After a huge year of anime last year, I think my interest petered out again. I'm not sure why that is -- I'm just not that interested in a lot of series, and it doesn't help that anime companies in Japan tend to focus on shounen more than shoujo. I also tend to be uninterested in anime adaptations of manga I've read; more often than not, the pacing is worse and the art is less detailed.

No spoilers below for any of the series.

Series that I am not really fond of but don't actually dislike

( Romeo x Juliet )

Series I am fond of

( Gundam Wing )

( Mushishi )

( Nana )

Favorite series of the year

( Haibane Renmei )

( Honey and Clover )

Very short episode write ups! My overall impression: just as gorgeous and strange as all the others.

( Ep. 14: Inside the Cage )

( Ep. 15: Pretense of Spring )

( Ep. 16: Dawn Snake )

( Ep. 17: The Hollow Cocoon Pickers )

( Ep. 18: Clothes that Embrace the Mountain )

( Spoilers for all four eps. )

For once my icon is inappropriate!

( Spoilers for all eps. )

I didn't think anything could really be more beautiful, eerier, or flat out stranger than the manga, and yet...

So far, this is a series with really high production values. The backgrounds and the music (as far as I can tell) are gorgeous, as is the animation and the voicework. And they really add to the experience of the story, so much so that I wasn't at all bored, even though the first three episodes are completely straight and very faithful retellings of stories from vol. 1 of the manga.

I love all the little details: how Ginko wears slightly Western clothes while everyone else is clad in traditional Japanese clothing, the emerald green of Ginko's one eye contrasted with the muted browns and greens of the background, actually being able to hear the silence or the noise described in the story about the silence-eating mushi.

rachelmanija has a better write-up of the basic premise of the series.

And even though seeing something animated should have completely horrified me or squicked me out (mushi in ears), there's something so matter-of-fact about Ginko's attitude and the animation. I just watched, eyes wide and mouth open in wonder, as Ginko smears the sticky remains of a mushi off his hands and a little boy gets grossed out.

I think this is going to be one of the rare shows in which I want to both read the manga and watch the anime, even if it is repeating storylines.

Really, really recommended, maybe even for people who don't normally like anime.