes have been subbed, or I couldn't get them yet.