Recently Watched Anime (Updated 12/19)

Updated 12/19: Solty Rei, not that good. Traumend, getting even better.

Decided to collate a bunch of the first (or sometimes first 3) eps of (mostly) recently aired stuff I've sampled in the last couple of weeks. No really horrible shows in this list, although since there really is so much stuff out there, I generally filter out stuff based matching description to my preferences before watching even a single episode.

For the subscribable stuff, I'd probably rank as:
Rozen Maiden Traumend > Mushishi > Blood+ > Black Cat > Solty Rei

Parappa the Rapper
Sony paid big bucks to have this animated by Production I.G. and J.C. Staff, probably the priciest production one could get for a TV show. Somewhat unusual since Parappa has a very simple visual style. Show is really trippy. Probably not watchable in a 26-episode stretch, but an isolated episode here and there could be strangely amusing. Enjoyed the one ep. mostly from it's strangeness, not really motivated to see more.

Black Cat
Big name animated form of popular Shounen Jump manga, bearing all the earmarks of having been in SJ (like Bleach or Naruto). Interesting combination of dark + cute in a shounen setting. More brooding, less machismo compared to Bleach and thus much more watchable. Seen first 3 eps, motivated to subscribe and see more.

Blood+
Rebirth of the "multimedia extravaganza" release of the same name (movie+game+printed materials+???) from several years ago. Apparently the franchise is not dead. Very high production value with a coherent story that predates the events in the movie (never played the game so I can't compare to that). Interesting story and high production value makes it quite watchable. Ranks somewhat higher than Black cat. Seen the first 3 eps, motivated to subscribe and see more.

Mushishi
Recommendation from Kristina and Zhang (turns out the manga is like, Kristina's all time most favorite or something like that). Had a very strange "wow" factor. The production values are high, but the visuals, music, dialogue, story, and characters are very subdued. At the same time, it was very gripping and emotionally evocative somehow. The episode didn't drag at all, instead the time passed very quickly event though not a lot of "stuff" happened. It was quite amazing actually. Seen the first ep, motivated to subscribe and see more.

Rozen Maiden Traumend
Sequel to Rozen Maiden, a surprisingly good show in a genre that I usually disdain. Kid gets involved with a group of sentient female dolls (e.g. 8 inches tall). In the original, there was an overarching plot, but it doesn't reach fruition. Instead, the show was driven by the interesting characters and their interaction (and was good because of it). The sequel, so far, is equally strong. The characters are still the main point, but since we're spared some of the startup cost of introduction (since we know them from the previous series), plot starts to play a heavier role.

This show really gets stronger as the eps. proceed. For example, they introduce Kanariya, one of the new dolls, who is pretty saccharine and ditzy and would have been quite annoying, except that her personality characteristics are used by the plot to set up a very serious and dramatic point that seems to set the tone for the entire series. I can't emphasize enough how interesting and amusing the character interaction is. The contrasting use of cute and serious is perhaps one of the defining traits of anime in general, and is quite well executed in this show.

Seen the first 6 eps, motivated to subscribe and see more.

Solty Rei
Most recent Gonzo (e.g. Blue Sub #6, Last Exile) series featuring, as expected, an eye-candy mix of 2D and 3D CG graphics. Seems to be set up as a kind of cyberpunk cop/bounty hunter story. Hard boiled bounty hunter (Roy) lost his daughter in some kind of horrific calamity called the Blast Fall ~10 years ago. He meets up with some kind of powerful robot in the form of a girl who appears the same age as his daughter would be. Hopefully this setup means less potential for dubious fan service. First ep was quite entertaining, but very much a "dive-right-in" kind of introduction, so it will take a few more episodes to determine if it's worth watching to completion.

Eps 2 and 3 should start some kind of story but unfortunately, gets caught up in some genre confusion. So Solty, the mysterious robot girl, becomes like a surrogate daughter for Roy, the widower bounty hunter (although there's some "drama" because he's too hard boiled and caught up in the loss of his real daughter to easily accept her). Coincidentally, the president of the bounty-hunter agency, where he gets work, is an attractive widow (Miranda) with a daughter (Kasha) and lives right next door to him. For some reason, Miranda is totally taken with Solty, wants to treat her as a second child, but presses Roy to be the one to adopt her. Roy agrees to do so under the condition that Solty live at Miranda's place, but Solty keeps breaking into his apartment. What is going on here?! Interspersed in there is some mission to guard some mysterious case that's going to be stolen by a band of famous thieves, who turn out to be good guys because the case contained illegal drugs that the client was planning to sell to some kids... My patience wears thin.

Solty Rei is on notice. 2 more episodes, and then, it's gone.

Noiseman Sound Insect
Recent Studio 4C art film. There is a plot to this one, but it takes a while to sync up with it (not unusual given that it's an art film). Really high quality artwork and animation, as is typical with Studio 4C stuff. Not a series. Willing to re-watch while showing to others.

Take the X Train
Really old art-ish OVA. Plot is somewhat reminiscent of "Stink Bomb" from Memories, although perhaps somewhat less comical. It does have a similar light-hearted approach to a serious setting, and is somewhat darker. It did drag in bits, and is about an hour long. I found it worthwhile, but probably wouldn't re-watch.