But no bother, AVI versions do eventually come out for the show… just at a slower rate. :/

As to TTGL, it has to be my favorite show of the season; Ep 3 sealed the deal for me.

I must admit I was underwhelmed by "El Cazador de la Bruja" too. I’ve just never been a fan of this kind of "effortless killing machine" anime, but still I gave it a chance and I basically left the first episode feeling a whole lot of "meh" and little else.

I was kinda expecting the same thing from Claymore, but I actually really liked the first few episodes! I am a horror fan, so I can’t resist the demon hunting, but the animation and atmosphere are particularly impressive, tending to present a show that is actually far more serious and mature than I expected. At least the side kick hasn’t cracked any fart jokes yet.

With regards to "Darker Than Black" – I’ve also seen the first couple of episodes and while I was generally impressed, I felt no immediate pathos with the characters and their situations. Something about it feels very artificial and cold, though given the setting, that’s probably intended. One thing I did love was how the "Contractors" have to fulfill some stupid rule after using their powers – the dude eating flowers and the other guy breaking his fingers… That’s just an awesome and really creative idea! Some one is bound to have a kind of kamikaze contract.

I’m with you on Kino no Tabi: Byouki no Kuni. I’ve seen all the anime on UK DVD and it was one of my absolute favorites from 04/05! Can’t wait to see more of Kino and Hermes!

And simply the word "Idolmaster" in a title is enough to scare me away from a show. Good to see I’m not missing out on anything!

I’ve checked out a lot of first episodes so I’ll give you a brief run-down of my thoughts.

After two episodes Darker Than Black has impressed me the most thus far. The set-up and characters are both interesting, the animation is good, and Yoko Kanno’s music hasn’t been bad thus far either ;D

Claymore looks solid, if unspectacular. I haven’t read the manga but it’s a shame that it looks like being a repetition of that age old cliché of a strong character saddled with a pussy sidekick. Hopefully Raki evolves a little and the series can really take off.

I’ve never seen a series imitate NGE in the way that Idolmaster Xenoglossia does. You have the submerged Tokyo, the Misato clone, the Gendo clone, the Ritsuko name, the HQ, the city and the launch sequence, the mechas that are "alive" (not that this is an Eva original, but still). Heck, I wondered if the whole penguin deal in this episode was a reference to Pen Pen (probably me thinking too much again)? SOMEHOW the series remained inoffensive despite all that but I doubt I’ll keep tracking this one.

Hidamari Sketch really wasn’t too my tastes; just didn’t seem to "get" the comedy in it. Much the same as with Lucky Star, which was just bad. The infamous five minute food scene being the prime example of the lack of laughs.

Hayate no Gotoku! sounded dumb and proved to be so. More moe, but hardly any laughs.

Hitohira had a surprisingly good first episode, but I’m always a sucker for a decent high school set anime. There are a couple of details I’d tweak but the characters seem pretty fun, and their designs aren’t bad; not to mention the head-butt incident was a genuine laugh-out-loud moment.

Bokurano I picked up because of your prior mention of the manga in your season preview. I liked the manga a lot so I’m *hoping* the anime matches up well.

El Cazador de la Bruja seemed, as expected, very Noir-ish and that’s not really a good thing. I’ll give it a couple more episodes, but doesn’t look like one I’ll be following.

After the first episode Sola looks like it’s going to be a bit odd (vampires?). Again though, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt for a couple more episodes.

Romeo X Juliet, and Heroic Age are sitting on my hard-drive waiting to be watched. I’d also like to catch Seirei no Moribito, Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku wo, The Skullman, and Lovely Complex (shoujo fix!) if / when they’re subbed. Whether they’re any good is, of course, another thing entirely ^^

Oh, and the sooner Kino no Tabi: Byouki no Kuni gets a sub the better!

Phew, sorry, for all that. I do try to check out as many first episodes as I can, just to be sure I’m not missing anything. My anime watching habit is pretty eractic these days but I do my best to get into things at the start of each new season.

With that said, I’m not sure if it’s really worth critiquing the characters in show like this when there is such an overriding sense of adventure and discovery. Either way, it’s nice to hear your thoughts – yours is the first comment I’ve read that criticizes the show!

With regards to what else I’m watching, here’s the list as of Saturday: Heroic Age, Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, Claymore, Bokurano, Darker than BLACK, Seirei no Moribito and Romeo X Juliet – and I’m still waiting on both "Kissdum Engage Planet" and "The Skullman". You got a favourite for this season? Given your opinion of Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, I’m interested to know what you’re enjoying