Anime - Worth a watch

OK, so I've been finishing some anime again. Some of them were so-so but there were some pretty good ones that are worth watching :D

So yes, these are all anime that I think are worth watching but are not must sees. Spice and Wolf especially since it's not really my style but it is interesting and well made.

Claymore

It's about women warriors that are half human half demon. Working for an organisation they travel from town to town killing demons.
It's a really grey-toned series coloured only by the red and purple blood of humans and demons :P A well-made series with lots of slashing but without going overboard. I'm not really that into this type of anime but this one is good so if you like this genre I recommend it :D

26 episodes, licensed, anime original ending, manga 19 vol ongoing

Kamisama Kazoku

Samatarou lives with with his parents, two sisters and an angel. Oh, yea and his father is God and his mother a goddess. Samataro goes to school to learn how humans live and the angel Tenko goes with him to help.
His family is the kind that whenever they do something they tend to be really annoying but it doesn't go completely over the top. You just have to live through episode two. That's the worst one. They don't do that again. It's a comedy, half crazy, one third serious and with a little bit of romance. The two main characters are pretty level-headed so as long as the family stays away it doesn't get that silly. I like this one, it's funny and interesting.

13 episodes, not licensed, manga 5 vol complete

Spice and Wolf

Lawrence is a young merchant who is travelling with a god wolf named Horo. She helps him get good deals and always makes him buy her tons of apples.
This anime is pretty calm but has it's moments of thrill and action. Horo is wise, clever and very god at making things go her way. Even in human form she still keeps her ears and tail but without going all moe. A big plus. You can clearly see both her ferocious side as a wolf and her cheeky and girlish sides as a woman. I think both she and Lawrence are good character and go very well with the story.
The animation is nice and has nice theme songs. The ending especially is very cute. It's completely in engrish and I don't get what's it's about but it has charm.



There is also a second season for those who liked it.

13 episodes, licensed, 5 vol ongoing

Japanorama!

Years ago, like 6 years ago (in Sweden that is) a TV show aired that was called "Japanorama". It is a British show hosted by Jonathan Ross of BBC fame, Ross is a huge fan of all things Japanese and he uses the show to show just what is it that makes Japan so special.

Japanorama is a 3 season show that ran in 2002, 2006 and 2007 on BBC Three and BBC Choice and have had much praise for the care the BBC and Ross took in the making of it.

Each episode takes up a theme with everything from Samurai to Otaku and Kawaii. Ross meets with important persons in each of the subject he address and you get to hear the views, visions and ideas by people like Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli) and Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell).

The episode known as Otaku takes up the way that people in Japan view Otakus and also what it truly stands for. It is an interesting view of the fan-culture of Japan.

In the episode Gaijin they take up the subject of foreigners and outcasts in the Japanese society and how they are treated. This part shows the sometimes extremely narrow minded and racist society they can be, but also the way the Japanese youths strive to get away from those things.

It also have a segment that follow a UK band as they do their first tour in Japan and also the Etiquette School, which teaches you things like the correct way to open doors and the proper way to hold your chopsticks.

I can really recommend checking out this show even if it's a bit dated by now. It has interesting information about the people, the society and the popular culture of Japan.